donutsweeper (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
donutsweeper) wrote2013-01-29 10:36 am
donutsweeper) wrote2013-01-29 10:36 am
Entry tags:
And yet another fandom feels betrayed....
(Fandom name scrubbed to protect the innocent.)
X is a show not airing in my country regularly. I"ve watched it on and off and via DVDs and recently decided to start dipping my toes in the fandom. As a result, when the new season started in its home country I decided to 'acquire' it to better keep up to date.
Show's cast consists of two main male characters with two supporting female roles. Not surprisingly, most of fandom has paired off the characters m/m and f/f, despite the fact one of the women is married and that the other woman and one of the men have been engaging in an on-again, off-again flirtation throughout the show.
This week they (the man and woman) kissed.
Now, I wouldn't say fandom exploded, it's too small and polite for that, but there have been posts about the ruining the characters and how 'this is not the X I know' etc etc etc.
Maybe it's because I'm not a shipper at heart, or maybe it's because I recognize that shipping is wishful thinking and will nearly never come to pass on mainstream television (there are exceptions, but realistically speaking it is rare) but I just can't support the ripping apart of a character just because he's been paired in canon with a woman.
*sigh*
X is a show not airing in my country regularly. I"ve watched it on and off and via DVDs and recently decided to start dipping my toes in the fandom. As a result, when the new season started in its home country I decided to 'acquire' it to better keep up to date.
Show's cast consists of two main male characters with two supporting female roles. Not surprisingly, most of fandom has paired off the characters m/m and f/f, despite the fact one of the women is married and that the other woman and one of the men have been engaging in an on-again, off-again flirtation throughout the show.
This week they (the man and woman) kissed.
Now, I wouldn't say fandom exploded, it's too small and polite for that, but there have been posts about the ruining the characters and how 'this is not the X I know' etc etc etc.
Maybe it's because I'm not a shipper at heart, or maybe it's because I recognize that shipping is wishful thinking and will nearly never come to pass on mainstream television (there are exceptions, but realistically speaking it is rare) but I just can't support the ripping apart of a character just because he's been paired in canon with a woman.
*sigh*
no subject
no subject
Yes, this exactly. I guess it's just a mindset I will never understand.
no subject
In Voyager fandom the Paris/Kim fans all despaired of Harry getting involved with "the wrong sort of woman" (paraphrased from something Tom said to him) but I don't remember people being up in arms about it - IIRC it was seen as cover for the *real* ship that was going on. Having said that, there were an awful lot of people who didn't much like the canon Paris/Torres ship and they could get vocal... then scurried off to still make it work between Tom and Harry despite what was on screen. There were those who didn't like what canon had done to B'Elanna (not just from the getting her off with Tom pov, but to her character) and endeavoured to fix what they saw as the problem.
Thus my first OT3 was born - Paris/Kim/Torres just made *so* much sense to me!
no subject
It sounds like the Voyager fandom, and particularly you, chose to look at the bright side! Very smart thinking!
no subject
I think it's because, like you, I don't ship much. If people get together, fine, I'll work with that, but my focus is usually the friendships, because friendship is so much more interesting to explore to me than thinking of fifty ways to get these two people to have sex. My interest in writing is to explore the canon, and work within the bounds of what we know and the personalities of the characters and tell stories that way. My aim is always to write characters in character and not how I wish they were.
I think, for me, it's become more of a problem lately because the Sherlock fandom is where I'm hanging out at the moment, and being a Gen, or God forbid, Het writer there is tantamount to being invisible for a lot of people. I even saw someone say that they don't read stories with women in them, or they skim over their scenes. And I was looking through AO3 the other day for John/Sarah, and I could not find a single one without a John/Sherlock background. Sarah was simply there to be an obstacle to their true love. And the amount of posts I see that completely ignore that we've only seen John date women, or somehow use that as a reason he's really gay... It's just not my cup of tea and that's fine, but I hate when it gets hostile or being told I'm wrong for liking them as friends, as though there cab be only one Truth.
Anyway, I feel your pain, and it sucks, but...that's the Internet, I guess. As G_C described tumblr perfectly the other day, it's a bunch people who seem to like having nervous breakdowns together.
(Written with great passion from an IPad, please forgive any nonsensical sections.)
no subject
I agree entirely with your comment, there's such a delusional wall built by some people it's a little disturbing sometimes and can be rather uncomfortable to read people talk about for me.
And, like you, I think exploring the canon and the friendships therein can be the most rewarding part of fandom. I saw an author's comment once about how there needed to be a way of designating the relationship between 2 characters that isn't sexual, isn't pre-slash, but is more than just basic friendship because two people can love each other in a ~we've been through so much and I'll always have your back and my life is better with you in it~ kind of way that has no sexual connotation. I think that's the relationship I tend to see where most people see slash.
no subject
I agree entirely with your comment, there's such a delusional wall built by some people it's a little disturbing sometimes and can be rather uncomfortable to read people talk about for me.
It bothers me when it spills over onto the actors, too. Like Martin saying he's received fanart of him and Ben in compromising positions. Like...no, okay? NO. Or when they came to the Golden Globes together and everyone was winking and nudging each other, and saying how great it would be if they kissed. At least keep your fictional characters separate from the actors that portray them.
I saw an author's comment once about how there needed to be a way of designating the relationship between 2 characters that isn't sexual, isn't pre-slash, but is more than just basic friendship because two people can love each other in a ~we've been through so much and I'll always have your back and my life is better with you in it~ kind of way that has no sexual connotation. I think that's the relationship I tend to see where most people see slash.
Oh God, that's what I've been trying to articulate precisely! Yes. So much this. Guardian_chaos and I were talking about it awhile back, and the best I could come up with was 'it's like they're dating without dating'. Like, they provide the role a romantic partner would in the other's life, in terms of support and companionship, without there being romance to it. TV tropes calls it 'Heterosexual Life Partners', which is a pretty good description, I think. There's no doubt in my mind that John and Sherlock love each other. And the original Holmes and Watson most certainly loved each other. I just don't think they're in love with each other. And I don't care if other people do, the way I don't care what religion you belong to. Just don't get upset if I don't care, or try to convert me.
no subject
Holmes and Watson most certainly loved each other. I just don't think they're in love with each other
Definitely. I understand why people see it differently, but that's not how I do.
I hadn't seen 'Heterosexual Life Partners' used before, it's similar to bromance, which I've seen frequently of late. Either would work for me. :)
no subject
You can join the 'Gen Writers Unite!' club me and
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
I'm not sure I can judge them for being out of touch with reality, since for my current fandom (although it went off the air in '99) I am sailing the good ship No Heterosexual Explanation. :)
no subject
no subject
no subject
The thing I don't understand about slash is, yes, I can see why people are interested in reading stories of that nature, but I can't see why that's all they'd be interested in reading since there is so much more out there that's interesting!
no subject
YES! Yes, this exactly. Especially, when it divides a fandom.
no subject
no subject
It doesn't explain why some people won't even read gen, though.
no subject
I really don't understand the gen hate either. Oh well.
no subject
I believe the phrase temper-tantrum could be well-used here. (Hey, I was a delusional bat-shit crazy House/Wilson shipper in the first few seasons of House, and a virulently misogynistic Cam-hater because of it, but I've grown up and repented and now how little to know patience for it in others.)
no subject
Yeah, temper-tantrum sounds about right, and considering this fandom is on it's last legs (unlikely to be renewed and almost done with the season) it'll probably fade away still in the throes of this tantrum unfortunately.