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imation23... I'm not sure how popular/unpopular these are. As always, MMV, and it depends on specific fandoms.
1. By the time of the Council of Elrond, Aragorn is eighty-seven. He has been "Isildur's Heir" and "the last hope" for almost the entirety of his life. He's been all over the globe, slipped in and out of numerous societies. He has been in love with Arwen for seventy years, and betrothed to her for decades. He may have traveled to the remotest corners of the worlds, and he has been without her for great lengths of time. I'm perfectly willing to believe Aragorn has had affairs at some point in the seventy years since he first sang to her of Tinuviel. But he is firm and resolute in these few things. That he will stand against Sauron. That he will be a good king. And that he loves Arwen. He's not conflicted about any of the three anymore. If you want to explore those conflicts, set your story further in his past.
2. LoTR PWP Smut. Sorry. I really, really don't care. I'm sure these characters have lots of sex. They also take shits. Don't need to see it on my screen. That's not why I read Tolkien.
3. Tolkien fanfiction based solely upon the Peter Jackson movies. Too heavily derivative to capture actual truth. The movie itself, is a work of fanfiction. If you are going to write LoTR fanfic, at least read the books. And ideally, the appendix. And hopefully the Silmarillion and such. Unless it's just humor or parody. Is it so hard to have some basis in the universe? Note: Faramir of the movie? Not Faramir.
4. Characters don't need to be paired up with other characters already known in the -verse. Or at all. Buffy/Other is perfectly valid. So is Buffy not-paired. I wish people wrote more, relative to the glut.
5. Romantic ship is not the be-all, end-all. Tolstoy's dictum, "All Happy Families are alike". Well, in too many ways, All Romance is alike. The spaces between matter a lot. How characters behave when they aren't busy being "in-love" reveal as much as melodramatic moments. Spike's nattering on about how much in love he is, and how much he suffers, and is draping himself on a cross (literally or metaphorically) again. Spare me in the fic - it's been done to death on the show already. Buffy & Angel looking at the mirror and seeing only Buffy says more about them and their relationship then 80% of the "romantic" scenes and speeches ever do. Keep that in mind.
5a. Characters can have sexual relationships that aren't about love or angst, or anything more than comfort and convenience. Sometimes, sex is just sex. And sometimes, that's okay.
6. Moreover, Fandom X is not legally required to be restricted to OTP (insert here). Your favorite characters are allowed to go beyond that pairing. Authors are allowed to go beyond just that pairing. As writer, you don't have to restrict yourself to fav character/pairing. There are other characters and pairings on the show. They are there to be enjoyed. Take advantage of them all. Except for Buffy/Dawn, because that's just really really squicky, gross and wrong.
7. UC ships are fine. Encouraged even. I love the idea of Spkie/Faith, for example. But UC ships, solely for the sake of UC ships, bug me something fierce. Slash or non. Good UC or slash reveals something interesting about a character through the story. But many of these pairings have some very heavy hurdles, and a good writer will work hard to make sure they've been cleared. Bad UC or Slash comes off as an exercise in authorial masturbation. Give me something I can work with.
8. I'm not required to like your ship or fic, just because you do. Try to convince me. As a fan or writer, expect the "rightness" of your character actions to be questioned. One person's junk is another persons treasure, and vice-versa. Try to keep that in mind. Ground yourself in canonical characterization, so I can actually believe the characters are motivated to do what you say they are doing - not just because Writer X is pulling strings. Make it feel plausible, for I am a fickle reader and need to be wooed.
8a. Need I say more? Yes. You do. Just because you fully believe what you are writing or saying, doesn't mean I get it. Sell me on your idea. Convince me. Don't tell me I don't get it, and write me off. Help me get it.
9. Super-revisionist AU fics. It's great that you want to remove supernatural to get at other aspects of characterization. But if you've got older-woman experienced Buffy dating virginal young man Angel, or super-dorky outcast Buffy panting after Superpopular highly sought after William - I think you've lost me. Work hard to help me see that I'm looking at your AU Buffy Summers and seeing "Buffy Summers" - not some original character wearing her skin.
10. Logical fallacy. I hate this like Mrs. Megyeri (my ninth-grade English teacher) hated bad grammar. Characters X and Y shouldn't be together, because character Y is "more worthy" than Character X's current SO. Turning Hated Rival B into a villian automatically makes Hero A good and right. Post Hoc Ergo Propter Hoc - Correlation does not imply causation. And so on...
imation23... I'm not sure how popular/unpopular these are. As always, MMV, and it depends on specific fandoms.1. By the time of the Council of Elrond, Aragorn is eighty-seven. He has been "Isildur's Heir" and "the last hope" for almost the entirety of his life. He's been all over the globe, slipped in and out of numerous societies. He has been in love with Arwen for seventy years, and betrothed to her for decades. He may have traveled to the remotest corners of the worlds, and he has been without her for great lengths of time. I'm perfectly willing to believe Aragorn has had affairs at some point in the seventy years since he first sang to her of Tinuviel. But he is firm and resolute in these few things. That he will stand against Sauron. That he will be a good king. And that he loves Arwen. He's not conflicted about any of the three anymore. If you want to explore those conflicts, set your story further in his past.
