It was a very insightful video, beyond the furry aspect. The traits that humans see in other creatures is fascinating, and the animal fiction genre does bring many of these traits to the forefront.
Absolutely. The definition I gave was one that I ran past a literature professor I know before writing it into my script. It's not actually verbatim the definition of realism that you'd get if you actually asked an academic, however I wanted to simplify it to the level where it would be useful to a layman audience.
CloudCuckooCountry oh I was just making a general statement Wasnt disagreeing with you; just an observation ive made when people say things like "suchandsuch is so realistic!" *regarding a piece of fiction with Fricken dragons and immortals 👍
@@TOAOM123 So, sort of like "RLCraft", where while the "RL" stands for "Real-life", the modpack is less about realism and more about believability, it dosn't get rid of zombies, but it add dragons, because you could believe there'd be dragons in that world. Likewise we all know animals don't speak English, but in the world of a fictional book, we could believe that these animals could speak to eachother.
I have the most incredible signed copy of The Last Eagle, with a picture of his eagle, horse and wife. I... didn't know about the family stuff, but I wasn't terribly *shocked* by it. Being even more shamless furry/birdy than the Cuckoo here, I ran across The Killers first in a personal library at a bird sanctuary. I basically concur with all of the review - especially the criticisms. I was also attracted to The Killers in specific since it entirely takes place in a vague triangle between the house I grew up in, and my Grandparents' houses, a rather tiny area of Pennsylvania. Oddly, when I read it all I was never strongly convinced that he'd actually spent any significant time there, though he hits on some important themes - the encroachment of 'modern life' on the rural scenes is a very real thing there, and is today, too. I'll have to unpack the book boxes from the move and see if I can get that picture out. Oh yes - one other thing that I've wondered since then is whether *he* was worn out on the genre by the time he was done with Troubled Waters. It was the last in that spate of 'animal books', which were all published in a fairly compressed timeframe, possibly because of the success of The Fox and the Hound.
Thanks very much for sharing. I love hearing others' perspectives on books that I cover on this channel. The issues with the family and the institutionalisation of Julie Mannix was only really made public in 2013, which was at least 30 years after Daniel P. Mannix stopped being a public figure, so it's no surprise that barely anyone knows about this. Yes, it is likely that Mannix jumped the gun on this style of story after the success of The Fox and the Hound. I myself was wondering whether or not I was giving Mannix's novels too much credit solely for being entries in an extremely barren genre. There are so few realist animal stories out there that Mannix's works might be considered among the best of the genre simply due to a lack of competitors.
This made me think of the Shiver series of books, it’s about werewolves but in the sense that the people turn into actual wolves. There was a fifty-page (or around there) part of the third book that was told completely dialoguelessly from the perspective of a person who had been in wolf form for months and had joined a back of real wolves. It was my favourite part of the whole series and I actually was kind of disappointed when they turned back into a human because I wanted to see more, even though the rest of the book was still very good. Also, Cloud, I blame you for getting me into xenofiction, I’ve started marathoning the warriors books and I’m moving onto redwall next.
@@CloudCuckooCountry Old Comment or _not_ I'm actually veeeery curious, what is your opinion on the Warriors Cats series by (Team) Erin Hunter? I am in a similar situation as I too am marathoning those books. Even if you don't really like them I wouldn't be opposed to a book burning if you find them that unpleasant, and even if you do i'd be doubly so interested in your assessment of it.
@@kilerkane I haven't read a Warriors novel to completion because I find the writing style so unappealing that it takes an enormous amount of mental effort to read if I'm earnestly trying to enjoy it. My main experience with the series has been grabbing random Warriors novels from my sister's bookshelf and reading random passages for a laugh with my mates at how bad the writing is.
"I was poorly socialised as a child and then became attached to cartoon characters as a replacement for genuine social relationships" I request that you stopped talking about my childhood thank you very much
Mannix's animal fiction deserves a wider readership today,. Your TH-cam offers many shrewd insights about the four novels you discuss, and it highlights some of the remarkable qualities of Mannix's work in this genre. I wish you had also covered his last book of animal fiction, The Wolves of Paris, published in 1979, which is apparently based on a true story about a man-eating wolf that terrorized Paris in the fifteenth century. I think that Mannix's prose style is very descriptive, whether depicting settings in the wild or fast-paced action. He also has that rare ability to create a narrative that pulls the reader along and makes his books hard to put down. This is especially true of The Fox and the Hound and The Killers. You suggested that he would have benefitted from an editor (or a better editor) who would have eliminated occasional repetitive phrasing and awkward syntax. I just haven't noticed those faults in his writing. I would love to hear your commentary on another somewhat forgotten American writer of animal fiction, Robert W. Murphy (1902-1971), who in my view also deserves to be read more today. Murphy's books in the genre of realistic animal fiction are The Peregine Falcoln (1963), The Golden Eagle (1965), and The Mountain Lion (1969). In addition to being a writer, Murphy was a falconer, grouse hunter, fisherman and photographer. His prose style in these books, and especially in The Peregine Falcoln, was lyrical and evocative, but at the same time full of keen and accurate observations about the behavior of the animal protagonists of his books. Like Daniel Mannix, Murphy had a wide range as a writer. His 1960 science fiction short story, "Planet of the Condemned," still has a following in science fiction circles. His 1961 study of the eighteenth century expeditions of Vitus Bering by ship to eastern Russia and Alaska, "Haunted Journey," is vividly told. Murphy's 1964 novel, "The Pond," explores the maturation of a teenage boy through his adventures at The Pond, a hunting preserve purchased by his father.
Loving these videos, and I'm glad that these come out as often as they do. Really excited for more videos no matter how long it'll take (and I completely understand why you don't box yourself in with only Book Burning videos)
Really interesting video. I'm currently writing a novel about elephants, and its nice to know there might be an audience for it if I ever get it finished
Hey Cuckoo, I found you through Shammy (God I love hearing him read Owl sex) and I love your content. You really dig into books and I love how you show how to improve a line because as a mostly self-taught writer, it really teaches some more advanced methods, how to use them, and provides me with the fundamentals to feel out the technique, all without being bland. The animations definitely help keep things interesting, but you're honestly really good at narrating and explaining and I for one applaud you. As for you, PLEASE do more hilarious stuff, I would adore a breakdown of The Eye of Argon though that's more (hilariously bad) short story.
I definitely am not the most knowledgeable when it comes to the complex parts of books but I love to read nonetheless. This channel is great because the videos are fun and I learn more about how to write literature and the intricate ways books are appealing.
Maybe there's a common ground. You could review the book while explaining what Disney did, how they interpreted scenes, and why certain changes were made. It could be a new series called "The Disney Library". That way you are still a literature channel and everyone is happy.
I noticed that Zero Punctuation picture in your pile of inspiration, and I would love to see you break down some of Yahtzee's work! My personal favorite of his books is probably still Mogworld but Will Save and Jam are both good too in my opinion
I actually wasn't able to break into Mogworld. I long suspected that Yahtzee's comedy writing style was better adapted to audio than literature and the first few chapters of Mogworld confirmed that for me. It's similar to my distaste for the Hitchhiker's novels despite loving the radio plays.
I love the format of this video. I haven't seen all of your videos, but... wait, I'm actually just realized that I've only gone through your Book Burning playlist. Hold on.
Dragonfoxgirl knocked it out of the park with those avatar poses, they are incredibly expressive. Thanks for recommending the author, The Killers sounds kickass. Also, the middle picture at 21:13 has the good guy win, then they both die, but it actually turns out the villain using the good guy's body.
She'll be glad to hear that. I've seen JJBA, so I know that happens. My point wasn't actually about _how confrontations resolve,_ it was about _how stories build up to a confrontation._ I even said in the video that this applies "even if that character [the protagonist] loses as a way to subvert audience expectations."
