The-complexity-of-love - What Matters Is 'you' And Not The State Of You. - Tumblr Blog

love shakespeare. did a hamlet run tonight, looked someone dead in the eye to say “am i a coward?” during a speech and the fucker shrugged and nodded

"Waa why aren't fandoms fun anymore" because you keep policing people's headcanons, make fun of cosplayers,make fun of selfshipers, make fun of beginner artists and just make fun of people for having fun 😐

Relationships that have real king/lionheart energy, that whole “I have sworn myself wholly to you, I am your sword arm, I am your dog” to someone else’s “you are the one person in this world I can rely on, and I am both bolstered and burdened by your absolute faith in me” vibe, but it’s in circumstances that are like. so low stakes. Manger of a movie theater/the one usher who doesn’t smoke weed at work.

What gets me is what kind of shojo anime nonsense is this, anyway? The dramatic wind. The Ghibli hills. The way the characters are posed against a vast, star-studded sky. The shooting star in the background.

Yeah I'm sure all of this means nothing, don't worry about it.

I just reada really good fic but halfway through I realized "oh shit this is really familiar.... didn't I write something like this once?" And as I kept reading I kept predicting what happened next and the further I went the more convinced I was that they'd ripped off my story-

like, copied the ENTIRE plot and re-written it, just better than I had? The characters were more fleshed-out than mine were, and the POV was more interesting, and the pace made more sense- but it was MY STORY?

So close to the end I was like "holy shit.. do I message them? Ask if my story inspired theirs? Should I be angry? Flattered?" Cause their tags and description didn't mention me AT ALL, which, sure, it's fanfiction to begin with, but if you're using my work than at least credit me as inspo, right? Just to be courteous?

But I get to the end of the final chapter, and it's not finished, and I'm kind of disappointed cause I never finished my story and I was really immersed in their version now and had been looking forwards to seeing how they tied up my loose ends- so I scroll to the bottom to leave a comment, and.

It's MY URL.

IT WAS MY STORY THE WHOLE TIME.

THE ONE *I WROTE*.

In *2013*.

And FORGOT ABOUT

BECAUSE I WAS SO INSECURE ABOUT MY SLOPPY, SHALLOW, AMETEUR WRITING

And I'm just sitting here now staring into space thinking about every shitty story I've ever written now like

IT WAS ALL GOOD?

IT WAS GOOD THIS WHOLE DAMN TIME??

I'M A GOOD WRITER?????

I keep having to tear down extremely predatory/misleading Scien.tology flyers in my school's art building. This is the third fucking time I've ripped the fuckers up and I'm getting Real Fucking Tired of it.

people who don't know anything about academics: man y'all are stuffy and boring what's up with that? actual academics: *too busy fist-fighting each other over the beryllium problem or the existence of a dentistry profession in ancient egypt to reply*

i love when a character has something terrible happen to them and as a result they see themself as, essentially if not literally, a ghost. and so that means they only can (and have to) do what ghosts do, ie get revenge and then cease to exist. easy as that. but then halfway through this ghost vengeance they realize hey actually i might still be a human person. with human needs. that’s incredibly inconvenient, considering how much i’ve invested in this whole ghost thing

hey! Good day :) here to ask a question!! I was wondering about your process for analysis, character analysis, theme analysis- do you just write or are there specific things you look for? I suppose I’m curious if you have an idea/general gist of what you’re doing or steps you take to do your breakdowns. I’m trying to do something similar out of interest and your works are simply fascinating to read. I look up to your writing a lot!

hello!! Can I ask how you started analysing shows, how you went about it? I’m learning literary analysis and trying to do the same for hunter x hunter but I find it infinitely harder to analyse shows. Especially since I most notably consider diction in literary analysis lol

Hi!

Thank you for your nice words anon(s) and yay! I love meta-asks <3<3<3

So, it depends on the meta. In general, I try to focus on a specific topic, which can be:

a character (arc + foiling between characters)

a theme

the use of a specific motif, when it comes to a character or a theme

These are my three favourite kinds of analyses, but there are other types, as well. For example, some people are really into plot theories/predictions. Others prefer to focus on characters from a psychological viewpoint. Some other writers like to use philosophical lens or to compare different works. It really depends on your preference.

