A fine distinction.
Okey-dokey, so it seems to be the time for some major-ass flareups in various *cough*feedback*cough*-related areas, not to mention various flappage I haven't seen but only noticed referenced in my flist from time to time. So I totally -- totally -- mean this in a NON-confrontational way, y'all. But here we go:
There IS a difference between a story utilizing a broadly unpopular pairing, and outright BADFIC. The terms really aren't mutually inclusive.
I say this as somebody who digs one of those broadly unpopular pairings. Thing is, I dig the popular pairing, as well. I do. In fact it's really my OTP. Well, I only read it, don't write it, or well, not much, but still: I get it. I really, really do.
But I like this other pairing, too. Not every single story utilizing it -- any more than I adore equally every single story utilizing the OTP -- but a number of them, I really enjoy. And have written the pairing, once. Just like the OTP pairing thing.
See, there's room in this big old pool for all of us to splash around in and not get too crowded. Like CSI, you know? A couple of pairings in that fandom made me look around for a wastebasket to hork in. Gahhhhh. But I wouldn't call them "badfic." For one thing, I didn't read the stories in question -- how the heck would I know if they were bad, good, or indifferent? FOR ME they were off-limits. Just cannot go there, feh, bleah, no thankee.
But for some fen, man, they were the cat's pajamas. And I respect that. I may not understand it, and I sure as hell don't share the feeling -- but I understand that we can feel very differently about it, and that's cool.
I don't, erm, mean this as lecture-ish as it probably sounds. I honestly don't. For me, variety's kinda the spice. I hate tarragon with a flaming red passion -- keep that shit away from me, please -- but it doesn't make tarragon BAD. Just bad for me. Wow, is it bad for me. Gluurgh. *small retching noise*
Just, you know. It kinda hurts me when I see a subsection of a fandom dismissed in toto, out of hand, by dint of its very existence. It's just not everyone's thing, man. Not defending it; either way it's cool. (Now a nitty-gritty discussion of an alternate pairing -- that would interest me.)
Now I'll be quiet, because I've wanted to say this for a couple of weeks now, and I finally did, and now I shall go write something fictional-ish-y instead.
There IS a difference between a story utilizing a broadly unpopular pairing, and outright BADFIC. The terms really aren't mutually inclusive.
I say this as somebody who digs one of those broadly unpopular pairings. Thing is, I dig the popular pairing, as well. I do. In fact it's really my OTP. Well, I only read it, don't write it, or well, not much, but still: I get it. I really, really do.
But I like this other pairing, too. Not every single story utilizing it -- any more than I adore equally every single story utilizing the OTP -- but a number of them, I really enjoy. And have written the pairing, once. Just like the OTP pairing thing.
See, there's room in this big old pool for all of us to splash around in and not get too crowded. Like CSI, you know? A couple of pairings in that fandom made me look around for a wastebasket to hork in. Gahhhhh. But I wouldn't call them "badfic." For one thing, I didn't read the stories in question -- how the heck would I know if they were bad, good, or indifferent? FOR ME they were off-limits. Just cannot go there, feh, bleah, no thankee.
But for some fen, man, they were the cat's pajamas. And I respect that. I may not understand it, and I sure as hell don't share the feeling -- but I understand that we can feel very differently about it, and that's cool.
I don't, erm, mean this as lecture-ish as it probably sounds. I honestly don't. For me, variety's kinda the spice. I hate tarragon with a flaming red passion -- keep that shit away from me, please -- but it doesn't make tarragon BAD. Just bad for me. Wow, is it bad for me. Gluurgh. *small retching noise*
Just, you know. It kinda hurts me when I see a subsection of a fandom dismissed in toto, out of hand, by dint of its very existence. It's just not everyone's thing, man. Not defending it; either way it's cool. (Now a nitty-gritty discussion of an alternate pairing -- that would interest me.)
Now I'll be quiet, because I've wanted to say this for a couple of weeks now, and I finally did, and now I shall go write something fictional-ish-y instead.