| Social Justice Safe Space |
[Jul. 2nd, 2011|01:15 pm] |
Yesterday I added a "Choose not to warn" warning to the fic archives I founded because I personally don't want the Social Justice/ableism/trigger Discussion to infiltrate my archives. My fandoms aren't really the place for them. One fandom has a girl being burned to near death and monsters who appear to be raping each other, and the other fandom has stabbings and misogyny for laughs and a man who keeps his daughter disabled and dependant on him. Like I said, maybe not the right place.
So I'm wondering, for those who do want to carry on that discussion, if there's a place I can direct them where it's being discussed in relatively healthy, level-headed ways.
ETA:
I don't intent to ban the conversation or silence it, which is why I'm trying to redirect people to a healthy place to discuss it because it is an important discussion. Maybe a community should be made for such a discussion?
My archives are simply not equipped to carry on long debates. I tried adding forums and they were never used and just collected spam so that option is out.
Also I simply don't have the spoons to moderate stuff like that which is why I don't take part in such discussions myself.
The full list of warnings I have in my archives is Darkfic, Slash, Het, Femslash, Character Death, Spoilers, Choose Not to Warn, Strong Language, Orgy, Non-Con, & Gore.
I suppose I can "triggery content" but I personally find that overly-vague. |
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| Sockpuppetry |
[Jun. 9th, 2011|12:06 pm] |
Not inspired by any particular event, just some questions I've been wanting to discuss for awhile:
When is it okay to out a sockpuppet? When is it not okay? When is it a moral obligation (or morally repugnant) to do so?
Here's a specific example I ran into a few years back, I don't think it ever hit the JF communities:
( Sockpuppet vs. gender identity )
Here's another example adapted from actual, years-ago events:
( broken trusts )
You can probably think of dozens of other examples where a person could create a sockpuppet for good and genuine reasons and then use it for evil, or at least create one for harmless reasons and then use it in a way that does harm. And it can go the other way, too: you can probably think of cases where somebody created an opposite-gender sockpuppet for the attention and then slowly came to realize that they actually were trans, or where a sockpuppet created as a troll becomes a vital whistleblower.
Where is your line on when a sockpuppet needs to be outed? Or do you just stay out of it and wait for somebody else to post the whole mess to f_w? |
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| Regarding the whole "muses" deal and other related business |
[May. 10th, 2011|08:56 pm] |
So in the fanfiction world, "muses" are apparently frowned upon. Authors who have convos with the characters in their authornotes are scorned, people who imagine the characters talking to them or whatever are considered stupid and delusional, and I remember someone once saying "authors with REAL TALENT just make themselves write, only second-rate writers use 'muses'" (something along those lines). There was even that one wank about how muses apparently romanticize schizophrenia.
But are muses really such a shameful thing? I mean, yeah, if you REALLY think fictional characters are talking to you and insist upon it it may be time to step back and take a break, and people generally don't care to read an author indulging in RP with the characters in his or her authornotes.
Yet sometimes it seems anything and everything related to "muses" seems to get lumped together in one big ball of "bad". Innocuous comments such as "I couldn't get Zuko to behave, so here's a fic about Toph instead" or "Jessie and Misty wouldn't leave me alone until I wrote this". Joking that "Tom and Alan wouldn't be too happy if they knew what I was writing about them". Referring to the "smut muse" or the "angst muse" when you're trying to write a certain genre or mood. And so forth. I personally don't see anything wrong with these things. A joke that two characters would be pissed at you for writing [insert genre here] about them is worlds away from "Cartman and Kyle were reading over my shoulder the whole time and yelling at me until I got to the smutty smut! ^_^ [insert 10 lines of Cartman and Kyle whining at the author and then making out]".