My preference is mostly for thematic analyses. This means that my character metas too tend to use a thematic lens. So...

WHAT IS THE THEME?

In short, the theme of a story is both:

the topic the story is exploring

the moral of the story, aka a phrase which summarizes its message

Stories explores topics through characters and plot, while the way the conflict is solved tells us the moral.

Some examples:

RWBY's main topic is humanity in both its weakness and strength and its moral is that victory is in a simple soul

Madoka's main topic is wishes and its moral is that it is worth to want things and to fight for them, even if it is painful

HXH is strange structurally, but its main topic is self-search, with its moral being that a person should not focus on the goal, but enjoy the journey

All of these messages and ideas aren't just things stated in dialogues (even if someone saying the theme helps). They emerge from the story itself.

RWBY's main conflict is about a destroyed world (remnant) surviving the anger of an evil witch (Salem). If humans let hate divide them, they lose. If they unite, they win. The main thematic question is then... can humans make the right choice? And the answer is that they can, as long as they remain simple souls (Ruby, but also Pyrrha at Beacon, Blake in Managerie, Yang in Mistral, Weiss with her family, JNR when they tag along and Penny in Atlas). The main message is that several people making the right choice leads to change. And that is humanity. This is why the characters keep being asked to give up their idealism and to embrace a more utilitarian way of doing things. And this is why every time they refuse and stick to their idealism. The conflict itself keeps testing their resolution.

Madoka's power system works through wishes, so the girls' powers and their backstories are all defined by their wishes and by how they relate to them. Madoka doesn't know what she wants. Homura's wish turns into an obsession. Mami makes a wish too early and thinks only about herself. Kyouko and Sayaka make a wish for someone else and have opposite reactions to their wishes ending poorly. Finally, it is revealed the girls' wishes are literally the force that keeps the world at balance. So, the plot, character arcs, conflict and worldbuilding are all about wishes.

HXH is made up of several arcs and each arc has its own theme. That said, the overall structure conveys the main theme. Gon's objective is to find Ging, but he keeps taking detours and getting engulfed in unrelated conflicts. However, the moment he meets Ging he realizes it is not his father who defines him, but rather it is all the people he met in his journey and his own experiences. Basically, HXH's strange structure conveys the main theme.

So, the theme (both topic and moral) should emerge by the characters, the worldbuilding, the conflict and sometimes even by the structure itself. In order to find it, one should start with the topic and ask themselves "What does the story really talk about?". The answer to this question will let you understand the theme as topic. The second step is to see how the story explores it.

DIFFERENT POINTS OF VIEW ON THE TOPIC

There are different ways a story can explore a topic. Still, the best stories have different perspectives clash with each other. Very often these different points of view are embodied by different characters.

Here are some examples, with some linked metas that explore the respective stories more in depth.

Madoka (topic= wishes):

Homura is determined to fulfill her wish no matter what

Kyubey is her opposite, as they are unable to wish since they lack feelings. This is why they need to recruit girls into creating energy through wishes

Madoka is in the middle, as she wants to wish for something, but doesn't know what

Mami, Kyouko and Sayaka all explore negative effects linked to wishes, which are connected to other secondary themes. Specifically, Mami explores the consequences of an immature wish, while Sayaka and Kyouko explore the selfishness/selflessness inherent in wishes

The conflict is solved through Madoka learning about the price of wishes, but still choosing to make a wish and to sacrifice her whole self for it. This ending conveys a specific moral: despite the pain and sacrifice that comes with them, wishes are still beautiful and worth it all. If Madoka had chosen to give up being a magical girl and had ended up the series without making a wish, the moral would have been the opposite: that a normal life is better than grandiose and dangerous dreams.

Monster (topic = the value of life)

Tenma believes that all lives are equal, which is why he chooses to save Johan as a child, despite being ordered to operate a far more influential patient.

Eva and Nina believe that not all lives are equal. In particular, Eva thinks that social status and importance in society influence the value of one's life. Nina instead believes that people who commit crime should be punished and lose their lives.

Johan believes no-life has value, including his own. In his words, the only thing all humans are equal in is death.

