things I hate in fic, #2349

[mimesere]

So, I'm reading this fic, right? And it's well written and interesting and ABSOLUTELY EFFING INFURIATING because the whole plot freaking hinges on a concept that I do not understand and which isn't explained in any kind of useful way that would tell me WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON.

I *hate* fic like that. It makes me insane and frustrated. And then I just sit around and go, "I don't understaaaaaand." and I pick at it and pick at it and pick at it because not understanding makes me feel stupid and it's not that it's badly written because it's well written and good, it's that I *don't understand the entire conceit of the story*. And maybe I would get it if I had read the original source text of the um, concept? whatever, you know what I'm saying. If I were familiar with that maybe it would make more sense but as it is, not having read that, it doesn't and it's making me crazy.

Like, is it a quantum observer thing? is it...some weird form of crazy stalking? wtf. aaaagh.

eta: finished the story. still doesn't make a lick of goddamn sense. THE BASIC MOTIVATIONS ARE STILL WTF.

Comments

[jmtorres.livejournal.com]

--maybe someone might be able to say "oh, hey, it's like this," if you told us what fandom it was?

[mimesere.livejournal.com]

It's bandom. And a mashup with...the Backenders? Something like that. I just. It makes me crazy because I *shouldn't* need to be told what the mashup aspect is because it should be in the fic. Like, as near as I can tell, it's supposed to be a quantum observer thing but I'm not sure. And it's making me do crazyeyes.

[hannahrorlove.livejournal.com]

I think I know what you're talking about, except that the feeling comes up in my literature classes, and it's more the content and style than concept that bother me. It's harder to deal with resentment of what I'm reading when I have to finish it to participate in the next week's discussion.

[mimesere.livejournal.com]

Content and style I'm usually okay with, but when I don't get the concept and the entire story hinges on that concept then I just get very frustrated.

[hannahrorlove.livejournal.com]

Is it this (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uncertainty_principle)?

[mimesere.livejournal.com]

Nope, I'm pretty good with Heisenberg too. It's not actually anything to do with quantum physics but the story is about um. stalking? or something. Like, stalking with rules as a vocation and I can't tell if it's supposed to be a metaphor for the idea that being observed changes the observed/observer or not.

[the-grynne.livejournal.com]

Like...Schrodinger's Cat?

[mimesere.livejournal.com]

Heee. No. More like the thing that's all about how the act of observation changes the observed. Which is not, I think, the same as Schrodinger's kitty which is all about how the cat is both dead and alive until observed which collapses the alternate reality. I *love* Schrodinger's cat. I want the Schrodinger's cat t-shirt.

Like, if it *is* stalking as metaphor for quantum observation, then I'm fine, but it's not made clear in the fic itself and that's what's making me kind of crazy.

[cyprinella]

Dude, that's *exactly* how I felt about Blood and Iron by Elizabeth Bear. Which is why I've been sticking to fish magazines and books about bees. I keep hoping that will give me bees. And fish!

[mimesere.livejournal.com]

Heee! Dude, Blood and Iron made me so crazy I had to quit. I really do hate books that make me feel like I'm just missing something and if I got it, everything else would make complete sense. Haaaaaate.

[missmollyetc.livejournal.com]

Oh man, Blood and Iron gave me fits, absolute fits.

[rynia.livejournal.com]

Heh. I know the fic. Have been reading it intermittently all day (yay busy days! ... except not.) And I wiki'd the novel, and that didn't particularly help much. And it's well-written! So I really don't want to stop halfway through! But I have no goddamn context for the important underlying theme of the story, and it makes me want to head desk.

[mimesere.livejournal.com]

Yes! Exactly! I'm just kind of like, "aaaaaagh" because I don't *understand* what's going on.

[missmollyetc.livejournal.com]

::clings:: I HAD THE SAME DAMN PROBLEM.

[mimesere.livejournal.com]

OH THANK GOD.

I just. I DON'T UNDERSTAND.

*clingsback*

[missmollyetc.livejournal.com]

LIKE WOMAN, IT IS A MYSTERY. Or something.

I mean! It's very well-written, but it's...I feel slightly uncomfortable talking about this on an open post, actually, because I don't want to give the wrong impression. I think the author is skilled, but the story is falling down for me because it's not giving me what is apparently crucial information. It's a very post-modern story, isn't it?

[mimesere.livejournal.com]

I think if the story weren't so well written, it wouldn't be nearly as frustrating. Because it is well written and so I feel like the ways in which the story don't work for me are things that...could have been fixed? I mean, is there any reason really that there wasn't an explanation of why people followed other people? Or why specifically Gerard and Pete? (well, okay, Gerard was kind of covered) but why...did people do it at all? And there were opportunities to get that across and they were passed up in favor of saying, "Oh, you wouldn't get it," and I don't. Get it. Like, I totally get that it's the fic equivalent of a mashup, but I don't understand it and so I got to the end and was pretty much just left going, "But what just *happened*?" and that wasn't very satisfying.

And I'm not really a huge fan of postmodernism in that way. Postmodernist metatext? Sure! Sign me up! But not the kind where I don't have a connection into it.

And like, the story was long and parts of it were awesome (a lot of it) and I enjoyed myself and god knows, it made me think about things, but I'm still kind of left going, "WHAT WAS THAT?" and if that's the point then woo! Awesome! If not, then...I dunno.

I'd feel more uncomfortable about this being an open post except that it's not...I think the thing where people don't actually talk critically about fic is bad? Also, if we were being mean. But having issues is not the same as meanness. Or something. *rambles*

[raveninthewind.livejournal.com]

I tend to have the same reaction.

in fact, I had it tonight to the book I read in the bath, Hyperion. I spent the whole book going "WTF? is going on now?" Makes my brain hurt.

[mimesere.livejournal.com]

awwww. I get so frustrated because I can recognize that things are well written and yet they fail to adequately communicate the concept and so they're either Too Deep For Me or Not Very Well Written. or something! And then I sulk.

[dryad-duinath.livejournal.com]

man, I just gave up on that thing. if I have to go read a book to enjoy a story I just will not read the story.

[mimesere.livejournal.com]

I kept going in the hopes that it would all make sense at the end.

...it didn't.