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The One Ring Forums: Off Topic: The Pollantir:
So, I've been caught in a dilemma, and want some ideas
Poll: So, I've been caught in a dilemma, and want some ideas
Yes- I would like to read it 15 / 83%
No- I'd rather not read it 3 / 17%
18 total votes
 

Cirashala
Valinor


Jul 2 2014, 4:12am

Post #1 of 11 (5117 views)
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So, I've been caught in a dilemma, and want some ideas Can't Post

I have been working on a very long fan fiction of The Hobbit for quite a while now- it will be officially a year old on July 13.

It is not canon, however I have made a very large effort to ensure that my facts for the verse I'm doing (a mix of movie and book verse, utilizing everything, from all three books, the Letters of Tolkien, the Atlas of ME, the movies, the movie interviews, the appendices, encyclopedia of Arda (for quick fact checking, like dates and whatnot), etc) is Tolkien's ME, and not some Disneyfied facsimile that happens to share the same name.

I explored a "what if" scenario within it, so it does diverge from the story a bit as a direct result of my what if. However, I'm told that many people who've read my story do NOT think that any of my characters are the dreaded mary sue (a thing I have tried VERY hard to avoid) and those are people who avoid stories of this subtype like the plague as a general rule.

So my question is- should I risk the wrath of TORnsibs and post my story in the fan art forum? Part 1 is almost done, but I just finished the 100th chapter (to be fair, if it were an actual novel, rather than a fan fiction, it would have far longer and far fewer chapters than it does now).

I've also posted my Dis one shot on here, which was met with nice comments Smile Granted, THAT one followed canon for everything that I could actually find on her...

So should I post it, and risk the wrath? Or should I just let it sit on fan fiction dot net where it may be better received? If I get enough yes's then I will post it and risk it Evil


Ataahua
Forum Admin / Moderator


Jul 2 2014, 4:56am

Post #2 of 11 (4977 views)
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Post it! [In reply to] Can't Post

That's what the Fan Art forum is for. Smile


Elizabeth
Half-elven


Jul 2 2014, 7:06am

Post #3 of 11 (4980 views)
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You should certainly post it. [In reply to] Can't Post

Some people here love fan fic and some do not. The ones who are most picky about canon, etc., are unlikely to go there, so don't worry. The ones who love it are especially appreciative of works that try as hard as you evidently have to make a story that fits and avoid the dreaded MarySue pitfall. So, IMO, you have nothing to lose, and an appreciative audience to gain!


BlackFox
Half-elven


Jul 2 2014, 9:13am

Post #4 of 11 (4975 views)
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Yes, definitely! [In reply to] Can't Post

I value the quality of a piece of writing first and foremost, not its "status" (whether or not it's canon). And I'm sure I'm not the only one here. Smile


Annael
Immortal


Jul 2 2014, 2:50pm

Post #5 of 11 (4932 views)
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post it! [In reply to] Can't Post

People who don't want to read it will not be forced to, after all. And that is exactly what the Fan Art forum is for.


Cirashala
Valinor


Jul 2 2014, 4:57pm

Post #6 of 11 (4915 views)
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thanks Elizabeth! :) [In reply to] Can't Post

At least it's nice to know that book purists/those who hated Tauriel might not even venture there Smile That's the crowd I was the most worried about....


Cirashala
Valinor


Jul 2 2014, 5:16pm

Post #7 of 11 (4936 views)
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Ok- the people have spoken :) [In reply to] Can't Post

I will post the link to my story on fan art right now Smile

Thanks for all your thoughts and encouragement! And whomever chooses to read it, I hope you would be willing to let me know what you think of it (either comments on TORn or reviews through fan fiction) Smile


Glassary
Rivendell


Jul 3 2014, 6:35pm

Post #8 of 11 (4915 views)
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I would love to read it! [In reply to] Can't Post

Cirashala I would love to read your work.
I agree with everyone you should post it here, that's what the board is for.
Yes it's fun to read the fics on FF.net and on Archive of our Own.
Non canon is fun and interesting to see the spin put on Tolkiens world.
LOL just no Mary Sue please!


