A brief aside...

[graculus]

Blair Sandburg is not, by any stretch of the imagination, 'exotic'.

Likewise Daniel Jackson is not 'willowy' or 'frail' or anything similar. At no point in the show's run (or even in the movie) could he be accurately described that way.

Ditto for Ezra Standish.

And let's not get started on the whole subject of competent, self-sufficient individuals bursting into tears at the slightest opportunity (be it running out of coffee, stubbing their toe, their favourite pot plant dying...).

Doesn't reading something like that just make you want to go "Have you actually *seen* the show?"?

Comments

[graculus.livejournal.com]

Gimli is squat, Ezra is just right. ;)

Some authors obviously haven't read the definitions of some of the words they use.

That much is immediately apparent, particularly when homophones appear.

And some authors really seem to have the need for a big man/little man physical dynamic, regardless if the actual appearances of the characters support it.

You know, sometimes I'm quite glad Ezra isn't a part of the OTP of Doom, or things could be much worse!

What really scares me is when such fics are applauded for their great characterizations. Makes me wonder if readers really have such lowered expectations when it comes to their fanfic. Or, if I'm in the Twilight Zone.

Some people have the mindset, it seems, Fic = Good. Regardless of its quality or characterisation. Or they're just easily led. Or they believe the fanon over the canon, who knows?

[thenightsfall]

Definitely, in Mag7 fic which is more rife with fanon than a lot of fandoms, the fanon has usurped the canon in many readers' minds. Fanfic Vin is a good example of that. Canon Vin is a lot less squeaky clean - literally and figuratively - than Fanon Vin.

Yeah, sometimes I think readers will forgive just about anything as long as the plotline is entertaining and the characters have the right names, at least. But, sadly, storytelling and good writing aren't necessarily the same thing.