Critical Mass

[bloodyrosemccoy]

Today at the Liberry I found a new Dragonlance book—I lose track of them fairly quickly, but this one had a cover that caught my attention right away, what with the familiar figure on it.

Dragons of the Hourglass Mage. So they finally went back and told us what the hell Raistlin was up to when he disappeared from the Chronicles for a while.

… I was sore tempted, let me tell you internet.

Eventually, I put it back on the shelf. I kinda mostly hate Dragonlance. It’s not so much that it’s fluff as that it’s badly-written fluff. But the weird thing is, I think that’s because of the characters—they were almost universally uninteresting cookie-cutter people, and I really couldn’t give a shit about any of them,* and don't get me started on the female characters, if you could call them that.

And then, in the middle of all these boring characters who can’t even make friggin’ DRAGONS interesting, there’s this flash of brilliance that is Raistlin.** The character himself fascinates me, to the point that Dragonlance books tend to read: "Blah blah blah RAISTLIN blah blah OMGRAISTLIN blah blah blah LOOK RAISTLIN AGAIN." However, that doesn’t mean that dangling Raistlin in front of me will automatically get me to read a Dragonlance book. My Dragonlance Critical Mass Index is very low. The only reason I was tempted for this one is because it explains some stuff about a story I’ve already decided Counts.

See, I have this Fanon Critical Mass Index for stories. Each story/fandom seems to have a finite amount of canon that, as far as I’m concerned, Counts. If I like one book on a terrific character, that book Counts—but it’s anyone’s guess as to whether the other 237 books detailing that character’s life story will also Count. And I will religiously follow the things that Count. As for things that Don’t Count, I may dismiss or even actively dislike them—hell, I may even like things that Don’t Count, but I’ll have already hit Critical Mass for that story and therefore this new stuff can be taken as an optional extra.

I know I’m not alone on the basic issue of whether or not something Counts, but I’d like to hear some of the details of other people’s systems. Do you have a Fanon Critical Mass Index, or some other strange relationship with stories and characters and The Way It Really Went?


*Well, okay, I did find it hilarious how much they troweled on Sturm Whatsisass’s foreshadowed death. I don’t think they could have made it any clearer if they’d named him Sturm Going-To-Die-In-Book-2’s-Climax.

**No, I really do honestly think he’s a brilliant character, as well as a god damn asshole. Maybe it helped that I read it as a teenager. He’s basically what would happen if you amplified the Napoleonic resentful misunderstood megalomania of adolescence and gave it magical powers and a smoker’s cough. What teenager hasn’t felt that the universe would be a much better place if they were running it? And what teenager hasn't wanted to DESTROY the universe sometimes? (Also, what teenager doesn't feel like they are the only interesting and worthwhile person in a world full of dull-witted one-dimensional idiots?)

Comments

[karjack.livejournal.com]

I loved Dragonlance so much when I was fourteen. Now I think about rereading the books, and I can't. I just can't. The few I've glanced at are so, so bad.

[padparadscha.livejournal.com]

That's the other reason I put it back: I'm afraid to try reading them again. I've become a more picky reader, but even at the age of 15 I could see that these books were not exactly well-written--and that the female characters were infuriating on several levels. If I could catch on to it back THEN ...

[karjack.livejournal.com]

Exactly. I can't do that to my childhood.

[channonyarrow.livejournal.com]

Please don't read the book. I haven't read it either, but given how little I like books that explain the villain - villains, as Terry Pratchett can tell you, work best when we're not in their heads - I can't imagine that's a good one.

There are other reasons as well, but that's a prime one not to.

Editing comment to remove identifying information.

[padparadscha.livejournal.com]

It really depends on the type of villain for me. It can be fascinating to find yourself identifying with a villain--I like backstory with evil antiheroes, or tragic villains instead of just, well, villainous villains. But it has to be done right, or you wind up with something like, say, the Star Wars prequels. And in this case, the curiosity isn't so much about being in his head as just answering my final questions from back in the Chronicles--namely, "Did I miss something? What the hell was THAT all about?"

So, for someone like me, karjack's reason is the more compelling. Bad Writing may be enough to turn me off without the other reasons.