(con't) Resonance is why so many people could love a story like Twilight, which is actually pretty poorly done by any objective technical measure I know.
I dislike a lot of things I come across in fanfiction, regular fiction, in pulp; and I'm not really a genre fan. I don't read or watch horror, sci-fi as a rule; Buffy is sort of exceptional in terms of my preferences. I don't like "romance novels" - in the bookstore or in fanfic, the concept just doesn't speak to me; or babyfic, or graphic sex unless there's a purpose for it beside porn.
BUT - give me a well-written story and I can be convinced to enjoy things I normally mightn't. The quality of writing, for me, is key (and admittedly my idea of "quality" may not be the same as anyone else's,) Whether it's BtVS, fanfic, etc. Hence, I'd rather spend time reading well-written fan novels than the Buffy comics. I'll read about Buffy and Spike being all domestic if the story draws me in, if the characterizations are believable, etc. "The play's the thing"
And the comics, loathe as I am to mention them except that they are weirdly fascinating in a train-wreck-y sort of way, specifically S8, actually draw upon a lot of tropes I've seen in fanfiction. I know I've said this elsewhere but the spacefrakking? That's a fanfiction trope: Buffy has sex with Angel or Spike to prevent an apocalyse and saves the world with her vagina. Its common enough that there are fanfics mocking the trope. And so on - particularly in the second half of the season, which is when people have complained the quality dropped off in terms of storytelling. I knew there was a mocking quality to the comics and the Twilight debacle, but it wasn't until I read a lot of Buffy fanfic that it made sense to me.
And of course there is the "Twilight" angle - one of George Jeanty's covers even copies one of the Twilight New Moon movie posters, which is irritating (Buffy is not Bella, damn it!) So even though I myself find myself disdaining aspects of fanfic or fandom, seeing it coming from the PTB via the comics is challenging me to step back and wonder, what's going on here? It may be legitimate to mock your own fans but is it right? Is it a good idea? (I'd say not.) And is it wise to mock something that, culturally, touches a chord with a lot of people (in the case of Twilight or fanfic tropes, girls and women), without understanding WHY it touches a chord? What are the larger cultural and psychological implications of that?
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branchandroot
no subject
Date: 2012-12-24 07:41 pm (UTC)Resonance is why so many people could love a story like Twilight, which is actually pretty poorly done by any objective technical measure I know.
I dislike a lot of things I come across in fanfiction, regular fiction, in pulp; and I'm not really a genre fan. I don't read or watch horror, sci-fi as a rule; Buffy is sort of exceptional in terms of my preferences. I don't like "romance novels" - in the bookstore or in fanfic, the concept just doesn't speak to me; or babyfic, or graphic sex unless there's a purpose for it beside porn.
BUT - give me a well-written story and I can be convinced to enjoy things I normally mightn't. The quality of writing, for me, is key (and admittedly my idea of "quality" may not be the same as anyone else's,) Whether it's BtVS, fanfic, etc. Hence, I'd rather spend time reading well-written fan novels than the Buffy comics. I'll read about Buffy and Spike being all domestic if the story draws me in, if the characterizations are believable, etc. "The play's the thing"
And the comics, loathe as I am to mention them except that they are weirdly fascinating in a train-wreck-y sort of way, specifically S8, actually draw upon a lot of tropes I've seen in fanfiction. I know I've said this elsewhere but the spacefrakking? That's a fanfiction trope: Buffy has sex with Angel or Spike to prevent an apocalyse and saves the world with her vagina. Its common enough that there are fanfics mocking the trope. And so on - particularly in the second half of the season, which is when people have complained the quality dropped off in terms of storytelling. I knew there was a mocking quality to the comics and the Twilight debacle, but it wasn't until I read a lot of Buffy fanfic that it made sense to me.
And of course there is the "Twilight" angle - one of George Jeanty's covers even copies one of the Twilight New Moon movie posters, which is irritating (Buffy is not Bella, damn it!) So even though I myself find myself disdaining aspects of fanfic or fandom, seeing it coming from the PTB via the comics is challenging me to step back and wonder, what's going on here? It may be legitimate to mock your own fans but is it right? Is it a good idea? (I'd say not.) And is it wise to mock something that, culturally, touches a chord with a lot of people (in the case of Twilight or fanfic tropes, girls and women), without understanding WHY it touches a chord? What are the larger cultural and psychological implications of that?
I hope I haven't bored you to tears yet....