#not that all gore or all sex scenes are tasteful and/or realistic and/or done well lol

[devilsskettle]

you’re right lol but i’ll add that the thing is for both, they don’t have to be narratively significant, they’re both part of the human experience which makes it inherently worthwhile to portray in art regardless of an individual’s personal preference to engage with art that deals with the topic. and they both happen to be embodied experiences rather than mental ones, which people write off as low brow but i think that’s unfair. but then again i can think of plenty of examples where either gore or sex is narratively significant or in fact the point of the movie

the thing about “meaningless gore” is that even when it’s apparently not intellectual enough for so many people, it forces the viewer to confront the fact that they are just meat, they are mortal, they can and will eventually die, and pain is part of the human experience that unfortunately none of us will escape experiencing at one point or another. life is both horrifyingly fragile and surprisingly resilient which makes existing in a body a fraught experience regardless of whether we want to acknowledge that or not. “to watch a horror movie is to know that something bad is going to happen. to have a body is really the same thing.” anyway that in and of itself is plenty to grapple with and if a film decides to only deal with that, i don’t think it’s less valuable than any other theme a film might address 

[scripttorture]

1/2 So I'm wondering, since I've seen these asks somewhat consistently in your posts, which is why I figured I'd ask you; do you think there's ever a good reason for including an actual rape scene in your writing? Why do people do it? To make their villain that much more monstrous? To drive home the fact their actions are unforgivable? Portraying torture accurately is important, but is it necessary to include everything that has ever happened in torture? I don't mean this to sound condescending

2/2 it's born from legitimate curiosity as I've always been wary of including a scene like this in my writing (I have characters who are victims of rape, but I've never shown it in actual writing). What are your thoughts on this matter, given how prevalent rape can be within torture?

Myattitude is that unless it is encouraging something awful in reallife then….never say never.

Peoplealso have a lot of different reasons for writing graphic scenes. Ipersonally know several survivors who’ve written graphic scenes ofabuse. Writing about awful things we’ve experienced can be anincredibly therapeutic thing to do, helping people work throughemotions in a ‘safe’ fictional space.

Oneof the members of my writing group has actually done this. Heincluded a scene in his sci fi that I felt was particularlyrealistically handled and when I complimented him on how well andsensitively he’d handled the story he told me it was because it hadhappened to him.

And-I think that right there is the major reason why we shouldn’tassume we know why people write or are drawn to these things. Theperson you’re talking to could have lived through what they’vewritten almost exactly as they’ve written it.

Somepeople who aren’t survivorswrite these sorts of scenes for similar reasons: they’re workingthrough complex negative emotions using fictional characters. They’rejust not using a scenario that they actually experienced. Which canlead to some less then stellar portrayals if they don’t do theresearch.

Idon’t think anyone will be surprised to hear that I’ve writtengraphic scenes before.

Abig part of the reason why I write and read about awful things isbecause I want to understand them. I’m a scientist and I stronglybelieve we need to understand violence if we ever want to solve it asa problem.

Forme writing is part of that process. It’s a way to try and find anemotional understanding, beyond what books and interview transcriptscan give. A way of putting yourself in the shoes of survivors, andyes the torturers aswell. Because we are surrounded by both everyday. And so far I thinkwe, as a global society, have really failed to deal with that. We’vefailed survivors in terms of giving them the support, care andprotection they deserve. We’ve failed torturers in terms ofrefusing to tackle the systemic issues which lead to torture and interms of failing to treat them.

Ithink fiction teaches us. It’s a wonderful, powerful and above allsafer way of exploringdifferent ways to live, to approach problems, to structure socialinstitutions.

Partof what I’m trying to do when I write about torture and rape isimagine a better way of dealing with them. Notso much ‘imagine a society without abuse’ as ‘how might webuild a society without abuse’?

But,as you say, that doesn’t always mean that a graphic scene isnecessary to a story.

