Easy! Any number of extras could die to show that the series is getting super serious and dark, including the protagonist's friends, siblings, girlfriend/boyfriend, comedic relief, or just a random person on the street. The most important thing to remember when killing off characters is that characters dying is inherently dark and serious and should therefore be used at all times when a character is no longer needed for the plot, because the story gets darker and more serious the more people are killed off. Also, these character deaths should be used to give the protagonist the push they need in the moment, but should hold little long-term consequences, no matter the relationship with the protagonist. The protagonist should have the same reaction to the guy down the street dying as they do for their best friend of many years dying.
Exactly! The tragic couple who has a cute baby child who usually has magical powers that gets adopted and then later gets forgotten by the protagonist to show how kindhearted they are and doesn’t highlight how sloppy the writing is. A classic.
Always edgy eh? Now I'm tempted to write an urban fantasy starring a super whitebread suburban dad who makes a living bounty hunting rogue wizards to support his 3 kids.
Norm Finnegan, Vampire Slayer. Cut to a montage of Norm equipping his gear: stakes, blades, silver, a quick combing of his bushy mustache, and tying the laces of his white new balances, stained with grass juice and old blood.
Imagine a seedy bar scene where he walks in dressed in a tucked in polo shirt, sits at the bar and orders a Shirley temple (aka sprite and grenadine). He talks to the bartender and just avoids using profanity the whole time.
@@nikolascoffey6453 instead of being like Supernatural's Sam and Dean with a classic muscle car, he takes his kids on a cross country road trip all summer in an RV, with hidden weapons all over the place.
I love the lore drawn on. Ancient religions, ancient mythologies, a weirdo from Rhode Island, the writer of modern English Folklore who wrote the literal book on worldbuilding, and then a dash of anime which is assumed to be correct to the actual Mythos.
@@eduardopantoja9115 this in like every chain. I get the sense that youtube link is not something I'd want my parents to watch. At this point just report and hope youtube bothers to do anything. Trolls hardly ever actually care when confronted.
The setting is as much of a character as any of the protagonists, so at least it's consistent when the writers choose the one setting so bland that they don't have to describe it at all.
Yeah, if a writer is not going to bother to improve their story, they can at least write a consistently bland story so I don't feel compelled to read any part of it.
"It's this place you already know the look of combined with this stuff you're meant to think is outlandish and exciting but are also very familiar with. Moving on, my stand in is super great."
in my story's lore, it's not that complex. earth is the most overpopulated planet in the universe, you can get superpowers due to a space rock, wojaks do not exists (i'm just tired of seein them, specialy the edits), and it's located in a city that it's never stated where it's located like springfield, that's it, that's the whole lore.
@@pokemonmaster0079 what about "redux", "revamped", and "remake/made" (it works for video games). Oh and can't forget about remastered. Seriously this is a great way to look back at old topics with how much the channel has grown (or even how the genre has changed (which they constantly are)). There are a lot of older videos I'd l8ve to see in his current style, if only to throw in the TWA expanded universe ad segment (but really it does feel like JP has adapted his advice overtime (like the Mary Sue video feels dated when you see a comment about how calling character's Mary Sue's now has gone from criticism to bland insult)).
Yeah I actually deconstruct some of these tropes ones my story and not in a 🎵darkness! No parents!🎵 sort of way (….well mostly, this story is still dark just not grimdark) more of in an examining the tropes sort of way
"If the protagonist happens to be a guy then the cover artist will give him a hat no matter how much he doesn't wear it in the story." Subtle Harry Dresden reference.
Am I the only one who wants to write an urban fantasy story where the magic and fantasy is out in the open, and really just serves as a setting. Like, where Walmart and CVS has fur shampoo for werewolves, satyrs and kitsune, there are special cars made for centaurs, and there’s just a culture of unicorn racing in Kentucky. That kind of thing?
It’s interesting but you need to be extra careful with putting them together to make sure the story don’t look like Frankenstein’s monster. For example, unicorn races, using some of the usual unicorn depictions, they are one of last things that should be in a race. And if you change them too much, they would just be a horse with a horn and maybe some magic. It’s not a bad thing depending on what you are trying to do, but you should keep the changes in mind.
Theres a series called serafina dragonborn that at times can be immensely cringe inducing but does have that kind of setting. When it isn't doing a 50 shades of grey ripoff it's a fun urban fantasy with decent world building but a bit of a dumbass ending.
@@Piromanofeliz Original comment is a positive statement. However, the term "based" can only be applied to normative statements. Try learning the meanings of words before using them.
I love the idea of "reloaded" videos to tackle tropes covered years ago. The reason given at 0:32 sums it up the best. Writing (and reading for that matter) isn't a static process. We constantly become better versed in literature (no matter how much of an expert we may be) and actually gain new insights over time. I've read the same book several times and noticed something new each. When talking about a whole genre this is just multiplied by a thousand.
It's also because new books are being written which tend to be influenced by what's currently happening in the real world so sums of those books pave the way for the evolution of the genre
Not only that, but the genre overall will change over time, bringing different tropes, pitfalls, concepts and real-world influences into play. The world in which Dragon Ball was written is very clearly not the same world in which Fairy Tail was written.
I've always liked how the Percy Jackson series handled choosen ones. There are people destined to do certain important things but their are multiple candidates so their is no one set choosen one untill Apollo later on. It makes you focus on more then one chacter while also making you feel nervous which one is gonna bite the bullet of the nastier part of the prophecy. It really nails prophecy in greek mythology but also challenging the choosen one trope
@@trackingdifbeatsaber8203 If we're bringing up weeb shit, and you're into visual novels, check out Tsukihime and the (2004) Fate/Stay Night visual novel, not the anime. Pretty damn good as far as urban fantasy goes.
@@helios2664 I didn't have a good time with the anime dropped it around episode 5 so probably won't. however with lockdown I have plenty of time i didnt really like anything about it what dose the graphic novel do better?
I actually had a D20 nearby when the urban fantasy plot generator came up. So I decided to give it a shot. First there's an Ikea Love Scene, then an attack by faeries, followed by an attack by necromancers then a make outs session with a primary love interest, then a love scene with a secondary love interest, which has a 3 page description of their kiss, and then their attacked by werewolves. Doesn't this sound like something you would like to have in the middle of you urban fantasy novel?
Or you know what would be actually interesting? An IKEA store inhabited by Wichtel/Heinzelmännchen who have mistaken it for a real home. They would like to do some housework, but they can't because everything is always perfect and it drives them crazy. But then a Poltergeist moves in and throws stuff around and the Wichtel are happy, because they are now able to help out and fulfill what they consider their purpose.
I always wondered why facing down mythical beasts never paid. I mean seriously, how do these agencies fund themselves if they're to be kept secret? Never saw a reloaded coming. I'd love to see more of them!
I'm surprised how they even condone hunting rare MYTHOLOGICAL creatures. We protect other animal species that could kill us out of an understanding that endangered species and extinction are bad things for the environment (especially when it's our fault). Actually, how has the entire world's environment not been shaped by the abundance of mythological species (of which there is only ever one member of, but like a billion one membered species).
Of all the Urban Fantasy series, one of the best to tackle this plot point was actually Devil May Cry. Yes, the wacky woohoo pizza man himself. And the answer is: demon hunting actually DOES pay well if you know what you're doing. But Dante is just really bad at managing his money, he blows all his money on designer coats until he doesn't even have enough money for pizza and utility bills. So in the DMC franchise, you have to be extra sure that you didn't dump ALL your points into demon hunting, and have some left over for basic economics
@@TARINunit9 not only that, but it is also stated that dante actually has to pay for all infrastructure damage his battle with demons cause, and there is also the debt with angelo Dante is very deep into financial problems
@@SterneStarfrost Actually I'm kind of curious how he was found liable for any of that. DMC1: unless Mallet Island was declared a UNESCO Heritage Site nobody needs to pay for any of that. DMC2: doesn't fucking exist, so moving on. DMC3: I would think that was Arkham's guilt, because Dante didn't have anything to do with the Temenigru. That said, Dante did lose his first shop in chapter 1, so if he didn't have insurance then yeah he lost a lot of money there. DMC4: not a lot was actually destroyed, just the monolith in the middle of Fortuna square. Though the end-credits scenes show that Dante was never actually paid for that job (Lady nabbed all the money instead)
tryhard gang represent also if I made an urban fantasy setting then wizards would either run on coffee or on caster sugar, meaning magic's rare because they suck at staying healthy
Does this mean the J.P. actually is admitting that he did something wrong and is going back to do it over? Sounds like someone has started listening to their inner critic.......
