Challenge Monday Mush Mania Discussion Thread and Index - Important Post (19th Feb 2014)

Well now, this is an interesting topic.

First of all a fair warning: as a typical guy, I may not properly express my opinion on the sensitive nature of this subject. After all, I'm all about lightsabers & starfighters. Still, I can definitely appreciate some mush from time to time. There is obviously a whole lot more to Star Wars than just the war part - and the emotional aspects of the characters' lives are just as important - if not more important - than the battles they fight. IMHO, it should be obvious that you need the mush in order to make the struggles the characters endure seem credible. Otherwise, the whole of the SW galaxy is reduced to nothing more than a bunch of power hungry Sith-spawn running about and things just blowing up constantly.

I guess what I'm trying to say is this: For me (wannabe fanfic author & major all-around SW literature fan) Star Wars lit, fanfic in particular, is supposed to be a happy escape from the reality of DRL (including profic ). If I didn't, or couldn't, find some emotional comfort in the stories about a galaxy far, far away then I don't think they would necessarily qualify as as "fantasy" to begin with. Sure, the action and adventure is what draws me in and makes me want to read more, but at some point you have to stop and ask yourself what it is that they are fighting for. Without dramatic emotional displays, the characters would only seem like 2D cutouts without any real substance at all - like a video game. Besides, I need to see some happy endings and blissful closure occasionally, or I would get totally burned out on all the tragedy that normally dominates the galaxy and just stop caring. I don't really want that to happen, so I read mush / romance stories to keep things in perspective - especially if I could use a little pick-me-up when dealing with the reality of daily life on this silly little planet we all call home.

Just to clarify things: my idea of "mush" is probably quite similar to most of what has been discussed in this thread. However, I would also suggest that there is a difference between "mush" and "fluff".
By my definition, mush isn't simply limited to romantic kissy-faced "fluff" - i.e.: sloppy emotional dribble, sweet whispered nothings and all-out tears of joy or giddy happiness. Instead, I think of "mush" as a pure and absolute emotional insight into a particular character or relationship between characters. The thoughts and actions they portray in a mushy situation speaks to their deepest thoughts and desires - it serves to illustrate their greatest fears, hopes and dreams along with the feelings they truly hold in their hearts & souls regardless of outward appearances. Participating in mush represents the lowering of one's emotional (and perhaps physical) defenses. Depending on circumstances, the result may be exhilarating or profound. If the characters involved have discovered - or are in the process of discovering - a fundamental heartfelt connection on some level, then mush is in full effect. Once you get past that, then perhaps we begin to move more towards genuine fluff in directly romantic situations.

At any rate, I think the idea of MMM is excellent, and I will definitely try to keep up with it.


I hope my little rant here makes sense in the context of the discussion at hand. I am more than happy to entertain any thoughts or comments regarding my statements above. After all, one must consider many points of view in order to gain insight into the true nature of the Force, including the mushy parts...

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As for mush in the movies, I would agree that the PT is very harsh when it comes to mush, although I find some parts are borderline between mush / angst depending on how you feel about the choices of the characters. In the OT, I think the mush leans heavily towards humor (or terror) for the most part. Clearly, I cannot accept alot of it or else I probably wouldn't be here in the first place. For example, I think one of the most overlooked mush scenes is in AotC right before A/P

 

I agree with you, 1_4_Jedi. Also, mush doesn't have to be just between a male and female/romantic type. It can be a sweet connection between a parent (or parents) and their child(ren), between siblings, or a deepening of a friendship... though male bonding stories don't usually fit the mush category

I just finished a story early this morning and it's killing me to wait for Monday to post it! Ok, angst over. I'm killing two birds w/ one stone w/ this one, because this is a much overdue response to an earlier challenge (The Lover's Day challenge to be exact), and the ironic thing is, even though it's about Jacen searching for an anniversary gift for... ah, never mind, you'll see.

 

Well said, I 4 Jedi!

"Sure, the action and adventure is what draws me in and makes me want to read more, but at some point you have to stop and ask yourself what it is that they are fighting for."

EXACTLY! That's what I've always wanted to convey about mush fics. They're just little glimpses into the character's lives before they get back to saving the galaxy.

 

Cool. That's also what I was trying to express, but I neglected to spell it out in detail like that: Mush could refer to any dramatic emotional event for any given character(s) in any situation. "Fluff" would therefore be a directly romantic or sensual "mushy" scene under whatever conditions the author deems appropriate for the characters involved, perhaps with the primary element leaning more towards the tangible end of the emotional spectrum. And then there would just be "lust" as a purely physical gratification device between otherwise ambiguous characters.

I'm glad to see at least a few people know what I was getting at, so I'm not totally out in left field on this.

For example, in RotJ, the scene with L & L on the bridge at the Ewok village is mushy. Not only because it is a tender moment between two long lost siblings, but because it introduces a fundamentally important issue into the plot at a critcal juncture. The scene ups the emotional ante considerably, and implies a whole new set of possible consequences for the characters as they make choices during the battle to come.

