OK, Just to clear a few things up........

[whogeek]

OK, sorry for the half-insane rant, and this may seem out of the blue, but I'm fed up with people who are fanatical about just ONE pairing, and I'm seriously pissed off at the moment.  Not to mention I'm up at  an ungodly hour writing this, and therefore have very little control over what I say, which means I'm more likely to just say exactly what I think, rather than sitting idly by and fuming inwardly.  So, here goes.

 

I've noticed that a lot of fans of certain pairings in certain fandoms are excluisive to that ship, and are adamantly against any other ship that includes those characters.  The worst are ones that aren't even willing to look at any other pairings.  It really irritates me when those uber-shippers insult other ships.
I can respect that people are loyal to a single ship, but at least have enough respect for other ships and your own to not insult.

I will freely admit that I prefer certain pairings when I read fics, and I don't usually stray from those pairings, but when I find a well written fic that's not one of those pairings, I take the time to read it, and sometimes comment.  When I started reading fanfics I was focused mainly on a few pairings in just a few fandoms, but over time I spread my interests, and read more fics of different pairings that are further from my original norm.  Now when I read a fic, I'm not really looking for a ship.  I'm looking for a story that keeps the characters true to form, or a snapshot that captures the relationship without corrupting the essence of the character.

I don't really care about whether the fic is a slash or a het pairing, or even if it's a threesome.  I don't care if there is some BDSM or the relationship is more vanilla, what I do care about is how well the story is written.  I don't mind those things, but I don't read a lot of angst, or character death, or similarly morbid stories.  BDSM and other kinks and fetishes, while I don't really fully understand the whole BDSM thing, do make sense to me on some level, and I can respect writers who write these things well.

What I cannot respect are people who decide that, unilaterally, any fic that does not feature their ship is a bad fic, and therefore worth putting down, and insulting, and generally ridiculing.

Have some respect for yourself and others.
 

There.  Ranting done.  I'm feeling quite a bit better.

Comments

[jetpack-angel.livejournal.com]

Amen. I'm open to reading just about any pairing for the variety if nothing else, with the exception of some pairings that bring my brain to a screeching halt. Example, I got linked to an SGA fic one time and all I saw that it was Elizabeth/somebody, but within the first chapter when I realized that somebody was Kavanaugh, I honestly think I threw up in my mouth a little and I didn't even make it to the second paragraph without closing the window. Other than that... I've read so many things that society would think I probably shouldn't enjoy (but fuck you, society), I can't even remember anymore. All we need is something that's written well and has a good story and true characters. Like, check out drake_fic and look at her Mac/Sinclair story. Don't be put off by the pairing. You won't hate it, I swear. And that's what makes it good.

Matter of fact, I take it as a point of pride when I have people tell me they usually don't like Mac/Danny or like vampire!fic, but they still like my We Don't Die. Even though I'm the utter opposite of someone who'll brag about their own work (massive self-esteem issues here), I like to consider that the mark of a good story.

While I'm thinking about it, you have anything posted for me to read? You sound like you know the characters and I'm confident that you've made good friends with spellcheck, so link away.

[whogeek.livejournal.com]

Yeah, it's the weird ones that are sometimes the best. I preferr to avoid angst in general, but I do like it when the author makes an effort to show that life isn't out to get the characters. Angst tempered with good times makes for a story that is more believable. I'm not so keen on character death either, but I have read some that are really good. Those are my real aversion points; untempered angst, and most character deaths.

There are a few pairings that I am strictly opposed to, even if it is well written. I can appreciate that it's well written, but the pairing is not my cup of tea. Probably the one I'm the most... anal about is Greg/Sara from CSI. I just... no. Greg and Sara are like siblings in my mind, constantly ribbing each other, but the flirting stopped after a little while. And it seemed so much like my relationship with my own quasi-brother that reading even well written fics makes me feel, well, awkward and slightly dirty. I'm also totally weirded out by Mac/Lindsay. **shudders** I don't think I need to say anything about that one. There are some I don't really like so much, but those two are my major no-goes.

I really love your We Don't Die fic. Absolutely brilliant. And vamp!Mac is adorable, and awkward, and heartbreaking, and sweet, and heartwarming all at once. And sexy as hell. Gawd. And I'm the same way. I'm a fairly prolific writer, but I've only gotten around to posting just a few. And that's when I feel that the story is up to a certain level, and even then I'm never really satisfied. I know my writing is better than some, but I always feel like I could do better, and make more sense in my stories.

I've got three stories posted on fanfic. 2 are CSI, and one I'm considering redoing, one is a CSI: NY fic that's fairly Adam-centric. Well, Adam-centric with a possible side helping of Danny/Flack. And my stories all have my own characters in them. But NOT in a Mary Sue way. My own characters just, give the impetus to start things. My NY story is Love Reign O'er Me, which, at the moment, I'm fairly happy with. I like my first fic, and the second CSI is ok. I'm not entirely happy where it's going, but I can't stop it at this point, unless I go back and rewrite the entire thing. Which, at this point, I might just do.

[taylor-serenil.livejournal.com]

I have pairings/groupings I like *better*, definitely, but I find that being hardcore on my ships means potentially missing out on a lot of good fic, especially since I tend to roll small-fandom style.

And I'm weak in the face of crack and rare pairings. (I've written Dean Bendis/Dean Winchester and got dime_for_12 writing it too. I've also written Eliot Spencer from Leverage/Frank Martin from Transporter.)

[whogeek.livejournal.com]

I'll read just about **anything** but a few ships. Some ships just really put me off.