Seems more like this is the second chapter. Considering what a goldmine of cliches urban fantasy is I don't think even he could contain it in one video.
They are really horny though. Especially in the later ones, when it doesn't have a lot to do with the plot and is honestly just kind of weird and awkward.
I'd actually think it would be really cool if there was a group of cops or soldiers who were the protagonists of an Urban Fantasy. Like, they discover that something weird is going on, and the more they investigate, they crazier things get. It starts out as just regular soldiers and equipment, but by the end there's guns and frag gernades with silver, Alchemical grenades that they confiscated from a Hag, and i'm pretty sure Dave from Accounting as actually a wizard. ... I feel like i just described Men in Black but with fantasy creatues instead of aliens.
It's a pretty common and solid concept, but it's also what he's describing when he talks about detectives and monsters of the week. X-Files, any anime with government involvement (Death Note, Parasyte), Torchwood, X-Files, etc etc. It's a good simple setup, the detective or cop plot gives a simple procedural formula for creating MOTW stories, which allows them to dole out the fantasy slowly taking from numerous sources. MIB, RIPD, a half a dozen comics characters, Buffy to some extent, though her organisation is informal, all fit this bill. Every Stargate, etc etc.
@@ahniandfriends123 Gate is alright but if something like that were to be done in a different way i think i would rather it be done "imperium foot soldiers discover a genestealer cult". In other words instead of one shotting a dragon with a tank they end up in a hot mess that they really arent prepared for.
I don't know. Since a lot of the reboots are trying to be more racially and sexually diverse, he may wuss out or gloss over it. Speaking of which, anyone who doesn't think that urban fantasy can be or shouldn't be used as a metaphor for racial and ethnic discrimination has never seen this short-lived Comedy Central show "Ugly Americans". It might have been hit-or-miss on it, but it did do it.
@@canaisyoung3601for the most part though, portraying people of color as not human is a bad idea, even if you think you've got the golden ticket this time. Also, if there are humans involved then your story would have to solve human racism or else it just comes down to "wowie!! this is a strange concept that I encounter in my daily life but for some reason have never heard of! Mr superior race, please tell me more!"
Also, the secret magical fantasy world must be kept secret from the regular world because humanity isn't ready for the truth. I have a special hatred for that trope because I have never read a story in which the fantasy world was common knowledge and it lead to strife or conflict. It's a background detail for the setting. Its funny because half the writers believe learning the truth would be too much for humans, whereas the other half thinks humans would be fine. So half of them are stupid.
Two urban fantasy series with no secret world: the Kate Daniels series by Ilona Andrews (hybrid between postapocalytic fights against mythological monsters and the crime noir aspect of urban fantasy) and The Hollows by Kim Harrison (a witch, a vampire and a clan of pixies living together in a old church). Both have romantic subplots (without beimg the main focus) and magic is common knowledge and common use of spells in everyday life.
I think Animorphs handles this pretty well, even though it's technically sci-fi and not urban fantasy. Oh no! Alien slugs are taking over the world! We have to keep this a secret! Because we don't know who is secretly an alien slug, and trusting the wrong person will lead to us being caught and most likely tortured and eventually killed. If we fall, the world is doomed. And spoilers. The world finds out about the alien slugs, when the protagonists realize things have gotten to complex for 4 kids and some aliens to stop.
What about the words when paranormal is a "self keeping secret"? So when mundie sees something supermatural, they either forget or their mind forcefully rationalize it. (Sometimes it kills the supernatural thing in question.)
"Try hards who make this up from scratch" Me - quietly sweeps away the fact that my fantasy setting has literally millions of years of history that is just to explain why the gods are dying out. Granted, none of it is written down. But the fact that its all in my head probably doesn't help much.
Write it down, all of it. Once you stop day dreaming about your world, it starts to fade fast. I drew some concept art a while ago, and I barely remember what was for or I forget completely and the overly simplified note I made, make no sense.
@@QseftJohn This isn't the important stuff, just me being extra. This would only come up if A) Kalendros wakes up (not happening) or B) if I decide to use it to show Lier becoming omnipotent, which is not going to happen because I won't have room in between....what is the gender for a Rebis? I'll just call Lier's final state (s)he. Anyway, won't have room between (s)he having a heartfelt discussion with the reader while I try to silence them because they passed the 4th wall. I am an ambitious bastard.
@@shadowofhawk55 I feel you man, I constantly think how awesome my worlds are, but are to distract to actually write it. I recommend making notes to not get lost in your mythos, that can be fun all on it's own
I think that you sould write it as a guide then, if your story becomes a commercial success, you can always make several books with the lore so even your grandkids can live from it. 😉😉
I know this isn't an original idea, and there's tons of these on other channels, but I would like to see your take on magic systems and sci-fi tech. I thought your part about choosing either soft or hard magic and then not bothering to stick to it was hilarious. I can only imagine what else you would come up with.
Yes. I'm writing Sci-fi fantasy at the moment, and I want to put in the effort to make all parts plausible enough, or as plausible as it gets when you have mech knights fighting gravity-bending space Kaijus, and ancient wars between deities who represent the fundamental forces of the cosmos in which they fling galaxies at each other. For instance, the energy source of most very high-tech equipment is linked to magic. Magic comes from a parallel universe where everything is energy, and wormholes are used by the "magical" factions, while the other factions use warp drives. But the magic factions don't rule the universe because technology is more advanced than magic, at the cost of spending more energy. AI exists and can achieve sentience and self-awareness, but not everything is controlled by AI because there's a hostile alien species of energy beings who appear in deep-space and hijack electronic equipment, making entire fleets of "Robot zombies" and "Spaceship zombies" who can, in large numbers, devastate entire regions of space. But everything is fine if you turn your ship's systems off and scare them away with a few shots. Those creatures in reality come from the same parallel universe as magic, and are related to Fairies. (Fairies are also energy beings, and the undisputed masters of magic, but since they require very little resources to meet their needs, they only inhabit a single star system, the mythical Fatum (provisional name) star system.) Anyways, I enjoy the worldbuilding aspect of writing. And it's an excellent source for ideas. People have to do it more.
@@renard6012 Damn, I love those concepts. Getting very Babylon 5 or Farscape vibes. Reminds me of some stuff I had cooking in my head that I never wrote down cause I have a separate more grounded Sci Fi and a Fantasy setting.
The main reason to separate hard and soft magic has to do with your stories conflicts that must be resolved. Think of it like this. If you want magic to be part of the problems solution, you don’t want it to feel like an asspull. Which is why you need a somewhat hard one, since otherwise it becomes unclear how the problem was solved and will feel cheap. If magic has an only limited impact on problem solving, or just causes them, going soft is generally preferred. Since you otherwise waste time and limit the audiences imagination, on what’s possible.
I feel both seen and called out when he discussed stockpiling mythologies because that’s pretty much what I did and am still doing for my circles of hell.
I feel like the "urban fantasy plot generator" chart is missing "Attacked by love interest/s" option. We need to eliminate the extra LIs anyway, to keep the almighty triangle. Edit on next slide: "Or not, we can keep them, I guess." :D
Early Dresden Files was _real_ bad about this tbh. I'm still pissed about _one_ betrayal on that scale, two would be enough to make me swear that off forever.
When you want to write stories about wizards, werewolves, and vampires, but they absolutely must take place in [Insert Real Life City here] with recognizable landmarks for scene setting
Yup, and you can't have it take place in a more obscure city like Omsk or Utrecht for example. Or just, you know, use your imagination and create your own city.
That's the point though. Years and years of advertising and media exposure has given places like New York, London and Paris a reputation so far from reality, they've become myths in themselves. Everyone knows the idealized, Hollywood-movie version of these cities and what it represents, just like everyone knows what vampires and werewolves represent. The location is a character in itself, and just like the monsters, it's nothing more than a myth come to life. Yeah, Utrecht is pretty dope, but if you have to explain every landmark, local legend and even the general feel of the city, you might as well write a whole new city into existance.
@@mynamejeff3545 Why can’t there be a setting in a well known shithole. I want an Urabn Fantasy in an iconic city like Detroit, or Gaza, or 2003 Baghdad.
@@thetigerking2613 That'd be pretty funny. "Yes, there are undead monsters walking around [city] and there have been for centuries. No one has noticed yet because they look better than the human inhabitants."
