I should not have been tempted back to the meme. Not even for spoilers.

[stunt_muppet]

1. It really does irritate me when people start the whole "ew, cosplayers are freaks/cosplay is creepy" meme. I know a lot of cosplayers; I've cosplayed myself, once, though it wasn't very good; I'd still like to do it someday (I'd be girl!Five). Dressing up as a character doesn't mean you think you are them or whatever; dressing up as a character

Comments

[stunt_muppet]

No idea. No one ever tries to justify the cosplay hate, beyond that it's "creepy-obsessive", and I wonder if they realize that from the point of view of a non-fannish person so is fanfiction. It's the whole geek hierarchy thing going again; we may be geeky, but at least we're not cosplayers/Trekkies/furries/whoever.

"What the Thunder Said" was one of the earliest fics I read in this fandom, and part of the reason Inferno's one of my favorite stories. It's one of those fics that's become part of my personal canon.

[brewsternorth]

I suppose it's the most outwardly visible sign of geekishness - think "Trekkies" - and maybe there are some fans who just think it's bad form to thrust your geekishness into the faces of 'the mundanes'.

[stunt_muppet]

there are some fans who just think it's bad form to thrust your geekishness into the faces of 'the mundanes'.

See, that makes sense if you're talking about someone who insisted on speaking Klingon at work or wore a costume out buying groceries (which I do think is inappropriate), but cosplay is mostly limited to conventions, more specifically fannish conventions (I've yet to hear of anyone dressed up at Vividcon or Writercon, for example). And the attendees at cons are already geeks, for the most part. So in that case, I don't get the contempt.

[primsong]

I really, really like your story concept - I want to read it too, though I doubt I'm up to writing it as I'm not an angsty enough writer. I bet you could pull it off, or maybe JJ if you really hit a wall.

[stunt_muppet]

Angst is hardly my strong point either (I'm always afraid that the prose will turn unforgivably purple), but I can usually manage it so long as I firmly think of it as introspection, even when it isn't. But I already have so many ficcish obligations (WIPs, ficlets/drabbles I owe people, whatever ficathon I end up signing up for next in a moment of madness) that adding another one to the pile just won't end well.

[failegaidin]

Do you dislike all epithets used in stories? Because it's an effective way to get around using "he" or their name too often.

[brewsternorth]

*nods* This. Epithets can be overused, but they also save on overuse of other things.

[biichan]

Personally, I notice epithets a heck of a lot more than he or she or even the character's name.

[kindkit]

I second this. I've never thought "This story's constant use of character names is driving me crazy!" but I've frequently been annoyed/pulled out of the story by epithets.

[nentari]

Now I'm feeling guilty because I tend to use epithets from time to time, to stop making the use of their names sound too repetitive.

[stunt_muppet]

Occasional use of epithets I don't mind so much, and I get that sometimes it's necessary to avoid repetition. But this fic used them almost every time it referred to the characters, and some of the epithets it used get really clunky and distracting, as if the author was determined not to use the characters' names at all if she could avoid it. That was what got to me.

I really should edit this post. *looks around shyly*

[gorengal]

Re epithets...I blame grade school curriculum. When my daughter brought home handouts/assignments on story writing, I think my brain exploded. They teach kids that repetition is bad, so they should use epithets and vary dialogue attribution (she exclaimed! he said sadly! she cried! ugh). I told my daughter to do her assignments the way the teacher said, but it was wrong...and I taught her the right way. :D

PS - I saw this and thought of you. Hee. :) http://news.aol.com/health/article/blue-mandms-help-reduce-spine-injury/591604

[stunt_muppet]

It certainly took me a long time to unlearn the habit of never using the same dialogue attribution twice. Though I suppose it's essentially the same thing as epithets; used sparingly they're alright, but teaching kids that they should never use "said" or "he" or "she" is not the way to go about it.

See? See? The blue M&Ms are just better. I knew it. :D Thanks for showing me that! I wonder if they'll approve that for use on people even if it makes them turn blue!

[gorengal]

I wonder if they'll approve that for use on people even if it makes them turn blue!

Well, you could always cosplay (*snicker*) as this character: http://tardis.wikia.com/wiki/Raffalo .

[stunt_muppet]

It'd be a lot less sticky than body paint, that's for sure.

I love the comment where someone suggests that being blue would become a status symbol among the extreme sports crowd, because it meant they'd survived an injury that should have kept them out of the game. I think that'd be kind of interesting.