You know what else I hate? When authors insert themselves in their work. Isn′t that just the worst?

Something I threw together just to have a comic out. It has no ponies, it recycles assets from previous comics, but what ya gonna do? Not release a comic? The answer to that, is yes. But I did it anyway for reasons counter-productive to my own point.

Someone did actually call me out for my attitude towards fan-fiction after the last comic. I’m not going to drag that argument out any further, but I feel like I can probably clarify my stance a bit. Bluntly, I don’t respect fan-fiction as a medium. Fan-fiction is an amateur form of expression; it cannot aspire to be more than just that. Literally. By definition, it can’t.

What it generally comes down to is that those who write fan-fiction more often than not are getting something completely different out of the source material that I am. There’s typically an over-focus on the rules that govern the world and less focus on the tone that governs the world. I am left wondering, what actually drew this person to the series if their response to it is something so thematically off? Occasionally I have an answer to that question, but I rarely like it.

However, I was once in at least a portion of the same boat, holding one oar and flailing it around with futility. I once wrote something similar to a fanfic, made AMVs, and the name GX itself? It belonged to a fan character I once pursued developing more than a decade ago. I’m sure part of what made me rethink my stance is age and increased expectations from my entertainment, but I also have begun questioning the purpose of doing what I do and who I do it for.

If there’s one criticism of internet culture I have to hold highest of all others, it’s that everyone is SO open about EVERYTHING anymore, that people share before assessing if something is worth sharing. I still like what I do with my former fan-fiction plot ideas, and I occasionally revisit them in my head. But I also have a realistic view of where my strengths lie and in what context I want to present myself in. I enjoyed what I did, but I made it for me, for my own enjoyment, and it’s not of any quality that I should expect others to enjoy it in the same way. I may keep it on my hard drive for sentimental reasons, as I have with a number of videos and pictures, and I might even share it with a group of my close friends, but it’s not intended for public consumption, and I don’t feel the need to push it out there.

If there’s anything I’d want you to take away from this, it’s that there’s no shame in keeping certain things private. There are comic ideas, sketches, and all manner of things I send to my friends through IM or Google Drive whatnot that never see the light of day anywhere else. Take time to seriously look at what you love and why you love it. Understand it beyond the plot and characters and rules that govern the world. Look at the tone, the audience, the structure, and its purpose as media. Have it reviewed by people who you know will give honest, productive feedback, and don’t be afraid to push something to the side if you feel you’re not adding something purposeful.

And yes, like the rest of the internet, I too am playing Pokemon.
GX