While I'm here with some guys boss asking why he was late for work and he answered "Oh yeah, there was a bunch of fairies messing with the traffic lights on Luther street, took about three hours before someone could come and clear them out." and that being a completely normal answer and a reasonable excuse of being late to work. As the witch secretary finally finishing up the brew that should help Joe stop coughing so much that's making it harder for everyone to get their work finished.
Man, I was wondering who was going to emerge as the real villain of the Sponsorship Wars. I guess playing the straight man means the Ancient Conspiracy guy defaults to the smartest man in the room.
"Will the tone be amateurish? I don't know, I can't hear it." Tone-deaf. That burn was so subtle, yet so gorgeous. This video was amazing, especially since it tackles a lot of the issues I have with urban fantasy and why I tend to prefer hardcore fantasy over it.
I personally am unable to write edgy characters because of an old Roleplay I was in where someone had a murderhobo edgy character. It was absolutely awful. Made me so angry. I mean, the closest I got was an ash manipulator who was just bored with everything. Even then they’d be as edgy as a block of cheese though.
Yes, I too hate murderhobos. I can't count the amount of times a campaign had to stop because an idiot pulled a GTA style "massacre"... I was _this_ close to murder several PCs for the first time in years... Luckily those people simply faded away from the table we had, and we went back to good ol' neckbeard drama... I can handle that. In my opinion the only good alignments for role-playing are: Neutral good and lawful evil. All the rest are either boring or annoying derailing trash. Especially the chaotic ones. Those two force you to think before acting. If people need to know the character's alignment to guess how their character is going to act... Well, they should learn how to role-play, because they don't know!
@@DonVigaDeFierro The flaw of the character alignment is that it describes how a character may interact but it's highly inefficient to build a personnality, someone will not be neutral, lawful, evil or whatever all the time with everybody. And some alignment doesn't makes sense to me because it represent the exact same behavior, like the chaotic good and the lawful evil.
Vampires or dragons portrayed as CEOs of shady corporations because they hoard wealth at the expense of the common people? Nah! Vampires as hot emo guys that never hurt anyone despite being inherently predatory? Real shit!
Better would be social commentary which is perfectly in line with supernatural setting: From the moment they stopped burning heretics at the stake the whole society has been in last few centuries inevitably going down the hill.
Hey! That’s my black leather-wearing young adult! I was cheating on my frenemy with benefits to be with them after they broke up with their vampire/werewolf hybrid SO because it’s the third act and the SO decided to have an emotionless affair with the hunky fishman! Mind you, I only discovered this while following the fishman to a coffee shop, where he flirted with a barista who is secretly a chosen new avatar of Vishnu. And in front of the barista’s angsty detective husband/rival who I am also sleeping with on and off! Screw the love triangle, I’m aiming for a love d20.
@@renard6012 Honor Harrington is more like the very model of a modern space captain, at least judging by your average 20xxs space opera series; "Those dumb bureaucratic peacenics loaded our madeupton torpedo launchers with blanks, and now, because of that, Justice Badass and her crew will suffer in the crustacean claws of the C'ommie space invaders... Bud don't worry, she'll live up to her name and spawn an endless stream of sequels."
I mean, what's there to write about? They're always morally righteous, charismatic, attractive (very important), half the female crew is in love with him (also very important), never loses, always flawlessly pulls off "one in a million" maneuvers and plans, eventually becomes the last hope of the universe and he's always whi- *this post has been removed*
Why would someone work a job fighting monsters if it barely paid? Hmm. Being one of the only people left working for a failing business just for the sake of protecting people could be a very interesting character motive, and could show their struggle against the rest of the cynical world. Cool theme of ideals vs reality. The character could also have a bad attitude to contrast the fundamental heroism of what they’re doing, maybe they feel like the need to act tough to fit into a dark world despite being a nice person.
The hat thing got me. EVERY Dresden files cover has him in a hat and he never wears one. The one time someone tries to put him in magical suit of armor he refuses the helmet. Dresden does wear a black duster He is definitely not a blank slate He is antisocial but it gets explained, eventually Most of his books are him getting progressively more beaten up over the course of 2-3 days. Yes on the detective Yes on all of the mythologies
@@sxwriter8569 collaboration of different author styles is just a fun idea. It's probably more difficult (two writers trying to morph their individual images into one that works), but I'd love to see more of it even if it turns out a mess.
Every video on the channel is about Deconstruction and Reconstruction in a way. He brings up pit falls and things that do not make sense [deconstruction], and then ironically dismisses all ways to fix them [reconstruction].
I actually did like how Harry Potter handled the whole chosen one thing. He was actually one of two choices and was chosen because he was the one Voldemort tried to go after and he survived. There is also the prophecy bit.
Yeah, the prophecy happened no matter what but it was Voldemort's choice as to who was the Chosen One and for some mysterious reason, he happened to pick Harry.
@@emblemblade9245 Tom is after all a man who places a lot of emphasis on COOL-sounding names. Changes his own name to sound COOLER and EDGIER and insists that everyone address him as such or die. He read 'Longbottom' as one of the potential chosen ones and laughed for a week.
The part at 1:26 made me smile and cringe at the same time. Fedoras are such nice hats to wear, and now they are cursed with association to one of the most pathetic groups of human beings........
I can't tell if he's dissing Jim Butcher or complimenting him. Either way this is making me feel better about my idea for an urban fantasy story. Actually both of them.
I sort of have an idea for a corporate urban fantasy story about a world that went through an apocalyptic event that ended the golden age of magic. However, it was only the end of humans' ability to practice magic. With this, humans had to make covens, pacts, deals, and contracts with other beings. Could the subtext of the story be about a world that feels like it’s lost something intrinsic due to this supposed loss fueling a culture of nostalgia with everyone compromising themselves in little small ways in order to feel like they’re getting it back whilst ignoring the wonder and beauty that is found in the world that is left? I don’t know
I loved skullduggery as a child and i started rereading them a month ago. They are my main books if the sub genre I haven't read cassandra clare but I'll try it sometime. It's also very because all books in the Percy Jackson world are technically urban fantasy...... Never realised that.
“last time i was this early” is a great format for comments on videos, be sure to use it regardless of how late you actually are to commenting on the video! (And NEVER theme what you claim happened last time to have anything to do with the video or even to be funny in any way)
The only urban fantasy that actually does the whole throwing every mythology and the kitchen sink into the mix well would be Shin Megami Tensei and a big part of why, is that there's actually an explanation for why all the myhtologies are true at once, they basically all spring forth from the collective unconscious and are made real by people's beleif in them.
Huh, according to the video, my WIP urban-fantasy novel is fairly unique. Well, thanks! Woke up this morning feeling a bit iffy about the book. Greetings from Germany!
As an aspiring failed author, I am glad you revisited urban fantasy and tore it a new one... I meant, did it justice. Your previous video confused urban fantasy with paranormal romance, like an actual urban fantasy author. Remember the core element of the genre is bait and switch.
It appears even JP has enough common sense to avoid digging himself a massive hole at 11:14. There's terrible writing advice and there's inviting the internet lynch mob onto your doorstep.
How to incorporate a real-world mythology into your story should be its own video. The rule to remember with it is once you invoke myths, you're no longer an author in control of characters and stories you own: you become a participant in a multigenerational process of retelling the same story, and there's a social contract with both prior and future generations to be somewhat consistent. On the other hand the worst thing that could happen to the myths is if no one retold the story and they died.
When the first "URBAN FANTASY" video came out don't begin Discworld yet, and oh boy... the "Ankh-Morpork City Watch" books are like every cliché done right, in the fashion of an Edgar Wright movie: noir detective story, cospiracies, lost heir to a throne, dragons, even vampires and werewolves as well! Terry Pratchett(he may rest in peace) did the best paranormal romance I ever read!
I wanna read an urban fantasy book where Cthulhu gets banned from Twitter for being a racist metaphor, and he is just SO DONE with cancel culture, so he decides to end the world on that premise. "HOW ABOUT I CANCEL YOU, FOOLISH MORTALS?!"
@@MouldMadeMind but it could lead into an interesting about monsters going against expectations. Like vampires walking in daylight, or witch magic actually means being extremely lucky.
I started watching this, because the story I’m writing at the moment is technically a slice-of-life urban fantasy. Luckily, the only trope I’ve fallen into is chosen one, and that’s because there are multiple “chosen ones” in my world anyway, so I’m glad I haven’t accidentally thrown myself into a difficult hole to write myself out of.
