Last Author Standing

[apple_pathways]

I should have signed up for whoverse_las, but I was hemming and hawing over whether or not I really wanted to, and the deadline for sign-up went wooshing by without my notice.

It's probably for the best, since I've been spending way too much time on LiveJournal/fanfiction-related activities as it is. (I blame this on the fact that most of my friends are taking vacations now, and I am too poor to go anywhere.)

So, since I'm not writing, I've decided to vote! And man, it's hard! So far, I have made it through 22 stories, and I have about 5-6 pages of stories left to go. And the voting process is intense: not only do you have to choose your favorite story, but you must articulate a reason for why it's the best. AND you have to choose which story you think is the worst, which seems unbelievably cruel, even though the author will never know about it.

Since I'm an anal-retentive geek who takes these sorts of things seriously, I've scribbled notes for each of the stories I've read so I can remember what they're about and what I liked and disliked about each of them. I'm hoping my demonstrated inability to read my own handwriting doesn't bite me in the ass. I'd be really interested to hear how other voters are handling things, because seriously, this is a monumental task and a huge amount of fic!

So far, there's only a couple stories I really liked; I was disappointed by how many Doctor/Rose fics there were. I came to Doctor Who just after the 4th Series aired, so I missed the whole "falling in love" stage with Rose; I like her, I just don't like her like that. (Why is her mouth always open?) The main problem I have with her is: 1. all of the angsty, crybaby nonsense from 10 when she left (which, admittedly, made no sense to me, since I hadn't seen her episodes yet) and 2. all of the fluffy, angsty, crybaby nonsense that crops up in fanfic.

So, I was a bit chagrined to find that the first story I truly liked, and that actually made me laugh out loud, was a Rose/Nine fic. Go figure!

So yes, I am putting aside my mild Rose prejudice to judge these stories on their merits; I just hope I can make it through all of them in time to vote!

Comments

[professor-spork.livejournal.com]

IF YOU DON'T LIKE DOCTOR/ROSE WE CAN'T BE FRIENDS.

Kidding. But here's my 100% respectful and hopefully not insane sounding defense:

(Disclaimer: YOU ARE ALLOWED TO THINK WHATEVER YOU WANT ABOUT DOCTOR WHO. THESE ARE JUST MY OPINIONS, AND YOUR MILEAGE MAY VARY. I LIKE YOU A LOT AND YOUR FIC IS GORGEOUS.)

I think there's a lot to be said for watching the episodes in order, starting with Nine-- because for whatever reason, all of the people I know who really don't like Rose are people who were introduced to Who in later seasons and then went back. If your first companion is Donna, or ESPECIALLY Martha (because at that point Ten's grief is a palpable thing, and the ghost of Rose is practically another person on the TARDIS) then it's hard to really *get* Rose, because... well. She's not a companion at all. She's a girl the Doctor fell in love with. And if you hit the show at the right moment, well... a lot of the audience fell in love with her, too. Hence all the whining angsty crybaby nonsense. It's not just about what he was feeling-- it was about allowing the audience to grieve, by showing Ten in mourning. (This is why Rory's erasure in Cold Blood will always be The Biggest Fail of All the Fails for me. Amy FORGOT him. Yes, we saw her cry at several points for "no reason." And Vincent and the Doctor was largely about dealing with depression. But since Amy didn't know why she was upset-- or even that she had a reason to be-- we people out in the real world who were missing Rory terribly were left at rather loose ends.)

I'm cutting myself off here because, like. I probably can't change your mind, and I've lost the point of what I was GOING to say entirely: you should probably get used to seeing Doctor/Rose at LAS, because the comm was pimped to me by my shipper friends. I hope they'll all try to expand their horizons-- I know that's part of why *I* signed up-- but it may be a bit of a default.

And, y'know. That would be less of an issue for you if you just drank the Rose-loving Kool-Aide xD

EDIT: I totally forgot to respond to the actual content of this post! Heh. Anyway, no matter what method you use to read the fics this round, it's better than mine-- opening the LAS page, getting intimidated and then procrastinating.

