Absolute Chaos Discussion Boards
Fic Talk => General Discussion => Topic started by: RokofAges75 on July 07, 2011, 11:33:29 PM
-
How come romance is the only genre we ever really get into heated debates about around here? What about the other genres? How come none of them are as "controversial"? Is that just the culture of the board again, or does no one have anything negative to say about drama, suspense, sci-fi, fantasy, comedy, etc.?
If you do, have at it!
-
*runs in*
I love Sci-Fi!
(That's such an unpopular opinion in the BSB Fanfic Fandom.)
*runs out*
-
Well, I think sci-fi SUCKS!
LOL Just kidding. I think sci-fi takes a lot of imagination and creativity. Generally speaking, it's just too weird for me most of the time. Like Mare with romance, I can do sci-fi outside of fanfic, but with the exception of maybe a couple of stories, I've never gotten into it as BSB fanfic.
-
LOL :P I hate you!
(Like I could actually hate you...)
See, I adore it. It takes so much creativity and it pulls you into a whole new world. And it's even neater when the bromance we all love between the Boys being brought into that. :)
-
I think romance is the most controversial because of the fact that it's really the only genre that you either passionately hate or adore. Somehow I can't see myself going, "Man those fantasy stories really piss me off!" lol. Romance has a lot of controversial issues that I don't think are big factors in other genres such as the Mary Sue's and cliched plots and graphic sex scenes. I can't think of anything that could really be offensive in any other genres outside of some people just not being interested in them. Like Rose was just saying how she LOVES Sci-Fi yet I try to read it and I just start nodding off. It's just not my cup of tea.
-
I remember some pretty heated discussions about sci fi and fantasy a few years ago lol
I think there isn't as much controversy because the genres just aren't as popular. You know, like how everyone tends to overanalyze everything Nick does but Howie could probably kill someone and it would go ignored. Sorry Howie ;)
Personally the only other genres that aren't me besides romance, are visuals, slash and most AUs unless the guys are brothers. They just aren't things I can get myself into reading. As far as sci fi, it's not my favorite. I'm struggling through the one i'm trying to write now and wished I hadn't started it lol but if the guys are BSB, and the plot is good,understandable, and well written, i'd probably give it a go. Fantasy, not sure. Again, if the guys were the guys but to me, fantasy and au kind of go hand in hand.
I would love to know what is it about some of these other genres that keep people from reading or writing them.
-
I think slash is another controversial one and it's something people either love or hate. Personally it's not for me, but I have read one over on a Take That site which was so amazingly written and such a good story, that I loved it.
-
I would love to know what is it about some of these other genres that keep people from reading or writing them.
Well I know for me personally my LEAST fav genre is the fantasy and sci-fi. Even outside of fan fic I'm not a fan of them and I think it's because it's asking me to suspend belief and I much prefer realistic stories. Add it into the fan fic world and I'm supposed to believe the guys are something out of the norm and I just can't do it.
I've read some decent AU's but as we were saying in the romance thread I feel like if you are writing AU where the guys are doctors, or firemen, or baseball players, or even just normal guys, why not just make it OF? I like horror and suspense as a genre, but not as much in BSB fan fic unless the guys are the guys and it's something somewhat believable.
-
I think romance is the most controversial because of the fact that it's really the only genre that you either passionately hate or adore. Somehow I can't see myself going, "Man those fantasy stories really piss me off!" lol. Romance has a lot of controversial issues that I don't think are big factors in other genres such as the Mary Sue's and cliched plots and graphic sex scenes. I can't think of anything that could really be offensive in any other genres outside of some people just not being interested in them. Like Rose was just saying how she LOVES Sci-Fi yet I try to read it and I just start nodding off. It's just not my cup of tea.
I think there isn't as much controversy because the genres just aren't as popular. You know, like how everyone tends to overanalyze everything Nick does but Howie could probably kill someone and it would go ignored. Sorry Howie ;)
These are both great points! I think you're both right.
-
Well I know for me personally my LEAST fav genre is the fantasy and sci-fi. Even outside of fan fic I'm not a fan of them and I think it's because it's asking me to suspend belief and I much prefer realistic stories. Add it into the fan fic world and I'm supposed to believe the guys are something out of the norm and I just can't do it.