One day JP is going to do a TWA on magic systems and it will be glorious with all the contrivances and lack of forethought put into many and the over reliance on mcguffins to bail a character out of a difficult situation that just destroys any further stakes before said mcguffin is lost/ randomly doesn't work in every other scenario.
I feel like that should fall under Power Systems as a whole, especially in universes such as Marvel and DC where magic exists alongside mutants/metahumans and the other superheroes (including street/tech heroes). Magic systems could have their own subsegment.
You know I’m starting to think sir newguy might be a spy, or maybe even a ghost! I know it sounds crazy but his constant evil muttering is starting to make me suspicious
For some reason, I had an idea while watching this video about an urban fantasy story where the protagonist is a succubus with everyone in the setting lusting over her. Problem is she hates everyone. Unsure what type of succubus, but still. Also imagined every point in that urban fantasy generator would appear at least once to keep things interesting. Of course, since she hates everyone, the love interests would be those who she hates slightly less than everyone else. I have a weird mind sometimes.
"no married couples allowed in Urban fantasy!"
Well that's not true at all!
Who else is going to die to show that the story is super serious and dark?
Thats true!
Think about protagonists parents
Easy! Any number of extras could die to show that the series is getting super serious and dark, including the protagonist's friends, siblings, girlfriend/boyfriend, comedic relief, or just a random person on the street.
The most important thing to remember when killing off characters is that characters dying is inherently dark and serious and should therefore be used at all times when a character is no longer needed for the plot, because the story gets darker and more serious the more people are killed off. Also, these character deaths should be used to give the protagonist the push they need in the moment, but should hold little long-term consequences, no matter the relationship with the protagonist. The protagonist should have the same reaction to the guy down the street dying as they do for their best friend of many years dying.
Or to show how all marriages are secretly dysfunctional so their daughter should just hop into bed with whoever? 🙄
"A couple of married demons gets curb-stomped by protagonist with holy intents"
Exactly!
The tragic couple who has a cute baby child who usually has magical powers that gets adopted and then later gets forgotten by the protagonist to show how kindhearted they are and doesn’t highlight how sloppy the writing is. A classic.
“The mere love triangle is nowhere near *powerful* enough…”
He’s gone off the deep end folks.
We have transcended to the hyper triangle
love dodecahedron
hhahahaha
WE NEED 4D LOVE PLOTS 2D AND 3D ARE TOO WEAK
Was he ever in the shallow end?
Always edgy eh? Now I'm tempted to write an urban fantasy starring a super whitebread suburban dad who makes a living bounty hunting rogue wizards to support his 3 kids.
That sounds amazing.
Norm Finnegan, Vampire Slayer. Cut to a montage of Norm equipping his gear: stakes, blades, silver, a quick combing of his bushy mustache, and tying the laces of his white new balances, stained with grass juice and old blood.
Imagine a seedy bar scene where he walks in dressed in a tucked in polo shirt, sits at the bar and orders a Shirley temple (aka sprite and grenadine). He talks to the bartender and just avoids using profanity the whole time.
I’m down with every idea presented here
@@nikolascoffey6453 instead of being like Supernatural's Sam and Dean with a classic muscle car, he takes his kids on a cross country road trip all summer in an RV, with hidden weapons all over the place.
I love the lore drawn on.
Ancient religions, ancient mythologies, a weirdo from Rhode Island, the writer of modern English Folklore who wrote the literal book on worldbuilding, and then a dash of anime which is assumed to be correct to the actual Mythos.
@today was a good day Dude go away
@@eduardopantoja9115 this in like every chain. I get the sense that youtube link is not something I'd want my parents to watch. At this point just report and hope youtube bothers to do anything. Trolls hardly ever actually care when confronted.
@@eduardopantoja9115 I don't rember why, but I'd already blocked this person. Obviously I was correct in my assessment.
WHERE JESUS AND BUDDY NOT ROOMMATES?????
@@vullord666 the comment or the user? I sometimes do both.
The setting is as much of a character as any of the protagonists, so at least it's consistent when the writers choose the one setting so bland that they don't have to describe it at all.
I created a fictional city for my novel set in modern day Brazil and had to worldbuild it just as much 🤷
Yeah, if a writer is not going to bother to improve their story, they can at least write a consistently bland story so I don't feel compelled to read any part of it.
"It's this place you already know the look of combined with this stuff you're meant to think is outlandish and exciting but are also very familiar with. Moving on, my stand in is super great."
Mega City One in Judge Dredd is literally the comedian to Judge Dredd"s straight man.
in my story's lore, it's not that complex.
earth is the most overpopulated planet in the universe, you can get superpowers due to a space rock, wojaks do not exists (i'm just tired of seein them, specialy the edits), and it's located in a city that it's never stated where it's located like springfield, that's it, that's the whole lore.
Oh boy. If we can do reloaded versions, that gives this channel a never ending supply of topics!
Don't forget that he can also now do "Revolutions" versions and "Resurrections" versions.
In the future: *A Reloaded of a Reloaded!*
The best writers always recycle their previous ideas
@@pokemonmaster0079 what about "redux", "revamped", and "remake/made" (it works for video games). Oh and can't forget about remastered.
Seriously this is a great way to look back at old topics with how much the channel has grown (or even how the genre has changed (which they constantly are)). There are a lot of older videos I'd l8ve to see in his current style, if only to throw in the TWA expanded universe ad segment (but really it does feel like JP has adapted his advice overtime (like the Mary Sue video feels dated when you see a comment about how calling character's Mary Sue's now has gone from criticism to bland insult)).
@@vullord666 Don't forget "Retold"
There’s actually 4 Bs, the last being BIG ASS SWORD.
And his rival must have a katana
The bigger the better for the forced berserk reference, surely the fans will consume anything with a reference in it
@@darkservantofheaven or a rapier
Or big fucking gun.
Ahh, you mean a garou glaive?
A good writer avoids all the tropes JP mentions. A great writer uses all of them and creates an engaging story anyway.
Well Said.
Yep
Technically some of these tropes can't really be avoided given the genre, but I get the sentiment.
Dresden files
Yeah I actually deconstruct some of these tropes ones my story and not in a 🎵darkness! No parents!🎵 sort of way (….well mostly, this story is still dark just not grimdark) more of in an examining the tropes sort of way
"If the protagonist happens to be a guy then the cover artist will give him a hat no matter how much he doesn't wear it in the story."
Subtle Harry Dresden reference.
I take it back. The whole video is loosely a subtle Harry Dresden reference.
tbf the whole thing is an in joke between the author and the publisher
@@matthiasbindl7085 Yep. It started with the first book.
PARCORE!!!!
@@TheStonewall117 one does not yell parkour. One simply do parkour.
"I suffer from depression and one of my symptoms is an uncontrollable urge to embezzle money." Is CRIMINALLY underrated and make me laugh SO hard.
Am I the only one who wants to write an urban fantasy story where the magic and fantasy is out in the open, and really just serves as a setting. Like, where Walmart and CVS has fur shampoo for werewolves, satyrs and kitsune, there are special cars made for centaurs, and there’s just a culture of unicorn racing in Kentucky. That kind of thing?
It’s interesting but you need to be extra careful with putting them together to make sure the story don’t look like Frankenstein’s monster.
For example, unicorn races, using some of the usual unicorn depictions, they are one of last things that should be in a race. And if you change them too much, they would just be a horse with a horn and maybe some magic. It’s not a bad thing depending on what you are trying to do, but you should keep the changes in mind.
the sims
Honestly I feel that cofee talk is a good urban fantasy that does something like that
Theres a series called serafina dragonborn that at times can be immensely cringe inducing but does have that kind of setting. When it isn't doing a 50 shades of grey ripoff it's a fun urban fantasy with decent world building but a bit of a dumbass ending.
I can see people or creature that can cast fire magic buying more sweets and vegetables because casting fire magic burns more calories and sugars
1:52 "why does the protagonist keep a job that requires facing down mythical monsters and doesn't pay a living wage?" dude this is basically retail
Based
Indeed, the "Karen" is the most terrifying monster of all.
An urban fantasy about a retail worker hunting monsters who shop at his or her (or xir/their, if you want a nonbinary character) store?
@@canaisyoung3601 That's Five Nights at Freddy's
@@Piromanofeliz Original comment is a positive statement. However, the term "based" can only be applied to normative statements. Try learning the meanings of words before using them.
