Fanfic Symposium Discussion Site

ffsymposium @ 2007-09-10T21:18:00

2007-09-11T00:28:35Z

HITTING THE JACKPOT: HURT/COMFORT IN THE 24 UNIVERSE

by marinw

Jack Bauer spends a lot of time paying off his abundant stores of bad karma. His pregnant wife has been murdered by a treacherous co-worker. He has been literally tortured to death. He has become addicted to heroin, faked his own death and become estranged from his daughter. He has spent twenty months in a Chinese Prison, returning home to discover that his sociopath family is behind a nuclear strike and that the girlfriend who attempted to rescue him from said Chinese Prison is now a catatonic basket case.

The above list of misfortunes aren’t the sadistic imaginings of fanfic writers. They’re actually part of the official canon. The creative team behind 24 are, even now, inventing new ways to pile fresh grief upon their hero.

Reducing a strong male lead to an incapacitated wreck for Hurt/Comfort purposes has long been a staple of fan fiction. But as an avid follower of both 24 and its resulting fan fiction, I feel that the sub-genre I’ll thusly lable Bauer-Bashing deserves special consideration.

Jack (why are so many TV characters named Jack?) offers a compelling if frustrating moving target for the H/C treatment. Although often described as a cold-blooded and unfeeling killer, Jack is in fact a bundle of raw nerve endings who screams, cries, and even vomits at moments of intense emotion. Jack is as much the victim of violence as he is its perpetrator, and finds himself trapped in an endless cycle of torturer and torturee. Few actors are better than Kiefer Sutherland at portraying on-screen angst. Season 6 drew some much-deserved critical fire but did succeed in providing the fanfic writer with plenty of fresh material. The H/C writer doesn’t even need to invent new sufferings for Jack to endure, but only needs to extrapolate on the torments the 24 writers have so graciously provided us.

So far, so good. Yet the ‘real-time’ structure of the show allows for plenty of hurt but precious little time for comfort. Jack has scant opportunity to indulge in such time-consuming luxuries as heroin withdraw, proper medical attention, or post-traumatic stress. For this reason, the majority of 24 fan fiction is set between seasons once the clock has stopped ticking. With the notable exception of the Chinese Prison, Jack is usually able to escape his various captors through a combination of ingenuity and violence. His has a magical ability to quickly recover from seemingly incapacitating injuries. The last three seasons have ended with Jack’s disappearance from the not-so-safe haven of CTU, much to the aggravation of any number of supporting characters (most notably Chloe, Audrey or even Bill) who would be happy to provide Jack with some much-needed comforting.

Buaer-Bashing reaches great heights (or depths) in the grueling epics of Moody. (http://24fics.18.forumer.com/) In one of her Chinese Prision interpretations, Jack is beaten, tortured, drugged, raped, brainwashed and ultimately returned to the United States as a ninja-assassin. Her “comfort” part of the Hurt/Comfort equation invariably includes strapping Jack to a hospital bed and drugging him stupid. In another story, she devotes an entire chapter to Diane-a woman who apparently has nothing else to do-and her attempts to give a bedridden Jack a sponge bath. The result is an atrophied, whiny wretch who resembles the TV protagonist in name only. Reading Moody is like eating too many jellybeans in one sitting: I end up feeling rather nauseas but oddly satisfied. I find myself eagerly devouring her latest post, wondering if I can withstand her relentless attempts to destroy my love and respect for Jack Bauer forever. I’m alright as long as I can cling to happy memories of TV Jack shooting people in the thigh and stealing helicopters.

It is useful to compare Moody to xbedhead, (http://community.livejournal.com/24_fanfic/) whose excellent “Regroup” series details Jack’s efforts at gluing his life back together after the tumultuous Day Six. This multi-chapter, slightly AU story pays due attention to Jack’s battered body and addled psyche while still allowing him to be a competent adult.

Same character, two different writers, two very different results.

No two fanfic writers portray the same character and his accompanying fictional universe in exactly the same way. Nor should we. Individual interpretation is part of the joy of reading and writing fan fiction. But we must be observant of a character’s speech patterns, personality, and behavior. Ditto for the laws that govern his imaginary world.

Jack Bauer is a difficult man to literally and figuratively pin down. But he’s well worth the effort. Good luck!

cbc radio seeks fan fiction readers and writers

2007-05-10T23:14:24Z

Hello,
I'm working on a peice about fan fiction and I'm looking for Canadians who can help explain to our audience what fan fiction is all about and why people write it and read it. If this sounds like you please contact me at claremail@yahoo.com
Thanks,
Clare

Good God, You People Remembered Me!!

2007-03-03T00:05:31Z

Ladies and gentlemen, I can't begin to tell you how flattered, humbled, and impressed I really am.

Oh, I'm Chris Yost. More on me in a minute.

My friend in Essex, UK, and I were talking about things, and somehow the subject came up about what I'd written in the past. Imagine my shock and surprise to find that at URL http://www.trickster.org/symposium/symp173.htm that lo and/or behold, MY NAME CAME UP IN IT!

