I'm True to Myself #5: Preferences and Expectations and Improvement. · 11:30pm Jan 30th, 2017
Thanks to something a person who CIVIL with me for once, other than people who usually aren't... I feel it's time WE ALL WOKE UP and smelled the stenches!
What you, myself, or anyone else may consider "Good Writing" or "Great Story Telling" or even "Well-Balanced characters" yayayaya...
It's all a matter of...
-PREFERENCES
-EXPECTATIONS
and even still, any IMPROVEMENT depends on those other two. Its only a matter of what YOU WISH to see.
In my case, I'm often chewed out and bashed about because I like One-dimensional Characters, easy and simple going plots, and various other things. Well, that's my preference.
The main reason I make fics for Teen Titans, MLP, Digimon, and most of the rest if because they did not meet my expectations, didn't give me what I wanted, and since I know They won't, and neither will people like you, "When you want something done RIGHT you gotta do it yourself"
-I prefer Moondancer NOT reconcile with Twilight.
-I prefer Cranky Doodle to CONTINUE to push Pinkie away (she's annoying anyway)
-I prefer if Thorax got KILLED at the end, not evolved into a new species (So friendship and redemption will FAIL for once)
-I prefer evil villains that either Send Monster of the Week... or villains that cause bloodshed, massive hysteria, and destruction beyond imagination (The Villains I've seen in MLP have hardly done ANY of that at all... which is why I deem them pathetic, and weak, especially considering they only last two eps anyway.)
Same with Teen Titans.
-Things Change... I don't want Beast Boy just accepting it easily and moving on with his life. No, if loses Terra I prefer and expect him (Like most people in his circumstances) to...
-Live a long, POINTLESS... UNFULFILLING... and MISERABLE life, as in... NOTHING will ever get better no matter what you try.
-Become the evil antagonist of the story (Not done by choice, it usuallyhappens by stroke of fate, beyond their control and against their wishes)
-Runaway from the main cast (Like Terra did) and make a new life AWAY from the others, and balk at them if they ever try to appologize or reconcile.
-I want that character killed (Removed from the series) be it by suicide, destroyed in battle, defeated by the heroes... or even if he doesn't want to die, he gets killed anyway (Car crash... someone shoots him form out of nowhere... or something just falls on him... ect, ect,)
...Point is, that's the way I prefer it (In fiction)
Again, my expectations were not met, so I started hating the show, and made fanfics to ease the poison I've eaten from these shows, and to tone down the (What I deem) LOUSY fanfics I've seen written where I BARELY get what I prefer (All I usually ever see is characters I support getting treated badly)
...Well, since compromise and reasoning never work either way, the only option is "EYE FOR AN EYE"
"Two wrongs don't make a right... SO MAKE A THIRD WRONG" (I know that sounds bad, but it's what I've been taught by people like you)
And there's IMPROVEMENT...
Now I already told you, it all depends on the same thing, PREFERENCE... or EXPECTATIONS. (A matter of WHAT YOU WANT)
Usually all anyone ever does with me is supposedly point out flaws...
-"They're too powerful"
-"They bully the Equestrians" (they don't)
-"your characters suck"
That's hardly pointing out flaws, it's just being insulting, and even then, you don't even explain alternative suggestions in ways I can understand...
What they/you do is...
-"Make them less stuish"
-"Give them more development"
-"Give them more character"
I don't understand what you mean by that, it's too ambiguous.
What you SHOULD say is.
-"Instead of Lightning doing THIS... maybe he could do THAT"
You need EXPLAIN in through details so that I CAN understand it.
But then again, even if I DO understand it, you usually suggest things that are AGAINST my preferences and expectations (It's not what I want) therefore, I DO NOT deem it as IMPROVEMENT. Even if YOU DO consider it IMPROVEMENT and pretend to like it... I DON'T like it, and I DON'T consider it improvement.
If were to write story to YOU preferences and expectations, I would hate it so much, and be so full of shame and outrage for having written something I Really do not like...
...I'm afraid I would have to give attitude.
You: "Cool fic, man."
Me: "No it isn't!"
You: "Chill, I'm just giving you a nice comment"
Me: *Deletes it*
...I don't WANT to be praised for doing things I do not like. I won't go against my code.
What you consider improvement, I do not! so I'm afraid that regaudless which way it's written, it looks like there's going be grief either way.
-Write it my way... you give me grief because it's not your way.
-If I write it your way... I'll give YOU grief because I don't like (It's not my way) Then again, even if I did write it your way, you'd still just deliberately down-vote it (Probably without even reading)
I submit... why try to improve if things are not going to get better either way?
Improvement is a TWO WAY street... BOTH sides have to like it.
Bottom-line, all fanfics, TV shows, books, games... ect, ect...