I’d really like to see you return to xenofiction at some point, if you have an interest to. I’ve been a fan ever since I first read White Fang back in elementary school, and at this point I’ve read pretty much every work in the genre that I could get my hands on-the good, the bad and the ugly. Also, it’s crazy to think that this video came out over 3 years ago-this was definitely one of the videos that inspired me to start making content. On a related note, have you read either “Fire, Bed & Bone” or “White Wolf” by the author Henrietta Branford? I remember you mentioning that you prefer strong prose above everything else, and her work is fantastic in that regard.
Sorry I was just kidding, probably a terrible joke :D I don't consider myself a furry (I do like My Little Pony though) but I don't have anything against them either, if anything I know some furries that are rally cool people.
Incredibly well done video as usual. You should do a deep analysis of Good Night Moon. It is a literary masterpiece that uses a unique storytelling approach that I haven’t seen in other books. The way it makes you sympathize with the moon is incredibly heartfelt and creative. The symbolism of how the Moon is actually bearing witness to someone falling into a coma/depression/depression-inspired coma is quite dark (because it’s night time) but fairly accurate. I’m not going to spoil all of its themes and complexities, but I do believe that it is worth a read. You should try it out.
I also read The wolves of Paris by Daniel Mannix which i liked pretty much. What concerns another authors I would strongly recommend you to check out Garry kilworth. My favourite one is Hunter's moon. Frost dancers and Midnight's sun are not that bad either. Funny thing was that i was so impressed by the cartoon the fox and the hound that later discovered it was based on the book. I was really curious about it but realized it had no translation in Russian. So all these books and stuff made me learn English, huh.
Have you ever read the Last Black Cat? I found it in a thrift store one day and it’s become one of my favorite books. Basically it’s about the stray cats living in a small town on an island. The local populace there starts becoming obsessed and paranoid about bad luck, and they begin capturing and sending away all black cats on the island. It’s told from the perspective of a nameless black cat and his mission to figure out why humans are taking his friends. And it just escalated from there. It’s definitely a weird little gem and I recommend it!
Great timing: I've just started attempting a novel from the point of view of various animals in our world, so this is helpful and interesting. (Obligatory " :3 " )
I always loved American Tale as a kid because I liked how they played with the scale of the background. I always thought it was cool to see furniture made out of stuff that would fit into my tiny little hands. I tried to go for something like that in my artwork, well not the furniture made out everyday objects thing. I've drawn various beings of various sizes and body structures interacting with each other. A larger being peaking into the business of something smaller than a human child, creatures waiting at a bus stop and they range from the size of small children to big enough to look a giraffe in the eyes and not all of these creatures are terestrial. Some can fly and others can swim. Probably my favorite was this picture of aliens on a space station and there's everything from eel like beings to large snouted creatures with a gait similar to a seal to even some creatures that hover wherever they go. Stuff like this is why I like Star wars so much. I absolutely love the scenes where there aren't just humans or creatures similar in height to humans. Like the Cantina scene or scenes similar to it like the scene at that lodge or in that big ship in the new Star wars movie. All those aliens with varying body types and appendages and even sizes were amazing. It's probably why I liked Zootopia so much and that scene where Judy and that weasel are running through that rodent section. Every where else, Judy was the smallest and even had to stand on her chair in the police station but now she had to be careful where she stepped because she could hurt someone by accident.
I think I remember this handy guide to drawing animal characters. There are ferals which basically means they are like the rabbits of Watership down or just pick a talking animal character. There are animals that walk on two legs which would be like the characters in Zootopia or American Tale and Secret of Nimh (the movie). Then there's anthropomorphic which is what a furry is.
I agree with this; it could make for a fun Halloween episode about pointing out the failings in creepy pasta writing, along with giving a light to some of the genuinely well written ones such as Borrasca.
I remember Big Red, Irish Red, and Outlaw Red (Jim Kjelgaard) being more realistically minded. It's been a while though, I don't remember the quality. This sort of story was my jam as a kid, I went through a ton of them at the library at a ravenous pace and I don't remember all of them very well anymore.
D.P. Mannix was my step brothers great uncle. I met him when I was a young boy...To my memory he was very gentle and generous man. He gave us gifts even tho he did not know me. Only my perspective.. he still had some animals like a bald eagle...a couple foxes and a skunk and several boas. I will have to look into his daughters book I guess.
Proper enjoying your videos bruv hope u can bring em back and do more an that I m tryna lern better bout readin and that cus I never lernt growin up but in care I did lisen to ordio books. So ur chanel helping understand bout books bro less scery to reed em haha safe safe x
Thank you very much. Finally, a video about xenofiction! I was working on an alien xenofiction for a while, and was worried about balancing relatability with the protagonists’ alien nature. I designed their morality to be very alien, but relatable in some ways at the same time. I even have an arc where the protagonists are appalled by something humans would find heroic. To think I was actually worried they weren’t relatable enough. I tried to find something on TH-cam that talked about how to do xenofiction well, but nothing came up. This is the first TH-cam video I’ve seen which talks about xenofiction head on. It also handled blue and orange morality well(in this case in my opinion, morality that revolves around survival and child rearing), which was also something I was looking for and having trouble finding. Thank you.
Thanks for your feedback. I’m very glad that you enjoyed my video and found it helpful to you. Part of this video was definitely informed by the common consensus amongst people who talk about storytelling that “relatability” ought to be the highest quality to strive for in designing characters. I’ve found that attitude to actually be quite stifling, so it’s fantastic for me to hear that reconsidering it has helped you reevaluate your characters for the better. Best of luck with your story!
You’ve mentioned the Redwall series multiple times so I wanna know if you enjoy the series. I’ve reread most of the Redwall novels I own and I don’t think I’m going to be able to stop because I think of them very fondly.
Interesting content. I think I will consider looking at these books. Here's a silly suggestion. How about a dramatic reading of the first page of "Night Lords: The Omnibus" by Aaron Demski-Bowden (i.e. it's titled "Shadow Knight"). The reason I am suggesting that section is that it establishes the protagonist's motivation. Also, I found the soliloquy (I think that's what I am suppose to refer as) kinda amusing in a cheesy way.
Oh no. I was warned by a tumblr post (which I can no longer find to reference) that reading the actual book "The Fox and the Hound" would wreck you. Now I am being drawn in by Cuckoo's analysis. Maybe I can try The Killers and get my "animals fight to the death" fix on that way, and leave my innocent (?) childhood memories alone. Because yeah, I also grew up socially deprived and latched onto animal stories and solo survival stories to cope, but never read the actual The Fox And The Hound book. It was mostly White Fang and Call of the Wild for me. And another very anthropomorphized wolf book I can no longer find or accurately describe.
Watership Down is one of my favorite books from my childhood. Same with Plague Dogs, which I did like more even if it is very graphic at parts. There was one part in the book where it goes morbidly into detail about Snitter and Ralph (the main characters, one a stray dog and one a house dog) ripping apart a lamb. I think it was to show how hungry they were after escaping the animal testing facility and spending days scavenging, but it went on for a bit longer than I thought...at least 6 pages longer. Richard Adams, you good?
