AUs - aka I need to rant again

[wiseheart]

So, why do people fail regulary to notice the big, fat AU warning on my stories? Are they really stupid or do they ignore the warning willingly, so that they'd have something to bitch about later?

You see, I was very careful not to post Out of Legends in the Atlantis-section of FF.Net, because I suspected that all the rabid Sheppardites would scream bloody murder, just because I don't consider Sheppard the latest incarnation of God. I've posted the story under TV-crossovers, since it is a crossover with Andromeda.

But the Sheppardites have found me even there. Someone felt the need to point out that I've portrayed Sheppard completely wrong, because he never tried to take over Atlantis. (I never stated that, actually.)Well, exqueeze me??? Wasn't he the guy who had no problems with disobeying a direct order from the civilian leader of the expedition and so enabled the nanovirus to spread through the whole city? Canon never really dealt with that not-so-small issue, because in the end, he saved all.

I don't say he didn't. I just say that he had absolutely no respect for the civilian leader and did what *he* thought was best, proved to be wrong and never had to face the consequences. In my story, he has to. That's all. What has that to do with "portraying him completely wrong"?

Granted, I dislike the guy. More than that, I hate his guts. Just as I hate Kirk, Will Riker, Dylan Hunt, Sheridan and all the other cocky flyboy types. That's my prerogative, I think. And I'm writing a frigging AU - well, several friggng AUs, by that matter - in which half the cast is different, and events certainly have a different outcome than in canon. So, why am I supposed to write a character like a shining hero that, BTW, he isn't in canon?

It always makes me mad that people are so quick to put down a story, just because the approach of the writer doesn't match their view on certain characters. I've been re-watching a lot of Atlantis episodes lately, and this is how I see Sheppard. So what? I do find him arrogant and annoying. Just because someone disagrees with me, it doesn't mean that I'm necessarily wrong.

In a great many of 1st-season-related Atlantis fics that poor Dr. Kavanagh is portrayed as the token villain, although he never did anyone any harm. Just because he doesn't kiss Weir(d)'s ass and because he questioned the wisdom (in "38 Minutes") to put the entire city at risk in order to save four people. This was something McKay brought up, too. And in the end, Kavanagh had the very idea that saved said 4 people. Still, he's the favourite scapegoat of the fandom, and it seems OK to bash him in every less-than-average story. Sadly enough, he gets a lot of mean references even in good stories.

So. I happen to like Kavanagh and hate Sheppard. I still don't go around and give all those writers who indulge in Kavanagh bashing snippish lectures on their review boards. So why can't people leave me alone? Just because a character is widely popular (for reasons that I, personally, fail to understand), it doesn't mean that they can go no wrong and that everyone *has* to like them.
[/end rant]


This entry has been cross-posted to Memory Alpha. I'm looking forward to the lecturing comments I'm likely to get for it.

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

Once again you're making a big deal out of nothing. I saw only one review posted on ffnet that said "nice premise, but I like Sheppard and you're being awfully mean to him". That's it, that's all the person said, nothing to get in a big huff about.

[rizzysnape.livejournal.com]

Oh for crying out loud. It is called a rant, which usually means that there has been a straw breaking a camel's back thing. Let Soledad vent, everybody is entitled now and then.

Sorry things have gotten to that point. It always sucks when character bashing gets ut of hand, especially when you happen to like the guy.

[(Anonymous)]

"Let Soledad vent, everybody is entitled now and then."
Yea, which is like every other week, it gets old.

Dear anonymous commenter,

[crowdaughter.livejournal.com]

you write:

Yea, which is like every other week, it gets old.

Hmmm. Ever heard of the phrase "Don't like, don't read"? Which means in other words, if you knew this was going to be a rant by Soledad, and you are tired of such rants, then why did you click on it? I would be very shocked to hear that somebody tied you to a chair and forced you to click on the cut in her live journal post.

Aside from that? anonymous posting is fair enough. But then, if you would really like to make and impact and come over as interested in an discussion, giving your namer might come over as really politely.

Aislynn

(With apologies to Soledad to barging in on this conversation like that. Somehow, I have become a it touchy, these days, I fear...)

Shutting up now.

Re: Dear anonymous commenter,

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

Oh, don't worry, Aislynn. I'm used to people thinking that I don't have the right to be unhappy with things and even less right to voice my unhappiness. Sometimes half the world seems to feel it their divine calling to point me out the wrongness of my ways. Not that I'd care. I need to went sometimes, and I won't eath all of it into me and get an ulcer just to be considerate about their comfort.

Edit: Oh, and by the way, I know exactly who my little anonymouse is. My journal is set to log the IP adresses of people who post comments - for safety reasons. I never thought I'd need it one day, but, well, that's where I was obviously wrong. In any case, all I needed to do was to backtrack a few entries. The saddest thing is, it's someone I used to consider a friend for years.

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

It wasn't something you could have seen on my review board. And, I think, it's my right to rant on my journal as much as I feel like. Nobody forces you to read it.

[crowdaughter.livejournal.com]

Hi! I do not know the Sheppard fandom, but I have just been at the fringes of a public spat with someone who thinks that OMGwritingslashinTolkienissooooowrong!!!!one! and that therefore slashwriters in that fandom should just DIE!!!! - regardless if one posted one's stories with that AU warning or not. Some people obviously think that the original creator of their fandom died and made tham king, and charged them with the responsibility to keep all things in order in the way they imagine that the fandom and what they consider the One-and-truly-canon should be. (Which is especially funny in Tolkien fandom, since what is to be considered canon here varies with the time you chose to refer to in the masters opinion, and which books and source material you consider valid, or not. But that is assumed that your opponent canoista-fangirl even knows enough of these things to undersztand what the hell you are talkien about if you ask her to which version of canon she is referring to).

Whatever. Some peope will never understand that the author is dead, and in writing fanfic, we should preferably know our canon and what facts we diverge from, and know what we are doing and why, but otherwise, everything is open to our own interpretation. Or choice. There is really no way to deal with that attitude. I fear you will just have to live with it. :(

Then again, at least they were interested enough to chase your fic down in the crossover section and comment on it! I would consider that a good thing. :)

Aislynn

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I know this attitude from the Tolkien fandom as well. That's why I've felt myself incapable of writing any Tolkien-related thing since the beginning of the year. I'm just getting tired of the whole thing.

Then again, at least they were interested enough to chase your fic down in the crossover section and comment on it! I would consider that a good thing. :)

I don't thing this person has specifically looked for my stuff. I never met them before, so I guess it was a random encounter. Not that it matters. I'm just fed up with all this lecturing all across every frigging fandom. *le sigh*