So we're the same fic reader, essentially. Which means I don't read much Morgan/Reid, because unfortunately, most of the Morgan/Reid ficcers lack... write... need...
Oh hell, there's no way to possibly put nicely that they just suck. There's copious amounts of racefail. They turn Reid (who is the snarkiest, and in many ways, the bravest, member of the team) into a weak crying tiny thing in need of protection. They fall back too easily into the "Reid was a drug addict and Morgan was sexually abused" trope.
But I love that pairing. I love their dynamic. So every story sees me starting with a sense of hope and rarely feeling anything but the distant taste of a bad lunch by the end. I keep trying, though.
Which, if you haven't read it, reads more like a Bromance until the last couple of scenes. It is so them and funny and excellently written. A definite recommend.
ETA: part 2 of the story, since the author didn't bother linking. Morgan/Reid ficcers, man!
Hi! Just wanted to let you know that I read that story. Yes, I read the ENTIRE THING. For a non-slasher I'd say this is pretty impressive.
I will completely agree with you that this is probably the most in-character representation of Reid and Morgan that I've seen in a slash fic (again, keeping in mind that the only slash fics I usually read are the ones that aren't overtly labelled as such, and I'll usually run for the hills as soon as I get blindsided by impromptu makeout and/or sexytime sessions).
NONETHELESS, I think that BECAUSE this story was able to keep them in character, and thus offer a more natural, believable progression towards sexytime, I was able to let myself go with it. And yes, I bought it. Grano salis not even required! This is a pretty big deal for me. Of course, this could have something to do with the fact that the author employed one of my top fic-literary-device guilty pleasures: Re-quoting an opening line at the end of the story to round it off and give it closure. I mentioned earlier that I like it when stories have an endgame, and something like this just proves that the author is paying attention to their plot.
I love the part where they throw the cork at each other. I love that Reid is REID!! The author writes his intelligence, strength, and occasional cluelessness with skill. I don't know if he'd be so willing to come right out and admit to his virginity, but in this universe, I can totally buy it.
She does make a few spelling/word-use errors, and she loves her sentence fragments (which I can appreciate when employed sparingly for artistic purposes. They just don't sit well with me in general, though), but even so, it's well-written and well-developed on the whole. I can DEFINITELY see why this would be a fave among M/R shippers.
On a side note: do you read gen fic at all? I enjoy a good Reid-centric story where he isn't a complete and utter punching-bag/weakling. A bit of H/C is fine, but the most important thing is that the characters remain true to their on-screen selves. If you have any more recs, I'd be interested in reading them. If not, that's fine. I've recently joined cmficfinders and am finding that to be a really useful resource.
Oh, jeez, I'm so glad you liked it. I don't mind making blanket recs to people, but I do know everyone's tastes are unique. I just loved this story so much that I thought I would try to share it.
In regards to typos and stuff, you have to realize I've been reading and writing online fanfic for twelve years, so while I wish some writers had better betas, I realize mistakes get missed.
To me it's all about characterization. As long as the characters are acting like the ones I watch on TV, I can almost buy anything the writer throws at me. I think that's why I like AUs so much, because a great AU relies so heavily on strong characterization, anything can happen and I'm right there.
I don't do gen fic much, though I think CM is a fandom I may dip into for kicks. I don't have any recs yet, but I've found crack_van's criminal minds tag has some decent suggestions. Though, one person's gold can be another's crap, as you know. I did a stint reccing Hot Fuzz on crack_van a couple of years ago and had a ball. Which is completely irrelevant (I personally love sentence frags, mostly because I can't use them in my papers for school), but wanted mentioning.
Oh sheesh... I didn't mean to come off as such a snob there, but now that I re-read my comment, I totally did! *facepalm*
I use sentence fragments all the time. Especially in my journal. And I don't usually care. At all. I just don't always like it when they're overused in fics to try and infuse a sense of artistry. But yeah... even then I'm willing to look past it if the characterization is spot-on. Same with the spelling errors. I just think sometimes it's a shame when the story is SO CLOSE to being absolute perfection. I totally understand that everyone make mistakes and that so many people don't speak English as their first language, either. So yeah... *smacks own hand*. I'm sure I make word-use errors myself all the time, so I probably shouldn't say anything! :)
And thanks for the link to crack_van's tag. I will definitely be checking that out.
Aw, I wasn't chastising you, just pointing out why I choose to overlook things in fanfiction that, in a textbook or published novel set my teeth on edge.