I used to read a fair amount of these animal xenofiction stories as a kid - the main ones that I can recall are Redwall and Silverwing, whereas my little sister was a massive fan of the Warrior Cats books, which I never managed to get into. I think the only reason I read the three Silverwing books was due to the cartoon adaptation catching my eye and leading me to try to read the first novel again, which I had originally bounced off of. I remember greatly enjoying them, but have never gone back to reread any of the stories. I think the reason that I've reread some of the Redwall books as an adult while I haven't returned to Silverwing is because I enjoy much more anthropomorphized characters, who have societies that hew closer to human ones. Now, Redwall has its own problems to me as an adult reader rereading a children's book series; overly saccharine at points, the world remains stagnant through the series, some species have almost all characters so similar as to be indistinguishable from one another. There's a long Redwall fan story written by someone named Highwing that tried to make the world advance in both culture and to a lesser extent technology, which goes by the name of the Urthblood Saga. While it does have some pretty glaring issues, not least of which is that it's in desperate need of an editor to cut out a lot of filler, I've found it entertaining enough to continue periodically checking for updates. It's something like four or five novels in length by this point.
Loving the new Avatar! Kinda missing the additional birds to represent what you talk about. Are they gone permanently, or just for this one, because they didn't fit the format of an author recommendation?
The chorus of cartoon birds were shelved because my videos ended up becoming longer and longer as I focused more on delivering quality scripts and the amount of effort it took to draw all of them in all of their poses became too much effort for what it was worth. It's one of the reasons I canned Birdsong part 2 mid-production. If they ever come back, it will only be for short videos.
Ok I know I’m a bit late to comment, but I think the topic of realistic animal stories is something very interesting and I know I’m definitely not the only one. Sadly I can’t really comment anything unless I recommend a few novels. Also there was another animal book by Mannix called “The wolves of Paris”and is loosely based on actual events from 1450.
OMG! I'm exactly the same! By the way, I'm not sure if Redwall is 'Xenoiction' because the Animals in that series seem to act and perceive a bit too 'humanly' TV Tropes emphasizes that Xenofiction specifically the 'otherness' of the creatures it's about as it puts it "A good rule of thumb for figuring out if something is in this genre or not: if you can replace the non-humans with (maybe superpowered) humans without too much trouble, it's probably not Xenofiction: Beast Fables and works about Funny Animals are, in general, not examples. " Here is the page tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/Xenofiction
I don't think that rule of thumb is helpful because hypothetically any xenofiction story _could_ have it's characters replaced with humans and you could just say that the odd behaviour is due to the strange society that the humans exist in. Labels and definitions in abstract realms, like genres of fiction, are typically applied based on how *useful* they are. So when I'm trying to categorise something, the only thing I consider is whether applying the label is useful for my purposes. Since Redwall is a book series about animals where the species of the characters is somewhat relevant, and that people who would be looking for "animal xenofiction" would probably look for something like Redwall, I would call it xenofiction simply because it's useful to do so. It's like the "but what is art?" argument. We can argue forever about abstract definitions, but what you find useful might be different to what I find useful, so we may never converge on a compromise. If calling Redwall "xenofiction" isn't useful to you, then feel free to not do that.
You know I have kind of wondered about that first point now that you mention it. My favorite Animal Stories, two of which you mentioned Watership Down and Rats of NIMH (I like both the book and the movie) I also like Animals of Farthing Wood The Lion King, Bambi (And other works by the Author of the Original Book Felix Salten, including The City Jungle) And...Would Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles count as Xenofiction? Though lately I've been super into I really awesome webcomic called 'Nature of Nature's Art' This is like the Animal Equivalent of Osamu Tezuka's Phoinix Saga as it is a story of an entire Animal Civilization and jumps back and forth through the ages telling different tales of different individuals I really like that it is an examination of all the abstractions of Human Civilization by using the the 'Animals attempt to create civilization as a vehicle www.nofna.com/
I’m actually kind of surprised you know what tooth and tail is. I’m glad you didn’t hate on it like with guardians. Btw like the character redesign man.
May I ask what you think of the Stormlight Archives books by Brandon Sanderson if you've read them? Personally the Way of Kings is one of my favorite novels to come out in these past few years.
I have one note, not on the content of the video but it's editing style: if you flash text on screen thats only readable if you pause the video, please place it in a way that the youtube overlay doesn't block it. It's probably fine in your edeting software, but as soon as I pause it the timebar (?) covers a good portion of the lower part of the screen. I must say, I'm watching on PC, on mobile the blocked screenspace is probably more towards the middle, but I'd think it would be worth it, keeping this in mind. Also: nice redesign, a bit uncanny valley for me, but nontheless nice :)
Thanks for the tip. I hadn't considered that. Yeah I imagine there'll be an adjustment period for the new character art. There was for me as well while I was editing it, but I believe the new art to be better quality, so once people have adjusted, I think it will be better overall.
We should be able to read and enjoy something regardless of the author's beliefs/ views. H P Lovecraft was a massive racist but I can still enjoy his stories. Orson Scott Card is a homophobe and people say his books are amazing.
Ikr. As a woman, if I had to categorically exclude all authors throughout history who viewed women as inferior to men.... I'd have very few classics left to read :I
It's funny but I decided to learn English in order to be able to read The fox and the Hound because I was so eager to do it. As far as I know it wasn't translated into any languages but English
Syla The Mink by Ewan Clarkson and String Lug the Fox by David Stephen are both other realistic xenofiction novels. Both read very much like classic nature documentaries. Both our out-of-print sadly, and I only learned about and read them because they were at a used bookstore.
Videos tends to take a while because my life is quite busy at the moment, but I'm working on the next Book Burning now. The script is finalised and the editing is underway.
CloudCuckooCountry I’m sure that the next video will be excellent. I was just hoping that this channel wasn’t on hiatus. I appreciate the quick response!
@@CloudCuckooCountry Yeah, I've been trying to get my hands on a second hand copy of The Fox and the Hound for some time, now. You hardly see anything under $250. I live in continental Europe too, so add shipping and customs to that... What I find most interesting is that the original publisher, E.P Dutton, belongs to Penguin since 1986. Penguin has never reprinted Mannix's text, but they do sell Fox and the Hound Disney merch.
Hm... On one hand, I really enjoy your content. On the other, I'm pledged by the God Emperor to remove filthy xeno filth and all heresy. And I'm seeing a whole lotta xeno heresy
I feel like if we ever randomly ran into each other, we'd have an interesting talk. I grew up isolated as well, and I didn't have the internet till I was 13. I did however recieve a Dreamcast for my ninth birthday. Thus my life was divided between the two sides of my room, with The Count of Monte Cristo and many other works from that time period in my bookshelf on one side, and Sonic the Hedgehog waiting for me on the other. Now that I'm grown up and realizing that people actually love my writing, I'm doing my best to try to pry myself from a world that is strikingly odd and carries an intense (albeit somewhat justified) stigma against it. That comment was much longer than I intended, my apologies. I just don't hear many people articulate the means of combating the plight of isolation during youth. I look back on it and laugh as well, but I am usually too charming (or reticent) to share the details. I do hope you enjoy my failure at that this time around. :D (Also, I hate liking Sonic the Hedgehog.... Fans of that make furries look like the poster children of sanity.)
Reasons aside, did you *like* the disney adaptation of the fox and the hound? I remember crying my eyes out as a kid when i watched it, though it's been years and i could have just been young and impressionable.
