Re: DON'T EVEN COUNT THIS FOR POINTSsinstralprideJuly 1 2010, 01:27:49 UTC
I was really excited to see that all three teams took a different approach the the challenge! I love diversity in fandom. :D Plus I can never get enough meta.
Team Penny Blossoms (RAJ)weasleytookJuly 1 2010, 02:15:03 UTC
When it comes to Raj in fanfic, I find that second only to Penny, he probably has the most backstory that can be fleshed out in fanon versus canon because of his mutism. That works well in gen fic or Raj-centered fic, but when you’re writing Sheldon/Penny with Raj as a secondary character, I find his mutism as a writing obstacle. It doesn’t mean it’s a bad thing or that I never want to write Raj (I adore Raj), it just makes it a lot more difficult to keep him in the story when he can’t speak while Penny is around. (There are only so many times you can write that Raj whispered to Howard or Leonard and they repeat him.) So then the goal is how do you get around that in fic. It’s not a big problem in one-shots or ficlets, but in a long fic (for example BBBB), we have to find a way to make Raj talk or the poor fella gets ignored! I like the example you brought up of the fic by dashakay, because she makes it believable that Raj can speak to Penny and uses him as an important part of the storyline
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Re: Team Penny Blossoms (RAJ)fujiidomJuly 1 2010, 03:39:26 UTC
I’m afraid the BBT writers aren’t going to be as introspective as fandom can be when it comes to this one. They continue to play Raj’s situation for laughs rather than show him working towards fix it (aside from one episode) or giving us reasons for it. Normally, like you said, it's a comedy and I just brush it off as to be expected, but there's some Raj moments that really do edge on depressing in or out of context. Almost every time there's a woman in the room and they need Kunal to be able to make a one-liner, they have him finishing off a swig of something by the next cut-away. There are far worse portrayals of alcohol use on the show or otherwise, but it's pretty grim when you can anticipate Raj running off to get alcohol just to talk with someone
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Team Penny BlossomsweasleytookJuly 2 2010, 08:06:05 UTC
Oh yes, I have GREAT sympathy for Raj. I'm a talker and I can't imagine going through my day feeling crippled in that way.
I almost hope he's taken up sign-language, just to keep himself safe if placed under arrest by a female or something.
I would LOVE this actually. Because the storylines regarding Raj's mutism have been so stagnant, it would actually breathe some life into his storyline if they could have him attempting to find better ways around it. A sign language storyline could be great. (I just have this image in my head of finding out that Penny knows sign language because her neighbor was deaf, so her Raj can now say anything and NO ONE ELSE knows what they're saying.)
And your other suggestions are good too. Basically, anything that gives Raj (and thereby Kunal) more to do will make me so happy.
The more I think about it, the less likely they would've been to be taken to this hilariously lamp-shaded homoerotic relationship when the punchline was them whispering in hushed tones to bicker like an old married couple.
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Re: TEAM PENNY BLOSSOMS (Sheldon in Fanon)renisanzJuly 1 2010, 03:58:18 UTC
Reading this, I'm automatically trying to mentally catalogue the intimate situations in which I've written these two. For my personal fanon, I imagine Sheldon as having acquired a certain comfort level with Penny over time. She's such a naturally physically person, with all the touching, so Sheldon eventually gets used to her invading her personal space to the point that it may still bother him a bit, but "It's just Penny." And Penny isn't one who will cross the line and make him uncomfortable or truly violate his personal boundaries
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Re: TEAM PENNY BLOSSOMS (Sheldon in Fanon)elffriend26July 2 2010, 02:08:24 UTC
I agree with everything you've said. I prefer a slow progression of the physical stuff in my fics.
However, I also think it might be a kind of female fantasy being played out for Sheldon to turn out to suddenly be a great lover. Quite a few people crush on his character. The most fun way to imagine him would be this way no?
A huge part of my problem with Leonard is that he's a "nice guy" - he sees himself deserving of Penny simply because he's not the bullying, aggressive type of man she's dated before, which makes him (imo) something of an emotional vampire. Regardless of my views as a Sheldon/Penny shipper, I have problems with Leonard and Penny's relationship. I think there are problems with a potential Sheldon/Penny relationship, too, but none so insidious as the way Leonard views himself and treats Penny. The misogyny he displayed in the S3 finale certainly didn't help me like him any more, and on top of that, I find myself pitying Leonard a lot of time rather than rooting for him. Possibly the show's effort to make him sympathetic misfired
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Team Penny Blossoms!galfridianJuly 1 2010, 20:57:32 UTC
1. As a reader, I think a writer goes too far when a character is so out-of-character that it isn't even feasible. I'm comfortable with AUs, I'm comfortable with tweaking characters' personalities, but if something is painfully out-of-character (ESPECIALLY if the story has done absolutely nothing to set up the action), I can't read it. As a writer, it's important to me that a reader can believe the characters' behavior and decisions. I probably worry TOO much about this most times, so my stories are often overly cautious. Believability is crucial. As far as AUs go, I think they only work if something of the “basics” crossover. For example, the particular way characters interact with each other makes for a great way to ease readers into an AU. The AU may be drastically different than the original verse, but if Penny and Sheldon still engage in a battle of wills, the story works
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I've harped on this before, but since you brought up the "what needs to carry over to an AU" thing, what absolutely determines for me if a story works is voice. A good writer can convince me that a character will say nearly anything; it's how the character says it that matters. Sheldon's voice is tough to nail because it is incredibly distinct, and I see a lot of writers with the tendency to make him speak like he swallowed a dictionary. His turns of phrase can be formal, but there's a naturalness to the way he speaks, too. (Body language goes into voice, too, I think, because so much of our communication is non-verbal
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A good writer can convince me that a character will say nearly anything; it's how the character says it that matters.
THIS. The characters should be themselves, whatever universe they're dropped in. Naturally, there are AUs that will reshape a character's life in such a way that they may be different, but the basics of a character should remain.
Oh, yes. Demonstrative stories are excellent. Meta in fiction form is perhaps the best. (Of course, these are the writers who ought to go out into the world and try it professionally, because they can spin tales on so many levels.)
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I almost hope he's taken up sign-language, just to keep himself safe if placed under arrest by a female or something.
I would LOVE this actually. Because the storylines regarding Raj's mutism have been so stagnant, it would actually breathe some life into his storyline if they could have him attempting to find better ways around it. A sign language storyline could be great. (I just have this image in my head of finding out that Penny knows sign language because her neighbor was deaf, so her Raj can now say anything and NO ONE ELSE knows what they're saying.)
And your other suggestions are good too. Basically, anything that gives Raj (and thereby Kunal) more to do will make me so happy.
The more I think about it, the less likely they would've been to be taken to this hilariously lamp-shaded homoerotic relationship when the punchline was them whispering in hushed tones to bicker like an old married couple. ( ... )
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However, I also think it might be a kind of female fantasy being played out for Sheldon to turn out to suddenly be a great lover. Quite a few people crush on his character. The most fun way to imagine him would be this way no?
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I'm such an old fogie that I remember when that was a monthly fic challenge. :X
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THIS. The characters should be themselves, whatever universe they're dropped in. Naturally, there are AUs that will reshape a character's life in such a way that they may be different, but the basics of a character should remain.
Oh, yes. Demonstrative stories are excellent. Meta in fiction form is perhaps the best. (Of course, these are the writers who ought to go out into the world and try it professionally, because they can spin tales on so many levels.)
I think it's all about intent.
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