Comments | infinitewhale: A failure to communicate...

infinitewhale

A failure to communicate...

Jan 21, 2016 19:32

I've been chatting on BF lately about the comics and I've come to notice a big difference is in the way I look at things vs how others do, especially newer fans. I've noticed the same thing when I was on tumblr. It seems to be based on just how important headcanons are and their worth to the story. I just don't like being asked to fill in gaps in ( Read more... )

Comments 13

shapinglight January 22 2016, 12:05:14 UTC

I have been reading your conversation with KoC but unfortunately I find him so pompous and convinced he's right about everything that I have to skim his comments for the sake of my blood pressure ( ... )

sueworld2003 January 22 2016, 17:58:01 UTC

"I agree that we should not be left to invent characters' motivations for ourselves. "

This. Imo thats been the bane of comics ever since season 8 let alone now.

infinitewhale January 22 2016, 18:36:49 UTC

I find him so pompous and convinced he's right about everything that I have to skim his comments for the sake of my blood pressure.He's almost funny in his complete inability to admit he was wrong about Spuffy in S9. His attempts at sophistry give me headaches. The whole Star Trek attempt to deflect... Sheesh ( ... )

(The comment has been removed)

Thread 7

infinitewhale January 22 2016, 12:45:07 UTC

sueworld2003 January 22 2016, 18:02:32 UTC

Firstly I don't think you've replied to shapinglight correctly so unless she returns to this post she won't know you've replied. :)

Secondly I'm with you. I remember all the folks who seemed to spend most of their time trying to explain the idiocy that was the plot.

"I just don't like being asked to fill in gaps in characterizations and find it inexcusably lazy."

A big fat THIS. :D

infinitewhale January 22 2016, 18:40:19 UTC

Thanks for pointing that out. Posting right before bed is bad.

Secondly I'm with you. I remember all the folks who seemed to spend most of their time trying to explain the idiocy that was the plot.

I honestly believe it was intentional. That's why Whedon set them off so late. He can just say crazy, wild things happened and these are the characters now and poof, fans will create their own story.

rbfvid January 22 2016, 17:22:31 UTC

Well, there is nothing wrong with headcanons per se. And, yes, they are much more prominent genre on Tumblr. It's kind of... I dunno... "lazy fiction"? It's seems to be used when people don't have a time to plot out a story/put together a complicatet analysis, but they still want to squee about their fannish interests. Squee is great. Headcanons could be great.
The only problem could arise, when people try to present their headcanons as an analysis, but that's nothing new. It always happened, and it wil always remain, as long as fandom exists. It's not some new Tumblr phenomenon, just go through the old LJ discussions - same old, same old.

infinitewhale January 22 2016, 18:35:54 UTC

It's definitely nothing new, but it's far more prevalent now than then. alt.buffy was rife with it, but there was always a balance while people had their headcanons and fanwanks they acknowledged that's what they were. Nowadays it seems its almost preferred to tighter writing and it's an attack to point it out.

ext_2325383 January 22 2016, 21:08:38 UTC

Well, you're in your 50s, right? You're not exactly the target audience. Younger people consume entertainment in subtly different ways, different themes appeal to them as well and the writing needs to reflect that. Regardless of age, it's OK to consume Buffy in an analytical, intellect-driven way, other people, however, might do it in a more emotional, empathetic way. They don't care about or even notice the issues that bother you as they are more focused on the emotional response derived from the comic and in the moment entertainment value.

infinitewhale January 22 2016, 21:39:13 UTC

Nowhere near 50.

It's true I don't have ADD nor am I a comic fanboy that disregards bad writing as 'The Way of Western Pop Comics, Dead With It'. So I am not the target audience of the Buffy comics.

But I don't agree with the assessment these people are after instant emotional gratification. If that were true, they wouldn't work so hard to fill in A to F. It's more...emotional confirmation. They like the end result and will accept whatever explanation it takes to get there even if it has no basis in the text or any characterizational founding. If it turns Willow kills 15 people for fun next issue, regular fans and Willow fans will say WTF. Whereas one who hates Willow will get the rationalization machine running. She's killed before, you see, and always did have trouble with control and exerting her will over others. It makes perfect sense. This has been the case from the beginning.

ext_2325383 January 25 2016, 19:31:36 UTC

If you realize that you're in fact not the target audience of Buffy comics then why do you keep reading them? I'm asking because you don't seem to find them particularly entertaining either.

"They like the end result and will accept whatever explanation it takes to get there even if it has no basis in the text or any characterizational founding."

With as much source material as Buffyverse has and with rules as flexible as they are pretty much everything is possible. To be honest there's almost nothing in the comics, as far as the characters' actions go, that makes me say WTF. If the character surprises me it only means that my existing ideas about that character were wrong. But that's OK, I don't need to be right, I just need to be entertained.