I love the idea of "reloaded" videos to tackle tropes covered years ago. The reason given at 0:32 sums it up the best. Writing (and reading for that matter) isn't a static process. We constantly become better versed in literature (no matter how much of an expert we may be) and actually gain new insights over time. I've read the same book several times and noticed something new each. When talking about a whole genre this is just multiplied by a thousand.
indeed!
It's also because new books are being written which tend to be influenced by what's currently happening in the real world so sums of those books pave the way for the evolution of the genre
Not only that, but the genre overall will change over time, bringing different tropes, pitfalls, concepts and real-world influences into play. The world in which Dragon Ball was written is very clearly not the same world in which Fairy Tail was written.
Mental health?! Thatsbig.
@@marocat4749 verrrry big
I've always liked how the Percy Jackson series handled choosen ones. There are people destined to do certain important things but their are multiple candidates so their is no one set choosen one untill Apollo later on. It makes you focus on more then one chacter while also making you feel nervous which one is gonna bite the bullet of the nastier part of the prophecy. It really nails prophecy in greek mythology but also challenging the choosen one trope
Chainsaw man it's a pretty good urban fantasy it's gets very dark though but dose have somethings in common.
@@trackingdifbeatsaber8203 If we're bringing up weeb shit, and you're into visual novels, check out Tsukihime and the (2004) Fate/Stay Night visual novel, not the anime. Pretty damn good as far as urban fantasy goes.
@@helios2664 I didn't have a good time with the anime dropped it around episode 5 so probably won't. however with lockdown I have plenty of time i didnt really like anything about it what dose the graphic novel do better?
@@trackingdifbeatsaber8203 if u re goin to watch anime just watch fate zero
Fate stay night night are garbage
They do this in the Monster Hunter International series. There are multiple chosen ones who serve as champions for various factions.
"Does she always wear black to mourn the death of her fashion sense?"
Sheesh she's gonna need an ice pack for that one.
I actually had a D20 nearby when the urban fantasy plot generator came up. So I decided to give it a shot. First there's an Ikea Love Scene, then an attack by faeries, followed by an attack by necromancers then a make outs session with a primary love interest, then a love scene with a secondary love interest, which has a 3 page description of their kiss, and then their attacked by werewolves.
Doesn't this sound like something you would like to have in the middle of you urban fantasy novel?
Well, being attacked by faeries in an IKEA store would be a fun scene, but the rest is shit. :)
Or you know what would be actually interesting?
An IKEA store inhabited by Wichtel/Heinzelmännchen who have mistaken it for a real home. They would like to do some housework, but they can't because everything is always perfect and it drives them crazy.
But then a Poltergeist moves in and throws stuff around and the Wichtel are happy, because they are now able to help out and fulfill what they consider their purpose.
Only if it's the scp ikea.
"Can you freaks let me do the horizontal tango in peace?! Geez..."
i got 17, but i don't like writing romance, then i rolled again. got a 9, then 8, 2 and then FINALLY 15 lol
I always wondered why facing down mythical beasts never paid. I mean seriously, how do these agencies fund themselves if they're to be kept secret?
Never saw a reloaded coming. I'd love to see more of them!
I'm surprised how they even condone hunting rare MYTHOLOGICAL creatures. We protect other animal species that could kill us out of an understanding that endangered species and extinction are bad things for the environment (especially when it's our fault). Actually, how has the entire world's environment not been shaped by the abundance of mythological species (of which there is only ever one member of, but like a billion one membered species).
Because of the government and stuff!
Of all the Urban Fantasy series, one of the best to tackle this plot point was actually Devil May Cry. Yes, the wacky woohoo pizza man himself.
And the answer is: demon hunting actually DOES pay well if you know what you're doing. But Dante is just really bad at managing his money, he blows all his money on designer coats until he doesn't even have enough money for pizza and utility bills. So in the DMC franchise, you have to be extra sure that you didn't dump ALL your points into demon hunting, and have some left over for basic economics
@@TARINunit9 not only that, but it is also stated that dante actually has to pay for all infrastructure damage his battle with demons cause, and there is also the debt with angelo
Dante is very deep into financial problems
@@SterneStarfrost Actually I'm kind of curious how he was found liable for any of that. DMC1: unless Mallet Island was declared a UNESCO Heritage Site nobody needs to pay for any of that. DMC2: doesn't fucking exist, so moving on. DMC3: I would think that was Arkham's guilt, because Dante didn't have anything to do with the Temenigru. That said, Dante did lose his first shop in chapter 1, so if he didn't have insurance then yeah he lost a lot of money there. DMC4: not a lot was actually destroyed, just the monolith in the middle of Fortuna square. Though the end-credits scenes show that Dante was never actually paid for that job (Lady nabbed all the money instead)
"One of those tryhards that makes things up from scratch."
Hooray! I'm participating!
Tryhard gang!
tryhard gang represent
also if I made an urban fantasy setting then wizards would either run on coffee or on caster sugar, meaning magic's rare because they suck at staying healthy
imagine not making your own mythology from scratch
This comment was made by the TRYHARD GANG
Does this mean the J.P. actually is admitting that he did something wrong and is going back to do it over? Sounds like someone has started listening to their inner critic.......
Nah. It’s just an ez reboot.
It's easy to see that this is more like an expansion of the original, rather than a total remake.
Seems more like this is the second chapter. Considering what a goldmine of cliches urban fantasy is I don't think even he could contain it in one video.
Just started reading Dresden Files. I love how the books decidedly DON’T fall into a lot of these traps. Which isn’t to say they don’t fall into any.
I mean, the hat thing is primarily a Dresden Files joke AFAIK.
@@AaronRotenberg agreed - that was the first thing I thought of.
They are really horny though. Especially in the later ones, when it doesn't have a lot to do with the plot and is honestly just kind of weird and awkward.
@@RorikH Also the whole "I'm low-key sexist but I'm just old-fashioned so that's fine actually" is definitely a choice.
@@Healermain15 ugh just don’t read the book. There are plenty of nice PC Saint Sarkesian approved stories you can read.
Private eye vampire hunter who protects himself with symbols of purity. Garlic, cloves, salt, and being a virgin.
Drinks only spring water scooped under a full moon (by a virgin)?
@@johannageisel5390 An alternate way to defend yourself from vampires is binging fast food. Kill them with your cholesterol.
@@cwovictor3281 And diabetes. Has a diabetic vampire hunter been done before?
I'd actually think it would be really cool if there was a group of cops or soldiers who were the protagonists of an Urban Fantasy. Like, they discover that something weird is going on, and the more they investigate, they crazier things get. It starts out as just regular soldiers and equipment, but by the end there's guns and frag gernades with silver, Alchemical grenades that they confiscated from a Hag, and i'm pretty sure Dave from Accounting as actually a wizard.
... I feel like i just described Men in Black but with fantasy creatues instead of aliens.
Ever heard this anime called Gate? It is about the Japanese Defense Force fighting against fantasy creatures and elves.
@@ahniandfriends123 one of my favorites. In fact, it was the show that got me into the whole anime thing in the first place.
It's a pretty common and solid concept, but it's also what he's describing when he talks about detectives and monsters of the week. X-Files, any anime with government involvement (Death Note, Parasyte), Torchwood, X-Files, etc etc. It's a good simple setup, the detective or cop plot gives a simple procedural formula for creating MOTW stories, which allows them to dole out the fantasy slowly taking from numerous sources. MIB, RIPD, a half a dozen comics characters, Buffy to some extent, though her organisation is informal, all fit this bill. Every Stargate, etc etc.
So the Men in Black comics.
@@ahniandfriends123 Gate is alright but if something like that were to be done in a different way i think i would rather it be done "imperium foot soldiers discover a genestealer cult". In other words instead of one shotting a dragon with a tank they end up in a hot mess that they really arent prepared for.
The Reboot episode better get a Reloaded, we'll go full circle
Oh, it was. And it was good.
I can't wait for "Franchise Reboots Reloaded"
ONE YEAR LATER: I was joking!
I think you mean "Franchise Reboots Rebooted".
That would be uncomfortably meta, but this is not "Amazing Writing Advice", so I'm all for it.
Frenchise reboots rebooted yayyy
I don't know. Since a lot of the reboots are trying to be more racially and sexually diverse, he may wuss out or gloss over it.
