Reading the reviews

[darkemeralds]

While I hammer away at the last few chapters of Restraint, people reading have left me some absolutely wonderful comments--comments that are to my creative satisfaction what a big royalty check must be to a published author.

Every now and then, though, I go digging around to see what people are saying about the story who aren't addressing their comments directly to me, and then I find some fun things.

One advises other readers to use global search-and-replace on the ridiculous character names, and convert them to [specific other names preferred, apparently, by the recommender] to make the story readable.

Another, in a similar vein, cautions potential readers that so many real-person names are unrecognizable that they'll have trouble following the story, and warns that the same authorial arrogance has led me to change the very name of Christmas to Michaelmas.

I'm so tempted to take the Gutenberg text of Pride and Prejudice and change every instance of "Darcy" to "Benedict Cumberbatch" now. And swap every instance of "Christmas" with "National Day of the Cowboy!" (complete with exclamation mark), like this:

"I sincerely hope your National Day of the Cowboy! in Hertfordshire may abound in the gaieties which that season generally brings..." because how could it not?

and

Bingley was sure of being liked wherever he appeared, Benedict Cumberbatch was continually giving offense."

Then you could change the "Bingley"s to "Martin Freeman." There'd be no end to the fun!

Comments

[alexseanchai]

So you changed Christmas's name, moved it to September, and made a whole buncha edits under a whole buncha pseudonyms and from a whole buncha IPs to the Michaelmas page on Wiki which dates back to 2002. Wow you're good.

I admit to having a little difficulty connecting your characters with the standard-issue CWRPS characters, but if I'd grown up a couple centuries ago I wouldn't be much like I am today either. It's a symptom of you doing this right. And if it bothers people that they can't make it fit under 'RPS historical AU', why can't they file it under 'historical fiction' and enjoy it like that?

[darkemeralds]

There's a set of expectations about CWRPS--that if there's a Chad, there must also be a Tom, and a Mike, and a Kristen--and maybe a Jeffrey Dean. Changing main character names significantly to fit the time and place of the story has made it a bit of a guessing game whether Miss Lareton or Lizzie Danforth are supposed to be Sandy or Genevieve or Daneel or Alona.

I probably should have included a guide: Mr Caine is Christian Kane, Charles Murray is Chad Michael Murray, and...that's really about it. The rest are original characters. Except Joss, and I only included him because in real life he actually attended Winchester College, and I couldn't resist.

I'd be the first to admit that it's confusing, and if someone wants to S&R for their reading ease, that's fine with me.

But the Christmas one! I love the idea that I might somehow actually need to change the name of a major international holiday to protect the innocent.

[alexseanchai]

Ah. Aren't Sandra and Genevieve and Danielle perfectly legitimate names for that time period? So if you wanted to include one of them, it wouldn't exactly be difficult to come up with a good name.

[darkemeralds]

Well, Miss Lareton's first name is Alexandra, and I'll admit to having chosen it with Sandra in mind, though she looks like Anne Hathaway in my mind.

Genevieve and Danielle would have been a bit Frenchified for the period (England and France had been at war for quite a while by that time). There really was a very small pool of acceptable given names to choose from. It's no wonder Mr and Miss and Mrs were used even among friends--they were all called John, Henry, Charles, Elizabeth, Jane and Charlotte, I swear. I was going out on a limb with Tristan, I really was.

[alexseanchai]

*nods*

[without_me]

I . . . got nothin'. Except to say that being misunderstood by dullards is in its own way a kind of praise? (Though I doubt it feels that way when it's your story they're bumblingly criticizing.)

[darkemeralds]

No, really, these comments were culled from real recommendations and bookmarks, and were by people who thought enough of the story to recommend it, at least cautiously. I'm delighted that people want to read it, and I can't argue with their wanting to read it in their own way.

As I've just commented to alexseanchai above, I get how people could be confused about the CWRPS characters because of the tremendous name changes, but I was taken aback by the Michaelmas thing.

[darkemeralds]

And your icon just cracks me up. Oh Twink!Jensen, you will never live that photoshoot down. Ever.

[pandarus]

Another, in a similar vein, warns potential readers that I've changed so many real-person names that they'll have trouble following the story, and warns that the same authorial arrogance has led me to change the very name of Christmas to Michaelmas.

Oh, my ears and whiskers! The HUMANITY!

::weeps with laughter::

Oh, dear God. BLESS them!

You were much on my mind this evening, my dear! My mother and I have just been over to Canon Hall, a mile or so from my parents' house, to spend a very enjoyable evening witnessing a performance of Undressing Mr Darcy. The banter between Gillian Stapleton and this evening's Mr Darcy (a splendid young gentleman called Oliver, apparently, who's an actor by profession, and who filled out his ensemble admirably, and read the various excerpts from Regency letters, novels and memoirs with marvellous animation) was quite splendid, and I've come away with a determination to find a copy of the memoirs of Regency courtesan Harriette Wilson asap.

(We heard about the evening a couple of weeks back, while visiting the Fashion and Passion display of costumes from various Austen films and TV adaptations arrayed around the house - it really did help bring the place to life, along with the period music being played in the background. I've visited Canon Hall & its landscaped gardens ever since I was a babe in arms, but it was rather lovely getting to see it all in a new light. Apparently 'Lost in Austen' was filmed there! Which leads me to conclude that I really must see about getting hold of a copy, stat.)

