(no subject)
Aug. 7th, 2005 12:44 amTen Unpopular General Fandom Opinions That I Happen To Believe In
By: Puri-chan
Stolen From:
sarajayechan
1. Some Women Like Slash Because They Like Slash.
Meaning not every girl on the planet that likes slash is single and lonely and crying because she'll never have a boyfriend. There's no Deep Psychological Issue TM for a woman, straight or not, to enjoy slash. People like romantic comedies because people like romantic comedies. And people like slash because they like slash. Ask a "Star Wars" fanboy: "Why do you like Star Wars"? He'd likely say something such as: "I like Sci-fi! :D" So ask someone, "Why do you like slash"? They'll say something like "I like romance. :D" or "I like seeing men get it AWN. :D" Damn, that was simple. But right to the point: no truer word spoken. No essay needed.
2. Everyone Wrote Badfic Once.
Yes, bitch all you want. Yell at all the Mary-Sue writers, and scream Grammer Police at the badficcers. But! Just like everyone is a kid once, you've probably long pushed the memories of your first fanfictions to the doldrums, in hopes no one would ever remember the atrocities you once called your treasures...
That's right. You scribbled Mary-Sues all over your notebook, and took yourself in adventures with the cast of your favorite series. You wrote horrendous OOC fanfiction, complete with High-School AU and Truth or Dare. You wrote unresearched lemons and got the anatomies aaaaaaaall wrong. You wrote a sappy romance derived from your idols, and the result made you sick three years later. You prayed no one would EVER discover your N*Sync songfics. Remember when that Harry Potter fanfic you thought was soooooo awesome as you wrote it, only to realize it was the most cliché and impossible thing you've ever written, complete with Soap*Opera wangst and weepy Vampire*Draco? Yeah, and you used to read Anne Rice novels, too. (No offense, yo)
3. Your Music =/= The Quality of Your Fanfics
Everyone's gonna have a word with me for this... oh well. XD
This can be a BIT of a problem when it involves songfics that should never be: perfectly understandable if you want to shoot the next person who writes a H/D songfic on "My Immortal" for the ten trillionth time. Or a Sk8tr Boi fic, or all these people who think they're punk or emo for listening to Simple Plan or Good Charlotte. But you mustn't forget--there's plenty of goodfic writers out there that probably listen to the following for inspiration: Evanescence. Linkin Park. Green Day. Hell, even Avril Lavigne. They don't listen to the music to make themselves popular or try to fit in a stereotype--they like the music 'cause they like the music--it drives them to write.
Oh yeah. Don't forget that while you're scoffing at the people who like ol' Linkin Park, that you're also placing yourself in a stereotype if you consider your bands superior over theirs. Trust me, from learning experience: no one cares who your favorite bands are. You can listen to Mozart, R.E.M., Nightwish or whatever, but that won't make your fic automatically "better" than say, fanfic writers who churn up Green Day or T.A.T.U. Taste has to do with the individual writer, not the writing itself--I love Sarah McLachlan, and one of her songs I personally enjoyed creeped the hell out of my sister. I listened to a couple Smashing Pumpkins songs that I liked, and I thought "OMG I like 90s music, look! I'M SO COOOOL" Well, my family's response wasn't quite as positive as I expected: which was when my sister introduced Stephen Lynch's Billy Corgan. (And yes, it's true. XDD)
Okay, this is getting too personal then I wanted it to be... fuck. Oh well. It's how you use your inspiration, yo... use it wisely. And now, time to write more "Sonic"fic under the influence of NIN. :o
4. Canon Should Be Your Guide, Not Your Religion
Fanfic can suck, but canon can too. Admit it: There's plot holes, rushed storylines, lack of character development, all that icky stuff. (SA2, I love you, but I'm looking at you too. That's why you're fun to write fanfic for) And seriously: how many times did you want to pound Harry's "monster" in the 6th book? Yeah, I thought so too. You want to see how canon can get screwy? Two Words: Archie. Comics. I know, I'll be murdered by a million readers for it. But seriously, a character could only die for so many times...
