Do these people not even understand what a story is? The characters are supposed to learn and change throughout the narrative. If the brother was perfect and all accepting from the start, not only would the book be boring and pointless, but it would also be really unrealistic and unhelpful to others in the same situation.
I've always heard that Mary Sue/wish fulfillment characters are terrible and static/flat characters and are to be avoided, but lately it seems that's what these people want--a perfect, flawless character who does everything they want them to do. If they want that, they can write it themselves and then screech when REAL writers tell them Mary Sue characters are hated for a reason.
I would argue that this the reason why the OwnVoices hashtag even exists in the first place- none of these people have talent and want to tell other people how to write stories.
I think writing fan fiction can be a good foray into the writing world starting off. There's already an established world, characters, and even plot elements, all you have to do is come up with your fantasies for it (though publishing it is a horrible idea). However, when you never break out of that mindset and you're trying to down people who did to make yourself feel more on their level (as opposed to being mentally and emotionally 13 years old), it's a problem.
EXACTLY. I said a few pages ago that it's essentially printed clickbait. If I saw a book called 'My Sister's Name is Jessica', I wouldn't give it a second look. But seeing the BROTHER is named Jessica? That's enough for me to at least peek on the dust jacket for a summary. Honestly, I think this could lead to people actually becoming more aware of issues trans people have relating to that who wouldn't otherwise care. With a title as mundane as My Sister's Name is Jessica, so many people who may have read it out of curiosity wouldn't even give it a chance to pique their interest.
Maybe they wanted 'My Broster's Name is Jessica'?
I think some of this mindset spilled into the reviews of that Enby book on the previous pages. I even saw a review that praised it for having a plot that stayed at a standstill. It's one thing to be gentle in a review of a fanfic obviously written by a child, but you can't keep doing that and expect to see any improvement.
What is this delusional woman talking about? TRAs are given both chances and lengths to defend their positions on a regular basis, including when it comes to this subject: https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/...-he-is-a-cis-man-with-cis-privilege-1.3860808
It’s easier to constantly play the victim than to make an articulate response/review of any piece of media.
I see zero issue with this. It sounds very realistic to me actually. I would think an openly trans person of all people would know that people don't always throw glitter and confetti when they come out as trans. Some people WILL treat you different. Hell, some parents will throw their kids out. The fact that the mother didn't disown 'Jessica' immediately is more than a lot of parents can say.
There's this thing called 'suspension of disbelief'. These people need to learn it. Although I will say, in my experience, the people least likely to accept any sort of bar for that...are people with Asperger's. There's also a huge overlap with trannies and people with that. See where I'm going with this?
Agreed on both counts. When I was in college, one of my professors said that one of the most important skills in writing is to learn to 'kill your darlings', meaning accepting constructive criticism and knowing you're not going to be perfect. You cannot please everyone. For every person who enjoyed your story, you'll have someone who doesn't or thinks it can be improved. And quite frankly, I've seen the people who frequent fanfic websites. For the most part they're either physically or mentally 13 years old and are idealistic. What 13 year old has good judgement? Like, I wouldn't trust a 13yo's opinion on anything really, certainly not something I wrote and plan to publish. Even if they're well-spoken enough to give a detailed opinion, it'll still be very idealistic if it's about their favorite fandom. But yeah, you can't rely on just compliments, especially if you want to publish.
Agreed. Cassie denies it but she's either delusional or just doesn't want to admit to it. I know that Fifty Shades and the Mortal Instruments series are quite different from the stories they're based on, but come on. It's too easy to do that. Try harder. Fifty Shades is hot garbage on its own regardless, but still could've been somewhat original if it wasn't obvious what it was based on.
Oh, I completely agree. I think with treatment, they can get over it. But they have to actually accept treatment and do the work required. These people won't do that for whatever reason. You can't just maybe do talk therapy but never listen to your therapist. It takes more than just popping a pill once a day to reprogram your mind.
Agreed on this too. I do think some people are just assholes and even if they do see the point and CAN suspend their disbelief, they'll find a reason not to, but see my last paragraph for the other side of it.