The thing is, basically-- the thing is that I constantly feel the need to somehow defend what amounts to my bitchy elitism, maybe. Or, not defend defend it, but make it sound reasonable and okay, whereas really I'm just ridiculously picky, I mean. I know that, but. My mom says I should embrace my inner elitist bitch (but my mom is your typical Jewish mother in that sense). My mom also says internet culture is a 'virus' and telling online people about your life is a sign of mental disturbance, but let's not go into that. Um.
It's just that the more I know certain characters, right, the more I want to see them in their context in fics I read. AUs are actually much better than OOC same-universe stuff for this reason-- the better ones recreate an equivalent context that sort of gets the same results through different methods (so like, we try to explain away Hermione's need to prove herself in some other way than her being Muggle-born in a school of wizards, say).
Like, okay, with Hermione: I would say that her analytical intelligence, her way of solving problems through research is her individual 'text', so to speak. Her admiration of Harry for his bravery and skill outside of 'books and cleverness' is her context, and to me, very much as important as the fact of her intelligence/braininess/etc. Therefore, when pairing her in fanon with another 'brainy' character, I'd think it's important to remember she doesn't actually seem to value her own type of intelligence that much on its own but only in terms of how it can be applied.
But yeah, context and intact relationships of all sorts are key to my finding something 'IC' (and often just 'readable' and 'remotely enjoyable' these days). It's really not about overall 'realism' as much as the pretty limited realism of, to start off with, keeping people connected to the people they're connected to, in the negative and positive ways. Keeping that web of relationships afloat is actually separate, I think, from the larger context of Canon with a capital C, too, which is why in certain fandoms especially, AUs are so very possible and enjoyable. It's because the characters' relationships with each other are a universe all their own, and damned-- damned if I don't get tetchy every time someone makes a glaring misrepresentation of that universe.
Man, I don't care if you get your 'hard' facts wrong as long as you get your relationships right. That is really the source of my fic-reading woes, methinks. Well, that and the character-bashing.
( ...yeah, random rant time. mostly about badly handled H/G in H/D fics, of all things. -.- )
It's just that the more I know certain characters, right, the more I want to see them in their context in fics I read. AUs are actually much better than OOC same-universe stuff for this reason-- the better ones recreate an equivalent context that sort of gets the same results through different methods (so like, we try to explain away Hermione's need to prove herself in some other way than her being Muggle-born in a school of wizards, say).
Like, okay, with Hermione: I would say that her analytical intelligence, her way of solving problems through research is her individual 'text', so to speak. Her admiration of Harry for his bravery and skill outside of 'books and cleverness' is her context, and to me, very much as important as the fact of her intelligence/braininess/etc. Therefore, when pairing her in fanon with another 'brainy' character, I'd think it's important to remember she doesn't actually seem to value her own type of intelligence that much on its own but only in terms of how it can be applied.
But yeah, context and intact relationships of all sorts are key to my finding something 'IC' (and often just 'readable' and 'remotely enjoyable' these days). It's really not about overall 'realism' as much as the pretty limited realism of, to start off with, keeping people connected to the people they're connected to, in the negative and positive ways. Keeping that web of relationships afloat is actually separate, I think, from the larger context of Canon with a capital C, too, which is why in certain fandoms especially, AUs are so very possible and enjoyable. It's because the characters' relationships with each other are a universe all their own, and damned-- damned if I don't get tetchy every time someone makes a glaring misrepresentation of that universe.
Man, I don't care if you get your 'hard' facts wrong as long as you get your relationships right. That is really the source of my fic-reading woes, methinks. Well, that and the character-bashing.
( ...yeah, random rant time. mostly about badly handled H/G in H/D fics, of all things. -.- )
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