Thereasons why I’ve includedthem have varied with the stories themselves.

Idon’t think I’ve ever included them in an attempt to showsomething about the villains, more often I’ve included them to showsomething about the heroesand the survivorsthemselves.

Oneof my stories starts with a very graphic scene. A group of charactersare ambushed, one is attacked andraped while the others aremade to watch.

Theentire story focuses on the survivor and his group of friends andcomrades. It’s very much about his journey towards recovery, thesupport of his friends and the pasttraumas he’s been systematically hiding from them.I felt the scene itself was important becauseit does effect his relationship with the people around him.

Ifelt that for this particular story the audience needed to know whathappened and how the character felt at the time in order for the mainbody of the story, the recovery process, to make sense.

It’snot necessary every time. But this particular story would, I think,be far less effective and far less powerful without it.

That’sthe kind of decision making process I use every time a story couldcontain a graphic scene. Is it necessary and why?

Anotherstory I have includes graphic scenes of torture because theinteraction between the victim and torturer is incredibly importantto the story itself. The conversations they have during andimmediately after torture have a profound effect on the villain. Theyalso illustrate the motivations of the hero more strongly then justabout any other interaction in the story.

It’sless about showing the villain is unforgivable and more about showingthe hero finding the villain’s human flaws and stamping on them.

Thatstory doesn’tcontain graphic rape scenes, even though the victim is raped. In thisparticular story details of that attack added nothing. There was noimportant character interaction or information that readers wouldneed to know later on, there was nothing that would add depth to therest of the story.

Thestory I’m working on right now doesn’t contain any sexualviolence. But the settings recent history is systematic raciallymotivated violence and civil war. Much of the focus is on how thecharacters navigate that history. The younger generation, who canjust about remember the civil war, and how they process that in theirinteractions with the older generations who fought it and committedatrocities.

Rapealmost certainly happened. I could probablydraw a funny fantasy map and point to the areas where it was used asa weapon of war.

Butagain, that detail isn’t necessary to this particular story.Neither are graphic detailsof torture. Because in this case the focus isn’t on individuals whosurvived atrocities, but the fallout for later generations trying tomove forward with the enormity of what happened.

Thoseare just three stories, but I hope they show that, for me at least,my reasons for including scenes or not vary as much as the storiesthemselves.

Isit necessary? Not always. Sometimes yes I believe it is, butcertainly not every time.

Youcan write an effective andpowerful story about torture or rape that never leaves an officeblock and contains no violence or sex.

Butsometimes I think showing the awful things the story is discussingdoes add to the power of the narrative.

Idon’t think thatgraphic descriptions of torture or rape should be included purely forshock value. I personally find this an ineffective way to write. Ithink it lessens the emotional impact and power these scenes canhave.

Butdifferent people enjoy different stories and process things indifferent ways. I think it’s important not to judge people for thefiction they consume and enjoy. Because at the end of the day that isjust a matter of personal taste. Weall process things in different ways.

Thefiction that seems meaningless and distasteful to me has probablyhelped a lot of other people.

Ithink it’s important to remember that when we criticise otherworks.

I’dsay that if you don’t feel comfortable writinga particular act, whatever it is, then don’t write it.

There’snothing to say that you mustwrite more detail and gore then you’re comfortable with. I wouldalways encourage writers to work within their own comfort zones.

Noneof us can individually tackle everything.

There’snothing wrong with choosing notto go into detail. Whether that’s because of what you’recomfortable with or because it’s what the narrative needs.

Andif the narrative is demanding more detail then you’re comfortablewith don’t be afraid to alter your narrative to meet your needs.

Ihope that helps. :)

Disclaimer

[yurirecommendations]

Searchable Tags

I’ve done my best to tag each series as liberally as possible, to enable those with certain tastes to find shows that meet said criteria. Thus, in order to avoid confusion, this is (hopefully) an exhaustive list of the various tags I use, and the meanings behind them, so you can better find what you are looking for! I will do my best to constantly update this list as I add more tags, and to then go back and re-tag older series to keep them up-to-date with this list. 

