Katie/KT (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
rensahannou) wrote2007-02-25 02:12 pm
rensahannou) wrote2007-02-25 02:12 pm
I need to rant.
Hmm. No angry icon to go with a rant. Ah well.
I don't rant as well as KY does, but I just. Have. To say. SOMETHING.
Topic: Arbitrary pairings and lack of decent characterization, specifically in TeniMyu RPS.
A disclaimer first, because I'm excessively paranoid about offending someone -- I don't mean this as a personal attack in any way, shape, or form. I'm just frustrated and confused, and it has to get out somehow. So, here we go.
Okay. I understand the appeal in just sticking two guys together because you think it'd be cute or hot or funny, I really do. And I understand crack for its own sake.
What I don't understand is completely ignoring the actors themselves just to make them fit into an arbitrary pairing. They aren't your characters -- they aren't characters at all. They're PEOPLE.
And yes, all fanfiction is fiction, that's why it's called that, yes, I know this. But what's the point in writing fanfiction if you're just going to make up personalities for the people involved?
But that's not even what bothers me, really. What bothers me is claiming to love these actors, and then...just writing whatever you want about them. They're not just pretty faces and nice bodies, they have personalities and lives and histories, friends and families, likes and dislikes, quirky habits and interesting hobbies. They are not their characters, they are not cardboard cut-outs or paper dolls -- they are real, living and breathing people, and if you claim to truly love them, truly respect them, how can you feel good about ignoring them as a person when you write them?
And yes, we don't know everything about any of these guys. That's what's fun about it, imagining and pretending and saying what-if. But at the heart of all of this are the actors themselves.
If you think the pairing you're writing actually has merit, show it. Show us why you can see these two guys together, why we should see your side of things, even if we can't bring ourselves to agree.
I just -- I don't know. Maybe I'm spoiled. Until very recently, I really hadn't read much in the way of RPS other than TutixNagayan, and that fandom was built pretty much from the ground up by a few very dedicated, very talented girls. The foundation has already been laid for the pairing now, so it's easier for new fans to start writing fics.
Or maybe I'm just weird. I just...can't imagine writing one of the actors I love without wanting to get it as right as possible. I was nervous about writing TxN for a while, because I didn't want to disappoint the fandom, or disrespect the actors themselves. I want my TxN fics to celebrate and explore their relationship, to show how perfect I think they are for each other. And I started writing a fic about Setomaru -- I got a few paragraphs in and stopped. I want to finish it eventually, but it will probably take a while, because I so desperately want to do the boy justice. I want that fic to let everyone else see why I love him so much, and maybe show them why they should love him too.
Maybe...that's just the way I see writing? As feeling strongly about the characters, and wanting to get those feelings across to the readers. That doesn't change, no matter what I'm writing -- something original, fanfiction about anime characters or real people.
*sigh* I don't know. It's probably a hopeless cause, but, I just...wish...everyone would try, really and truly try, when they write fics. I realize for a lot of people it's nothing more than a simple hobby, a way to pass the time or share something they thought of. But...even if it's something you're not serious about...
Hmm. It's like -- like drawing stick figures and trying to pass them off as serious art. Stick figures have their place, and they can be excellent ways to show humor and such. I ♥ stick figures.
"Stick-figure fics" have their place as well. But...don't expect people to appreciate, respect or love a pairing you write if all you're doing is drawing stick figures.
Moral of the story -- if you love your pairing, show it. If you love the actors, act like it. And if you love writing, put some effort into it.
Phew. Okay. I think I feel a little better now. ♥
I don't rant as well as KY does, but I just. Have. To say. SOMETHING.
Topic: Arbitrary pairings and lack of decent characterization, specifically in TeniMyu RPS.
A disclaimer first, because I'm excessively paranoid about offending someone -- I don't mean this as a personal attack in any way, shape, or form. I'm just frustrated and confused, and it has to get out somehow. So, here we go.
Okay. I understand the appeal in just sticking two guys together because you think it'd be cute or hot or funny, I really do. And I understand crack for its own sake.
What I don't understand is completely ignoring the actors themselves just to make them fit into an arbitrary pairing. They aren't your characters -- they aren't characters at all. They're PEOPLE.
And yes, all fanfiction is fiction, that's why it's called that, yes, I know this. But what's the point in writing fanfiction if you're just going to make up personalities for the people involved?
But that's not even what bothers me, really. What bothers me is claiming to love these actors, and then...just writing whatever you want about them. They're not just pretty faces and nice bodies, they have personalities and lives and histories, friends and families, likes and dislikes, quirky habits and interesting hobbies. They are not their characters, they are not cardboard cut-outs or paper dolls -- they are real, living and breathing people, and if you claim to truly love them, truly respect them, how can you feel good about ignoring them as a person when you write them?