2. LoTR PWP Smut. Sorry. I really, really don't care. I'm sure these characters have lots of sex. They also take shits. Don't need to see it on my screen. That's not why I read Tolkien.
3. Tolkien fanfiction based solely upon the Peter Jackson movies. Too heavily derivative to capture actual truth. The movie itself, is a work of fanfiction. If you are going to write LoTR fanfic, at least read the books. And ideally, the appendix. And hopefully the Silmarillion and such. Unless it's just humor or parody. Is it so hard to have some basis in the universe? Note: Faramir of the movie? Not Faramir.
4. Characters don't need to be paired up with other characters already known in the -verse. Or at all. Buffy/Other is perfectly valid. So is Buffy not-paired. I wish people wrote more, relative to the glut.
5. Romantic ship is not the be-all, end-all. Tolstoy's dictum, "All Happy Families are alike". Well, in too many ways, All Romance is alike. The spaces between matter a lot. How characters behave when they aren't busy being "in-love" reveal as much as melodramatic moments. Spike's nattering on about how much in love he is, and how much he suffers, and is draping himself on a cross (literally or metaphorically) again. Spare me in the fic - it's been done to death on the show already. Buffy & Angel looking at the mirror and seeing only Buffy says more about them and their relationship then 80% of the "romantic" scenes and speeches ever do. Keep that in mind.
5a. Characters can have sexual relationships that aren't about love or angst, or anything more than comfort and convenience. Sometimes, sex is just sex. And sometimes, that's okay.
6. Moreover, Fandom X is not legally required to be restricted to OTP (insert here). Your favorite characters are allowed to go beyond that pairing. Authors are allowed to go beyond just that pairing. As writer, you don't have to restrict yourself to fav character/pairing. There are other characters and pairings on the show. They are there to be enjoyed. Take advantage of them all. Except for Buffy/Dawn, because that's just really really squicky, gross and wrong.
7. UC ships are fine. Encouraged even. I love the idea of Spkie/Faith, for example. But UC ships, solely for the sake of UC ships, bug me something fierce. Slash or non. Good UC or slash reveals something interesting about a character through the story. But many of these pairings have some very heavy hurdles, and a good writer will work hard to make sure they've been cleared. Bad UC or Slash comes off as an exercise in authorial masturbation. Give me something I can work with.
8. I'm not required to like your ship or fic, just because you do. Try to convince me. As a fan or writer, expect the "rightness" of your character actions to be questioned. One person's junk is another persons treasure, and vice-versa. Try to keep that in mind. Ground yourself in canonical characterization, so I can actually believe the characters are motivated to do what you say they are doing - not just because Writer X is pulling strings. Make it feel plausible, for I am a fickle reader and need to be wooed.
8a. Need I say more? Yes. You do. Just because you fully believe what you are writing or saying, doesn't mean I get it. Sell me on your idea. Convince me. Don't tell me I don't get it, and write me off. Help me get it.
9. Super-revisionist AU fics. It's great that you want to remove supernatural to get at other aspects of characterization. But if you've got older-woman experienced Buffy dating virginal young man Angel, or super-dorky outcast Buffy panting after Superpopular highly sought after William - I think you've lost me. Work hard to help me see that I'm looking at your AU Buffy Summers and seeing "Buffy Summers" - not some original character wearing her skin.
10. Logical fallacy. I hate this like Mrs. Megyeri (my ninth-grade English teacher) hated bad grammar. Characters X and Y shouldn't be together, because character Y is "more worthy" than Character X's current SO. Turning Hated Rival B into a villian automatically makes Hero A good and right. Post Hoc Ergo Propter Hoc - Correlation does not imply causation. And so on...
no subject
And, segue free- I'm glad I friended you. :}
Segues are for the weak
And thanks. I'm here to amuse. And if you aren't careful, you just might learn something.
Re: Segues are for the weak
Oh, I'll run away and hide before that can happen.
I know what TTT etc. IS I just don't follow the fandom. I didn't even like the *books*. There's a non-popular fandom opinion.
Re: Segues are for the weak
And yeah, that certainly is unpopular. I don't follow that fandom much anymore, certainly far less than I did before the movies were made, when I was mostly into the Academic circles. My favorite part of the LotR was the Appendix, I was far more interested in the Silmarillion and Tolkien's lectures, letters, and notes - stuff most "LotR fans" never read.
These days, I step across when folks write crossovers or one thing or another. It's not something I discuss much, but merely knowing of the fandom irks me. Because I am an Obnoxious Academic Snob when it comes to Tolkenalia.