Fandom and Icons. Re: Supernatural fandom - not your cuppa tea? Ignore. :)
Rant to follow, feel free to chime in with your opinion or completely ignore. Whatever floats your boat. :)
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People in this fandom are loyal. Seriously loyal. I like that about them. With that said...
Most people have their OTP. I really get that. I even have my own.
I also have friends on all sides of the fences that designate the battle arena of the shipping wars. I enjoy the variety of perspectives, the different plays on narrative and the constant fluidity of change offered up by the varying views of those within this fandom. I have read scorching hot fiction in every single genre out there - sometimes, to my complete shock, and believe you me, I am not easily shocked.
For the longest time, I had one icon and did not change it. Eventually, I did. As my LJ became more and more dedicated to SPN, it felt right to change it but I agonized (silly, but true) over what my icon should be. Am I a Sam girl? Am I a Dean girl? (I am a Sam girl, I must admit, but that doesn't mean I don't need a bib when I see Dean, it just took me longer to get there with him than it did with Sam.) So, for my icon I chose the one thing that I knew was least likely to offend those with dedicated OTP's. The Impala. She seemed a natural over ride. It showed my love of the show, the beauty of her form, importance of her role as "home" and did not declare allegiance to any one pairing, keeping me from risking posting a pic of the wrong pairing to anyone's page in a comment.
In the last week, for a friend who is a hardcore Dean/Cas lady, I made an icon of her OTP for use when I post to her. I did not intend this icon for general use, I intended it as kind of a small "hey, I care" kinda thing. I unintentionally made it my primary icon and did not catch that at first.
I figured it out when I realized that a comment I made to an author I adore had been removed. *pouts* I thought about it and realized that all of her fictions are of the Sam/Dean or Dean/Sam variety. I cannot help but wonder if the post was removed because of the icon.
Now, I realize it is silly to even consider that, but I guess I cannot help it. It makes me wonder and it makes me sad.
So, I ask you, fellow friends and fans... How do you choose your icons? Do you use them specifically or very generally? Do you remove posts if the icon shows a pairing that is not your OTP?
For those that respond, thank you in advance. Navigating the social pool that is this fandom can occasionally be difficult and your input has often made sure I knew how to operate a darned rudder.
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People in this fandom are loyal. Seriously loyal. I like that about them. With that said...
Most people have their OTP. I really get that. I even have my own.
I also have friends on all sides of the fences that designate the battle arena of the shipping wars. I enjoy the variety of perspectives, the different plays on narrative and the constant fluidity of change offered up by the varying views of those within this fandom. I have read scorching hot fiction in every single genre out there - sometimes, to my complete shock, and believe you me, I am not easily shocked.
For the longest time, I had one icon and did not change it. Eventually, I did. As my LJ became more and more dedicated to SPN, it felt right to change it but I agonized (silly, but true) over what my icon should be. Am I a Sam girl? Am I a Dean girl? (I am a Sam girl, I must admit, but that doesn't mean I don't need a bib when I see Dean, it just took me longer to get there with him than it did with Sam.) So, for my icon I chose the one thing that I knew was least likely to offend those with dedicated OTP's. The Impala. She seemed a natural over ride. It showed my love of the show, the beauty of her form, importance of her role as "home" and did not declare allegiance to any one pairing, keeping me from risking posting a pic of the wrong pairing to anyone's page in a comment.
In the last week, for a friend who is a hardcore Dean/Cas lady, I made an icon of her OTP for use when I post to her. I did not intend this icon for general use, I intended it as kind of a small "hey, I care" kinda thing. I unintentionally made it my primary icon and did not catch that at first.
I figured it out when I realized that a comment I made to an author I adore had been removed. *pouts* I thought about it and realized that all of her fictions are of the Sam/Dean or Dean/Sam variety. I cannot help but wonder if the post was removed because of the icon.
Now, I realize it is silly to even consider that, but I guess I cannot help it. It makes me wonder and it makes me sad.
So, I ask you, fellow friends and fans... How do you choose your icons? Do you use them specifically or very generally? Do you remove posts if the icon shows a pairing that is not your OTP?
For those that respond, thank you in advance. Navigating the social pool that is this fandom can occasionally be difficult and your input has often made sure I knew how to operate a darned rudder.