Worm: Reconstruction or Deconstruction?
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 13 ก.ค. 2024
- Important note: if you haven't heard of Worm, check this out first: • PSA: Read Worm
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays, everyone who stuck around! I'm so so so sorry I've been gone for so long, my first ever semester of college took up way more of my video-making time than expected and I completely underprepared. I understand that building back up is going to be difficult, but with the help of some new friends and some much better time management strategies I hope to have a semi-consistant upload schedule moving forward into the spring semester. If you want to know what I've been up to for the past few months...well, maybe I'll have an update video. More likely, I'll just focus on creating more fun, hopefully-halfway-intelligent content for the future. I'm not planning on giving up here, and I promise to be better.
"You all have performed adequately!"
Just saw this at r/parahumans, loved the style, in the beggining i was thinking "which one is the real he?" Until i accepted that they are all characters....or.... All real
This honestly was a fascinating listen and I would not be surprised if this was a reimagining of a discord call you had.
Pact question up ahead (spoilers):
What is pact trying to say about changing the status quo. Everytime the cast succeeds in doing so everybody ends worse for the wear, but it's also clearly shown that the status quo is slowly killing the world (demons permenantly deleting places and all that). It is also shown that the world is slowly heading into a different direction magicwise (metal becoming an element in place of wood). Though this new road doesn't seem much better then the previous one. Since it does nothing to address the core issues of the world. so my question is:
What is wildbow saying about changes in society and is there any correct way of doing this according to pact.
P.S. first
Sooo if I get the idea correctly, Reconstruction is used as the impetus of the differents plotlines while Deconstruction is used as the unraveling mechanism and primary narration tool? It was all a bit technical for my somewhat broken english so feel free to correct me.
thoroughly excellent discussion!
I have always seen deconstruction as a way to find the essential parts of an idea. You disassemble it, dissect and try to pinpoint the moment where 'it' stops being 'it' - that means what you have just cut is a keystone. Say, Watchmen, as it is viewed as a poster boy of deconstruction, explores what if we eliminate WASP moral from a superhero comic. In that regard, I wouldn't say Worm is deconstructing something - at least, something that hasn't been deconstructed before. But it uses the results of preceding studies to create new story and constructs - or reconstructs, if you wish - a novel superhero fiction, which is impressive. Yes, some moments are sad, some are quiet disturbing, but I wouldn't call a change of tone deconstruction, as tone is not a part of genre.
I mean, the world WAS moving with even with the godzilla's threatening the world, and the many dangers and anxieties people have about the world around them, BECAUSE of superpowers, we SEE that most EVERYONE'S struggles and bigger anxieties about normal real world things, and not the fear of their lives being cut short because of a villain, or a monster.
It does NOT deconstruct a lot of the ideas of superhero fiction, as much as makes them realistic WITHOUT making the argument as to why or how they wouldn't work on the real world.
I disagree, tone is absolutely a part of genre. It's broad, but tone is just as important an aspect of genre as any other element. Some genres are more flexible when it comes to tone, but others are more restrictive by definition. A comedy can not be a comedy with a horror tone, it can only turn into a horror-comedy. A dark fantasy cannot have a light tone. Grimdark can't be not dark. Epic fantasy can't be epic without an epic tone, no matter how long the book and how expansive the world-building.
A part of me is yelling that this is a simurgh plot
He back!
I wish i have amnesia and started Reading worm anew.
Same. Listened before the pandemic. Now I got my mom and a friend to listen.
@@BHanif1996 there is joy to be had in rereading it and watching the undercurrent of cause and effect as the story progresses
this is sucha fun video. you are a wordsmith
That was brilliant Jay! Love all your videos (especially those about worm) and my support to you in a pretty difficult time :P
Now, I feel I really need to mention this to you in case you haven't somehow heard of it but... (*thinks about how to get friend to read cool web-serial and the irony of said thought in the context of the comments section of a video all about that exact activity*) you should check out www.hpmor.com/ an excellent deconstruction of Harry Potter written by a rationalist. It's insightful, educational and also a very, very, very good story.
Anyway, small pitch done, thanks again for making the time for videos, they are always such a joy to watch and also thanks for introducing me to the Doof Podcast's 'We've got Worm' series. With their help I shall soon be tackling Ward thanks to you and GoOdNiGhT!
Socratic dialogue!
Anyways, I think there's a lot of problems coming from equating 'reconstruction' with 'justification' here. Both are ideas that are applicable, but the fact that work extensively justifies its tropes doesn't mean it reconstructs them in any meaningful way, IMO.
Here's a bit from a Reddit comment I've made on this subject:
"I know what a reconstruction is. I don't think Worm is one.
A reconstruction is about taking a deconstruction, and using the analysis produced by that deconstruction to build a 'better' version of the original idea. Worm doesn't present itself as a better, more nuanced traditional superhero setting. It's a dark superhero setting that goes to greater lengths to make sure its world makes a degree of sense so that the darkness doesn't come off as lame, 90's edge-festery.
In short, to 'reconstruct' something, you have to take a deconstructed interpretation of a work, and then put it back together. Worm takes a deconstructed interpretation of a work and puts something together from the pieces, but it's by no means a conventional superhero story. It puts together everything but the spirit of a traditional superhero story."
The ending didn't make me cry. Made me a little mad. Like since it was from her perspective, no one besides MAYBE TT can understand what was going on. Sucks because she thought people were after her at the end when they were cheering. And trying to calm her down.
Because the alien nerfs everyone's powers you also get to imagine how far other than Skitter's, the powers can go. Goddess is basically what she could do but toned down when it comes to control and magnified when it comes to distance and lasting hold.