Meme time~

[candyland]

'Twas tagged by aishuu...



How about a brief introduction?
Hello~ My name is Candyland. I've been participating in fandom since I was in elementary/middle school (when I discovered Sailor Moon), back before I knew what things like fandom, dubbing, and "lousy editing job" were. I've been actively writing in fandom for about six years or so--started during my senior year of high school. I currently keep accounts at ff-dot-net and at candyfics.

Fabulous! And what got you into fanfiction to begin with?
Back in Ye Olde Days, I wrote some horrendous Mary Sues for Sailor Moon and Pokemon. Then I started watching Dragonball and DBZ, and I started reading stuff for that. After I while, I decided that I wanted to try writing some myself. I still cringe at my earlier stories XD

I see. So what kind of fanfiction do you like to write?
I do have a tendency towards ship-fic. Back in Ye Olde Days, I was primarily an angst writer, both because I had some very screwed-up ideas AND because I didn't think anyone else would understand my sense of humor. But I've gradually moved to become more of a humor writer...even though people still don't understand my sense of humor *laugh* Length-wise...anything goes. If I can do it in a hundred words, awesome. If it takes 14K, we'll go with that as well.

I also have a very deep-seated love for secondary characters, primarily the ones no one else ever seems to think or write about. I like taking characters who have little/no screen-time or history to them, and creating a (hopefully) plausible backstory. I just think it's fun and challenging to try and look at things from a little different perspective, ya know?

Do you find writing easy? Hard? What are the aspects of writing you struggle most with?
Usually it's pretty easy, but overall it depends on the idea. I've cranked out five thousand words in one day on some things...and taken four months to write a different idea of the same length. Aspects of writing I need to work on would probably be...description. I never feel like it's descriptive enough. I also need to finish some projects *facepalm*

Write a few sentences or so of your favorite pairing or character.
...I have too many favorite characters and pairings XD Pretty much any canon couple in any series I frequent = win and awesome...with the exception of Eriol/Kaho in CCS. Holy pedo-lust, Batman O_O

Are there any fanfiction clichés or trends you're sick of or just can't stand?
I sort of miss longer fics, both reading and writing, as the drabble seems to have taken over fandom. I'm not a big fan of OOC-ness--especially when it's broadcast in the story summary. And don't hate on me, but I'm not big on AUs. Not to say there aren't some really good ones, but I have never understood where all these "high school AUs" come from.

Are you guilty of any fanfiction clichés you hate? Or any other ones?
...I write a lot of short-fic >_< *puts on Hypocrit Hat* It's not that I want it to be that short. But when I get to a point where I don't feel like I can add anything on without it going off on an unnecessary tangent, I think I need to leave it.

What was the first fandom you wrote for, and do you still like/participate in it?
Dragonball/Z. I fell out of the fandom after completing my last major fic for it (Once Upon a Chibi), and have only revisited it to write two fics for 100fandomhell--one for Dragonball and one for Dragonball Z. Granted, if frozenflower decided to start updating "Bring Your Father to School Day" again, I might have to start reading again ^_~

Name your OTPs or most frequently written pairings/characters and explain what it is about them that you love to write.
I rarely have a whole-hearted OTP in a given fandom. I have pairings that I like better than others, and I occasionally go in cycles as to which pairing I write/read a lot of at a given time. But pretty much any canon pairing tends to get me, with a few exceptions. My most notable deviation from fandom norms would probably be the fact that I am an avid Umi/Ascot shipper for Magic Knight Rayearth. DEFINITELY a minority.

...but I guess this is as good a place as any to admit that I ship Miles/Phoenix from the Ace Attorney series. GOD HELP ME, I TRIED TO RESIST, BUT THE POWER OF TEH LAWYER GHEY IS TOO POWERFUL.

What would you call your writing style?
...pitiful? I seriously have no idea.

Do you read other people’s fanfic? If so, what do you find yourself reading the most?
I have various fic-journals and writing comms on my f-list, as well as some people on my alerts at ff-dot-net. I usually read at least several fics a day in a wide variety of genres.

Name one thing you'd LOVE to write, but have been too afraid or shy to do.
I actually started penning scenes in the 31_days challenge to try and get myself to write one of those ideas I was afraid to write. I just tend to shy away from things that could potential offend--rape-fics are a prime example. It's not necessarily that I'm afraid to write them...not so much as I'm afraid that I won't get it right. I hope that makes sense.

Do you have trouble taking criticism? Or worse yet, do you have the dreaded bloated ego?
I have actually dedicated fics to some of my favorite con-crit-givers. I genuinely like well-rounded con-crit. And I have no problems with someone telling me they didn't like the fic and saying why. I respect that. I know I don't like every single thing I read.

But...there was one I got that said "You have good spelling and grammar. Now here is an entire essay on every single thing I think you did wrong in the entire 108K fic." Trying to justify that with "You seem like the kind who wants to improve" didn't make it any more palpatable. I can take criticisms, but that one just pissed me off, and I don't think I was wrong for feeling that way about it.

