Alternate Universe and Out of Character
I must be sick or something.. posting twice in one day! But, I did want people's opinions on something, and I would just like the opinions of the writers I worship on this (ie the people on my f-list).
I was skimming through the fanfic rants community when I came upon this rant by Kellychan85:
http://www.livejournal.com/community/fanficrants/557984.html#cutid1
As a writer of mostly AU stories, it got me to thinking of my own work. The thing is, I don't see Inu Yasha in either "Ai no Koinu" or "Gather Roses" as an original character with another name. To me, he is Inu Yasha. But in both cases, I take what Leloi called (and cosplayed) the "Prince Inu Yasha" "what-if" idea. "What if" his father hadn't died when he was a baby? "What if" he had been raised as due his position, being the son of the great Leader of the Dogs and a Japanese Princess? How would he change? How would he stay the same? She plays with that in her work "Two Sides of the Same Coin".
"Ai no Koinu" Inu Yasha isn't really involved with his parents, but he has had his class pressed upon him. Not the "useless half breed" class of canon, but "you are the son of important people, live up to it!". He's still stubborn, he's still a bit awkward, but he is more polished. At least, that's how I see him.
"Gather Roses" Inu Yasha is quite a bit more complex. This time, his mother didn't pass on until he was 15 human age. His father wasn't killed until he hit his late teens/early twenties in the equivalent of human years. Again, he was raised as a son in a family of wealth.
In both stories, he becomes an outcast, to varying degrees. Instead of an outcast longing for acceptance like in canon, he is coddled and cared-for until something traumatic causes society to reject him and make him retreat into himself, becoming closer to Inu Yasha of canon.
In fact, in "Gather Roses", I always have to go through and change the character name. In my rough drafts, Inu Yasha is "Inu Yasha-sama" instead of "Mr. Seido", and so on. Yes, there is a reason he goes by the moniker "Seido Katashi". And I use it to show the progression of his relationship with Kagome later on. It'd be easier if I could use honorifics and have the English dub fans realize what I'm doing, but now I have to keep in mind dub sensibilities. Thus, more English, even though I inject Japanese culture into the story.
I guess what I can't help wonder is.. what is truly acceptable OOC before people start throwing torches at me? I don't want to be one of those writers who so many applaud, but then others snark behind their back at the story's faults without telling the author (often, and rightly, in the fear of getting a stupid, whiny response saying they're being mean).
If I EVER start letting quality slip or characters get too OOC, please, PLEASE tell me! I'd rather know and fix it before it gets out of hand than be an author who's story goes "down the tubes" because all anybody ever had was praise. I, unfortunately, have the biggest handicap of not being able to see all of my own faults, so I depend on the kindness of others to show me what I'm doing wrong and give me a bitchslap.
Sorry for the ramble, I just needed to get all of that off my chest. ^_^;;;
I was skimming through the fanfic rants community when I came upon this rant by Kellychan85:
http://www.livejournal.com/community/fanficrants/557984.html#cutid1
As a writer of mostly AU stories, it got me to thinking of my own work. The thing is, I don't see Inu Yasha in either "Ai no Koinu" or "Gather Roses" as an original character with another name. To me, he is Inu Yasha. But in both cases, I take what Leloi called (and cosplayed) the "Prince Inu Yasha" "what-if" idea. "What if" his father hadn't died when he was a baby? "What if" he had been raised as due his position, being the son of the great Leader of the Dogs and a Japanese Princess? How would he change? How would he stay the same? She plays with that in her work "Two Sides of the Same Coin".
"Ai no Koinu" Inu Yasha isn't really involved with his parents, but he has had his class pressed upon him. Not the "useless half breed" class of canon, but "you are the son of important people, live up to it!". He's still stubborn, he's still a bit awkward, but he is more polished. At least, that's how I see him.
"Gather Roses" Inu Yasha is quite a bit more complex. This time, his mother didn't pass on until he was 15 human age. His father wasn't killed until he hit his late teens/early twenties in the equivalent of human years. Again, he was raised as a son in a family of wealth.
In both stories, he becomes an outcast, to varying degrees. Instead of an outcast longing for acceptance like in canon, he is coddled and cared-for until something traumatic causes society to reject him and make him retreat into himself, becoming closer to Inu Yasha of canon.
In fact, in "Gather Roses", I always have to go through and change the character name. In my rough drafts, Inu Yasha is "Inu Yasha-sama" instead of "Mr. Seido", and so on. Yes, there is a reason he goes by the moniker "Seido Katashi". And I use it to show the progression of his relationship with Kagome later on. It'd be easier if I could use honorifics and have the English dub fans realize what I'm doing, but now I have to keep in mind dub sensibilities. Thus, more English, even though I inject Japanese culture into the story.
I guess what I can't help wonder is.. what is truly acceptable OOC before people start throwing torches at me? I don't want to be one of those writers who so many applaud, but then others snark behind their back at the story's faults without telling the author (often, and rightly, in the fear of getting a stupid, whiny response saying they're being mean).
If I EVER start letting quality slip or characters get too OOC, please, PLEASE tell me! I'd rather know and fix it before it gets out of hand than be an author who's story goes "down the tubes" because all anybody ever had was praise. I, unfortunately, have the biggest handicap of not being able to see all of my own faults, so I depend on the kindness of others to show me what I'm doing wrong and give me a bitchslap.
Sorry for the ramble, I just needed to get all of that off my chest. ^_^;;;