 

Great posts! I guess I need to re-think my definition of mush. I always assumed it was the "sickly-sweet" stuff. (Which isn't my cuppa, but I don't knock those who like it.) I think the term "mush" has a bad connotation for some folks, and apparently I'm one of them, LOL. I always put it on the same level as angst - opposites, but both extremes on the writing curve.

Never thought of it like that. And post what you called a ?rant? anytime! Everything you said made sense.

In that light, I guess I do enjoy and write 'mush', but usually the happy family/humor variety.

 

I know what you mean - I have often thought the same thing. However, the more I read, the more I developed a sense that there are plenty of "mushy" (as in: tender; sensitive) stories that don't necessarily or directly involve romance. For example: Wedding aniversaries, baby announcements/ births, reunions, memorial services, hear-to-heart talks, etc...


*edited for content


BTW - I have actually been reading your work lately, and I have really enjoyed it, especially the poem Imparting - that piece totally floored me, and your L/M vigs are excellent.

 

Hi: 14Jedi: You express yourself so well on the definition of mush I'd love to read any mushy things you have or will write. BTW, per your definition, I officially am a mush-loving fanatic, but I also adore fluff!! Sometimes, depending on the fic, the two blend together, to make wonderful fluffy mush. I don't mind those either, particularly if it's a ... particular pairing. Like, whose that? No duh there. L/M all the way.

 

Well, technically, weddings would fall under the category of romantic mush, but certainly not fluff, but yeah, you hit the nail on the head. Some mush stories, such as those dealing with memorial services can also touch on angst just a little bit... "Why didn't I tell him I loved him when I had a chance", for example, but should always be left to a minimum and another character step in to comfort (or even in the case of the character that the memorial service is being held for is a Jedi, that character's force spirit).

 

Yeah, that's a good point. I suppose most wedding / marriage topics would primarily fall under the romance category. What can I say, as a male I tend to think about the more "romantic" aspects of those functions to be a seperate and more private event between the couple in question.

In fact, the whole object of the discussion is really about degrees of mush more than anything. Regardless of nomenclature, all I'm saying is that there are various levels of emotional sappiness that can apply to a vast range of situations that an author may choose to explore for the purposes of MMM. Or at least that's the way I took it.

 

I think we're pretty much saying the same thing w/ different words.

 

Well, after reading your post, 1_4_Jedi, I have only one question for you. What's your sign?

Seriously, I hope you don't mind my attempt at humor. I really very much enjoyed your post. When it comes to mush, I think we have a lot of things in common.

Yes. That is exactly how I feel. Victories would be very hollow without love to back them up.

Yes!! That, to me, is it exactly. When watching the Star Wars films I had a sense of awe, hope, joy, humor, friendship and love to go with all the spectatcular action and adventure. Cutting out any of the 'mush' would make the triumphs lose their appeal. I've had friends who write drama/angst tell me that the angst in the story is to make any "mush" all the sweeter in the end, and I think that can work the other way around, too.

I really enjoyed reading your post very much. Thanks for joining us!

Gal, all your fics are terrific in my book. I think maybe MMM will help to clear up the idea of 'mush' as something bad/to be hidden away and never see the light of day. LOL I really only came up with the name as a cutesy play on the MMM words, but I hope now we'll get some better connotations to be associated with it.

 

You mean posting your fourth update in your regular story thread and updating the title field to reflect MMM? Sure, I think that'll work.

 

I've read at least one story from almost everyone who has posted on this thread, and I do believe what you hope will happen will come true.

 

Ooo, mush! Why didn't I see this before? I'll be reading these stories and waiting patiently - well, okay impatiently for this coming Monday too.

This is probably the best idea for a thread I've ever seen.

 

I'm anxiously waiting for Monday! I can't wait to read all the mush!

 

Thank you! I appreciate that.



Okay, I wrote something for the challenge. It's not my traditional view of ?mush? but fits more into the

definition.

But it was fun, so fun counts, right?

 

I'd never thought I'd say this but...Thank God it's Monday.

 

Huh? You got me confused... I thought today is Sunday... I need my coffee.

 

It's not monday here either. I only know this because the clock on my computer tells me what day it is.

 

Yeah, i looked at my computer clock, too when i read that post, and I was still wondering if somehow my computer was showing the wrong date. Is it Monday somewhere else on Earth? Sorry, the caffiene hasn't kicked in yet and part of me is thinking "if it's Monday anywhere on Earth right now, then maybe I can go ahead and post the story I finished 4 days ago for MMM."

 

I think it's already Monday in Japan...

 

Really? Then can we post our mush stories now? I feel like a kid at Christmas time!

 

The furthest ahead is GMT+12 hours, and it's 5pm GMT. This makes it Monday in:
Australia
China
Fiji
Indonesia
Japan
Kiribati
Malaysia
New Zealand
Philippines
Russia (Zones 4 - 11)
Singapore
South Korea
Taiwan
Thailand
Vietnam

Russia is so big it's split into 11 time zones.

Edit: I was waiting for the hour to change, but I hit 'Post' instead of the refresh button.

 

So, that would mean it's Monday on two continents. Can we post our mush stories now?

 

Wait till it's Monday GMT at least.