fandomsecrets | [ SECRET POST #2007 ]

[ SECRET POST #2007 ]

⌈ Secret Post #2007 ⌋

Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.

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Notes:

Secrets Left to Post: 06 pages, 111 secrets from Secret Submission Post #287.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - broken links ], [ 0 - not!secrets ], [ 1 - not!fandom ], [ 0 - too big ], [ 1 - repeat ], [ 1 - text secret ], [ 1 - empty image ].
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.

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So I've noticed that in ~~some fandoms~~ a lot of fandoms, there's a bit of tension between gen fans versus people who prefer romance fic, and that second group is further divided into het vs. slash, and the slashers are even further divided into guy-slash vs. lady-slash... and I really don't get it. This whole thing seems to me like shipping wars taken to a different level, but it seems that the people who'll argue about this stuff are generally also the same people who think shipping wars are stupid.

And now I am wondering two things:
1) Is it weird that I find this confusing and kind of hypocritical, or am I missing something?
2) Are there any other fans who'll read pretty much anything as long as it's got a good plot, or is it just me? :(

For me it's about time. Guy on guy slash is my preferred genre, and if given the choice between all of them with just half an hour to read a fic in, I'm going to choose my preference obvs. It doesn't mean I'm unwilling to read others, just that I have preferences and and a non-infinite amount of time.

Regarding 2 - that's where I'm at now - though technically that's only because I'm mostly skimming over the sex because sex does nothing for me. But yes, if the plot is a good one (and the characters are mostly in-character) I will read pretty much anything. There just needs to be a larger amount of plot than sex.

I think the fighting is stupid, but everyone has their preferences and there's nothing wrong with that. I'll read fic as long as it's good too, but sometimes I'm in the mood for a specific type of fic, and will go looking for, say, lesbian sexytimes only.

1) Yeah, kinda. I hate it when people fight over things like this, it's a great way to make me get real sick of the fandom real fast.
2) Nope! I like that too.

I don't know if you're like that, but this post reminds me of the attitude that you have to personally like something in order to be a decent human being about other people liking it, and no. I like some things a lot better than other things, but we're all pretty cool people and a ship, or a gender preference for ships, is just that.

My main draw to stuff is reading the kind of romance fandom writes, so. I'll read gen if it's got something else that appeals to me, but I feel like a lot of it is just standard fic minus the romance, which isn't my thing. I also dislike het unless the couple has one of the few het dynamics I like, or the story's got something else that's good. Unless people are actually being homophobic or misogynist, I think it's pretty stupid to fight about.

I get having preferences. What I don't get is why some people feel the need to argue over their preferences, as if liking a certain type of fanfic makes them somehow enlightened or superior. Like, the sort of person who'll accuse you of being a patriarchy-loving misogynist if you don't read femmeslash. Or the ones who complain about how "There's not enough slash/het/gen/etc. in my fandom!", and then they get all pissy and self-righteous when someone suggests "Well, why don't you just write your own?"

These same people will often turn around and say "Shipping wars are stupid! You'd never see me in a shipping war!" That's what I find hypocritical about it.

1) Welcome to most fandoms.
2) I read pretty much anything, gen or romance, slash or no. Good writing needs no excuses.

I'm sort of #2, in that I'll read most stories with a good plot, but I do go to preference first, as anon1 said. Gen, then het, then (if it's really good) slash. But yeah, it's a time management vs. good story thing. If I am going to read something, I don't want to feel like I've put the time in on something I won't enjoy. So, either the work is of my preference, or is so good that I don't mind the preferences it goes against.

I think the next phase of the shipping wars after this will be multishippers vs. OTP shippers, though. There seems to be some ~*TENSION*~ arising in that direction. :D

Regarding "multishippers vs. OTP shippers" - Seriously? I thought multishippers were a pretty mellow bunch. I mean, I've never seen someone get called an idiot or homophobe for only shipping a character with one other character. It's definitely not one of the first things that comes to mind when I think of shipping-related wank.

Re: About the het vs. slash vs. femmeslash vs. gen thing

hwc - 2012-07-01 21:36 (UTC) - Expand

Re: About the het vs. slash vs. femmeslash vs. gen thing

(Anonymous) - 2012-07-01 21:40 (UTC) - Expand

Re: About the het vs. slash vs. femmeslash vs. gen thing

kelincihutan - 2012-07-01 22:00 (UTC) - Expand

Re: About the het vs. slash vs. femmeslash vs. gen thing

(Anonymous) - 2012-07-01 22:18 (UTC) - Expand

Re: About the het vs. slash vs. femmeslash vs. gen thing

(Anonymous) - 2012-07-02 03:54 (UTC) - Expand

So who do you think would be on the more aggressive "pushing the buttons" side of that last debate, by and large? The OTPs? (I'm only guessing that because why would multishippers get their panties in a twist first? It would seem more likely OTP 'shippers would get offended seeing their Ps being paired with other characters, just IMO.)

