DPP: Fanon Complaints

[cynicalshadows.livejournal.com]

Special destinies. Poofs. Pigeons. Almost table fraks. We all have things that we don't like about canon. But what about fanon? Do you not like when Starbuck is characterized as an easy lay? Do you hate stick-up-his-ass!Lee? Do pilot babies make you cringe? Here's your chance to complain about the things in fic that bug you.

Comments

[da-angel729.livejournal.com]

I definitely don't like when Kara's characterized as an easy lay. Especially if nothing is said about Lee. Because, in canon, Kara's confirmed sexual partners are Zak, Baltar, Sam, and Lee. And Lee's are Gianne, Shevon, Dee, and Kara. I don't think I forgot any, but please correct me if I'm wrong. It's the same number, people! If Kara's an easy lay based on that information, so is Lee!

I also don't like Lee or Kara as Cylons fics. Especially Lee. Because I think Lee's one of the most 'grounded' characters in the show-in that he's not connected to the overall mythology-and making him a Cylon requires too much suspension of disbelief for me. Of course, this is just how I see him.

[dramaturgca.livejournal.com]

Yay, rant!

OMG I HATE KID!FIC. I HATE IT A LOT. Kara SAYS in "The Farm" that she doesn't want kids, that she's not interested in kids, it drives me nuts when people write pilot kid!fic. I will automatically stop reading anything that involves pilots with kids.

Also, any fic (there's a lot less now than there used to be) where Kara is severely maimed and Lee has to take care of her forever more. Frak that.

Don't really dig Kara as a stone-cold bitch or Lee as a nattering pansy. They're both strong, in their own ways, but they also both rely on each other deeply.

Also, poor grammar, spelling, and punctuation. And formatting that doesn't work if one has a personalized journal layout. But that's cause I'm a crank.

[ninety6tears.livejournal.com]

I'm not really a fan of going overboard with tomboy!Kara. Clearly she isn't the type to get glammed up a whole lot and would probably never order the kind of drink that comes with the little sugar crystals on the rim, and for me there's a very thin line where it gets to be a little too much, but I just want more of the little inconsistencies that make it seem more "She does whatever the hell she wants" than "She doesn't do girly stuff."

[jeebs83.livejournal.com]

I think the thing I hate most is crack!fic. The idea of taking these characters and putting them in an environment that's so foreign to the BSG universe makes me cringe. To me (and this is just a personal opinion) crack!fic is so far removed from what I love about the show that it really isn't a BSG fic at all.

Great topics this week, btw! :D

[rayruz.livejournal.com]

I'd like to make the rebuttal that she also says there is nothing between her and Lee. When Kara is emotionally compromised she will say what she needs to say to drive someone away. We also see that when she believes she has a child she is very compassionate towards Kacey. I am of the opinion that Kara would be a wonderful mother and would raise the most kickass kid ever.

[jeebs83.livejournal.com]

I agree with you on that. The Kacey/New Caprica storyline really changed my views about Kara being a mother.

[scifishipper.livejournal.com]

I dislike fic that portrays Lee as sexually inept. If it's crack!fic, that's fine - it's meant exaggerate. But the idea that Mr. Towel does not have sexual experiences is just plain ridiculous.

And, well, since we're on the topic of sex, I dislike when Kara is portrayed as an overly romantic girl who swoons and becomes all googly-eyed when Lee kisses her. Yes, it's special and maybe better than she anticipated, (and my fanon says he's an amazing kisser), but one kiss should not send Kara Thrace OOC.

In general, as many are saying upstream, OOC does not play well.

[scifishipper.livejournal.com]

Yes, it's the extremes that are bothersome. IMO, one of the things that makes Kara so interesting is that she is so complex. I like it when fics portray that complexity, not totally ignore it. :)

[ninjamonkey73.livejournal.com]

When Kara is emotionally compromised she will say what she needs to say to drive someone away.

Ex-ACT-ly!

[scifishipper.livejournal.com]

I'm also bothered by Kara or Lee as cylons. There is one fic in particular that handles it very well, but otherwise it is too OOC for me.

[jeeshee.livejournal.com]

YES on the easy lay. Kara's no wilting flower, sure, but slutty? Despite what certain characters claim in the heat of the moment, it's not confirmed in canon.

[jeeshee.livejournal.com]

Yeah, the Kacey story definitely showed she could be motherly. I think the fic has to be done well, though, to avoid mawkishness.

[ninjamonkey73.livejournal.com]

Alrighty. I know this is a bit nitpicky. I'll admit that right up front.

*ahem* I get seriously taken out of stories that involve sex scenes where known laws of physics (gravity!) and anatomy are tossed aside. Now, I love a good wall!frak as much as the next person, but sometimes I find myself thinking about how, in real life, these things can't be as drawn out as some folks write them. Your mileage may vary, certainly, and I don't claim to be in anywhere near the physical condition of Starbuck (TMI?), but I'm just sayin'. Try holding yourself up, against a wall, or dangling from steel shelves for 5 minutes and tell me how your arms feel. :) Same for showers that aren't slippery, which adds a degree of difficulty to the wall!frak. (Roll a D20 for traction.)

