History Characters / ATaleDarkAndGrimm

William, Jacob and Dotty are trio of ravens who act as narrators, commentators and occasional comic relief.

* DeadpanSnarker: All three of them are pretty snarky, though Jacob is the most likely to insert some dry comment, and William is probably the one who gets most creative with sarcasms.

* MorphicResonance: Jacob and William look very similar as ravens as they did as human.

* InteractiveNarrator: Played with. For the first eight episodes they follow the characters around to tell their story, but never interact with them... but it's made clear that they're really only recounting things that already have happened and actually can't change anything. Starting with the penultimate episode, they ''do'' start interacting with the characters and the story, but by now they've caught up to the present and don't know any more about what's going on than the characters do. While they try to keep up the narration, they stuggle to do so -- especially William, who isn't good at "working without a script."

* ScrewTheRulesImDoingWhatsRight: In the penultimate episode, despite ''repeatedly'' telling Jacob they're forbidden from actually helping or even interacting with Hansel and Gretel, William is the one who decides enough is enough and is the first to interfere in the story to save the kids from danger. Kind of doubles as a HeroicSacrifice, because he ''knows'' that breaking the rules means he'll be stuck as a raven forever.

The secondary narrator, who is not only the most sympathetic to the plights of the characters, but also the one who worries about potentially traumatizing the audience.

* OnlySaneMan: He definitely has the most common sense of the three ravens. When William gets carried away with the storytelling, freaks out because he doesn't know what's going to happen, or says the wrong thing because he's not used to "working without a script," Jacob is the one who tries to bring him back on track. When Dottie gets too caught up in NightmareFetishist tendencies or her attentionspan lapses, Jacob will try to set her straight... or if he can't, just snark about it.

Hangs out with William and Jacob as they tell the story, offering her own distinct commentary on things.

* AttentionDeficitOohShiny: She's got a very limited attention span. She'll stop paying attention to what's going on or forget important details even after having been told them dozens of times. She keeps forgetting that Jacob and William weren't always ravens, even if this was one of the first things they told her when they met her, and have repeatedly told her since.
* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: Dotty's mind does not work like anyone else's mind. She's not very attentive, she often focuses on the wrong things and draws the wrong conclusions; and she's so scatterbrained that she keeps forgetting that William and Jacob aren't real ravens and reacts with the same astonishment every time they remind her.
* DumbassHasAPoint: Roughly OnceAnEpisode, Dotty (normally TheDitz) will bring up a valid point that the other two haven't considered. When the other two ravens are flabbergasted about still being Ravens, Dotty states that the story isn't over because the family is still broken apart and that Johannes warned them of a great evil they haven't encountered yet.
* ImAHumanitarian: Being a scavenger, she is thrilled to eat the corpses of dead people, and is even seen snacking on someone's eyeball.

* BrokenBird: She and Hansel have been through hell, to say the least, and she's no longer as innocent and carefree as she once was. Even the Handsome Young Man can tell she's no ordinary girl and has seen a lot of pain.

* {{Catchphrase}}: "This is fine!" (Spoiler alert: It is almost always NOT fine.)

* BadassAdorable: As the series goes on her becomes more competent and heroic.

* DarkIsNotEvil: His robes gave him the appearance of a dark and evil sorcerer, but he is actually on the side of good.

* GoodAllAlong: He first appeared sinister, with Gretel not trusting him, but he proves himself to be on their side.

* ImprobableInfantSurvival: All 7 of them survive the dragon attack.

* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: He's rather haughty and selfish, and refuses to take responsibility when he causes Hansel to be sold to the Devil, but ultimately proves he cares about Hansel and even [[spoiler: sacrifices his life for him.]]

* {{Catchphrase}}: "I'm a widow!", usually said to a man she finds attractive.

* AbusiveOffspring: He treats his mother horribly, keeping her chained up in his castle and forced to work for him like a servant. She admits to have taught him everything he knows, but now that he's become so powerful, it's clear he has no qualms abusing her. It's also implied that he's the reason his mother is missing an eye.

* BeautyIsBad: He's a very good-looking young man, who also happens to be a power-hungry warlock that steals young girls' souls and uses them to fuel his magic.

* LighterAndSofter: In the original fairy tale, he outright ''killed'' his victims, but in the series he subdues them and turns their souls into doves. Still imprisoning them, but not killing them, as the girls he captured later return to their families alive and well.

* BigRedDevil: He has horns, a goatee, and a pitchforks, but is green rather than red.

* DeadpanSnarker: All three of them are pretty snarky, though William is probably the one who uses the most creative sarcasms.

* DeadpanSnarker: TheHeart he may be, but Jacob is talso he most likely of the ravens to make some dry or sarcastic observation.

