as far as everybody (it seems) getting bored with hp, the "little boys" fandom, and going for smallville and highlander and so on.... because they have "real men". with depth and character and muscles....
i wonder how many in the hp fandom are in it because they -want- the characters to be boys, to be inexperienced dorks, ciphers to make into what you wish, not so much people as ideas. i mean, i know -i- want that. i know -i- enjoy reading young adult fantasy more than serious adult drama, most of the time. something about that whole "real men" and "serious adult [sexual] drama" makes me think of actual -fiction-, actual stuff you're supposed to find in published books, when you expect quality and maturity and meditation on existence or something.
this is the weird thing with harry potter books, because -everyone- read them (well, except me, at the time anyway). people who don't read fantasy, people who don't read YA fantasy, people who actively -dislike- fics about wizards, people who dislike harry, whether in practice or archetype, etc etc. and then there's this question of why do people write fanfic at all. i think a large enough percentage of writers in any fandom find it easier to write fanfic than original fic. and i can see where they're coming from, though i never found that to be true for myself, because i rarely understand anyone's world as well as i do my own. of course, this is actually a good thing in a way, because i tend to make more effort to figure out the characters i'm writing about, and thus end up with more fleshed out characters. but i always go for the easy thing, usually, and fanfic ain't easy.
anyway, i imagine that the people for whom fanfic is a natural writerly response to a book/show/world they like would get bored with the potterverse soon enough. it does have its limitations, and the characters are only as fascinating as you make them with your blood and sweat, so to speak. personally, i -like- the limitations, the archetypal nature of the characters, because it makes it easier for me to write. i can't seem to write about deep, complex characters-- i can barely keep these ciphers in-character, forget characters with extensive histories and quirks and the body-language of the actors playing them, and the general feel of the series, their voices, their chemistry, everything. the challenge involved would be overwhelming, and i've never loved -any- show enough to bother trying. after all, the show is already -there-, why do -i- need to add to it?
( and yes, it appears i can, in fact, rant lengthily on this.... )
EDIT - i have this sinking feeling that i just managed to sound even more incoherent and silly than usual. ah well. reena's brain is having a fizzy day today, methinks.
i wonder how many in the hp fandom are in it because they -want- the characters to be boys, to be inexperienced dorks, ciphers to make into what you wish, not so much people as ideas. i mean, i know -i- want that. i know -i- enjoy reading young adult fantasy more than serious adult drama, most of the time. something about that whole "real men" and "serious adult [sexual] drama" makes me think of actual -fiction-, actual stuff you're supposed to find in published books, when you expect quality and maturity and meditation on existence or something.
this is the weird thing with harry potter books, because -everyone- read them (well, except me, at the time anyway). people who don't read fantasy, people who don't read YA fantasy, people who actively -dislike- fics about wizards, people who dislike harry, whether in practice or archetype, etc etc. and then there's this question of why do people write fanfic at all. i think a large enough percentage of writers in any fandom find it easier to write fanfic than original fic. and i can see where they're coming from, though i never found that to be true for myself, because i rarely understand anyone's world as well as i do my own. of course, this is actually a good thing in a way, because i tend to make more effort to figure out the characters i'm writing about, and thus end up with more fleshed out characters. but i always go for the easy thing, usually, and fanfic ain't easy.
anyway, i imagine that the people for whom fanfic is a natural writerly response to a book/show/world they like would get bored with the potterverse soon enough. it does have its limitations, and the characters are only as fascinating as you make them with your blood and sweat, so to speak. personally, i -like- the limitations, the archetypal nature of the characters, because it makes it easier for me to write. i can't seem to write about deep, complex characters-- i can barely keep these ciphers in-character, forget characters with extensive histories and quirks and the body-language of the actors playing them, and the general feel of the series, their voices, their chemistry, everything. the challenge involved would be overwhelming, and i've never loved -any- show enough to bother trying. after all, the show is already -there-, why do -i- need to add to it?
( and yes, it appears i can, in fact, rant lengthily on this.... )
EDIT - i have this sinking feeling that i just managed to sound even more incoherent and silly than usual. ah well. reena's brain is having a fizzy day today, methinks.
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