And yes, we don't know everything about any of these guys. That's what's fun about it, imagining and pretending and saying what-if. But at the heart of all of this are the actors themselves.
If you think the pairing you're writing actually has merit, show it. Show us why you can see these two guys together, why we should see your side of things, even if we can't bring ourselves to agree.
I just -- I don't know. Maybe I'm spoiled. Until very recently, I really hadn't read much in the way of RPS other than TutixNagayan, and that fandom was built pretty much from the ground up by a few very dedicated, very talented girls. The foundation has already been laid for the pairing now, so it's easier for new fans to start writing fics.
Or maybe I'm just weird. I just...can't imagine writing one of the actors I love without wanting to get it as right as possible. I was nervous about writing TxN for a while, because I didn't want to disappoint the fandom, or disrespect the actors themselves. I want my TxN fics to celebrate and explore their relationship, to show how perfect I think they are for each other. And I started writing a fic about Setomaru -- I got a few paragraphs in and stopped. I want to finish it eventually, but it will probably take a while, because I so desperately want to do the boy justice. I want that fic to let everyone else see why I love him so much, and maybe show them why they should love him too.
Maybe...that's just the way I see writing? As feeling strongly about the characters, and wanting to get those feelings across to the readers. That doesn't change, no matter what I'm writing -- something original, fanfiction about anime characters or real people.
*sigh* I don't know. It's probably a hopeless cause, but, I just...wish...everyone would try, really and truly try, when they write fics. I realize for a lot of people it's nothing more than a simple hobby, a way to pass the time or share something they thought of. But...even if it's something you're not serious about...
Hmm. It's like -- like drawing stick figures and trying to pass them off as serious art. Stick figures have their place, and they can be excellent ways to show humor and such. I ♥ stick figures.
"Stick-figure fics" have their place as well. But...don't expect people to appreciate, respect or love a pairing you write if all you're doing is drawing stick figures.
Moral of the story -- if you love your pairing, show it. If you love the actors, act like it. And if you love writing, put some effort into it.
Phew. Okay. I think I feel a little better now. ♥
no subject
I'm actually a very open person when it comes to pairings. Because I love these actors I would never pass up the opportunity to read a fic that explores their characterization, that unearths a nugget of information about their personality or strives to explain some obscure fact that may have been stumping fans for the reasons behind it. When done plausibly, realistically, carefully and with respect to the actor, some beautiful fiction can be created. Even if the pairing isn't "mainstream", if you as the author can creatively develop a way to show how these two people work despite what preconceptions people might have about who they're best paired with... there's no better feeling in the world that a fic well done and an idea well and thoroughly explored.
But this rash of bad fic lately has me incensed and ashamed of this fandom. There is no decency or love within a few hundred words of badly written text that resembles nothing like the men it's claiming to be writing about. Facts are wrong, characterization is off, the simple aspect of human interraction is wrong, misconstrued, so doped up on angst and bad attempts at romance that it makes me want to weep to see that people actually consider this to be good writing. It's not. It's terrible writing. It isn't anything that a fan can be proud of, that the author should be proud of, and if they still feel this need to share their drivel with the world, leave it on your personal LJ/writing community and spare the fandom your failing attempts at RPS.
This isn't to say that everyone writing these unconventional pairings lately are in the same category, and in fact I've said repeatedly that there are a few individuals who I have sincere hope for becoming something more in the fandom. They show promising talent, plots that have more thought to them than whatever a random IM converation managed to inspire in them, and appear to have taken the time to try and develop backstory and reason for the character's behavior. Unfortunately they still fall short of the mark, and seem to be victim of incorrect information and people around them who aren't supplying the necessary feedback to help the author better understand the men they're writing about. Still, I have hope that if they're the passionate the type of author who cares about their work and their subject matter, they'll learn and grow and become better writers for the experience.
And I've clearly outdone myself here, so I'm going to stop and say again that I completely agree with everything you've said, and I'm truly, very happy that you took the time to say something, and to say it so well ♥
no subject
I'm...on my way to becoming more open about pairings. A lot of it is that I only really care about pairings involving actors I really like, and I'm in the process of trying to pay more attention to other actors :D But I agree completely. As people in countless fandoms have said, I'm sure -- a well-written fic can make the reader believe just about anything. Or at least want to. :D
The lack of quality in the writing has really been getting to me, too. It wouldn't be so bad if they were asking for help, asking for criticism -- I love to edit, almost as much as I love to write, and I would be more than happy to take the metaphorical red pen to someone's fic. But it's extremely rare to find someone who wants that. It's when authors think and act like they know what they're doing when they really couldn't be further from the truth -- that's what gets to me.
I'd rather help them than get irritated at them. But they have to want the help first. And even before that, they have to realize they need it.