When you write, is there anything that helps? Music? Quiet room?
MUSIC. I must have background noise of some kind. Josh Groban tends to give me good results. I also have found that plunnies tend to bite me HARD while I'm in my classroom. Don't know why. They just do.

What inspires you?
Real life. Friends. Jokes. News stories. Greeting cards. The weirdest things can spark an idea.

Lastly, how would you sum up your fanfiction experiences and yourself as a writer?
I hate these questions. I feel like whatever I answer is going to sound either pretentious or whiny. But...the VAST majority of my fanfiction experiences have been wonderful. Myself as a writer? I'll say prolific. That's fair, isn't it?



Tag some friends because they'll hate you for it.

I randomly stab tag jeva_chan, clover_magic, mint_eclair, fyliwionvilyaer, kaitodoushi, magicbulletgirl, magic_truth, and nezure~ *FLEEEEEEEEES*

Comments

[aishuu.livejournal.com]

<3 V e r y interesting, chere.

[candy--chan.livejournal.com]

Thanks! *glomps* ...I need to stop sucking at the commenting thing on your journal v_v

[insaneladybug.livejournal.com]

I think I took this quiz once. X3 Much love to it! And I'm in total agreement about the high school AUs! I mean ... WTH? They're everywhere! What's so spectacularly great about them? XD;

[candy--chan.livejournal.com]

I think there are a few versions of it floating around. I've never done it before--haaaaaaaaate trying to describe my own writing. Hate hate hate hate hate.

I know! And they always seem to have a ton of reviews. Granted, I guess if there's that many people writing them, there's plenty of people to read them. But I've never really looked at them much beyond once where it was a "What's the big deal?" click. Was not impressed XD At least in DC/MK high school fics can technically be canon.

[nezure.livejournal.com]

I might randomly do this, even though I didn't get tagged for it. ♥

Some AUs... I really, really don't get. Highschool ones especially. .__. There are some crossover AUs that I really like, though (is it bad of me to say that my own crossover AU is one of those I really like? XD).

[candy--chan.livejournal.com]

*coughs and points to entry* Not tagged? What are you talking about? ^_~ I TOTALLY TAGGED YOU! *Candy is bonked with a large brick*

I've read a few good AUs--fyliwionvilyaer actually has some really great unfinished *sadface* ones. But overall, I see that "AU" tag, and I just kind of want to run away. But it also bears mentioning that I myself have done one big AU story...although it could be argued that it's not AU, but a potential future fic. Which makes it all right :3

[pyro-o.livejournal.com]

LOL I took this one (or a mutation of it) nearly .. two months ago? XDD it was weird. Oo;

but HAH. DBZ. 8D!!! I KNEW I WASN'T ALONE. ♥

[candy--chan.livejournal.com]

I've seen things like this around, but never actually done one. Then I got tagged...and thought it seemed like fun \o/ Although I really hate having to describe my own writing. I feel like no matter what I say, I'll sound either pretentious or whiny D: So I've decided that "prolific" is nice and safe and true, because I do write a lot.

YES. I CONFESS! *laugh* Up until I jumped into DC/MK, I had never written anywhere NEAR as much for any series as I'd written for DBZ. Now my number of DC/MK fics has left my DBZ number in the dust XD

[magic-truth.livejournal.com]

Gah! This meme is a monster. *shakes fist at you* I knew you'd tag me for this. Eeeevil. Randomly tag, my foot.

I also do not get Highschool AUs. I do like AUs but I find that the most important part of those fics is preserving the characters' personalities. If you do that, you can send them to space for all I care.

I think that some writers primarily write high school AUs because they are in high school and want to be the characters. This might explain why a character suddenly develops a deep unsettling love for snickers bars and converse sneakers.

[candy--chan.livejournal.com]

MOO HA HA! I do this because I care? Yes? You totally believe me? Loves? ...why are you holding that extremely large knife? O_O *FLEES LIKE THE WIND*

Ah...I hadn't thought of that. That makes sense. But the thing is that a few of them tend to be startlingly well written (granted, I've only glanced at maybe two or three to try and figure out what all the fuss was about--did not succeed), and I'd usually associate that kind of thing with the younger groupings. Which probably sounds horrendously pretentious of me, but you know what I mean. I wrote a self-insert when I was just starting out--and I was still in high school XD

[randomaicoholic.livejournal.com]

Nice meme, I ponders if I would not take it(I was not tagged but meme areby definition public or something...XP XD)

"MUSIC. I must have background noise of some kind."
I'm not the only one who couldn't write without music in the background? Yeah! :D

"But...there was one I got that said "You have good spelling and grammar. Now here is an entire essay on every single thing I think you did wrong in the entire 108K fic." Trying to justify that with "You seem like the kind who wants to improve" didn't make it any more palpatable. I can take criticisms, but that one just pissed me off, and I don't think I was wrong for feeling that way about it."
(scratches his head)
Without much details, I don't get what was wrong with the review.^^;

