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gryphonseggWhy is it that whenever I like a popular pairing, I soon discover that the reasons I like it are completely different from-- and sometimes directly opposed to!-- the reasons the rest of the fandom likes it? This happens to me over and over again. If I like a het pairing because it blurs or subverts traditional gender roles, other people like it because they see it as much more traditional and less potentially subversive than I do or because they see one or both of the characters as needing to "mature" or "improve themselves" by becoming more conformed to traditional roles. If I like a pairing in spite of a potentially problematic age gap because the characters' personalities just seem to click, other people like it because of the age difference and write fic where the difference between the characters' ages is constantly emphasized and their canonical way of interacting has been dropped to make room for a generic older person/significantly younger person dynamic. If I like a pairing because the character who is physically smaller/weaker has a strong personality and a lot of power in the relationship, other people like it because they want to see the smaller person get completely dominated.
This is partly a frustrated near-rant because, seriously, I am almost at the point of wishing the pairings I prefer DON'T catch on so I don't get my hopes up only to end up feeling discouraged by the mountain of fic that portrays something I love as something I hate. It's also partly a legitimate question: Why am I so profoundly fannish on the big picture level and yet so weirdly out of synch with others like me in the details of what I want from fandom? I'm sure it happens to everyone occasionally, but it happens to me so often I'm starting to feel freakish. And I'm used to feeling freakish in a lot of contexts, but I'm not so used to feeling freakish within fandom.
This is partly a frustrated near-rant because, seriously, I am almost at the point of wishing the pairings I prefer DON'T catch on so I don't get my hopes up only to end up feeling discouraged by the mountain of fic that portrays something I love as something I hate. It's also partly a legitimate question: Why am I so profoundly fannish on the big picture level and yet so weirdly out of synch with others like me in the details of what I want from fandom? I'm sure it happens to everyone occasionally, but it happens to me so often I'm starting to feel freakish. And I'm used to feeling freakish in a lot of contexts, but I'm not so used to feeling freakish within fandom.
(no subject)
Date: 2012-02-06 03:38 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2012-02-06 03:47 am (UTC)