I guess what I'm getting at is...how did muses get such a bad rap, and do they always deserve it? Do people who do the muse thing always deserve to be judged harshly, or only the ones who are blatantly obnoxious or batshit about it? |
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| On coincidences and contrivances |
[Mar. 9th, 2011|11:22 am] |
So people tend to go "oh my God that's SO contrived" when faced with coincidences. Granted, they're used very badly quite frequently, but the way people talk sometimes you'd think any and all coincidences were a bad thing, even the small-scale ones. Personally, I'd say there's a big difference between "oh, the old couple running the potato farm has a granddaughter named Cheryl? I met her back in the forest!" or "you like blueberry muffins? I hate them and the bakery gave me one by mistake! Here, have mine" and "the queen of the realm lost a daughter? Mary Sue Mysterious New Girl was taken from her mommy at a young age? Oh hay, she's a long lost princess!". But I know even the small-scale ones can fail if handled poorly enough.
Where do you draw the line? When do coincidences and contrivances go from "eh, what are you gonna do/it's not like it never happens in real life" to "oh my God that's so forced"? |
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[Feb. 23rd, 2011|01:39 pm] |
So there's this thing in various fandoms where people think that if a character is prone to trouble or messing up, their friends and loved ones need to Call Them Out instead of being concerned with their well-being. "Eirika just handed over the Sacred Stone to the Big Bad? She needs to be slapped, why is everyone asking if she's okay?! Rinoa got in trouble again? They should be yelling at her for being stupid, not happy that she's safe! Orihime should be beaten up for causing all the Hueco Mundo and Lust Arc BS! Sokka should have yelled at Aang for not keeping up his end of the Avatar bargain!"
Am I the only one who sees that and immediately thinks "dude, THAT'S NOT HOW IT WORKS"?* That just because the heroine or hero fucks up, that doesn't automatically mean their loved ones need to scold them for it? Especially when the fans are like "WHY ARE YOU SO CONCERNED FOR THEIR WELL-BEING WHEN THEY JUST DID SOMETHING VERY WRONG"...God forbid this character's loved ones, y'know, LOVE THEM, right? Not to say that it's a bad thing if they do call them out on being reckless or not thinking things through, of course, but the way these fans go on about it you'd think it was Not Okay for them to, y'know, express love and care for the character as well. :P
It kinda reminds me of something else I ranted about a few years back: If a fan hates a character, no other character should be allowed to take time out of their Busy Schedule to comfort them or be nice to them. Which ties into the whole big ball of "if I hate a character, all the other characters must hate them too, no matter how much they love them in canon".
Thoughts? |
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| Doing what you swore you'd never do... |
[May. 31st, 2010|07:07 am] |
Writers...
Do you ever find yourself writing in something that's a personal pet peeve of yours?
Example:
One of my biggest peeves is when characters ask questions they should totally know the answers to in order to provide exposition (one of the many reasons Supernatural bugs the crap out of me).
Yet I'm editing a chapter from story I'm writing and I found myself with a seventeen year old girl asking her mother basic questions about her absent father, questions probably asked at the age of four. It all made perfect sense at the time I was writing it; I didn't catch it at all. So total scene re-write, yet I need that exposition, which is annoying. Yeah, there are like a dozen ways to rework it. Mostly I'm just shocked I wrote the damn thing in the first place, when it's pet peeve one.
Similar experiences? |
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| Your fandom game plan. |
[Apr. 11th, 2010|02:05 am] |
In a desperate attempt to make sure that unfunnybusiness isn't overpowering your JF flists (as it is sadly dominating mine at the moment), a discussion topic!
You suspect you may have a new fandom in your hands, be it a TV show, a book series, a film, videogame, or RPF. What do you do next?
How do you go about getting into the fandom after you've fallen in love with the canon material? Do you rely on fandom friends or do you instantly join every LJ/DW/JF comm there is? Do you jump straight into fic reading and/or writing, message boards, meta/theorizing or do you hold back a little? Do you stay a lurker until you feel like it's safe? Do you just lurk happily from thereon out?
Myself, the older I get the more reluctant I am to join a fandom, unless it's very small and there's a very small pool of fans out there for it. Big fandoms intimidate me - I'd rather just discuss them with my existing fandom friends, and if they're not into something, try to recommend they get into it as well. I might lurk, though, check out the fic, and the discussions, and get involved if I feel comfortable doing so (I hate doing newbie mistakes). I hate dumping fandoms and joining something where I might suddenly go sour on the source material just feels really awkward, so with currently airing TV shows & the like it's easier to stay back a little.
