predictable responses
Last night, after drmoonpants and I sat raininariver down and showed her the first episode of Sherlock (our second, third, and first viewings, respectively), we were talking about fandom and fan responses, and I finally verbalized something I've had rattling around in my brain about how what I love and what I write/read fic for often do not overlap.
I will generally produce/consume fic for a source I like if:
* The source is great, but there is something inherent to it that prevents its ever being able to produce what I want. Best example: Avatar, which is fan-effing-tastic, but which is also a children's show, which means that it can't explore many of the themes/topics interesting to me.
* The source is crap-ish, but there are good and interesting elements to it. Best example: Supernatural, which had some shining moments, but mostly left me shaking my head about how the stories in my head are always better.
* The source is good but over. Best example: Alias Smith and Jones, which will never be any more than what we've got, and thus I'll have to make do.
* The source has a great worldbuild and only sketches in some of the details. Best examples: FFXII and Xenogears/Xenosaga, which created huge universes as settings for their stories, and thus by necessity left a lot of fillable gaps in the mainframes.
* The source tells a good story, but leaves a lot of backstory/subsequent narrative possibilities unaddressed. Best examples: FFX and Heavy Rain, the former because the story is predecated on a previous series of events which barely gets told, and the latter because the potential fallout is huge and interesting.
I will not generally produce/consume fic for a source I like if:
* The source is good and ongoing. Best examples: Leverage and Sherlock, which are so amazing that I don't want fic, I want more of the real thing, and only upon their closing will I consider what didn't get addressed.
* The source is good but so tight I don't have much to add. Best example: Utena, which still leaves me slack-jawed and wet-eyed every time I finish it.
* The source tells a story that doesn't leave me wanting to participate. Best examples: all the HBO shows I've been watching recently (Rome, Deadwood, the Wire), which are enjoyable while I'm there but don't leave me screaming to throw in my two-cent contributions.
* The source is guilty pleasure crap. Best examples are ones I won't admit to.
...Of course, there are exceptions to every rule, and I was even saying last night how very much I didn't want Sherlock fic, and dammit, emungere, why you gotta make a liar out of me?
I will generally produce/consume fic for a source I like if:
* The source is great, but there is something inherent to it that prevents its ever being able to produce what I want. Best example: Avatar, which is fan-effing-tastic, but which is also a children's show, which means that it can't explore many of the themes/topics interesting to me.
* The source is crap-ish, but there are good and interesting elements to it. Best example: Supernatural, which had some shining moments, but mostly left me shaking my head about how the stories in my head are always better.
* The source is good but over. Best example: Alias Smith and Jones, which will never be any more than what we've got, and thus I'll have to make do.
* The source has a great worldbuild and only sketches in some of the details. Best examples: FFXII and Xenogears/Xenosaga, which created huge universes as settings for their stories, and thus by necessity left a lot of fillable gaps in the mainframes.
* The source tells a good story, but leaves a lot of backstory/subsequent narrative possibilities unaddressed. Best examples: FFX and Heavy Rain, the former because the story is predecated on a previous series of events which barely gets told, and the latter because the potential fallout is huge and interesting.
I will not generally produce/consume fic for a source I like if:
* The source is good and ongoing. Best examples: Leverage and Sherlock, which are so amazing that I don't want fic, I want more of the real thing, and only upon their closing will I consider what didn't get addressed.
* The source is good but so tight I don't have much to add. Best example: Utena, which still leaves me slack-jawed and wet-eyed every time I finish it.
* The source tells a story that doesn't leave me wanting to participate. Best examples: all the HBO shows I've been watching recently (Rome, Deadwood, the Wire), which are enjoyable while I'm there but don't leave me screaming to throw in my two-cent contributions.
* The source is guilty pleasure crap. Best examples are ones I won't admit to.
...Of course, there are exceptions to every rule, and I was even saying last night how very much I didn't want Sherlock fic, and dammit, emungere, why you gotta make a liar out of me?