The only real rules are based on what people LIKE to see (What they PREFER... what they EXPECT) And what is considered improvement by either the writer or the reader, it's still a matter of Preference and Expectation.
I'm not saying "I'm always right"
or "My way is perfect"
or even "My way is better than yours"
What I'm saying is...
"I'll decide what's right and wrong in MY stories for MYSELF"
"I PREFER my way to yours"
"My way is better... FOR ME"
...Eh, but I don't think it matters anyway. Nothing's going to change. I won't change, you won't change... nobody else will change (I/you can't change my/your feelings just because I/you want me/you to)
Nope, we're all just going to have live with this unbreakable cycle and deal with it OUR OWN ways.
Again. It's your opinion, can't agrue with that. As for friendship and redemption will FAIL for once, I don't think so. Doesn't swing that way.
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Well, I'm glad at least YOU and a few others understand the concept (Opinions... Preferances)
Ya, I can tell.
I respect your preferences and opinions, Mykan; just as you respect mine. There is nothing wrong with that.
You know, there's one question that started bothering me. You've made it very clear through your stories and blog posts like this one that you strongly dislike the "power of friendship/love/redemption" tropes. Which is fine as they can feel overdone even when they're used well.
And yet a lot of your anger seems to keep coming back to the Teen Titans cartoon and the fact that Beast Boy and Terra didn't get back together. I believe you've also mentioned similar distaste over Davis and Kari from Digimon.
So forgive me if I seem rude, but this confuses me. You say you hate the sort of love and friendship shown in My Little Pony, and yet your greatest point of fan rage seems to be over the fact that the characters you wanted to see fall in love didn't? Or have I perhaps misunderstood this? If so then I apologize again but if not...
Well, if not then what makes the Beast Boy/Terra and Davis/Kari relationships not happening so terrible when you seem to be so against the idea of live in general?
4409977
those couples I shipped WERE falling in love... but they all crashed and burned. Not a single one of them ever worked out, and some had breakups so horrifying, or never had a chance... It really makes me cringe!
Read this blog before you continue...
https://www.fimfiction.net/blog/696088/list-of-my-failed-shipping-couples-and-why-i-write-for-them
you see I hate MLP because they seem to get all the happy ever afters, while everyone else I see don't. It's like the ponies are diliberatley disregarding other people, and only focusing on themselves.
As for the couples...
Kari CLAIMS to be Davis' friend, yet she constantly teases him to make him feel jealous (That's not cool, not even for a harmless joke) She also doesn't seem to hold too high respect for him... (She can't seem to realize HE CAN be a very sweet guy, but she won't give him a chance)
That's one thing I hate about relationships, where the GUY... tries and struggles so hard, yet the GIRL disregards him and leaves him with nothing. I can't approve of that.
As for Beast Boy and Terra, Beast Boy already had a horrible life before he was ever a hero, and things still don't seem to be getting any better for him. Then when Terra comes back after being turned to stone she PRETENDS to have amnesia, and makes it clear she wants nothing to do with him (Or the titans) and wants him out of her life.. just because SHE wants to forget her past (even the good times)
Terra: "You were the best friend... I ever had"
Terra again: "Things Change, Beast Boy! The girl you want me to be is just a memory."
No, that makes the DEAR JOHN letter look merciful. Many fans were angered by that all over the world and still are. Even the voice actors themselves didn't like it.
So, MLP gets to be happy ever after, while Beast Boy, Davis and all the rest get the short end of the stick. (That's how I see it)
No, that's why I hate on MLP for their over-developed optimism. They need to understand what it means to REALLY be in pain and suffer, and that friendship may not be that's it's all cracked up to be.
...Does that explain it good?
4410196
So, from what I'm reading and forgive me if I have this wrong, you feel like the loving relationships in MLP (specifically Cadence and Shining Armor) don't feel deserved because we don't see them struggle to fall and stay in love? That seems to be the crux of your two favorite pairings and why you're so mad over them. There was so much buildup and working towards it on the part of at least one of the characters and then it fell flat.
I can get the appeal of a bittersweet romance. One where someone fights and struggles and in the end is rewarded. I don't really follow your stories much but I believe they do a fair bit to support the Spike/Rarity relationship? I hazard a guess that Spike and his struggle on the show is part of the reason for that?
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Pretty much, yeah...
Yes, they do ship Spike and Rarity, (They're married now in my fics, Spike had a transformation growth and is an adult now) and soon they'll have a daughter.
This made for my season 4 (Spike writes Rarity a song to ultimately confess to her)
In real life thought, Spike and Rarity don't burn me much like others do, because they have REAL potential... Rarity DOES know of spike's feelings for her.
Point is, there is still hope for them (Despite facts)