Right now I'm dipping a toe in the Dr Who fandom and while I'm sure it's a friendly place, it is so massive and overwhelming I am clinging to the fans I know and haven't even looked at any places where that fandom may reside. |
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| On shipping drabbles and fanon pairings |
[Mar. 22nd, 2010|05:29 pm] |
So let's say you write a drabble where two characters are in a romantic relationship. They're not involved in canon, but it's not like the pairing is pulled out of thin air; they're already friends in canon and one shows a deep admiration for the other.
Now let's say the first review you get complains about them being together with little explanation and claims you "missed some key things" by not saying exactly when it's set. And let's say you did offer a little backstory, but apparently not as much as the reviewer felt was necessary.
My question is...to what point are we obligated to give a full, expansive explanation on why the characters are together, or when something takes place, or why this or that happened? If A and B have never met but are suddenly hot passionate lovers without any rhyme or reason or even the barest explanation that's one thing, but when we're talking two friends who've spent lots of time together and one could very plausibly be in love with the other?
And do you think drabbles and longer fic are separate matters when it comes to this sort of thing? I mean, some explanation is always a good thing, especially for crack pairings, but...I dunno, the reviewer reminded me of FanficRants and all the "rules for how to write fanfiction properly" guidelines I've seen everywhere. Isn't there a point where writers need to do their own thing instead of just following the rules blindly? |
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| "TRUE artists must SUFFER!" |
[Nov. 27th, 2009|03:02 pm] |
I had a discussion with a few friends a while back who seemed to believe being an exceptionally amazing, wonderful, mind-blowingly brilliant creator meant sacrificing mental health and being able to function as well in society, and given the amount of True Art Is Angsty out there this seems to be a common belief among creative crowds. I mean, look at Poe, Da Vinci, Van Goh, Beethoven, Mozart, Virginia Woolf, Sylvia Plath...they're all greats among the art and literary world, and they all had Serious Issues.
But at the same time I can't help but disagree with the assertion that in order to be a great creator you have to suffer, or that people with talent and genius simply cannot function in society. I think it all largely depends on the person, their environment, outside infleunces, etc.
What do you guys think? |
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[Oct. 27th, 2009|11:46 am] |
Which came first?
Which came first for members of the comm who are fans of series and movies featuring live actors, particularly those based on literature (including comics/graphic novels):
being a fan of the original source?
being fan of the movie/television show?
being a fan of the actor(s)?
being a fan of spinoff materials such as fanfic or official fic? Hey, it could happen
As examples: Star Trek, any incarnation, or X-Men.
And how have these fandoms overlapped and interacted for you?
Maybe this has been asked before, but if so it was probably a long time ago, and we may have different comm members. Apologies to anime fans. I don't know enough about anime to include them in my questions, but feel free to comment |
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| filing off the serial numbers |
[Oct. 12th, 2009|07:24 am] |
Perusing the wiki for my fandom tonight and discovered that, apparently, the PTB ordered a backstory retcon into the recent comics that goes a long way to Joss the fic and RP worldbuilding I've been doing for the last ten years. This, coupled with a comment someone made on the recent HP wank where it's mentioned that the wankers are bitter because they want canon to be like their fanfic or like their favorite fandom. I think I'm guilty of the latter, at the very least-- I've got a huge influence on my stuff from another fandom that I think handles a culture I find similar in a way that to me makes more sense. And I think I'm bitter enough about the Executive Meddling that goes down in that fandom as it is, I don't want to end up as bad as the Slytherfen. It also seems like there's an endless array of things coming out based in the same period that I can't just toss the retcon in the mental DisContinuity pile and move on.
My OCs and original worldbuilding have always been in that nether zone between fanfic and original fiction, but I've been laboriously trying to tie it to canon the whole time I've been working on it. Now that the canon has changed and I realize how completely different my stuff is anyway, I'm really thinking it might be time to start thinking of how I can file off the serial numbers and make it completely original.