Here, the moral is conveyed through the Tenma/Nina vs Johan's conflict. Tenma is tested in his beliefs, but ultimately does not abandon them and ends the story by saving Johan. Nina instead is asked to change her mind, as she ends the story embracing Tenma's point of view.

RWBY - The Atlas Arc (topic = trust)

Ozpin lacks trust, as he is unable to trust others, no matter how loyal or dedicated to his cause they are

Ruby wants to "trust safely". She wants others, like Ironwood, to prove themselves to her before disclosing the truth to them

Ironwood is initially on Ruby's same page, but he spirals and comes to embody the "enemy of trust" aka control. He doesn't trust others, but wants to control them.

Oscar embodies trust, as he wants to trust Ironwood since the beginning. Even later on, he keeps on trusting people like Hazel and Emerald who are his enemies.

Cinder embodies another "enemy of trust", aka manipulation. She doesn't need to trust others to work with them, as she can use their feelings and wishes against them.

Penny embodies faith, which is a more extreme form of trust. She sacrifices herself and leaves the maiden power to Winter. She has no proof Winter will be able to save Weiss, Jaune or the relic, but she entrusts the future to her.

All these characters struggle with trust and its dangers. Some, like Ozpin, Ironwood and Cinder decide that trusting is too dangerous. Others, like Ruby, Penny and Oscar realize that to trust is the only way to move forward. Moreover, they learn there is not way to trust safely. As a matter of fact the moral of the arc is that "trust is a risk" and risks mean that things can end up badly. Still, not to take risk means to give up hope.

Hazbin Hotel - You didn't know song (topic= knowledge)

This song explores the idea of knowlege. The characters are after all in the middle of a questioning, which leads to several secrets coming out. Moreover, throughout it all the characters either admit or realize how ignorant they all are. The way they deal with this lack of knowledge establishes different thematic stances.

Charlie and Emily are both naive and ignore the darkest sides of their loved ones. Charlie doesn't know Vaggie used to be an exorcist and Emily has no idea Sera ordered the exterminations. Still, their answer to ignorance is to keep on questioning. They have no idea why only certain souls are admitted in heaven. Still, they think it is important to investigate the phenomenon and use it as evidence that there might be hope for the spirits in hell.

Lute and Adam don't know why some spirits end up in hell and others in heaven. Still, they do not bother to question it. So, Adam is caught by surprise by Charlie's question and has to improvise an answer. Not only that, but even later on the duo insist that Angel not being in Heaven proves he is unholy. And that's it.

Sera does know about the extermination, as she knows the system is unfair. Still, she refuses to question it and forbids others to do the same. She is the only one whose sin isn't ignornace, but knowledge.

There is no a clear thematic resolution to the question posed by the song. This is because the series is not over yet. However, the scene sets up the theme and the way characters will deal with it in later seasons will give us the moral.

As you can see, not only whole stories (like Madoka, or Monster) have themes, but also arcs (RWBY) and even episodes or scenes (Hazbin Hotel). That said, the way to go at it is always the same. Pintpoint the main topic and start investigate how the characters or the worldbuilding deal with it. You are gonna get several stances. The one which emeges victorious is the moral.

Let's highlight that the moral is not always embodied by the protagonist. For example, in the Madoka and RWBY's examples, Madoka and Ruby are initially at a loss and come to learn the moral by the end of the story (for Madoka) and arc (for Ruby). Similarly, Tenma initially does believe the moral, but doubts it throughout the story, only to be reminded and helped by other characters (like Nina).

In any case, the way the protagonist and characters in general relate to the main theme and to secondary themes is key for their arcs.

CHARACTERS AND THEME

When it comes to theme a character can either:

Believe the moral since the beginning

Not believe the moral since the beginning

In the first case, the character either stops believing the moral by the end (negative arc) or keeps believing the moral until the end (positive arc). In the second case, the character either learns the moral (positive arc) or doesn't learn the moral (negative arc).

In short, the story keeps challenging the character on their beliefs and they must either stick to their point of view or change it, depending if they believe in the moral since the beginning or not.

Exhibit A:

Charlie's belief that sinners can be redeemed is right. Still, in the beginning nobody else agrees with her, so she is challenged by the world around her. Her objective is not to lose faith in the Hazbin Hotel and to inspire others to change their mind too. Throughout her journey, she is bound to grow too. She starts as sheltered and naive with a simplistic idea of what redemption is. By the end, she will gain a deeper understanding of redempion and will grow as a result.