17:15 You think you've got it bad? I just, I don't for the life of me know how I keep finding tragedy movies with unhappy endings. I don't, I swear I don't go looking for them, I just find them. 😳 First, there's the horror film Who Can Kill A Child, and then there's the spaghetti western film Apache Woman, and then Belladonna Of Sadness. All three have different stories, but end in the same way. In Who Can Kill A Child and Apache Woman, the couple we are rooting for end up exterminated, first the woman and then the man. In Apache Woman, a few conflicts happen between the soldier and the indian woman, but most of it looks okay, like they're gonna make it. 😀 But then we get into the final act, and the indian is kidnapped and killed, even though one of the men were planning on selling her alive. 😟 The soldier gets mad and avenges her death successfully, but then it isn't over. I should've mentioned, earlier in the film there was this priest who used the bible to justify killing indians. "She's a beast, all injuns are beasts. Even the Lord God hates them. The Lord delivered her to us so we could take care of her." Yeah, don't be fooled, nobody has good intentions except the couple we are rooting for. 😡 Also, I read a lot of bible stories when I was younger, and I know for a fact that God has NOTHING against indians. He loves us all, race or religion, so for that guy to say He hates indians, like...I don't even know how to react, it is so disgusting I can't help being offended. And as the soldier is mourning his indian in front of her grave, the said priest comes outta nowhere, and shoots him from behind a porch. 😱 The music cuts off, the soldier whispers "My apache." And his voice is so hoarse and dramatic, it gets me. His hand reaches for her grave, then relaxes, and the credits roll. 😭 Just like in Who Can Kill A Child, the woman's unborn child kills his own mom from inside, and later on the husband is fighting for his life as the lunatic children jump him en masse. 😰 A soldier arrives, and the man spends his final moments shouting hoarsely "IT'S THEM, SARGENT! IT'S THEM! GOD! HELP ME! IT'S THEM! THEM!" but the soldier, not knowing the truth, shoots our hero instead. The kids then kill the soldiers and go in a boat to encourage other kids to "play" the way they do. 😠 Like I said, I just...I can't figure out how I keep finding these movies. I don't go looking for them, I just find them, and it is crazy tragic. Oh, some of you might disagree, saying "oh, but they were reunited in death, so that's somewhat of a happy ending", yeah not for me, pal. If the heroes we are rooting for, who have done nothing wrong, end up meeting a brutal and horrific death seconds before the credits, that is NOT a happy ending in my point of view. 🤬 And now, I'm reccomending these!?! What is UP with me!?!
Have you read/will you talk about "The Animals of Farthing Wood" series by Colin Dann someday? They're all about the cruelty of nature and over the series, no character seems safe. The animal's speak English to each other, but they also tend to be named after their species and later a personality trait. The "oath" is used as an excuse to humanize the Farthing wood animals to an extent to contrast when they meet others along their journey. Similar to "Watership Down", but toned down slightly. It was also a successful cartoon in the 90's that won a BAFTA. It also had a great instrumental theme song.
As a uni student I’d really like to see your thoughts on some academic writing. Because it feels so unable to convey any useful information well or at least simply say anything of relevance
Most of the characters I have are not human but I do have human characters. The humans and non humans can talk to each other because this is Star Wars/Trek rules where apparently everyone in the universe can speak english. We see humans through the eyes of the main characters that aren't human. I'm autistic and I made up fantasy worlds as a kid, I still do when I'm bored at work, so the non humans are just as confused about humans as I am. A lot of the stuff I cover in my stories are stuff that I can't grasp for the life of me and I use these non human characters as stand ins for myself. Why? Because I feel like the best way to commentate on stuff I personally find ridiculous is from an outside perspective. I use these characters to ask questions and they don't always get the best answers.
CloudCuckoo - The (Weird) Sex Finder. This will be your legacy. You are now the Grandma that reads the bad trashy books and recommends them to their grand kids in jest and we are all the one kid that takes it seriously and reads the bad trash books and continue the cycle.
3 year old vid but - Idiot Gods, David Zindell. Not bad, vividly depressing in areas tho and phylisophically preachy in others but the world building and mindspace is brilliant at points.
I thought about it for long enough, and arrived at the #1 reason to make animal stories, BESIDES SEEMBOLEEZM. With non-human characters, you can make them behave in ANY way you want, as long as it makes sense. No need to be frightened if their behavior or their society is not similar enough to the RL human equivalent. You no longer ask the question "But will a real person of their age and sex and culture behave like that?", and just write whatever you want, as long as what happens in the story has its own internal logic. In short, you can make *any* society, and have your characters behave *however you wish.* And in case you don't believe me, pick up a piece of xenofiction that does not strive for realism, and ask: "Would actual humans from the real world actually do all those things? Would they talk like that?" The answer will most likely be HELL NO.
I would recommend Jack London's Call of the Wild and White Fang if you never read them as I believe they are both excellent realistic animal xenofiction.
Is it really correct to call it 'Xeno'-fiction? because Xeno is the word of 'unknown' or in a LOT of cases just... ALIEN? I can accept for for actual aliens or something machiney-android stuff... but for animals? Should it be Faunafiction instead?
Looking at the list of books you claim to be surprised contained wierd sex, Bird Song, Title doesnt tell us anything I would give it a 50/50 chance of wierd sex, Nut Shell, definitely weird sex, The Bad Girl, it would be false advertising to not have wierd sex in that one, The Ancient Solitary Reign, ok I will grant you that one was a surprise, Memories of my Melancholy Whores, again it would be false advertising if it didnt, The Vegitarian, 80% chance of containing wierd sex. You should have been able to see most of these coming.
My alternative working title for this video was: "OwO"
But seriously though, what the fuck am I doing?
You're making an entertaining video while asking "OWO what's this?" a healthy amount
CloudCuckooCountry reading horses killing each other whilst the same of being a furry in said respects furry
The artist is Dragonfoxgirl. You can find a link to her deviantart page in the description of the video.
It was a very insightful video, beyond the furry aspect. The traits that humans see in other creatures is fascinating, and the animal fiction genre does bring many of these traits to the forefront.
Yes, I am actually a furry.
I love the redesign!
DerpyBat I see you are a fellow connoisseur of No Evil.
I think "realism" gets thrown around too much and what people are actually asking for is believability
Absolutely. The definition I gave was one that I ran past a literature professor I know before writing it into my script. It's not actually verbatim the definition of realism that you'd get if you actually asked an academic, however I wanted to simplify it to the level where it would be useful to a layman audience.
CloudCuckooCountry oh I was just making a general statement
Wasnt disagreeing with you; just an observation ive made when people say things like "suchandsuch is so realistic!" *regarding a piece of fiction with Fricken dragons and immortals 👍
@@TOAOM123 So, sort of like "RLCraft", where while the "RL" stands for "Real-life", the modpack is less about realism and more about believability, it dosn't get rid of zombies, but it add dragons, because you could believe there'd be dragons in that world. Likewise we all know animals don't speak English, but in the world of a fictional book, we could believe that these animals could speak to eachother.
I mainly watch your videos for the narrative of a man's psychological state slowly deteriorating with each post.
This video is amusing, educational, and I didn't get bored through the whole video. Great job.
I have the most incredible signed copy of The Last Eagle, with a picture of his eagle, horse and wife. I... didn't know about the family stuff, but I wasn't terribly *shocked* by it. Being even more shamless furry/birdy than the Cuckoo here, I ran across The Killers first in a personal library at a bird sanctuary. I basically concur with all of the review - especially the criticisms. I was also attracted to The Killers in specific since it entirely takes place in a vague triangle between the house I grew up in, and my Grandparents' houses, a rather tiny area of Pennsylvania. Oddly, when I read it all I was never strongly convinced that he'd actually spent any significant time there, though he hits on some important themes - the encroachment of 'modern life' on the rural scenes is a very real thing there, and is today, too. I'll have to unpack the book boxes from the move and see if I can get that picture out.
Oh yes - one other thing that I've wondered since then is whether *he* was worn out on the genre by the time he was done with Troubled Waters. It was the last in that spate of 'animal books', which were all published in a fairly compressed timeframe, possibly because of the success of The Fox and the Hound.
Thanks very much for sharing. I love hearing others' perspectives on books that I cover on this channel.
The issues with the family and the institutionalisation of Julie Mannix was only really made public in 2013, which was at least 30 years after Daniel P. Mannix stopped being a public figure, so it's no surprise that barely anyone knows about this.
