[ SECRET POST #3056 ]

[case]

⌈ Secret Post #3056 ⌋

Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.

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Notes:

Secrets Left to Post: 03 pages, 062 secrets from Secret Submission Post #437.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - broken links ], [ 0 - not!secrets ], [ 0 - not!fandom ], [ 0 - too big ], [ 0 - repeat ].
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

I had the same kind of reaction to a long-since jossed Harry Potter fic. I didn't even know fiction COULD make me feel like that, like my whole view of my place in the world was changed, instead of just loving the story as a thing outside me.

Honestly I believe that kind of feeling is more likely to come from certain spheres of fanfic, although I have a hard time articulating why. There's more space for using pre-existing emotional weight to build and explore themes (that are more likely to match our own generation's anxieties) and create an effect, rather than the sort of plot-dominant story construction that most media follows. IDK, maybe that's bullshit.

I don't think it detracts from loving other things to have that reaction, no matter what caused it. And you'll never know if something else will effect you like that unless you keep reading!

[intrigueing]

Do you remember the title of the Harry Potter fic or still have the link?

Honestly I believe that kind of feeling is more likely to come from certain spheres of fanfic, although I have a hard time articulating why. There's more space for using pre-existing emotional weight to build and explore themes (that are more likely to match our own generation's anxieties) and create an effect, rather than the sort of plot-dominant story construction that most media follows. IDK, maybe that's bullshit.

I don't think that's bullshit at all, I think that's exactly right. Though I dunno about the "own generation's anxieties" thing. (I do think there's definitely a "more geared towards female anxieties" thing though, which tends to be neglected in original stories that aren't blatantly "women's fiction" or whatever.)

[(Anonymous)]

It was this one: http://archiveofourown.org/works/392764/chapters/645041

YMMV obviously, but it's definitely worth the read.

[intrigueing]

I'll take your word for it since there's no way I would ever read a 65,000 word Draco/Harry fic, but thanks for linking it! I'll bookmark it and might pass it along to someone who might be interested.

[(Anonymous)]

FOR THE RECORD, the H/D is very light, I have never shipped it, and it could almost be gen, if it's a matter of not being interested rather than a hard NoTP

I actually considered saying this earlier but didn't because I didn't want to offend someone who WAS a shipper, lol, it still feels so popular

it was written before the 7th book and it's mostly just about - how do all these kids who were on different sides of a war have/make/live in a future after a war? and it's just lots of casual and less casual conversations as they sort of lurch toward healing and friendship between a pretty large ensemble cast

but yeah obv if it's not for you that's cool

[intrigueing]

That does sound interesting! I'll keep it in my "unread fics" bookmark folder just in case ;)

[(Anonymous)]

There's a tumblr post I like that I think really sums up why fic can be so powerful - http://i.imgur.com/NOINen5.png

But, seriously though, I love it. Fic builds on something we know and may have preconceived notions about, and tries to improve it. To better representation, or even just try on different things. It's an affectionate but non-passive way of interacting with our media; I think ""traditional"" fandom, that was for the most part dominated, was largely obsessed with facts and knowing every detail and 'if you can't name who guest starred in episode 20 of season 7 you're not a real fan", and holding up the creators as all powerful. Fic and modern fandom is, "I love this. I want it to be better."

[(Anonymous)]

Uh, that so-called "modern fandom" and that kind of exploratory fanfic has been around since the late '60s-'70s. So no, "traditional" fandom was not about being obsessed with facts. And fanfic back then was just as sophisticated about this power of fanfic as it is today, although it didn't have as many varieties of different kinds of fics/tropes/etc.

But yeah IA that male-dominated fandom (which came into existence after or at about the same time as female-dominated fandom and fanfic, not before) is, and was, about random meaningless trivia.

[intrigueing]

I agree with this, but the anon who replied to you is right: that isn't a feature of "modern" fandom, it's been around as long as fanfic has been around (late 1960s -- and if you count stuff like Paradise Lost and Prometheus Unbound and the like, even earlier).

And the "obsessive details" type of fandom is not "traditional" fandom. I don't think it really existed until Star Trek (with a couple of exceptions, like Sherlock Holmes fandom with Baring-Gould and the Great Game etc, but Sherlock Holmes fandom has always been a special case.)

[(Anonymous)]

I never understand this argument, because clearly, you've endured the exposition in whatever the original canon source was, so it's not the exposition itself that bothers you.

No one goes into anything new with any previous experience or knowledge.

And what that post is describing is bad narrative techniques, which can be found in fanfic as much as it can in original canon sources.

[(Anonymous)]

nayrt

I think the feeling is just different, I guess? You can use certain narrative devices in fanfic (making unelaborated-upon references to canon events or status quos) that you can't use in original stories unless it's near the end of the story after the plot has set up a large amount of the "canon." Whereas the reference to established canon can be the starting-point for fanfic. And exposition in fanfic does feel different than exposition in an original story, though of course that's more nebulous.

[(Anonymous)]

AYRT

I understand that, I suppose my issue comes with the fact that if you're in a fandom for something then you've HAD to do that with the original canon. Whatever it was -- TV, movie, book -- couldn't use those narrative devices, but clearly you could deal with that if you were invested enough to be in the fandom.

And again, the complaints about infodumping in the original post is just bad writing, whether it's original or not. I just don't see how they're comparable.

[(Anonymous)]

I gotta admit, I'm more tolerant of infodumping in original stories than in fanfic. In fanfic I guess I just expect less infodumping because in fanfic you can always go off of various info that was dumped in the canon rather than making up all-new info (eg, using canon incidents or canon minor one-off characters rather than making up a whole new plot if it's just an infodump-y "this is the context of what's happening" sort of deal.)