Exhibit B:

Eren's journey is about realizing what freedom (the main topic) is about. The problem is that he fixates himself on the idea that freedom means no boundaries, either natural nor humans. This leads him to embrace destruction and nihilism and to lose himself. In the end, the character who realizes what freedom truly is is Mikasa. She doesn't discard her bond with Eren, but is still able to make independent choices and to live as herself. In short, Eren doesn't learn the moral, hence why he spirals instead of growing.

Charlie is a protagonist who knows the moral and will grow with it in a positive arc. Eren is a protagonist who doesn't know the moral and never learns it. This is why he has a tragic negative arc.

These are just two examples, but there can be different combinations. By interrogating yourself on how characters relate to a theme, you get better a better understanding of their role in the story and of their overall arcs.

Still, how to find themes in a story? Luckily, each text is full of hints that are there for us to interpret them.

MOTIFS

Motifs are repetitive details within a story, which are used to communicate themes.

Anything can be a motif: a line, a musical tune, a specific imagery, an object. By repeating them in key moments throughout a narrative, they become symbols, which means they can lead to bigger metaphors and convey specific meanings.

In the song More Than Anything, dream is one of the main topics. We realize it because the characters keep mentioning it. At the same time, light keeps popping up. Lucifer summons light and throws it away, Charlie rememebrs a light show Lucifer imrpovised for her. Lucifer and Charlie start the song in the shadow and they end it in the light. This means that "light" is a motif throughout the song and by seeing how it is used we better understand the theme and the relationship between the two characters. We understand that light is a metaphor for dreams. Lucifer gives up on it, Charlie is inspired by it and eventually Lucifer summons it back as he has decided to believe in Charlie's dream. By looking at the way light is used, we can see that Charlie teaches Lucifer the moral that it is worth it to fight for dreams and not to give up on them.

In the CAA of HXH, gungi is a motif that comments both the topic of humanity and Meruem and Komugi's relationship. Their matches become a metaphor of monstrosity vs humanity, as humanity slowly conquers Meruem to the point he himself chooses to live and die as a human, rather than the King of the Ants. Similarly, Kokoriko symbolically becomes Komugi and Meruem's child, in the sense they give birth to this move and evolve the game.

Sometimes, their meaning is unique to the story. For example, gungi is a motif that makes sense within HxH and can't be brought outside of the series, as it is not a real world game. It only exists in that universe. Some other times, a motif can tie to bigger sets of symbols. For example, light and shadow are universal symbols that bring with them several additional meanings:

Good and Evil

The Jungian persona shadow

In the Hazbin Hotel song the first dychotomy doesn't fit, while the second one does. Initially both Lucifer and Charlie hide things from each other (shadow), whereas by the end they show who they are (light).

In short, to analyze a story, you should find its key motifs. They are hints to better understand the theme and the characters. Different stories will use different motifs and tie them to different wider sets of symbols. To find the right ones can help a lot in better understanding a story, as a whole.

Some examples:

RWBY uses fairy tales and alchemy as its main motif, so these two sets of symbols are the most useful to analyze the series

HxH is a shonen and uses its powers and fights to convey character arcs and themes, so to analyze one's nen abilities helps a lot

Hazbin Hotel is a musical series that takes inspiration from religion and mythology. So, it is probable that the best understanding of it will come from analyzing its songs and from looking into its religion inspiration

Of course this doesn't mean you should only use one motif to analyze a story. For example, you can use RWBY's semblances to look into the characters, as well. And there are some fairy tale allusions in Hazbin too. In the end, it is about using what best helps you understand a story as a whole.

What is more, there are general sets of symbols that can be useful in most stories, such as jungian archetypes. Finally, you might want to start from other aspects of the story itself, rather than theme or characters or plot. For example, you might be drawn to the world-building and realize it is used in a special way to explore the theme. Or you might be curious about character designs and see that they have their own symbolism (for example, I believe RWBY ones do and probably Hazbin Hotel ones, as well).

