Unasked, version 2 (Team Castle, Ch. 6)

[ninja_lurker]

Title: Unasked, version 2 (Team Castle, Ch. 6)
Characters/pairings: Kate Beckett/Rick Castle
Rating/Warnings: PG
Summary: It’s the kind of question that can’t be unasked.
Spoilers: none

Comments

[ninja_lurker]

I can tweak and move commas around until the cows come home, but usually I know when a piece is essentially done. I revised this chapter several times but didn't get that feeling until this last draft. I won't be revising Ch. 6 further, thank the lords of Kobol-it is definitely time to move on. :-)

Your observation is something I've been thinking about lately. I've read a great deal of Castle fic and have seen so many of the same tropes repeated in the same stories. Part of this is because it's such a young fandom; of course we're going to see a limited number of characters solve crimes/get kidnapped/get killed/hook up with a limited number of other characters. Part of it's because of the whole "there are only seven stories in the world" thing. But as you said, it's the approach that matters; it's how you tell the story, not what the story is or whether it's similar to someone else's story. Similarity of plot/content happens in the publishing world all the time-although that is a far different arena for readers, since it is (in many cases) is a less centralized communal experience than the fanfic world is.

That fan-created communal experience fascinates me. Many of us are reading the same fics, watching the same vids, and dialoguing in the same communities; our shared experiences create sort of a collective subconscious in which all the possibilities we see for these characters exist simultaneously (and sometimes become fanon). Voice and unique interpretation help us stand out.

I definitely don't think we're stepping on each other's toes. In taking the slower, more cerebral approach to Castle/Beckett, we're in the minority-but that allows us more room to stretch out and play. To return the compliment, I think you're doing an exceptional job of exploring that view of their relationship. Your Beckett and Castle (Beckett especially) are more up front about knowing what they're getting into together. It's refreshing to read and it challenges me to stay as true to my vision of their relationship.