#old stories made new

[nokingsonlyfooles]

Today's longform content will be a reblog! Let's talk about how capitalism and copyright strangle originality!

I'm not ready to go full-manifesto yet, so let's confine this to the originality problem.

Human beings have always loved to tell stories. We especially love never-ending stories where we get to see our fictional friends go through all kinds of situations. Just look at how many variations we made of "trickster gets in over his head, and gets out again" before we ever dreamed of writing each tale down and selling them.

We now have collections of Coyote, Anansi and Robin Hood stories that, taken as a whole, look very much like a modern franchise or IP - including continuity errors and strikingly different takes on the characters and their situations. Aw, but we know ol' Robin when we see him - and if the "fandom" disagreed to strongly with the latest tale, the storyteller was standing right there on their level, free to be criticized or killed with a good-sized rock. Then someone else could take a turn.

This lateral structure - where the rules are established by mutual consent, and if we don't agree with the guy calling the shots, we punch them and it hurts - is still visible on playgrounds and around RPG tables today. But the big stories, the cultural touchstones, the "Intellectual Properties" worth buying, are subjected to a rigid top-down hierarchy, a profit-based selection model, and a "protection" system that can prevent even the people who came up with the original from us telling more of that story ever again.

Of course we want more Foster's. We loved Foster's! We didn't want it to end in the first place! But if it wasn't making enough money for the people producing and broadcasting it, and/or if the people who made the original were ready to make something else, what could we do? Fanfiction and fan animation are not impossible, but you can't offer them to a major production company, or sell them and buy food. And if your work starts to look a little too popular or legit, like it might threaten profits from the resale of the original, say hello to your takedown notice! The image of Bloo that exists in your memory and brain does not belong to you, because we lost our damn minds and decided ideas were property.

You can't just draw a mischievous little dome-shape with eyeballs and allow it to continue Bloo's adventures however you imagine. You can't re-tell any of his original adventures with your own spin either. Hamlet can reappear on stage nightly, with a rotating cast, set-design, and endless variations on the theme. Do you imagine Hamlet as a musical animated feature with lions in Africa? Wow! So creative! Have an Oscar or two!

But, wait! Wait-wait-wait! Doesn't copyright force you to go make a story of your own, with a trickster dissimilar enough not to get hit with a takedown? It's all well and good that Hamlet can hold up to endless reinterpretation, but if all we did was remake Hamlet, we'd never have Foster's!

What's that? Oh, no! It's Capitalism! With monopolization, corporatism, artificial scarcity, and a steel chair!

Even an original from an established creator has to run a gauntlet to get produced. 16 original ideas get gunned down like gangsters in the street, to say nothing of the infinite worlds imagined by more obscure creators (ahem) that don't even have the apparent financial viability to stagger their way up to Netflix and be killed.

This is not a process motivated by quality. A long crawl on their hands and knees over broken glass is standard for new creators, even the ones who go on to make billions. The Beatles got rejected by a record label on their way up because guitar groups were "on the way out." Nevermind that as soon as they dropped a little acid and earned a little clout, they were unlike any "guitar group" that came before. Guillermo del Toro relates the process of making his second film, and the first one that made it big, as "having a beautiful daughter and watching her arms get cut off." Mimic, as imagined, didn't look profitable, so the studio with the production rights tore it up until it did. We relate these stories as parables of tenacity, somehow ignoring the evidence that the system that produces and markets the stories we see has no idea what talent looks like.

New things, truly new and ground-breaking things, can only be compared to the things that came before them. If they don't fit into some existing standard, they'll be forced to fit. How else are we supposed to market and manufacture them?

"What's that thing?"

"It's a better mousetrap."

"What? Like a cat? Here, kitty-kitty. Here, kitty! Ow! Son of a gun, this is the worst cat I've ever seen!"

"No, no, it's a machine, it..."

"Hello, production? Yeah, can we get a couple dozen of these, but cover them in fur, give them some ears and a cute li'l bell, and get rid of this painful metal bit right here? And get me a couple focus groups, I think mostly ladies. Ladies love a kitty..."

"Wait! It won't WORK if you..."

