I'm in love!
Sep. 15th, 2013 04:28 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
geovikiI have fallen for a new fandom. It's been the bright spot of this awful week, to be honest. Before I drop its specific name, I want to talk about the more universal facets that I think everyone still reading my LJ can relate to: both how and why we fall for a story and its characters, be it written or visual.
For me it's just like falling in love. It's whiplash fast and intense. I inhale the original source, I use my google-fu to seek out more, I gobble up any scrap of information about the author, the characters, and the apocrypha. And then I fall head-first into reading the fanfic. In short order, I find myself an addict.
For me, it's been a long, dry spell. It's not like I'm not always open to new fannish love, and you lot are terrific at bringing great stuff to my attention, stuff you've fallen for yourself. But just like human love, the chemistry hasn't been there for me. I apparently have a tough time with movie or TV fandoms, although the BBC Sherlock has come close. I dabble, waiting for lightening to strike, but…
So what exactly is it about this new fandom that hit me so hard?
First, it's open canon. Not only that, there's a lengthy list of important, unanswered plot points that beg to be explored. For me, it's like opening a huge box of brand new crayons that are crying to be used. I want to know more, but even better, I want to write more.
Next, it's chock-full of seriously messed up, emotionally damaged characters. There's hurt/comfort in spades, which I've known for a long time is my biggest fandom pleasure.
In addition, the story is dark and complex, with interesting fantasy twists. It unfolds through the eyes of an unknowing protagonist, and he learns about the world and the plot twists as we do. It's one of my favorite methods of telling a story.
Finally, nothing is over-explained, which leaves a lot of space between the story for me to fill in with my own ideas.
…is Loveless. It's mostly a manga but the early chapters were made into an anime series back in 2005. Okay, I know I'm not gonna sell any of you on it who aren't already in it. There are a few of you already ahead of me who've written some awesome fic for it (better reviews will be coming once I can stop rereading them, ha!)
My infatuation is so bad that, no shit, I've actually picked up on a bunch of YouTube vids that use an Evanescence song to echo how I also feel about one of the main characters, Soubi:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IYKJjp3xJHc
And for the handful of you who are already fans, here's my list of 28 major unanswered plot points that are wide open for fic (includes major, major spoilers, so beware):
Why did Ritsuka lose his memories 2 years ago?
Why does his mother insist he is a different Ritsuka from 2 years ago?
Did Ritsuka's personality dramatically change 2 years ago or not?
If Soubi can modify the teacher's memory, did he have anything to do with Ritsuka's memory loss?
Who is Ritsuka's true Loveless fighter?
Why has the name Loveless not yet appeared on him?
How does anyone know his name is actually Loveless?
What is the meaning and power of the name Loveless?
Where did Ritsuka's father go?
Are the Aoyagi parents involved in the fighter/sacrifice world?
Why did Seimei need Soubi so much when he was 14?
Why did Seimei fake his own death?
What is the purpose of Septimal Moon and how and why were these 7 members chosen?
Why did Septimal Moon condemn Seimei to death?
Why did Seimei abandon Soubi and why is the bond broken?
Why has he now reclaimed him?
Why did Seimei order Nisei to rape Gomon?
Why did Seimei blind Ritsu?
Why didn't Ritsu take Soubi as his own fighter and instead give him to Seimei?
Was Soubi's mother, Chouko, Ritsu's lover, his fighter, or an enemy?
How were Soubi's parents killed?
Why was Kio raised in and then expelled from a female-only household?
How did he father a daughter, Shikiko, without knowing about it?
Why is Shikiko head of the house?
Why doesn't Shikiko have ears at her young age?
Is Chouma really Kio's twin sister?
Who is Chiyako and why is she harboring Seimei?
Who is Kunugi, the 7th member of Septimal Moon?
For me it's just like falling in love. It's whiplash fast and intense. I inhale the original source, I use my google-fu to seek out more, I gobble up any scrap of information about the author, the characters, and the apocrypha. And then I fall head-first into reading the fanfic. In short order, I find myself an addict.
For me, it's been a long, dry spell. It's not like I'm not always open to new fannish love, and you lot are terrific at bringing great stuff to my attention, stuff you've fallen for yourself. But just like human love, the chemistry hasn't been there for me. I apparently have a tough time with movie or TV fandoms, although the BBC Sherlock has come close. I dabble, waiting for lightening to strike, but…
So what exactly is it about this new fandom that hit me so hard?
First, it's open canon. Not only that, there's a lengthy list of important, unanswered plot points that beg to be explored. For me, it's like opening a huge box of brand new crayons that are crying to be used. I want to know more, but even better, I want to write more.
Next, it's chock-full of seriously messed up, emotionally damaged characters. There's hurt/comfort in spades, which I've known for a long time is my biggest fandom pleasure.
In addition, the story is dark and complex, with interesting fantasy twists. It unfolds through the eyes of an unknowing protagonist, and he learns about the world and the plot twists as we do. It's one of my favorite methods of telling a story.
Finally, nothing is over-explained, which leaves a lot of space between the story for me to fill in with my own ideas.
…is Loveless. It's mostly a manga but the early chapters were made into an anime series back in 2005. Okay, I know I'm not gonna sell any of you on it who aren't already in it. There are a few of you already ahead of me who've written some awesome fic for it (better reviews will be coming once I can stop rereading them, ha!)
My infatuation is so bad that, no shit, I've actually picked up on a bunch of YouTube vids that use an Evanescence song to echo how I also feel about one of the main characters, Soubi:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IYKJjp3xJHc
And for the handful of you who are already fans, here's my list of 28 major unanswered plot points that are wide open for fic (includes major, major spoilers, so beware):
Why did Ritsuka lose his memories 2 years ago?
Why does his mother insist he is a different Ritsuka from 2 years ago?
Did Ritsuka's personality dramatically change 2 years ago or not?
If Soubi can modify the teacher's memory, did he have anything to do with Ritsuka's memory loss?
Who is Ritsuka's true Loveless fighter?
Why has the name Loveless not yet appeared on him?
How does anyone know his name is actually Loveless?
What is the meaning and power of the name Loveless?
Where did Ritsuka's father go?
Are the Aoyagi parents involved in the fighter/sacrifice world?
Why did Seimei need Soubi so much when he was 14?
Why did Seimei fake his own death?
What is the purpose of Septimal Moon and how and why were these 7 members chosen?
Why did Septimal Moon condemn Seimei to death?
Why did Seimei abandon Soubi and why is the bond broken?
Why has he now reclaimed him?
Why did Seimei order Nisei to rape Gomon?
Why did Seimei blind Ritsu?
Why didn't Ritsu take Soubi as his own fighter and instead give him to Seimei?
Was Soubi's mother, Chouko, Ritsu's lover, his fighter, or an enemy?
How were Soubi's parents killed?
Why was Kio raised in and then expelled from a female-only household?
How did he father a daughter, Shikiko, without knowing about it?
Why is Shikiko head of the house?
Why doesn't Shikiko have ears at her young age?
Is Chouma really Kio's twin sister?
Who is Chiyako and why is she harboring Seimei?
Who is Kunugi, the 7th member of Septimal Moon?
