there are no words
So I was avoiding answering emails by roaming Teaspoon (i.e. the Pit of Voles for Dr. Who), and I found an author who apparently WROTE AN ENTIRE SERIES of inter-episode fics spanning from Seasons 1-4 explaining how Rose Tyler is evil incarnate and every character should (and does!) hate her.
I didn't actually read any of the fic, but from reading the summaries it involves plots such as:
- The Doctor and Jackie discussing what a horrible person Rose is and how Jackie has been blinded by her motherly love
- the Doctor trying to get Rose to understand that "war is bad"
- Rose raping the Doctor immediately following The Satan Pit (I read the reviews for that one. She apparently rapes Mickey as well.)
- Rose trying to destroy both universes
- Rose abusing Cloen and leaving him to die, followed by him find true love with alt!Martha (In case you were in doubt, Rose rapes Cloen as well)
(in the description of the series: "Sometimes branching out to AU." YOU THINK?)
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I don't even...I don't, really. What. The whole concept of this doesn't make sense.
Okay, so I understand the inter-episode format is probably because the author wanted to make their "vision" fit in with canon, but that is NOT POSSIBLE. Do they have no concept of how an AU works? Fine, you don't like the character of Rose. Fine, you want to write a canon compliant story where she is immature, selfish and irritating. I can see that. (I may not agree with you, but I can see that interpretation.) But in what world can you rewrite a character to be a violent sexual predator and have all the major events of the series happen anyway, ending with the Doctor leaving a baby metacrisis in the care of his rapist? THE DOCTOR IS NOT THAT STUPID, AUTHOR. You want to write a "what if..?" where a character is evil from the beginning and everyone realizes this in Season 1? Plausible. That character continuing as a companion in Season 2? NOT PLAUSIBLE. BAD AUTHOR. NO BISCUIT. There's a point where a fic stops being an AU and starts being an original story that shares names and plot points with something else.
I don't...get character bashing in fic- isn't it a more productive and constructive way to spend your time to actually write about the characters you *do* like? Unless, of course, if you only get pleasure from basking in delicious hate. Which brings me to that fact that it's FUCKING CREEPY. It's one thing to not like a character and point out all their bad traits; it's another to attempt to obsessively vilify them by making them a serial rapist. That's immature. Also, lacking in creativity. But mostly: CREEPY. And it makes me lose all respect for someone as a writer. And probably as a person, but that's another thing all together. (You want to write an entire series about a character as a serial rapist because you have a kink for non-con or because you want to explore serious themes/write darkfic? I can respect that. Doing it because you obviously dislike a character and then claim you're not a character basher? Sorry, you're being willfully stupid and I find your writing embarrassing.)
...so those are my general thoughts on character bashing. Like I said, disclaimer, I read the summaries and comments but just skimmed the fic in question due to the concept and squick factor. So I suppose it's possible that the author wrote brilliant, sympathetic, psychologically riveting fic that explains all the personality changes in each character and how canon events didn't change and I am just completely misinterpreting everything. Ugh, I sincerely hope so. (Anyone want to take a gander the series is HERE)
If not, unfortunately for me I'm pretty sure that the above author is the same person who just answered one of my posts on a gen comm. ::shudder:: I AM TRAUMATIZED NOW. Creepers plz do not be answering my posts, ever.
I know the number one rule of fandom is "Don't Feed the Trolls", but being that this sort of fic only receives feedback from A.) fellow haters who mindlessly and enthusiastically agree with everything the author says and B.) non-haters who clutch their pearls in disgust (both probably filling the author with equal amounts of glee), I really want to leave a logical review that details every way their story is badly written and their plot is poorly constructed. I know it would be pointless, and that would involve reading the fic, but still. CHARACTER HATE IS NO EXCUSE FOR SHODDY WRITING. I mean, if you're going to hate a character, at least try to do it intelligently.
...every time I think BtVS was the fandom had the most crazy shipwars Dr. Who proves me wrong! I guess I should be happy I'm not in HP fandom.
I didn't actually read any of the fic, but from reading the summaries it involves plots such as:
- The Doctor and Jackie discussing what a horrible person Rose is and how Jackie has been blinded by her motherly love
- the Doctor trying to get Rose to understand that "war is bad"
- Rose raping the Doctor immediately following The Satan Pit (I read the reviews for that one. She apparently rapes Mickey as well.)
- Rose trying to destroy both universes
- Rose abusing Cloen and leaving him to die, followed by him find true love with alt!Martha (In case you were in doubt, Rose rapes Cloen as well)
(in the description of the series: "Sometimes branching out to AU." YOU THINK?)
...
...
...
I don't even...I don't, really. What. The whole concept of this doesn't make sense.
Okay, so I understand the inter-episode format is probably because the author wanted to make their "vision" fit in with canon, but that is NOT POSSIBLE. Do they have no concept of how an AU works? Fine, you don't like the character of Rose. Fine, you want to write a canon compliant story where she is immature, selfish and irritating. I can see that. (I may not agree with you, but I can see that interpretation.) But in what world can you rewrite a character to be a violent sexual predator and have all the major events of the series happen anyway, ending with the Doctor leaving a baby metacrisis in the care of his rapist? THE DOCTOR IS NOT THAT STUPID, AUTHOR. You want to write a "what if..?" where a character is evil from the beginning and everyone realizes this in Season 1? Plausible. That character continuing as a companion in Season 2? NOT PLAUSIBLE. BAD AUTHOR. NO BISCUIT. There's a point where a fic stops being an AU and starts being an original story that shares names and plot points with something else.
I don't...get character bashing in fic- isn't it a more productive and constructive way to spend your time to actually write about the characters you *do* like? Unless, of course, if you only get pleasure from basking in delicious hate. Which brings me to that fact that it's FUCKING CREEPY. It's one thing to not like a character and point out all their bad traits; it's another to attempt to obsessively vilify them by making them a serial rapist. That's immature. Also, lacking in creativity. But mostly: CREEPY. And it makes me lose all respect for someone as a writer. And probably as a person, but that's another thing all together. (You want to write an entire series about a character as a serial rapist because you have a kink for non-con or because you want to explore serious themes/write darkfic? I can respect that. Doing it because you obviously dislike a character and then claim you're not a character basher? Sorry, you're being willfully stupid and I find your writing embarrassing.)
...so those are my general thoughts on character bashing. Like I said, disclaimer, I read the summaries and comments but just skimmed the fic in question due to the concept and squick factor. So I suppose it's possible that the author wrote brilliant, sympathetic, psychologically riveting fic that explains all the personality changes in each character and how canon events didn't change and I am just completely misinterpreting everything. Ugh, I sincerely hope so. (Anyone want to take a gander the series is HERE)
If not, unfortunately for me I'm pretty sure that the above author is the same person who just answered one of my posts on a gen comm. ::shudder:: I AM TRAUMATIZED NOW. Creepers plz do not be answering my posts, ever.
I know the number one rule of fandom is "Don't Feed the Trolls", but being that this sort of fic only receives feedback from A.) fellow haters who mindlessly and enthusiastically agree with everything the author says and B.) non-haters who clutch their pearls in disgust (both probably filling the author with equal amounts of glee), I really want to leave a logical review that details every way their story is badly written and their plot is poorly constructed. I know it would be pointless, and that would involve reading the fic, but still. CHARACTER HATE IS NO EXCUSE FOR SHODDY WRITING. I mean, if you're going to hate a character, at least try to do it intelligently.
...every time I think BtVS was the fandom had the most crazy shipwars Dr. Who proves me wrong! I guess I should be happy I'm not in HP fandom.