Where Religion and Fanfic Collide

[jane_elliot]

Today I'm doing my semi-weekly fanfic trawl and download (though I've been less regular lately since I'm going through the *longest fic slump ever*.  Either my standards have really raised or I'm having terrible luck lately, because it's been ages since I've found something I liked enough to rec) and stumbled across no less than 7 Merlin fics in a

Comments

[yuidirnt]

It's definitely not something new, I remember that when I first started reading English language fanfiction, about 7/8 years ago, I had stumbled on several profiles with several paragraphs dedicated to the author's speeches about the Christian God. It honestly always confused the hell out of me, I still don't get why they need to mention something so personal on a fanfiction website.

[jane_elliot]

I know! I certainly wouldn't want to put my religious beliefs on my author's profile -- what does that even have to do with my writing? *sigh*

[torra]

You know, oddly enough I've found a rough corliation between the age of a show producing new episodes, and a sudden uprising in fans posting religous protests and religious based fanfic within the cannon. I've never been able to explain it, but I've seen it happen multipul times now.

For some reason, when a show hits about the S4 mark and into the S5, there is a sudden influx in fans who start bringing their faith (and yes, most offten it's a Christan/Cahtolic faith, I've noticed) into their blogs and fic and profiles. I saw it in Star Trek: Voyager, Criminal Minds, SG1, X-Files, and a few others. X-Files, of course, already had a strong religious base in fandom, but I'm talking about a noticable shift from "we believe in XYZ and it's all good" to "This is my faith and IT IS THE ONLY RIGHT ONE for this or any other fandom".

I guess...Merlin just hit that age that brings out the anger in some ppl who until now didn't realizse they felt repressed? ::shrugs:: I've honestly never understood it.

[jane_elliot]

Huh. I've never noticed that before, but you certainly could be right. The funny thing is, Merlin's such a slash-heavy fandom that I tend to overlook the "no slash" comments, because I figure that's basically warning the reader (though just leaving off a pairing should do the same). When there's so darn many in a row, though, it seemed very odd.

[torra]

I noticed a slight increse in fics mentioning the "new religion" over the last year, but I've started to drift away from the fandom at large, so I don't know how far it's spread. Now I'm mostly only reading spasific authors, or stuff ppl rec to me.

I can't help but feel sorry for these ppl who feel so pressured and paniced by the content of their fandom and cannon that they have to declare it like this, or make explicit mention of it. I'm also baffled as to why they stick around if that's the case, but... ::shrugs::

[terrie01]

Well, better the author's profile than the fic. Years ago, I remember a Buffy fic that was explicitly meant to proselytize for Christianity. It had Willow (Jewish Willow) explaining how crosses got their power against vampires from the death and resurrection. Strangest thing I'd ever read.

[jane_elliot]

What's even weirder is that Giles was no particular religion that I know of in canon -- if you have to have a smart character info dumping Christian beliefs, you think you'd go with him.

[lady_alys]

in my experience people who explicitly state their distaste for slash while writing in bromance fandoms tend to wallow in smarm

I'm having Sentinel fandom flashbacks. Especially the series where the author would insist that her stories weren't slash, then include multiple scenes of "intense emotional bonding" that involved Jim and Blair, naked, screaming in ecstasy. Oooookay....

[jane_elliot]

Yes! One of the main reasons why I rarely read Sentinel gen is because in the vast majority of Sentinel fics, gen=smarm. Which... ick.

[tyloric]

I find most Merlin fics to be quite boring, to be honest. It's always the same premise and the same story told in slightly different ways.

Maybe that's just me.

[jane_elliot]

That would be why I don't read much Merlin fic these days:) I do still download it, just in case I get the urge, but honestly most of them are pretty blah. Especially the AUs, IMO.

[ash_in_your_eye]

Sadly, I will read the same story over and over if it is at all well written. Especially if it is well written. Like a hot boy in jeans. Different color, slightly different cut, acid wash, faded, retro. They're all still, ya know, jeans....but still. Hot boy.

:::is bad fan:::