Writer's Block: Set Sail

[aislingsullivan]

I hate pairings that aren't canon. "Pairings that the author failed to see"? How could an author fail to see something when they created the characters and the story? Spike and Angel are not gay. Neither are Sirius and Lupin, and Harry and Hermione will never be together.

I don't really get why people find the need to write stories about other

Comments

[aisarete]

Actually, the creators and actors of Buffy and Angel acknowledge the fact that Spike and Angel, being around for such a long time, have definitely engaged in some ilicit activities together. They all went on to laugh at those who believed otherwise. It doesn't mean they're gay, either. It just means they hooked up at some point during the million years and such that they've known each other.

I am in no way a Buffy or Angel fanatic. I just happen to know this bit of information. I don't mind if you love canon pairings or hate them. But I'm a stickler for canon and spreading fandom knowledge, so I hope you won't take my minor correction the wrong way.

[aislingsullivan]

It seems a little silly to assume that just because two men have known each other for a hundred years, they must have at some point hooked up. Especially when both of those men seem very into women.

Of course, I've never seen Angel, so if it was hinted at in that series, I don't know. But I never saw anything in Buffy to make me wonder if they'd ever been together.

[aisarete]

No, of course it's silly to assume things like that. For example, azieaphale and Crowley have known each other for 6000 years, and while they shipping fanbase is large and healthy, I would never say they've gotten together just because of proxemity or friendship.

I myself have pretty much no interest in Angel or Buffy, but after being in the fandom world for so long, I learned that basically Spike and Angel were or have been at some point Friends With Benefits, according to official sources.

[aisarete]

Oh, and also Harry/Hermione!

""Pairings that the author failed to see"? How could an author fail to see something when they created the characters and the story?"

In an interview in which fandom and ships were discussed, she was taken aback by the support for Harry/Hermione pairings. She refuted the ship, saying that it would never happen. But not long after, she apologized formally to her fans, saying that she took the time to really look at what she had written and understood how pairings like Harry/Hermione and others could have such a large fanbase. Just because you write a story, doesn't mean that you pick up on the same subtext as your readers.

Also - while I am a Harry Potter fanatic and have been actively lurking in the fandom for nearly nine years now, I in no way endorse Harry/Hermione or any other pairings, for that manner. I like what I like, but that is NOT what this is about. This is my unrepentant urge to impart fandom knowledge.

jkr apologized that she refute HHr?

[jadeddraconis]

did she really? man i would love to hear it!.. sorry off topic

Re: jkr apologized that she refute HHr?

[aisarete]

Oh boy! I may have gotten myself into trouble, letting my big mouth run away with me. To amend my previous statement, JK wasn't so apologetic. It wasn't as big of a deal as that. She had states how surprised she was by the fanatical shippers and had said that it wasn't going to happen. Then she later said that she understood what the fans saw, that the directors of the movies had pick up on it, and that the pairing was a possibility (that just didn't happen). This was a while back, if memory serves me, so I'm not sure how to find it. But if you check mugglenet, I think that's where it was originally. Archive, maybe?

[sierrawyndsong]

Actually, often a writer has to change what they would really like to see happen to satisfy network opinion, advertising dollars, or just real life situations of the actors. So, one could make the argument that some of the dream pairings are actually what a writer wished but couldn't realized. Check out Joseph Mallozzi's blog for Dec. 8 where he talks about how real life circumstances changed the direction of Stargate Atlantis potential storyline of making McKay a dad. Luttrell's real life pregnancy changed the writing direction, and of course, the story framework of the show. So there are many factors and yes, sometimes a writer does miss a potential opportunity. Any good writer worth their salt will own up to that. That's why the devil made editors.

[sierrawyndsong]

And if we only went with canon all of the time, then Peter Jackson's highly successful LOTR would have been much much different. Considering Tolkien originally created those works as bed time stories for his children........well, kind of glad canon was tweaked a little there.

[aislingsullivan]

Having read the novels right as the movies were coming out, I actually thought that Peter Jackson stuck to canon except to cut certain things for time issues. And even then, most of those were added back in in the extended version, except for the stuff with Tom Bombadil and the anti-climactic ending with Saruman in the Shire.

[sierrawyndsong]

The Elves being at Helm's Deep is a major breach of canon, particularly since Tolkien's point is that MAN must stand and fight alone. The elves were never there nor at any major battle scene with the exception of Legolas. The point of Bombadill being the only creature who does not disappear (ie lose himself to the ONE ring yet decides not to help is basically for the same reason.) And leaving him out without even a mention is a breach of canon. Rewriting Arwen to replace the healer elf that DOES assist aragorn and making her more of a fighter in order to assist in the selling of the Aragorn-Arwen-Eowyn love triangle, is a major break in canon