Yes, it is likely that Mannix jumped the gun on this style of story after the success of The Fox and the Hound. I myself was wondering whether or not I was giving Mannix's novels too much credit solely for being entries in an extremely barren genre. There are so few realist animal stories out there that Mannix's works might be considered among the best of the genre simply due to a lack of competitors.
Lovely breakdown (thanks for the warnings/disclaimers as well), lovely art, and lovely music. Thank you, Cloud, Dragonfoxgirl, and Paul!
This made me think of the Shiver series of books, it’s about werewolves but in the sense that the people turn into actual wolves. There was a fifty-page (or around there) part of the third book that was told completely dialoguelessly from the perspective of a person who had been in wolf form for months and had joined a back of real wolves. It was my favourite part of the whole series and I actually was kind of disappointed when they turned back into a human because I wanted to see more, even though the rest of the book was still very good. Also, Cloud, I blame you for getting me into xenofiction, I’ve started marathoning the warriors books and I’m moving onto redwall next.
Sorry
Redwall is pretty good tbh. There are worse genres to like.
@@CloudCuckooCountry Old Comment or _not_ I'm actually veeeery curious, what is your opinion on the Warriors Cats series by (Team) Erin Hunter? I am in a similar situation as I too am marathoning those books.
Even if you don't really like them I wouldn't be opposed to a book burning if you find them that unpleasant, and even if you do i'd be doubly so interested in your assessment of it.
@@kilerkane I haven't read a Warriors novel to completion because I find the writing style so unappealing that it takes an enormous amount of mental effort to read if I'm earnestly trying to enjoy it.
My main experience with the series has been grabbing random Warriors novels from my sister's bookshelf and reading random passages for a laugh with my mates at how bad the writing is.
"I was poorly socialised as a child and then became attached to cartoon characters as a replacement for genuine social relationships" I request that you stopped talking about my childhood thank you very much
Haha I thought the same thing when I heard that. Even the tone in which he said it was eerily similar to how I have voiced it in the past.
Mine too please
Always happy to see another video from you, I'll have to check some of these books out. Also I love the new art!
It's refreshing to still see informative, non-clickbait entertainers on this platform. Keep it up.
Mannix's animal fiction deserves a wider readership today,. Your TH-cam offers many shrewd insights about the four novels you discuss, and it highlights some of the remarkable qualities of Mannix's work in this genre. I wish you had also covered his last book of animal fiction, The Wolves of Paris, published in 1979, which is apparently based on a true story about a man-eating wolf that terrorized Paris in the fifteenth century. I think that Mannix's prose style is very descriptive, whether depicting settings in the wild or fast-paced action. He also has that rare ability to create a narrative that pulls the reader along and makes his books hard to put down. This is especially true of The Fox and the Hound and The Killers. You suggested that he would have benefitted from an editor (or a better editor) who would have eliminated occasional repetitive phrasing and awkward syntax. I just haven't noticed those faults in his writing.
I would love to hear your commentary on another somewhat forgotten American writer of animal fiction, Robert W. Murphy (1902-1971), who in my view also deserves to be read more today. Murphy's books in the genre of realistic animal fiction are The Peregine Falcoln (1963), The Golden Eagle (1965), and The Mountain Lion (1969). In addition to being a writer, Murphy was a falconer, grouse hunter, fisherman and photographer. His prose style in these books, and especially in The Peregine Falcoln, was lyrical and evocative, but at the same time full of keen and accurate observations about the behavior of the animal protagonists of his books. Like Daniel Mannix, Murphy had a wide range as a writer. His 1960 science fiction short story, "Planet of the Condemned," still has a following in science fiction circles. His 1961 study of the eighteenth century expeditions of Vitus Bering by ship to eastern Russia and Alaska, "Haunted Journey," is vividly told. Murphy's 1964 novel, "The Pond," explores the maturation of a teenage boy through his adventures at The Pond, a hunting preserve purchased by his father.
Thanks very much for the feedback. I'll look into Robert W Murphy's novels. I've been wanting to revisit realist animal fiction for a while
Loving these videos, and I'm glad that these come out as often as they do. Really excited for more videos no matter how long it'll take (and I completely understand why you don't box yourself in with only Book Burning videos)
Really interesting video. I'm currently writing a novel about elephants, and its nice to know there might be an audience for it if I ever get it finished
Paul C sick bro :)
I really love your reviews. They are always interesting and entertaining. And that’s a great new design, by the way!
Hey Cuckoo, I found you through Shammy (God I love hearing him read Owl sex) and I love your content.
You really dig into books and I love how you show how to improve a line because as a mostly self-taught writer, it really teaches some more advanced methods, how to use them, and provides me with the fundamentals to feel out the technique, all without being bland. The animations definitely help keep things interesting, but you're honestly really good at narrating and explaining and I for one applaud you.
As for you, PLEASE do more hilarious stuff, I would adore a breakdown of The Eye of Argon though that's more (hilariously bad) short story.
…OWL SEX?! OVO
I definitely am not the most knowledgeable when it comes to the complex parts of books but I love to read nonetheless. This channel is great because the videos are fun and I learn more about how to write literature and the intricate ways books are appealing.
Why didn't you talk about the Disney version of The Fox and The Hound?
Because this is a literature channel and not a movie channel.
wowEE
Also they talked
Maybe there's a common ground. You could review the book while explaining what Disney did, how they interpreted scenes, and why certain changes were made.
It could be a new series called "The Disney Library". That way you are still a literature channel and everyone is happy.
MAD Master001 I just wanted to do the joke comment :V
Im a simple men i see a CCC vid, i give a thumps up
I noticed that Zero Punctuation picture in your pile of inspiration, and I would love to see you break down some of Yahtzee's work! My personal favorite of his books is probably still Mogworld but Will Save and Jam are both good too in my opinion
I actually wasn't able to break into Mogworld. I long suspected that Yahtzee's comedy writing style was better adapted to audio than literature and the first few chapters of Mogworld confirmed that for me. It's similar to my distaste for the Hitchhiker's novels despite loving the radio plays.
CloudCuckooCountry I agree with your view of MogWorld having read all of his novels I'd have to say I enjoyed Jam the most.
Yeah, they're better as audiobooks. His latest is actually coming out as an audiobook first, so he's highly aware of this.
Oh this is a year old, i'm 2 mins in and its a good watch, thanks for tweeting about it.
Love the art style!
I love the format of this video. I haven't seen all of your videos, but... wait, I'm actually just realized that I've only gone through your Book Burning playlist. Hold on.
Dragonfoxgirl knocked it out of the park with those avatar poses, they are incredibly expressive. Thanks for recommending the author, The Killers sounds kickass.
Also, the middle picture at 21:13 has the good guy win, then they both die, but it actually turns out the villain using the good guy's body.
She'll be glad to hear that.
I've seen JJBA, so I know that happens. My point wasn't actually about _how confrontations resolve,_ it was about _how stories build up to a confrontation._ I even said in the video that this applies "even if that character [the protagonist] loses as a way to subvert audience expectations."
Yeah I know that, I just wanted to talk about the weird shit that happens in Jojo. But yeah it does happen alot in stories.
I’d really like to see you return to xenofiction at some point, if you have an interest to. I’ve been a fan ever since I first read White Fang back in elementary school, and at this point I’ve read pretty much every work in the genre that I could get my hands on-the good, the bad and the ugly.
Also, it’s crazy to think that this video came out over 3 years ago-this was definitely one of the videos that inspired me to start making content.
On a related note, have you read either “Fire, Bed & Bone” or “White Wolf” by the author Henrietta Branford? I remember you mentioning that you prefer strong prose above everything else, and her work is fantastic in that regard.
Life pondering intensifies*
Krash #42 why are we here? Just to suffer?
"Every night, I can feel my hoof… and my paw… even my claws..."
Well that got weird...
