I pretty much fall under the category of, I read it for the canon characters. I don't mind original characters because they can sometimes allow me to see interactions that just won't happen with other canon characters for some reason or another.
Mmm, yes, this is true for me as well. Most of the time when I invent OCs it's to provide a new perspective on a canon char. To be honest I tend to avoid developing my OCs that much because if I'm going to be developing original chars, I'd prefer they were in my own original fic. But I don't think there's anything wrong with creating OCs for whatever reasons; it's a different way to engage with a fandom's canon than what I do, but that doesn't make it wrong...
I don't really want the person to be ashamed of their writing. I guess I just want an awareness that the story is a personal fantasy and self fulfillment, and while some people may want to share that fantasy, others won't want to, so they shouldn't try to pass it off as a normal fanfic or justify it.
Well, see, with this, I'd want to say that self-inserts are "normal fanfic" - considering how many fans write them, they're not abnormal! But they are a particular genre that many fans aren't interested in reading. Which is why I think it's reasonable that we have a label for them - same as we have "gen" and "slash" and "het" and "death-fic" and "aliens made them do it" - it's not that any of these are shameful, but it's useful to be able to mark them...
In summary, I want the people writing Mary Sues to be upfront and unapologetic about the fact that they're writing a Mary Sue, and not have it passed off as something else. I don't want them to try to justify it - because they shouldn't have to do so. They are perfectly within their rights to write and post it. Just as I'm perfectly within my rights to read it or not.
Yes, this! The trouble, however, is that distinguishing a "Mary Sue" (or whichever label) from a "regular" OC is difficult and somewhat subjective (especially in a case like Dragon Age) and younger, newer fans aren't going to be as familiar with the terms anyway...and right now, with the bias against Mary Sue, older fans are less likely to cop to doing it anyway.
So I don't want to lose the label (even if I think it would be better if it were gender-neutral) but I wish it would lose some of its more negative, shameful interpretations...now we just gotta figure out *how* to do this!
(and welcome to my lj - babbling and thoughts-sorting is always welcome! I rarely know exactly where I stand on any fannish issue myself, so like to hear plenty of opinions as I'm working out my own thoughts...)
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winterfish
no subject
Date: 2010-04-25 06:56 pm (UTC)Mmm, yes, this is true for me as well. Most of the time when I invent OCs it's to provide a new perspective on a canon char. To be honest I tend to avoid developing my OCs that much because if I'm going to be developing original chars, I'd prefer they were in my own original fic. But I don't think there's anything wrong with creating OCs for whatever reasons; it's a different way to engage with a fandom's canon than what I do, but that doesn't make it wrong...
I don't really want the person to be ashamed of their writing. I guess I just want an awareness that the story is a personal fantasy and self fulfillment, and while some people may want to share that fantasy, others won't want to, so they shouldn't try to pass it off as a normal fanfic or justify it.
Well, see, with this, I'd want to say that self-inserts are "normal fanfic" - considering how many fans write them, they're not abnormal! But they are a particular genre that many fans aren't interested in reading. Which is why I think it's reasonable that we have a label for them - same as we have "gen" and "slash" and "het" and "death-fic" and "aliens made them do it" - it's not that any of these are shameful, but it's useful to be able to mark them...
In summary, I want the people writing Mary Sues to be upfront and unapologetic about the fact that they're writing a Mary Sue, and not have it passed off as something else. I don't want them to try to justify it - because they shouldn't have to do so. They are perfectly within their rights to write and post it. Just as I'm perfectly within my rights to read it or not.
Yes, this! The trouble, however, is that distinguishing a "Mary Sue" (or whichever label) from a "regular" OC is difficult and somewhat subjective (especially in a case like Dragon Age) and younger, newer fans aren't going to be as familiar with the terms anyway...and right now, with the bias against Mary Sue, older fans are less likely to cop to doing it anyway.
So I don't want to lose the label (even if I think it would be better if it were gender-neutral) but I wish it would lose some of its more negative, shameful interpretations...now we just gotta figure out *how* to do this!
(and welcome to my lj - babbling and thoughts-sorting is always welcome! I rarely know exactly where I stand on any fannish issue myself, so like to hear plenty of opinions as I'm working out my own thoughts...)