ext_206634 ([identity profile] jan-u-wine.livejournal.com) wrote in [personal profile] mechtild 2014-01-11 03:21 pm (UTC)

okay, I'm ready to have another go at answering!

I have to agree that S/J is not in main similar to F/S. It's just, I suppose, that 'hero/side-kick' relationships have common elements, and that is what makes them so attractive to writers. It's such a luxury to write the common elements, and then take off in flight writing the unique elements. There are certain truths that hold true for me when I am writing pieces from LOTR (I don't really write S/J, as I don't have the sense, at least yet, of the characters). When I write Frodo, he's always got Sam somewhere there in his mind. And Sam always has Frodo somewhere in his heart. It isn't a conscious thought with me......it's part of writing in these voices. It's part of hero/side-kick character truth, imo. The wonderful ying/yang of the thing, with the intellect balanced by the organic heart.

It's like God-love (agape, a more far-off love) being balanced (and made larger thereby)by philia (human, brotherly love, such love as is immediate and 'close' in terms of our humanity).

Anyway, onward.

I think that I quite understand why slashers (or many of them) write Frodo as the emo d/q. I think we partially have Petey to blame for that, since he, by omission or commission, cut off poor Frodo's appendages, made him ever so much a different/less person than book Frodo was. Then there is the nature of slash/man-love itself. In a general sort of way, one of the partners is going to be less male than the other. One is going to be, shall we say, beta to the other one's alpha. And then it's just a matter of degree. And sometimes just sloppy, easy writing to take a Frodo who is by nature gentle, kind, a sort of dreamer(all things we unfortunately may associate with weakness and.......gayness?) and then has been undermined by the horrors of the Quest and just make him a clinging wife to *his* Sam. (but I also understand why you gave up on reading sappy slash)

No, Frodo certainly is no sociopath. But imho, he has issues that pre-date the Quest (don't we all) and that were brought to a terrible point after. He's just as emotionally in need of balancing as Sherlock. Sherlock just really (as played by BC), IS a drama queen. Frodo is really not so. But it makes you wonder: Frodo is most definitely and obviously compromised during the latter parts of the Quest and post-Quest. You don't see him so pre-Quest. But ....was what held him together the constancy of his life then? The lovely order of it.

But, when you think of it, that is what holds most of us together, holds the demons which lurk inside at bay: the normalcy and pattern of our lives, with the people and things that we hold dear at our sides. Take those things away, and the demons may come out to play. And that is really what happened to Frodo, in a large way. But no, no sociopath was he.

Sherlock and John as dating possibilities: actually, I would not want to date either of them, John being very much too dedicated to Sherlock. Right now (and for the 'past two years') he thinks Sherlock is dead and has become dedicated to someone else. How all of these relationships will be tested! (we have not had any of the new series yet in the US). It will be interesting to see how John copes with having two ultimately important and priority relationships in his life. We already know Sherlock won't cope well!


Post a comment in response:

This account has disabled anonymous posting.
If you don't have an account you can create one now.
HTML doesn't work in the subject.
More info about formatting