burntcopper (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
burntcopper) wrote2010-05-11 09:20 pm
burntcopper) wrote2010-05-11 09:20 pm
Entry tags:
random ranting
Am avoiding the tv. We have used the twitter tag #activatethequeen. I'll stop wincing in a minute and prepare to sacrifice the weatherman for electoral reform and another election in six months.
In the meantime, to calm my nerves, I'll rant about fanfic tropes instead.
Have discovered that the one that pisses me off the most? It's not rape. It's not ultra-violence. It's not really bad h/c. It's not 'I have read about cancer so i will make character x suffer through the whole experience in full medical detail'. Nope. Turns out to be eating disorders.
Seriously. WHY? Is it that you want them to suffer delicately and prettily without the blood and pain of violence? It's the new h/c, it must be. with added route to salvation if everyone around them loves them enough and they *finally learn to love themselves. :smacks the authors doing this: If this was the 19th century, you'd be bloody writing the characters with TB, only that's got no way out. But they can survive for years coughing delicately...
I have read decent mental disorder fic. I have seen really damn plausible mental disorder fic. Often written as horror story. The really good ones leave a gaping hole in you. I have yet to see a fucking plausible eating disorder (which yes, is a mental disorder too) fic. And stunningly, the characters they *give* eating disorders aren't even the ones you could handwave as having an eating disorder since the actors now look like skeletons - or are stated to starve themselves in canon.
ARRRRRGH.
Second, unrelated: 'reel_insertfandomhere' challenges are rather popular, where you adapt a film and create a poster or fic. Some have been really, really fucking good. Take beloved characters, insert into beloved screwball comedy/action helmer/horror story. What's not to like, seeing how, say, the crew of Serenity would turn out if you'd chucked them into Pirates of the Caribbean? It's an AU with set rules. Star Trek loved doing it on the show.
Sometimes they just take the world - there was an amazing Bladerunner adaptation (WITH TRAILER, HOMG) which took fandom x's characters, chucked them into the world, and then went to infinity and beyond with the plot.
Sometimes they pretty faithfully follow the plot of the film but keep the fandom characters intact. Admittedly it helps if the original fandom is sci-fi/historical so there's a grand tradition of modern-day/this world AUs. There's a good Merlin version of The Proposal. it's even funnier when you see which characters they've decided to use for the cameos.
What you *don't* do, under any circumstances, is have the characters extensively quote the film lines. You might as well have just done a search/replace with the names. in fact, I've seen one I could have sworn just did with Some Like it Hot in![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
reel_torchwood.
I'm now going to hide from reality and watch more SCC.
In the meantime, to calm my nerves, I'll rant about fanfic tropes instead.
Have discovered that the one that pisses me off the most? It's not rape. It's not ultra-violence. It's not really bad h/c. It's not 'I have read about cancer so i will make character x suffer through the whole experience in full medical detail'. Nope. Turns out to be eating disorders.
Seriously. WHY? Is it that you want them to suffer delicately and prettily without the blood and pain of violence? It's the new h/c, it must be. with added route to salvation if everyone around them loves them enough and they *finally learn to love themselves. :smacks the authors doing this: If this was the 19th century, you'd be bloody writing the characters with TB, only that's got no way out. But they can survive for years coughing delicately...
I have read decent mental disorder fic. I have seen really damn plausible mental disorder fic. Often written as horror story. The really good ones leave a gaping hole in you. I have yet to see a fucking plausible eating disorder (which yes, is a mental disorder too) fic. And stunningly, the characters they *give* eating disorders aren't even the ones you could handwave as having an eating disorder since the actors now look like skeletons - or are stated to starve themselves in canon.
ARRRRRGH.
Second, unrelated: 'reel_insertfandomhere' challenges are rather popular, where you adapt a film and create a poster or fic. Some have been really, really fucking good. Take beloved characters, insert into beloved screwball comedy/action helmer/horror story. What's not to like, seeing how, say, the crew of Serenity would turn out if you'd chucked them into Pirates of the Caribbean? It's an AU with set rules. Star Trek loved doing it on the show.
Sometimes they just take the world - there was an amazing Bladerunner adaptation (WITH TRAILER, HOMG) which took fandom x's characters, chucked them into the world, and then went to infinity and beyond with the plot.
Sometimes they pretty faithfully follow the plot of the film but keep the fandom characters intact. Admittedly it helps if the original fandom is sci-fi/historical so there's a grand tradition of modern-day/this world AUs. There's a good Merlin version of The Proposal. it's even funnier when you see which characters they've decided to use for the cameos.
What you *don't* do, under any circumstances, is have the characters extensively quote the film lines. You might as well have just done a search/replace with the names. in fact, I've seen one I could have sworn just did with Some Like it Hot in
reel_torchwood.I'm now going to hide from reality and watch more SCC.
no subject
no subject
I am definitely putting a disclaimer in the beginning of my fic, and crediting the screenplay writers by name. It seems the fairest way to go.
Burntcopper was nice enough to let me hijack her journal for a moment, but I do appreciate your comments - I've been spazzing about this much too much, and you make me feel better, so thank you :)