Firefly Fanfiction: What Are Your Pet-Peeves?
POSTED BY: Xeyra
UPDATED: Friday, November 30, 2012 02:57
VIEWED: 59700
PAGE 12 of 17
I have a list going in the Blue Sun Room forum of stories that have convinced me of pairings I totally couldn't see before (i.e. River/Jayne, which I've only really found one of, but that's still one that addressed my issues with the pairing) The thread is called "Convince me" and there are some great suggestions up, along with some of my personal favorites. There probably aren't many who are out to be converted or convinced of a particualr pairing, but I don't think there's any reason not to give it a shot. I'm still not a Jaylee or Rayne fanatic, but it certainly doesn't twist in my brain as much anymore. If an author really knows the characters and realizes the issues and writes it well, there's no reason it shouldn't work. So, as stated, do not be discouraged; we live in a universe of infinite possibilities.
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I'm developing a bigger pet peeve, and that's for folks who consider it a personal insult that a fictional character is hooking up with some other fictional character!!
Come on, we're all a big happy lovey family. And part of the point of fanfic is that things that would never happen on the show can! Mal can seduce the preacher. River can try out for the inner-Alliance cheer squad. Zoe can take up needlepoint. Whatever! It's NOT REAL!!!
intolerance = Alliance. Which side are you on?
I want everyone who's upset to go smell some flowers and grill something tasty.
XXXOOO 
m4p
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I'm the president. I don't need to listen.
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Quote:
Originally posted by mal4prez:
I'm developing a bigger pet peeve, and that's for folks who consider it a personal insult that a fictional character is hooking up with some other fictional character!!
Come on, we're all a big happy lovey family. And part of the point of fanfic is that things that would never happen on the show can! Mal can seduce the preacher. River can try out for the inner-Alliance cheer squad. Zoe can take up needlepoint. Whatever! It's NOT REAL!!!
Well, erm, can I believe that you'd give a Malver a chance then, based on this opinion? 'Cause you did say that pairing shouldn't ever exist, in a previous post. *sheepish grin*
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Wash: This landing is gonna get pretty interesting.
Mal: Define "interesting".
Wash: [deadpan] Oh God, oh God, we're all going to die?
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Quote:
Originally posted by mal4prez:
I'm developing a bigger pet peeve, and that's for folks who consider it a personal insult that a fictional character is hooking up with some other fictional character!!
Come on, we're all a big happy lovey family. And part of the point of fanfic is that things that would never happen on the show can! Mal can seduce the preacher. River can try out for the inner-Alliance cheer squad. Zoe can take up needlepoint. Whatever! It's NOT REAL!!!
I'm with Mal4Prez on this one.
Although, I also agree with those who don't like spelling or grammar mistakes. That's as far as I go though..
The length isn't too much of an issue in my mind, as long it's entertaining and well written. How many people can read a 20+ page chapter if they are working in the office? 0.o
The most important factor is that fan fiction is supposed to be FUN. It's the reason why most authors write, and why people read it. It's pure escapism. When a percentage of readers dislike certain pairings or crossovers, it becomes a little anal. Just a little though.
It stifles the creative process and imagination. Variety is important, or there would just be people complaining about the lack of it.
On the flip side, everyone is entitled to their own personal taste.
But it's kind of limiting. I feel more enriched when I start reading genres or pairings that I wouldn't normally touch.
I take my hat off to those who choose to be more adventurous in their story telling technique. The results can be extremely rewarding, both as a reader and an author. Does anyone remember the story 'Jayne woke up.. Fairy!'?
http://www.fireflyfans.net/sunroomitem.asp?i=2553
It's wacky fun, and just one example (of many) that works so well.
In any case, I'm glad that there's a lot of different fan fic out there. We should be grateful that the tv studios haven't clamped down it, or we'd be complaining about that too.
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Wow, this thread really does make me question some of what I’ve written. Of course, I already do. The things I would change if I could start over, lol. This thread is a lot of fun!
Most, if not all, of these have been covered, but since I want to get them off my chest…
1 - People who post five chapters in one day (or five pictures, or five vignettes). It is hard for readers (especially new readers) to find a fic if your five-hundred works are always pushing things off the main page. Would it be so hard to only post two?