I know, I know! It's idealized and FICTION. It's the thing that takes me out, is all I'm saying. Call me a stark realist if you must. I subscribe to gravity.

And while I'm here, I kinda' have a little, teeny issue with Kara always needing to flip Lee over and be on top. Sure, that's a part of her character, but even in canon she let Baltar be on top. Baltar! And she was imagining he was Lee, so that's just another argument in my favor. I get that a lot of writers like her take charge, not shy about sex, do what she needs to do attitude. And I don't mean that it shouldn't happen ever. For one of the first stories I wrote, my beta sent feedback that Kara is typically on top, because I did not put her there. Again, this is a minor peeve and more with fanon as a whole and certainly not with any particular writer(s) or work(s). Maybe my issue is the perception that her on the bottom is too romantic or in some way more serious than any other position.

[jeebs83.livejournal.com]

LOL, I've had those same thoughts. Sometimes when I'm reading a sex scene I'm like, 'how is that even physically possible?'

[scifishipper.livejournal.com]

And while I'm here, I kinda' have a little, teeny issue with Kara always needing to flip Lee over and be on top.

Yes, this bugs me, too. Not a lot, but it is a bit overdone, IMO. Mixing it up is always most interesting. And I see Lee and Kara as sexual equals - I like when it's written that way. :)

And, yes, having sex against a wall while holding another person completely suspended is very difficult. (I've written it myself, but was sure to include content about shaking legs and holy shit this better happen fast or we're going to fall over... hee.)

Nice comment. :D

[lotus79.livejournal.com]

I would say my L/K fanon pet peeve is character bashing Dee. Fics where she is portrayed as a social climber or scheming to steal Lee away from Kara really turn me off. Mainly because that kind of thing in general turns me off - there really is no need to make the romantic rival into a 2 dimensional villain in order to make the hero/ine look good! Sam gets it a bit too but nowhere near as much - this tends to annoy me as such a gender double standard!

What else... nope, that's the only big peeve. I have a smallish one and that's that I get bored with fanon assumptions that show up in *every* fic. Like Lee being Zak's surrogate dad. Yes we know that Bill was a lousy father and absent much of the time, but I don't see any evidence that Lee is more than a year or two older than Zak. And I don't see any kid "practically raising" a sibling who is only a year or two younger. I buy protective older brother yes, but not surrogate Dad.

Right-o, I'll clean up for the next person, shall I?

[rdave1.livejournal.com]

I dislike when Kara is portrayed as being weak and needing Lee to take care of her emotionally. Now I understand that in some fics Kara goes through some trauma and that makes sense but when Lee is her crutch emotionally and makes all the decisions for her. It bugs me. Kara is strong and very resilient; I understand her needing Lee's support but anything way out there just doesn't sit right.

Another thing about those happy dappy fics just bother me. Pilots get stranded somewhere, have a few fights then tons of sex, there no talking out their issues and by the time rescue comes Kara is pregnant with like 8 kids. And they always get stranded on a beachy planet. Just not realistic!

[kag523.livejournal.com]

LOL - I promise I am not going to be insulted, (since I doubt it's mine...) but I ABSOLUTELY MUST KNOW which fic you are talking about. Do tell!!!!! ;>)

[olaf47.livejournal.com]

While I completely understand the overuse of Kara flipping Lee to be on top, I like to think of it more as Starbuck and Apollo being a little playful, being a little competitive, even in sex.

It's not that she won't let Lee be on top; it's that it's kind of fun to challenge him.

[kag523.livejournal.com]

LMAO - This totally rocks! I hadn't actually thought of it before you posted it, but that is SO TOTALLY TRUE!!!! (And now I am going to be totally conscientious of what I do in those scenes, because I might just be guilty of that once in a while.)

[kag523.livejournal.com]

That's so true. Again - hadn't really thought of it (though I've only been involved in fanfic for a few months) but that DOES occur in an absurdly high percentage of them. Hmmm... wonder why writers do that.

[kag523.livejournal.com]

Oh this made me laugh, and then smile. So funny! (And so TRUE.)

[kag523.livejournal.com]

I have a fanaticism in regards to good grammar too. It pulls me out of the story.

[callmeonetrack.livejournal.com]

I'm not sci_fi but the supreme K/L as cylon fic is no doubt Those Journeymen Divine (http://mercurial-wit.livejournal.com/36669.html#cutid1) by Claira and Fahye

I hated K or L as cylons before the finale. Reread Journeymen after it and loved, loved, loved it. Wished they'd been cylons 11 and 12 in fact because it made them equals again.

[kag523.livejournal.com]

This is a very small ones, because most of mine have been taken, but I find those endless author's notes at the end of every chapter (ESPECIALLY on fanfiction.net) to be completely frustrating. I can be halfway through an angst-filled pilot scene and then something will show up talking about what the author did that weekend and how it assisted his/her writing process. Basically, if it is in bold, I avoid it, because I get removed from the story.

Distracting. (And yes, I'll fully admit I'm ADD).