1976 1976 "Fatality Syndrome" becomes one of the first Space 1999 fanzines published.

Television In the Space 1999 fandom, The Fatality Syndrome becomes the first fanzine published. Space 1999 Merchandise: Fan Fiction says: "It was written by Chris Yost. Story one in what was conceived to be a series of stories called The Psychon Trilogy, centering on a certain lovely Alphan alien member of the crew."

So, hiya! :)

Thank you so much to whoever wrote that, and actually must've bought copies from me! I'm absolutely delighted and grinning at seeing that up and among such an august listing as well!

I never did finish the 3rd part or started any of the other stories of "The Continuing Voyages of Moonbase Alpha"! I doubt by now anyone would be interested or want to read 'em, would be a shame actually. But I know I had a LOT of fun writing them!

I'm still writing, and I'm still doing -- *gag* -- "fan fiction". My genre nowadays is in furry fandom, and I author "Sabrina Online: The Story" and "Tabitha", stories using my own characters and incorporating characters from the webcomic "Sabrina Online". And they're free, just drop by my website www.chrisfoxx.com and sit down for an evening of reading. Those of you who read "Fatality Syndrome" and "Isolated!" will quickly see I've actually improved over the years ... jeez, I was just told *31* of them!!

So thank you, whoever you were, for making my night :)

And if anyone wants to drop me a line, don't be shy!

All the best to you and yunz,
(a little Pittsburghese lingo there),
Chris

Update

2006-01-16T02:09:56Z

So You Want to Write a Successful Fannish Essay? Rana Eros tells you how!

Update

2006-01-16T02:09:03Z

Laura Hale outlines A History of Male Involvement in the Fan Fiction Community.

Update

2005-11-07T22:48:06Z

Lucy Gillam looks at When Worlds Collide: Fandom and Male Privilege.

Update

2005-11-07T22:46:55Z

Atagamay offers The Shinji Fan's Manifesto.

Update

2005-11-07T22:45:59Z

Rana Eros talks about Crewing My Pirate Ship of Love: An OTC Approach to the Question of Relationships.

Update

2005-10-30T17:17:51Z

Kristina explores Real People Fiction.

Update

2005-10-30T17:16:16Z

Rana Eros discusses Expanding My Horizons in an Easterly Direction.

Update

2005-06-06T18:36:34Z

Laura Hale gives us A Historical Perspective on Mary Sue.

ffsymposium @ 2005-06-06T13:34:00

2005-06-06T18:35:46Z

The Symposium is now hosting purplepopple's History of Fanfiction. Check it out!

Update

2005-04-26T20:27:22Z

Rachael Sabotini examines Three-Point Characterization, or No, We Really Aren't All Watching the Same Show.

Update

2005-04-26T20:26:28Z

Rachael Sabotini discusses The Dynamics of Fan-Created Power Imbalances in "You Big Bully!"

Update

2005-04-16T20:41:10Z

Martha W. offers The Apology!Fic Rant.

Update

2005-04-16T20:40:22Z

M.P. discusses The Good, the Bad and the Ugly in (Game) Fanfiction.

ADMIN: Some Clarification

2005-03-27T20:30:22Z

Hey, folks. I just wanted to post a reminder/clarification of the purpose of this community. ffsymposium is a forums for discussion of Fanfic Symposium columns. Anyone is welcome to open a discussion of an older column, but posts should be tied to some specific column or columns on the Symposium. A link back to the column or columns would be swell.

I tend to let requests for help with research projects slide, as I'm in something of a personal glass house there (and frankly, I'd rather have researchers talking to you all ;), and you're always welcome to write to me and ask if something appropriate. However, general queries and topics should be posted to more suitable communities.

A Feedback Poll

2005-03-27T14:15:54Z

I have created a little poll about feedback (giving and receiving). I would really like to get as much opinions as possible.

http://www.livejournal.com/users/orion2303/#entry_83772

Update

2005-03-14T21:03:21Z

Victoria P. compares fandom to the mafia in La Cosa Nostra (This Thing of Ours).

Update

2005-03-14T21:01:58Z

Tefnut presents Try Again: The Dissection of a Plot.

Update

2005-02-08T22:37:46Z

Catherine Rain argues that Fanfic is Hard to Write.

Update

2005-01-26T13:06:43Z

In the first column of 2005, Marnie gives A Christian Perspective on Slash Fiction.

We're Back!

2005-01-07T13:26:01Z

Due entirely to the wonderfulness that is flummery, The Fanfic Symposium is up and running.

Now, go write some columns!

FYI

2004-12-31T17:16:09Z

The Symposium is down at the moment due to technical problems. I have a back-up server space ready, but given certain real life demands, it's unlikely that I'll have time to recode all 175 or so pages in the next few days. I'll do my best to have the site up within a week. Thank you for your patience.