2 - Fics that are all mashed into one paragraph. Fics that are all dialogue (unless they are in a teleplay format, but even then, some stage direction helps). I can forgive hear/here mistakes and wrong words here and there if the fic has generally correct spelling, and has these nifty things called paragraphs.
3 - I can’t see River with anyone on the crew, especially Jayne.
4 - River Characterization. She can’t be too lucid. She also shouldn’t be a plot device. How much, “X gets with Y because River used her super psychic abilities to read their mind and force them to confront their feelings” is out there? Enough, I think. Please, think of a new role for River.
5 - When characters are entirely forgotten. It is okay if Book does not appear in a one-shot Kaylee/Simone hook-up fic. It is not okay is he doesn’t appear in a pre-Serenity “lost episode”-like fic. He would be in the episode, and have a significant role. Inara would, too.
6 - Kaylee’s in danger!-fics. Despite the fact that she is the sunniest character, some people imagine some really dark things happening to this girl. Some times (usually when it is not part of a S/K or J/K romance fic) these stories work. Most of the time, I’m just like, “okay, Kaylee might die. That’s nice. Oh, yes, it would be hard for Simon to cure Kaylee since he loves her. Umm...hmm…”
7 - Short chapters. Really, unless the chapter is 1,000 words long (but preferably more) then why are you wasting BlueSunRoom space with your chapter? edit: reading this thread, someone pointed out that shorter chapters are better to read in offices, and they have a good point, but I still prefer long ones. :-)
8 – Inara. She is my favorite, so I get very critical of how she is portrayed. It hate it every time Inara is convinced to profess her love for Mal because Kaylee calls her a hypocrite while whining about her situation with Simon. I hate it when she is portrayed as weak, or completely useless in tough situations. Yes, she would be afraid if she were suddenly forced to be in a fight, but I don’t think she’d be paralyzed, thanks. When she is too open with her emotions. A LOT would need to happen before Inara cried in front of anyone, even Mal. When she realizes that she really is living a lie, and Mal was right to call her a whore all along… no, she’s not living a lie. She’s not perfectly well adjusted (what fun would that be?), but that doesn’t mean she living a lie, or not her job is 100% degrading, etc.
I also don’t care for non-cannon pairings, though there certainly isn’t anything wrong with them. One of the reasons fanfic exists, after all, is to give ourselves a glimpse of what we would like to happen, but would never happen. (So, go write your Rayne fics… just don’t look for my review, lol…)
I don’t mind OCs, if they are well done. You walk a very fine line when you create an original character, but just because you can fail doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try. Stories are about people, and I say the more, the merrier.
Well, that said, it is fan fiction! Anything can happen. This is all in the spirit of good fun!
Peace.
Katie
a.k.a. Arcadia at fff.net
a.k.a. Greyfable at stillflying.net
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"Objects in Space"
River: It's just an object. It doesn't mean what you think...
http://www.stillflying.net/ <-- Check it out!
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Quote:
Originally posted by Arcadia:
8 – Inara. She is my favorite, so I get very critical of how she is portrayed. It hate it every time Inara is convinced to profess her love for Mal because Kaylee calls her a hypocrite while whining about her situation with Simon. I hate it when she is portrayed as weak, or completely useless in tough situations. Yes, she would be afraid if she were suddenly forced to be in a fight, but I don’t think she’d be paralyzed, thanks. When she is too open with her emotions. A LOT would need to happen before Inara cried in front of anyone, even Mal. When she realizes that she really is living a lie, and Mal was right to call her a whore all along… no, she’s not living a lie. She’s not perfectly well adjusted (what fun would that be?), but that doesn’t mean she living a lie, or not her job is 100% degrading, etc.
AMEN!
Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen!
So many people make her this spineless, mindless carricature of a woman and I don't understand why.
A woman who leaves Serenity because she doesn't want to be tied to people... she wouldn't be the one to demand marriage or cringe at having a child out of wedlock, she wouldn't base all her decisions on Mal's opinion and she wouldn't suddenly change her mind because a crewmember calls her selfish for leaving. A character so independent would have some understanding of the value of making her own choices, with her best interest in mind.
Also: she is witty. People love to forget her dry wit. *sigh*
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Umm... wow!
This thread bacame a bit of a monster since I was last here.
