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[gabrielleabelle]

So, Andrew and I were discussing fanfic a while ago. He doesn't "get" it. He approaches fiction differently than I do, and his approach isn't conducive to ficcing. That's cool

Comments

[enigmaticblues]

You know, this is something I've been thinking about a lot lately, particularly since I'm getting into fandoms where I tend to prefer gen-fic (which has never happened before).

I think that, for me, I tend to go for fic in fandoms where I want more of a pairing, or more of an interaction. I read fic for fandoms where I'm left unsatisfied, for whatever reason. A lot of the time, this means that I'm left wanting more of a particular pairing. Sometimes, it means that I want more of a gen interaction because the show didn't quite fulfill the potential that I wanted. It's only when fanfic isn't filling my needs that I write my own fic for that particular fandom.

I have no idea if this is true for other people as well, but that's how it works for me.

[gabrielleabelle]

I'm a bit weirded out that I've never read genfic. Even in my early days of fannishness (back when I was all about Star Trek and all), I had some pairing I was into. I'm not sure what to make of that.

[ceciliaj]

I thought I wasn't a slasher. Then I saw The Social Network. No, but seriously. Sure, I was already more open to it because I was already in other fandoms, and, you know, am in a gay relationship, with mostly queer friends, but still. I had a becoming-a-slasher moment during the movie, and I haven't looked back. In that way, it seems to me like other kinds of attraction -- it just hits you, and it's more likely that you'll recognize it if you have kind of a script to help you process what you're looking at.

I will say though that your post made me a bit sad that I, like, never read friend-fic. I love friendship, and talking about friendship. Hm. *ponders* (Well, I used to read a lot of Daria/Jane friend-fic, with just not more than quick kiss at the very end. It was about friendship. It was just...just a little shippy, too, okay?)

[gabrielleabelle]

Hee! I'm still not a slasher in the sense of "I independently slash characters together". But, apparently, if there are two characters that I think have an interesting dynamic, I'll romantically pair them up to explore it. I think the romantic pairing is largely incidental for me, though. It's just like fulfilling the fandom requisite or something.

I don't know why that bar is there, but it bothers me somehow. I like to think I'd dig on a friendship fic, but I can't say that I've ever read one. I mean, I guess I've read some friendship-and-possibly-more fics that hint at something. But just plain, platonicness? Yeah, not really.

[deird1]

I think, as a rule, I'm interested in character interactions on a "what if" basis. If you don't want to write the characters simply talking in the way they always do, you need to introduce something different - either externally (zombie apocalypse - what do they do?) or internally (Buffy becomes an assassin and hunts down Xander - how do they react?).

Producing a romance or sex is an easy way to change (and thus explore) their relationship without changing the universe too much.

[gabrielleabelle]

(Buffy becomes an assassin and hunts down Xander - how do they react?).

...there must be fic for this, right? *iz curious*

[menomegirl]

Not that I've ever seen.

Very interesting plot bunny. :)

[bluemage55]

That's a pretty rough day for Xander. XD

[gabrielleabelle]

Huh. I kinda guessed that it varied by fandom (Star Trek, for instance, has a whole lot more genfic than BtVS). I wouldn't have thought that BtVS had more genfic than HP, though. Especially since relationships are so explicit in BtVS. It can be difficult to not have a pairing since the show often puts a heavy focus on the romances for us.

Course, I've also been thinking of the reception of DS9 by Trekkers, and how people complain that it was "Deep Space 90210" because it had the gall to have a romance one or twice a year, and how that's seen as a bad thing. Star Trek, in general, has a very "masculine" style of storytelling in contrast to the more relationship and character-focused style of BtVS.

Okay, I have no clue where I'm going with that or if it's even connected more than tangentially. I'm just rambling cause I've been shooting these thoughts about for the past few days and I still got nothing.

[gabrielleabelle]

I do think there's something to the fact that HP fandom probably skews younger than BtVS.

[agnes_bean]

Now I'm pondering on the follow-up question of why fanfic tends to fall along such lines. *ponders* (This may be kind of incoherent

[gabrielleabelle]

A) *nods*

B) *nods*

C) *nods*

Interesting thoughts. I think the question I have would originate, then, in A, with why it's specifically relationships that appear to pique people's interest enough to fic. Obviously, there are examples of the wider canon sparking an interest, but given the structure of fandom, that seems to happen less than the interest in relationships.

[agnes_bean]

I think the question I have would originate, then, in A, with why it's specifically relationships that appear to pique people's interest enough to fic.

Huh. Now that IS an interesting question. And I don't really have an answer for that other than "but the relationships and characters are obviously the best part!" because that's just how I am.

Maybe there's a link between the kind of fannish personality that is drawn to characters and the kind of fannish personality that is drawn to fic as opposed to, IDK, wikis and arguing over details of canon in a non-fic capacity, which is certainly another approach for being fannish.

Interesting how those different approaches also tend to fall along gender lines, at least stereotypically (The stereotypes of the male Trekkie who knows the entire layout of the enterprise vs. the weird female slasher).

*ponders some more*

[gabrielleabelle]

And I don't really have an answer for that other than "but the relationships and characters are obviously the best part!" because that's just how I am.

Well, there is that. :)

Maybe there's a link between the kind of fannish personality that is drawn to characters and the kind of fannish personality that is drawn to fic as opposed to, IDK, wikis and arguing over details of canon in a non-fic capacity, which is certainly another approach for being fannish.

Huh. Interesting thought...

*ponders with you*