Very true. All authors are going to spin the characters somewhat to their own preferences. It's just my personal feeling that the ones who write based on the comics tend to write characters more in character, because they've been immersed in the comics for a much longer time. I see the parallel in Star Trek fandom between the ToS fans and the reboot movie fans. I tend to write from the reboot perspective, but I'm also steeped in ToS canon from watching all of it as a kid and some of the reboot fic can really grate on my nerves.

What it all boils down to is personal preference and subjectivity. There's really no way to be objective about art. Some of the stories I hate the most, are the most beloved in that particular fandom and vice versa. We like what we like and trying to quantify it and qualify it turns it into meaningless little black marks on the page.

Darcy's kind of LBD, but there has to be another word for her. Hmm.

Snarky sidekick? She's basically a Xander, except more peripheral to the action.

A good source for recs, particularly for het or gen, is Astridv on DW

Excellent. I'll check her out, thanks! I actually quite like Darcy -- what little I've seen her in Thor, that is. Kat Dennings is an appealing presence and I'm fond of outsider POV as well. It's just that when the writers build her up as this INCREDIBLE AWESOME CHARACTER ALL AVENGERS GO GA-GO OVER that I get irritated. For example, I was reading a longish Darcy-centric fic the other day (I cannot even remember who the author paired her with), which I initially thought had promise, but the writer gave kept piling stuff on like... Darcy worked her way through in her family's diner so she's an incredible cook, then she got into Stanford, then deferred a year because her mother got cancer and she had to nurse her through it, then the Avengers-related shenanigans forced her to move to NYC, and she couldn't afford Columbia except she totally runs into the Dean of Columbia totally accidentally who falls in love with her in 10 minutes of meeting her thus cuts her a break, then she starts cooking meals for all the Avengers who instantly proclaim she is indispensable, except she is unappreciated by Jane because Jane is a big meanie, and... I had to stop there. (I cannot believe I read that far, actually.)

I guess it might help if I start reading off recs instead of just trolling AO3, but I'm not into fandom's most popular pairings so my choices are fairly limited.

Re. Comics vs. Movies. I have no problems with stories that base the entirety of its background info on the movie. I loved the movie. I have no patience or inclination to start reading decades of Avengers/CA/IM comic book canon. It's like the New Who vs. the Old School Who debate. It's great if your fic is based on meticulous canon knowledge of everything Who-related going back to the 60's. But don't tell me I'm doing it wrong if I prefer reading fic that's primarily about the New Who since 2005. Ditto for Avengers and my preference for movie verse characterization.

I like the Darcy fic I've read, but then I'm not reading anything without a couple of recs. And I'm good with Clint/Coulson, but that's because I adore the Toasterverse series.

which I initially thought had promise, but the writer gave kept piling stuff on like

Oh, yeah, I read that one. It was pretty ridiculous. I liked some of it, though, like the basement vault with all the old stuff in it. Wasn't sold on how Jane was vilified, though, that was ridiculous--although to be fair, near the end of the story Pepper reads Darcy the riot act for some of her behavior, although it really doesn't make up for the complete MarySue-ification of the character.

I don't know why I can handle Darcy being such a MarySue compared to all the truly awful MarySues in Narnia fanfiction. If you go to FFN, 3/4 of the stories on the first Narnia page are of the "Ashley falls into Narnia and meets the handsome king Edmund/Peter/Caspian" type. It's really quite astonishing.

liked some of it, though, like the basement vault with all the old stuff in it.

Yeah, me too. It had some nifty ideas and the writing was decent. Once she got started on Jane though, I was out of there. UGH, character-bashing. Fastest way to show author's unsightly hand if you ask me.

UGH, character-bashing. Fastest way to show author's unsightly hand if you ask me.

Yeah. To be honest, I kept thinking that it was an unreliable-narrator situation, and Jane was going to be shown to be awesome. It kept not happening, though...

I thought the Avengers fandom was relatively free of portmanteaux but no.

I think the one that made me actually say out loud oh HELL No was Coulsicle. Not that I have a problem with the pairing, per se (though I can't really buy it, much like Banner/Natasha), but... really?

The only time I've been annoyed with a story basing everything off of movie-canon was a Bucky/Tony, then Bucky/Tony/Steve fic (that had a great Pepper/Coulson epilogue). I didn't realize how invested I am in The Winter Soldier [link] storyline until I read something that completely disregarded it.

I kept thinking that it was an unreliable-narrator situation

Well, by the time that thing with Dean of Columbia happened, I decided the author basically thought Darcy could do no wrong, so the notion of an unreliable narrator didn't even occur to me. I thought about ranting about that fic on my LJ but I think some of my friends are friends with the author.

Oh, another unrelated stuff that really shows author's hand: You know how sometimes, you are totally in love with that TV program / that awesome band / that fantastic book you just read, etc.? So much so that you want to have one of your fic characters to be a mouth-piece to proselytize it? Or at least have the character mention a preference for that show/band/book as an indirect shorthand to show how cool that character is? (After all, YOU really love that particular piece of art and you are the arbiter of cool after all.) DON'T. In the majority of the cases, it comes across as a really jarring, obvious and often obnoxious authorial insertion. Now, of course it's appropriate and in character if the character is canonically known to love the said material (Abed and Batman, Hardison and Doctor Who, and I guess I could sort of buy Darcy, being a poli sci major, would love The West Wing). But in most cases, it's really a bad idea.

I've seen profic do this as well. I cannot tell you how much I hated the bit from Time Traveller's Wife where writer basically tells us (instead of showing) how cool the two main characters are by saying they both love punk music. Lazy AND obnoxious!

Well, apparently I am in a ranty mood today.

In the majority of the cases, it comes across as a really jarring, obvious and often obnoxious authorial insertion

Oh, yeah.

I remember reading a Stargate SG-1 story in which the writer really really hated Mitchell. I pointed out to her that maybe she wanted to tone it back. In later years she fell madly in love with the character, which just goes to show you. Don't tip your hand!

too much Darcy/anyone to even deal with

I like Darcy in all of the stories I've stuck around with long enough to finish reading. She's surrounded by demigods and superheros and crazy overly competent spies. And what she wants? Is her iPod back especially because she just bought new music. Plus she'll taz you she's threatened. I dig this girl.

but that's because I adore the Toasterverse series.

Yeah, that happened to me as well. Throw some really fun and well done crack on a story and I will follow it for a while.

Plus, picturing Jeremy Renner hurts no story in my brain. I accept this shallow.

What it all boils down to is personal preference and subjectivity. There's really no way to be objective about art.

Very true.