It's Thursday. It must be navel gazing day!

[hackthis_archive]

There's been this mass proliferation of Generation Kill fic lately. But not just fic, really fucking good fic. I am particularly thinking of kaneko's After That, alethialia's Pleasure Over Propriety and romanticalgirl's Going Nowhere Slowly, all of which are tremendous and you should read them now. Go on. I'll wait.

Okay, now my initial thought about these stories was that they all take place in a post-series place and they all manage to take the series and expound on the events beautifully. And a part of me thinks, "Hey, why can't I do that too? Why the love of the AU? Other people are all over the source material. Shouldn't I just deal with what I'm given? Blah blah blah. Canon vs. crack, blah blah."

And then I get annoyed that a part of me has been warped into thinking my writing can be seen as "lesser" because I'm working outside of canon constraints.

The fact of the matter is that an Alternate Universe is just as valid as a canon.

The fact of the matter is that crack is just as valid as writing non-crack.

Anything that you put your heart and soul and time into is worthy and valid. Don't ever let anybody else convince you otherwise.

Everything we're writing is actually an alternate universe anyway, because unless you are writing for shows (and I know who you are), IT'S NOT HAPPENING. It is called fan 'fiction' for a reason.

You shouldn't automatically discount something just because it's not the norm or not quite what you're used to. And if AUs or crack aren't your thing, that's fine, but don't you dare fucking put someone else down just because they're not adhering to whatever the fuck you think they should. Who died and put you in charge of what's 'worthy'? If you don't like the story because you think it's faulty, that's fine. If the structure or characterization or the comma proliferation put you off, that's understandable. But slighting someone because you think your interpretation is greater and what they're doing is obviously lesser?

Fuck you very much. And shame on you.

The fact of the matter this: If you want something done, do it your damn self. So, if you don't like the way other people are doing it, stop bitching and write your own.

sparky77, I should've known that 'crack as a lesser art form' thing was going to come back eventually. Like acid-reflux.

And as for me and Generation Kill, the fact of the matter is that other writers write post-series beautifully, and I'm so glad that they do, because I can read their works... but that's just not what inspires me to write.



So it started like this:

svilleficrecs posted the below photo and asked: Who took the photo?






To which I wrote this:

//His lover. Who was obviously pretending to be fiddling with his/her camera at the time and mostly being ignored. You think they work as a team? I think they do. They tried not to, you know, bad form to spread your legs where you get your paycheck, but life is short and they see that more everyday and it just seemed so fucking stupid to deny something they clearly wanted so much. So, s/he's sitting on the bed, telling him to sit down, because he keeps pacing. It's wearing a groove in the floor, but he can't sit down. He wants to be out there, needs to be out there, telling this story, because this is a story of everything. It's fucking epic. Instead he's confined, they're confined, and his lover is exasperated and a little worried and a little horny, because that's kind of the norm when they're together and there's not a chance of imminent death, and s/he takes the photo, because it's more than just the time and the place, it's the idea and the history and where they are now//

And then when I said I actually had an idea of who they were. svilleficrecs naturally said who: I said:

When they first met Brad was the gristled veteran photographer and Nate was just this green thing, sent by the WSJ on the say so of Tom Ricks to Iraq, and Brad ended up looking out for him, b/c he couldn't really help himself, only it sort of evolved. Nothing happened in Iraq though. It didn't even when they got back stateside. Which to this
day, irritates the hell out of Brad. It actually happened in Pakistan, Nate almost got blown up in a roadside bomb, and Brad was in the car behind him. Actually, when he saw Iron Man (bootleg download, thanks satellites) he had a bad flashback to that day. Except Nate didn't end up with shrapnel in his chest, just a piece or two in his forearm, which is a whole other story. And that night, Brad tied Nate to the bed with three shirts and informed him that if he ever scared Brad like that again, Brad was going to send him the fuck home. Which Nate
reasonably pointed out that he wasn't six and couldn't be sent home. And Brad told him to stop being fucking reasonable, b/c it was irritating and then he kissed him and they've been together ever since.//

Which has since lead to this exchange with alethialia about Brad and scars and people and I think, when I can string a few more words together, I might send Brad back to Iraq.

Or maybe not.

Maybe I'll think this story is too hard. Too likely to upset me to no end with the politics. Or maybe I'll start thinking that AU's are a lesser art form instead and just 86 all of it. Or maybe I'll remember that every interpretation is as valid and valuable as the person who creates it, and anybody who says otherwise is just a moron.

Maybe I will write thief!Brad and detective!Nate.

I would do ninjas, but my local is opposed to me giving away trade secrets.

Comments

[alethialia.livejournal.com]

Everything we're writing is actually an alternate universe anyway, because unless you are writing for shows (and I know who you who are), IT'S NOT HAPPENING. It is called fan 'fiction' for a reason.

I wanna write for shows. Fuck, I'll take assisting on shows.

::headdesk:: I am so beyond bitter my job went kablooey like Brad shot a freakin' .203 at it.