SOME PRACTICAL ADVICE

I have linked in the title of each paragraph, but this last one an article by @septembercfawkes. Her posts are great to better understand narrative structure and I found them enlightening.

I think the best thing you can do is to start with focused metas. Choose a scene, a character, a motif that intrigues you and start exploring it. It is better to start small and to narrow your focus, it would be easier to organize your article.

I usually outline the contents of the meta before starting to write it. Still, it sometimes changes as I keep writing.

It can be useful to write at the beginning of your analysis what you are gonna do. It will help you remember what the point of the meta is. For example, in my RWBY allusion meta or HxH nen meta, I always start with the motif I am analyzing. I summarize the fairy tale (even if many people know it already) and I explain what the character's ability is about. It helps organizing the flow and the contents.

The more you analyze the better you become at it, so it is just a matter of starting :)

Thank you for the asks, I hope this was helpful and not too much confusing!

Have a nice day!

So I've adored reading fanfictions ever since I first entered fan circles, but I want to try to start writing my own. I have an idea for a long fic, but I've never really written a long narrative, much less a fanfiction. Do you have any advice for a first time fanfic writer?

Hi! That's awesome, and exciting and terrifying, as writing usually is!

I have a full tag for writing advice (see here). My advice in general is that there is no one-size-fits-all process; some need outlines (I do, and it helps me know where I'm headed and how to get there even if not every single details is fleshed out), but some don't. I usually wait to start publishing until it's 1/2 finished because then as I write I'll be able to go back and add hints to thinks I've decided on later or clarify any discrepancies (plus again, I know I'll be able to finish). I would recommend an outline because it is helpful in putting narrative jenga pieces together, but if that's not appealing to you, you don't have to--but I do think you need to know where your story will ultimately go.

As for my daily writing process, get a tea/coffee/beverage of your choice, fire up that playlist, and start. Don't worry about perfection. You'll hate what you write many days, and some days you'll love it, and sometimes you'll go back and reread and be like "I hate what I loved and what I wrote that I hated is actually pretty good."

Best of luck!

For you what makes a book good in terms of character, plot, etc ?

In terms of what I technically think is good or in terms of like, what I enjoy? Because sometimes those overlap and sometimes those don't lol.

Basically if you think of stories like a braid, in which each element (themes, plot, worldbuilding, characters, prose) is its own strand: the tighter they braid together, the better the technical quality. If braided with great complexity and tightly woven, it tends to be very impressive; however, the stories that last the longest and stand the test of time are the ones that are woven the tightest regardless of complexity. It's why simple fairy tales last across cultures and time while exceedingly complex tales can fall apart if key strands don't last well depending on factors such as the environment, the type of hair, whether they're secured tightly enough (aka ended well), etc. I love a complex story, but give me a simple one that nails its themes and characters over one that loses sight of itself and dissolves into a tangle you'll need peanut butter to get out.

Hey Hamliet! Love your metas! In an earlier meta, you'd called Mikasa "the thematic core" of the series. Could you please elaborate on what you meant by that?

Hi! 

So, all decent stories have themes, but some stories have a thesis stated at the beginning and some state it at the end; some are interested in answers and some in questions.

Sometimes, there’s a specific character who embodies the main theme in everything they do. Not all stories have a thematic core character, and frankly many stories should not, because it can be very, very hard to challenge this character if they embody the story’s core principle. This character tends to be either a protagonist or the wise mentor archetype, also. I’ll talk about two characters whom I think embody this well, and one character whom I think does not: Tenma (Monster), Mikasa (SnK), and Deku (BNHA). 

Now, to be clear, Monster, BNHA, SnK are extremely different stories: Monster is a seinen crime drama, SnK is pessimistic and deeply psychological and philosophical; BNHA is optimistic and about superheroes. But stories don’t have to be deeply psychological nor pessimistic to unpack their main themes in well-done ways: Harry Potter is a great example of this. The closest a character comes to embodying the themes of the story (grief and love and choice) is Dumbledore, and he’s unpacked in the final story to the extent a hopeful children’s story should.

What is Monster’s thesis? All lives have value. 

What is SnK’s thesis? The world is cruel, but the world is also beautiful.

What is BNHA’s? A hero saves.