Cirashala
Valinor


Jul 3 2014, 7:08pm

Post #9 of 11 (4917 views)
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I have posted it [In reply to] Can't Post

I have a few OC's (original characters) in there (mostly background characters to flesh out societies, like the woodsmen and more Rivendell elves other than Elrond and Lindir and such- because societies in ME had more than one or two people in each of them and it just made sense- so they would be in a role like Alfrid and Sigrid and Tilda would be an OC in PJ's film verse, if that makes sense), but I have determinedly and carefully tried to avoid the dreaded mary sue! I've had several followers on fan fic who avoid OC stories like the plague, especially in my sub genre, for that exact reason, yet love my story and say my very realistic OC's have managed to avoid that pitfall, which I'm grateful for as I've tried determinedly to make sure my characters are realistic. And if you don't believe me, look at the reviews for it Smile

At any rate, it's now posted in the fan art forum Smile I hope you will at least be willing to give it a try, and that you like it Smile But if you don't that's ok too Wink


Kilidoescartwheels
Valinor

Jul 11 2014, 4:14am

Post #10 of 11 (4903 views)
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Mary Sue is a matter of opinion [In reply to] Can't Post

I don't think every smart or pretty girl mentioned in a story is a "Mary Sue," as long as she's not perfect - perfect characters are boring, IMO. I think that "Mary Sue" is becoming overused, and wouldn't worry about it anyway. Heck, my daughters idolized Hermoine Grainger, and she's pretty close to MS material, so I wouldn't be too worried about that label. Just because 1 person labels your character a "Mary Sue" doesn't mean we all will.


Cirashala
Valinor


Jul 12 2014, 11:23pm

Post #11 of 11 (4908 views)
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well, my characters certainly are flawed [In reply to] Can't Post

and by no means perfect Wink I'm greatly in agreement with you- perfect characters are boring, unrealistic, and impossibly annoying to read about. Perfect people simply do not exist (I'm not delving into theology right now- just speaking of actual humans, not God or other deities in the world). That's why I try very, very hard to make sure any characters in stories I write are balanced in terms of strengths vs weaknesses- taking into consideration personal experience, personal growth throughout the story, circumstances surrounding them, where they're from (and the relevant culture and ideology), etc.

My character that I was worried about people's reactions to is an original character who is not from Middle-earth originally- that's why I am worried about the Mary Sue aspect. I made sure when I created her that she was very much truthful and realistic- she has strengths, she has weaknesses, and she most certainly is NOT as beautiful as Luthien, as skilled with weaponry as Aragorn/Legolas, and with a voice like Nimrodel's- YUCK. I can't STAND those types of OC's- they are definitely worthy of the Mary Sue label! Crazy I actually based her off a real person in order to be sure that she was realistic- I didn't embellish the person's traits at ALL.

And for my original in ME people- the background people that are encountered through the journey (much like how Rohan wasn't in all 3 movies, but while the characters were there they had big roles to play- that sort of thing), I also made sure to make them realistic for the era and location and circumstances they were in.

I've actually gotten highly complimented on portrayals of both my GiME character and one of the ME not-in-the-book background characters (no it's not Tauriel- we aren't there yet). In fact, one of the readers (who tells it like it is- she isn't afraid to tell me if something's not working like it should be) actually said that one of my completely 100% original ME characters was her favorite character Smile

Another thing I did- my GiME is NOT the main character of the story- Kili is. She's a strong supporting character, but she isn't the main character. That's VERY unusual for a GiME to not be the main character where the universe revolves around her- again, a way I avoid MS.

At any rate, I was nervous about posting my story on here because of assumptions that, due to the sub-genre (GiME), my created characters would be immediately dismissed as MS/GS just because they aren't present in any way in the book or movies, etc. This fear strongly arose from the outcry against Tauriel that we're STILL hearing about.

But I got enough positive encouragement that I went ahead and posted it Smile It's in the fan art forum now, and I hope people like it Smile

 
 

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