All tags are surrounded in ‘single quotes’, since apparently underlined text doesn’t work...

Possible Content Warning/”Filter” Tags Since tumblr doesn’t yet let you filter content to not see certain tags, the following tags will be used on all shows that don’t have the specified content. For example, the tag “filter: nudity” will be present for all series that don’t feature any form of nudity, so that by searching through the tag “filter: nudity”, it will act to hide any shows that feature nudity of any sort. Most filter tags have two versions (they aren’t necessarily worded similarly though, so check the descriptions below): one that eliminates all instances of the specified content, no matter how brief or minor (good for serious triggers/aversions), and another that only filters out major instances of the specified content, but allows for brief or minor instances to be allowed (good for content preferences/minor triggers). In addition to these tags, each show’s overview mentions what sorts of possibly explicit content may be present and, if said content is localized to a particular episode or season, which parts to avoid if you still want to enjoy it. Otherwise, it will just be said to be featured in “multiple episodes” if there are a few well-interspersed episodes that feature it, or else “throughout” if it is present in more than half the show. However, even shows that only have single, localized instances of explicit content will still be tagged accordingly (thus, even if a 4-season show has only one 5-minute graphic sex scene, it will still not show if one filters by sex or sexual implications)

‘filter: nudity’ Filters out all shows with any amount of nudity present (i.e. displaying a character in anything less than their appropriate undergarments).

‘filter: major nudity’ Filters out all shows with full-body or graphic nudity (i.e. displaying detailed bare genitals/breasts and/or depicting one or more fully-nude bodies). Does not filter out depictions of non-graphic & partial nudity.

‘filter: sexual implications’ Filters out all shows that depict or imply any sort of lewd, sexual, or otherwise provocative behavior between one or more characters.

‘filter: sex’ Filters out all shows that depict or imply the action of sexual intercourse between one or more characters. Does not filter out depictions of lewd, suggestive, or otherwise sexually provocative behavior that don’t involve sexual intercourse.

‘filter: pda’ Filters out all shows that depict or imply non-sexual, non-suggestive forms of physical intimacy such as kissing, spooning, or other instances of PDA. Note that the content or action doesn’t necessarily have to be “public” to be tagged, the filter just happens to encompass anything that is deemed equally or less-acceptable than what is commonly referred to as “pda” or “public displays of affection”

‘filter: intimacy’ Filters out all shows that depict graphic or intense bouts of non-sexual, non-suggestive, physical intimacy such as heavy making out, or extended periods of close snuggling. Does not filter out more casual depictions of affection such as non-lip kisses, short lip-kisses, hand-holding, or brief scenes of cuddling.

‘filter: shock’ Filters out all shows that include major jump-scares, or any intense depiction of a scene with the intention to elicit shock or fear. Includes shows that may have periods where there is an abrupt or rapid back-and forth change in volume or brightness that could possibly alarm or startle the viewer.

‘filter: violence’ Filters out all shows that include frequent depictions or implications of intentional harm or violence to other living beings. Does not necessarily include shows that use minor violence for comedic effect (such as intense cheek-pinching, ear-grabbing, or head-bopping).

‘filter: gore’ Filters out all shows that include graphic depictions of blood, gore, or injury. Does not include intense violence that is implied or depicted without accompanying gore.

‘filter: incest’ Filters out any show that implies or depicts any sort of non-platonic relationship between siblings, cousins, or other family members.

‘filter: bestiality’ Filters out any show that implies or depicts suggestive actions involving any non-human and/or any human depicted as having animal-like traits.

Genre Tags

‘shoujo ai’ (alt. ‘shojo ai’, ‘shoujo-ai’, ‘shojo-ai’) Sort of a “yuri-light”; this subgenre generally features f/f romance without any form of sex. Characters may be younger, and thus less mature, or their relationship may just be depicted in a very PG light. Generally not nsfw.