* NiceGuy: He's one of the most wholeheartedly ''good'' characters in the series. Of the three ravens, he's the one most eager to help out the protagonists, even though he knows this would have negative consequences for himself.
* ScrewTheRulesImDoingWhatsRight: In the penultimate episode, despite repeatedly being told that he's forbidden from actually helping or even interacting with Hansel and Gretel, Jacob is the one who decides enough is enough and interferes in the story to save the kids from danger. Kind of doubles as a HeroicSacrifice, because he ''knows'' that breaking the rules means he'll be stuck as a raven forever.

* AmbiguouslyBrown: He has vaguely Asian features.

* BalefulPolymorph: Jacob and William were originally humans who were cursed by the Devil to take the form of talking ravens.

* BalefulPolymorph: He is turned into a beast in episode 3.

* SkunkStripe: Has a white streak in his mostly black hair.

[[folder: All Three]]

[[folder: William]]
--> Voiced by: Scott Adsit

[[folder: Jacob]]
--> Voiced by: Ron Funches

[[folder: Dotty]]

* TheStoryteller: The most clear-cut example of the three ravens. William is a gifted storyteller with a flair for the dramatic, and he's also the one who handles most of the actual narration and the one who keeps the story on track when Dotty goes off on a tangent or Jacob gets reluctant about the topics.

* DumbassHasAPoint: When the other two ravens are flabbergasted about still being Ravens, Dotty states that the story isn't over because the family is still broken apart and that Johannes warned them of a great evil they haven't encountered yet.

* {{Hyprocrite}}: Treats his rules with utmost importance, but has no problems breaking them himself. Hansel acknowledges how hypocritical this is, stating that if Lord Meister can break a rule, so can he.

* BeleaguredAssistant: He's one for Lord Meister, being a personal servant frequently told to perform ridiculous tasks.

[[/folder]]

[[folder:Mr. and Mrs. Bauers]]

[[folder:The Bauers Children]]

* {{Foil}}: He acts as one to Widow Fischer. Both of them took one of the twins under their ward, but while Fischer was loony and chaotic, Lord Meister is a ControlFreak obsessed with rules. Widow Fisher also tells Gretel that she won't be her mother, while Lord Meister hopes Hansel sees him as a father.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: He is incredibly arrogant and snobby, but he does care about Hansel and even [[spoiler:sacrifices his life for him]].
* NeverMyFault: When he finds out that he accidentally sold Hansel's soul to the devil, he blames it on Hansel for breaking the rules and coming into his library at night.

[[/folder]]
!!Enemies

[[folder:Mrs. Baker]]
--> Voiced by: Creator/NicoleByer

[[folder:The Bauers]]

[[folder:Lord Meister]]
--> Voiced by: Adetokumboh M'Cormack

* {{Foil}}: He acts as one to Widow Fischer. Both of them took one of the twins under their ward, but while Fischer was loony and chaotic, Lord Meister is a ControlFreak obsessed with rules. Widow Fisher also tells Gretel that she won't be her mother, while Lord Meister hopes Hansel sees him as a father.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: He is incredibly arrogant and snobby, but he does care about Hansel and even [[spoiler:sacrifices his life for him]].
* NeverMyFault: When he finds out that he accidentally sold Hansel's soul to the devil, he blames it on Hansel for breaking the rules and coming into his library at night.

[[folder:Widow Fischer]]
--> Voiced by: Creator/MissiPyle

* {{Catchphrase}}: "I'm a widow!", usually said to a man she finds attractive.

*

* BitchInSheepsClothing: Appears kind, helpful, and nothing but purely good at heart. [[spoiler: It's all an act so he can continue luring in girls for their souls and keep the townspeople unsuspecting.

[[folder:The Bauers]]
--> Mr. Bauer voiced by: Tom Hollander
--> Mrs. Bauer voiced by: Cari Kabinoff

[[/folder]]

* HoneyTrap: Seduces girls (in a PG fashion) for the purpose of [trapping them and stealing their souls to power his golden twine.

* DreadfulMusician: Her singing is ‘’terrible’’, but the Devil somehow loves it and falls asleep to the sound of it.

* DreadfulMusician: Her singing is “terrible”, but the Devil somehow loves it and falls asleep to the sound of it.

* MyGreatestFailure: He blames himself for [[spoiler: nearly killing Gretel as a beast, and though he misses her terribly, feels it's best that they never see each other again. She forgives him when they are finally reunited again, and he is able to move on from his guilt.

* DarkIsNotEvil: He wears all black clothing, but seems nothing but a kind and decent gentleman. Averted later on, as he has actually been EvilAllAlong and is really a case of DarkIsEvil.

* GirlyGirlWithATomboyStreak: She's a young princess who wears dresses, plays with (pinecone) dolls, and likes cute boys, but also doesn't shy away from getting her hands dirty and is just as eager for adventure as Hansel is.