I'm replying to Natasa, replying to Neil:
I agree completely - the original world of B7 series is much more stoical, much less is spoken directly and much more is just intimated or remains hidden inside, than in fanfic.
My analysis: "The fewer lines we have to write, the faster we can finish this script and get down the pub."
This is actually the author trying to explain to us the psychological motivation of characters in her story, and she is doing it in a very
clumsy
way. She also shows great disrespect for us as the readers,
Awww, Natasa, we're all doing the best we can. Some days are better than others, Section Leader. I don't think anybody deliberately sets out to write a lousy story.
If I understand this correctly, you dislike fanfic where (male) characters behave like stereotypical women: they babble, express interest in food and clothes, display their emotions overtly and gossip about each other.
OK, Neil, you don't get a review copy of The Complete Works of Executrix. But if you ask me, food, clothes, and gossip are a lot more interesting than neutron blasters.
I think there are two facets to every fanfic story: what we wanted to read, and had to write because it wasn't there, and what we wanted to write. I don't think I'm the only fanwriter who deliberately tries to improve technique, or work on a broader canvas, or try technical innovations (flashbacks and flash forwards, for instance)--or who tries to write her/his way into the head of a character found puzzling or even unattractive.
-(Y)