"Listen, pal, I'm agreeing to produce your shitty cat, but if we can't get the major pet stores interested, I'm afraid you'll have to cover the costs and take a walk."

"Is there anyone else I can take this to?"

"Hmm, a few, but I promise they'll all tell you the same. Time is money, pal, what do you wanna do?"

"I guess if you let me talk to..."

"Swell. Sign over your rights on the dotted line right there and we'll get started."

Oddly enough, when you insist that an original look as much like the things that came before it as possible, it doesn't do very well. Or seem very original. But it makes success seem really difficult, and scarce, and it keeps new creators desperate, pliable, and cheap.

Coincidentally, it makes remakes, reboots and reimaginings look like a much safer investment. Intellectual Property is a cash cow offering exclusive ownership, and it takes a long time for everyone to notice the milk's started tasting a little off. As long as the corporation that wants to hire you is big enough to afford the the cow, chances are, they'll treat your creativity just like any other product. Your brain is the factory, and the best thing it can do is endless, industrialized repetition. Moo.

But, is that why we liked Foster's and wanted more of it? Because it was so consistent and samey? I thought we liked it because it was one of those rare, new, innovative things that made it through the process with most of its originality intact. We'd never seen anything like that before! We didn't know what was gonna happen next! With a shiny new interpretation, even tired old narrative tropes can be exciting.

"Wow, that's a cool trickster character."

"Thanks. I made him out of a child's imagination."

The endless repetition of reboots and remakes wouldn't be quite so repetitive if they didn't come off a corporate-owned assembly line. But the freeform chaos that claims stories from the public domain just isn't as controllable, or profitable. Who's getting the money off the rights to Hamlet? What? Nobody? Quick! Put that in a new package and copyright the shit out of it!

Ah. There. That's better. Well, better for the corporations.

Not for the creators. Or the stories. Or you.

Nice going, Capitalism and Copyright. Another case solved.

fucking constant reboot remake reboot remake reboot remake reboot remake!!!!!!!!!! the tv has only been around for like a century you literally cannot be out of ideas already

[cubbihue]

“He knows Timmy will come around eventually. It's only a matter of waiting for his clock to run out. And HP is very patient.” Hey uh.. WHAT DOES THAT MEAN HIS CLOCK TO RUN OUT is he waiting for Timmy to become a full fairy (Pixie?) and when that happens Timmy forgets about being a human entirely?

Sometimes Timmy wonders why he has grudges against certain fairies. Some of them, he can understand- like his dislike of Dr. Rip Studwell. But other ones, like with Cupid, it's a bit of a blur.

He must've been a very very vindictive 10 year old! Ah, well! Timmy's learned that he has to pick and choose his own battles wisely.

And uh. Fighting with the man who decides his paycheck and vacation days is not a battle worth choosing. Talk about a hostile work environment!!

Bitties Series: [Start] > [Previous] > [Next]

[slyandthefamilybook]

[katabay]

L'APPEL DU VIDE

okay so. jack! jack. what a collection of guys. the overlap between jack and the beanstalk and jack the giant killer, though. that sure is something! sometimes king arthur is there, which always takes me by surprise.

this. specifically. is an idea I've been kicking around. jack and the beanstalk is not a story I've ever enjoyed, as a kid it was probably my least favorite to read. as an adult, I was INTENSELY fascinated by reading j.g. ballard's the drowned giant. I think about it frequently, and somewhere during a re read of it, I ended up revisiting jack.

combining different versions of jack into one character is not a new concept, but it IS a fun one! the version I've been assembling together plays less with the fun elements of a jack story (and adjacent folklore stories), and focuses more on the potential for tragic elements with the addition of the usual grim and jagged narrative edges that I personally enjoy.

jack with the backstory of the devil and the three golden hairs, only jack doesn't find love, he's TIRED, all he wants to do is go home, but there isn't a home to go back to. what is the point of being born lucky if this is what it gets you? jack the giant killer, only he doesn't want to kill giants, jack who saw a body of a giant when he was a small child and cannot bring himself to do as a king commands. jack, who climbs up the beanstalk and stops halfway to look down. etc.

to go back to the drowned giant real quick, both to set the tone about jack seeing the body of a giant as a youth, and also because I've been haunted and obsessed with this excerpt of it ever since I read it:

J. G. Ballard, The Drowned Giant

anyway! this was originally like, a two illustration concept to get out of my system. however. I'm halfway through outlining a narrative. so. maybe it will also be several illustrations and also comic.