The only really new issue raised has been about anonymous nasty commenting. I don't mind bad reviews, I've had a few myself elsewhere, and it's not a great for your ego but eventually you just get over yourself and try to see there point of view. However, this is very different to the people that deliberately log off to leave nasty (non-constructive) reviews.
If I don't like a fic I don't comment, if I have a suggestion or see a plot hole I'll leave kind and constructive critisism or PM the person. Anonmymous sniping helps no-one.
With regards to the wierd and wonderful pairings... knock yourselves out guys. Have fun with it. It's fan-fiction, you're fans and you're writing the fiction of your choice! If I don't like it I won't read it but I won't discourage you from writing it!
*****
Taya
*****
I'm going to S3!!!
(*Insert hysterical celebration dance here*)
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Quote:
Originally posted by Tayeatra:
Umm... wow!
This thread bacame a bit of a monster since I was last here.
The only really new issue raised has been about anonymous nasty commenting. I don't mind bad reviews, I've had a few myself elsewhere, and it's not a great for your ego but eventually you just get over yourself and try to see there point of view. However, this is very different to the people that deliberately log off to leave nasty (non-constructive) reviews.
If I don't like a fic I don't comment, if I have a suggestion or see a plot hole I'll leave kind and constructive critisism or PM the person. Anonmymous sniping helps no-one.
With regards to the wierd and wonderful pairings... knock yourselves out guys. Have fun with it. It's fan-fiction, you're fans and you're writing the fiction of your choice! If I don't like it I won't read it but I won't discourage you from writing it!
*****
Taya
*****
I'm going to S3!!!
(*Insert hysterical celebration dance here*)
I have to say that I was very nervous posting my first ever (for public consumption) fanfic on this site, 'specially as it was (horror, of horrors) one of those contraversial xovers and they tend to produce either love em or hate em responses. Still, I've been really reassured by the response I've had. Everyone's been kind and encouraging and made me feel right at home.
I love the open-minded attitude that I've seen expressed on this thread, where people have been unconvinced by a plot/ style/ pairing in a story but have been willing to give it a try and see if they can be convinced. I try to encourage this approach in the much maligned sphere of xover stories. I have a couple of friends who, when I confessed this particular prediliction, declared me unclean and unfit to be set loose in polite society. I have since sat on one of them and forced them to read my story and, although there was the occasional wince (this could have been from my great weight!), I actually caught him grinning a few times!
In fact, someone once reviewed to say that I had converted them from a xover hater to a true believer! Greater praise hath no woman!
Basically, I'm asking all those people who have expressed aversions to particular types of stories to occasionally try one anyway. If it sets you teeth on edge within the first page then you don't have to go on, but it's worth challenging your preconceptions every now and then. Sometimes you find a moment of laughter or something truely touching that otherwise you would have missed out on.
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Oh mal4prez, you made me giggle with: "Mal can seduce the preacher. River can try out for the inner-Alliance cheer squad. Zoe can take up needlepoint." I love it! And after the day I've just had, I needed that (just smashed my brand new car into a poor little deer). Thanks for the laugh.
And yes, we need to be more tolerant, freedom is the most important part of being a Browncoat (at least I think it is).
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Any pairing is fair game. Any pairing. But you have to earn it, and not many writers take the time.
In the second season of Buffy, a Spike/Buffy romance would have been laughable and completely out of character for both of them. By the time it happened it was almost inevitable, but it took 5 years and a lot of character development to get there. Joss' people change and take weird directions but it always makes sense, looking back (well, except maybe for Angel/Cordelia, but hey).
Bad grammar and spelling are distracting, but a good enough story can make me read it anyway (here I'm thinking Harriet Vane, who could have used a spell-checker more often but wrote one of the best Rivers I've ever read). But characterization and dialogue tells me whether I should keep reading or not.
Especially River. As has been said above, she's probably the one that's the toughest to get. Either she's too incoherent, or too coherent, or too ninja-y, or too damn powerful, or just tossed in as someone to say something eerily appropriate to get the plot moving again. River is getting a lot more input than the average person and has problems intepreting it, so she tends to find metaphors that explain what she's seeing and then she comments on the metaphor to the confusion of the crew. Her lucidity changes, but it rarely changes to the convenience of the story. Usually, quite the opposite. Write a good River and I'll cut you a lot of slack.
And thanks for the "Nathan on the Serenity" shoutout above!
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