#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]

[chalkrub]

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waow 2024 is almost dead!!! gone too soon. feels like it’s been a big year for me art-wise for many reasons, BUT. i’m making 2025 bigger.... hopefully....i’ve made some art goals for next year which i won’t explain in detail but they boil down to 1) do more studies 2) tackle my weaknesses (backgrounds, dynamic poses/angles, uhhh lots of stuff i am a one trick pony right now) 3) get into drawing comics, all of which are in preparation for 4) take my story ideas more seriously and get started on one of the many graphic novels living in my head. i have one in mind i HAVE to complete in my lifetime or i will die, but firstly i’m gonna mess around with some little standalone svanhildr comics perhaps. goat fans rejoice. 

anyway i wasn’t meant to ramble so i’ll just say THANK YOU for the support as always!!! i’m very flattered all of these have more than 1000 notes.....crazy. thank you. muah

[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

[rainydayzo]

Hehehehe I’m so proud of this

Also I have way to much to say about the thought process and story in this so enjoy the tags :]

It’s drawings like these that make me wonder if I would like writing fanfiction :0

[jash-updates]

Most normal energy drink consumer

[fadedsweater]

First Line Challenge

@mel-0n-earth tagged me in this a couple weeks ago (thank you for the tag! 😊💛)

Rules: post the first line of your wip, the first line you worked on today, or any other “first line!”

I'm cheating because this is more than one sentence, but it's technically one line of dialogue so 😤

Anyway, post-Veilguard solavellan be upon ye:

"Is that what we are?" Solas asked, with no trace of derision. He spoke softly, plainly, as if he were asking her opinion on the weather. "Married?"

Tagging @darethshirl, @broodwolf221, @luzial, and anyone else who wants to join in 💛

[paradoxbeta]

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

[hogletthe2nd]

DSMP fanfic writers please do not let being “in character” consume your thoughts it destroys your writing TRUST ME

[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!

[blossoms-phan]

me rn after finishing my first read of amaaf at 3am

[saturnine-saturneight]

Did that OC challenge <3