Two things

[dotfic]

When someone uses "it's just fiction" as a reason why people shouldn't get all worked up when they find a story -- any narrative, canon or fanwork -- hurtful, I'm going to also assume they don't think much of the ability of stories to make people happy, to make them laugh, or cry, or have thinky thoughts, or leave pink sparkly hearts of joy in the

Comments

[barbarianwinter]

Absolutely right. :) *sparkly hearts for this post*

[dotfic]

♥

There's lots of awesome in those genres (varying according to personal preference) -- but I can't get behind the idea that any one of them is somehow immune to, or more prone to, being a Bad Genre Prone to Fail.

[barbarianwinter]

I can't get behind the idea that any one of them is somehow immune to, or more prone to, being a Bad Genre Prone to Fail

Yeah, I'm gonna need, like, detailed analysis before I buy those sorts of comments. Like a scientific study of the percentages of shoddy fic in each genre...which would need a (~magic~ probably) unbiased, non-subjective system of measuring suck and awesome in written works. :P So not likely!

[desertport]

Yes.

And an addendum to No. 2: Fail does not confine itself to a single fandom.

[dotfic]

Thank you, that too!

[writingpathways]

I've never understood people who don't feel from fiction, it's something that captures real human nature, emotion, on any possible subject and emotion. It's as much a part of me as breathing, fiction is.

And yep, all writing possibilities can lead to big epic fail.

[dotfic]

They can lead to epic win, too...but I had to make that point about the fail. <3

[writingpathways]

Oh of course, Epic Win. Beautiful lyrical wins, and hysterical laugh so hard wins, and cry-y wins.

[marinarusalka]

Also, you know what genre of fanfic seems particularly open to containing various kinds of fail? Try ALL OF THEM.

Thank you! That's something that's been bothering me in the hc_bingo discussions, because there are all these great posts and comments about ablism and how to avoid disability fail in your writing and stuff, and in the middle of it, people keep popping up just to go "eeeeew, hurt/comfort, gross!" as if that has anything to do with it. The point is to minimize fail everywhere, regardless of fandom or genre of challenge format.

[dotfic]

Yeah, pinning it on specific genres, or specific fandoms, leads to complacency -- it misses the point of how systemic certain attitudes are.

[marinarusalka]

It's so easy -- and so tempting -- to sit back and say "oh, I'm so glad I'm not with those faily people over there." But if you're in fandom at all, then you're in together with the faily people. Heck, if you're on planet Earth at all, then you're in together with the faily people. We can work on not failing, or failing less, or calling out fail when we see it, but we can't magically insulate ourselves by hanging out only with the "right" people or in the "right" places.

[dotfic]

To quote a very wise man, "screws fall out all the time. The world's an imperfect place."

We can work on not failing, or failing less, or calling out fail when we see it, but we can't magically insulate ourselves

Thank you, yes, that. It's also not a reason for fans to stop writing and posting. If no one writes and posts, then how does anyone learn anything on *any* topic, not to mention what a sad, sad place fandom would be without fanfic and posts.

[mtgat]

Also, you know what genre of fanfic seems particularly open to containing various kinds of fail? Try ALL OF THEM.

This. Calling stuff out when it's in your chosen genre or fandom can't happen if you let yourself believe it's only a problem over there. :P

[dotfic]

I sometimes think "LOL it's only fiction" is a convenient argument people keep under the sink in a little box marked "in case of SRS BIZNESS DISCUSSION, BREAK GLASS." People don't seem to have trouble taking fiction seriously when it's all happy times.