Subverting the Dominant Paradigm
Dec. 8th, 2010 01:46 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mark_asphodelNow that I've landed on everyone's B.S. radar for the title...
When I was in Gundam Wing fandom, there were some clear-eyed and rational fans who took a moment to reflect upon how the fandom, or at least the writing end of it, got so damn screwed up. The most eloquent of these was probably tzigane, a Chang Wufei fan whose 'fics weren't my thing but whose characterization essays (warning for language and discussion of yaoi) are essential for understanding how and why a fandom goes to hell. Or, rather, how something blatantly out-of-character becomes the dominant take on a character, to the point where canon-faithful portrayals are shouted down, met with tar and pitchforks, etc. Her essay on Heero Yuy contained an "a-ha!" moment for me when she talked about how successive waves of fans essentially distort the stereotypes crafted by the prior wave.
Circa 2008 I wrote something similar for SSB fandom concentrating on themutilation desecration popular depiction of Roy and Marth. FE11 wasn't out yet to confuse people further, but as far as I can tell FE11 hasn't mattered a jot to 98% of SSB 'ficcers, so as far as I'm concerned my take on things from then still stands. I called the essay "Martian Canals" (x-ref), and my key assertion was that the 'ficcers were so far off base, even given fragmented and contradictory canon, that the "Marth" and "Roy" they were writing about essentially didn't exist anywhere outside of fandom itself.
I wisely did not post that essay. Anywhere. I still thought FE fans were jerks and already figured the SSB crowd didn't care about self-reflection.
I could probably postulate for hours about how and why SSB fandom got so screwy, and why fans latched onto specific OOC takes on Marth and Roy-- which 'fics set the pace, and who borrowed from what, and so forth. But I'm sure none of you in FE-land care; the end result is simply that we can collectively spot at once when an SSB-writer blunders into Fire Emblem fandom and slaps up a 'fic. The traits are so clear you can practically write a field guide for it.
But Fire Emblem fandom has its own evolutions and subversions, though on a smaller scale. I dunno about Tellius, but in the sub-fandoms I follow it usually consists of a couple of people who are really into one concept or one pairing, and suddenly the front page of ffnet's archive has three or four Marisa/Joshua stories on it. And I think the rise of Kent/Lyn as the dominant Lyn pairing has been discussed many times in multiple places, but the essence of that one is that someone started writing something they liked and it turned out other people liked it too.
I don't think most writers have a mind to hijack a fandom. I'm certain the early Gundam Wing writers had no idea that "their" Heero and Duo and whatnot-- characterizations based on a handful of fansubbed videos-- would mutate and devour fandom. But it's an interesting thing to contemplate, particularly when I come across 'fics involving characters I am personally invested in and think, "Is this writer deriving their take on character X from canon, or did they get this from reading other writers' fanfics?" Because coming across someone else whose take on Character X meshes with yours doesn't necessarily validate your beliefs re: Character X with regard to canon. It could just mean you were both reading the same 'fics or the same commentary. It could even mean they read your own story and liked it, and you're essentially agreeing with a reflection of yourself.
Seriously, I once found something in the Fire Emblem TV Tropes section whose wording was identical to wording in a discussion I was having with someone in the comments of my DA journal. Now, did that other person then turn around and edit TV Tropes, or did some third party come across that conversation and lift a phrase, or did multiple fans in the same small fandom reach the same conclusion independently? (Said wording is now gone, TV Tropes being what it is-- it had to do with FE3!Marth versus FE11!Marth, and the current text is pared down considerably.) I've had the same experience at least once with the FE Wiki. And some discussions in![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
emblanon have made the whole echo-chamber effect very disconcerting-- I've seen things that sound damn-near identical to my own beliefs, but it wasn't me. But it's an anon meme, so I don't know if that writer was being sincere, or sockpuppeting, or what.
So, dear f-list-- what fandom paradigms do you plan to subvert in the new year?
When I was in Gundam Wing fandom, there were some clear-eyed and rational fans who took a moment to reflect upon how the fandom, or at least the writing end of it, got so damn screwed up. The most eloquent of these was probably tzigane, a Chang Wufei fan whose 'fics weren't my thing but whose characterization essays (warning for language and discussion of yaoi) are essential for understanding how and why a fandom goes to hell. Or, rather, how something blatantly out-of-character becomes the dominant take on a character, to the point where canon-faithful portrayals are shouted down, met with tar and pitchforks, etc. Her essay on Heero Yuy contained an "a-ha!" moment for me when she talked about how successive waves of fans essentially distort the stereotypes crafted by the prior wave.
