moonshayde: (Guardian)
I have a lot to do today since I slacked yesterday, but I am going to stop and talk a minute about fanfic (and I'll post those caps when I take a break later). I've talked about this before, but I'm going to again.

Disclaimer: This is just a reflective and conversational post. This is also not a debate on whether people should write fanfic or not. Also, this isn't meant to solicit encouragement or anything. I just like to talk :P

What is Fanfic Worth? )
moonshayde: (Peeking)
I'm giving myself a BREAK. For like a few minutes LOL

The other day I was thinking: why am I able to write so much Stargate: SG-1 fanfic and not so much Supernatural fanfic? My passion and fannishness of the shows are fairly equal. I'd even say that my fannishness for Smallville is equal. So how come at the height of my SG-1 days I could pump out at least one fic a week, but with SPN or SV I can't? Have a lost my touch? I want to write lots of SPN, darn it! I love that show.

Aside from my current time constraints and my need to focus on my original fic *is jealous of people that can do both at the same time*... I argue it isn't lack of interest or desire, but the nature of the shows themselves and how the intersect with my writing wants and needs.

Stargate: SG-1, Supernatural, and Smallville are three shows that have very different structures/outcomes )

I'm sure everyone's experiences are different, but that's my take :)

ETA: There could be potential S4 SPN spoilers in the comments so be careful.
moonshayde: (Heroes)

I've been thinking about shipping*.

I'm starting to think I'm not your typical shipper, or if I am, I belong to a group that isn't very vocal.  Though, to be honest, I don't really like to be labeled that either. Maybe it's that I don't like labels.

I won't deny that I like romance. I do. I love romance. However, I'm the type of person that doesn't like romance as the lead story. I like romance as a subplot. Most of the time, anyway. There are always exceptions. Also, if it doesn't fit into the overall story, I don't want it at all. So I'm gen for some shows. I ship on others but don't want to see it realized, and I'm fine with other stories.

I'll be talking about Smallville, X-Files, SG-1, Pirates of the Caribbean, Farscape, Lost, and Supernatural in this post )

This is what it boils down to for me: character and plot first, romance second. But really, it's all about context. Some stories are meant to have romance as the lead story. I'm not talking about those. However, I do believe that no matter what story you're trying to tell that everything will fall into place if you're true to the characters and the plot.

But that's my writing philosophy so who is to say it is right ;)

So I don't know what I am. What are you?

*Shipping in this case can be defined as het or slash because either one works in this context as far as I'm concerned despite that my examples are mainly het. I also was lazy and wanted to use a broad term instead of ship/slash or het/slash all the time.
 

moonshayde: (Default)
Mary Sue, that is.

Come on. Admit it. If you're a fanfic writer, it's likely that at some point or another, you have written a Mary Sue. If you haven't, awesome for you. But if you have, it's nothing to be ashamed of. In fact, Mary Sues tend to form early in our writing careers and can be used as a marker for progress over time. (Of course, then you have the ficcers and the pros that never let go of their Sue. That's another story for another day.)

So, do you Sue? I sure did. Why not share your tale of Miss Wonderful with us all? I'm sure it will brighten our day. Doesn't matter the fandom. Let's all have a good laugh.

Embrace Your Inner Sue )

So that's my story. What is yours?
moonshayde: (Steadfast)
I'm talking about ships.

I've noticed that in multiple fandoms (Smallville, Stargate, X-Files, and Harry Potter for example) there may be discussions about plot, character, themes, and story, but in the end it all seems to boil down to ship. (Defining ship here in the broad sense - het or slash.) Sure, there are people in fandom that are there just for characters and plot. But those that are mainly focused on shipping is by far the majority. Once you weed through the hearty discussion of character arcs and plot, you'll see that people are arguing for "who ends up with who." Out of everything, this becomes the main focus and the most passionate for fans.

Take a look at any forum or discussion area. Doesn't matter which fandom. Most of them mirror each other.

So, I ask why? Why do we (in general) abandon everything else about the story, making it secondary to the ship? Why is it so vital to have the end goal be "so and so ends up with Clark" or "so and so ends up with Mulder" or "so and so ends up with Jack?" Why does that becoming the most defining attribute of the story or the characters? Why are we defining them by their romantic entanglements? Why are we defining them by their prize at the end of the day?

And is it the woman who is the prize in the end? Or the man? I've seen this go back and forth and it may depend on the fandom.

It happens across fandoms. I've noticed it a lot lately. As [livejournal.com profile] stargazercmc mentioned, is this something inate or does fandom perpetuate it? I wonder does this feed some basic human need or is something else going on here?
moonshayde: (Default)
Eh, enough whining for now. Time for fun.

In fandom (or even in other forms of writing), we all whump. Some may whump characters just a tad, so slightly that it's barely whumping. Others whump so hard you start to wonder. There is emotional whumping, physical whumping, and mentally whumping. There's whumping that covers a variety of senses and ideas.

But who do you whump? Do you find it's usually your favorite character? Is it your least favorite character? Is it the one you're attracted to most or the one that you identify with most? Or maybe it's based on a personality type?

Personally, I tend to whump the characters I like the most. Sometimes they are the character I identify with and sometimes they are the ones I'm attracted to. It also depends on the circumstance. One scenario might work better for one character over another. And I don't like to overwhump to the point it loses its punch. But in the end, it usally boils down to my fave character.

Examples of fave characters I whump or like to see whumped )

So, why would I want to hurt my favorite? It's a legitmate question and one I think about more and more now that I am writing stories for publication. If it's just to satisfy some kink, that's all fine and good, but for me it has to serve a purpose. I consider whumping a character, original fic or fanfic, a way to explore his/her strengths and weaknesses. If the character is alone, the whumping can be a testament to his stamina and his inner strength. If the character is with someone, we can witness her strength along with those who support her, or with those that want to undermine her. In the end, we the audience or the writer feel the triumph the character feels for overcoming adversity or perhaps the despair of failure.

That is why I like to whump. Your reasons may different. But I would love to hear them :)

(I'll reply to comments soon.)
moonshayde: (Default)
I don't get to meta too often because I am either too exhausted and too busy, but I decided to babble today. I do wish I could participate in more meta I see on other people's LJs, but again I'm often too tired of busy with RL bad stuff to participate much. Or by the time I get on LJ, the discussion seems to be over. Anyway...

Why I have a hard time shipping/slashing Jack )

Is It UST?

Aug. 1st, 2006 08:17 am
moonshayde: (Default)
This isn't exactly meta, per se, but delves into some meta issues within the context of fanfic and writing. You can apply this to many fandoms, but I will be using SG-1 to illustrate my points.

So, is it UST? )

I wonder what are your thoughts on this? Again, I used SG-1 as an example but it can be applied to any show, despite whether the show contains canon pairings or not.

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