Meanwhile I applaud your determination to do a search and replace on P&P, replacing the tired old Austenian names (who, after all, can muster up any interest in FICTIONAL persons?) with such sensible Real Life names as Bendytrick Cucumberpatch and Martin Freeman.

::ponders::

Actually, upon reflection, Candlewick Bandersnatch* might be better suited to the role of Marianne, and Martin to Eleanor? Or Martin to Anne Eliot, and Brandybuck to Captain Wentworth? Although, really, I don't know the first thing about either of the gentlemen beyond their appearance & thespian prowess, so heaven knows.


(*I'm almost sure that I'll get over this game soon. Probably.)

[darkemeralds]

Canon Hall! I had never heard of it, and now I must make a pilgrimage. It sounds wonderful.

And as for "Undressing Mr Darcy"--oh dear God! I can only hope that such a thing might still be available at my next visit to the sceptred isle, or at least, put on video somewhere. *swoons*

As far as I'm concerned, the game of renaming Mr. Cumberbatch might possibly never grow old.

[roxy]

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<iAnother, in a similar vein, cautions potential readers that so many real-person names are unrecognizable that they'll have trouble following the story, and warns that the same authorial arrogance has led me to change the very name of Christmas to Michaelmas></i>

I laughed so hard, I almost cried!!!

roxy, too lazy to sign in

[roxy]

whataya know, i did sign in!

[darkemeralds]

You did! And I'm glad I could provide a laugh. Sounds like you could use one the last few days.

[belluthien]

Heh. I came at your work from a whole different angle, so I don't understand what's hanging up the fan fic readers.
I guess it's these expectations you speak of. But to me, your work stands alone. No need to know who you thought of as inspiration.
Just my opinion!
y

[darkemeralds]

Thanks. That's the most gratifying thing of all.

I completely understand the desire to find something more closely resembling fanfic when embarking on a work of fanfic. Restraint goes very far AU, and as such, it hasn't been every J2 fan's cup of tea.

Of course, that same fact has made it approachable to a lot of people who aren't J2/SPN fans, and that's been lovely.

[belluthien]

And, heh, laughting again, we can't expect to please everyone all the time!
... But Restraint sure pleases me!

Keep up the good work!
*cheering you on*
y

[darkemeralds]

\o/

Thanks!

[bientot]

Admittedly I'm new to the whole SPN experience (after resisting for years, I started with TNT in March and have been wallowing in angsty fanfic ever since), but it appears to me that the 'real' J2 fic is vastly outnumbered by what essentially seem to be original characters played by familiar actors. I've often wondered why authors don't simply call their characters by other names with a cast list in the header because sometimes the names can be distracting.

At any rate, I had no trouble seeing our boys speaking your lines in Regency dress. I weep for those of so little imagination that they could not do so! As far as conflating holidays, IDEK...

I'd begun to believe that Sturgeon's Law doesn't apply to this fandom, since the bulk of the stories I've been reading are brilliant, but I guess it may still apply to the readers/reccers.

[darkemeralds]

I think one of the beauties of a huge fandom like SPN/J2 is that even though Sturgeon's Law probably hasn't been magically suspended, the 1% that's good still constitutes a very large volume of reading. What's more, with so many readers and reccers out there, it's easy to find the good stuff.

Michaelmas is an unknown term in most of American society--I'll admit that I had to look up the date for it myself--so perhaps the reader leaped from from "she'd change Jared Tristan Padalecki to Tristan Jarrett for no reason," to "so, maybe Michael-mas instead of Christ-mas is some kind of weird SPN Dean-related joke..."

I don't know--there's some kind of logic there, I'm sure of it.

[kis]

If you haven't responded to these people, I applaud your Restraint. The best policy, undoubtedly, but that kind of behaviour pushes my buttons. They're trying to 'own' your story.

[darkemeralds]

I cringe to think of the story converted in the way that particular critic suggests.

To be fair, however, they made their comments in a rec space. There was the "reasonable expectation of privacy," for internet values of "reasonable," which is to say, I found them easily and read them, but they weren't directed at me.

I can't really balk at the "fair use" of privately changing all the characters' names to whatever blows the reader's hair back. It's a free-for-all out there! I should know: I'm writing RPS.

I do like Benedict Cumberbatch in place of Darcy, though.

[tehomet]

Another, in a similar vein... warns that the same authorial arrogance has led me to change the very name of Christmas to Michaelmas.

"I sincerely hope your National Day of the Cowboy! in Hertfordshire may abound in the gaieties which that season generally brings..." because how could it not?

*dies laughing*

BTW, isn't Benedict Cumberbatch a fabulous name? I also love, in Harry Potter fandom, that the actors who play Hermione and Ron are called Emma Watson and Rupert Grint. All of them couldn't be more English with a capital E if they tried.

[darkemeralds]

Benedict Cumberbatch is the best name EVER. pandarus has been having way too much fun in the last couple of weeks inventing variations on it: Cucumber Bandersnatch, Breckenridge Candypants, Castaneta Brindlesnort--well, you get the idea. It's just a wonderful name.

He's not a bad actor either. And I agree that all the main HP actors have the most delightfully capital-E English names. Rupert Grint. I LOVE that name!