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Randomness, The Doctor Is In - On How not to Bash
So, I finally went to the doctor to get my knees checked out. And as it turns out, the preliminary diagnosis is Bursitis and Patellar Tendinitis. In both knees. So this means more resting, PT, anti-inflammatories and wearing sleeves for awhile. And possibly, I might have to go get injections and what not. At this point, I wish they would have just busted out the needle, drained what had to be drained, and shot me up with whatever cortico-steriod they think I'll be needing.
But the fun thing? Apparently, this is a condition traditonally known as "Housemaid's Knee" - because the knee seems mostly okay until you actually get on your knees to clean the floor or somesuch, at which point it is remarkably painful.
Note - this does not amuse me because of the term "housemaid" or any particular gendered connotations. Mostly it's because if there's anyone I know who doesn't do nearly as much housework as should be done, it's me. This would be like getting "Tennis Elbow" without actually playing tennis. (Not that I do) Seriously - if I'm gonna be getting housemaid's knees, at least I should be cleaning my house. This is just shameful.
(As is the condition of my house - fortunately I'll be bringing in an OCD Neatfreak of a tenant next month...)
BTW - Recieved a favorite reply in an offlist discussion where I tried to explain why a writer's work was Bashfic:
Now, actually - I claimed that if you don't want to write Bashfic, then yeah - you have to be able to consider all of the characters (at least not counting moustache twirling villains like Warren) from a sympathetic POV. You don't actually have to sympathize with them - or necessarily go with it - but you do have to be open to considering the possibility.
It's the willingness to accept ambiguity. We don't want stories so amorphous that nobody has any idea what you're going on about - but ambiguity is key. Shades of grey.
People generally have motivations. One should explore that. And not just one motivation - usually - people have several. It's really great if you can work it so that characters have conflicting motivations, and then find themselves in situations where they have to make value judgements around those conflicting values.
It would also help if characters have motivations that aren't clear or clean - some should be pretty and noble, and some should be ugly and ignoble. Because - hey - that's humanity. And ideally, as a writer, we shouldn't make excuses for characters having ignoble motivations. Especially the characters we like. It's okay for them to have those ugly motivations. It can be bad if they act on them - but it makes them human characters instead of simple fantasy objects or cardboard cutouts.
And when it comes to characters we dislike, whether it's Spike, Riley, or Kennedy or anyone else - we shouldn't write off their better motives - most people have them.
So that's my key - be ready to explore the characters and consider them as having multiple motives, preferably layered and conflicting for the better dramatic possibilities. If characters behave as they do out of multiple motives - if acts can't be attributed only to one motive, good or bad, you have some ambiguity. You have humanity in the story. Might not make it actually good or bad, but at least you'll be making sure that you aren't writing Bash-fic.
But the fun thing? Apparently, this is a condition traditonally known as "Housemaid's Knee" - because the knee seems mostly okay until you actually get on your knees to clean the floor or somesuch, at which point it is remarkably painful.
Note - this does not amuse me because of the term "housemaid" or any particular gendered connotations. Mostly it's because if there's anyone I know who doesn't do nearly as much housework as should be done, it's me. This would be like getting "Tennis Elbow" without actually playing tennis. (Not that I do) Seriously - if I'm gonna be getting housemaid's knees, at least I should be cleaning my house. This is just shameful.
(As is the condition of my house - fortunately I'll be bringing in an OCD Neatfreak of a tenant next month...)
BTW - Recieved a favorite reply in an offlist discussion where I tried to explain why a writer's work was Bashfic:
You insist that I MUST see (Insert Character Here) as sympathetic, in a situation where you already know that my views are opposite.
Now, actually - I claimed that if you don't want to write Bashfic, then yeah - you have to be able to consider all of the characters (at least not counting moustache twirling villains like Warren) from a sympathetic POV. You don't actually have to sympathize with them - or necessarily go with it - but you do have to be open to considering the possibility.
It's the willingness to accept ambiguity. We don't want stories so amorphous that nobody has any idea what you're going on about - but ambiguity is key. Shades of grey.
People generally have motivations. One should explore that. And not just one motivation - usually - people have several. It's really great if you can work it so that characters have conflicting motivations, and then find themselves in situations where they have to make value judgements around those conflicting values.
It would also help if characters have motivations that aren't clear or clean - some should be pretty and noble, and some should be ugly and ignoble. Because - hey - that's humanity. And ideally, as a writer, we shouldn't make excuses for characters having ignoble motivations. Especially the characters we like. It's okay for them to have those ugly motivations. It can be bad if they act on them - but it makes them human characters instead of simple fantasy objects or cardboard cutouts.
And when it comes to characters we dislike, whether it's Spike, Riley, or Kennedy or anyone else - we shouldn't write off their better motives - most people have them.
So that's my key - be ready to explore the characters and consider them as having multiple motives, preferably layered and conflicting for the better dramatic possibilities. If characters behave as they do out of multiple motives - if acts can't be attributed only to one motive, good or bad, you have some ambiguity. You have humanity in the story. Might not make it actually good or bad, but at least you'll be making sure that you aren't writing Bash-fic.
no subject
I know lots of B/A writers bash Riley and Spike, but I don't see the point when they are wonderful foils for Angel and Buffy (and other characters) and can be used in all sorts of compelling ways just the way they are.
The best stories are those that present characters that, when you read them, do things that make you go: yes, he/she would say/do/feel that. To ignore the Spike's kinder, gentler side devalues what Buffy saw in him and thereby lessens her character. Everyone loses.
Hope you get some relief for your knees.
no subject
Exactly - in this case, it was a Spuffy author bashing Riley, but the point holds.
I think a key thing to do, as a viewer, is to ask yourself of each character:
What does Character X "get right" that Character Y could or should learn from, and then vice-versa. People are going to have rankings and judgements, and that's natural and fine... but one needs to be able to find something admirable and something inexcusable in each character (Characters like Warren or Caleb excepted...) if only to maintain some semblance of balance.
no subject
Of course, I am preaching to the choir :)
no subject
Heh. Riley had plenty of facets. It's just that most of them were offscreen facets, and the facets shown onscreen weren't presented in a way that people could really grip.
What's interesting to me about Riley in S4 is also what's interesting to me about Kate in AtS-1... they're both approaching the demon/human world with professional mindsets (Military and Police, respectively) which would be useful to Our Heroes except that a lot of the specifics of that professional background doesn't translate well to the newer world they face. It's fertile enough ground if those sorts of issues are your bag to focus on... but boring if (1) it's not really your bag and (2) the show doesn't do an excellent job of putting it across to help you get pinging for it...