InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "banana hammock!"

raisedbymoogles (raisedbymoogles) wrote,
@ 2009-03-05 21:54:00

Current mood:	contemplative
Current music:	Let There Be Light - Mike Oldfield
Entry tags:	fandom, flowerverse, internet, star wars, transformers

The green light at the end of the dock...
What with the s_d debacle, I've been thinking about how integral fandom communities are to their chosen worlds.

From personal experience, I can say that fandom has enriched my viewing of Transformers. It's great fun and all, but to be honest, if it wasn't for the wide circle of fandom friends I've made, I probably would have moved on a long time ago. The best part of fandom, to me, is people developing the world of Transformers beyond anything the original writers could have imagined.* We're so loyal to these dreams we've built up; even when it causes conflict, it's an amazing thing to me.

That's why I take it so personally when the 'intellectual property owners' screw around with their fans and even attack them with copyright infringement claims and other forms of censorship. They go after things like fan videos on YouTube, and scans_daily, and even that thing with Transformerotica a few years ago. The people who contribute those things aren't hurting those companies by doing what they do, they're not making a profit - hell, they're doing half of any comic/cartoon/whatever producers' jobs for them, creating and maintaining a stable, loyal customer base, all for zero compensation. They're doing it because they enjoy it, and they get spat in the eye for it.

Even when it's not my fandom, when I see that sort of thing happening it makes me want to avoid that company. I know that they're within their rights to act that way and I'm not even saying they're going to hell for it, it just - still hurts.

Let me give you a more universal example: Han Solo. In the first release of Star Wars, Han shot first. That told us something crucial about his character: that he wasn't a Good Guy, that he had a treacherous streak and had no problems taking a life. Seeing this, and then following his growth into an honorable man over the course of the trilogy (example: "When he [Luke] comes back, I won't get in the way.") became how we related to Han, and why he was and still is an iconic character in his own right.

And then Mr. Lucas retconned it so that Greedo shot first. Which he had every right to do - Han's his character, he can do what he wants, it's a free country. But oh my Lord, did his fan base want to strangle him. They did not accept this new, kinder, gentler Han. He wasn't their Han. If you look at it a certain way, it's kind of ridiculous - they didn't write Han, they never got a say in his characterization. Why did they react like they'd been betrayed?

Well, they had. By neutering his own character, for whatever reason, George Lucas stepped on the Han Solo that belonged to everyone that ever took a liking to the character. You see, once you put a character or a world out there, it's not quite all yours anymore. Anyone who reads or sees it might take away a piece of it in her heart. Those pieces become worlds of their own, perhaps not quite the same as the original source, but having a life and a truth all its own. And perhaps these worlds are ephemeral, and profitless, but they have value, and these little dreams are ours to share as we wish.

Mr. Lucas eventually un-retconned things. No one ever accused him of being dumb. ;)

(Admittedly, once I get my book published, I'm probably going to have to make my peace with all this from another angle entirely. I just know somebody's going to write some awful Mary Sue into my pretty rose garden - or, Primus forbid, Briar/Laramie noncon.)

*This is doubly true in the case of the Movie.

(Post a new comment)

deepbluesquee
2009-03-06 01:15 am UTC (link)

(Admittedly, once I get my book published, I'm probably going to have to make my peace with all this from another angle entirely. I just know somebody's going to write some awful Mary Sue into my pretty rose garden - or, Primus forbid, Briar/Laramie noncon.)

...I think that's the point where you have to sit back in bogglement and go 'whaaa- not my characters! OOC, OOC, la la la-!', because - Briar? Non-con? Really? I can see him glomping Laramie and freaking him out when they first met, but - no. *nuzz*

And you make some very good points here, my moogle. Still, those who make money out of the whole kaboodle will see it very differently if they Really Don't Like what the fans think or are doing with it, sadly. :/ Those who have not been fans don't quite get it, I think.

(Reply to this) (Thread)

raisedbymoogles
2009-03-06 03:13 pm UTC (link)

*nuzzles* I know, I know, but I still fear the day. You know someone's going to write it because it's 'omg so hawt!!!1!eleven!!!' or they just don't like Briar. I can't stop them, but that doesn't mean I have to like it. *grumbles and cuddles Briar and Laramie up protectively*

*nodnods* Yeah, but I think having fanboys in the industry might be even worse. They can get pretty tyrannical about their own visions of the characters.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

deepbluesquee
2009-03-06 05:40 pm UTC (link)

*curls up with moogle and Flowerboys* Oh, I know. I just find it helps to have a mental disconnect somewhere that goes 'Oh, these people look like and share the same names as such-and-such characters. How interesting', and hit the back button very quickly. *nuzz*