‘ecchi’ The borderline between shoujo and straight-up hentai; this subgenre may or may not feature any romance or actual sex, but does often feature plenty of “raunchy” sexual implications. Occurrences such as panty-shots or liberal boob-physics are likely to be plentiful here, so think a PG-13/R rating that’s generally nsfw.

‘hentai’ This subgenre will usually feature actual sex or nudity between characters, and will absolutely be nsfw. There probably won’t be much that fits into this category on this blog; it will serve as more of a warning that “this show is basically just porn”, but if that’s what you’re looking for...

‘slice of life’ (alt. ‘slice-of-life’, incl. ‘drama’) This subgenre usually entails shows that don’t have much of an overarching plotline, and instead resorts to showcasing the everyday lives of the various characters. The characters themselves and their various relationships are usually the main focus of the show, and things are generally pretty ordinary and realistic when compared to real life. ‘drama’ is similar to (and mutually inclusive with) slice-of-life, but often includes some over-arching plot (or frequent multi-episode plot-arcs at the very least) that highlight one or more inter-personal conflicts, and is usually more serious or, well, dramatic, than other typical slice of life series. 

‘magical girl’ This subgenre is usually one of the cliches that people think of when they think “anime”: the protagonist (who is typically female, with a larger supporting cast of female friends), who has up until now been an ordinary schoolgirl, receives some magical powers through a twist of fate, and she (and possibly her friends) are asked to save the world from some mysterious evil. The clash between good and evil is usually the main focus of the show, and there is no limit to how crazy things can get. 

‘action’ (incl. ‘action/adventure’ and ‘dark action’) This subgenre is incredibly broad, typically defined by its large amount of action/fight sequences. ‘action/adventure’ is the cross between characters having some larger adventure in mind, and resorting to fighting as a means to arrive at their destination. ‘dark action’ is usually a cross between the apocalyptic or supernatural horror genre, and the intense, plentiful, and intricately choreographed fighting of the action genre. 

Content Tags

‘fluff’ (alt. ‘fluffy’) Generally refers to the “warm fuzzy feeling” that you feel when two characters are really enjoying time together. Generally involves cuddling, hand-holding, or possibly kissing, among other things, but these are not necessary for instances of fluff. 

‘fanservice’ Not to be confused with any form of intimacy/the ecchi genre, fanservice is typically any instance of non-cannon or out-of-character behavior that is depicted purely for fans to gawk at the characters. The cliche “swimsuit/pool/beach” episode is an example of fanservice, as are instances of characters having sexual fantasies about other characters. Rule of thumb: if the scene exists purely for the benefit of the viewer, and not for the benefit of other characters in-universe, it’s fanservice. 

‘subtext’ Describes instances where there are behaviors that could be read as gay crushes/romance/relationships/etc., but nothing is ever stated explicitly to confirm it. 

‘canon relationship’ (alt. ‘canon relationships’) Any instance of two characters being in a canon and explicitly stated romantic/sexual relationship together. The main characters themselves need not necessarily be the ones to state the nature of their relationship, but somewhere the words “dating” or “girlfriend” (among a few other possibilities) must be uttered in a serious manner to describe the relationship. The opposite of subtext. 

‘crush’ (incl. ‘unrequited love’) Includes instances where one character is explicitly stated to have romantic or otherwise not strictly platonic feelings for another character, regardless if anything comes about as a result. Crushes need not necessarily be explicitly stated to be included (i.e., just because a character doesn’t utter “I think I’m in love with Ai-chan...” doesn’t mean it won’t be tagged). ‘unrequited love’ includes instances where the object of A’s affection explicitly does not return A’s feelings, though doesn’t necessarily need to tell A about this, or even know that A has feelings for them. 

