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Oct. 20th, 2003 12:08 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
turpsI can tell it's going to be one of those days when I want to tell fandom to just go away.
It amazes me how lists can explode over one post, then you get people leaving and others begging them not to and the whole sorry thing just goes on and on. Especially when the first post makes a lot of sense. Words can be misinterpreted so easily in e-mail, I wish people would learn to wait before posting. But that's never going to happen.
So yeah, I'm disillusioned with TS just now. Which isn't helped by the fact I'm still gob smacked by a TS story that I read last night.![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
castalie caught the backlash of my reaction then but I'm still thinking WTF this morning. I read this story where Blair had lost both of his legs, and I'll be honest it was hard to read. James has a false leg but he had it amputated when he was 12 so obviously I didn't know him then. The situations in the story and his are vastly different, but reading about how depressed Blair was and how he was seen as nothing but an amputee by someone with an amp fetish made me imagine what it was like for him back then. I know I was over thinking the story but combined with something that had happened earlier I couldn't help it. So I kept going back and reading a little more, and started to enjoy the story more. Blair accepted himself, and there was a great scene where he was playing wheelchair basketball. He and Jim had a sexual relationship and he was learning to walk on false legs. Then we got to the end where they found the temple of the Sentinel. A ritual was performed, Jim put Blair in the pool, and his legs grew back. A total fucking cop out. The promised a happy ending, and maybe for most people it was, I mean Blair grew his legs back, but to me it wasn't a happy end at all, because it just doesn't work like that.
It was ironic that I woke to this list war this morning as it was about realism in fanfic. Believe me I know that fanfic is different to RL. The characters in most fandoms would have died a million times over in RL. There's nothing stopping someone writing a story about the temple of Sentinels growing legs and I wouldn't say it shouldn't be written. I mean I've destroyed Cascade in the story I'm doing now. The subject just hit too close to home last night. Partly because of something that happened in the morning.
Sunday is my slob day, so James was still in bed and Corey and I in our nightclothes at around 11. Someone knocked at the door, Corey looked and it was the in-laws, again turning up without calling. It wasn't even that what pissed me off though. I said that James was still in bed, and his mam and sister got so excited because Keira, my niece, hadn't seen her Uncle James without his leg on. Then they heard him getting up, his false leg was downstairs so he came in like he always does and sat on the couch and they made a huge deal about Keira looking at his stump. James was embarrassed and I was pissed. James' mam used to do *everything* for him when he lived at home. When we moved in together I wouldn't do that. I'll do things that he can't do, like carry heavy things or things from up high but he's a grown independent man who's more than capable of looking after himself. It might take longer or be done in a strange way, but he does it. He doesn't need babied, and he doesn't need his disabilities pointed out to his niece, especially by people going 'look Kiera, where's Uncle James' leg gone?' when all she wants to do is play with her car. It's just so unnecessary.
I'm going to go read the flist and read myself out of this snit I'm in. It'll all be blown over in a couple of hours but until then I'm going to go play with pretty mutants and forget about guides with magically growing legs.
It amazes me how lists can explode over one post, then you get people leaving and others begging them not to and the whole sorry thing just goes on and on. Especially when the first post makes a lot of sense. Words can be misinterpreted so easily in e-mail, I wish people would learn to wait before posting. But that's never going to happen.
So yeah, I'm disillusioned with TS just now. Which isn't helped by the fact I'm still gob smacked by a TS story that I read last night.