I just don't always like it when they're overused in fics to try and infuse a sense of artistry.
Oh, hell yeah. I got that a lot in Buffy fandom. Some writers everyone thought were brilliant, simply brilliant, would have entire stories filled with sentence frags and obtuse POV so their darkfic would seem edgier. You know what I hate? "Edgy" fanfic. It should be an oxymoron. Just write the damn story.
I have a confession: I've been itching to write again (not that I have time to), and some seriously messed up part of me is leaning toward some Morgan/Reid. Right now it's just an itch, though. No story ideas yet, so we're all safe.
I just realized that I didn't reply to this earlier, but you SHOULD WRITE SOME CM FIC. From what you've said about your likes/dislikes when it comes to plot/writing style, I think I'd enjoy your stories a lot. I think you could be the one to get me to buy into Morgan/Reid slash. Haha. Seriously, you should give it a try. I've toyed with the idea of writing CM fic myself, but I can never come up with a decent idea either. We have the same problem! Lol.
Besides, just because I like the same style of writing as you do doesn't mean I can actually...you know...write. Okay, I am pretty good. I'm not going to pretend to be modest. But that doesn't mean...oh never mind. Thanks for the encouragement!
I came for the recaps...I left lurkerdom for the conversation!
I have to say that the liberal use of words like "tropes" and "characterization" and "sentence frags" and "obscure POV" has me all a-squee.
I have to ask: regarding your love of strong characterization...how do feel about stories in which the characterizations have been turned just a little to the left? I'm talking about an intentional and carefully crafted reinterpretation, not someone flailing their archetypes all over the place. It's something I wish more fanficcers would do, take a character and turn them just a little, like a vase, so the reader gets a different view (including glimpses of whatever may live on the dark side of his/her moon).
I came for the recaps...I left lurkerdom for the conversation!
YAY! Jo writes the recaps I wish everyone would for every TV show ever.
how do feel about stories in which the characterizations have been turned just a little to the left?
I have to be made to believe the character I feel I know is still acting within some realm of who they are. I feel all characters do have a dark side, because all people do. But not everyone gives into this side, or even pays more than passing attention to it.
I suppose what makes CM a place what you're speaking of is plausible is that each character has demons they face on a regular basis. Sometimes these demons get the best of them. A well-written story that explores this is entirely readable to me.
But sometimes writers just want to explore darker themes and they don't have the chops to make me buy what they're selling. One of the most popular stories in Buffy fandom had Xander as suicidal. Even the author admitted she wrote the story after having only seen two episodes of the show, and it's obvious because that just isn't a part of who he was as a character. I never bought it. I hated that story.
Then again, because I'm a slasher, I already buy into a lot of characterization hand waving. However, the stories I love are the ones that make me believe this relationship is happening within the purview of what we already know about the character.
So bottom line is: turn your characters a little, go for it, but keep in mind who they are already and don't smash the vase in your desire to write a story. My opinion, anyway.
Excellent. I pretty much agree, especially with the idea that this sort of thing takes chops to do well---and that most ficcers don't have them.
Xander suicidal? What? That shit does not compute!
What kind of grinds my glass is this idea I see in fandom that people find depression...I don't know...romantic? I absolutely agree that most ficcers don't handle heavy topics like depression, suicide, and rape with any sort of skill or delicacy. I think I'd have to know the author before I read a fanfic that dealt with any of those things.
I'm also curious about your whole "edgy darkfic is stupid" thing. What do you mean by darkfic? What do you mean by "edgy" darkfic? Before I agree with you, I want to be sure we're talking about the same thing.
I have strong opinions and I'm not afraid to share them because I accept they are mine and mine alone. Please understand that first and foremost. If I dislike darkfic, it's primarily because life is dark enough.
I'm a counselor in grad school. I am constantly exposed to the sadness and darkness in people's lives and that just isn't something I seek in fanfic.
But here's my actual point. CM is a show that explores the dark side of humanity on a weekly basis. Our main characters all have demons, so I can understand the appeal of writing a story that delves more deeply into this aspect. I simply want to see an actual point to the story, not just some vanity piece that brings us to the darkest part of a character's heart and leaves us there.
Even on the show, when we're introduced to ... say, Morgan's anger and lack of faith, there is always a glimmer of something bright that keep him tethered to his better angel. There is light there, fresh air that he can breathe and remember what is important. This usually is in the form of the other people in his life who are important to him.
