I definitely got a lot of people talking to me about that issue of relatibility, so I think it may be a major thing going on (even though I'm like you, I hadn't heard anyone discuss it before this), but I wouldn't say it's the only thing going on.
The thing I hear most often is the bit about the lack of 3D female characters and relationships and all that, and I think it's true to some extent. But what interests me is that in apparently every other arena, fans are very, very good at taking characters who have like *three lines,* who are not even *meant* to be 3D, let alone succeed at it, and turn out these incredible epics about them. I remember in Buffy fandom, Devon and Oz were quite the rage for a while, even though Devon has -- okay, maybe ten lines in the series, and is presented as kind of a meathead. But the thing I love about fandom is, people brought their own toys to the party, and there were quite a few really *terrific* Devon/Oz stories in particular and Dingo-centric stories in general. Other fandoms, same deal, really. Is Skinner that fascinating a character, really, that complex? What about Chekov, you know? Why can't the marginalized female characters be treated like that more often by fans, what's the resistance to it?
I'm like Cathexys -- I think a lot of things are going on, and I don't think we really understand what half of them are yet.
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Re: Ramblings from a stranger
Date: 2004-12-06 05:29 pm (UTC)From:I definitely got a lot of people talking to me about that issue of relatibility, so I think it may be a major thing going on (even though I'm like you, I hadn't heard anyone discuss it before this), but I wouldn't say it's the only thing going on.
The thing I hear most often is the bit about the lack of 3D female characters and relationships and all that, and I think it's true to some extent. But what interests me is that in apparently every other arena, fans are very, very good at taking characters who have like *three lines,* who are not even *meant* to be 3D, let alone succeed at it, and turn out these incredible epics about them. I remember in Buffy fandom, Devon and Oz were quite the rage for a while, even though Devon has -- okay, maybe ten lines in the series, and is presented as kind of a meathead. But the thing I love about fandom is, people brought their own toys to the party, and there were quite a few really *terrific* Devon/Oz stories in particular and Dingo-centric stories in general. Other fandoms, same deal, really. Is Skinner that fascinating a character, really, that complex? What about Chekov, you know? Why can't the marginalized female characters be treated like that more often by fans, what's the resistance to it?
I'm like Cathexys -- I think a lot of things are going on, and I don't think we really understand what half of them are yet.