In which I ask a million questions

[jelazakazone]

Ok, people. Talk to me. I want to hear why the OTP thing matters. I know that there are tons of people who won't read a fic if it's not with their OTP. Why is that important? Do all other pairings seem OOC? I'm really curious about this. I like all different kinds of stories, although there are some stories I don't read because of characters,

Comments

[rocknvaughn]

I guess I would say that I would consider Merlin/Arthur my OTP, but I am VERY open to reading lots of other things. But like it's been said upthread, sometimes you want to hone in on what gives you the biggest positive feels.

I don't think I'd turn away any fic pairing that was written WELL and IN character. If I could buy them as a couple and they seemed like the characters in the show, I can do it. (Although, for some reason, I have some issues with reading Merlin/Gwaine. Not sure why, really, because canonically, they are a shippable couple. *shrugs*)

I don't understand why there has to be OTP wars, but I know it happens. I haven't experienced it myself, because I stick to only a few places, really. I know that tumblr is just crawling with that stuff, which is why I stay away. I can see both sides of the story and would never want to have to pick sides.

Percival fic would be difficult because we know so little about him as a character. But if written well, even that I could go for...

[jelazakazone]

I get the OTP, but not to the exclusion of all else.

I tend to lean more towards authors than pairings, even if things in my head are the way they are.

You know, I've written Merlin/Gwaine and the only way I can make it work is if Arthur doesn't exist. LOL

Yeah, the OTP wars make no sense to me. Live and let live, right?

Wow, you are good. Percival's size, just .... Although, someone wrote a Percival/Merlin fic last year for the canon fest that was excellent.

I think you guys are my friends for a reason:) LOL. ♥ ♥

[beeej]

I have always been an OTP girl. I'm sure there are wonderful stories that I've missed along the way, but since there are more fic than I could ever keep up with, I'm okay with that. I just...I fall in love with my OTPs. And when I fall in love, I fall in love to the exclusion of everyone else. I just want to immerse myself in the pairing I love. There's no room and no time for anyone else.
However, if other people enjoy reading and writing other pairings, that's awesome. That's what's great about fandom. There's something for everyone. :)

[jelazakazone]

Thank you for your answer. I can definitely understand the lack of time issue!

[archaeologist_d]

Anon meme - loathe it. It drove more than a few people away with its hatred and wank and that's enough for me.

OTP - I'm very open to most pairings and will read them. However, A/G just makes my teeth ache so I don't read them at all. However, lots of people like A/G so that's fine, too. I do read Merlin/Gwen friendship stories, though.

That last scene with Mordred. There is a lot going on. Mordred must realize that Merlin is worried/concerned/afraid of Mordred. After all, Mordred could out Merlin at any time. Plus Mordred must know how often Merlin has saved Arthur's life and yet it is Mordred getting rewarded for it. Their status is different now that Mordred is a knight and yet Merlin has much more hidden power so that power differential is off-kilter between them.

[jelazakazone]

;( Anything that makes my friends sad is not a good thing in my book too.

Heh. I must have tried some A/G fics, but as we see it on screen, it just doesn't work for me. Same with Morgana/Merlin.

Do you think that Mordred knows Merlin has saved Arthur's life a bunch of times? I think Mordred knows something is going on, but Merlin never fesses up about the prophecy. Maybe Mordred just thinks he doesn't trust him because the last time they saw each other Mordred said he would never forget.

The power differential has definitely changed! Who do you think really has the power here? Does Merlin ever have power, even though he has Magic? I think these are interesting ideas to ponder. I mean, he has some power, for sure, but the fact that he can't reveal it...

[archaeologist_d]

If nothing else, at the end of the episode he must know that Merlin has saved Arthur or tried to. If not, Arthur would have been dead quite a few times - Arthur would never be able to stand up to Morgana's magic

[jelazakazone]

But Mordred couldn't have known that Arthur would react so strongly, do you think? Also, if Mordred had denounced Merlin, don't you think that Merlin could have just denounced Mordred? I mean, you think Arthur would trust Mordred over Merlin because Mordred is a knight? It's an interesting idea.

[teprometo]

You're great

[jelazakazone]

Er, thanks! *blushes* You are too!

Oooh, thanks so much for a little insight. I totally get that rehashing thing, even if I don't do it much myself. Well, I do with tv now.

Ah, I can understand that you don't care about the other relationships and that would make you disinterested in reading them.

Oh, by the way, you were asking about dialogue and what happens to people physically when writing. I am not expert, but The Half that Makes it Whole is primarily dialogue (sorry, no sex, but feel free to add a sextra to it if you feel inclined!) and people have really liked it. I have a bunch of stuff going on while they are talking. It's pretty short too. Maybe it's too short and not porny enough and you'll just skip it altogether, but I thought I'd mention it:D

[teprometo]

Reading the other comments now, it seems not everyone is defining OTP the same way? To me, OTP is just One True Pairing. That's it. It's the one *I'm* invested in. It isn't the right one. It's just the one I love. I think it's tragic that people seem drawn to conflate having an OTP with ship wars. That's not what OTP is at all. My OTP is Arthur/Merlin. I have friends whose OTP is Arthur/Gwen. And we just read and write what interests us and high five because YAY FANDOM HAS ROOM FOR ALL OF US!

Your fic is being added to my Marked to Read. Just. Don't go in there. It is a hot mess. I will read it! Someday!

[jelazakazone]

It seems to me that some people, like you and beeej, do the OTP to the exclusion of all others where the rest of us still see the OTP, but we can read other things too. Does that make sense?

I love that you say it's the one you love. The one you are invested in. Um, I think I only know one person who ships A/Gwen. But yes, I agree. FANDOM HAS ROOM FOR US ALL.

LOL. My Marked to Read list is a hot mess too. I have tabs open and fics to read and well... I suck at reading fanfic. If I come across good dialogue, I'll let you know, k?

Oh, this one is PWP (blow job up against a wall) and is all about dialogue and sex, but it's Mordred/Merlin. .

[analise010]

Not gonna lie, there are some pairings that I won't read, not because they aren't my OTP, but because they don't have any emotional impact for me. For me, I'm less likely to read things that I don't ship - unless they're written by someone I know - but I will read EVERYTHING featuring my OTP.

Now, I don't use that term lightly. I only have 3ish OTPs and I've even read triggery fics featuring them. (I didn't know at the time because the author didn't consider murder, humiliation, adultery, and non-con things to warn for. >_>) Like I said before, I either get really into fics with my OTPs in them or I rage and scream, "THIS IS NOT HOW THINGS SHOULD BE!!!!!" ...and then I keep reading.

TL;DR? Blame the feels.

[jelazakazone]

You will never write anything TL;DR for me. That was short.

I totally get the emotional connection/intensity/impact stuff. 100%. Thank you for explaining it that way.

LOL. I have had to back button on so many Mordred fics that I only look at Mordred fics by authors I trust now. UGH. Fluffy Mordred is just ALL KINDS OF WRONG, but no one wants to talk to me about MOrdred, so I can't even whine about it. Don't mind me.

THE FEELS. <3 <3 <3