Re: About the het vs. slash vs. femmeslash vs. gen thing

kelincihutan - 2012-07-02 02:18 (UTC) - Expand

Arguing about shipping is pretty dumb in general but I feel like more people are open to multi-shipping. And no, I don't read everything that has a good plot. A fic might have a good plot but if I have no interest in it then I won't read it. I barely read het and OT3 stuff because I don't care for it. I don't expect everyone to be the same as me though.

http://marinarusalka.livejournal.com/227057.html?format=light

It's scary how it makes sense lol

I've never understood it, but my reason is because I don't get what being a "slash fan" or a "het fan" has to do with *shipping*. Shipping is when you, you know, ship two (or more) specific characters together in a particular relationship. You like it or are intrigued by it - or just got a random urge to read fic of it - for whatever reason. I really doubt people are going around supporting a pairing or getting into on the basis that it's het or that it's femslash.

Except they do.

Re: About the het vs. slash vs. femmeslash vs. gen thing

(Anonymous) - 2012-07-01 23:20 (UTC) - Expand

Re: About the het vs. slash vs. femmeslash vs. gen thing

(Anonymous) - 2012-07-01 23:56 (UTC) - Expand

Re: About the het vs. slash vs. femmeslash vs. gen thing

(Anonymous) - 2012-07-01 23:42 (UTC) - Expand

Re: About the het vs. slash vs. femmeslash vs. gen thing

(Anonymous) - 2012-07-01 23:48 (UTC) - Expand

Are there any other fans who'll read pretty much anything as long as it's got a good plot, or is it just me?

Nope, not just you. And while I overall ship more het than slash, I have pairings in all three categories that I really like, and am also willing to read pairings I don't like as much - sometimes it changes my mind! I like gen, too, as long as it's interesting. I love character development/analysis and relationships (not just romance - platonic friendship and family relationships and mentor/student etc etc)

I think it all stems out of the fact that there's not enough good shit to read. Couple that with the magical idea that if fans weren't weren't writing all the things that I don't like, they'd probably be writing the things that I do. And as a final cherry there's the "Every time I have to use the scroll bar, I'm reminded that other people have things to read but I don't, and that's unfair" attitude.

It's irrational, but you know, frustration has to go somewhere.

The tension is unfortunately the natural result when you have an imbalance in power -- if you fall into the minority, it's hard not to resent the majority for having more than you (and often being an ass about it). Conversely, if you're part of the majority, it's hard not to be annoyed when members of the minority group give you shit just for being on 'the other side'.

The tricky bit is that this struggle varies from fandom to fandom. For example, in one of my fandoms, the canon het pairing is the biggest draw. This pairing has literally tens of thousands of fanfics written about it; fanart is easy to find; roleplay possibilities are endless. Everyone assumes that 'most people' ship this pairing and it gets shoved in your face constantly. As a result, the slash shippers whine about the 'entitled het fans'. This situation is then 180 the opposite in my other fandom -- the show itself is a sausage fest, and slash pairings are the most popular. In that fandom, the het fans complain that 'slash is everywhere'. As a result, if you were to look at my friendslist or dash, you'd wind up thinking that het and slash fans are always at each other's throats, when the underlying cause has nothing to do with the pairings themselves.

Actually, it's:

GEN vs ROMANCE
HET vs SLASH
BOTTOM!CHAR!SLASH vs TOP!CHAR!SLASH
and finally
FEMMESLASH vs SLASH

at least, that's how it seems to me.

Re: About the het vs. slash vs. femmeslash vs. gen thing

(Anonymous) - 2012-07-02 00:37 (UTC) - Expand

Re: About the het vs. slash vs. femmeslash vs. gen thing

(Anonymous) - 2012-07-02 00:44 (UTC) - Expand

Seconding with you on no 2. I'll read just about anything as long as it has good plot.

I generally stay away from het since it's everywhere and because of lack of general interest but I am a bit biased when it comes to femmslash. I will read anything that has femmslash in it. Slash I will definitely read but I'm a bit pickier.

Re: About the het vs. slash vs. femmeslash vs. gen thing

(Anonymous) - 2012-07-02 03:15 (UTC) - Expand

No, definitely not just you. I just like what I like. Yeah, I have some preferences. I tend to gravitate more toward gay and lesbian pairings, partially because I'm queer myself and like seeing that, and partially because when I read porn, m/m and f/f are hotter to me.

But categorizing myself as a slash fan or a gen fan or whatever feels weird. I like a lot of things, and sometimes I'll have different preferences in different fandoms, too. And when I write, I definitely don't think in terms of my stuff being gen or slash or het. It just is what it is.

Mmmm, I'll read what I like. It may be four fandoms in a row where I prefer a m/m couple, then one with f/m. Sometimes I'll read if it's just a good story, but that's more for gen. If I'm going to read a romance, it's probably going to be one about the couple canon taught me to prefer (or more than one couple in a canon, then one of those couples, of course).

The Internet is the only place I know where what you enjoy reading in your free time is so damn politicized. I've been reading for 37 years and it's never been a deal, geez.

I've never not read something because of what it was. But I do have OTPs in various fandom (none of them in one category) that I prefer to read. I do find femmeslash generally written far, far better than anything but gen, but I think that's because of the dearth of it.

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