of stereotypes and archetypes
First rant ever; I hope I don't come across as too obnoxious or anything. Warning: Organisation-centric ranting, sesquipedalian loquaciousness, general rambling, and Lv9 wall of text. Apologies in advance!
**EDITED. I'm a failure and don't really know how to post properly on LJ, resulting in a good half of my post being eaten. That, and I should really switch browsers when attempting to tag things. Sorry 'bout that :/
Now, I've been trawling these rants for quite a while - and mind you, I've found them very useful in my attempts to improve my characterisation and suchwhich! - and though this topic has been touched upon fairly often now, I can't help but notice - and lament - the fact that the fics swimming around The Pit...are just. Augh. OOC. OOC everywhere.
The increasing trend seems to be leaning towards the 'trolololol, let's write a reality show thing where we can interview the characters and/or piss them off!' area. Why? What's so fascinating about that? I mean, sure, it'll be all fine and dandy if the characters being interviewed for their opinions or whatever are kept reasonably in-character, but more often than not, they're...not. Sorry, but that is not how you write a fic; most definitely not in script form, with hideously mangled characters (Zexion on a sugar high?! Twilight-obsessed? And running around screaming 'yaaaaaaaaay'? No. Just no. I feel almost unclean now for reading. :/) And what's so bad about coming up with titles more original than 'Sanctuary', or, heaven forbid, 'Organization XIII lol factor'? And what's with the hideous summaries? 'read it and you'll find out'? What. Really. Is it too much to ask for decent capitalisation and grammar, for crying out loud? And whatever happened to punctuation? Spelling? Auuugh.
While we're at it, this brings me to my next topic: why is Marluxia a fruitier fruitcake than actual fruitcake? Just because he has pink hair does not mean he's a wimp. For goodness sake, he's more buff than a good half of the Organisation, and have you seen that scythe? It's a great deal larger than he is, and he sends it pinwheeling around like a toothpick; furthermore, is there a part of him that screams, 'whimpering, simpering pansy wuss' that I haven't seen? He's got a deliciously deep, manly voice which I would totally tap, dohohoho an equally detestably delectable arrogance, lords over the other Castle Oblivion cohorts with vindictive aplomb, and...okay, I'll stop.
Demyx. Oh, Demyx. He's not weak, spineless and cowardly; oh no, he's far from that. The Demyx I have come to know and love (from obsessively playing Days over and over, yes sirree) is most definitely none of the above. He's lazy, selfish, self-serving, isn't above pushing his duties onto someone else, he's wily and canny, and has a freaking sense of self-preservation. He is not a hyperactive moron with the emotional maturity of a toddler and the brains to fill a teaspoon; he is every bit as ruthless as the rest of the Organisation, and even if he's too lazy to show it, he has the capacity to do every single heinous thing they do, even if he whinges about it beforehand. I like my Demyx as he is, seemingly cheerful and lighthearted, until he whips out a can of whoop-ass and beats some sorry little fanbrat ass into submission.
Emo Zexion. Yes, it's been touched upon numerous times, but how on earth does smart, smug, calculating schemer spontaneously mutate into a weepy, spineless wibbling wimp? He's intelligent and erudite, sophisticated and snidely devilish, and he isn't afraid to twist every single situation he claps eyes on to his advantage. And he would most certianly not take rape just like that. No, sir, Zexion would be doing the mindraping from a distance, all whilst laughing at his would-be assailant and making them relive their worst memories. Juuust sayin'. As for Lexaeus, where on earth is he? He exists, and should rightfully get more attention than the paltry amount he receives. For some reason, he's often seen as a big dolt with rocks for brains (argh, wordplay), or something equally unflattering. Why? I would like to reassert, for the umpteenth time, that the original six were scientists, or at least, apprentices to a scientist-mage-king-figure. They have knowledge on several wide areas, and whilst Even may have preferred the theoretical side, I can see Braig, Dilan and Aeleus as being more skilled with the practical side of things.