Speaking of which, anyone who doesn't think that urban fantasy can be or shouldn't be used as a metaphor for racial and ethnic discrimination has never seen this short-lived Comedy Central show "Ugly Americans". It might have been hit-or-miss on it, but it did do it.
@@canaisyoung3601for the most part though, portraying people of color as not human is a bad idea, even if you think you've got the golden ticket this time. Also, if there are humans involved then your story would have to solve human racism or else it just comes down to "wowie!! this is a strange concept that I encounter in my daily life but for some reason have never heard of! Mr superior race, please tell me more!"
"I suffer from depression, and one of my symptoms is an uncontrollable urge to embezzle money!" Finally! Someone understands my pain!
Also, the secret magical fantasy world must be kept secret from the regular world because humanity isn't ready for the truth. I have a special hatred for that trope because I have never read a story in which the fantasy world was common knowledge and it lead to strife or conflict. It's a background detail for the setting. Its funny because half the writers believe learning the truth would be too much for humans, whereas the other half thinks humans would be fine. So half of them are stupid.
Two urban fantasy series with no secret world: the Kate Daniels series by Ilona Andrews (hybrid between postapocalytic fights against mythological monsters and the crime noir aspect of urban fantasy) and The Hollows by Kim Harrison (a witch, a vampire and a clan of pixies living together in a old church). Both have romantic subplots (without beimg the main focus) and magic is common knowledge and common use of spells in everyday life.
Luminine (not sure if spelled correctly) is a story about a young witch and a werewolf in fantasy world similar to our own.
I think Animorphs handles this pretty well, even though it's technically sci-fi and not urban fantasy.
Oh no! Alien slugs are taking over the world! We have to keep this a secret! Because we don't know who is secretly an alien slug, and trusting the wrong person will lead to us being caught and most likely tortured and eventually killed. If we fall, the world is doomed.
And spoilers.
The world finds out about the alien slugs, when the protagonists realize things have gotten to complex for 4 kids and some aliens to stop.
What about the words when paranormal is a "self keeping secret"?
So when mundie sees something supermatural, they either forget or their mind forcefully rationalize it. (Sometimes it kills the supernatural thing in question.)
What about if the reason is a combination some sort of side effect from the industrial revolution and the fantasy world's politics.
"Try hards who make this up from scratch"
Me - quietly sweeps away the fact that my fantasy setting has literally millions of years of history that is just to explain why the gods are dying out. Granted, none of it is written down. But the fact that its all in my head probably doesn't help much.
Write it down, all of it. Once you stop day dreaming about your world, it starts to fade fast. I drew some concept art a while ago, and I barely remember what was for or I forget completely and the overly simplified note I made, make no sense.
@@QseftJohn This isn't the important stuff, just me being extra. This would only come up if A) Kalendros wakes up (not happening) or B) if I decide to use it to show Lier becoming omnipotent, which is not going to happen because I won't have room in between....what is the gender for a Rebis? I'll just call Lier's final state (s)he. Anyway, won't have room between (s)he having a heartfelt discussion with the reader while I try to silence them because they passed the 4th wall. I am an ambitious bastard.
@@shadowofhawk55 I feel you man, I constantly think how awesome my worlds are, but are to distract to actually write it. I recommend making notes to not get lost in your mythos, that can be fun all on it's own
I think that you sould write it as a guide then, if your story becomes a commercial success, you can always make several books with the lore so even your grandkids can live from it. 😉😉
@@calamitoso0066 Nah, I ain't Tolkien. His stuff is infinitely better than the dark fantasy shit I come up with.
I know this isn't an original idea, and there's tons of these on other channels, but I would like to see your take on magic systems and sci-fi tech. I thought your part about choosing either soft or hard magic and then not bothering to stick to it was hilarious. I can only imagine what else you would come up with.
He did touch on tech for military applications in his Sci Fi war story video and I think civilian applications minorly in his civilizations video.
Yes. I'm writing Sci-fi fantasy at the moment, and I want to put in the effort to make all parts plausible enough, or as plausible as it gets when you have mech knights fighting gravity-bending space Kaijus, and ancient wars between deities who represent the fundamental forces of the cosmos in which they fling galaxies at each other.
For instance, the energy source of most very high-tech equipment is linked to magic. Magic comes from a parallel universe where everything is energy, and wormholes are used by the "magical" factions, while the other factions use warp drives. But the magic factions don't rule the universe because technology is more advanced than magic, at the cost of spending more energy.
AI exists and can achieve sentience and self-awareness, but not everything is controlled by AI because there's a hostile alien species of energy beings who appear in deep-space and hijack electronic equipment, making entire fleets of "Robot zombies" and "Spaceship zombies" who can, in large numbers, devastate entire regions of space. But everything is fine if you turn your ship's systems off and scare them away with a few shots. Those creatures in reality come from the same parallel universe as magic, and are related to Fairies.
(Fairies are also energy beings, and the undisputed masters of magic, but since they require very little resources to meet their needs, they only inhabit a single star system, the mythical Fatum (provisional name) star system.)
Anyways, I enjoy the worldbuilding aspect of writing. And it's an excellent source for ideas. People have to do it more.
@@renard6012 Damn, I love those concepts. Getting very Babylon 5 or Farscape vibes. Reminds me of some stuff I had cooking in my head that I never wrote down cause I have a separate more grounded Sci Fi and a Fantasy setting.
The main reason to separate hard and soft magic has to do with your stories conflicts that must be resolved.
Think of it like this. If you want magic to be part of the problems solution, you don’t want it to feel like an asspull. Which is why you need a somewhat hard one, since otherwise it becomes unclear how the problem was solved and will feel cheap.
If magic has an only limited impact on problem solving, or just causes them, going soft is generally preferred. Since you otherwise waste time and limit the audiences imagination, on what’s possible.
So you mean game based plots
Technically he’s already done them
I feel both seen and called out when he discussed stockpiling mythologies because that’s pretty much what I did and am still doing for my circles of hell.
I'm a let Dr chef know you're on the internet again
Godamnit Bright got through the firewall again
Guys, let Dr. Bright do this to keep his focus away from the all-purpose coffee machine. At least he won't order cups of Explodium anytime soon.
@@deactivated6252 This is true...at least this activity is harmless...mostly anyway
Dante himself stuck Greek mythology into his Circles of Hell, so you're in good company.
I feel like the "urban fantasy plot generator" chart is missing "Attacked by love interest/s" option.
We need to eliminate the extra LIs anyway, to keep the almighty triangle. Edit on next slide: "Or not, we can keep them, I guess." :D
Early Dresden Files was _real_ bad about this tbh. I'm still pissed about _one_ betrayal on that scale, two would be enough to make me swear that off forever.
When you want to write stories about wizards, werewolves, and vampires, but they absolutely must take place in [Insert Real Life City here] with recognizable landmarks for scene setting
Yup, and you can't have it take place in a more obscure city like Omsk or Utrecht for example. Or just, you know, use your imagination and create your own city.
The fact that people live in Omsk is already fantasy as is.
That's the point though. Years and years of advertising and media exposure has given places like New York, London and Paris a reputation so far from reality, they've become myths in themselves. Everyone knows the idealized, Hollywood-movie version of these cities and what it represents, just like everyone knows what vampires and werewolves represent. The location is a character in itself, and just like the monsters, it's nothing more than a myth come to life.
Yeah, Utrecht is pretty dope, but if you have to explain every landmark, local legend and even the general feel of the city, you might as well write a whole new city into existance.
@@mynamejeff3545 Why can’t there be a setting in a well known shithole. I want an Urabn Fantasy in an iconic city like Detroit, or Gaza, or 2003 Baghdad.
@@thetigerking2613 That'd be pretty funny. "Yes, there are undead monsters walking around [city] and there have been for centuries. No one has noticed yet because they look better than the human inhabitants."
The "sequel" we never expected, but it's definitely a good welcome. 🍿👏🏽
A suprise to be sure, but a welcome one.
When a Horrible Writing Advice gets a sequel before the new Game of Thrones book is released
@@TechnoMinarchist never gets old
While I'm here with some guys boss asking why he was late for work and he answered "Oh yeah, there was a bunch of fairies messing with the traffic lights on Luther street, took about three hours before someone could come and clear them out." and that being a completely normal answer and a reasonable excuse of being late to work. As the witch secretary finally finishing up the brew that should help Joe stop coughing so much that's making it harder for everyone to get their work finished.
That sounds like a Hellboy thing. Wont lie. 😅
Can't wait for "Urban Fantasy Revolutions" and "Urban Fantasy Resurrections"
and then SON OF URBAN FANTASY.
