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starladySo I was reading the season premiere of Shadow Unit on Sunday, The Unicorn Evils; whatever else one could say about the SU writers (and one could unquestionably say a lot), they are merciless on both their audience and their characters alike. Both S3x01 and the S2 season finale feature massacres of schoolchildren, and at some point while I was reading I found myself reflecting on the fact that the writers have racked up quite the body count...and SU is only at the halfway point.
Immediately afterward I readyhlee's FMA metacomic "Immortal" (go read it now; I'll wait [spoilers for chapter 100!]). In her notes yhlee explains that the comic had its origins in a nightmare she had in which faceless overlords who were experimenting on people were later revealed to be fanfic writers. So...I've been wondering what, if any, consideration we as creators owe our creations. The people we create (about) aren't real (not even RPF, I'd say), but at the same time I'd bet money that they are frequently more real to us than many of our fellow human beings. And...this is where it gets inchoate. The last thing I would advocate is that a character deserves the same weight as a human being, particularly in light of the fact that it's a struggle worldwide for human beings to enjoy the rights they deserve. But...I don't think I'm comfortable conceptualizing creativity as so cavalier even with the representations of human life (even as someone who has killed off her share of characters, both original and other people's, in her creative efforts). How do we determine how much a character is worth? Is a character's worth simply the emotional investment the audience puts in? Do the needs of the story outweigh the worth of the character? I don't know, and I feel odd even posting about this. But as a reader and as a writer, it's been on my mind, though I obviously have no definitive conclusion whatsoever.
Immediately afterward I read
yhlee's FMA metacomic "Immortal" (go read it now; I'll wait [spoilers for chapter 100!]). In her notes yhlee explains that the comic had its origins in a nightmare she had in which faceless overlords who were experimenting on people were later revealed to be fanfic writers. So...I've been wondering what, if any, consideration we as creators owe our creations. The people we create (about) aren't real (not even RPF, I'd say), but at the same time I'd bet money that they are frequently more real to us than many of our fellow human beings. And...this is where it gets inchoate. The last thing I would advocate is that a character deserves the same weight as a human being, particularly in light of the fact that it's a struggle worldwide for human beings to enjoy the rights they deserve. But...I don't think I'm comfortable conceptualizing creativity as so cavalier even with the representations of human life (even as someone who has killed off her share of characters, both original and other people's, in her creative efforts). How do we determine how much a character is worth? Is a character's worth simply the emotional investment the audience puts in? Do the needs of the story outweigh the worth of the character? I don't know, and I feel odd even posting about this. But as a reader and as a writer, it's been on my mind, though I obviously have no definitive conclusion whatsoever. 