Which brings me to my next topic: perception of 'hotness'. What is it with the crazed fangirls and ignoring the more obviously masculine-looking members of the Organisation? I don't know about you, but Xaldin is a sexy beast. Mmm. Just because he and Lexaeus have strong, strikingly rugged features and deep, gravelly voices doens't mean they are any less good-looking. Just because Vexen is above the age of thirty and can invalidate your every argument doesn't mean he isn't worthy of appreciation and attention. And Luxord! Oh ye gods, Luxord. That delicious accent and the knowing grin, and the cultured, eloquent manner. Why do they seem to be well-nigh non-existent in fanfiction? Or, if not, why are they bloody hideously mischaracterised? It's enough to make me weep. And that's not even counting the character-bashing and, heaven forbid, ship-bashing.
Seriously. I think each and every single pairing (and crack pairing!) out there can be pulled off successfully if done by a skilful author. If there is a good enough reason, if there is enough character development, the sky is the limit, really. So, please, don't bash other people's pairings just because you don't think they'll work. I am a staunch believer in the mentality that, given perfectly believable rationales, anything is possible, and the odder, the better! It should be seen as a way to challenge yourself and your skills, shouldn't it?
...well, I think I'm done for now. Whew. Sorry for that huge load of text back there.
P.S. Okay, one more thing. I swear. I know this is a comm primarily for ranting and raving about things done wrong, but I figured this would be the best place to ask. Now, after trawling KHFFR and carefully going through quite a few of the posts, I am having misgivings about my own characterisation. If I am allowed to say so myself, I feel that I am somewhat reasonably in-character, though at the same time, I'm not too sure on whether they do justice to the characters themselves. So, I would honestly appreciate it if I could get some concrit on my work, so that I know where I'm going wrong and where I can stand to improve. I have some fics (err, drabbles and oneshots, mostly) lying around somewhere on my LJ itself (I still haven't figured out how to format properly; that will be remedied soon, I swear), though most of my writings have been uploaded to The Pit. Links are in my Userinfo, and any feedback is greatly appreciated!
Radieux.
**EDITED. I'm a failure and don't really know how to post properly on LJ, resulting in a good half of my post being eaten. That, and I should really switch browsers when attempting to tag things. Sorry 'bout that :/
Now, I've been trawling these rants for quite a while - and mind you, I've found them very useful in my attempts to improve my characterisation and suchwhich! - and though this topic has been touched upon fairly often now, I can't help but notice - and lament - the fact that the fics swimming around The Pit...are just. Augh. OOC. OOC everywhere.
The increasing trend seems to be leaning towards the 'trolololol, let's write a reality show thing where we can interview the characters and/or piss them off!' area. Why? What's so fascinating about that? I mean, sure, it'll be all fine and dandy if the characters being interviewed for their opinions or whatever are kept reasonably in-character, but more often than not, they're...not. Sorry, but that is not how you write a fic; most definitely not in script form, with hideously mangled characters (Zexion on a sugar high?! Twilight-obsessed? And running around screaming 'yaaaaaaaaay'? No. Just no. I feel almost unclean now for reading. :/) And what's so bad about coming up with titles more original than 'Sanctuary', or, heaven forbid, 'Organization XIII lol factor'? And what's with the hideous summaries? 'read it and you'll find out'? What. Really. Is it too much to ask for decent capitalisation and grammar, for crying out loud? And whatever happened to punctuation? Spelling? Auuugh.
While we're at it, this brings me to my next topic: why is Marluxia a fruitier fruitcake than actual fruitcake? Just because he has pink hair does not mean he's a wimp. For goodness sake, he's more buff than a good half of the Organisation, and have you seen that scythe? It's a great deal larger than he is, and he sends it pinwheeling around like a toothpick; furthermore, is there a part of him that screams, 'whimpering, simpering pansy wuss' that I haven't seen? He's got a deliciously deep, manly voice which I would totally tap, dohohoho an equally detestably delectable arrogance, lords over the other Castle Oblivion cohorts with vindictive aplomb, and...okay, I'll stop.
