Metafandom
- Seek
April 20th, 2010
10:25 pm
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oula: Tuesday, April 20th 2010
- snorkackcatcher: So (Mary) Sue Me - "Mary Sue/Gary Stu" strike me as being terms that concisely express a useful concept -- a particular type of badly-constructed and generally naff character -- and are widely used and understood, both in fandom and beyond. Getting rid of them loses that, and I haven't yet seen an alternative term which quite captures the same meaning, nor am I convinced that the shifted usages are a new or an insuperable problem -
- chaila43: Mary Sues and distorting the narrative - There have been a couple of posts[...]about "Mary Sues" being problematic because such characters "warp" or"distort" the narrative to be all about them.[...]Here's my thing. Doesn't all fanfic distort the narrative? Okay, not all, but except for the epic gen fic or similar sprawling kind of work which incorporates a lot of characters and a fair amount of plot, I think it does. -
- avocado_love: At What Point Does Fic Go From AU To Original? - At what point do you personally draw the line and say "This is fan fiction" or "This is come to the point where it's original"? Is it ethical to world-build off of what is essentially not yours to begin with? Do you think there are professionals out there who have done this? -
- xparrot: in which I am a big ol' hypocrite - Recently it seems like the latest big fandom is Fandom - that the majority of fan-related discussions I'm seeing on my flist are not about series or characters or pairings but on trends in fanfic, and trends in responses to fanfic, and metaing about trends in fannish meta. -
- dolorosa_12: This song is not for you lovers - I have, over the years, developed my own set of very clear rules for (Livejournal-based) online interaction. I should emphasise that they are MY RULES, and not in any way directed at others. They were arrived at by a combination of trial and error, based on my seven years on LJ, and they work for me, but they may not work for you. -
- nevacaruso: In which I ramble about Mary SuesSeveral people have pointed out that writing original characters is how a lot of people get into fandom in the first place. They love this shiny new world (and we've all been there, haven't we?), but aren't quite comfortable enough to write from inside the heads of the established characters, so they take the perspective of somebody coming to the shiny new world for the first time, just like they themselves are. If they care about becoming better writers, and portraying characters and stories that captivate their audiences as well as themselves, they will learn. If they don't care, then they may still attract a particular audience with similar priorities.
And we are the ones who make it our business. And we should own that.
- rubynye: Meta Recs Requested - I said to some of the people I discussed this with that I've overdosed on meta, but I think that's not the right way for me to look at this. I think I could use meta about what it is people do and why they choose to. What it is that's going right. -
- affectingly: What Makes Fanfiction Great, a Love Story - I think that's why sometimes people, including myself, take such pains to talk about the things that are wrong with fanfiction because there are so many things that are right about it, too. It's WORTH the investment and the heartache and the anger and the frustration because of all the really amazing things it's also capable of inspiring. -
- rahirah: Wottaguy vs. Mary Sue - What really makes a Wottaguy is the attitude of the writer towards the characters. If a writer is fond of lot of different characters in a given setting, and finds them equally interesting and fun to write about, then the odds that they'll spawn a Wottaguy are pretty low. If a writer has one character who's the teacher's pet, so to speak, then it doesn't matter if the character is an OC or a canon character, male or female, tanked up on special powers or ordinary as dirt. That character runs a high risk of turning into Wottaguy. -
- jenett: Why Dreamwidth - This post is brought to you by two things: a lack of current transparency on LiveJournal's part, and the upcoming anniversary of Dreamwidth entering open beta. Both seem to be a good reason to do another round up of why I am increasingly moving my time and attention to Dreamwidth. -
- labingi: My 2 Cents on AO3 Hosting Original Works - I'm in favor of allowing original fic for multiple reasons, many of which others have discussed eloquently. But my personal motive for wanting to post original fic is one I haven't seen much discussed: wanting to write fic that is broadly allusive. -
- calamitycrow: Armless Maidens and Fanfic (A Meta About Fanfic and Female Creativity) - One of the most crucial steps to becoming a complete woman occurs when we stop struggling, and begin to embrace the three female roles, or life seasons: Maiden, Matron, Crone. Unfortunately, most Western women can't do this because they don't understand the symbiotic relationship between female creativity and mentoring. -
