Just in case you thought I’d given up serious blogging to spend all my time trolling (or perhaps trawling) Deviant Art, let it be known that I just wrote a real essay about Literary Things.
It was for Tor.com‘s Dystopia Week (to which I say, ONLY A WEEK?) and was an analysis of why teenagers like tales of dystopia.
The funny thing is, lately everyone wants dystopia essays from me, because dyslit is BIG and I am officially a famous fake expert in how teens think, especially about dystopian fiction, thanks to the whole writing Uglies thing. (Score.)
A snippet:
Teenagers’ lives are constantly defined by rules, and in response they construct their identities through necessary confrontations with authority, large and small. Imagining a world in which those authorities must be destroyed by any means necessary is one way of expanding that game. Imagining a world in which those authorities are utterly gone is another.
It’s little wonder, then, that a lot of YA dyslit embraces both extremes of hyper-control and of chaos, wedding an oppressive government with post-apocalyptic ruin . . .
Click here to read the rest. And then comment here or there with your gentle sledgehammers of correction. Don’t let us fake expert adults define you!
And now . . . back to trolling Deviant Art! Because it’s Fan Art Friday. (Well, not here in Sydney, or even in New York, but somewhere in the world. Like, say, Hawaii.)
Here’s a cutie from strawberrycream17:
I mean, seriously: Awww. Happy times. Check out strawberrycream17’s stuff at DA.
And another quiet moment from Tobuishi, who, after last week’s Fan Art Friday, quite understandably requested that I use a piece of hers that didn’t have the word “boobs” in it:
Click here to see her other stuff at DA.
I love how a lot of fan art and fan fic shows characters doing, you know, sort of nothing. Fan artists like showing the downtime that’s part of everyone’s real life, but doesn’t ever quite get shown in canonical texts, because doing nothing isn’t part of the uber-dramatic Story we authors are telling. Believe me, if we put it in there, editors would probably edit it out!
Fans actually want to see the downtime, though, or at least imagine it, because that makes the characters more real, more like someone you could hang out and do nothing with. So downtime becomes a major theme of the para-literature of fan fic and fan art.
Maybe I’ll save these thoughts for another essay about Literary Things. But you know I’m right.
And speaking of just hanging out, here’s another example, by Irrel, of everyday life aboard the Leviathan:
HAH! GOT YOU! Awkward moment is awkward! (Here’s the source on DA.)
Okay, some fan art is totally dramatic, telling its own fantabulous non-canonical story, or even predicting what will happen in a not-yet-published book like Goliath. This is why writing Serious Essays is a pain, because you have to keep second-guessing yourself.
Awkward, heh.
So for the next Fan Art Friday, let’s do something different. Send me art that’s not regular two-dimensional drawings and such. You know: fan fic, sculpture, cosplay, music, models, video, photography, or whatever else you can come up with or find out in the interwebs.
I’m curious as to how much is out there. And I think we’ve had quite enough of a certain couple’s canoodlings!
See you soon.
what exactly does ‘dyslit’ mean? I looked it up on dictionary.com and am now further confused. as for the fan art, the first one is sooooo pretty! second has a quiet beauty, I liked the boob one better. last one is red-face-making but awesome. as for the movie I think it should be made like Sherlock Holmes was. the costuming was great and you felt as if you were really in that time period. also it shouldn’t have modern music. while I love tim burton, helena, and mr. depp I would rather them not be a part of it. they should choose the cast like they did Harry Potter, finding the perfect people for the roles not changing the role for the person.
@Stubbs- I dunno what’s sadder: the fact that you actually TRIED to type in a Cockney accent, or the fact that you wrote “fook”. That word is now tarnished for me. Sigh…..futon u….
….and do I even want to know what a Jerry-Wanker is?
@Bailey-wa: “dyslit”. Dystopian (dys) Literature (lit). Basically what I call a “Bad Future” novel.
And while I’m at it:
@Fox Scarlen – Howl’s Moving Castle was a book from the 80’s, which was turned into a AWESOME movie (with Christian Bale! AYIEE!). And most of the movies that Studio Ghibli makes are very steampunk, so Leviathan would be perfect!
Damn the bloody lot o’ ya! All straight to ‘ell! And fook you, “TheWordMaster”! I’m Scottish, not Cockney!! How dare ya compare me those snooty posh bumrags! I’ll knock ya flat on yer arse, I will!
Don’t fook with the Stuggs! ‘Specially after ‘ee’s downed a few, ‘ee ‘as!
@ The Joker-la: I ‘ad a reason t’ be on ‘ere, but ye pissed me off so bad I fergot it, ya bloody Yankee bastard.
…WHERE’S ME SCOTCH?!
@Stuggs: Oh reeeeally? I take that as a challenge then. Allright Mr. Stubbs, I’ll play your little game….
*Takes out electrice twin beam katana*
…but you gotta play by MY rules.
(I have nothing against Scots btw, seeing that I am part Scottish myself. And I would pass the Scotch but, alas, it fell off a cliff into the foamy ocean below.)
I can’t thank you enough for featuring my art on here!
THANK YOU SCOTT-LA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
There 🙂
*points* Looks legitly like a dude. Could be Deryn X’D I don’t know why but I always imagined her being brunette. The actual girl is very pretty ^^ *needs to get her butt working on her own Deryn cosplay for May* Thriffftttt stoorrressssss….
@Anna: Like seven days later XD But That reminds me of this one roleplay my friend an I did where my character was disguised as a guy in order to hide from the law and she falls in love with a paperboy who goes on the run with her, and he’s suddenly like ‘I think I’m gay for you ;w; ‘ And shes just like *AWKWARD. SILENCE.* XD
I FORGOT THE LINK WNEF(H$#WEHDI$EWHDSOIF D<
This is what I was talking about: http://browse.deviantart.com/?qh=§ion=&q=deryn+cosplay#/d3cj6lh
Hmph. Seems as though my electric twin bean katana is enough to silence even the rowdiest of people.
This, dear folks, is why you don’t mess with nerds. 😀
uuuhhh. i found my mouth hanging open when it got broken down for me. feel.so.stupid! i know i’ve heard of dystopian, but just am still befuddled. ahh! and i agree, don’t be messing with nerds or geeks. i just got glasses and feel quite nerdy/bass-ass.
@bailey-wa- It’s ok. I once thought youtube was a place you could go to watch u2 videos. Yeah, I was a sad little nerd back then…..
….and congrats on joining the glasses club. We happen to be so popular that people wear fake glasses just to imitate our awesomeness!
im really wondering what is going to volger’s reaction when alek and deryn get together…actually id think i’d run away before he goes ballistic…