niennah: A Fandom Question - We all know that fandom can be an acrimonious place. Wank is always happening somewhere. But even more subtle than fanwank are the various pressures and limits placed on each member of fan communities that are as much part of making us members of those communities as the freedoms they allow us. -
yourlibrarian: What's in an AU? - But my bigger issue is with the term "AU" because it's used frequently to mean what I consider to be vastly different things. I find the term always has relevance in indicating that the story is somehow non-canon-compliant. However, the ways in which this lack of compliance occurs may relate to settings, life histories, character development, or timeline changes. And in some cases the term is used mostly to distinguish cloaked original fic from canon-inspired stories. -
telesilla: Uphill. Both ways. In the snow. - So there's a discussion going on about AO3 and comments and also about AO3 and downloading and I realized that my own reaction to both discussions is based very much on my experience and history and my first encounters with online fandom. -
lobelia321: How the media misrepresent us (slash in the press) - We are a broad church, and this somewhat glib explanation of the fandom phenomenon is purposely designed to make us look bizarre. I found it very interesting reading about these two women's stories in particular. What I object to is taking their unique lives and making them representative of a) everybody in slash, and b) making them look weird in the process. -