Demyx. Oh, Demyx. He's not weak, spineless and cowardly; oh no, he's far from that. The Demyx I have come to know and love (from obsessively playing Days over and over, yes sirree) is most definitely none of the above. He's lazy, selfish, self-serving, isn't above pushing his duties onto someone else, he's wily and canny, and has a freaking sense of self-preservation. He is not a hyperactive moron with the emotional maturity of a toddler and the brains to fill a teaspoon; he is every bit as ruthless as the rest of the Organisation, and even if he's too lazy to show it, he has the capacity to do every single heinous thing they do, even if he whinges about it beforehand. I like my Demyx as he is, seemingly cheerful and lighthearted, until he whips out a can of whoop-ass and beats some sorry little fanbrat ass into submission.
Emo Zexion. Yes, it's been touched upon numerous times, but how on earth does smart, smug, calculating schemer spontaneously mutate into a weepy, spineless wibbling wimp? He's intelligent and erudite, sophisticated and snidely devilish, and he isn't afraid to twist every single situation he claps eyes on to his advantage. And he would most certianly not take rape just like that. No, sir, Zexion would be doing the mindraping from a distance, all whilst laughing at his would-be assailant and making them relive their worst memories. Juuust sayin'. As for Lexaeus, where on earth is he? He exists, and should rightfully get more attention than the paltry amount he receives. For some reason, he's often seen as a big dolt with rocks for brains (argh, wordplay), or something equally unflattering. Why? I would like to reassert, for the umpteenth time, that the original six were scientists, or at least, apprentices to a scientist-mage-king-figure. They have knowledge on several wide areas, and whilst Even may have preferred the theoretical side, I can see Braig, Dilan and Aeleus as being more skilled with the practical side of things.
Which brings me to my next topic: perception of 'hotness'. What is it with the crazed fangirls and ignoring the more obviously masculine-looking members of the Organisation? I don't know about you, but Xaldin is a sexy beast. Mmm. Just because he and Lexaeus have strong, strikingly rugged features and deep, gravelly voices doens't mean they are any less good-looking. Just because Vexen is above the age of thirty and can invalidate your every argument doesn't mean he isn't worthy of appreciation and attention. And Luxord! Oh ye gods, Luxord. That delicious accent and the knowing grin, and the cultured, eloquent manner. Why do they seem to be well-nigh non-existent in fanfiction? Or, if not, why are they bloody hideously mischaracterised? It's enough to make me weep. And that's not even counting the character-bashing and, heaven forbid, ship-bashing.
Seriously. I think each and every single pairing (and crack pairing!) out there can be pulled off successfully if done by a skilful author. If there is a good enough reason, if there is enough character development, the sky is the limit, really. So, please, don't bash other people's pairings just because you don't think they'll work. I am a staunch believer in the mentality that, given perfectly believable rationales, anything is possible, and the odder, the better! It should be seen as a way to challenge yourself and your skills, shouldn't it?
...well, I think I'm done for now. Whew. Sorry for that huge load of text back there.
P.S. Okay, one more thing. I swear. I know this is a comm primarily for ranting and raving about things done wrong, but I figured this would be the best place to ask. Now, after trawling KHFFR and carefully going through quite a few of the posts, I am having misgivings about my own characterisation. If I am allowed to say so myself, I feel that I am somewhat reasonably in-character, though at the same time, I'm not too sure on whether they do justice to the characters themselves. So, I would honestly appreciate it if I could get some concrit on my work, so that I know where I'm going wrong and where I can stand to improve. I have some fics (err, drabbles and oneshots, mostly) lying around somewhere on my LJ itself (I still haven't figured out how to format properly; that will be remedied soon, I swear), though most of my writings have been uploaded to The Pit. Links are in my Userinfo, and any feedback is greatly appreciated!
Radieux.