Don't forget about Urban Fantasy: Revenge of the Island!
And finally, just Urban Fantasy again so anyone talking about it has to include the publication date in parentheses every. Single. Time.
Messiah of Urban Fantasy
"Will the tone come across as juvenile? I don't know, I can't hear it."
10/10 wordplay
Man, I was wondering who was going to emerge as the real villain of the Sponsorship Wars. I guess playing the straight man means the Ancient Conspiracy guy defaults to the smartest man in the room.
“It’s not urban fantasy if it’s not weirdly horny all the time!”
JP. Please stop typing my urban-fantasy writing so hard. It’s not ALL the time. D:
I love The Dresden Files, but Jim Butcher needs to write with both hands.
@@RorikH aaaaaaaamen to that brotha
Mortal instruments. Enough said.
It's almost like humans are weirdly sexual sometimes
@@RorikH thanks I'm stealing that
ALL problems in writing can be fixed completely with the addition of a love triangle
And if that doesn't work throw in a love dodecahedron
Everything in YA stories is just setting for the LOVE TRIANGLE.
"Will the tone be amateurish? I don't know, I can't hear it." Tone-deaf. That burn was so subtle, yet so gorgeous. This video was amazing, especially since it tackles a lot of the issues I have with urban fantasy and why I tend to prefer hardcore fantasy over it.
I personally am unable to write edgy characters because of an old Roleplay I was in where someone had a murderhobo edgy character. It was absolutely awful. Made me so angry.
I mean, the closest I got was an ash manipulator who was just bored with everything. Even then they’d be as edgy as a block of cheese though.
Don't be ashamed of that, maybe your characters are interesting enough that they don't need to be edgy
To be fair, a block of cheese *does* have a few edges on it. (Of course, they aren't exactly *sharp* edges, but still...)
Just read some old Heavy Metal or Metal Hurlant magazines. You will find plenty of inspiration to do bloody, boozy and booby stories.
Yes, I too hate murderhobos. I can't count the amount of times a campaign had to stop because an idiot pulled a GTA style "massacre"... I was _this_ close to murder several PCs for the first time in years... Luckily those people simply faded away from the table we had, and we went back to good ol' neckbeard drama... I can handle that.
In my opinion the only good alignments for role-playing are: Neutral good and lawful evil. All the rest are either boring or annoying derailing trash. Especially the chaotic ones. Those two force you to think before acting.
If people need to know the character's alignment to guess how their character is going to act... Well, they should learn how to role-play, because they don't know!
@@DonVigaDeFierro The flaw of the character alignment is that it describes how a character may interact but it's highly inefficient to build a personnality, someone will not be neutral, lawful, evil or whatever all the time with everybody.
And some alignment doesn't makes sense to me because it represent the exact same behavior, like the chaotic good and the lawful evil.
Bonus point if the real world social commentary is in no way compatible with the magical setting.
Vampires or dragons portrayed as CEOs of shady corporations because they hoard wealth at the expense of the common people? Nah!
Vampires as hot emo guys that never hurt anyone despite being inherently predatory? Real shit!
CW's Supergirl is such a prime FUCKING example
@@cwovictor3281 Dang, Shadowrun really nailed that part of Dragons.
Better would be social commentary which is perfectly in line with supernatural setting:
From the moment they stopped burning heretics at the stake the whole society has been in last few centuries inevitably going down the hill.
@@useodyseeorbitchute9450 Ok, boomer
I would’ve clicked on this sooner but I had to fight over a black leather-wearing young adult with a hunky fishman.
Hey! That’s my black leather-wearing young adult! I was cheating on my frenemy with benefits to be with them after they broke up with their vampire/werewolf hybrid SO because it’s the third act and the SO decided to have an emotionless affair with the hunky fishman! Mind you, I only discovered this while following the fishman to a coffee shop, where he flirted with a barista who is secretly a chosen new avatar of Vishnu. And in front of the barista’s angsty detective husband/rival who I am also sleeping with on and off!
Screw the love triangle, I’m aiming for a love d20.
So will you consider doing Scifi space captain eventually? There's certainly enough material out there to trope.
A whole space opera episode would be nice.
Something like Dan Dare or Buck Rogers? I would love to hear about that because I, in all seriousness love, LOVE, Dan Dare...
@@renard6012 Honor Harrington is more like the very model of a modern space captain, at least judging by your average 20xxs space opera series; "Those dumb bureaucratic peacenics loaded our madeupton torpedo launchers with blanks, and now, because of that, Justice Badass and her crew will suffer in the crustacean claws of the C'ommie space invaders... Bud don't worry, she'll live up to her name and spawn an endless stream of sequels."
I mean, what's there to write about? They're always morally righteous, charismatic, attractive (very important), half the female crew is in love with him (also very important), never loses, always flawlessly pulls off "one in a million" maneuvers and plans, eventually becomes the last hope of the universe and he's always whi-
*this post has been removed*
@@floricel_112 In other words, prime TWA material.
I think Cassandra Clare took all of this advice to heart. Also Are there going to be more redux of older episodes next?
Granted I read those books years ago, but I don't actually remember there being an actual reason for the masquerade in those books.
Ooooooh hey I remember reading her books when I was -mentally ill- 13.
@@crocodileguy4319 I don't think anybody's truly mentally sound at that age, don't know how Middle School teachers deal with it...
@@erikrinard7908 Teachers are usually the ones to cause it.
Who?
Hopefully J.P will be able to reload other tropes he's talked about before.
Love triangle...the sequel
As somebody who loves UF but not the romance sub-genre, this is devastatingly accurate
Why would someone work a job fighting monsters if it barely paid?
Hmm. Being one of the only people left working for a failing business just for the sake of protecting people could be a very interesting character motive, and could show their struggle against the rest of the cynical world. Cool theme of ideals vs reality. The character could also have a bad attitude to contrast the fundamental heroism of what they’re doing, maybe they feel like the need to act tough to fit into a dark world despite being a nice person.
The hat thing got me. EVERY Dresden files cover has him in a hat and he never wears one. The one time someone tries to put him in magical suit of armor he refuses the helmet.
Dresden does wear a black duster
He is definitely not a blank slate
He is antisocial but it gets explained, eventually
Most of his books are him getting progressively more beaten up over the course of 2-3 days.
Yes on the detective
Yes on all of the mythologies
You ever feel like the "advice" part of the videos is just a vehicle so we can get to the ad wars storyline?
Insert comment about asking for a crossover world.
Also I’d be down for a video on Deconstruction and Reconstruction.
Honestly, I'd love to see different authors combine their stories to write their own crossover stories.
@@sxwriter8569 that sounds like Star Wars Legends
@@sxwriter8569 collaboration of different author styles is just a fun idea. It's probably more difficult (two writers trying to morph their individual images into one that works), but I'd love to see more of it even if it turns out a mess.
Every video on the channel is about Deconstruction and Reconstruction in a way. He brings up pit falls and things that do not make sense [deconstruction], and then ironically dismisses all ways to fix them [reconstruction].
I can't wait for the Urban fantasy revelations. Surely it will be the best of the 3.
I actually did like how Harry Potter handled the whole chosen one thing. He was actually one of two choices and was chosen because he was the one Voldemort tried to go after and he survived. There is also the prophecy bit.
Yeah, the prophecy happened no matter what but it was Voldemort's choice as to who was the Chosen One and for some mysterious reason, he happened to pick Harry.
Probably because he read the name Neville Longbottom and decided “lmao there’s no way someone like that will be a threat”
LIKE A DUMBASS
@@emblemblade9245 Tom is after all a man who places a lot of emphasis on COOL-sounding names. Changes his own name to sound COOLER and EDGIER and insists that everyone address him as such or die. He read 'Longbottom' as one of the potential chosen ones and laughed for a week.
@@WhiteFangofWar I want J K Rowling to make this canon, she's made a bunch of things canon on a whim, so why not this.
I need J.P. saying "Blood, Booze, and Boobs" as my ringtone stat
The part at 1:26 made me smile and cringe at the same time. Fedoras are such nice hats to wear, and now they are cursed with association to one of the most pathetic groups of human beings........
Redditors
@@subhamraj5365 I thought of "Nice Guys", but yeah redditors also fit.^^
Ever since Dead Meat Started doing The Kill Re-counts I started to notice that YT has been doing more Reloaded style Videos More and more....