5. Mary-Sues = Annoyances. But Not Our Worst Problem.
Sues haven't annoyed me in forever until I went to the "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" section on FF.net. (Don't ask, I wanted to see what the summaries were like) Dear Sue, Wonka hates you as much as he hates children. The End. I understand how Mary-Sues can get annoying--but you can only get so many in your fandom that you start getting jaded of them--and very easy to ignore and avoid. And which of the following would you rather read: little Miss Sue crawling into Trowa's pants or OOC "Mario" rapefic? It all depends how the writer handles Mary--though I'd MUCH rather laugh at Sue than screech in horror over mpreg any day of the week. Brings me to my next point:
6. Mary-Sues Are Not Contagious As To Seek Them Out in Canon.
Two Canon Sues exist: Anita Blake from her series, and Ayla from Earth's Children. But just because someone is A. Talented. B. Beautiful. C. Has a love interest, with other possibly crushing on her. D. Doesn't really have visible faults. E. All/A lot/A few of the above, that does NOT automatically mean "MARY-SUE!!!1 BURN HER AT THE STAKE!!!11". This is fandom and canon, not a witch hunt.
7. FF.net is Not Wholly Evil.
My main fandom is "Sonic the Hedgehog", and I like writing Sonadow for it sometimes. Which other major Sonic fanfic archeive can I do this? I write "Mario" and "Kirby" fanfic too, and they sometimes fall into PG-13 range: FF.net's the only place you can actually be given feedback for darker "Mario" fanfiction. And FF.net has the biggest archeive of "Kirby" fanfic there is--FF.net's the only place where I can actually truly achieve feedback (even helpful types) for my fanfiction. And I don't write NC-17--you want to though, and keep complaining about your fanfics being removed 'cause you tried to slip them under the "R" rating. (Despite the fact that, you know, FF.net BANNED NC-17 years ago) Go to another friggin' site. AFF.net not enough publicity for you? Multipost to Ficwad and FoSFF.net. Hell, depends on your fandom. But if you don't agree with the rules of FF.net, don't bug us because we deal with the changes. It's the only place I've got to go. And who's going to come to my little fanfiction website if I ever make one? *crickets chirp* Yeah, thought so.
8. Some of Us Don't Plot Each and Every Detail of Our Writing.
Sure, some of us do it a little bit--myself included. But I'm mostly one of those "seat-of-your-pants" writers, that likes to make the plot up AS you're writing. Do I have ideas? Yes. But some of us like to be surprised along the way--that's not a sin, is it? Writers plan their stories in different ways. (Okay, so maybe this isn't really a general fandom thing. But oish, people are like "You can ONLY write this way, blah blah blah..." Hey, maybe that's how you write it, but that's for the writer him/herself to learn what method works best for them and their writing...)
9. High-School AUs Suck.
Honestly, stop it already. I already know friggin' love webs and gangs and pregnancies and soap operas. Just once, I'd like to see a simple little fic where it's just the main cast acting as they do in actual normal high school: you know, attending class periods, chatting the cafeteria, taking extracurricular activities and such. With the characters acting as they would if they were sent to high school. 'Cause two years I've been to high school and wow. If all the romantic quadruples were exploding about in the schools, (let alone, involving slash) it all must've passed completely beneath my nose. (Most romantic my school ever got were random teen couples making out in the hallways. Wow, let's take some photos and flush 'em in the bathroom. *rolls eyes*) Okay, nevermind... I'm just tired of High-School AU, PERIOD.
10. 2005*Willy Wonka Does NOT Look Like Micheal Jackson.
"OMG He's pale and androgenously dressed he's MIKEY!11" Um, no. Watch the damn movie: Jackson loves children. Wonka hates them. There's your difference.
Bonus: Sonadow is Awesome.