castalie caught the backlash of my reaction then but I'm still thinking WTF this morning. I read this story where Blair had lost both of his legs, and I'll be honest it was hard to read. James has a false leg but he had it amputated when he was 12 so obviously I didn't know him then. The situations in the story and his are vastly different, but reading about how depressed Blair was and how he was seen as nothing but an amputee by someone with an amp fetish made me imagine what it was like for him back then. I know I was over thinking the story but combined with something that had happened earlier I couldn't help it. So I kept going back and reading a little more, and started to enjoy the story more. Blair accepted himself, and there was a great scene where he was playing wheelchair basketball. He and Jim had a sexual relationship and he was learning to walk on false legs. Then we got to the end where they found the temple of the Sentinel. A ritual was performed, Jim put Blair in the pool, and his legs grew back. A total fucking cop out. The promised a happy ending, and maybe for most people it was, I mean Blair grew his legs back, but to me it wasn't a happy end at all, because it just doesn't work like that.It was ironic that I woke to this list war this morning as it was about realism in fanfic. Believe me I know that fanfic is different to RL. The characters in most fandoms would have died a million times over in RL. There's nothing stopping someone writing a story about the temple of Sentinels growing legs and I wouldn't say it shouldn't be written. I mean I've destroyed Cascade in the story I'm doing now. The subject just hit too close to home last night. Partly because of something that happened in the morning.
Sunday is my slob day, so James was still in bed and Corey and I in our nightclothes at around 11. Someone knocked at the door, Corey looked and it was the in-laws, again turning up without calling. It wasn't even that what pissed me off though. I said that James was still in bed, and his mam and sister got so excited because Keira, my niece, hadn't seen her Uncle James without his leg on. Then they heard him getting up, his false leg was downstairs so he came in like he always does and sat on the couch and they made a huge deal about Keira looking at his stump. James was embarrassed and I was pissed. James' mam used to do *everything* for him when he lived at home. When we moved in together I wouldn't do that. I'll do things that he can't do, like carry heavy things or things from up high but he's a grown independent man who's more than capable of looking after himself. It might take longer or be done in a strange way, but he does it. He doesn't need babied, and he doesn't need his disabilities pointed out to his niece, especially by people going 'look Kiera, where's Uncle James' leg gone?' when all she wants to do is play with her car. It's just so unnecessary.
I'm going to go read the flist and read myself out of this snit I'm in. It'll all be blown over in a couple of hours but until then I'm going to go play with pretty mutants and forget about guides with magically growing legs.
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Date: 2003-10-20 04:38 am (UTC)You know, when you think of it, it's funny because, obviously I never 'met' either of you, and I know that Jim has a false leg, and you could think that seeing I just have an 'homemade' image of him, this would be a striking image in my head, but no, not at all. I just have this image of a capable man with a great sense of humor and who seems to love you so much, and it's enough for me. So yeah, it happens he has a false leg, but it just never really strikes me...
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Date: 2003-10-20 04:41 am (UTC)wtf!?!?
Date: 2003-10-20 06:08 am (UTC)Honestly, I have no words.
That is just unbelievable.
Okay, I have words, probably several rants' worth, but I'll try to restrain myself. Firstly, Do _NOT_ let this blow over. Go play with the pretty mutants for a while (Hee! _ALWAYS_ a good time!!) & get your head where it needs to be before you bo back to dealing with this, but _DON'T_ ignore it or let life go on like it never happened. Honestly, I haven't read too much about your in-laws here, other than the showing up unannounnced (a personal peeve of mine) they seem ok, cool even, w/ the fan support, but this was totally unacceptable. Between this and your mother, I begin to wonder about the next older generation of your family... *ahem* back to the point, which is this can't be allowed to be ignored, because it will then just continue. The one bright spot is that Keira didn't seem to participate in the elder 2 gen's abhorent behavior; I'm hoping she's young enough she just sees Uncle James as Uncle James and doesn't care about his leg, which is how it should be, but if this is how her home life is, how long will that last?
Re: wtf!?!?
Date: 2003-10-20 06:15 am (UTC)It just shocks me to the core that James' mother could find that acceptable, much less encourage that behavior in her own child & granddaughter. I mean, (& not to get TOO personal or dig up bad memories here, but..) don't you think there were times in James' life where she had to tell his sister to back off or something? Times where her maternal instincts should have been screaming at her that her son was in pain, because he felt "different"? I was 11 when I became diabetic, which isn't HALF as noticable as an amputation, I admit, & I was already an outcast among my classmates/peers but even then, the last thing you want at that age is to feel different. *sigh* maybe she overlooked that due to James' always having challenges (I assume) but My GOD, the woman is dense if she let that happen, AND KEEPS IT UP TO THIS VERY DAY!!!
okay, okay, restrain rant...
