(1) What gaps are being filled in by fanon facts or nsrratives? (2) What competing characterizations exist for major characters (3) What characterizations become accepted for minor characters and (4) What is the purpose for alternate storylines?
Yes--great questions! I feel like I could go on and on about all of them, but won't (*g*). Here's one thing I've wondered about (1), though: some of the best long SPN fics, IMO, have filled in the gap of what Dean was doing while Sam was at Stanford, so I thought we might see some epic fic about what Sam was up to while Dean was in Hell over the summer, but I've seen very little, and what little there was, was short. I know the TV show tends to privilege Dean's POV and character development, but isn't that the kind of gap you'd expect fanon to fill? In other words, why is it easier (more interesting?) to see Dean w/o Sam than Sam w/o Dean?
But I noticed in the Buffy fandom that darkfic tended to grow at the end of the series, and I'm wondering how much that's typical of all fandoms? That's interesting. I've never really followed a body of fanfic before, so I couldn't say...You could very well be right. In any case, it does seem a real question how much fic reacts to what's on TV, and how much it develops things that are inherent in the set-up from the beginning (parallel to TV, so to speak).
I think the primary purpose is to examine Dean or Sam or John in a separate light from the rest of the family. Not unlike JtS did with Adam, Yes, I hadn't thought about it that way, but I think you might be right about this. They seem to be gradually giving Castiel more backstory/ character, but yes, at the moment, the pairing mostly serves to throw new light on Dean (so to speak). I haven't read a lot of Dean/Cas fic, but it does seem to work the same way. It's a nice ballast to the DeannSam relationship, since it works along the axis of mutual unfamiliarity, as you say (instead of longterm hyper intimacy), and because Castiel maybe the only person Dean has ever had a relationship with who knows him exclusively as an adult. (okay--you can tell I like the pairing-- I've read Sam/Ruby fic, but it doesn't do anything for me!).
Yeah--maybe I'll update a bit re: 4.22 and post it...thanks again for commenting
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Date: 2009-05-19 02:48 am (UTC)Yes--great questions! I feel like I could go on and on about all of them, but won't (*g*). Here's one thing I've wondered about (1), though: some of the best long SPN fics, IMO, have filled in the gap of what Dean was doing while Sam was at Stanford, so I thought we might see some epic fic about what Sam was up to while Dean was in Hell over the summer, but I've seen very little, and what little there was, was short. I know the TV show tends to privilege Dean's POV and character development, but isn't that the kind of gap you'd expect fanon to fill? In other words, why is it easier (more interesting?) to see Dean w/o Sam than Sam w/o Dean?
That's interesting. I've never really followed a body of fanfic before, so I couldn't say...You could very well be right. In any case, it does seem a real question how much fic reacts to what's on TV, and how much it develops things that are inherent in the set-up from the beginning (parallel to TV, so to speak).
Yes, I hadn't thought about it that way, but I think you might be right about this. They seem to be gradually giving Castiel more backstory/ character, but yes, at the moment, the pairing mostly serves to throw new light on Dean (so to speak). I haven't read a lot of Dean/Cas fic, but it does seem to work the same way. It's a nice ballast to the DeannSam relationship, since it works along the axis of mutual unfamiliarity, as you say (instead of longterm hyper intimacy), and because Castiel maybe the only person Dean has ever had a relationship with who knows him exclusively as an adult. (okay--you can tell I like the pairing-- I've read Sam/Ruby fic, but it doesn't do anything for me!).
Yeah--maybe I'll update a bit re: 4.22 and post it...thanks again for commenting