Does this fandom need counseling? Not a joke · 12:34am Jun 1st, 2022
This comes from a story where a character who is mistrusted, maligned, attacked, betrayed by friends and love interest and has his power violently ripped from him.
Yet it was the idea of letting them risk life and limb to clean up my own mess that left me uneasy.
OK I want to know. What the hell is wrong with us as a fandom where we think this way so often. No matter how bad a character is treated, no matter how much they are tortured or spit on. No matter what happen thats completely out of the characters control.
I was mistreated, mistrusted, attacked, betrayed by my friends and girlfriend, and had my power ripped violently from my body. Gee, I have to help fix my mess.
I just finished a chapter in another story when the character saved the CMCs lives and in response was hunted and chased through town where he was viciously beaten unconscious in-front of a cheering crowd. "And he feel bad about the misunderstanding and hopes he can be forgiven for his bad first impression.
It's the characters fault. It's always the characters fault and he has to do everything in his power to fix it or make it right. Dude, do you realize just how utterly screwed up that is, and it's all over this website. It's probably one of the most common memes here in the fandom. Do we as a fandom need counseling? Is this a form of beaten wives syndrome?
Seriously
Do we really think this way?
I'm curious about this.
Can you link the two stories where this happens? (or send me a PM with them If possible).
As for your main question, the only way I can see this happening in those stories is because the MC is so desperate to prove himself/herself as a good pony/person, and he/she just wants to be trusted by those around him/her, to the point where he/she believes it's his/her fault that he/she was treated like that.
If it's not that, then I have no clue as to why the Authors think it somehow has to be like this.
Its not just these stories though, It happens all the time. Character comes out of the everfree, treated like absolute trash, attacked, shunned, etc, then they instantly shrug off the behavior like its no problem. It's almost a meme here, where authors routinely allow horrendous behavior and then the main character, usually a human, instantly forgives them or looks for a way to be accepted. Often saving the town or ponies after treatment that would have caused a normal person to walk away saying, If Im a monster, then save yourselves.
I really feel its odd.
Ill send you the two stories since they are at the top of my head, since I just read them.
Hard to find story's that arnt like that. Though I dont think ive heard of the one you described
I am literally writing a story to oppose this trope as we speak, lol.
My goal in the story being that the pony tries to torment the mc and actually gets called out for it.
This sums things up perfectly. its from one of the Pokemon stories, but this is exactly the kind of behavior I was talking about.
This is the thinking process of an extremely unhealthy mind. Chasing those who harm you, begging to be accepted.
I'm late to the party, but I'd still like to add my own two cents if I may.
The thing about this Fandom, and many now that I think about it, is a lack of self worth in many of the writers and readers on this site.
That is not an attack on them by any means. But many have a personal view of "I deserve this" mentality in their daily lives, and it leaks into their writing.
I want to push back on this, and I hope my writing is proving that you can have guilt for something they have done, but if it's unjustified, than you shouldn't have to shoulder another's hang ups because of your very existence. Move on.
5684568
Well said.
They say to writers, write what you know. The reason thats silly, is because we always write what we know. Early writers write our characters in the way that we ourselves would react. This does a disservice to the characters because a donut maker wont react like an undertaker would, and an undertaker wont react like a Roman centurion would. You have to really sit down, look at who the character is as a person and then ask yourself; 'What would they do? What would a 50 year old retired Air force pilot, who has three grandkids he is raising by himself do when confronted by this?" Thats what separates a fair writer from a good one.
Me, my biggest problem is that Ive written horror for so many years that I default into my horror roots when writing MLP. I couldn't tell you how many times Ive gotten into a groove, sat back and reread my work, just to end up deleting pages worth. The writing, being way, way too dark for what I intend to be a comedy or light hearted story.
Thats kind of why Ive done this blog. It's not about nagging or whining about how bad the stories are. I'm trying to make Authors think.
"Why do we do this?"
" Does "X" concept have to be in a story or are we doing it because thats the way it's always been done?"
I think Morgan has it figured out. After all, he had his character deal with bullies by using one as a bludgeon then throwing him through a window. 😜
"Sigh, Good times....."
Monk