11:24 pm
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snorkackcatcher: So (Mary) Sue Me - "Mary Sue/Gary Stu" strike me as being terms that concisely express a useful concept -- a particular type of badly-constructed and generally naff character -- and are widely used and understood, both in fandom and beyond. Getting rid of them loses that, and I haven't yet seen an alternative term which quite captures the same meaning, nor am I convinced that the shifted usages are a new or an insuperable problem -
- chaila43: Mary Sues and distorting the narrative - There have been a couple of posts[...]about "Mary Sues" being problematic because such characters "warp" or"distort" the narrative to be all about them.[...]Here's my thing. Doesn't all fanfic distort the narrative? Okay, not all, but except for the epic gen fic or similar sprawling kind of work which incorporates a lot of characters and a fair amount of plot, I think it does. -
- avocado_love: At What Point Does Fic Go From AU To Original? - At what point do you personally draw the line and say "This is fan fiction" or "This is come to the point where it's original"? Is it ethical to world-build off of what is essentially not yours to begin with? Do you think there are professionals out there who have done this? -
- xparrot: in which I am a big ol' hypocrite - Recently it seems like the latest big fandom is Fandom - that the majority of fan-related discussions I'm seeing on my flist are not about series or characters or pairings but on trends in fanfic, and trends in responses to fanfic, and metaing about trends in fannish meta. -
- dolorosa_12: This song is not for you lovers - I have, over the years, developed my own set of very clear rules for (Livejournal-based) online interaction. I should emphasise that they are MY RULES, and not in any way directed at others. They were arrived at by a combination of trial and error, based on my seven years on LJ, and they work for me, but they may not work for you. -
- nevacaruso: In which I ramble about Mary SuesSeveral people have pointed out that writing original characters is how a lot of people get into fandom in the first place. They love this shiny new world (and we've all been there, haven't we?), but aren't quite comfortable enough to write from inside the heads of the established characters, so they take the perspective of somebody coming to the shiny new world for the first time, just like they themselves are. If they care about becoming better writers, and portraying characters and stories that captivate their audiences as well as themselves, they will learn. If they don't care, then they may still attract a particular audience with similar priorities.
And we are the ones who make it our business. And we should own that.
- rubynye: Meta Recs Requested - I said to some of the people I discussed this with that I've overdosed on meta, but I think that's not the right way for me to look at this. I think I could use meta about what it is people do and why they choose to. What it is that's going right. -
- affectingly: What Makes Fanfiction Great, a Love Story - I think that's why sometimes people, including myself, take such pains to talk about the things that are wrong with fanfiction because there are so many things that are right about it, too. It's WORTH the investment and the heartache and the anger and the frustration because of all the really amazing things it's also capable of inspiring. -
- rahirah: Wottaguy vs. Mary Sue - What really makes a Wottaguy is the attitude of the writer towards the characters. If a writer is fond of lot of different characters in a given setting, and finds them equally interesting and fun to write about, then the odds that they'll spawn a Wottaguy are pretty low. If a writer has one character who's the teacher's pet, so to speak, then it doesn't matter if the character is an OC or a canon character, male or female, tanked up on special powers or ordinary as dirt. That character runs a high risk of turning into Wottaguy. -
- jenett: Why Dreamwidth - This post is brought to you by two things: a lack of current transparency on LiveJournal's part, and the upcoming anniversary of Dreamwidth entering open beta. Both seem to be a good reason to do another round up of why I am increasingly moving my time and attention to Dreamwidth. -
- labingi: My 2 Cents on AO3 Hosting Original Works - I'm in favor of allowing original fic for multiple reasons, many of which others have discussed eloquently. But my personal motive for wanting to post original fic is one I haven't seen much discussed: wanting to write fic that is broadly allusive. -
- calamitycrow: Armless Maidens and Fanfic (A Meta About Fanfic and Female Creativity) - One of the most crucial steps to becoming a complete woman occurs when we stop struggling, and begin to embrace the three female roles, or life seasons: Maiden, Matron, Crone. Unfortunately, most Western women can't do this because they don't understand the symbiotic relationship between female creativity and mentoring. -
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