The tone was condescending despite the "I want to help you to improve" stuff? It was too nitpicky? The reviewer didn't recognize a single quality in the entire story but was awfully talkative with the smallest flaw?
(To be honest, with concrit, I prefer when it's detailed... When it's a vague "it's OOC" or "It's boring", I'm always worried that I've failed and don't know exactly how to avoid the specific mistake in the future. When it's detailed, I could see if it's a matter of perspective and tastes, and if the reviewer had a point, learn something...
That's why I don't like much to write con-crit on the other hand, it's a pain to be diplomatic, clear and, eventually, helpful(after all, it's the purpose of the beast)...and more often that not, it don't bring something positive for the two person involved.(sigh)^^;

"It's not necessarily that I'm afraid to write them...not so much as I'm afraid that I won't get it right. I hope that makes sense."
It makes perfect sense.
(pats)

"but I have never understood where all these "high school AUs" come from."
Don't ask, it's one those mysteries which would remain without answers until the end. XD ^^;
(I don't get much the point either.)

"I also need to finish some projects *facepalm*"
(pats)

(pats again)

(hug)

[candy--chan.livejournal.com]

Oh yeah, they're public. I just pulled some names off the top of my head and went with it.

I actually can't do much of ANYTHING without background noise. That's why I love LibriVox books so much--I can pop them in and "read" all these books I've always wanted to read while I'm going about my daily life.

Without much details, I don't get what was wrong with the review.^^;

It wasn't con-crit--that's the thing. Con-crit, to my mind, should have a certain degree of balance. "You did this well, now here's something you can work on. I liked this, but I didn't care so much for this." Telling me that I was obviously writing it for a certain demographic (untrue--I was just writing) AND that it was hard for them to read after chapter ten? Not constructive. It was condescending, nit-picking, and in some ways, vaguely insulting.

And it DIDN'T point out mistakes that I could avoid in the future. It was just "I didn't like this, I didn't like this reaction, you didn't do this right." Especially on a completed fic--I'm not going to go back and change everything. Trying to quantify it with "You have good spelling and grammar, and you obviously want to improve your writing" does not good con-crit make. I do not appreciate someone trying to tell me that they know my story and the reasoning behind it better than I do.

[/soapbox]

Should be finishing up a couple of projects soon, which is loooooooovely! But fortunately, none of those projects are high school AUs ^_~ Someone suggested that those fics are there because the author wants to be one of the characters? I don't know. I avoid them, but they all seem to be extraordinarily popular. So whatever the authors are doing, power to 'em, it's working for them XD

[randomaicoholic.livejournal.com]

"Telling me that I was obviously writing it for a certain demographic (untrue--I was just writing) AND that it was hard for them to read after chapter ten? Not constructive. It was condescending, nit-picking, and in some ways, vaguely insulting."
Well, obviously, that so-called reviewer had not thought that you could belong to this certain demographic and was just writing the kind of stories that you would enjoy to read.
(her/his reasoning was stupid anyway, every writers is writing for a certain demographic in a way, chosing to write about a pairing/some characters would lure some readers and push others readers to avoid your stories, it's the same if you chose to write drabble instead of epic, etc...)

"And it DIDN'T point out mistakes that I could avoid in the future. It was just "I didn't like this, I didn't like this reaction, you didn't do this right."
(shakes head)
Oh God, I hate that and I've never get the point.-_-;
It reminds me a review that I've seen once.
"I HATE character A, and I hate the pairing A/B, oh and character A's behaviour is egoist and wrong in my opinion. Sorry to be harsh, I'm just giving constructive criticism"
I didn't get how it could be constructive for the author(the story reviewed was not mine), this kind of review is just useless and stupid.

"Especially on a completed fic--I'm not going to go back and change everything. "
Well, obviously not, but constructive criticism for finished stories could help you to avoid some mistakes in your future stories.
(But well, that's the trick, if it's CONSTRUCTIVE. And I would said it depend of the story's age. If the story was finished few years ago, it's kind of useless...)

"[/soapbox]"
(pats)
Don't hesitate to w...(cough) rant, it's good to evacuate frustration and you feels better after.^_-
(some people would said it's the same thing with w...(cough) but well...)

"So whatever the authors are doing, power to 'em, it's working for them XD"
Yeah, whatever floats their boats, as they've said.

[candy--chan.livejournal.com]

I just write what I like and what ideas I have *shrug* Rarely do I go into a story with a certain target demographic in mind--unless it's smut or something a bit darker or more adult. Generally, though, I just write. And whoever reads it, reads it *shrug*

I think it all would have been much easier to digest if it wasn't all dumped on my head at once. This person had obviously read the entire story...so why not split it up? I'm sure it would have been easier for them as well. I guess a small part of me was quasi-flattered that they took that much time to type an essay on it, but...why not do it chapter by chapter?

The "mistakes" they pointed out were fairly story-specific. There wasn't much to it that I felt like I could take with me to another story. It felt like nit-picking.

*bonks* I don't wangst. I have righteous indignation ^__~