Today you get a topical post! ![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
fishmalk asked about five things I like to see in fanfic. I'm starting this in an email to myself and I am just going to add to it until I get to five ;)
1. The first is really easy - I like complexity. I could probably save myself a little bit and break it down further but surely I can come up with four other things, right? Right? So - complexity. I like characters that are complex, relationships that are complex, and plots that are complex, etc. What do I mean by that? I like things that don't fin quite right in the categories you might place them in at first. As a simple example: Bad people who do good things - good people who do bad thing, that make it harder to categorize them. I like relationships that are not always easily navigated, either because the emotions are not there and characters are forced together by circumstances, or where the emotions *are* there but either there are outside pressures that make it hard, or the emotions themselves are in conflict. Story complexity probably speaks for itself a little more easily - give me a Xanatos Gambit any day. All that said, I don't think complexity requires a long story necessarily. I think one of the reasons I like drabbles is that they are a great way to showcase little slices of complexity, or to cut to the heart of things. That's how I try to aim mine, anyway!
2. Loyalty - I have a hard time pointing to specific tropes and such that I particularly enjoy, because for me it is generally more in the execution than in the concept. That said - I do like loyalty as a driving force in a story, or in a relationship - especially when it is complicated, of course. The bad guy who honestly cares about his minions, friends who will do anything for each other, really close families, loyalty to a cause or an idea, a lover who just can't won't leave their partner even when maybe they should... I didn't say loyalty always had to be a positive thing, did I? >.> But it interests me, narratively.
3. Strong characterization - one of the thing about fanfic is that it lets authors take some shortcuts when it comes to characterization. The characters are the known quantity, for the most part. But I like stories that really anchor what we know about these characters in their text: show me this is who you say it is. Also - stories that give characters a chance to develop beyond what we are given. I think this is one reason I like minor characters - there is a lot of room for development, and also what we do know about the characters has been expressed much more concisely. Effective minor characters have a few well established qualities that leave lots of room to build. I think if you take these first three things you can see why I fixated so much on Ayel from the first Star Trek Reboot movie!
4. Psychological Trauma! This is about making characters suffer, to some extent, but it is more about them being completely shaken by some experience or revelation. This is why I love horror when it is well done - I like the idea that there are some things the mind just cannot cope with and remain whole. But trauma doesn't have to be the end result - I like stories where trauma is the beginning, and what you are reading is characters trying to find their way now that they've been a little broke. This makes a good space for some of the other things I've mentioned above - complexity, strong characterization, loyalty of people who want to help them find a new way, or who can't let go of who they used to be, etc. Again put these together and you can see the shape of my Thing for the Star Trek Reboot Romulans in general.
5. Worldbuilding - I like stories that develop more than just the characters they contain or the plots that drive them. Tell me something more about the world! I have a pretty wide interpretation of what this means though - show me new places, new people, new attitudes, new times, new cultures, sure! Things that are completely new are cool, but I also like stories that just press the edges out a little further than what we see in the canon as give, and leave it all the richer - or, to return to what I opened with, a little more complex.
I thought about talking about some other things, like kinks or what have you, but really - I like stories with any rating that hit on these aspects. Porn with complex characterizations and really complicated emotions? Or trauma? Oh yes, I'm all there. Gen with intricate plotting about teams whose relationship to the whole is greater than the individual links? All over it. And so on. Stories I like don't need to have all of these things, of course! But I'm much more likey to enjoy it the more of them it does have. Also, it might be pretty obvious but these don't have to only apply to fanfic.
Now I am curious if, based on all of that, anyone has any recs, either of stories or authors, that they think I should check out... Conversely would anyone like any recs based on any of these elements? I'll see what I can dig up...
fishmalk asked about five things I like to see in fanfic. I'm starting this in an email to myself and I am just going to add to it until I get to five ;)1. The first is really easy - I like complexity. I could probably save myself a little bit and break it down further but surely I can come up with four other things, right? Right? So - complexity. I like characters that are complex, relationships that are complex, and plots that are complex, etc. What do I mean by that? I like things that don't fin quite right in the categories you might place them in at first. As a simple example: Bad people who do good things - good people who do bad thing, that make it harder to categorize them. I like relationships that are not always easily navigated, either because the emotions are not there and characters are forced together by circumstances, or where the emotions *are* there but either there are outside pressures that make it hard, or the emotions themselves are in conflict. Story complexity probably speaks for itself a little more easily - give me a Xanatos Gambit any day. All that said, I don't think complexity requires a long story necessarily. I think one of the reasons I like drabbles is that they are a great way to showcase little slices of complexity, or to cut to the heart of things. That's how I try to aim mine, anyway!
2. Loyalty - I have a hard time pointing to specific tropes and such that I particularly enjoy, because for me it is generally more in the execution than in the concept. That said - I do like loyalty as a driving force in a story, or in a relationship - especially when it is complicated, of course. The bad guy who honestly cares about his minions, friends who will do anything for each other, really close families, loyalty to a cause or an idea, a lover who just can't won't leave their partner even when maybe they should... I didn't say loyalty always had to be a positive thing, did I? >.> But it interests me, narratively.
3. Strong characterization - one of the thing about fanfic is that it lets authors take some shortcuts when it comes to characterization. The characters are the known quantity, for the most part. But I like stories that really anchor what we know about these characters in their text: show me this is who you say it is. Also - stories that give characters a chance to develop beyond what we are given. I think this is one reason I like minor characters - there is a lot of room for development, and also what we do know about the characters has been expressed much more concisely. Effective minor characters have a few well established qualities that leave lots of room to build. I think if you take these first three things you can see why I fixated so much on Ayel from the first Star Trek Reboot movie!
4. Psychological Trauma! This is about making characters suffer, to some extent, but it is more about them being completely shaken by some experience or revelation. This is why I love horror when it is well done - I like the idea that there are some things the mind just cannot cope with and remain whole. But trauma doesn't have to be the end result - I like stories where trauma is the beginning, and what you are reading is characters trying to find their way now that they've been a little broke. This makes a good space for some of the other things I've mentioned above - complexity, strong characterization, loyalty of people who want to help them find a new way, or who can't let go of who they used to be, etc. Again put these together and you can see the shape of my Thing for the Star Trek Reboot Romulans in general.
5. Worldbuilding - I like stories that develop more than just the characters they contain or the plots that drive them. Tell me something more about the world! I have a pretty wide interpretation of what this means though - show me new places, new people, new attitudes, new times, new cultures, sure! Things that are completely new are cool, but I also like stories that just press the edges out a little further than what we see in the canon as give, and leave it all the richer - or, to return to what I opened with, a little more complex.
I thought about talking about some other things, like kinks or what have you, but really - I like stories with any rating that hit on these aspects. Porn with complex characterizations and really complicated emotions? Or trauma? Oh yes, I'm all there. Gen with intricate plotting about teams whose relationship to the whole is greater than the individual links? All over it. And so on. Stories I like don't need to have all of these things, of course! But I'm much more likey to enjoy it the more of them it does have. Also, it might be pretty obvious but these don't have to only apply to fanfic.
Now I am curious if, based on all of that, anyone has any recs, either of stories or authors, that they think I should check out... Conversely would anyone like any recs based on any of these elements? I'll see what I can dig up...