You know, I tend to read posts like this and come away wondering about myself because I often can't put into words just what it is that I love so much about a particular canon beyond the fact that, inevitably, for me to become obsessed with something, there is a character whose motivations and situation and backstory and relationships I want to dive into and explore.
I can look at something that is brilliantly constructed and acted and developed and that I really, really enjoy and admire and am amazed by, but I won't necessarily want to delve into it that extra bit, and it puzzles me.
I suppose I do tend to like canons that aren't quite that full-on all the time (I think one of the reasons that, much as I love it, I haven't immersed myself in BSG), that can be silly and lighthearted and fun or alternatively serious, emotional and meaningful.
I'll give this a go for the fandoms that I've been the most consistently immersed in:
Harry Potter: I love the idea of a whole other world running parallel to ours, and this was the first time I'd really met that particular variety of fantasy. The story was a fun adventure, with a bit of mystery. The characters were interesting, but my favourites were always Sirius and Remus with their tragedy and regrets and the desire to make amends.
Torchwood: Torchwood and Doctor Who are both in the same universe, but it's always been Torchwood that's immersed me the most. It's got an incredibly flawed hero looking for his way in a world that no longer quite makes sense to him, and I love the way the theme of Jack's immortality is explored. It's got an amazing ensemble of characters, all of them with their own flaws and foibles and most of them outcasts in some way or another. They stare into the darkness the world offers and sometimes they want to scream and run away and sometimes they laugh but always they do the best they can. At its best, it's heart-wrenching and painful and beautiful, but it also has plenty of humour and silliness and it never takes itself too seriously.
Stargate: Atlantis: Don't get me wrong, I love Stargate. But I sometimes wonder if it couldn't have done so much more. It's easy to just not think too hard about it and watch it for the adventure of the week and tune out the depth of the world and the characters. Sometimes it's a little inconsistent; it's possible to miss a few episodes and never really understand just how deep the characters are, because they're mostly pretty good at hiding their insecurities. But see those few episodes where each character is really explored, and wow. Their flaws and tragedies and backstories come together and you see how they permeate their behaviour through the whole series. I also love the setting, and though again, I think the worldbuilding has a lot of unfulfilled potential, I adore the mythology and history of the universe and the way that it all ties into the real world. It's also a lot of fun: smart and tongue-in-cheek and genre-savvy. But it's really those things that are there but not really explored in the show itself that make me want to delve further into the world and get my own chance to play around with them.
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Date: 2010-07-29 09:22 am (UTC)I can look at something that is brilliantly constructed and acted and developed and that I really, really enjoy and admire and am amazed by, but I won't necessarily want to delve into it that extra bit, and it puzzles me.
I suppose I do tend to like canons that aren't quite that full-on all the time (I think one of the reasons that, much as I love it, I haven't immersed myself in BSG), that can be silly and lighthearted and fun or alternatively serious, emotional and meaningful.
I'll give this a go for the fandoms that I've been the most consistently immersed in:
Harry Potter: I love the idea of a whole other world running parallel to ours, and this was the first time I'd really met that particular variety of fantasy. The story was a fun adventure, with a bit of mystery. The characters were interesting, but my favourites were always Sirius and Remus with their tragedy and regrets and the desire to make amends.
Torchwood: Torchwood and Doctor Who are both in the same universe, but it's always been Torchwood that's immersed me the most. It's got an incredibly flawed hero looking for his way in a world that no longer quite makes sense to him, and I love the way the theme of Jack's immortality is explored. It's got an amazing ensemble of characters, all of them with their own flaws and foibles and most of them outcasts in some way or another. They stare into the darkness the world offers and sometimes they want to scream and run away and sometimes they laugh but always they do the best they can. At its best, it's heart-wrenching and painful and beautiful, but it also has plenty of humour and silliness and it never takes itself too seriously.
Stargate: Atlantis: Don't get me wrong, I love Stargate. But I sometimes wonder if it couldn't have done so much more. It's easy to just not think too hard about it and watch it for the adventure of the week and tune out the depth of the world and the characters. Sometimes it's a little inconsistent; it's possible to miss a few episodes and never really understand just how deep the characters are, because they're mostly pretty good at hiding their insecurities. But see those few episodes where each character is really explored, and wow. Their flaws and tragedies and backstories come together and you see how they permeate their behaviour through the whole series. I also love the setting, and though again, I think the worldbuilding has a lot of unfulfilled potential, I adore the mythology and history of the universe and the way that it all ties into the real world. It's also a lot of fun: smart and tongue-in-cheek and genre-savvy. But it's really those things that are there but not really explored in the show itself that make me want to delve further into the world and get my own chance to play around with them.