Elena Gilbert and fanfiction
I'm in the middle of finals right now, so I'm trying very hard NOT to do anything particularly time-consuming in fandom (you can't imagine how many fic and meta ideas I have when I look at my vocabulary handouts...), but I had this awesome discussion with youcallitwinter about how Elena is depicted in fanfiction, and now I have loads and loads of questions!
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Elena fanfiction? What is it?
(Sorry I just have the urge to give a very, very cynical answer to all your questions. I mean, you are asking about Elena within a fandom that hates her with passion. TVD fandom wouldn't be caught dead hashtagging 'Elena Gilbert is amazing ( ... )
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I was sort of fishing for rant, and for bad fanfiction as well as good ;). My conversation with youcallitwinter started with 50 Shades of Grey and went straight to TVD fanfic, so you can guess the general mood...
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Hahha, I can imagine how the discussion unravelled ;) Don't you worry though, I will give you rant. (I was obviously lying earlier : when does one not want to rant about infuriating phenomena?) I have read way too much bad fic in order to restrain myself. (Keep in mind that my first fandom was Gossip Girl. I don't think I have ever read worse fic than bad Chuck/Blair fic. There is nothing worse.) BUT. I am being reasonable. (If I repeat it enough, maybe it will be true.) So you will get rant in a near future. (And you will have moved on to other rants. But not me, alas :P ( ... )
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The discussion is here, you don't have to rely on your imagination ;). I am forever traumatized by bad TVD fic, so I'm waiting for your rant!
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PS : this icon is my 'raging-against-everything-patriarchal' icon. Which is a bit ironic considering that it's a snap from a patriarchal asshat menacing his wife. Whatever. It makes sense in my little head. And I'm all chipper because I finally get to use it ;)
(Okay, now. Here it goes.)
First of all, let's get one thing straight : even though Elena is the one character that gets paired up with everybody it's never fucking ABOUT her. (Almost. You know, because of the nice and cosy parts of fandom. God bless them.) It's about Damon. Or Stefan. Or whatever Original she's redeeming. But Elena? WHO EVEN CARES ABOUT HER? She just the fucking girl that does the job. She's a good cast. She'll tell the story. But never her story ( ... )
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First of all, let's get one thing straight : even though Elena is the one character that gets paired up with everybody it's never fucking ABOUT her.
That's the biggest riddle of this fandom for me -- so many people seem to hate Elena, and yet 3/4 of ships are Elena ships... How? Why?
What fascinates (read : dumbfounds) me are statistics telling me that more than eighty percent of fanfiction is written by women. SO WHY/HOW/WHYYY IS IT NEVER BLOODY ABOUT WOMEN?
See, that's what I'm trying to figure out... Because all those bad fanfic tropes are fucking HUGE, they're everywhere, and they must be coming from SOMEWHERE. I mean. I realize that the society is misogynistic, but I'm not satisfied with this answer. I want details.
I mean, I get Damon's appeal, but with all his female traits, he still remains a male character WITH A THROBBING DICK! (That is exclusive to males, isn't it?)
LOL, you're gold XD. There's actually an awesome meta that explains some aspects of what you're mentioning ( ... )
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But the sex... DEAR LORD THE SEX. Have these women ever had sex in their lives? I WONDER. You know, when I first came across bad porn, I was a bit disconcerted. At some point, I even started wondering if I wasn't doing it right ( ... )
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OMG NO. NO.
See, I'm just not fit for non-face-to-face discussions. Since thirteen-year-old-me first discovered the traps of online conversation with msn, internet kindly reminds of that every single day. I keep thinking that one day, it'll get better, but I'm still restless on that front. I'm annoyed at this.
Still. Let's clear things up a bit. (In others words, prepare yourself, this is going to get long.)
I do understand the need to protect one's privacy by not basing one's fiction on one's real sex life.OBVS. I mean. OBVIOUSLY ( ... )
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I don't care wether this is a real feeling, tracing back to the author's personal experience, or if it's built solely with the author's imagination and (if I could, I would highlight this) empathy.The point is that, for me, it makes no difference whether I'm building a story using my personal experience or empathy. If it's just in my head, it's not less real. When it comes to describing sex, sharing thoughts is just as intimate as sharing experience (again -- this is just for me, every writer experiences those things differently). So the only "safe" way of writing those things is by using cliches: because then no one can tell what you're actually thinking, you're just saying what everyone is saying! This is why I'm saying that I understand why would some writers ( ... )
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LOL. So are we both the worst or what? :P
But YAY WE ARE SO ON THE SAME PAGE because : If it's just in my head, it's not less real..
And also, the thought thing being almost on the same level as real life, at least as far as intimacy and vulnerabilty are concerned!
I have this theory that in a weird and twisted way, the things we imagine are also part of our essence, because even if they aren't something we would ever choose to be, they are still a (sometimes highly) distorted reflection of our own possibilties. This goes with the idea that we can never be found either. I see myself as an ungraspable essence (that can still be distinguished and identified, just not defined), constituted of the infinite number of possibilities that I am. Some more unprobable than others. Some completely impossible. Yet, still relevant. (Somehow, that makes total sense to me, but we already established the difficulty to convey clear theories ( ... )
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Hey, let's just blame English! It's all because of a foreign language. This thing is evil!
I guess what I don't get, where the appeal of writing fanfic remains, when you're relying on 'safe' tropes and reassuring clichés more often than not.Hmmm. I think people just write for different purposes? Hell, I mostly work the way you describe, and yet sometimes I deliberately write "unreal" stories. Because I want to play with the language. Because I something seems like an intellectual challenge. Because I want to try out a new trick. Because I want to write someone a gift. There are so many possible reasons for writing fiction ( ... )
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I think people just write for different purposes?
I think you're right about that.
Do you have a theory?LOL. I really hope you know what you just did there. (I am holding you responsible for all the thought spamming that is to come. What were you thinking giving me such an open invitation to bury you under my musing?) I cannot make this short. But since I have no time tonight, you are still in position to take an out ( ... )
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I want all the spam, ok? I've just had an encounter with rape apologists today, and I need your thoughts and explanations even more.
Thank you, it all went quite well today... Let's see what happens tomorrow.
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But UGH. Rape apologists, for real? I feel for you... *sends you nice things to forget about this awefulness*
Rape apogolists are something I do not understand. I try, you know. And then I end up having very mean-spirited thoughts I feel guilty about. I don't wish rape on anybody. How could I. But then there are people like that and I just find myself wishing they had the slightest idea of what they so adamantly try to legitimate. And then I resent myself for even thinking that. So much. Because no, just no. You do not wish rape on anybody. Even when they are offensively ignorant. BUT BOY DO I HAVE NO LOVE FOR THESE PEOPLE. I just try to deal by telling myself that they are lacking perspective and that they don't realize the extent of their words ( ... )
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