Krash #42 why are people like this...
Krash #42 (not that I have anything against you it’s just weird)
Sorry I was just kidding, probably a terrible joke :D
I don't consider myself a furry (I do like My Little Pony though) but I don't have anything against them either, if anything I know some furries that are rally cool people.
Incredibly well done video as usual. You should do a deep analysis of Good Night Moon. It is a literary masterpiece that uses a unique storytelling approach that I haven’t seen in other books. The way it makes you sympathize with the moon is incredibly heartfelt and creative. The symbolism of how the Moon is actually bearing witness to someone falling into a coma/depression/depression-inspired coma is quite dark (because it’s night time) but fairly accurate. I’m not going to spoil all of its themes and complexities, but I do believe that it is worth a read. You should try it out.
Hey man, liked the video hope you are doing well keep it up!
Welp... I'm a minute in and I'm already subscring, good job
I also read The wolves of Paris by Daniel Mannix which i liked pretty much. What concerns another authors I would strongly recommend you to check out Garry kilworth. My favourite one is Hunter's moon. Frost dancers and Midnight's sun are not that bad either. Funny thing was that i was so impressed by the cartoon the fox and the hound that later discovered it was based on the book. I was really curious about it but realized it had no translation in Russian. So all these books and stuff made me learn English, huh.
Have you ever read the Last Black Cat? I found it in a thrift store one day and it’s become one of my favorite books. Basically it’s about the stray cats living in a small town on an island. The local populace there starts becoming obsessed and paranoid about bad luck, and they begin capturing and sending away all black cats on the island. It’s told from the perspective of a nameless black cat and his mission to figure out why humans are taking his friends. And it just escalated from there. It’s definitely a weird little gem and I recommend it!
Great timing: I've just started attempting a novel from the point of view of various animals in our world, so this is helpful and interesting. (Obligatory " :3 " )
I always loved American Tale as a kid because I liked how they played with the scale of the background. I always thought it was cool to see furniture made out of stuff that would fit into my tiny little hands. I tried to go for something like that in my artwork, well not the furniture made out everyday objects thing. I've drawn various beings of various sizes and body structures interacting with each other. A larger being peaking into the business of something smaller than a human child, creatures waiting at a bus stop and they range from the size of small children to big enough to look a giraffe in the eyes and not all of these creatures are terestrial. Some can fly and others can swim. Probably my favorite was this picture of aliens on a space station and there's everything from eel like beings to large snouted creatures with a gait similar to a seal to even some creatures that hover wherever they go. Stuff like this is why I like Star wars so much. I absolutely love the scenes where there aren't just humans or creatures similar in height to humans. Like the Cantina scene or scenes similar to it like the scene at that lodge or in that big ship in the new Star wars movie. All those aliens with varying body types and appendages and even sizes were amazing. It's probably why I liked Zootopia so much and that scene where Judy and that weasel are running through that rodent section. Every where else, Judy was the smallest and even had to stand on her chair in the police station but now she had to be careful where she stepped because she could hurt someone by accident.
I think I remember this handy guide to drawing animal characters. There are ferals which basically means they are like the rabbits of Watership down or just pick a talking animal character. There are animals that walk on two legs which would be like the characters in Zootopia or American Tale and Secret of Nimh (the movie). Then there's anthropomorphic which is what a furry is.
You could do a lighthearted video where you go through amateur short stories on websites like deviant art or r/nosleep and.. make fun of them
I agree with this; it could make for a fun Halloween episode about pointing out the failings in creepy pasta writing, along with giving a light to some of the genuinely well written ones such as Borrasca.
Love the new artwork
I remember Big Red, Irish Red, and Outlaw Red (Jim Kjelgaard) being more realistically minded. It's been a while though, I don't remember the quality. This sort of story was my jam as a kid, I went through a ton of them at the library at a ravenous pace and I don't remember all of them very well anymore.
I haven't heard of those stories before. I'll have to check him out sometime, but I'm a bit burnt out on animal stories at the moment.
Finally, I found someone who, for some reason, is attracted to birds and bird fiction as much as I am
D.P. Mannix was my step brothers great uncle. I met him when I was a young boy...To my memory he was very gentle and generous man. He gave us gifts even tho he did not know me. Only my perspective.. he still had some animals like a bald eagle...a couple foxes and a skunk and several boas. I will have to look into his daughters book I guess.
thanks for showing me, I´m definetly gonna check some of them out.
as bird enthusiast it should be pretty obvious wich novels.
Proper enjoying your videos bruv hope u can bring em back and do more an that I m tryna lern better bout readin and that cus I never lernt growin up but in care I did lisen to ordio books. So ur chanel helping understand bout books bro less scery to reed em haha safe safe x
Earned a new subscribe btw.
Thank you very much. Finally, a video about xenofiction! I was working on an alien xenofiction for a while, and was worried about balancing relatability with the protagonists’ alien nature. I designed their morality to be very alien, but relatable in some ways at the same time. I even have an arc where the protagonists are appalled by something humans would find heroic. To think I was actually worried they weren’t relatable enough. I tried to find something on TH-cam that talked about how to do xenofiction well, but nothing came up. This is the first TH-cam video I’ve seen which talks about xenofiction head on. It also handled blue and orange morality well(in this case in my opinion, morality that revolves around survival and child rearing), which was also something I was looking for and having trouble finding. Thank you.
Thanks for your feedback. I’m very glad that you enjoyed my video and found it helpful to you.
Part of this video was definitely informed by the common consensus amongst people who talk about storytelling that “relatability” ought to be the highest quality to strive for in designing characters. I’ve found that attitude to actually be quite stifling, so it’s fantastic for me to hear that reconsidering it has helped you reevaluate your characters for the better.
Best of luck with your story!
You’ve mentioned the Redwall series multiple times so I wanna know if you enjoy the series. I’ve reread most of the Redwall novels I own and I don’t think I’m going to be able to stop because I think of them very fondly.
They were very entertaining when I was a teenager, however these days I think that they’re very repetitive and the writing quality isn’t great.
CloudCuckooCountry I’ve noticed that but I think the fond memories just makes me not pay attention the the repetition.
Interesting content. I think I will consider looking at these books.
Here's a silly suggestion. How about a dramatic reading of the first page of "Night Lords: The Omnibus" by Aaron Demski-Bowden (i.e. it's titled "Shadow Knight"). The reason I am suggesting that section is that it establishes the protagonist's motivation. Also, I found the soliloquy (I think that's what I am suppose to refer as) kinda amusing in a cheesy way.
Oh no. I was warned by a tumblr post (which I can no longer find to reference) that reading the actual book "The Fox and the Hound" would wreck you. Now I am being drawn in by Cuckoo's analysis. Maybe I can try The Killers and get my "animals fight to the death" fix on that way, and leave my innocent (?) childhood memories alone. Because yeah, I also grew up socially deprived and latched onto animal stories and solo survival stories to cope, but never read the actual The Fox And The Hound book. It was mostly White Fang and Call of the Wild for me. And another very anthropomorphized wolf book I can no longer find or accurately describe.
13:06
When I hear that name, I think of the dog from The Call Of The Wild.
Watership Down is one of my favorite books from my childhood. Same with Plague Dogs, which I did like more even if it is very graphic at parts. There was one part in the book where it goes morbidly into detail about Snitter and Ralph (the main characters, one a stray dog and one a house dog) ripping apart a lamb. I think it was to show how hungry they were after escaping the animal testing facility and spending days scavenging, but it went on for a bit longer than I thought...at least 6 pages longer. Richard Adams, you good?