...Ran outta ideas. XD Couldn't resist, mate! *SHOT*
By: Puri-chan
Stolen From:
1. Some Women Like Slash Because They Like Slash.
Meaning not every girl on the planet that likes slash is single and lonely and crying because she'll never have a boyfriend. There's no Deep Psychological Issue TM for a woman, straight or not, to enjoy slash. People like romantic comedies because people like romantic comedies. And people like slash because they like slash. Ask a "Star Wars" fanboy: "Why do you like Star Wars"? He'd likely say something such as: "I like Sci-fi! :D" So ask someone, "Why do you like slash"? They'll say something like "I like romance. :D" or "I like seeing men get it AWN. :D" Damn, that was simple. But right to the point: no truer word spoken. No essay needed.
2. Everyone Wrote Badfic Once.
Yes, bitch all you want. Yell at all the Mary-Sue writers, and scream Grammer Police at the badficcers. But! Just like everyone is a kid once, you've probably long pushed the memories of your first fanfictions to the doldrums, in hopes no one would ever remember the atrocities you once called your treasures...
That's right. You scribbled Mary-Sues all over your notebook, and took yourself in adventures with the cast of your favorite series. You wrote horrendous OOC fanfiction, complete with High-School AU and Truth or Dare. You wrote unresearched lemons and got the anatomies aaaaaaaall wrong. You wrote a sappy romance derived from your idols, and the result made you sick three years later. You prayed no one would EVER discover your N*Sync songfics. Remember when that Harry Potter fanfic you thought was soooooo awesome as you wrote it, only to realize it was the most cliché and impossible thing you've ever written, complete with Soap*Opera wangst and weepy Vampire*Draco? Yeah, and you used to read Anne Rice novels, too. (No offense, yo)
3. Your Music =/= The Quality of Your Fanfics
Everyone's gonna have a word with me for this... oh well. XD
This can be a BIT of a problem when it involves songfics that should never be: perfectly understandable if you want to shoot the next person who writes a H/D songfic on "My Immortal" for the ten trillionth time. Or a Sk8tr Boi fic, or all these people who think they're punk or emo for listening to Simple Plan or Good Charlotte. But you mustn't forget--there's plenty of goodfic writers out there that probably listen to the following for inspiration: Evanescence. Linkin Park. Green Day. Hell, even Avril Lavigne. They don't listen to the music to make themselves popular or try to fit in a stereotype--they like the music 'cause they like the music--it drives them to write.
Oh yeah. Don't forget that while you're scoffing at the people who like ol' Linkin Park, that you're also placing yourself in a stereotype if you consider your bands superior over theirs. Trust me, from learning experience: no one cares who your favorite bands are. You can listen to Mozart, R.E.M., Nightwish or whatever, but that won't make your fic automatically "better" than say, fanfic writers who churn up Green Day or T.A.T.U. Taste has to do with the individual writer, not the writing itself--I love Sarah McLachlan, and one of her songs I personally enjoyed creeped the hell out of my sister. I listened to a couple Smashing Pumpkins songs that I liked, and I thought "OMG I like 90s music, look! I'M SO COOOOL" Well, my family's response wasn't quite as positive as I expected: which was when my sister introduced Stephen Lynch's Billy Corgan. (And yes, it's true. XDD)
Okay, this is getting too personal then I wanted it to be... fuck. Oh well. It's how you use your inspiration, yo... use it wisely. And now, time to write more "Sonic"fic under the influence of NIN. :o
4. Canon Should Be Your Guide, Not Your Religion
Fanfic can suck, but canon can too. Admit it: There's plot holes, rushed storylines, lack of character development, all that icky stuff. (SA2, I love you, but I'm looking at you too. That's why you're fun to write fanfic for) And seriously: how many times did you want to pound Harry's "monster" in the 6th book? Yeah, I thought so too. You want to see how canon can get screwy? Two Words: Archie. Comics. I know, I'll be murdered by a million readers for it. But seriously, a character could only die for so many times...
