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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

[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...)

I think the main thing, at least personally, is that I turn to fanfic to see more of something I feel is lacking in canon. Which is often romance, because...hmmm. Let me think this out:

A) I normally only get invested enough in a relationship (of any sort) to seek out fic when the relationship already has a fairly notable role in canon.

B) Given that, if I just like the relationship as friends/family/enemies/whatever they are in canon, chances are that I'm already pretty satisfied with what I've been given in canon. I'll certainly read fic about them if it's recced or I happen to see it and it had a cool premise or a particular question comes up for me about their relationship, but that's not that often.

C) HOWEVER, if I think X and Y character would be interesting together in some sort of romantic/sexual capacity and it's not a pairing TPTB are into (which, given that I really like enemy pairings, and BFF pairings regardless of gender is pretty often), than it's not going to happen in canon, and I need to turn to fic.

I definitely see that pattern in the pairings I read fic for, too: I ship Desmond/Penny on Lost as much as, say, John/Sherlock on Sherlock (more, really). But Desmond/Penny was a big deal in Lost canon, so I never felt the need to read fic for it. John/Sherlock, OTOH, is never happening in canon, so I read lots of fic. (This also explains why I generally end up reading more slash: because slash is almost never going to be canon).

This also ends up driving what gen reading I do do: Back in the day when I was in Harry Potter, I read a fair amount of gen fic that explored the politics of the world more, because I found that interesting but lacking in canon

Of course, this doesn't explain why there is plenty of shipping fic out there about characters who barely interact. But anyway, those are some thoughts.

[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*

[deird1]

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.

I think you might be right.

There are shows that I'm hugely fannish over - Red Dwarf, for instance - but the way I care about them is remarkably different, and it shows in the way I'm fannish.

Red Dwarf, I care about the silly jokes and the outrageous antics, and I tend to be fannish by memorising details and arguing about obscure facts.
BtVS, I care about the characters, and I tend to be fannish by writing fic...

[agnes_bean]

Huh. Good point! I wasn't even thinking about it in relationship to myself. But, like, I spent all my Lost fannish energy reading message boards and debating theories about the mysteries because that element of the show was at least as important to me as the characters. Huh.

[agnes_bean]

Okay, another thought:

While fic totally CAN be used to explore things like the details and what ifs of the canon world or, IDK, the possible outcomes of the mystery on Lost, it is not the only way, and might not even be the best way (I'd rather here a logical outline of why you think X is what's going on on the island than read a fic about it, because it was like a puzzle). But fic does allow you to explore possibilities of character interactions in a way that just talking about it can't (not that meta about characters and their realtionships isn't valuable, but fic explores the "what if" in a different way).

[deird1]

But fic does allow you to explore possibilities of character interactions in a way that just talking about it can't (not that meta about characters and their realtionships isn't valuable, but fic explores the "what if" in a different way).

Definitely. I've written a couple of meta essays on characters and relationships that I've then gone back to and turned into fics, and the fics always end up expressing what I want to say much more clearly than the meta.

[gabrielleabelle]

Oh! Oh! I love this thought!

Then the predominance of relationships in fics would be because ficcing is the optimal medium with which to explore such things. Other aspects of canon are best explored in other ways, hence their relative lack in fanfic. I can grok that.

Now, why romances as opposed to friendship fics? Are romances just more interesting?

[agnes_bean]

Now, why romances as opposed to friendship fics? Are romances just more interesting?

I suppose this circles back to the idea of looking for filling gap canon is lacking, maybe? I mean, obviously that's not the only reason, but it might be a big one.

Random anecdote to support this theory: I've recently gotten really into BBC's Sherlock, which is one of those fandoms where one slash pairing -- John/Sherlock -- totally dominates. I was surprised to find, though, that there's actually a fair amount of fic out there that is John/Sherlock friendship fic, where they prove the depth of affection they have for each other but not in a romantic way. And I was also surprised to find that even though I ship J/S hardcore, I was also really eager to read those friendship fics in a way I'm not for, say, Troy/Abed from Community.

But I just realized why: Sherlock only has had three episodes so far. Therefore in canon, even though J/S is the central relationship of the show, they are still very much figuring out the depth of their friendship. They obviously mean a lot to each other, but they haven't quiet admitted it. Whereas with Troy/Abed, I have all the proof of their bromance I need in canon and therefore am mostly interested in shipper stuff in fic, with J/S I'm happy to read friendship stuff because them admitting to themselves/each other how much they need each other on a platonic level IS lacking in canon.

So, IDK. Theory!

[penny_lane_42]

The cynical part of me wants to say that it's because we as women are consistently told that our worth comes from romantic relationships and we're to define ourselves by such. But I don't think that's the only reason.