Circa 2008 I wrote something similar for SSB fandom concentrating on the
I wisely did not post that essay. Anywhere. I still thought FE fans were jerks and already figured the SSB crowd didn't care about self-reflection.
I could probably postulate for hours about how and why SSB fandom got so screwy, and why fans latched onto specific OOC takes on Marth and Roy-- which 'fics set the pace, and who borrowed from what, and so forth. But I'm sure none of you in FE-land care; the end result is simply that we can collectively spot at once when an SSB-writer blunders into Fire Emblem fandom and slaps up a 'fic. The traits are so clear you can practically write a field guide for it.
But Fire Emblem fandom has its own evolutions and subversions, though on a smaller scale. I dunno about Tellius, but in the sub-fandoms I follow it usually consists of a couple of people who are really into one concept or one pairing, and suddenly the front page of ffnet's archive has three or four Marisa/Joshua stories on it. And I think the rise of Kent/Lyn as the dominant Lyn pairing has been discussed many times in multiple places, but the essence of that one is that someone started writing something they liked and it turned out other people liked it too.
I don't think most writers have a mind to hijack a fandom. I'm certain the early Gundam Wing writers had no idea that "their" Heero and Duo and whatnot-- characterizations based on a handful of fansubbed videos-- would mutate and devour fandom. But it's an interesting thing to contemplate, particularly when I come across 'fics involving characters I am personally invested in and think, "Is this writer deriving their take on character X from canon, or did they get this from reading other writers' fanfics?" Because coming across someone else whose take on Character X meshes with yours doesn't necessarily validate your beliefs re: Character X with regard to canon. It could just mean you were both reading the same 'fics or the same commentary. It could even mean they read your own story and liked it, and you're essentially agreeing with a reflection of yourself.
Seriously, I once found something in the Fire Emblem TV Tropes section whose wording was identical to wording in a discussion I was having with someone in the comments of my DA journal. Now, did that other person then turn around and edit TV Tropes, or did some third party come across that conversation and lift a phrase, or did multiple fans in the same small fandom reach the same conclusion independently? (Said wording is now gone, TV Tropes being what it is-- it had to do with FE3!Marth versus FE11!Marth, and the current text is pared down considerably.) I've had the same experience at least once with the FE Wiki. And some discussions in
emblanon have made the whole echo-chamber effect very disconcerting-- I've seen things that sound damn-near identical to my own beliefs, but it wasn't me. But it's an anon meme, so I don't know if that writer was being sincere, or sockpuppeting, or what. So, dear f-list-- what fandom paradigms do you plan to subvert in the new year?
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no subject
Date: 2010-12-09 12:10 am (UTC)No, seriously. Gundam Wing was my main fandom from its US debut until I graduated in '02, if memory serves. And it remains my benchmark for batshit and destructive fandoms, for any number of reasons (hacked websites, forged media sources for fandom hypotheses, coerced "retirements" of major writers and site owners, bizarre hatred of any and all female characters). But the good of it was very good, and it remains dear to my heart.
GW is the reason I became a fan of Hikaru Midorikawa, and why I later went loco when I realized he was in the credits for SSB: Melee and just HAD to find out what character he was voicing... and somehow I ended up here.
They become worn to the point where no one else would ever possibly want to own them, but, to the wearer, they are insanely comfortable.
Heh. That makes sense. I'll say, though, based on my current experience with prompts and requests... Archanea is SO comfortable for me compared with any other FE-verse. I mean, I always knew it was, but I didn't realize how much so until I started writing on demand.
no subject
Date: 2010-12-09 12:25 am (UTC)(Gunlord is the only other U.C. Gundam fan in FE fandom. This is a fact that I have long found distasteful.)
Midorikawa is of note for Super Robot Wars fans like myself because of the sheer number of characters he voices in the games. That, and he loves playing them, too, so we have rather cheerfully adopted him.
Elibe is most comfortable for me, of course, but I am rapidly becoming accustomed to Archanea despite the way it tends to mutate under my care. (This Marth / Elice business is – !)
no subject
Date: 2010-12-09 12:32 am (UTC)That's cool.
My #1 favorite Midorikawa character is Souji Mikage from Shoujo Kakumei Utena-- the pink-haired dude in my ffnet icon. That series meant a lot to me in my transition from college to Reality.
This Marth / Elice business is – !
! is a good term for it, I'm sure...
no subject
Date: 2010-12-09 12:58 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-12-09 09:56 am (UTC)...
are you me?
srsly.
That's how I became a fan of him as well! And I ended up in pretty much the same place, even though I went through a lot of places to get here.