I used to read a fair amount of these animal xenofiction stories as a kid - the main ones that I can recall are Redwall and Silverwing, whereas my little sister was a massive fan of the Warrior Cats books, which I never managed to get into. I think the only reason I read the three Silverwing books was due to the cartoon adaptation catching my eye and leading me to try to read the first novel again, which I had originally bounced off of. I remember greatly enjoying them, but have never gone back to reread any of the stories.
I think the reason that I've reread some of the Redwall books as an adult while I haven't returned to Silverwing is because I enjoy much more anthropomorphized characters, who have societies that hew closer to human ones. Now, Redwall has its own problems to me as an adult reader rereading a children's book series; overly saccharine at points, the world remains stagnant through the series, some species have almost all characters so similar as to be indistinguishable from one another.
There's a long Redwall fan story written by someone named Highwing that tried to make the world advance in both culture and to a lesser extent technology, which goes by the name of the Urthblood Saga. While it does have some pretty glaring issues, not least of which is that it's in desperate need of an editor to cut out a lot of filler, I've found it entertaining enough to continue periodically checking for updates. It's something like four or five novels in length by this point.
Loving the new Avatar!
Kinda missing the additional birds to represent what you talk about. Are they gone permanently, or just for this one, because they didn't fit the format of an author recommendation?
The chorus of cartoon birds were shelved because my videos ended up becoming longer and longer as I focused more on delivering quality scripts and the amount of effort it took to draw all of them in all of their poses became too much effort for what it was worth. It's one of the reasons I canned Birdsong part 2 mid-production.
If they ever come back, it will only be for short videos.
Makes sense :D
Ok I know I’m a bit late to comment, but I think the topic of realistic animal stories is something very interesting and I know I’m definitely not the only one. Sadly I can’t really comment anything unless I recommend a few novels. Also there was another animal book by Mannix called “The wolves of Paris”and is loosely based on actual events from 1450.
OMG! I'm exactly the same!
By the way, I'm not sure if Redwall is 'Xenoiction' because the Animals in that series seem to act and perceive a bit too 'humanly'
TV Tropes emphasizes that Xenofiction specifically the 'otherness' of the creatures it's about as it puts it "A good rule of thumb for figuring out if something is in this genre or not: if you can replace the non-humans with (maybe superpowered) humans without too much trouble, it's probably not Xenofiction: Beast Fables and works about Funny Animals are, in general, not examples. "
Here is the page
tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/Xenofiction
I don't think that rule of thumb is helpful because hypothetically any xenofiction story _could_ have it's characters replaced with humans and you could just say that the odd behaviour is due to the strange society that the humans exist in.
Labels and definitions in abstract realms, like genres of fiction, are typically applied based on how *useful* they are. So when I'm trying to categorise something, the only thing I consider is whether applying the label is useful for my purposes. Since Redwall is a book series about animals where the species of the characters is somewhat relevant, and that people who would be looking for "animal xenofiction" would probably look for something like Redwall, I would call it xenofiction simply because it's useful to do so.
It's like the "but what is art?" argument. We can argue forever about abstract definitions, but what you find useful might be different to what I find useful, so we may never converge on a compromise. If calling Redwall "xenofiction" isn't useful to you, then feel free to not do that.
You know I have kind of wondered about that first point now that you mention it.
My favorite Animal Stories, two of which you mentioned Watership Down and Rats of NIMH (I like both the book and the movie) I also like Animals of Farthing Wood The Lion King, Bambi (And other works by the Author of the Original Book Felix Salten, including The City Jungle) And...Would Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles count as Xenofiction?
Though lately I've been super into I really awesome webcomic called 'Nature of Nature's Art' This is like the Animal Equivalent of Osamu Tezuka's Phoinix Saga as it is a story of an entire Animal Civilization and jumps back and forth through the ages telling different tales of different individuals I really like that it is an examination of all the abstractions of Human Civilization by using the the 'Animals attempt to create civilization as a vehicle
www.nofna.com/
I’m actually kind of surprised you know what tooth and tail is. I’m glad you didn’t hate on it like with guardians. Btw like the character redesign man.
I just realized I might be a furry
May I ask what you think of the Stormlight Archives books by Brandon Sanderson if you've read them? Personally the Way of Kings is one of my favorite novels to come out in these past few years.
Love the new art, you (really wanted to say your fursona) look so handsome.
Thank you very much.
More traditional words like "character" or "avatar" will do fine.
CloudCuckooCountry im guessing its the same artist as the lazy reviews?
Yes. The artist is Dragonfoxgirl and you can find a link to her DA page in the description of the video.
CloudCuckooCountry thanks :D
i love the gradual descent into madness via an internal moral outrage.
I have one note, not on the content of the video but it's editing style:
if you flash text on screen thats only readable if you pause the video, please place it in a way that the youtube overlay doesn't block it. It's probably fine in your edeting software, but as soon as I pause it the timebar (?) covers a good portion of the lower part of the screen. I must say, I'm watching on PC, on mobile the blocked screenspace is probably more towards the middle, but I'd think it would be worth it, keeping this in mind.
Also: nice redesign, a bit uncanny valley for me, but nontheless nice :)
Thanks for the tip. I hadn't considered that.
Yeah I imagine there'll be an adjustment period for the new character art. There was for me as well while I was editing it, but I believe the new art to be better quality, so once people have adjusted, I think it will be better overall.
We should be able to read and enjoy something regardless of the author's beliefs/ views. H P Lovecraft was a massive racist but I can still enjoy his stories. Orson Scott Card is a homophobe and people say his books are amazing.
Ikr. As a woman, if I had to categorically exclude all authors throughout history who viewed women as inferior to men.... I'd have very few classics left to read :I
Can an owl develop intelligence via wrinkling their brains into corvid capacity inside a skull that’s more eyes than brain.
It's funny but I decided to learn English in order to be able to read The fox and the Hound because I was so eager to do it. As far as I know it wasn't translated into any languages but English
You think you can review David Clement-Davies' books?
A new vid finally
Syla The Mink by Ewan Clarkson and String Lug the Fox by David Stephen are both other realistic xenofiction novels. Both read very much like classic nature documentaries. Both our out-of-print sadly, and I only learned about and read them because they were at a used bookstore.
I'll see if I can track down copies of those. Thanks for letting me know.
Hey CloudCuckooCountry I just found you thanks to shammy. Is there any chance that a new video will be out any time soon?
Videos tends to take a while because my life is quite busy at the moment, but I'm working on the next Book Burning now. The script is finalised and the editing is underway.
CloudCuckooCountry I’m sure that the next video will be excellent. I was just hoping that this channel wasn’t on hiatus. I appreciate the quick response!
Such a shame his books have become so hard to find. I understand his work was/is well regarded. I wonder why his books never got a reprint.
Last I looked into this, they all had ebook versions, but the paperbacks are all decades out of print and second hand copies are very expensive now
@@CloudCuckooCountry Yeah, I've been trying to get my hands on a second hand copy of The Fox and the Hound for some time, now. You hardly see anything under $250. I live in continental Europe too, so add shipping and customs to that... What I find most interesting is that the original publisher, E.P Dutton, belongs to Penguin since 1986. Penguin has never reprinted Mannix's text, but they do sell Fox and the Hound Disney merch.
Hm... On one hand, I really enjoy your content. On the other, I'm pledged by the God Emperor to remove filthy xeno filth and all heresy. And I'm seeing a whole lotta xeno heresy
I feel like if we ever randomly ran into each other, we'd have an interesting talk. I grew up isolated as well, and I didn't have the internet till I was 13. I did however recieve a Dreamcast for my ninth birthday. Thus my life was divided between the two sides of my room, with The Count of Monte Cristo and many other works from that time period in my bookshelf on one side, and Sonic the Hedgehog waiting for me on the other. Now that I'm grown up and realizing that people actually love my writing, I'm doing my best to try to pry myself from a world that is strikingly odd and carries an intense (albeit somewhat justified) stigma against it.