*flops with* Yeah, but someone with any degree of love for a character, book/film/something or franchise as a fan, rather than as a creator, will be able to see things far differently compared to someone who sees it/them only as a money-making Thing or a marketing strategy.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	raisedbymoogles 2009-03-06 05:47 pm UTC (link)
	snrk Like I did with Beast Machines? Good idea. curls up around That's true. I suppose the best would be a fanboy with a healthy dose of respect for the franchise and for the Other Fans. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	deepbluesquee 2009-03-07 06:38 am UTC (link)
	grins Like I do with any bit of 'was-that-supposed-to-be-XYZ?!' fic I find. It's a universal safety measure. snuggles up with Or fangirl. Any kind of fanperson with an emotional attachment, or at least enough of one to care about the characters rather than go into a screaming fit when something isn't done to their standards. (Reply to this) (Parent)

teamromy
2009-03-06 05:23 am UTC (link)

They go after things like fan videos on YouTube, and scans_daily, and even that thing with Transformerotica a few years ago. The people who contribute those things aren't hurting those companies by doing what they do, they're not making a profit

Reno's been following the big Pirate Bay trial in Sweden over the use of BitTorrents to share media, what is copyright and whether things should be shared by fans. The sad thing is that it is not the artists that necessarily have problems with fan vids, fan mixes, and scans translated to other countries - as this has already been proven to increase profit (not decrease as the lawyers would lead you to believe) - but it is the companies that own the artists work that have the issues.

Unfortunately, the only way that these artists can make it "big" is to go with one of these companies because of their marketing strategies. And unfortunately, the companies are spending more than they need to. They are actually working off a business model that is out of date. They freaked out when 8-track was thrown over for cassettes and then they had a hissy when cassettes when to CD. Now, it's "digital media is destroying our livelihood!" I have a great article about how the music industry is dying and why it is dying if you want to read it.

So, yes, Virginia, sometimes big corporations are bad for artists.

As far as Star Wars - while there were some nifty things in the retcon - we have issues with it because it seems as if this movie was the only good idea he's had and we get tired of him milking the franchise for more and more. We still enjoy the original better than the retcon.

Han shouldn't be a big teddy bear, dammit. He should be a big teddy bear with a bad ass attitude and a gun.

(Reply to this) (Thread)

	deepbluesquee 2009-03-06 10:39 am UTC (link)
	a big teddy bear with a bad ass attitude and a gun. I thought that was Chewbacca? ;) (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	teamromy 2009-03-06 10:54 am UTC (link)
	No no, Chewbacca is sort of like a big puppy! ^_^ (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	raisedbymoogles 2009-03-06 01:22 pm UTC (link)
	With a crossbow. ;P (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	deepbluesquee 2009-03-06 05:37 pm UTC (link)
	BWEEEEE. Big puppy with crossbow playing monsterchess! squealyhands (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	raisedbymoogles 2009-03-06 05:45 pm UTC (link)
	....okay, now I'm picturing Chewbacca teaching lilpuppy'Mis (perhaps not quite so lil anymore) how to play monsterchess. All your fault, 'Bootsdearest. ;P (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	deepbluesquee 2009-03-06 06:42 pm UTC (link)
	Hey, this kind of thing I am more than happy to take the blame for. ^_^ ...Psi'verse or Everyone In Spaaaaace!crossover'verse? ;D (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	raisedbymoogles 2009-03-06 06:55 pm UTC (link)
	giggles Well, either, but I think Chewie would appreciate psi'verse 'Mis's ability to understand him without Han having to translate. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

deepbluesquee
2009-03-07 06:40 am UTC (link)

*snerk* That's true as well. And would completely confuse the others when 'Mis is happily chattering away to Chewie and the others can't understand him at all. XD

...Though now I'm wondering if anyone with a vaguely appropriate psi ability would be able to talk back to 'Mis, since I'm pretty sure no-one's ever actually been able to figure out that when he does the lights-and-feeings things he's talking as well, not just trying to make them feel better - then again, this'Mis is only a little'Mis, so he might not be able to talk-talk either.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	raisedbymoogles 2009-03-07 01:04 pm UTC (link)
	'Mis: An' wha's this button do? Chewie: Aurgh. 'Mis: Really-really? Tha's so cool! :D Chewie: Oouah. Rest Of Crew: o____O? giggles S' worth exploring, it is. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	deepbluesquee 2009-03-07 02:24 pm UTC (link)
	AWWWWWWWWWWW. If only for more cute, yes! (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	raisedbymoogles 2009-03-07 02:25 pm UTC (link)
	More cute is always a worthy goal! :DDD (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	deepbluesquee 2009-03-07 03:06 pm UTC (link)
	That and making said Rest Of Crew boggle. Bwah! ...I wonder if Seph would be more - suspicious isn't quite the right word, but looking for specific things to try and work those three out, wy Leif and 'Lios are so protective and What's Up With 'Mis. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	raisedbymoogles 2009-03-07 03:14 pm UTC (link)
	Han: blinkablink What's up with you and the kid? Chewie: Uroof. Han: No, I'm not jealous! Well, I think he would anyway, but... (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	deepbluesquee 2009-03-07 04:01 pm UTC (link)
	BWAAAH. SO MUCH BWAH. XD What with him having the Psi training in the first place, I wondered if he'd be Suspicious of there being something else up, Leif's casually-pointedly saying that 'Mis is just a bit young for his age, that's all thank you very much... (Reply to this) (Parent)