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What we can learn from Avatar (no spoilers)
16 years ago
So I saw Avatar and I guess I'm not going to talk about the movie much beyond what's obvious from the trailers. See, my favorite characters of the movie were actually the plants. I loved Pandora, it was a really cool planet with some very convincing flora and fauna, even if it was technically space horses and space wolves. But the plants really took the cake and made Pandora a world I would have loved to explore.
The problem with the movie is that it was all about some dumb war I didn't care about with a facepalmingly stupid McGuffin in the form of UNOBTANIUM, as well as SPACE MARINES, which are only the second most intolerable type of marine after actual U.S. Marines.
Anyway. There's a lot of stories where the universe they're set in is functionally a more interesting topic than the story itself. The world of Harry Potter is a great example. I could go without the teen angst, but I certainly wish I'd gone to Hogwarts. I'm sure we all do... c.c
This genre gives you the building blocks of a universe and lets you recombine them in myriad ways toward logical outcomes (even if we're talking about dream logic). They hint at what's beyond the curtain to the point where you're not at all surprised once the lights hit your eyes on the other side. I've always envied this ability to create a believable window into a plausible other world, and I've always been frustrated when precious storytelling time is wasted on an uninteresting and predictable story... as it was in Avatar. Sorry y'all.
As someone who has a habit of getting lost in fiction, I appreciate a well-crafted and inviting world, or even just an intriguing object whose function seems obvious despite being forbidden by the laws of reality as we know them. Or documents that purport the existence of same. Or fragments that hint at a whole you can only imagine would be awesome, if it existed. Or characters that you'd like to have encounters with. My point is that these images inspire fantasies rather than focusing on the money shot. In fact, they deliberately obfuscate certain details to make it easier to imagine yourself exploring that world, or using that object, or meeting that character.
This all means pictures and stories that are dense and full of potential, where the main character is the McGuffin for the world, rather than the other way around, have an effect unlike the traditional porno pic. It makes for a much more enjoyable creative experience for everyone, even if it's kind of... avant-garde? I dunno how you'd describe it. Nevertheless, it suits erotica exquisitely. Think not about your illustrations as self-insertions, but rather as denizens, unrelated to yourself, of a world you'd like to inhabit. I think we should be doing more of that sort of thing. Let's explore!
The problem with the movie is that it was all about some dumb war I didn't care about with a facepalmingly stupid McGuffin in the form of UNOBTANIUM, as well as SPACE MARINES, which are only the second most intolerable type of marine after actual U.S. Marines.
Anyway. There's a lot of stories where the universe they're set in is functionally a more interesting topic than the story itself. The world of Harry Potter is a great example. I could go without the teen angst, but I certainly wish I'd gone to Hogwarts. I'm sure we all do... c.c
This genre gives you the building blocks of a universe and lets you recombine them in myriad ways toward logical outcomes (even if we're talking about dream logic). They hint at what's beyond the curtain to the point where you're not at all surprised once the lights hit your eyes on the other side. I've always envied this ability to create a believable window into a plausible other world, and I've always been frustrated when precious storytelling time is wasted on an uninteresting and predictable story... as it was in Avatar. Sorry y'all.
As someone who has a habit of getting lost in fiction, I appreciate a well-crafted and inviting world, or even just an intriguing object whose function seems obvious despite being forbidden by the laws of reality as we know them. Or documents that purport the existence of same. Or fragments that hint at a whole you can only imagine would be awesome, if it existed. Or characters that you'd like to have encounters with. My point is that these images inspire fantasies rather than focusing on the money shot. In fact, they deliberately obfuscate certain details to make it easier to imagine yourself exploring that world, or using that object, or meeting that character.
This all means pictures and stories that are dense and full of potential, where the main character is the McGuffin for the world, rather than the other way around, have an effect unlike the traditional porno pic. It makes for a much more enjoyable creative experience for everyone, even if it's kind of... avant-garde? I dunno how you'd describe it. Nevertheless, it suits erotica exquisitely. Think not about your illustrations as self-insertions, but rather as denizens, unrelated to yourself, of a world you'd like to inhabit. I think we should be doing more of that sort of thing. Let's explore!
I really should explore more intense and vibrant worlds in my artwork too. When I was a kid I drew all kinds of wonderful fantasy environments, maybe I should return to it now that I have the means to draw them better!
haha no he is not
... words can not describe how UGH I feel about this.
c.c
So I'm all for a strange world that people want to be a part of. The only person I see doing such stuff so far is
Discussing this in a spoiler-free environment is tricky, though.
just because we've seen Pocahontas and Ferngully before doesnt mean it was uninspired.
i'm sure most everyone's eaten an apple before - but its up to the creative force behindit to turn it into a ccandied apple or delicious apple pie - instead of an apple rolled around in shit.
It can be so so time consuming when you start delving into a lot of details!
Star Wars is a great example of the silver age; it doesn't matter how the space ships or lightsabers work, it's all about Luke and Vader and their guys. Meanwhile, if you look at something like 2001: A Space Odyssey, it's all about the spaceships, and what it's like in space, and how terrifyingly unknown and mysterious it all is.
...I recommend a walk-through unless you really like puzzles.
Myst Exlie has a forest world, it is all about an ecosystem built around a giant inverse tree. The leaves are all on the inside of the "trunk". There are plants and animals in very symbiotic relationships. And it's a really pretty looking game.