Have you ever done this? How the heck do you even start? And how do you get the iconic things about the canon out of your head? On one hand it's really freeing to think about how I'd change things without having the "it doesn't matter if I think it makes no sense, it's canon and I'm stuck with it" hanging over me, but on the other hand I'm so used to thinking of my backstory in a canon context that I'm at a loss how to begin. |
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| You see what you want to see, or: progressive interpretations? |
[Jul. 28th, 2009|06:06 pm] |
With all the racism/sexism unfunny in fandom that has been going on in the form of wank and Race Fail, I've had a real awakening in terms of looking at things from a more feminist perspective, as well as paying closer attention to race relations (especially in mainstream US TV). I'm sure I'm not the only one.
Now, while I'm sure most of us can see problems in something and still continue enjoying it, I think it's always easier to pick apart something and problematize portrayal of women and PoC than to be all "Wow, this is awesome in terms of gender/race portrayal!" (as in, to find something you truly enjoy without seeing much wrong with it). I mean, at the end of the day it's subjective - especially when it comes to portrayal of women, I find, as one fandomer's awesome lady character another will find oversexualized, objectified, etc.
So how do you - if you are into this sort of race/gender problematizing/thinking - settle these two in your head and fandoms? Do you actively state and debate what you find awesome against people who find it problematic? Do you try to steer away from such debates as they can get messy? Do you only state your case when you find something problematic?
(For those curious, what inspired this was my recent love for Ashes to Ashes, which in my mind has a pretty awesome leading lady, but you won't see me debating with anybody who disagrees. I'll just be in my corner, girlcrushing Keeley Hawes. :D) |
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| Metahuman Metaphysics |
[Jun. 2nd, 2009|07:52 pm] |
Okay, so I (like so many) have been sucked into Star Trek Reboot. I am also currently reading the latest Anita Blake book. Combining the two has lead me to a few questions that I'd love some insight on:
1. In general were-anything tend to shift under the influence of the full-moon. If you take a were and pull them away from the influence of the moon, would they still shift? If they did, would they follow a lunar calendar? Or, if the ship could still be affected by the gravitational pull of orbiting objects, would they shift when that object was sensed as "full" by the were? Or would it really only work for the Earth's moon?
2. In general vampires tend to be night dwelling types. If you put one on a ship with a 24 hour cycle that's more or less imposed on the ship for the sake of the mortal's bio-rhythmic cycles could you have day-walking vampires? Even the ones who "die" with the day or otherwise become incapacitated with the rise of the sun?
Obviously every vamp/were is a little different because of the canon they come from, but I think it kind of interesting what would happen if you take them away form the ruling force in their un/life so to speak and I'd love your two cents :D |
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| Alan Moore wants more. |
[Apr. 9th, 2009|05:52 pm] |
Alan Moore takes 'Watchmen' movie money to sue DC for print rights reversion
In what may go down as the biggest sucker-punch to hit DC Comics since the Superboy lawsuit, Alan Moore has reversed his position on taking money from the film version of Watchmen. The reason is elegant and ironic; he's using the money to fund a lawsuit against DC, with the intent of forcing a reversion of rights to the print edition of Watchmen.
Watchmen has been the all-time best selling graphic novel for the two decades since its collected release, and has enjoyed a major surge in the last few months with anticipation from the movie, topping bestseller lists and becoming the #1 book sold on Amazon in early March.
It's unclear, at this point in time, what this will do to DC's backlist sales, which revolve around the mega-seller. Further complicating the issue is that Moore has filed an injunction against both DC and Diamond preventing the further sale of any additional copies of Watchmen from their inventory. An American judge is expected to rule on the motion later today; a ruling has already come down in England in Alan's favor, which has caused the suspension of all UK sales. Stores are apparently scrambling for back issues and used copies over there, as it's the only thing they can legally sell.
So, I'm an idiot, what does that mean exactly? |
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| Fanfic writing vs. original writing: |
[Mar. 17th, 2009|10:58 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| | contemplative | ] |
| [ | music |
| | Keith Olbermann | ] |
I have a question for those who write both fanfic and non-fandom, original fiction (of any genre):
Do you believe that writing fanfic has helped your writing of original fiction, harmed it, or a combination of both?
Personal thoughts...
