Ponderings On The Joys Of Fanfic

[janamelie.livejournal.com]

Pardon the spam - apparently I have a lot of RD thoughts right now.  This was prompted by a RD fan whom I follow on Twitter expressing frustation with aspects of the writing in later series, specifically the proliferation of "rape jokes" (ugh) and the writing of Kochanski.

I don't know this person very well but I'm about 95% sure that they're not into fanfic and are therefore probably unaware of the regular discussions we have about issues like that and the existence of "fix-it" fics.  It just made me so glad that I do enjoy fic and made me realise how cathartic it can be to read or write a fic which "fixes" a problem in canon and / or fills in background details on minor or poorly written characters.  Yes, the problem still exists in canon, but at least it's been acknowledged.

It also makes me sympathise more with some G&T and TOS posters.  If you're the type of fan who loves to analyse something you love (I certainly am) and for whatever reason you're not into fanfic, it must be really frustrating when the honeymoon period fades and you start noticing the flaws in the thing you love.  You're basically stuck with them without the compensation of someone finding imaginative ways around them.

This honestly isn't intended as a "Ha ha, we're so much better than them" type of post.  If it's intended as anything, I suppose it's a thank you to all the friendly and talented people on here, AO3 and Tumblr who've contributed so much fic, art, meta and just general discussion over the years.  You've enriched this show immeasurably for me.

Comments

[derien.livejournal.com]

Yes, that's exactly it - the fic, the talking about the fic is all a discussion about not only the good points but the things that could have been done better. I agree, it has enriched the show for me. Thank you for putting that so succinctly.

[rosecathy1.livejournal.com]

Agreed. :o)

I also appreciate the kinds of stories and discussions we have. Based on my poking around, a lot of other fandoms really emphasise erotica and tropes, both in discussions (as you know from The Argument to End All Arguments in the Sherlock fandom, for example) and in fic. I don't have a problem with erotica -- obviously! -- but I feel like my stories wouldn't get much of a look elsewhere because of this expectation that fics must be long and porn-filled to be popular/considered good.

[lordvalerymimes.livejournal.com]

So much amen to all of this. Enriching the fandom is exactly what it does.

I'm into RD more than I've been into anything, but the closest thing would probably be Harry Potter when I was in my early 20s. I never delved into fanfiction with HP though. Now that I see what the fanfic side is like, it's just so much more fun. I still don't think I'll ever be motivated to read or write fic for anything other than RD, but I'm so glad to have discovered it.

There's just something so exciting about the fact that you can take these characters and places that you love, and just do anything with them. Anything your imagination can cook up. I know I'm not the greatest writer, but having these boys awaken my creative muse has just been so cathartic for me. I feel more like myself than I've done in years.

So yeah, thank you everyone, all of you who have written RD fics. You've done so much for me, without even knowing it. :)

[fantasysci5.livejournal.com]

Fic does help make things feel better.