I've read some decent AU's but as we were saying in the romance thread I feel like if you are writing AU where the guys are doctors, or firemen, or baseball players, or even just normal guys, why not just make it OF? I like horror and suspense as a genre, but not as much in BSB fan fic unless the guys are the guys and it's something somewhat believable.
I'm the same way. I love horror and will do sci-fi when it's in that context, but I have a hard time getting into the really "out there" stuff. I've never been much of a fantasy fan even outside fanfic, with the exception of Harry Potter, so it's no big surprise I don't read many fantasy fanfics either. There are plenty of stories with elements of fantasy that I've enjoyed, but again, once it goes too far "out there," it loses me LOL. I prefer realistic, too.
I used to dislike AUs; the story that really changed my mind about them (will post this in the conversion thread) is "Between the Lines," which is the one where they're baseball players. In a way, it makes no sense; why write a story about the Backstreet Boys being baseball players? Why not just write fanfic about real baseball players or make them original characters? But that story is so well-written, and the guys are so wonderfully portrayed in it, and seeing their personalities and bromance carried over to and developed in that context was really cool. I still much prefer BSB stories to AU, but I can see the appeal of AU sometimes because it offers a lot more freedom and lends itself to storylines you would never see in fanfic otherwise.
-
I think slash is another controversial one and it's something people either love or hate. Personally it's not for me, but I have read one over on a Take That site which was so amazingly written and such a good story, that I loved it.
I can't take slash seriously, and I think, for me, it goes back to what I was agreeing with Mel on in my last post - I like things to be realistic, especially when it comes to the guys, so the slash thing just doesn't work for me. Might as call it an AU or a fantasy.
I'm the same way with romance, where it's as if the guys' real life marriages/relationships don't exist. I hate when the guys are just given random wives/children/siblings, unless there's an explanation for them that gels with reality. After Brian married Leighanne, I had to start finding ways to get rid of her in the Brian romances I wrote - I killed her off once, had them get divorced, etc., and then I felt free to give him a fictional new relationship. Once Baylee was born, I just kinda stopped writing Brian romance, unless it was AU. I wish I wasn't such a stickler; it would give me a lot more freedom as a fanfic writer, but I am. I'm all for the fiction aspect of fanfic, but since we're writing about real people, I feel like even the fictional stuff should be grounded in reality.
-
I am the same when it comes to the boys and being as realistic as possible. I agree about Between the Lines though, that's a great example of an AU keeping the guys their authentic selves while giving them something else to do.
I think i've mentioned this one fantasy story I tried to read a very long time ago before and the guys were SO far out of the box I couldn't even discern who was who. Besides their names, they had nothing in common with who they are. Slash, it's the same way to me. I just don't see them in that light so no matter how well written it is, it still comes off unrealistic to me.
I also don't enjoy random girls with the guys because in my head I know their connected to their real wives and girlfriends. That's why when I have to include them in my stuff they are out shopping or parasailing or something lmao
-
If I write wives/girlfriends into stories, most of the time I use made up ones. I can't really explain why, I just feel a bit wrong including their real ones. I'm weird, lol.
-
For me, it depends on the story. Rose and I did give Brian and Howie fake children in Undead because we couldn't bear to make Baylee and James zombies LOL. I've killed off Leighanne before, but I would never touch Baylee in one of my fics. That does seem wrong. Like you said, it's hard to explain why that feels wrong, but not writing about - in my case, torturing - the real guys, but it's where I draw the line.
-
I agree that slash is also quite controversial, but from a personal perspective... AU comes with a lot of controversy.
My fanfic "career" started with writing only AU, I didn't really get noticed until the first canon story I wrote. But I will say that as someone who prefers writing, and reading AU, it comes with a lot of opinions from those who prefer canon.
Many times I've been told that the things I've written aren't fanfic, might as well be OF, etc because the boys aren't Backstreet Boys in them and sometimes there's only an appearance by one character. In my mind though, when Nick gets cancer, or Brian and AJ fall in love, or Howie gets addicted to meth, whether they're Backstreet Boys at the time or not I don't think it's canon, that's a universe alternate to the one we live in, no different than if he weren't a performer and were a janitor instead. And if we all only wrote specifically to canon, to the universe that we live in right now, we'd all be writing the same tour/recording story.
I think it's about keeping the characterizati on the same more than keeping professions, etc the same.
