Subject: My thoughts.
Author:
Posted on: 2014-02-04 04:24:00 UTC
I was working on a response to this post, but it appears you and hS beat me to the punch. While the both of you have covered what I wanted to address for the most part, I still want to put my two cents forward.
I've never been one for getting angry about badfic. Even when I first started in the PPC, my interest lay more in being entertaining and keeping my writing sharp than addressing the worst of the worst. Like Nesh, I always looked for stories that had some aspect about them that I could make funny or dramatic or otherwise interesting for an audience. The few times I tried to write out of frustration regarding what happened in the story, the results were weak and unfulfilling.
Part of the problem with using anger as driving force behind a mission is that it sort of requires the audience to know enough about the canon itself to share your anger. If they don't know or care about what's been altered beyond 'Wow, that seemed really bad!', they're not going to be all that committed to what goes on. Focusing on entertainment allows you to find more universal concepts that people can latch on to as being funny or dramatic. People don't need to know the nitty-gritty of canon to recognize the fault in an inadvertent goblin orgy in the mines of Moria or a walking talking zombie-killing sandwich.
Think about Mystery Science Theater 3000 (if you have no idea what I'm talking about, there are episodes on Netflix and YouTube that you can watch). The worst movies didn't necessarily make the best episodes. Monster A Go Go, even with Joel and the bots, is something of a tired slog. Even Manos can be a bit of a chore. But The Final Sacrifice or Hobgoblins? They have big hooks perfect for mockery. (Obviously this is all very subjective, as humor tends to be.)
P.S.: I don't have a walking stick, but I do have a cane with a brass duck's head for a handle. There used to be a tiny flask hidden inside (accessed by unscrewing the handle) but alas, it broke.