Re: wtf!?!?
Date: 2003-10-20 06:26 am (UTC)Ok, try to finish: The point is, James' mom needs to be shown how inappropriate this was, both to her son, and to her granddaughter. It is doing SUCH a disservice to them both, & I personally shudder to think of a beautiful little girl growing up to think it's ok to treat people who are "different" like that. Damnit, they're not "different", they're people, too, and when it's your own flesh & blood you should damn well know better. And I'm sorry to say Terri, but it's probably up to you to point this out to her. Have James support you, let her know in no uncertain terms he agrees with you, but if he's the one who confronts her, she'll most likely ignore it because she'll automatically see him as her poor little boy, and not think twice about the fact that he's his own man capable of making his own decisions. I'm sure she knows that in her head (ok, maybe I'm NOT sure, but I certainly hope) but most moms let their hearts do their thinking when it comes to their children, especially sons.
Okay, I think that's enough, but if you want/need more, let me know... ((((((Terri)))))) *& James too*
On Another Note...
Date: 2003-10-20 06:35 am (UTC)Sorry about the multi-posting, go read Jen's (& my) LJ for better explanation. Looking back now, it just looks mean, & I bet all your LJ friends & lurkers will see this & think I'm an ass, but oh well, I was just trying to help Jen out, honest!
And now my conscience is blugeoning me over the head with a mallet, 'cause I've picked on you when you've already had a stinker day or two... ..sorry, & I'll see if I can't get my Halloween MX story done & sent off soon...
no subject
Date: 2003-10-20 06:50 am (UTC)Oh, it sounds like the writer's spoiled a really good story there with a cop-out ending. It can be so hard to resist them, sometimes because you want to 'fix' the characters, and sometimes because you're worried about reader reactions. It'd be interesting to e-mail the writer and ask about it, maybe, if s/he's the kind of person who'd respond okay to something like that. Might turn out it wasn't the ending s/he wanted either.
As for in-laws, I can't think of much to say that hasn't been said already. But, whoa.
no subject
Date: 2003-10-20 12:04 pm (UTC)I don't read slash much but I did read that story... Loved it until the end with the cop out. Totaly ruined the point of the story! And then my next thought was: HOW THE HELL ARE THEY GOING TO GO BACK TO CASCADE!!!!! Geez everyone there knows he lost his legs! How the heck are they going to explain them growing back??? I suppose they could pretend that they were artafical legs that he was using but still someone is going to find out! And it totaly ruins all the work Blair did to rebuild a life for himself without his legs.
My feeling is that if you are going to take the time to write a disability story you need to respect people that DO have those disabilities. I find cheap cop outs a bit insalting. I'm deaf and I hate it when I see the charaters get a disability and then in the end everything is fixed like nothing happend. It's not realistic and it's just plain stupid. It's like the author doesn't really care what disabled people have to deal with every day, what they go through. Personaly I think if you can't write a perminent disability and have it STAY that way then you shouldnt be writing it.
I'm not talking about the stories where Jim's senses get over loaded and he loses one (vison or sight or whatever) or the stories where it is SAID clearly that the lost is temperary (or even when they arn't sure but they still say that is is POSSIBLE the lost will be regained).
I'm talking about the ones where it's pretty obious to everyone that it is going ot be a perminent injury and then some how at the end the charater recovers.
I would MUCH rather read about how the charater learns to live with their disability. How they change their lives and move on. That is what I want to see.
When it is a cheap cop out the charater doesn't really learn anything. Everything they learned with the disability is worthless sice they got what ever they lost back.
Jen R
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Date: 2003-10-25 12:19 am (UTC)About the story - I'm definitely a disabilityfic fan, but with an ending like THAT?! *wide-eyed in shock* Just for the irritation factor, where can I find this story?!