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Fold Me Tender

Sasha M

Dear Yuni, the cat thing is a funny example, of course. But look... If Andrzej is a cat lover, and suddenly in a new story he is cuddling his beloved dog, the reader is slightly puzzled. "What happened, Andrzej? Why are you doing this? How did this happen? What did I miss? I've known you for years. Leslie loves dogs, not you. Maybe you are Leslie, not Andrzej?.."

If cat lover Andrzej suddenly fell in love with dogs, and received a new characteristic "dog lover", then there was a reason for it. The reason can be realistic, fantastic, magical, mystical or even just humorous. But it is definitely a reason for a story. Or there can be no story, so that the reader tries to guess for himself what happened. But it must be a conscious decision of the writer for some reason.

The same goes for Martin. If we create a character who is not into contortion, but loves photographing naked girls and contortionists, works part-time as a nude model, and collects plush toys, then he is unlikely to meet a mistress of horny teddy bears when he practices contortion.

It's... like chemistry. We have many different chemicals whose properties we know, but when they interact with each other in different combinations and under different conditions, they react in the most unexpected and interesting ways. And stories are born. In my opinion, this is fun, not boring.

Something like that.

I agree and disagree with the list you provided, or rather with your interpretation.

I understand that you are talking about the commercial exploitation of literature, about the use of proven techniques and templates in order to maximize profit. However, I believe that any of the items on your list are quite acceptable and the author has the right to use them in creating a story when he uses them for some of his own creative reasons.

But in any case, I was not talking about literary cliches. I was talking about character development. Well, for example, there is one point linear perspective. The fact that one point linear perspective will be used by an artist who thinks only about his own benefit cannot cancel or devalue one point linear perspective...

At the same time, the artist has the right to partially or completely abandon the use of one point linear perspective if it does not suit his creative goals.

My thoughts were prompted by your words about people becoming less active in commenting and by what your friend said.

I just thought that maybe my idea might seem interesting to you. Or, even if the idea turns out to be bad, then maybe it will help to give birth to some good idea.

Personally, I love your art and your stories as they are.

And I'm sorry I haven't commented on your art in years. I know the huge size of my posts won't make up for the many years I've enjoyed your art without giving you anything in return.

Thank you!

That makes more sense now! Your suggestion was actually about writing stories with characters whose traits have been established beforehand. In this scenario, each new story revolves around these predetermined characteristics which could potentially lead to conflicts/challenges for the characters and create interesting plots. It would require much more effort from me as the writer because each new story would need to focus on how the character overcomes these obstacles using their established traits. This is quite similar to what goes on in most commercial fiction.

It's true that this approach can sometimes generate interesting and unpredictable interactions between the character(s) and the story setting/world, but at the same time it often leads to situations where the author needs to forcefully stretch the character's traits beyond reasonable limits in order to make them fit into a certain situation or conflict (this is called "lazy writing" in fandom). Also, such stories may come across as predictable since there's no room left for the character's personal growth or any significant change in their traits/preferences. The character's personality becomes static, stale and dull after only a few stories like these.

That said, it could be an interesting challenge for me if I were to experiment with this kind of writing style one day. Maybe I should give it a shot? XD

Regarding your opinion about my list - yes, there are exceptions to every rule, especially when it comes to creative expression. But let's face it, the vast majority of mainstream literature follows these patterns either consciously or unconsciously. As you said yourself, they are considered standard techniques and templates for creating stories that sell well. However, I believe these techniques are detrimental to genuine artistic creativity and originality, which is why I prefer not to use them in my own works.

And finally, thank you very much for your kind words about my art and stories! It means a lot to hear that someone appreciates what I do, especially considering how much effort goes into each piece. Don't worry too much about not commenting on my stuff before - sometimes life just gets in the way, and we all have different priorities and responsibilities. What matters most is that you still find enjoyment in my work even after all these years! <3

Take care and keep those comments coming! :3

Sasha M

Yuni, you can't make him cuter. It's just... impossible! <3

So relevant, realistic and a little sad that Yasha eventually stopped identifying himself as Russian and became Siberian/Chinese. But his decision is easy to understand... Especially since he is married to a Polish guy. ^^

In some stories Yasha is also from Snowberia, in others he's from Mount Hardy, and in a recent story he's a priestboy in Armbury. In fact, I remember him even visiting Melonie in a certain story! XD

I also have storyless (yet) pics where he looks like a Persian prince (still waiting on an idea for that one), and another showing him as a futuristic JRPG boy from Cyberia XD

Years ago, I made a story about Yasha from Russia since one of my friends designed a character called Sasha from Russia:
yuni.us/from-russia-with-love

So we thought that maybe the two knew each other and we even made up a fictional city called Moscowburg, which housed their organization, Kremlin's Gymnast Boys (KGB for short XD). So you're probably talking about the pics from that period of time. Sadly I haven't been in touch with that friend much these days, so my own ideas may differ, though I still enjoy the idea of Yasha coming from Siberia.

...I recall I even have a story about cloned Yashas, parodying the fact he has so many alternate realities ;D

Tight Bonds (WIP)

Sasha M

I really want to think that this is a canon wedding, and Yasha and Andrzej are actually married! <3

If so.. Yuni, could you please make them easily recognizable wedding rings, just on the finger, not on the waist, so that they can wear them all the time (No sharp corners, of course.. fisting-friendly wedding rings).

And you could also make an updated and improved version of the wedding image. With all your characters as guests, Martin as the wedding photographer and the demon ( yuni.us/demonic-delights ) as the wedding officiant of course. ^^

❄️ Winter Fairytale

Sasha M

Poor boys, clearly not strong enough to stretch Andrzej as much as he wants. They should have called Danny for help.
A wonderful picture in every sense. I miss your multi-figure compositions. (But I understand that they take much more effort and time)
For some reason, I am especially fascinated by Yasha's new pants. I mean, I am in love with Yasha, but now I am really talking about the pants: the fabric, the style, the color, I like everything about them. If I were offered to choose between Yasha and his pants, I would even hesitate for a second...

Thank you so much for your kind words! I'm glad you liked this picture! Multi-figure compositions do require more effort than single character ones, but they're always worth it when the idea is good enough.

Haha, it definitely looks like Andrzej could stand an extra 90° or more with ease from his serene expression. And yes, Yasha's pants are lovely! You can't help wondering what kind of performance he puts on wearing those. At the very least, it must be some sort of belly dancing contortion, though I bet it would look hot even if he just sat there doing nothing. 😝

🗿 The Astonishing Performance

Sasha M

Really want to believe that the future will come when Yasha and Andrzej will be able to feel free and comfortable in Saint-Moscowburg, and they will even be invited to perform at the Hermitage..

Thank you, Yuni!

(Sasha M)

Comments

🕯️ The Candle of Hope

Fold Me Tender

Tight Bonds (WIP)

❄️ Winter Fairytale

🗿 The Astonishing Performance