Fandom, I love you.
Ah. Eh. Oh. You know what? I'm very happy. And very sad. At the same time. And fanfiction made me feel that way.
I love it when it awakes such strong emotions within me. I doesn't happen that often. There's some bad fanfiction, there's some amazingly written fanfiction, and then there's a story that actually makes you feel. The last time this happened it was with deird1 's Small Spaces. I love the story to pieces. Now it's happening again. I've been reading The Shoebox Project.
It's a multi-chaptered, mostly Remus/Sirius story. I'm sure you've heard of it: it's even mentioned on Wikipedia and everything. I heard of it for the first time a few days ago. (I'm relatively new to fandom, yada yada yada...) In case you're as out of the loop as I was/am/whatever, here's a definition from Urban Dictionary:
- a much-beloved and very popular James/Lily and Remus/Sirius fanfiction on LiveJournal, written by jaida and rave. it has inspired cult-followers, much squeeing, and more.
"OH MY GOD. SHOOOOOOEEEEBOOOOOOOOX," I typed into a 'The Shoebox Project' AIM chat.
"UPDATE?" another responded.
"YESSSS," was my reply, provoking much use of capslock and squeeing among my companions.
- The pinnacle of Harry Potter Maurauder-era fanfics. Work in Progress. Utterly hilarious and addicting. *SQUEE*
"I was reading the shoebox project at three in the morning, and i could'nt stop laughing- i woke up the whole house."
"Oh, my. I must read that."
- The greatest, in many rabidly obsessed people's opinions, "Marauders' Era" (circa 1970 Hogwarts) Harry Potter fanfiction EVER. Written by Lady Jaida and Dorkorific and hosted on LiveJournal, it has become widely popular and there are heaps of readers who believe that it is canon-J.K. Rowling who? It is meant to be Remus/Sirius slash but remains nearly gen for at least the first nineteen parts.
"MERLIN'S BEARD," I shrieked into my unfortunate friend's ear, "SHOEBOX HAS BEEN UPDATED!"
She sniffed disdainfully and made an off-handed comment about how Remus/Sirius slash is wrong and her personal OC, an author avatar by the name of Mary-Sue-I mean, Crimson Midnight Slytherin, fits much better with both Remus and Sirius. And James, and Lucius, but not Tom Riddle because they're related and that would be "icky."
I smacked her with a pillow, initiating a catfight much like those between Narcissa Black and Carmina Rosier.
Nope, I did not wake up the whole house, but the rest of it remains true for me as well. I love it. (Not to pieces this time. Snape confrontations, for example, make me feels uncomfortable, even though he is an ass. I can't turn off my righteous thinking.) It makes me smile and laugh and happy. The characterization is so good. It makes me love the characters even more. It makes me love McGonagall even more. (Yes, I felt the need to mention specifically her. She's pretty awesome.) And I decided I, in fact, do like Dumbledore which I wasn't exactly sure of before. Now I am. While his actions are morally questionable from time to time, he was there. He was there for Remus, he was there for Harry, he was there for every single student who needed him, and I'm grateful for that. And he's an old, wise, clever bastard, that's for sure.
Moving on. Remus/Sirius. Aww. They're my longest 'ship. I've shipped them since I entered Czech fandom back when I was thirteen or fourteen. Hell, I even have "Moony" and "Padfoot" written on doors from back when I was stupid/naïve/young enough to write there something! And here they are, so real, so close. I'm actually glad it "remains nearly gen for at least the first nineteen parts" because it makes their relationship, again, real. The journey's important. The struggles are important. And I just finished the twelfth chapter with the first kiss... with purpose. It makes me warm inside. It makes me go interrupt my brother, who's watching Doctor Who, and tell him how much I love this fic. It makes me write this, somehow embarrassed for my thought but feeling the need to write anyway.
So where does the sadness come from? Certain realization prompted this. Or, rather, its concequences. You know, Joss Whedon is often used as an example of a writer who makes their character suffer and widely die. Well, I think J. K. Rowling is pretty much the same (as shown in the books 4-7 over and over again). Now, I'm not saying that it's a bad thing. It can be an exibit of a good writing and it does make often sense in the universe they write in. But my heart? It aches.
I'm reading this excellent Marauders story, smiling and laughing and sqeeing and gasping, reading about them in this sort of happy place, as they're making pranks, learning what friendship means, dealing with their love lives, planning their future. Planning their future. Right. So what does their future looks like? James, against every odds, marries Lily and they have a baby together. Then they both get killed. Because one of their best friends, Peter, turns on "the dark side" and betrays them because he has "no other choice". Then he dies. Sirius is blamed for a murder he didn't commit and spens twelve years in Azkaban. When he gets free, he has to hide and is murdered by his cousin soon afterwards. Remus, in edition to being a werewolf, finds himself without his friends and spends many years alone. Then he reconciles with his best friends who is muredered soon afterwards. Then he starts a family and is murdered as well.
Fuck. Now how am I supposed to simply rejoice with a story, in my current characters-are-also-people world, knowing this ends badly?
