Knowing when to just keep your mouth shut

[phoenix64]

So, is there any polite way to tell a fic writer, "My, you seemed to have based your entire fic around a huge honkin' Mary Sue" or do you just assume they don't really want to know any better and remember to avoid any future fics by that writer?

Comments

[girlfmkitty.livejournal.com]

*the icon is for the fic writer you talk about*

As a rule, because of exactly that problem, I avoid any and all fan fiction. If you were really good, you'd be working at the show. Since you're not, why bother?

But that's just me... ;-)

[phoenix64.livejournal.com]

*Tries to imagine life without fanfic*

*Gives up, deciding the probable stroke isn't worth it*

Though the web would certainly contain a lot less wank ...

[girlfmkitty.livejournal.com]

Also, people wouldn't have a distorted idea of what the actual characters are like if fanfic writers didn't apply their own vision to them. I can't begin to tell you how many times I've had to explain to people, "Stop reading Wolverine fanfic and then expecting the actual one to behave that way! Not even the movie one is gonna follow the actual rules of the comic book character, ffs!"

And it wouldn't be a stroke - try a day without it. If you don't have a stroke then (which you won't), then try another day. And another... It's kinda easy after a while.

Besides, then come the dreams... and those are really fun!

[phoenix64.livejournal.com]

But you see, I'm all for reinterpretation. You mentioned Wolverine - well, every new writer on a comics title does just that. If we simply dismiss reinterpretation, we never would have had Alan Moore's work on Swamp Thing - which even if you're not familiar with it, paved the way for things like Neil Gaiman's Sandman. And Sandman has had repercussions far outside the field of comics. Without reinterpretation we never would have had Frank Miller's work on Batman - also hugely seminal (and also ultimately responsible for Batman Begins).

And that's in one relatively minor field. If I wanted to get really into it I could start talking about the influence of Sherlock Holmes pastiches and Cthulu Mythos fiction. Short version: if you don't care for fanfic, fine, but at its roots it doesn't deserve to be disparaged out of hand.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_medley_/]

I've asked myself the same question, and possibly about the same story, if it's a Dresden one. I can't figure out any way to do it, especially since the woman in "Rules of Engagement" seems to me like a bit of a Mary Sue herself.

[phoenix64.livejournal.com]

Re "Rules of Engagement": I'm assuming you're referring to the fact that she seemed a little too good to be true. While I agree with that assessment, the fact that she ultimately ended up with no real connections to any of the ongoing characters balanced that out enough.

And I'm spending the bulk of my time in DF fandom these days, but beyond that I'm not sayin' nothin'. :P

[http://users.livejournal.com/_medley_/]

I'm assuming you're referring to the fact that she seemed a little too good to be true.

Exactly.

While I agree with that assessment, the fact that she ultimately ended up with no real connections to any of the ongoing characters balanced that out enough.

OK, yeah, I can see that. Luckily, I wrote my Mary Sues waaaay before the creation of LiveJournal, so nobody ever saw mine. *g*