it's only fear
I am tiiiired, oh my goodness - unwontedly and unwarrantedly so, really. But I do this thing where I wear myself out thinking of all that I need to do, mentally retreading my to-do list and bullet-pointing lots of anxiety under each item on it. It doesn't help that I tend to procrastinate more when I'm afraid, and there's very little I dislike more
( Read more... )
It's a difficult situation, isn't it? I certainly don't want to harsh anyone's squee, and I understand that many people aren't interested in the ~social justice~ part of fandom, just the escapism. In that case, Arthur/Eames probably works as a frame for cliches and kinks that have become a really ingrained part of slash fandom.
On the other hand, it feels somewhat disingenuous to me. Periodically I'll see reflections on representation (of women, of characters of color, of disabled characters, etc.) or reminders that at least one purpose of fandom is giving voice to the voiceless, fleshing out and bettering the parts of canon that dissatisfy us. Despite these posts, we seem to return to the same types of characters and stories.
Of course, it's not easy - writing characters who don't have that kind of archetypal comfort and ease attached - I know I'm scared to do it. Further, even "media slash fandom" is not a unified entity, so the only certain thing I know about the kinds of generalizations I've just made is that they're based in my own personal frustrations. I'm not eager to judge or condemn anyone else for their choices - I'm just, I don't know, tired of having the same issues with fanon that I do with canon. I feel like I've been reading books from the same genre for a long time, and as much as I love that genre, I want to read something new and different; but when I go to the shelves, no one's written what I want to read.
Ahaha, oh geez. I bet when you agreed you weren't expecting an entitled, run-on ramble in response, sorry! I clearly have a lot of messy uncertainty about this. /o\ I do think it's important to talk about it - I just wish I knew how, you know?
Reply
I certainly don't want to harsh anyone's squee
Yes, but for me it's more than that. The reason I haven't said anything is two-fold. Firstly, I don't think that Arthur/Eames is inherently bad, it only becomes problematic when viewed in the wider context of the slash fandom. Secondly, I happily ship a number of similar pairings and if I singled out this particular one, it is likely to come across as fairly hypocritical. These are obviously my issues, um.
Periodically I'll see reflections on representation (of women, of characters of color, of disabled characters, etc.) or reminders that at least one purpose of fandom is giving voice to the voiceless
This is true and it is awesome, talking about the issues is certainly important... and yet I can't help but feel that this is all that a lot of us do. Talk about it, pat ourselves on the back and then go back to primarily reading/writing/discussing the same old thing. I think that those that quietly write/promote different types of stories and characters are a lot more likely to change anything. I don't know, this probably makes little sense, I am not saying that reflections are pointless, but I would much prefer it, if the energy spent in writing, let's say a rant, was used up in writing a fic, which focuses on a female protagonist, for example.
Also, there is a second fill to the Mal is awake prompt, which is just as awesome as the first one, you should check it out if you haven't already.
Reply
I agree that speaking out in favor of change but not changing is pretty common, and I like the solution you suggest. That kind of quiet approach isn't necessarily going to draw attention - nothing like the meta and wankstorms we've had in the past - but it will actually be something different. A step in the right direction, when all the talking doesn't seem to get us anywhere.
Thank you for pointing me to that second fill! It was so good. *_*
Reply
Leave a comment