[apple-pathways.livejournal.com]

Oh God, you really did scare me with the first line of your comment! I know how intense the Rose Love can be, and I was afraid I'd just managed to alienate myself from a fandom I'd just recently joined.

You're right, I do think I would feel a little differently if I'd watched the series totally in order. I did, for the most part; I watched a couple of episodes from Series 3 before going back to Series 2. (I didn't watch the first series until after I'd seen all the Tennant episodes.)

I think another part of my problem is that the love for Rose is so universal, and its appeal so broad, that there's a really wide variation in the quality of Rose/Doctor fic. Some of it is absolutely dreck, and you really need to wade through in order to find the good stuff.

But no worries, I am willing to wade! As I said, I was impressed with several of the Rose/Doctor fics I read from LAS; a well-written fic is a well-written fic, no matter who the focus is on. Likewise, soppy teenage wish fulfillment can be painful to read no matter how much I approve of the pairing in question.

And I would totally agree with you about Amy's lack of mourning for Rory if I hadn't gone and spoiled myself with the fact that he would be coming back; I'm still kicking myself for that, because I think I would have enjoyed his return more if I hadn't been expecting it.

[professor-spork.livejournal.com]

I think another part of my problem is that the love for Rose is so universal, and its appeal so broad, that there's a really wide variation in the quality of Rose/Doctor fic.

You can always read mine ;) *violently wrestles ego to floor* Y'know, if you want to.

Also, ehhhh I wouldn't be too sure about the universality of Rose Love. Rose Hate is just as, if not MORE, widespread. The problem-- with any companion, but *especially* with Rose-- is that there's no middle ground.

But no, I'm not a crazyface. [And if you ever think I am being unfair or overreacting, this is me giving you permission to call me out on it. I think it's really important to be respectful to all parts of fandom, whether you agree with them or not, so if I'm not living up to my own hype I need to be taken down a peg.] The frustrating thing about Rose is that she's a very flawed and selfish person-- and the reality of that is one of the things that makes us (well, I shouldn't speak for everyone. ME) love her so much. It also makes her impossible to defend, because there's no way to interpret her treatment of Mickey, for example, as anything other than unfair and childish. But whether you see that kind of fallibility as a weakness or a strength will color your view on her completely.

And that's probably more than enough Rose talk for you xD

And I would totally agree with you about Amy's lack of mourning for Rory if I hadn't gone and spoiled myself with the fact that he would be coming back; I'm still kicking myself for that, because I think I would have enjoyed his return more if I hadn't been expecting it.

Ahahahahaha, really? I'm the exact opposite-- knowing that Arthur Darvill was going to be in the finale was one of the only things that kept me going, the week after Cold Blood. I was just so *offended.* If I'd thought for a moment that his being forgotten was permanent... well, saying "I'd have stopped watching the series" sounds very dramatic and is probably not true, but I would have CONSIDERED it, which is about as close as I can get to real flouncing.

[apple-pathways.livejournal.com]

Rose Hate is just as, if not MORE, widespread. The problem-- with any companion, but *especially* with Rose-- is that there's no middle ground.

As I said, I'm new to the fandom and so not very deeply entrenched, so I had no idea there was such a large anti-Rose faction! If you're looking for a middle ground when it comes to Rose, I suppose I occupy it; I'm fine with her in canon, just wary of her treatment in fic. I will absolutely read yours, though, as you seem to have a pretty balanced view of her and her relationship of the Doctor; I will push aside my mild anti-Rose bias for you, my dear. ;)

knowing that Arthur Darvill was going to be in the finale was one of the only things that kept me going, the week after Cold Blood.

You know, I think I might be in the same boat! The only reason I spoiled myself was I'd grown so attached to the character, I just HAD to know what was coming up! I would have been really devastated if I'd found out he was gone for good. But in hindsight, I do think I would have enjoyed his return even more if I hadn't been expecting it.

Thanks for the chat, love! I'm really enjoying your views on the fandom. :)