Elena Gilbert and fanfiction

[upupa_epops]

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!

Comments

[badboy_fangirl]

I feel like all of us even responding to this somehow enables you to not study. Thus I should feel guilty, thus I should not post....and yet....

Here I am. Being a terrible friend.

I find that when I write Elena, most often what I'm trying to achieve with her is honesty. That's my main goal--to have her be honest, and usually that leads to her being forthcoming about her feelings. I've written her as angry some of the time in that effort, but since all most of my fic is Damon/Elena with the goal of getting them together by the end, that's what's going on. Sometimes though, I've found her to be passive when it comes to anger, but she'll get there eventually. Other times the anger is very close to the surface and easy to explore

[upupa_epops]

Don't worry, those comments actually gave me something to look forward to when I was crawling my way through a book I was supposed to read for class (I actually loved that book, but it wasn't easy to read), so thank you!

I've written her as angry some of the time in that effort

I mostly write her angry, but I rarely go into the theme of honesty. It's mostly because, at some point, some discussions in D/E fandom pissed me off, and now I see red when I hear about Elena being "self-deceiving" and in need to achieve honesty. I know that I'm overdoing it, and that Elena actually is self-deceptive to some extent, but I can't help it. Out of spite, I tend to write extremely self-aware Elena.I'm probably beyond help.

Additionally, one of my all-time favorite D/E fics is not perfect to me, though all the rest of it is excellent, because of this aspect. I remember there being something about Stefan not satisfying Elena--like he was a selfish loverI actually grew to enjoy the trope of Damon being not such a good lover. I mean, he's spent a

[badboy_fangirl]

I do try to write it so that there's an event that causes Elena to be honest. She doesn't just say, oh, it's Tuesday, I love Damon! or anything, and that is fun...finding the thing that gets her there. I mean, we talk about how she should be angry for this thing or that thing, I always feel like she should have more epiphanies--like, OMG, I feel this because of that! But to each their own

[upupa_epops]

I've noticed that you're always writing Elena's epiphany as a process rather than take an easy way out with something like oh, it's Tuesday, I love Damon! :). Tbqh, this is why I often just don't know what to do with your fic -- because, as we've already established, we do tend to interpret D/E differently, so I often end up disagreeing with your characterization, but, at the same time, you're a good writer, so everything makes a perfect sense within the story! What a head-scratcher!

Oooooh, good point, I do tend to interpret D/E a lot like Zoe does! When I read her fic, I often react with: "YES, this is my Damon and this is my Elena".

The idea that Elena doesn't find him attractive/isn't attracted to him/doesn't have feelings greater than friendship for him are all subjective -- like what level is she at?

I have a complicated relationship with this thing. ever-neutral once pointed out that Damon and Elena are both very similar people (which is where their "understanding" is coming from -- they both have a tendency of projecting their own

[badboy_fangirl]

See, I'm different. When I'm bored, I enjoy turning my own interpretations upside down just to see what would happen. I like to try different kinds of characterization just for the sake of experiment.I guess this would also explain why you'd read fic even when you fundamentally disagree with the characterization? Because that's the truth of it--I would never think you'd read my fic. I mean, I can read a ficlet where it's not exactly the characterization I envision, but long fics? Forgetaboutit. I never read that stuff. I only commit to multi-chapters that I really see things I agree with, or feel is true when I'm reading it. Like that example of the poor Stefan characterization? That almost made me quit the fic, but the other characterization was so strong, I decided to overlook it. But that is really, really rare of me. I'm a total fic snob

[upupa_epops]

Because that's the truth of it--I would never think you'd read my fic

Well, you can imagine how shocked I was when I saw one of my fics on your D/E rec list XD. Honestly? I'd LOVE to be picky, but there aren't enough authors I agree with.

I mean, ultimately, that's what I want to happen on the show too

That's another difference: I don't really care about that. There's a saying in my language (quite a silly one, but bear with me) that when you're chasing a bunny, it's not about catching it, it's about the chase. D/E as it is now is perfect for me. They're interesting, they're dynamic, they have fascinating motivations. So I don't really care if Elena overcomes her Damon-related issues, because what's important for me is that her issues are interesting. I'm waiting for them to get together in the show, because I think that it may bring awesome character development, but it'd also be possible for the writers to write a story in which they don't get together that I'd be satisfied with.

[badboy_fangirl]

I recced you? I don't remember that. What fic was it? I'm getting older now, apparently I need reminders!

There isn't enough good D/E fic, period. I wrote so much myself between October 2010 and September 2011 that it didn't matter, but now that I've chilled out it kills me. I want more, and I want it good.

but it'd also be possible for the writers to write a story in which they don't get together that I'd be satisfied with.
Oh, sure. It would just be Kate & Sawyer all over again for me, though, where I'd be imagining the scenario where they really were together in some fashion, if only to appease my wounded heart. But yes, I've already accepted that that may be the case. I won't be able to handle it if she's with Stefan instead, permanently, at the end. That will absolutely gut me, I'm sure, and possibly ruin all enjoyment ever for me. But I'm trying to back off from my crazy tendencies there.

[upupa_epops]

It was this. It's also on my lj, but it was posted long before we met :).

There isn't enough good D/E fic, period.

WORD. I'm considering chaining Zoe to her computer tbh.

Ugh, S/E endgame would kill me. After what happened, it would just be a terrible storytelling choice.

[badboy_fangirl]

Oh, you're sneaky and have a different name on AO3! That was during one of my desperate bids to find more fic and I started looking over there because I hadn't been posting there very long myself at that time. I liked that one because it was ambiguous; also, Elena hit Damon and Damon invited her to do it. But it could have gone anywhere and I could easily tie it up with my nice, neat bows. It was a start, not an ending, you know? So I liked it a lot.

Though I didn't comment on it, I only kudo'd it, which honestly, that's the laziest thing ever, that kudos button. I hate it.

[upupa_epops]

Yes, I'm the sneaky one ;). I got my AO3 account a while back, when I didn't think I would ever write in English, so I used the pen name I usually use when I write in Polish. Now it seems that it's a bit confusing, but I'm feeling too sentimental to change it into my lj name. Well, I have all my stories on my lj anyway, and AO3 is just a back-up.

I'm really glad you liked my story (I'm vain like that ;) ). Why do you hate the kudos button? I quite like it, truth to be told. I mean, sure, I'd prefer actual comments, but, hey, this is better than nothing! So far, I got exactly one comment on AO3, and I just grew used to it. Lj is for comments, AO3 is for storage :).

[badboy_fangirl]

Oh, I accept AO3 for what it is, but do try to comment myself. I must have been in a hurry then, and decided the rec was comment enough? Who knows what thought process I was operating under that day. All the same, I like the storage factor, but I'd rather there be no kudos. It just irritates me, and yet I give in to it sometimes too, obviously.

I have always wondered about the significance of you LJ moniker? What does it mean?

[upupa_epops]

It's just Latin for a hoopoe! See: the picture. "Upupa epops" sounds a bit funny in my language, and I used a hoopoe as an animal totem in some crackfic we wrote for a friend ages ago. When I was signing up here, my usual nickname was taken, so "upupa epops" was the first thing that came to my mind. Now I'm quite fond of it, even if it sounds ridiculous, and I am NOTHING like a little bird ;).

I'm pathetic enough to crave any sort of feedback, so I grew to like kudos. I mean, sure, they're a lazy solution, but if life gives you lemons... ;). And it's a neat solution for me as a reader, because I'm a TERRIBLY lazy reader.