And another think about fic
Jun. 5th, 2011 08:13 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
beccaelizabethA thing I don't get: I am reading about older characters. As in, not teenage. Probably middle aged. They've accumulated a bit of milage, got their scars, and while they've still got strength enough to be going on with, they're better padded than they used to be. Bodies that are comfortably worn in, like good leathers. Possibly they have less hair than they used to, probably it's going a little grey, or a lot silver. These are all features of these guys, distinguishing characteristics, and from where I'm standing good things.
So I read fic, and what happens? Some writers have them loose weight, change their exercise regimen (even characters who canonically get very plenty exercise as it is), grow their hair (!) and change their clothes (!!) and generally write about them like they got twenty years younger and decided 'pretty' was more important than 'apocalypse' in the grand scheme of things.
It's like they looked at these guys and decided 'They're so dreamy, I'll just change everything about them!'
I mean, I get writing about the younger versions, seeing how people got to be the way they are, maybe liking a certain season better than others, or appreciating the way regular exercise reshapes a person. But what I do not get is, if they're going to make them have different bodies, why start with those other bodies in the first place? Just... find different guys. Who are in fact younger already. It's not like Hollywood has any shortage.
And while it might logically seem likely they choose those guys for the personality, personal histories, relationships and all that unique stuff... no. Not so much, that I can see. I mean, there might be some really well characterised stuff that just thinks guys look better when they're starving themselves and spending all day at the gym, but the ones I've seen, if they're going to reshape their outsides, they go for the 'bringing them out of themselves', 'more confident', 'freer', totally redone different personality. Just tweak every aspect of their personality. And forget all that save the world stuff, that's what canon is for, the guys clearly would rather be in bed.
Maybe it's for the pairings. If they keep the pairings. Just... if they want them to look different, act different, and live in different stories, why do they care about the pair at all?
... okay, I'm done now.
I'd just like to read stories about (a) old friends-turned-enemies who try and make it work again and (b) teachers with adult-enough students, probably with swords involved or (c) protector/protected pairs that are based on age/ability not gender, and all of those require people with a bit of history on them. I like the little lines and the silver. It's all good. All this instant teenage reversion stuff... it's like the auton replica versions, hello plastic.
... except Rory-auton didn't look plastic, or act plastic, so plastic is not necessarily a bad thing, but you know what I mean.
I'd say it's like the Hollywood recasting of everyone but quite a lot of TV was in LA to start with. Still, LA people are less likely to look as various as British TV people, to my eye, and it gets peculiar sometimes.
Okay, I should take a painkiller and do something completely different now.
/rant
So I read fic, and what happens? Some writers have them loose weight, change their exercise regimen (even characters who canonically get very plenty exercise as it is), grow their hair (!) and change their clothes (!!) and generally write about them like they got twenty years younger and decided 'pretty' was more important than 'apocalypse' in the grand scheme of things.
It's like they looked at these guys and decided 'They're so dreamy, I'll just change everything about them!'
I mean, I get writing about the younger versions, seeing how people got to be the way they are, maybe liking a certain season better than others, or appreciating the way regular exercise reshapes a person. But what I do not get is, if they're going to make them have different bodies, why start with those other bodies in the first place? Just... find different guys. Who are in fact younger already. It's not like Hollywood has any shortage.
And while it might logically seem likely they choose those guys for the personality, personal histories, relationships and all that unique stuff... no. Not so much, that I can see. I mean, there might be some really well characterised stuff that just thinks guys look better when they're starving themselves and spending all day at the gym, but the ones I've seen, if they're going to reshape their outsides, they go for the 'bringing them out of themselves', 'more confident', 'freer', totally redone different personality. Just tweak every aspect of their personality. And forget all that save the world stuff, that's what canon is for, the guys clearly would rather be in bed.
Maybe it's for the pairings. If they keep the pairings. Just... if they want them to look different, act different, and live in different stories, why do they care about the pair at all?
... okay, I'm done now.
I'd just like to read stories about (a) old friends-turned-enemies who try and make it work again and (b) teachers with adult-enough students, probably with swords involved or (c) protector/protected pairs that are based on age/ability not gender, and all of those require people with a bit of history on them. I like the little lines and the silver. It's all good. All this instant teenage reversion stuff... it's like the auton replica versions, hello plastic.
... except Rory-auton didn't look plastic, or act plastic, so plastic is not necessarily a bad thing, but you know what I mean.
I'd say it's like the Hollywood recasting of everyone but quite a lot of TV was in LA to start with. Still, LA people are less likely to look as various as British TV people, to my eye, and it gets peculiar sometimes.
Okay, I should take a painkiller and do something completely different now.
/rant
no subject
Date: 2011-06-06 01:30 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-06-06 01:56 pm (UTC)Since this roughly covers all the guys I've read about recently, I got a bit frustrated.
no subject
Date: 2011-06-06 02:18 pm (UTC)