I think it’s impossible to argue that Tenma, Mikasa, and Deku don’t embody these messages in every moment of their arcs. The thing is, while most stories aren’t deconstructions, you still have to explore and unpack and challenge the character to make the theme stand out, to convince the reader of your theme. 

Monster story opens with Tenma literally being challenged on this very principle. The hospital’s top neurosurgeon, Tenma chooses to save a famous singer over a poor immigrant despite the immigrant coming to the hospital first and is confronted by the immigrant’s devastated family. Tenma then makes the opposite choice and saves a little boy over a mayor because the boy arrived first, even though the hospital orders him to prioritize the mayor. Thus, the very first chapter gives Tenma a consequence for not following his theme, and he corrects it--but this doesn’t result in a simple “everyone matters, duh.” Because that boy he saves grows up to be a serial killer, and Tenma becomes determined to stop him--even if it costs him his life and morality. Tenma himself wonders and even at times throws away his belief that all lives have value, wondering if Johan has forfeited his right to live because if they don’t execute Johan, will he ever stop? 

However, by the end of the story, Tenma goes through such a journey to understand Johan that he does indeed come to believe Johan’s life has equal value despite his crimes, and proves it by saving Johan’s life yet again in order to also save the person who tried to kill Johan (and who would then potentially lose his life in punishment). The story truly unpacks what this theme means, and why people believe it or don’t, and does so without condemning those who don’t agree. 

Mikasa is also challenged constantly. She finds moments of beauty in the middle of cruelty, like Eren wrapping the scarf around her. That moment motivates her because it showed her there was still connection, humanity, warmth, and kindness. Even when she’s relegated to the background, Mikasa is constantly challenged on her belief in cruelty and beauty and even loses sight of it at times because she puts too much of her hope/belief in beauty on one person. In the end she expands it to absolutely everyone, the entire world, including Eren. She refuses to deny her love for him, refuses to forget him as he requests, but also refuses to sacrifice the world for him. 

Do you notice a common thread between Tenma and Mikasa? It’s that your convictions matter so much as you are able to hold yourself to them, even when it costs you. Even to go back to Harry Potter, Dumbledore loses a lot of respect for his past actions, and Harry has to die. The themes are unpacked because their statements, the themes they embody, are not magical elixirs that fix their worlds. 

So, Deku. He embodies heroes save, and I don’t doubt he will succeed. But... he’s had this perspective from the first chapter and it’s not really been unpacked--the closest it came is during the War Arc, when Deku vowed to never forgive Shigaraki after he almost killed Gran Torino. But then Gran Torino is... fine. So it would be far more compelling writing if Shigaraki had actually killed Gran Torino or kills All Might because then Deku has actually something to lose; he would have something personal that he’d have to surrender to stand for this theme, to reinforce the theme. It’s easy to spout about saving everyone, but what about when that person is a murderer not just of randos, but of someone you adored? This would unlock layers of complexity in Deku that we just have never seen. Now, it's possible BNHA will unpack this more towards the end (I think it will, and I do think Deku will feel like he can’t save at some point) but it's honestly too little too late to save Deku’s writing on the whole for me. 

This is also for me why I find the Dabi/Shouto conflict more compelling even if Shigaraki is by far the best written character in the manga: because there are direct personal stakes not just for the characters but for the audience (since we know the characters affected), whereas Deku and Shigaraki’s conflict is currently symbolic and hypothetical. Shigaraki is a mass murderer, but not of anyone Deku knows. He hurt Gran Torino, but GT seems to be recovering just fine. He endangered the lives of Deku’s friends, sure, but they’re all fine. There are no long-lasting consequences to anything Shigaraki has done that actually affect Deku’s daily life, nor our perception. 

Also think of the criticism of villain stans in BNHA--that they don’t care about the randos who have been killed and who we’ve like, never seen a panel of. If the characters experience the pain of that loss, it makes the manga’s message that much more resonant and empathetic, rather than preachy. Monster did this with Tenma: he lost so much along his journey, and SnK did this with Mikasa: she lost Eren. It’s just more like... cold preaching in BNHA. That said, the good thing about BNHA, and the reason I follow and like it, is that it does seem to know what it wants to say even if it is messy about it. When a story has no idea what it wants to say, woof. 

I dare you to say I'm wrong.