‘love triangle’ Encompasses any general relationship where three or more characters have romantic feelings for each other that conflict in some way. It may be that A and B both have feelings for C, and C must choose between A and B, or that while A has feelings for B, B instead has feelings for C (and C may even have feelings for A!). These conflicting feeling-webs may be incredibly intricate, and include up to 8 different characters, but the trio is the common example. 

‘miscommunication’ Any time a major conflict occurs as a result of someone misunderstanding someone else. Often amusing in comedic situations, and downright frustrating in dramatic situations. Shows abusing miscommunication for the sake of adding dramatic tension or even to drive entire dramatic plotlines is a personal pet-peeve of mine, so I’ve chosen to tag any series that do so. 

‘ymmv’ (”your mileage may vary”) Shows in which, for one reason or another, there is a good chance that my opinion of the show (either positive, negative, or neutral) may significantly differ from yours. 

‘personal recommendation’ Shows that are my personal favorites, and that I would highly recommend. 

‘happy ending’ Shows where the ending is happy, or at least hopeful and indicative of happiness to come. (As opposed to those bittersweet or heartbreaking endings that sometimes catch you off guard...)

[oosteven-universe]

Hex Wives #01

Hex Wives #01 Vertigo Comics 2018 Written by Ben Blacker Illustrated by Mirka Andolfo Coloured by Marissa Louise Lettered by Josh Reed       “The women are too powerful. They must be tamed.”      For hundreds of years a war has been waged between a coven of perpetually reincarnating witches and the all-male conspiracy known as the Architects. After the death of the lead Architect in 2005 it seemed the witches had finally defeated their foes. Now, 13 years later, waking up in a perfect cookie cutter home at the end of a cul-de-sac in a sunny corner of suburbia, Isadora has no recollection of her past life as the leader of a witch coven, nor her soulmate Nadiya, let alone the centuries-old war she has waged in defence of the soul of America…      I have really enjoyed Ben’s work and to see something of this sort intrigued me from the get-go. Now that I have had the chance to read this I have to say I am more impressed than ever with the man’s talent and skill. Also for me this already tops what we got in American Horror Story Coven and well most of them. That this starts off in Salem, Mass., in 1692 should come as no surprise after all when dealing with a coven of witches who keep reincarnating you have to start somewhere and in America the Salem Witch Trials are the most infamous of of the purges.      I think this book is amazing and I had to read it several times before I was ready to write my thoughts down. There are some extremely wonderful nuances here and a layering to the story that is subtle and strong. As far as a first issue goes this one is really well done as it introduces us to the main players while not really revealing why there is so much animosity between the Witches and the Architect’s. It is very much like an amuse bouche in that it’s a small perfect taste instead of just a full meal. It wets the appetite and leaves you wanting to know more. Ben really manages to do quite a lot of history with the coven before even getting to the point where the story really starts.      Mirka and Marissa do some really nice work on the interiors here. That first page alone was utterly beautiful to see and set the stage for the rest of the book. Also the violence and post coital sex act scenes were so nice to see done in a very respectful way. There is no real gore just bloodletting and it’s very impactful. I love the way that the linework and the colours work together in many cases, see the witches magic, as well as how the varying weights of the linework is used to create such lovely attention to detail. I like that the body shapes we see are varied and realistic, not “perfect” per se. The utilisation of page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels shows off a splendid eye for storytelling. The way backgrounds are utilised throughout the book expands the way we see the story perfectly and gives us a nice sense of size and scope to the book.      There is so much introduced to us here that makes me anxious to see explored. There is so much potential here waiting to be tapped and the fact that Ben entices you with those scenarios is done in such a way that leaves you wanting. The pacing of the book and the characterisation that we get so far is stellar stuff. Aaron in particular is a character I cannot wait to see spotlighted more and his background, where he’s been and how fluid his sexuality is. Then there is Isadora I’ll just say that and let you discover her and how you feel about what happens with her here. ​      Vertigo is back and the storytelling and storyteller’s they’ve amassed make this an exciting time for their return.