The ways of responding to fiction

[selenak]

I got around to watching the last two episodes of Game of Thrones, which felt weirdly relaxing, because I'm not emotionally invested at all, yet (pilot and sexposition scenes excepted) find it entertaining. (That goes both for the book Song of Ice and Fire series and the tv show.) So there is no fannish angst, none of the usual books-versus film emotions (i.e. "this is ruining my favourite character"/ "why doesn't my favourite character have more screentime?" "zomg that cut won't work at all, what about the backstory") etc., and no hiatus sitting-on-tenterhooks. (Given the years between invididual books, angsting about a tv hiatus feels slightly hilarious in this particular fandom anyway. Also, I'm reminded again of Neil Gaiman's entertaining "G.R.R. Martin is not your bitch" post - does anyone still have a link to that?) Whereas with the fandoms I actually am invested in the price for the joy of love and the thrill of debate is the anxiety of caring, being overly protective of entirely fictional people, headdesking, you know, the usual. Not that I would give that up for the world, but is like a breeze to feel absolutely nothing when people are debating whether morally ambigous character A was justly represented/maligned/glorified, or where the canon might go, or any of these things.

(Especially with the upcoming new Torchwood, because if there is one thing our man Rusty is really good at, it's getting people invested. He might get them furious and writing rants, of course, but he and his creations have that trick of accessing emotions like no one's business. I already know where I won't look for meta when the series is broadcast.)

With my rekindled X-Men movieverse love (this reminds me: must catch up on the comics), I have the counter experience daily, so I treasure that there's something I'm able to be zen about without being bored by it. And then I hunt for some more X-Men fanfiction and meta, of course. :)

Today's results:

More Charles Xavier meta by labingi, this one on why Charles didn't become a little psycho mind-controlling evil overlord before even reaching puberty. (If you do think Charles is a l.p. m-c. e. o., check out the meta anyway, it's so my fanon now.)

Raven and Charles meta, focusing on the second kitchen scene. Which I interpreted as the writer of this essay did, but that doesn't seem the majority interpretation. Well, we all see different films, etc.


Great mixture of meta and fanfiction, about Emma Frost, Charles and Erik post-movie.


In conclusion, sign up for the X-Men movieverse ficathon! (Includes all the other Marvel movies to draw from.) I know I will. It's groovy. :)

Comments

[legionseagle]

G.R.R.Martin is not your bitch here; mme_hardy kindly dug it out for me when I was having a little trouble with a commenter on one of my Sherlock fics who thought I shouldn't have written it.

[selenak]

Thank you kindly!

[jesuswasbatman]

That idea about Charles and empathy makes a great deal of sense. (Maybe we can argue that the reason why humans in the B5 universe get so screwed up over telepathy is that telepathy isn't necessarily empathic).

[selenak]

That, and the telepaths in the B5 universe grow up in very specific circumstances and are trained from early childhood onwards (well, most of them) which isn't true of Charles. Plus you can speculate that the Vorlons meant telepaths to be weapons when they modified the gene pool of the younger races, so they might have made sure the empathy loop doesn't apply.

[astridv]

Whereas with the fandoms I actually am invested in the price for the joy of love and the thrill of debate is the anxiety of caring, being overly protective of entirely fictional people, headdesking, you know, the usual.

Yeah, I was just thinking about that because my show is coming back from hiatus next week and I'm, okay, looking forward to it but also a tad anxious. Not least because my two favorite characters are fandom's least favorite ones so I'm resigned to do my best to sidestep all episode reaction and meta post. Those things really can taint my enjoyment of a show... I wish that wasn't so.

So there is no fannish angst, none of the usual books-versus film emotions (i.e. "this is ruining my favourite character"/ "why doesn't my favourite character have more screentime?" "zomg that cut won't work at all, what about the backstory") etc., and no hiatus sitting-on-tenterhooks.

X-men is like that for me; I found the last movie engaging to the point where I'll read fic for it, but I don't care too much for it, so I can read meta and even wank without angsting over it. That really does have its advantages.

[selenak]

Those things really can taint my enjoyment of a show... I wish that wasn't so.

Me too, but I know it happens. If you're really invested in characters and plot developments, then your fannish life at least part of the time is an angst fest, and no matter how much you tell yourself that what other people thought of episode X and that scene where your favourite character *insert activity* is their business and doesn't impact on your viewing, it does.

[meri]

I was pretty happy existing in the land of nearly fannish for a long time between Angel and Merlin. Though I almost got there with RTD's DW, and I might be there with Moffet's now.

I could never find that mix of happy excientment laced with anxiety that is a sign you're in (fannish) love you describe above. It's been nice to find it again, even if this time I learned exactly how headdesky fandom (and a show or it's creators) can get. I was a lot more sheltered in the Angel and Buffy fandoms because I found my niche and stayed there.

[selenak]

Hm, I seem to recall massive Kalinda angst and love on your part. :)

[skywaterblue]

Not that I would give that up for the world, but is like a breeze to feel absolutely nothing when people are debating whether morally ambigous character A was justly represented/maligned/glorified, or where the canon might go, or any of these things.

This is pretty close to how I feel about the show. The books? I was on a forum recently where someone described GRRM as (after a discussion of the parallels with the actual War of the Roses) as thus: writes with facility but is relentlessly mundane and incurious.

Which is how I came away feeling about them. They're like reading Shakespeare without the good parts.

[selenak]

LOL. Well phrased. I went through them, but I never had the urge to re-read a single one.

[skywaterblue]

I didn't even make it through the first one. Skimming spoilers for the sequels had me very incredulous.

I definitely started enjoying the show more once I only knew spoilers for the main plot points. (It must be the most boring writer's room in creation, which is possibly why only two or three writers are credited for the entire season of ten.)