[talesfromthebandgeekmafia]

Man why did my latest obsession have to be a 40 year old fantasy book series

[jash-updates]

Most normal energy drink consumer

[paradoxbeta]

sometimes its a little funny to put a character next to their old design

[bluishfrog]

Inspired by "Sunkissed" by Chasingstardust22 (@chasing-stardust-22)

Fic Art Friday - event tag - event description

[tomaturtles]

The smile when you tore me apart

A little AMV for Kawoshin Week Day 2 - Anime! Song is Angels by Within Temptation 🧡💙

[wellhalesbells]

Admittedly, the last time I was tagged for wipwednesday, it was twenty years ago and I productively posted nothing but here I am, only a few decades late! You're welcome. *tosses confetti* This is a continuation of the tiny little Steter hanahaki thingy I posted when my fingers slipped. Now it's my brain that's sliding away from me.

“Hey, Stares-A-Lot, did you want to contribute to the powwow or just continue to earn your namesake?” Peter blinks.  He hadn’t realized he’d been staring.  Great, what else has he missed as he’s sunk into this unfortunate infatuation?  Likely a lot if it’s already progressed this far.  Christ, if Derek or Cora have picked up on where his attention has been lingering, he might have to kill them both just so he doesn’t have to live with the shame.  “Only wondering if we don’t need cannon fodder for this little adventure.”  His own claws dig into his bicep hard enough to draw blood as he says the flippant words. It’s everything he can do to keep from glaring around at the gathering, daring someone to agree with him.  If anyone tries to use Stiles for bait there’s a very good chance he won’t be able to stop himself from separating their heads from their necks. Luckily for them, no one else in this room is futilely shouting their own emotions down regarding how much they love the little twerp.  Even Derek’s accepted he’s pack so all he gets is teeth bared in his direction and Cora’s bored, “If we have to stop every few minutes to try to kill you again, then I’ll never get to watch the Real Housewives marathon.” “Real nice, scarface, and here I thought we’d gotten past the ‘wanting to kill each other’ phase of our relationship.”  The word relationship makes his lungs itch.  Stiles’ attention is on him, even if it is just to give him an eye roll.  It’s heady and Peter is trying not to give him too much of his own in return.  He’s pretty sure none of what he’s saying necessitates Peter staring deeply into his eyes but it’s not so easy to convince himself to look away despite that.  “I haven’t thrown a single Molotov cocktail at you since that first one.” Stiles’ hands end up in his jacket pockets and it looks like one Derek would wear, one Peter wants to strip from him.  Forcibly.  The gathering is still paused, waiting for his riposte but he can feel petals unfurling in the cavern of his throat. He can’t be jealous, deranged, and violently ill, that’s just not fair.  He used to be a stronger creature than this.

Tagging @callunavulgari, @rosieposiepuddingnpie, @kikiroo, @andavs and @piratefalls + anyone else who's currently doing the writing thing!

[triglycercule]

murder time trio should get to all experiment with dead bodies. why? because they can and it would be cool (okay but seriously i'll provide an explanation). all these freaks are scientists. i think it would be cool and funky if they all got to experiment! except morbidly and bloodily because none of them are right in the head now

killer like has his whole thing with wanting SOULs for some unspecified reason??? i'm just gonna steal the common interpretation that it's so he can find a way to fix his own soul through coding. but like,,,, what does he do with the desd bodies??? all the fellas he stole those souls from??? well this is where dust and horror come in