"Will the tone come across as juvenile? I don't know, I can't hear it."
This whole video was great and I am so glad you gave this genre a second look.
Do a video on the heroes journey and a training arc or just arcs in general
"The cover artist will give him a hat no matter how much he never wears it in the story."
Is it Dresden Files? 😂😂😂 Very true.
I can't tell if he's dissing Jim Butcher or complimenting him. Either way this is making me feel better about my idea for an urban fantasy story. Actually both of them.
Early dresden maybe but Jim's books are so well known because he avoids a lot of these pitfalls.
The horny bit was defiantly a slam at butcher but overall most of these complaints don't apply
@@TheBiggestMoneyBoy I guess there are a lot of third rate imitators of the Dresden Files that JP is attacking?
I sort of have an idea for a corporate urban fantasy story about a world that went through an apocalyptic event that ended the golden age of magic. However, it was only the end of humans' ability to practice magic. With this, humans had to make covens, pacts, deals, and contracts with other beings. Could the subtext of the story be about a world that feels like it’s lost something intrinsic due to this supposed loss fueling a culture of nostalgia with everyone compromising themselves in little small ways in order to feel like they’re getting it back whilst ignoring the wonder and beauty that is found in the world that is left? I don’t know
He should do one on how weak the military is in movies and how sometimes it’s just flat out evil
11:11 that is perhaps the most animated JP's character has been shown, so far.
"A walking disaster zone that can barely function in polite society"
Ah, you're a Lobo fan as well, I see.
"Will the tone come across as juvenile? I don't know, I can't hear it"
I can't even-
"Is she wearing black to mourn her sense of fashion?"
HAHAHAHAHAHAHA
9:20 I like that the demon girl is flirty with literally everyone.
"I'm not actually attracted to any of you, I'm literally contractually obligated to cause as many extra/pre-marital affairs as possible..."
-Sucubitch
"Ive read more Urban Fantasy so i have much more to complain about!"
Me: ahh a kindred spirit
Ehh, more like he got called out for mistaking paranormal romance with urban fantasy, and now he's making a proper urban fantasy vid. Lol
When you said “get in the protagonist’s way” I could’ve sworn you were about to say “get in the protagonist’s pants” lmao
Also... oof my ex supernatural fan heart is quaking
That also counts.
I loved skullduggery as a child and i started rereading them a month ago. They are my main books if the sub genre I haven't read cassandra clare but I'll try it sometime. It's also very because all books in the Percy Jackson world are technically urban fantasy...... Never realised that.
I loved those books as a kid. The magic was so violent.
Don't read the mortal instruments
The average Harry Potter fan
Vs
The average skullduggery pleasent enjoyer
I think I've heard of skullduggery (at least the name) before, but I've never heard a single thing about it. What's it about?
@@thedarklrd6714 a skeleton
“last time i was this early” is a great format for comments on videos, be sure to use it regardless of how late you actually are to commenting on the video!
(And NEVER theme what you claim happened last time to have anything to do with the video or even to be funny in any way)
Last time I was this early, I was eating a sandwich!
Thanks for the help!
I feel that monster of the week would be a good thing to cover
ADDENDUM; This was that video
@today was a good day I've never seen cuckoldry of this magnitude.
The only urban fantasy that actually does the whole throwing every mythology and the kitchen sink into the mix well would be Shin Megami Tensei and a big part of why, is that there's actually an explanation for why all the myhtologies are true at once, they basically all spring forth from the collective unconscious and are made real by people's beleif in them.
How is this channel not bigger than it is? I mean I show it to so many people, which I practically never do, and the humor is so well done.
"Low key dig at Bright"
Thank you for reminding us all of shadowrun but bad.
Diversity is good, because I'm bad at recognizing people, so if they are, say, different colors and shapes it's easier to tell them apart.
At this point, the love triangle plot that would surprise me most would be the closed triad ending.
3:38 I hope someone makes an out of context compilation for this channel eventually.
0:13 This discription of the "Help" button is too accurate!
Oh finally, another installment of The Sponsorship Wars!
"I suffer from depression and one of my symptoms is an uncontrollable urge to embezzle money"
- J.P. Beaubien, 2021
Huh, according to the video, my WIP urban-fantasy novel is fairly unique. Well, thanks! Woke up this morning feeling a bit iffy about the book.
Greetings from Germany!
This expansion was great. It made me rethink a lot of the tropes/stories of the genre that I’ve read and how to run are always so similar and shallow.
As an aspiring failed author, I am glad you revisited urban fantasy and tore it a new one... I meant, did it justice. Your previous video confused urban fantasy with paranormal romance, like an actual urban fantasy author. Remember the core element of the genre is bait and switch.
Aspiring failed author is now my career description
I would love a story where the authorities think something weird is happening, but they all blame it on bigfoot while the real threat advances
I feel personally attacked by an uncomfortable amount of material in this. Well done.
Who would have thought that a sequel to such a beloved original could be so good.
It appears even JP has enough common sense to avoid digging himself a massive hole at 11:14. There's terrible writing advice and there's inviting the internet lynch mob onto your doorstep.
I wonder what someone would be like if they took every video of TWA to heart and actually followed it
marvel?
@@bonelessvegetal818 I think we found today's smartest man
@@bonelessvegetal818 modern*
marvel
*TWA:* _starts explaining Urban Fantasy_
*fans:* "???"
*Me:* _puts up finger_ "Allow me." _clears throat_ "Harry Potter. But worse."
*fans:* Ooooooooh.
Alternatively: "The Dresden Files, but bad." or "The SCP wiki, but shit."
Or just say "Supernatural, but on paper"
How to incorporate a real-world mythology into your story should be its own video.
The rule to remember with it is once you invoke myths, you're no longer an author in control of characters and stories you own: you become a participant in a multigenerational process of retelling the same story, and there's a social contract with both prior and future generations to be somewhat consistent.
On the other hand the worst thing that could happen to the myths is if no one retold the story and they died.
When the first "URBAN FANTASY" video came out don't begin Discworld yet, and oh boy... the "Ankh-Morpork City Watch" books are like every cliché done right, in the fashion of an Edgar Wright movie: noir detective story, cospiracies, lost heir to a throne, dragons, even vampires and werewolves as well! Terry Pratchett(he may rest in peace) did the best paranormal romance I ever read!
I wanna read an urban fantasy book where Cthulhu gets banned from Twitter for being a racist metaphor, and he is just SO DONE with cancel culture, so he decides to end the world on that premise. "HOW ABOUT I CANCEL YOU, FOOLISH MORTALS?!"
That contradicts the concept of Cthulhu itself.
@@MouldMadeMind but it could lead into an interesting about monsters going against expectations. Like vampires walking in daylight, or witch magic actually means being extremely lucky.
I started watching this, because the story I’m writing at the moment is technically a slice-of-life urban fantasy. Luckily, the only trope I’ve fallen into is chosen one, and that’s because there are multiple “chosen ones” in my world anyway, so I’m glad I haven’t accidentally thrown myself into a difficult hole to write myself out of.
One day JP is going to do a TWA on magic systems and it will be glorious with all the contrivances and lack of forethought put into many and the over reliance on mcguffins to bail a character out of a difficult situation that just destroys any further stakes before said mcguffin is lost/ randomly doesn't work in every other scenario.
I feel like that should fall under Power Systems as a whole, especially in universes such as Marvel and DC where magic exists alongside mutants/metahumans and the other superheroes (including street/tech heroes). Magic systems could have their own subsegment.
You know I’m starting to think sir newguy might be a spy, or maybe even a ghost! I know it sounds crazy but his constant evil muttering is starting to make me suspicious
How could you say that?! Sir newguy is very trustworthy and only wants happiness for the world!!!
For some reason, I had an idea while watching this video about an urban fantasy story where the protagonist is a succubus with everyone in the setting lusting over her. Problem is she hates everyone. Unsure what type of succubus, but still. Also imagined every point in that urban fantasy generator would appear at least once to keep things interesting. Of course, since she hates everyone, the love interests would be those who she hates slightly less than everyone else. I have a weird mind sometimes.
11:08 this moment caught me off guard with how things got kinda serious. Mostly because I haven't seen him be serious very often.
When the hat comment came up I thought about Dresden files and how he never wears a hat, but every dang book cover has the mc in a fedora.
Now just to do a remaster, a sequel, and a prequel
If mythological creatures are all over the city and the society doesn't notice, the protagonist is probably just insane.