SPN 4:18 "The Monster at the End of This Book" or, My Ode to Fandom
The short version: yay Smart!Dean; I guess Dean is learning that you can't fight fate; does anyone else remember the version of the Winchester Our Father that went around a few years ago?; I'm so happy that Dean can't bring himself to leave Sam, and then goes against his entire life and actually prays for him; Castiel, you just got many, many brownie points; Oh, Lilith. Don't you know that Sam would sacrifice himself in a heartbeat, but never Dean?; and finally, WTF Zecheriah?
The angst:
I've been hesitant to post because rationally, I know I'm a little over-sensitive to this kind of thing. But the tone of the teasing made me unhappy. It's not even the content - I know who that was aimed at, and it was all very true (I mean, he's so pretty when he cries?). So I absolutely don't have a problem with that. My friends and I, mocking is how we know we're part of the group, and our motto (if we had a motto) would be "We pick because we love." So I'm well acquainted with snark and mocking .
What bothered me was what I perceived to be an underlying implication that fangirls are kinda sad and pathetic. (this is a tone I've also picked up in some interviews and con appearances, so this kind of brought it to a head.) I was kinda ehh about the entire scene with the fangirl, but I guess what spoiled it for me was the tattoo thing. She went from challenging them to acting vapid and showing them her ass in .01 seconds and their reactions said clearly what they thought of her. And that bothers me.
Every other thing they called us on we deserved and it was funny. I mean, Wincest is weird and kinda icky. I love it, the first story I ever read in fandom was Wincest and it has shaped my fandom, but I fully acknowledge the ick-factor, and certainly understand those who want no part of it, and it has taken me a long time to admit to people who don't already know that I like it. (and we won't even touch my RPS conflicts)
Fangirls, though, for all their weirdness and obsessive devotion, are some of the most amazing, intelligent, not-fucking-pathetic people I know, and it bothers me when they are portrayed as such. One of the best nights of my life involved sitting in a Denny's for hours on end with a group of fangirls - Jensen was a bonus, but not what made the experience.
I know there are the crazies. I know there are the trolls. I also know that, at least in my experience, they tend to be the outliers, not representative of the whole. I am not part of TWOP, so I will take other people's word for it that it was all in good fun.
But I have to ask - if we were devoted to, say, a sports team to the point that some of us had a tattoo of their logo, would anyone think that was weird?
My gut feeling is no.
I don't really know why I bother writing so much, since I know that really only one person is likely to read this at all. It feels good to get down my thoughts though, even if I am an attention whore and kinda wish I was a BNF so that many, many people would read and care about my opinion. THERE, I SAID IT OUT LOUD (or typed it. whatever.)
The angst:
I've been hesitant to post because rationally, I know I'm a little over-sensitive to this kind of thing. But the tone of the teasing made me unhappy. It's not even the content - I know who that was aimed at, and it was all very true (I mean, he's so pretty when he cries?). So I absolutely don't have a problem with that. My friends and I, mocking is how we know we're part of the group, and our motto (if we had a motto) would be "We pick because we love." So I'm well acquainted with snark and mocking .
What bothered me was what I perceived to be an underlying implication that fangirls are kinda sad and pathetic. (this is a tone I've also picked up in some interviews and con appearances, so this kind of brought it to a head.) I was kinda ehh about the entire scene with the fangirl, but I guess what spoiled it for me was the tattoo thing. She went from challenging them to acting vapid and showing them her ass in .01 seconds and their reactions said clearly what they thought of her. And that bothers me.
Every other thing they called us on we deserved and it was funny. I mean, Wincest is weird and kinda icky. I love it, the first story I ever read in fandom was Wincest and it has shaped my fandom, but I fully acknowledge the ick-factor, and certainly understand those who want no part of it, and it has taken me a long time to admit to people who don't already know that I like it. (and we won't even touch my RPS conflicts)
Fangirls, though, for all their weirdness and obsessive devotion, are some of the most amazing, intelligent, not-fucking-pathetic people I know, and it bothers me when they are portrayed as such. One of the best nights of my life involved sitting in a Denny's for hours on end with a group of fangirls - Jensen was a bonus, but not what made the experience.
I know there are the crazies. I know there are the trolls. I also know that, at least in my experience, they tend to be the outliers, not representative of the whole. I am not part of TWOP, so I will take other people's word for it that it was all in good fun.
But I have to ask - if we were devoted to, say, a sports team to the point that some of us had a tattoo of their logo, would anyone think that was weird?
My gut feeling is no.
I don't really know why I bother writing so much, since I know that really only one person is likely to read this at all. It feels good to get down my thoughts though, even if I am an attention whore and kinda wish I was a BNF so that many, many people would read and care about my opinion. THERE, I SAID IT OUT LOUD (or typed it. whatever.)