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

[obliqueo]

Well, take Merlin as an example. I love gen fic, but I really don't want to read Arthur/Gwen. So, here is the question, does this gen fic has A/G but doesn't mention it because it is canon? Even if the fic only hint on the slightest A/G, I can't tolerate it. Perhaps it is why people don't read the fic without their otp. What if the hinted pairing conflicts to your otp? Nooooooo! Do not read! Yes, my brain warns me like this. I do love to read other pairings, but only if they already knew each other from canon.

Merlin/Mordred UST SCENE!!! *explodes* I looped this scene when I first watch 5*02. Mordred is the walking UST in season 5!

[jelazakazone]

Um, did you read my fic, You Gave Me Your Word? It's all about the chemistry between Merlin and Mordred when Mordred slams Merlin against the wall in 5.11. Unf. So fucking hot.

LOL. I get that some pairings are so wrong you can't tolerate them even in passing:) ♥ Lovely to see you again!

ETA: I have a bunch of Mordred fics, actually. All on AO3, if you have the time and inclination:D

[obliqueo]

Too much chest hair talking, almost forget the fic lol
That scene in 5*11? Public sex, Mordred! Very bold *smirk*

If it's side pairing I'm okay with them. The part I don't get is for those who simply put to hot guys together even if they never meet in canon. I don't get it! Glad we don't have much of that in Merlin.

[jelazakazone]

LOL. Mmm, chest hair (in moderation;))

I have now added the appropriate gif to the fic on AO3:D

LOL. I haven't seen any of that, although Elena/Gwaine fics always make me scratch my head because they never actually met. I wrote a Morgana/Vivian fic and had to check that they had met before I could actually go through with it. Hee.

[issy5209]

My brain is officially fried!

In answer to your question - umm, I dunno, I suppose I have different pairings with Merlin that I prefer to write about, I steer clear of any arguments about this or that pairing being OTP, (more in threads about the show rather than about fics sometimes people have a strong opinion and can't be swayed by it, but it doesn't mean they are necessarily wrong or right. I'm more than happy to read different pairings though. My brain is really fried and its too hot to think, and I can't express myself terribly well atm. But I do wish that SOME people would respect others opinions. There are elements in fandom that can get a bit aggressive, but really I've never felt more supported before.

[jelazakazone]

LOL. Mine was fried last night when you posted this!

It seems that people fall on two sides. They either OTP or they have strong preferences. Maybe there is a third side actually, where a person falls for a character (that's me, for sure) and pairings are not quite so important.

*sigh* I don't know why people feel attacked when different opinions are voiced.

[issy5209]

I think you're right. Its also not so much that they feel attacked when they voice their feelings, but sometimes are attacked. I think its unfair to say to somebody, well you're in this camp or the other, (especially if it gets personal and say well, you didn't like the ending, so you're a homophobe, or go for Arwen, which I have seen around) There's no call for it.
I suppose they're the pros and cons of online communities!

[dk323]

I think I mentioned this before. While my ultimate OTP for Merlin fandom is Arthur/Merlin, I'm open to other pairings (Arthur/Gwen is the no-go area for me though) or gen fic. I guess I would have a bit of a difficulty reading a fic where Arthur and Merlin are both in it and Arthur/Merlin isn't endgame. Maybe if there was at least a decent bromance between the two of them, then I could accept it. And like someone else mentioned, it depends on my mood -- whether I want to go for an Arthur/Merlin hurt/comfort fic maybe, or if another day I feel more adventurous and want to go for another main pairing

[jelazakazone]

Heh. It seems that most of my friends are not OTPers.

LOL. Yeah, same for me on the writing front. I am trying to post stuff that is not just dashed off. I find that if I write something and let it sit for a while, I'll find other things I want to add and it will be richer for having waited.

:D Improvement is so hard to measure! I think if you feel you are growing, it's all good.

OMG. PLEASE WRITE THAT FOR ME? I WOULD LOVE YOU FOREVER AND SELL MY CHILDREN AND ...

[dk323]

Variety can be fun. :) I was really going for Merlin/Morgana before Morgana's turn to the dark side. :( And it's interesting too since Merlin fandom was the firs time I OTPed a slash pairing. I shipped primarily het in both Harry Potter and Doctor Who...yet it was just too easy to go for Arthur/Merlin when I joined Merlin fandom. And never looked back. :p

[junkshop_disco]

I'm a multi shipper and as such, I'll read any character I like with any character I also like if it seems like a promising story. I have my faves and I'm more prone to writing certain pairings, but as a reader, I'm more drawn to stories than pairings.

I think it's hard to be a writer in a fandom with a really dominant OTP, though. It's pretty dispiriting when you write something and it seems like ALL anyone is saying about it is: WHY DIDN'T SHE WRITE THIS AS THE PAIRING I LIKE??? I've had that in literally every fandom I've been in and it sucks.

[junkshop_disco]

All the ones I've been in have. In HP it was Remus/Sirius and I dabbled in them but wanted to write Remus/Tonks and Sirius/James and Remus/Lily, in 1D it's Harry/Louis and I dabbled in that but want to write Harry/Nick or Niall/Harry or Liam/Harry, in Merlin RPF it's Bradley/Colin and I did that but was also up for Rupert/Eoin and a bunch of other stuff only 3 people were into.

I don't begrudge anyone their OTP feels, but I hate when one pairing is so dominant, you're utterly shunned for daring to write something else.

[jelazakazone]

I don't feel like it's active malicious shunning, but rather I feel a bit neglected. I had not really understood where people were coming from with the OTP before this conversation. I've been very happy with what people have told me about where they are coming from, even if I diverge to some extent.

I'm now in a fandom where there appear to be four fics written, 3 on AO3. It's actually kind of nice to be writing for myself and one other person and really not worrying what other people are thinking.

[gealach_ros]

Ex ante: I only read fic in two fandoms (tried a few others but it didn't really work for me). I mainly (like pretty exclusively) read slash, rarely het and even less fem-slash. I don't read much gen, and in Merlin I prefer modern!AU to canon settings but get super giddy when it's a modern!AU with magic. In Teen Wolf I'm way more fond of canon settings (mainly because the usually make all the werewolves human in AUs), though.

First of all I need to like the characters I consider reading about (in a 'I care about what happens to them on the show' way - basically I have to ship them on the show before I consider reading fic), there has to be a... connection (?). That's - so sorry to say that here of all places D: - why I don't give a fig about fics with Mordred as part of a pairing/threesome/whatnot. /hides

Despite Alex' great performance on the show the writing for the character didn't make me like Mordred or even care for him. On top he's also responsible for killing off one half of my OTP in canon, so I couldn't care less about

[jelazakazone]

lOL. You are so cute. I get why people don't like Mordred. He killed their baby. *sigh* Alex just has so much chemistry, I was really drawn to him and his portrayal of Mordred. I had also gotten kind of bored with the dynamic between M/A, and Mordred really shook things up and made it very interesting to me again.

Ah, I hadn't really understood the emotional connection thing before people started talking to me about it.

riventhorn is just brilliant. Also, I can ship Merlin with other people (sort of) but only if Arthur isn't around.

Hee. PWP doesn't interest me unless it's characters I like, because PWP tend to be character studies, if done right.

♥ Love the word vomit. Thanks for weighing in,bb. I really appreciate it!