I've been posting fanfic online since I was eleven years old. I cringe when I look back at the trash that I wrote back then (though the fics are still up on ff.net, if only to keep me humble), but much of what I've learned about creative writing, I learned from fanfic. It's partly because I've simply gotten in a lot of practice, but I also believe that the feedback I've been given has really improved my writing. Thoughtful criticism taught me about grammar, about how to improve phrasing, helped me to spot plot holes and tighten up a rambling story, and gave me the encouragement to keep going. I know that I would not be half the writer I am today without the many, many reviewers who took the time to write a few lines in response to a story, especially when I was just getting started. I wrote some truly vile fanfic back in the day, and I'm sure it was quite obvious to many people that the stories were written by a middle-schooler, but people still took the time to show me what I was doing wrong, and give me advice on how to fix it. I wish I could go back and hug each and every one of them, especially because, at the time, I did not appreciate criticism.
( And the teal deer scampers across your monitor... ) |
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[Mar. 17th, 2009|12:45 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| | replacing green with "potato" | ] |
I know we often discuss MarySue/Mary Stus, but a conversation with a high school friend who railed about so many popular fictional characters got me to thinking:
What exactly makes people dislike MarySues so much?
Is it something implicit or explicit in the character her/himself? (This question is only as simple as one choses to make it).
Is it something that the appearance of a supposed MarySue in non-fanfic indicates about the author or the quality of the writing?
Or it is something about the reader's self-perception that defines MarySue/Stus and whether they like them?
And
Are readers just flinging around the epithet randomly at any character they dislike?
(I'm assuming that people in this comm are familiar with previous discussions on what defines a MarySue/MaryStu, but feel free to reiterate your own definition) |
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| Canon! Say it like you mean it. |
[Feb. 25th, 2009|12:31 pm] |
I was talking to a friend the other day and he did something strange....
He said the word 'canon' aloud. But he pronounced it 'ca-nohn'(like John) and not, well, like the weapon 'cah-nun' (Like nun).
So, how do you pronounce Canon? |
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| fandom surveys |
[Dec. 30th, 2008|09:45 pm] |
Grad Student Studies Fandom with FAN MEDIA AND CREATIVITY survey. Yeehaw!
The grad student in question is more gamer than fen, but I think the survey is pretty aware of the fandom experience anyway. The questions towards the end are thought-provoking in... unusual (okay, kinda weird) ways, but there's a nice little space to ramble on about them. The fact that the survey-creator is a friend of mine should in no way detract from my totally rational opinion that contributing lots of (anonymousey) data to a research study that's actually trying to understand fandom culture can only be a Good Thing. Right? Right. So, you know, spread the link far and wide for the next few weeks while she collects the responses. :)
I'm posting this here instead of fandom-lounge in part because I'm curious: what are YOUR thoughts on academic-type surveys of fandom behavior?
a) Hell yeah! I fight crime with data!
b) BORING and/or elitist. I'd rather read fic.
c) Usually they suck
c1) This one sucks
c2) This one actually doesn't suck
d) I'm skeptical of fandom surveys for reasons I may or may not explain in the comments.
e) I want a "I fight crime with data" t-shirt.*
f) I have an actual answer to this question that cannot be contained by multiple choice.
*Me too. Someone get on this.
***ahem***. |
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[Dec. 22nd, 2008|04:56 pm] |
I see this pop up in fandom from time to time.
1) Are you the type that believes the original (book/comic/TV series/movie/manga/anime/etc) will always be better and won't give adaptations a chance? (Ex: THEY CHANGED IT SO IT SUCKS!)
2) Are there any adaptations you found to be better than the original? (Ex: I find the Sgt. Frog anime adaptation to be better than the original manga.)
I was thinking about this because about a month ago, I remembered that my friend and I used to watch the cute Making Fiends webseries and it was supposed to get a Nicktoon TV series sometime whenever. I found out that it finally aired so we watched the episodes online and started talking about how much of an improvement the TV series was to the original webseries. (We loved the webseries but it's just that we found the TV series better.) Another friend joined in and argued that the original was much better and was not impressed by the TV series. Everyone has opinions, so that's OK. But then right after, he admitted he didn't watch very much of either and doubted watching more would change his mind. |
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