5. Mary-Sues = Annoyances. But Not Our Worst Problem.
Sues haven't annoyed me in forever until I went to the "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" section on FF.net. (Don't ask, I wanted to see what the summaries were like) Dear Sue, Wonka hates you as much as he hates children. The End. I understand how Mary-Sues can get annoying--but you can only get so many in your fandom that you start getting jaded of them--and very easy to ignore and avoid. And which of the following would you rather read: little Miss Sue crawling into Trowa's pants or OOC "Mario" rapefic? It all depends how the writer handles Mary--though I'd MUCH rather laugh at Sue than screech in horror over mpreg any day of the week. Brings me to my next point:
6. Mary-Sues Are Not Contagious As To Seek Them Out in Canon.
Two Canon Sues exist: Anita Blake from her series, and Ayla from Earth's Children. But just because someone is A. Talented. B. Beautiful. C. Has a love interest, with other possibly crushing on her. D. Doesn't really have visible faults. E. All/A lot/A few of the above, that does NOT automatically mean "MARY-SUE!!!1 BURN HER AT THE STAKE!!!11". This is fandom and canon, not a witch hunt.
7. FF.net is Not Wholly Evil.
My main fandom is "Sonic the Hedgehog", and I like writing Sonadow for it sometimes. Which other major Sonic fanfic archeive can I do this? I write "Mario" and "Kirby" fanfic too, and they sometimes fall into PG-13 range: FF.net's the only place you can actually be given feedback for darker "Mario" fanfiction. And FF.net has the biggest archeive of "Kirby" fanfic there is--FF.net's the only place where I can actually truly achieve feedback (even helpful types) for my fanfiction. And I don't write NC-17--you want to though, and keep complaining about your fanfics being removed 'cause you tried to slip them under the "R" rating. (Despite the fact that, you know, FF.net BANNED NC-17 years ago) Go to another friggin' site. AFF.net not enough publicity for you? Multipost to Ficwad and FoSFF.net. Hell, depends on your fandom. But if you don't agree with the rules of FF.net, don't bug us because we deal with the changes. It's the only place I've got to go. And who's going to come to my little fanfiction website if I ever make one? *crickets chirp* Yeah, thought so.
8. Some of Us Don't Plot Each and Every Detail of Our Writing.
Sure, some of us do it a little bit--myself included. But I'm mostly one of those "seat-of-your-pants" writers, that likes to make the plot up AS you're writing. Do I have ideas? Yes. But some of us like to be surprised along the way--that's not a sin, is it? Writers plan their stories in different ways. (Okay, so maybe this isn't really a general fandom thing. But oish, people are like "You can ONLY write this way, blah blah blah..." Hey, maybe that's how you write it, but that's for the writer him/herself to learn what method works best for them and their writing...)
9. High-School AUs Suck.
Honestly, stop it already. I already know friggin' love webs and gangs and pregnancies and soap operas. Just once, I'd like to see a simple little fic where it's just the main cast acting as they do in actual normal high school: you know, attending class periods, chatting the cafeteria, taking extracurricular activities and such. With the characters acting as they would if they were sent to high school. 'Cause two years I've been to high school and wow. If all the romantic quadruples were exploding about in the schools, (let alone, involving slash) it all must've passed completely beneath my nose. (Most romantic my school ever got were random teen couples making out in the hallways. Wow, let's take some photos and flush 'em in the bathroom. *rolls eyes*) Okay, nevermind... I'm just tired of High-School AU, PERIOD.
10. 2005*Willy Wonka Does NOT Look Like Micheal Jackson.
"OMG He's pale and androgenously dressed he's MIKEY!11" Um, no. Watch the damn movie: Jackson loves children. Wonka hates them. There's your difference.
Bonus: Sonadow is Awesome.
...Ran outta ideas. XD Couldn't resist, mate! *SHOT*
no subject
Date: 2005-08-07 05:54 am (UTC)Just once, I'd like to see a simple little fic where it's just the main cast acting as they do in actual normal high school: you know, attending class periods, chatting the cafeteria, taking extracurricular activities and such. With the characters acting as they would if they were sent to high school.
That's the kind of high school AU fic I can get into. :D Admittedly, my high school AUs have a lot of romance and such...I kind of mix TV and real life a little. ^^
Heh.
Date: 2005-08-07 12:35 pm (UTC)What do you have any HS AU's with particularly interesting premises? I'd be interested in reading fics under that archetype that are actually good. Purin's a good writer, and like befriends like...