*sniffs* *kindly asks you not to spoil much in case you plan on commenting* *goes back to reading*
I love it when it awakes such strong emotions within me. I doesn't happen that often. There's some bad fanfiction, there's some amazingly written fanfiction, and then there's a story that actually makes you feel. The last time this happened it was with deird1 's Small Spaces. I love the story to pieces. Now it's happening again. I've been reading The Shoebox Project.
It's a multi-chaptered, mostly Remus/Sirius story. I'm sure you've heard of it: it's even mentioned on Wikipedia and everything. I heard of it for the first time a few days ago. (I'm relatively new to fandom, yada yada yada...) In case you're as out of the loop as I was/am/whatever, here's a definition from Urban Dictionary:
- a much-beloved and very popular James/Lily and Remus/Sirius fanfiction on LiveJournal, written by jaida and rave. it has inspired cult-followers, much squeeing, and more.
"OH MY GOD. SHOOOOOOEEEEBOOOOOOOOX," I typed into a 'The Shoebox Project' AIM chat.
"UPDATE?" another responded.
"YESSSS," was my reply, provoking much use of capslock and squeeing among my companions.
- The pinnacle of Harry Potter Maurauder-era fanfics. Work in Progress. Utterly hilarious and addicting. *SQUEE*
"I was reading the shoebox project at three in the morning, and i could'nt stop laughing- i woke up the whole house."
"Oh, my. I must read that."
- The greatest, in many rabidly obsessed people's opinions, "Marauders' Era" (circa 1970 Hogwarts) Harry Potter fanfiction EVER. Written by Lady Jaida and Dorkorific and hosted on LiveJournal, it has become widely popular and there are heaps of readers who believe that it is canon-J.K. Rowling who? It is meant to be Remus/Sirius slash but remains nearly gen for at least the first nineteen parts.
"MERLIN'S BEARD," I shrieked into my unfortunate friend's ear, "SHOEBOX HAS BEEN UPDATED!"
She sniffed disdainfully and made an off-handed comment about how Remus/Sirius slash is wrong and her personal OC, an author avatar by the name of Mary-Sue-I mean, Crimson Midnight Slytherin, fits much better with both Remus and Sirius. And James, and Lucius, but not Tom Riddle because they're related and that would be "icky."
I smacked her with a pillow, initiating a catfight much like those between Narcissa Black and Carmina Rosier.
Nope, I did not wake up the whole house, but the rest of it remains true for me as well. I love it. (Not to pieces this time. Snape confrontations, for example, make me feels uncomfortable, even though he is an ass. I can't turn off my righteous thinking.) It makes me smile and laugh and happy. The characterization is so good. It makes me love the characters even more. It makes me love McGonagall even more. (Yes, I felt the need to mention specifically her. She's pretty awesome.) And I decided I, in fact, do like Dumbledore which I wasn't exactly sure of before. Now I am. While his actions are morally questionable from time to time, he was there. He was there for Remus, he was there for Harry, he was there for every single student who needed him, and I'm grateful for that. And he's an old, wise, clever bastard, that's for sure.
Moving on. Remus/Sirius. Aww. They're my longest 'ship. I've shipped them since I entered Czech fandom back when I was thirteen or fourteen. Hell, I even have "Moony" and "Padfoot" written on doors from back when I was stupid/naïve/young enough to write there something! And here they are, so real, so close. I'm actually glad it "remains nearly gen for at least the first nineteen parts" because it makes their relationship, again, real. The journey's important. The struggles are important. And I just finished the twelfth chapter with the first kiss... with purpose. It makes me warm inside. It makes me go interrupt my brother, who's watching Doctor Who, and tell him how much I love this fic. It makes me write this, somehow embarrassed for my thought but feeling the need to write anyway.
So where does the sadness come from? Certain realization prompted this. Or, rather, its concequences. You know, Joss Whedon is often used as an example of a writer who makes their character suffer and widely die. Well, I think J. K. Rowling is pretty much the same (as shown in the books 4-7 over and over again). Now, I'm not saying that it's a bad thing. It can be an exibit of a good writing and it does make often sense in the universe they write in. But my heart? It aches.
I'm reading this excellent Marauders story, smiling and laughing and sqeeing and gasping, reading about them in this sort of happy place, as they're making pranks, learning what friendship means, dealing with their love lives, planning their future. Planning their future. Right. So what does their future looks like? James, against every odds, marries Lily and they have a baby together. Then they both get killed. Because one of their best friends, Peter, turns on "the dark side" and betrays them because he has "no other choice". Then he dies. Sirius is blamed for a murder he didn't commit and spens twelve years in Azkaban. When he gets free, he has to hide and is murdered by his cousin soon afterwards. Remus, in edition to being a werewolf, finds himself without his friends and spends many years alone. Then he reconciles with his best friends who is muredered soon afterwards. Then he starts a family and is murdered as well.
Fuck. Now how am I supposed to simply rejoice with a story, in my current characters-are-also-people world, knowing this ends badly?
*sniffs* *kindly asks you not to spoil much in case you plan on commenting* *goes back to reading*