So, Anything You'd Like to Know?

[kriadydragon]

Ask me anything you want about any one of my stories that you've read. For example: What posessed me to put a tape-worm like creature into Sheppard's back? Why am I always making it so poor Shep loses weight? Why did I have Character A react as he/she did when character B did this? And so on.

I'm not quite sure why I'm doing this. Curiosity? Bordeom? Maybe both, I don't know. It seemed like a fun idea and I wanted to see if it was. Feel free to snurch if you want. There's a good chance something similar has been done already, but I don't recall (or just plain don't know about it.)

Comments

[ninja007.livejournal.com]

Please? Oh, please tell me which fic it was where you put tape worms in John's back... I think that I haven't read that one yet.

You're a Shep whumper. Among those of us who love Shep whump. I can't explain it. It runs on several reasons. We love to see Shep suffer 'cause he does it so well, 'cause we love to see those around him actually show him that they care? I'm still trying to figure it out myself.

What do you think? I am curious...

[kriadydragon.livejournal.com]

It's called Parasite, and is in my story list on Fanfiction.

I left a similar response to Alipeep's meme on why we whump. For me, it's because it's a way to make the supposedly stoic, unflappable hero more human. Whump brings out the human behind the cliche hero. It reveals their vulnerabilities, limits, and weaknesses. And, in turn, it makes us care for him more. Not just care for him, but even, possibly, relate to him better.

It also makes a situation far more intense than merely the prospect of whump. Whump creates an extra obstacle for the hero, and holds the viewers/readers attention far stronger than simply the possibility of hurt.

But that's just my view on whump :) You should check out Alipeep's meme on why we whump. Lots of excellent responses in it.

[sholio]

I read your answer over at Ali's LJ, and I thought it was a great one from a writing standpoint, but ... I'm not sure if it really answers the question of why "whump" specifically -- because there are other ways that the same end can be achieved: for example, by having the hero fall in love, by threatening his friends, by putting him in a situation where his skills and expertise are useless. I certainly don't deny that injuring the hero (or heroine) is a great way to put them through their paces and generate audience sympathy for him/her, but it's not by any means unique to that particular technique.

A story about Sheppard caring for his ailing grandfather, or dealing with Rodney's death, or having to use his wits to get himself and a badly injured Teyla out of a labyrinth of deadly puzzles, or in which an Ancient device accidentally turns him into a platypus, probably reveals just as much about the character as a story in which he's injured. It's a tool in the writer's arsenal, and there are practical writerly reasons for using it, but I think the actual reasons for pulling out that tool instead of another one are more emotional than practical. Not to say it can't achieve everything you say it can, because it can (although, like any other writer's tool, whether it DOES achieve its goal(s) depends on how it's used). But why a person would choose to do that rather than, say, achieve the same end (making Sheppard vulnerable, human and off-balance) by having him fall in love with Teyla comes down to a matter of taste and, possibly, mental wiring.

[kriadydragon.livejournal.com]

That's why I said "for me". Whump is my means for bringing out the humanity in a character. It's why I whump (hmmm, I probably should have clarified that more). I have used other means, but whump is my preferred method, especially for Sheppard since he is the hero and, normally, on shows, the hero always comes off as being the most difficult to scathe. I like exploring his breaking points both physically and mentally, rather than just mentally.

I don't think there's one universal answer to why people like whump (though some psychologists my disagree) sort of like there's no one universal reason why people like het or slash romances (some like it for the emotions, others like it for the kink.) The only way to answer the "why do people like whump" question is personally. "I like whump" rather than "people like whump."

[sholio]

Ahhhh. You know, I think there are kinda two different parts to that question -- one is "why do I write whump?" (or h/c, my preferred term) and the other is "why do I prefer whump?", and the answers are not necessarily the same. In giving my own answers, I've usually tended to take part 1 as the easy part -- "I write it because I enjoy it, duh" -- and then spend all my time analyzing the second part: what do I get out of h/c that I don't get out of something like romance?

I think some of my confusion with your answer is because the reasons why you'd given for writing it are my reasons for writing almost anything -- to explore the character and peek under their hood, as it were. "I write h/c because it lets me explore the character's emotions" doesn't quite seem like the same thing as "H/c is my preferred way of exploring a character's emotions" to me -- at least, it was getting me confused.

But I'm much less confused now. *g*

(And we're watching NCIS now, and WOW, is Gibbs totally the "Sheppard" of that show, or what. Talking about stoic, unflappable characters... He's definitely got the whole "stoic team leader, really cares deep down" thing ... he makes Sheppard look downright in touch with his emotions! I haven't started poking around for fic yet because we're only in the middle of the second season and I fear spoilers, but I definitely suspect that this will be a show I'll be seeking out h/c for.)

[kriadydragon.livejournal.com]

Ah, I see. I hadn't thought of it that way.

Whenever you're ready for some good NCIS H/C angst, I recommend Florence1's Between a Rock and A Gibbs. It's Tony whump but with some very excellent Gibbs angst. It was the first story I got into when I first found out about Fanfiction three years ago. And it was only last year she completed it! I'm not sure which season it is (between one and three, maybe.) I have it on my Fave's list if you're interested.

[ninja007.livejournal.com]

You now have a folder all on your own on my hard drive.... Just like Kodiak Bear Country.

You both write the most amazing fics.

Thank you for writing them.