Random Pet Peeve #168: People Used to Have Names, You Know

[lukon_idein]

Okay, so I'm being old and crotchety here, but hey, that's what people do when they are surrounded by the next generation, right? So, I am a Dr. Who fan from way back, and I've pretty much seen every pre-hiatus episode that's available (including the unfinished Douglas Adams scripted Shada). I've watched a few of the new eps but haven't fallen in love yet - some things I like (Captain Jack - yum) and some things I don't (Dr. in luuuuv - icky). Whatever. That's not my problem. My problem is that I still remember those old discussions that inevitably involved the question 'Who's your favorite Doctor?' Lots of 'Tom Baker' and 'Jon Pertwee', some 'Peter Davison', very few 'Colin Baker'... but it was all names - of people, of actors who portrayed a character, who brought life and personality and individuality to each regeneration. Now I know all these younger folks who are completely into the new doctors and it's all numbers. 'I like ten.' 'Did you see that one with nine?' 'Which doctor was that? Three?' ARRRRRRGGGGGHHHHHHH. Fuck that. It's so.... I dunno... reductionary and depersonalizing or something. Or maybe it just represents the fans considering the doctor as a single, whole character, divorced from the medium of television. Which I guess shouldn't be a bad thing, I do that myself with other fandoms, but somehow in this case it still annoys the fuck out of me. I don't know why, but it does, and hence I shake my cane at humanity once more.

On a lighter note, I was searching through old mix tapes (yes, tapes) looking for songs to convert to digital, and rediscovered Touch and Go's Would You...?. This song NEVER fails to bring a smile to my face. If you aren't familiar with it, do a quick Youtube search (no official video, but several amateur jobs - don't watch 'em, just listen). It is SOOOO worth it. :)

Comments

[dentelle-noir.livejournal.com]

Aaaah, the Dr. Who rant!

I personally prefer the number, and that is because I do not like, may I repeat, I personally do not like, real-people fanfic. I have no problem reading or writing about fictional characters, but I have a problem when we start talking about "Sarah Michelle Gellar walked out to the car" rather then "Buffy stalked towards the menacing minivan"

I prefer to say "Ten pulled out the super-sonic ray gun" rather then "David Tennant..."

I like to think of characters as characters, and people as people, you know? If we call the incarnations by their actors, then, YES it gives the actor more credit and more ownership of the character, but as a fanficcer *I* want to be able to write about the character and not the actor. David Tennant never went to Galifrey; He works on a BBC set. You know what I'm getting at? I like to have that immediate distinction between person and character when fan fic is involved.

[lukon-idein.livejournal.com]

I totally see your point of view, and I agree that real person fic is skeevy. I think the weirdness for me comes from the fact that my friends and I had no fanfic involvement with Dr. Who, so it would have been more along the lines of identifying James Bonds in conversation using the actors' names rather than 'the first Bond is better than the fourth Bond' type thing. We did read some of the novels, though, but you could easily tell what doctor it was by his physical description and what companions he was with. So there was no need for numbers. I can see how they would be useful, though, for tagging stories, a la 3x5 in GW, for example, so someone knows what to expect right away.

But I think I would object to using them within a story itself (if anyone does - I have no idea) because, a) if it's from the Doctor's POV, I doubt he thinks of himself as Number Ten, though I would buy the occasional reflection 'He found it hard to believe he was on his tenth regeneration'; b) if it's from a companion's POV, for the most part they have no idea what regeneration he's on, and half the time they don't know he can regenerate, and even still, they would think of him as the Doctor, not Nine or Eight or Three. I could see how confusion could arise with multiple Doctors in the same scene, but there are ways to handle that just as there ways to handle the magical clone/doppelganger scenario of any other fandom.

But still, for quick and easy reference between fans and/or friends it makes lots of sense. But, now that I'm so old, the names are hardwired into my brain and the numbers I always have to stop and figure out. So maybe this is just laziness rearing its ugly head! :)

Thanks for weighing in on the issue!!! Sorry if I sounded too bitchy. ><^

(Hope things are going well with your new school!)

[(Anonymous)]

"and hence I shake my cane at humanity once more." the best quote ever

- Edrie

[lukon-idein.livejournal.com]

HAHA!! Something about the cane-shaking image makes me laugh my ass off!