Some writers get stuck in that place of anger and faithlessness, and in the process they suck all the air out of the room. They do this for many reasons, but I've seen in other fandoms such stories are a grab for attention, a "SEE WHAT I DID THAR?!" attempt at being viewed as different. As if by refusing to bring any levity into the story they are somehow being more "real." There is also a distinct lack of plot to these stories. The whole point seem to be to showcase some writer's ability to write depressing character studies. Yawn.
So I guess that is what I mean by both "edgy" and "darkfic." You want to show me Reid battling with his shadow side? Awesome. Make it part of a story, wherein Reid battles his shadow while also doing something. Then I'll be impressed.
write...
need...
Oh hell, there's no way to possibly put nicely that they just suck. There's copious amounts of racefail. They turn Reid (who is the snarkiest, and in many ways, the bravest, member of the team) into a weak crying tiny thing in need of protection. They fall back too easily into the "Reid was a drug addict and Morgan was sexually abused" trope.
But I love that pairing. I love their dynamic. So every story sees me starting with a sense of hope and rarely feeling anything but the distant taste of a bad lunch by the end. I keep trying, though.
Except this story:
http://community.livejournal.com/bau_fic/190366.html
Part 2: http://community.livejournal.com/bau_fic/190675.html
Which, if you haven't read it, reads more like a Bromance until the last couple of scenes. It is so them and funny and excellently written. A definite recommend.
ETA: part 2 of the story, since the author didn't bother linking. Morgan/Reid ficcers, man!
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I will completely agree with you that this is probably the most in-character representation of Reid and Morgan that I've seen in a slash fic (again, keeping in mind that the only slash fics I usually read are the ones that aren't overtly labelled as such, and I'll usually run for the hills as soon as I get blindsided by impromptu makeout and/or sexytime sessions).
NONETHELESS, I think that BECAUSE this story was able to keep them in character, and thus offer a more natural, believable progression towards sexytime, I was able to let myself go with it. And yes, I bought it. Grano salis not even required! This is a pretty big deal for me. Of course, this could have something to do with the fact that the author employed one of my top fic-literary-device guilty pleasures: Re-quoting an opening line at the end of the story to round it off and give it closure. I mentioned earlier that I like it when stories have an endgame, and something like this just proves that the author is paying attention to their plot.
I love the part where they throw the cork at each other. I love that Reid is REID!! The author writes his intelligence, strength, and occasional cluelessness with skill. I don't know if he'd be so willing to come right out and admit to his virginity, but in this universe, I can totally buy it.
She does make a few spelling/word-use errors, and she loves her sentence fragments (which I can appreciate when employed sparingly for artistic purposes. They just don't sit well with me in general, though), but even so, it's well-written and well-developed on the whole. I can DEFINITELY see why this would be a fave among M/R shippers.
On a side note: do you read gen fic at all? I enjoy a good Reid-centric story where he isn't a complete and utter punching-bag/weakling. A bit of H/C is fine, but the most important thing is that the characters remain true to their on-screen selves. If you have any more recs, I'd be interested in reading them. If not, that's fine. I've recently joined cmficfinders and am finding that to be a really useful resource.
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I thought I would try to share it.
In regards to typos and stuff, you have to realize I've been reading and writing online fanfic for twelve years, so while I wish some writers had better betas, I realize mistakes get missed.
To me it's all about characterization. As long as the characters are acting like the ones I watch on TV, I can almost buy anything the writer throws at me. I think that's why I like AUs so much, because a great AU relies so heavily on strong characterization, anything can happen and I'm right there.
I don't do gen fic much, though I think CM is a fandom I may dip into for kicks. I don't have any recs yet, but I've found crack_van's criminal minds tag has some decent suggestions. Though, one person's gold can be another's crap, as you know. I did a stint reccing Hot Fuzz on crack_van a couple of years ago and had a ball. Which is completely irrelevant (I personally love sentence frags, mostly because I can't use them in my papers for school), but wanted mentioning.
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I use sentence fragments all the time. Especially in my journal. And I don't usually care. At all. I just don't always like it when they're overused in fics to try and infuse a sense of artistry. But yeah... even then I'm willing to look past it if the characterization is spot-on. Same with the spelling errors. I just think sometimes it's a shame when the story is SO CLOSE to being absolute perfection. I totally understand that everyone make mistakes and that so many people don't speak English as their first language, either. So yeah... *smacks own hand*. I'm sure I make word-use errors myself all the time, so I probably shouldn't say anything! :)
And thanks for the link to crack_van's tag. I will definitely be checking that out.
