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I'm reading fic and it's well written and interesting, but it has an underlying injustice and helplessness to it. Like the person who's writing it has the fundamental belief that good never wins; that the right thing may be what some people aim for but in the end the world is cruel and heartless; the best you can hope is that you accept that and try not to be bitter. While I greatly appreciate that there is none of the usual wallowing in angst over the injustice of life, there is not struggle to make things better either.
There is also the underlying thought that people -- even the people who care about you -- cannot understand you and, therefore, none of their actions will ever, truly matter. It's one of those fics where the POV character is always right and misunderstood and tries his/her best, but the other character's behaviors are always as self-serving, less-than-adequate, and half-hearted. Or else done out of pity and guilt.
That's not unusual for fanfic, as fanfic often takes the worst possible view of everyone's actions or else spins them in such a way that the actions are hollow and meaningless. The unique thing about his fic is that it has a changing POV. Usually the writers of such stories have one character and that one character is the misunderstood outcast that wonders through life being wronged and alone. This fic changes POVs so that there are now five such people wondering around. And, most confusingly, they are alternately, the misunderstood and the one who just 'doesn't get it'.
I get no pleasure from reading such fic -- no mater how interesting the plot is. I understand being a misunderstood outcast, feeling that no one in the world could ever know how I feel or appreciate the aloneness that comes from being unique or living in a area where most have no idea what 'fandom' is. But that doesn't mean I can't relate to them at all, on any level. And it doesn't mean that they can't ever relate to me, either.
Most importantly, it doesn't mean that their actions are lessened by that lack of understanding. If I'm feeling down and someone empathizes and brings me a cup of coffee or a chocolate bar to help me feel better, that action is worth something, even if that person really doesn't have clue why I'm feeling that way.
It's a tendency to paint everything in the worst possible light in order to make the main character sympathetic -- not by having them behave in a sympathetic way, but by having everyone else be completely unsympathetic. It also makes the main character's actions right because everyone else is incapable of seeing the real problem; thereby eliminating the need for the author to truly justify the actions.
You want me to like your character? Then make him/her likeable, don't make everyone else a bunch of jerks. Otherwise, in the end, I won't like anyone.
There is also the underlying thought that people -- even the people who care about you -- cannot understand you and, therefore, none of their actions will ever, truly matter. It's one of those fics where the POV character is always right and misunderstood and tries his/her best, but the other character's behaviors are always as self-serving, less-than-adequate, and half-hearted. Or else done out of pity and guilt.
That's not unusual for fanfic, as fanfic often takes the worst possible view of everyone's actions or else spins them in such a way that the actions are hollow and meaningless. The unique thing about his fic is that it has a changing POV. Usually the writers of such stories have one character and that one character is the misunderstood outcast that wonders through life being wronged and alone. This fic changes POVs so that there are now five such people wondering around. And, most confusingly, they are alternately, the misunderstood and the one who just 'doesn't get it'.
I get no pleasure from reading such fic -- no mater how interesting the plot is. I understand being a misunderstood outcast, feeling that no one in the world could ever know how I feel or appreciate the aloneness that comes from being unique or living in a area where most have no idea what 'fandom' is. But that doesn't mean I can't relate to them at all, on any level. And it doesn't mean that they can't ever relate to me, either.
Most importantly, it doesn't mean that their actions are lessened by that lack of understanding. If I'm feeling down and someone empathizes and brings me a cup of coffee or a chocolate bar to help me feel better, that action is worth something, even if that person really doesn't have clue why I'm feeling that way.
It's a tendency to paint everything in the worst possible light in order to make the main character sympathetic -- not by having them behave in a sympathetic way, but by having everyone else be completely unsympathetic. It also makes the main character's actions right because everyone else is incapable of seeing the real problem; thereby eliminating the need for the author to truly justify the actions.
You want me to like your character? Then make him/her likeable, don't make everyone else a bunch of jerks. Otherwise, in the end, I won't like anyone.