it's One Panel and i'm ABSOLUTELY reaching here but there's a (single) panel in horrortale where horror's pulling apart some sort of human limb like an arm with a device. why? what for? i dont fucking know at all man like papyrus said why is he always doing something weird in his room. anyways i'm just gonna guess its probably for rationing in horrortale (but it could also be that horror just felt like ripping apart an arm. for scientific purposes. or because he did this after ripping off aliza's arm so maybe he's doing some sort of recollection reflection or something i dunno im not a professional on this man). killer could totally send all the already dead HUMAN bodies horror's way for horrortale's food situation. maybe horror likes to dissect the humans yk maybe he's not just the type of bash (a head open) and dash. monsters dust so you cant see their guts but humans dont so horror gets prime time first hand experience on the human body! and then after he's done poking around in the brain he can give the meat and organs to papyrus for him to do his specific spaghetti confectionery

but but but what about the monsters that killer takes the souls from! surely he doesn't just take from only humans (dude idk if he actually does take from only human or monster. probably not right? he needs to study BOTH types of code so he can be most informed) so he must also take monster souls. and fortunately for dust (i do NOT think he'd quite like handling gore) monsters don't leave behind bodies or blood or allat they leave behind dust. hah. dust experiment with dust. i think its already a headcanon out there that dust likes to study dust. i cant exactly recall WHY exactly but maybe it's for sentimental reasons or just something to do to pass time between resets. so killer can just pass on whatever dust he gets to him and he can put it under his little microscope and be a little nerd what a GEEK. give this guy glasses and remove all his teeth but one i guarantee you he'll look like 🤓

and once again i hear you cry out but but triglycercule! why would killer even give the dead bodies and stuff to horror and dust in the first place??? erm number one because i said so silly. jk. and number two (if we're going in a nightmare's gang context here) it could be as a way for killer to gain horror and dust's trust. a way for them not to tattle on him for stealing souls for some unknown reason. maybe there's somehow important coding information left behind in the bodies/dust (because that's literally what utmv is made of) and killer wants dust and horror to do that work for him for some reason. maybe just a way for him to get rid of evidence maybe if theyre buddy pals and close enough just as a gift. i dunno man there's a bunch of reasons as to why he could possibly do this. i just really liked the thought of the trio all wearing fancy lab coats and goggles and i was like damn how can i make this a real possibility

[saturnine-saturneight]

Did that OC challenge <3

[lapinposts]

how it feels to read people on this site criticize death of the outsider

[skitskatdacat63]

God, I have such a hatred for that stupid f1 movie, everything about it gets on my nerves so badly. I hate to be this ultra salty person but I feel like I could write a whole essay about how dumb it is and how much it annoys me 😭

[bookshelf-in-progress]

Did you know that if you actually work at coloring in the setting of a story idea, the story becomes much more interesting? Especially if, in the process of adding details to make this setting less boring, you think about why things are this way, or how this tradition might have come about, or how this might have affected history? Sounds crazy, but it's true!

[therealnotta]

ok i thought about it and actually, the wildest thing in the wizard of oz series (to me) was when the tin man, scarecrow, and A Random Child whose name I can't remember all went to find the tin man's ex. and they stop at tin man's buddy's house, to see if he knows where said ex is these days, and buddy isn't there, so they go inside to wait for him

and the house???? is full of severed body parts?????? just everywhere, they're in a barrel by the door, they're on the table, just chunks of clearly human flesh and a mess of limbs and whatnot, tin man thinks this is fine, scarecrow is really creeped out, scarecrow opens a cabinet and finds a severed human head

tin man runs on over and is like "what the f- oh that's me lol" and it's??? HIS old severed head??? so the scarecrow is just barely recovered from this, tin man is explaining the situation of how he became tin again, etc. etc.

and then the eyes open

and long story short the tin man's soul transferred to his new tin body, but it takes more than having your soul removed to kill you in oz... so his old body is still alive, but without its memories and completely confused and disoriented

the friend comes back and casually mentions how it took a bit for the transferring to finish, and after that the head just didn't remember anything. that means there was a bit there where this head DID have all of the tin man's memories still, and as far as he knew his friend had just left him without a body in a cabinet, unable to move, while the rest of his body just... walked off without him. literally horrific and the tin man is just like "haha! how quirky!" and honestly it's not the worst thing to have happened to him so i can't fault him for that but like. i'd be a little worried if one of my oldest friends told me that they'd totally leave me in a cabinet while my soul slowly left my body and wouldn't even feel bad.