That comment was much longer than I intended, my apologies. I just don't hear many people articulate the means of combating the plight of isolation during youth. I look back on it and laugh as well, but I am usually too charming (or reticent) to share the details. I do hope you enjoy my failure at that this time around. :D
(Also, I hate liking Sonic the Hedgehog.... Fans of that make furries look like the poster children of sanity.)
Good video
Reasons aside, did you *like* the disney adaptation of the fox and the hound? I remember crying my eyes out as a kid when i watched it, though it's been years and i could have just been young and impressionable.
No.
recommend more books with animal protagonists
Unity is achived i'll have to use that some time
17:15
You think you've got it bad? I just, I don't for the life of me know how I keep finding tragedy movies with unhappy endings. I don't, I swear I don't go looking for them, I just find them. 😳 First, there's the horror film Who Can Kill A Child, and then there's the spaghetti western film Apache Woman, and then Belladonna Of Sadness. All three have different stories, but end in the same way. In Who Can Kill A Child and Apache Woman, the couple we are rooting for end up exterminated, first the woman and then the man. In Apache Woman, a few conflicts happen between the soldier and the indian woman, but most of it looks okay, like they're gonna make it. 😀 But then we get into the final act, and the indian is kidnapped and killed, even though one of the men were planning on selling her alive. 😟 The soldier gets mad and avenges her death successfully, but then it isn't over. I should've mentioned, earlier in the film there was this priest who used the bible to justify killing indians. "She's a beast, all injuns are beasts. Even the Lord God hates them. The Lord delivered her to us so we could take care of her." Yeah, don't be fooled, nobody has good intentions except the couple we are rooting for. 😡 Also, I read a lot of bible stories when I was younger, and I know for a fact that God has NOTHING against indians. He loves us all, race or religion, so for that guy to say He hates indians, like...I don't even know how to react, it is so disgusting I can't help being offended. And as the soldier is mourning his indian in front of her grave, the said priest comes outta nowhere, and shoots him from behind a porch. 😱 The music cuts off, the soldier whispers "My apache." And his voice is so hoarse and dramatic, it gets me. His hand reaches for her grave, then relaxes, and the credits roll. 😭 Just like in Who Can Kill A Child, the woman's unborn child kills his own mom from inside, and later on the husband is fighting for his life as the lunatic children jump him en masse. 😰 A soldier arrives, and the man spends his final moments shouting hoarsely "IT'S THEM, SARGENT! IT'S THEM! GOD! HELP ME! IT'S THEM! THEM!" but the soldier, not knowing the truth, shoots our hero instead. The kids then kill the soldiers and go in a boat to encourage other kids to "play" the way they do. 😠 Like I said, I just...I can't figure out how I keep finding these movies. I don't go looking for them, I just find them, and it is crazy tragic. Oh, some of you might disagree, saying "oh, but they were reunited in death, so that's somewhat of a happy ending", yeah not for me, pal. If the heroes we are rooting for, who have done nothing wrong, end up meeting a brutal and horrific death seconds before the credits, that is NOT a happy ending in my point of view. 🤬 And now, I'm reccomending these!?! What is UP with me!?!
Have you read/will you talk about "The Animals of Farthing Wood" series by Colin Dann someday? They're all about the cruelty of nature and over the series, no character seems safe. The animal's speak English to each other, but they also tend to be named after their species and later a personality trait. The "oath" is used as an excuse to humanize the Farthing wood animals to an extent to contrast when they meet others along their journey. Similar to "Watership Down", but toned down slightly. It was also a successful cartoon in the 90's that won a BAFTA. It also had a great instrumental theme song.
I've not read that novel, but I'm not going to talk about animal fiction for some time because I want to diverge into different topics.
I love the new look so much
As a uni student I’d really like to see your thoughts on some academic writing. Because it feels so unable to convey any useful information well or at least simply say anything of relevance
Most of the characters I have are not human but I do have human characters. The humans and non humans can talk to each other because this is Star Wars/Trek rules where apparently everyone in the universe can speak english. We see humans through the eyes of the main characters that aren't human. I'm autistic and I made up fantasy worlds as a kid, I still do when I'm bored at work, so the non humans are just as confused about humans as I am. A lot of the stuff I cover in my stories are stuff that I can't grasp for the life of me and I use these non human characters as stand ins for myself. Why? Because I feel like the best way to commentate on stuff I personally find ridiculous is from an outside perspective. I use these characters to ask questions and they don't always get the best answers.
Your accent is so amazing, ehhe. Your also a handsome bird. *human hug* :)
Hello yeah! Redwall for life!
CloudCuckoo - The (Weird) Sex Finder. This will be your legacy. You are now the Grandma that reads the bad trashy books and recommends them to their grand kids in jest and we are all the one kid that takes it seriously and reads the bad trash books and continue the cycle.
A midnight upload!? Why do you do this to me? I have school tomorrow!
Because it's 5.30pm in Australia.
CloudCuckooCountry I'm sorry but this American computer doesn't recognize your *metric* time.
Jk love your stuff.
But dad we miss you
3 year old vid but - Idiot Gods, David Zindell. Not bad, vividly depressing in areas tho and phylisophically preachy in others but the world building and mindspace is brilliant at points.
Off topic, but goddamn that's a cute bird.
I thought about it for long enough, and arrived at the #1 reason to make animal stories, BESIDES SEEMBOLEEZM.
With non-human characters, you can make them behave in ANY way you want, as long as it makes sense. No need to be frightened if their behavior or their society is not similar enough to the RL human equivalent. You no longer ask the question "But will a real person of their age and sex and culture behave like that?", and just write whatever you want, as long as what happens in the story has its own internal logic. In short, you can make *any* society, and have your characters behave *however you wish.*
And in case you don't believe me, pick up a piece of xenofiction that does not strive for realism, and ask: "Would actual humans from the real world actually do all those things? Would they talk like that?" The answer will most likely be HELL NO.
You forgot The Wolves Of Paris.
I'm assuming you passed on covering Disney's take on The Fox and The Hound because they took many liberties.
No, I have no qualm with making changes to an adaptation of a story.
Gosh darn furries and their multi dimensional lives that people really don't think about
Meerkat Manor is the best Xeno story ever
I would recommend Jack London's Call of the Wild and White Fang if you never read them as I believe they are both excellent realistic animal xenofiction.
Good luck to you all
Is it really correct to call it 'Xeno'-fiction? because Xeno is the word of 'unknown' or in a LOT of cases just... ALIEN? I can accept for for actual aliens or something machiney-android stuff... but for animals? Should it be Faunafiction instead?
EmperorTigerstar sent me
So Ill bite, why didnt you talk about the movie? Is it because it abandoned the realism style?
Because the Disney adaptation is a movie and this channel is focused on literature.
Just uploaded, thought i was gonna get the obligatory first comment, turns out not, all the same, THIRTEENTH!
The sound on the video is really, really quiet. Like... my volume bars don't go up much higher kind of quiet. Otherwise enjoyed it.
Weird. I have no audio problems on my end.
*Complains about recommending books with wired sex*
So hows that Hart of Darkness review/analysis going?
Probably never happening.
Shammy
You replace my English class
🤨 What kind of bird are you?
Looking at the list of books you claim to be surprised contained wierd sex, Bird Song, Title doesnt tell us anything I would give it a 50/50 chance of wierd sex, Nut Shell, definitely weird sex, The Bad Girl, it would be false advertising to not have wierd sex in that one, The Ancient Solitary Reign, ok I will grant you that one was a surprise, Memories of my Melancholy Whores, again it would be false advertising if it didnt, The Vegitarian, 80% chance of containing wierd sex. You should have been able to see most of these coming.