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I just don't always like it when they're overused in fics to try and infuse a sense of artistry.
Oh, hell yeah. I got that a lot in Buffy fandom. Some writers everyone thought were brilliant, simply brilliant, would have entire stories filled with sentence frags and obtuse POV so their darkfic would seem edgier. You know what I hate? "Edgy" fanfic. It should be an oxymoron. Just write the damn story.
I have a confession: I've been itching to write again (not that I have time to), and some seriously messed up part of me is leaning toward some Morgan/Reid. Right now it's just an itch, though. No story ideas yet, so we're all safe.
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Besides, just because I like the same style of writing as you do doesn't mean I can actually...you know...write. Okay, I am pretty good. I'm not going to pretend to be modest. But that doesn't mean...oh never mind. Thanks for the encouragement!
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LOL!!! SEE!!??? I'm such a knob.
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I have to say that the liberal use of words like "tropes" and "characterization" and "sentence frags" and "obscure POV" has me all a-squee.
I have to ask: regarding your love of strong characterization...how do feel about stories in which the characterizations have been turned just a little to the left? I'm talking about an intentional and carefully crafted reinterpretation, not someone flailing their archetypes all over the place. It's something I wish more fanficcers would do, take a character and turn them just a little, like a vase, so the reader gets a different view (including glimpses of whatever may live on the dark side of his/her moon).
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YAY! Jo writes the recaps I wish everyone would for every TV show ever.
how do feel about stories in which the characterizations have been turned just a little to the left?
I have to be made to believe the character I feel I know is still acting within some realm of who they are. I feel all characters do have a dark side, because all people do. But not everyone gives into this side, or even pays more than passing attention to it.
I suppose what makes CM a place what you're speaking of is plausible is that each character has demons they face on a regular basis. Sometimes these demons get the best of them. A well-written story that explores this is entirely readable to me.
But sometimes writers just want to explore darker themes and they don't have the chops to make me buy what they're selling. One of the most popular stories in Buffy fandom had Xander as suicidal. Even the author admitted she wrote the story after having only seen two episodes of the show, and it's obvious because that just isn't a part of who he was as a character. I never bought it. I hated that story.
Then again, because I'm a slasher, I already buy into a lot of characterization hand waving. However, the stories I love are the ones that make me believe this relationship is happening within the purview of what we already know about the character.
So bottom line is: turn your characters a little, go for it, but keep in mind who they are already and don't smash the vase in your desire to write a story. My opinion, anyway.
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Excellent. I pretty much agree, especially with the idea that this sort of thing takes chops to do well---and that most ficcers don't have them.
Xander suicidal? What? That shit does not compute!
What kind of grinds my glass is this idea I see in fandom that people find depression...I don't know...romantic? I absolutely agree that most ficcers don't handle heavy topics like depression, suicide, and rape with any sort of skill or delicacy. I think I'd have to know the author before I read a fanfic that dealt with any of those things.
I'm also curious about your whole "edgy darkfic is stupid" thing. What do you mean by darkfic? What do you mean by "edgy" darkfic? Before I agree with you, I want to be sure we're talking about the same thing.
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I'm a counselor in grad school. I am constantly exposed to the sadness and darkness in people's lives and that just isn't something I seek in fanfic.
But here's my actual point. CM is a show that explores the dark side of humanity on a weekly basis. Our main characters all have demons, so I can understand the appeal of writing a story that delves more deeply into this aspect. I simply want to see an actual point to the story, not just some vanity piece that brings us to the darkest part of a character's heart and leaves us there.
Even on the show, when we're introduced to ... say, Morgan's anger and lack of faith, there is always a glimmer of something bright that keep him tethered to his better angel. There is light there, fresh air that he can breathe and remember what is important. This usually is in the form of the other people in his life who are important to him.
Some writers get stuck in that place of anger and faithlessness, and in the process they suck all the air out of the room. They do this for many reasons, but I've seen in other fandoms such stories are a grab for attention, a "SEE WHAT I DID THAR?!" attempt at being viewed as different. As if by refusing to bring any levity into the story they are somehow being more "real." There is also a distinct lack of plot to these stories. The whole point seem to be to showcase some writer's ability to write depressing character studies. Yawn.
So I guess that is what I mean by both "edgy" and "darkfic." You want to show me Reid battling with his shadow side? Awesome. Make it part of a story, wherein Reid battles his shadow while also doing something. Then I'll be impressed.
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