ANYway. That's not actually why I'm here. I am here to say, though I've said it before: what the fuck is this shit about lesser forms of writing? I mean, seriously? SERIOUSLY? Do people really feel the need to fabricate some kind of moral superiority based on the type of porn they write (using others' characters)? REALLY?!

This, I do not understand at all. This seems like harshing on others' squee to make yourself feel better...and if you need to do that, you've got bigger problems, I'm just saying.

Maybe people who spend time bemoaning the inferiority of crack should refocus their energies on writing whatever it is they DO like and step the fuck off. I mean, I dislike angst, but you don't see my going all Ranty McRant in my LJ about how much angst sucks; instead I write as much snarky porn as I possibly can. And hopefully that spreads the love and leads others to write snarky porn, too, and the world will become a better, funnier, pornier place. Putting other genres down certainly won't make it so.

Possibly that's just me being goal-oriented, idek.

Oh, and also: humor is difficult. Humor is DAMN difficult. It is a skill that takes practice and effort and a lot of goddamn hard work. Crack encompasses both humor AND world-building, which is just - dude, people get paid to do ONE of those and can't even manage to do it well. The fact that you can do both - and HOW - should be cause for nothing but praise.

Furthermore, (and I swear to god I'm gonna stop preaching to the choir any second) in thinking about this post you know what I realized? I don't think of it like that: 'I'm going to write crack' or 'I'm going to write post-series.' I think, 'self, let's write something funny and pretty and hot.' And if that happens to be post-series Brad finding porn on the 'net about himself, so be it. If it happens to be sekrit service-Brad getting assigned to protect VP Nate's daughter? So be it.

Because really, wtf does it matter whether it's within canon or post-series or crack or whatever? Who gives a fuck so long as it's GOOD?!

Whatever, man. All I know is that I'm incredibly honored that you thought POP was good. That's the standard to which I aspire: a good story. Everything else is just details.

In summation: you rock, other people suck, and photog-Brad is hot. Oh, so is thief!Brad and detective!Nate. I am all over that shit, I'm sure you're shocked to hear.

[hackthis.livejournal.com]

ANYway. That's not actually why I'm here. I am here to say, though I've said it before: what the fuck is this shit about lesser forms of writing? I mean, seriously? SERIOUSLY? Do people really feel the need to fabricate some kind of moral superiority based on the type of porn they write (using others' characters)? REALLY?!

This, I do not understand at all. This seems like harshing on others' squee to make yourself feel better...and if you need to do that, you've got bigger problems, I'm just saying.

I hear you, dude. I just. IDEK.

I dislike angst, but you don't see my going all Ranty McRant in my LJ about how much angst sucks; instead I write as much snarky porn as I possibly can. And hopefully that spreads the love and leads others to write snarky porn, too, and the world will become a better, funnier, pornier place. Putting other genres down certainly won't make it so.


See, and this is my line of thinking. Write what you want to see, maybe other people will get excited and want to write it to, but at least if you're turning it out, you know it's out there in the world, doing its thing.

I don't think of it like that: 'I'm going to write crack' or 'I'm going to write post-series.' I think, 'self, let's write something funny and pretty and hot.'

And this is how I think of it too, but you know, people always want to classify shit, box it up and put a label on it. Can't we all just write things we like and call it a day? The whole thing makes me tired. Tell me more about Brad and Nate's wee one, and now Brad reads her bedtimes stories (but not Harry Potter, b/c as much I love it, I can see Brad being all HELL no!), and then Brad falls asleep reading and when Nate comes in to kiss his daughter good night he ends up staring at Brad for 10 minutes.

[alethialia.livejournal.com]

Tell me more about Brad and Nate's wee one, and now Brad reads her bedtimes stories (but not Harry Potter, b/c as much I love it, I can see Brad being all HELL no!), and then Brad falls asleep reading and when Nate comes in to kiss his daughter good night he ends up staring at Brad for 10 minutes.

That's not my fic; that's your fic! My fic has Nate's wee one trying to climb all over Brad and Brad being like, 'No, I need my hands free to protect you' and Jackie (her name's Jackie) not getting that AT ALL. And then there is Some Form of Emergency (the plot is rather...hazy to me) where Brad must carry her and she thinks this is the bestest EVER. Oh, and she wants to be a secret agent when she grows up because she heard someone call Brad Special Agent and hooked in to the 'agent' part of that and she kind of thinks he's James Bond. Only cooler. With sunglasses.

[hackthis.livejournal.com]

And then there is Some Form of Emergency (the plot is rather...hazy to me) where Brad must carry her and she thinks this is the bestest EVER. Oh, and she wants to be a secret agent when she grows up because she heard someone call Brad Special Agent and hooked in to the 'agent' part of that and she kind of thinks he's James Bond. Only cooler. With sunglasses.

Also, Emergencies are easy peasy. A Fire Alarm that Brad thinks is a kidnapping attempt. A busted water pipe in the living quarters that Brad thinks is a kidnapping attempt. A skinned knee from an aborted flying atttempt, b/c Wonder Woman can fly (depending on your canon), so obviously so can Jamie.

I want this story. NOW.