-
I agree with that. Like Between the Lines or On The Rails, as long as I can recognize the guys and still think it's them, it will hold my attention (most of the time)
On the Rails is really an excellent example of this. This story basically has everything I have just openly shunned lmao It's not only AU but historical AU and it only really has had Nick as a central character with Brian showing up recently. The story is so well written and interesting, that it has held my attention. Also in that same vein, there is a very strong female character which I enjoy as well. you put all those elements into one fic and it's going to hold my attention. It doesn't matter if Nick is a BSB or not.
If the story isn't very entertaining and the characters aren't very true to form, that's when I start looking for the BSB connection and if I don't find it, I click right out of there.
-
Many times I've been told that the things I've written aren't fanfic, might as well be OF, etc because the boys aren't Backstreet Boys in them and sometimes there's only an appearance by one character. In my mind though, when Nick gets cancer, or Brian and AJ fall in love, or Howie gets addicted to meth, whether they're Backstreet Boys at the time or not I don't think it's canon, that's a universe alternate to the one we live in, no different than if he weren't a performer and were a janitor instead. And if we all only wrote specifically to canon, to the universe that we live in right now, we'd all be writing the same tour/recording story.
I think it's about keeping the characterizati on the same more than keeping professions, etc the same.
I'd say the people who claim you're not writing fanfic don't really get what an AU is. That's the whole point of AU - that you take these characters (or, in this case, real people) and take them out of canon and put them in a different situation. It's still fanfic if you're writing about those specific characters/people, though, not your own original characters. Like it or not, it is a valid subcategory of fanfic.
That said, I wouldn't call the other situations you mentioned - Nick having cancer, Brian and AJ in love, Howie addicted to meth (LOL) - AU, assuming they're still the Backstreet Boys in those situations. Isn't that what fanfic is, taking real people (or other people's characters) and putting them in fictional situations? To me, canon is just a set of guidelines that should be followed if you're trying to write the Backstreet Boys as the authentic Backstreet Boys. Personality traits, backgrounds, careers, families, all that kind of stuff. Some fanfic writers stick closer to canon than others, and unless it's supposed to be AU, I prefer reading a story that is canon, but I don't think that means you can only write about situations that have really happened and people who really exist without it being considered AU.
Like you said, though, I think characterizati on is the key. Whether it's canon as in they're the Backstreet Boys or completely AU, if you're calling it a fanfic, the guys should still seem like themselves. I'd rather read a story where Howie was a janitor who was still recognizable as Howie than a story where Howie the Backstreet Boy is a meth addict for no particular reason other than the author thought that sounded like a cool idea. If you're gonna take them that far out of character, you gotta show the progression to that point - otherwise, it's more like you're just using a real person's name for a fictional character. In that example, I'd consider the janitor story more of a true fanfic... or at least a better-written one.
-
For me, it depends on the story. Rose and I did give Brian and Howie fake children in Undead because we couldn't bear to make Baylee and James zombies LOL. I've killed off Leighanne before, but I would never touch Baylee in one of my fics. That does seem wrong. Like you said, it's hard to explain why that feels wrong, but not writing about - in my case, torturing - the real guys, but it's where I draw the line.
Right, in stories where I don't plan to kill kids lol, I include the real life ones. RMTW has Baylee, James, and Mason all included in there, to keep it as realistic as I can. Undead, they have fake kids, because I couldn't kill em. That's like my line I can't cross LOL. I can torture wives/gfs/the Boys, but the kids always feel untouchable.
-
Right, in stories where I don't plan to kill kids
This made me laugh really hard for some reason!
-
This made me laugh really hard for some reason!
LMFAO it sounds so wrong. I'm so odd.
-
LMAO Rose!
-
LMAO Rose!
Oh like you're surprised :P
-
Not surprised, just amused!
-
I think those of us that write the suspense/ horror stuff are slightly off. Thanks for proving that point Rose! LOL
-
I think those of us that write the suspense/ horror stuff are slightly off. Thanks for proving that point Rose! LOL
LMFAO glad I can help :)
-
If I write wives/girlfriends into stories, most of the time I use made up ones. I can't really explain why, I just feel a bit wrong including their real ones. I'm weird, lol.
I feel the same way. It feels weird writing about them...lol