author_by_night (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
author_by_night) wrote2005-07-10 08:09 am
author_by_night) wrote2005-07-10 08:09 am
Something I've noticed
H/Ders all stick together and rec one another.
R/S's, same thing.
R/Hr's have a site with over a hundred members.
OC writers? Hardly ever do you see them stepping up and supporting one another.
I'm not trying to make people feel bad - I mean, I'm guilty of it too. On one hand, I did a rec comm; on the other, how much have I actually recc'd? And I don't read a whole lot of OC fics, even though I write them.
Why is it that we can't stick up for one another? Why is it that a lot of us look away humming when someone else is harassed, but if someone says something about popular types of fanfics, they get wanked to the point where they won't even post on the website they helped start because fandom got so bad? Why don't we review one another's fanfics?
OC writers sometimes remind me of some of the "less than popular" kids in Middle School. They'd watch in silence as you got teased, or pretend to tie their shoes, and only till the kids were gone would they offer any sort of comfort. If at all. And then it would be them, and they'd be all "OMG EVERYONE JUST STOOD THERE." And they'd condemn the kids who were teasing the others for teasing, even though they'd basically acted like they didn't care when it was happening.
And again, I'm not accusing anyone, because I'm just as guilty. All I am saying is, why are we borderline hypocritical?
(And Fern Withy, this isn't directed at you; your post made me think about it, but I've seen you review other OC authors and stuff, you're actually much better about it all than I am).
R/S's, same thing.
R/Hr's have a site with over a hundred members.
OC writers? Hardly ever do you see them stepping up and supporting one another.
I'm not trying to make people feel bad - I mean, I'm guilty of it too. On one hand, I did a rec comm; on the other, how much have I actually recc'd? And I don't read a whole lot of OC fics, even though I write them.
Why is it that we can't stick up for one another? Why is it that a lot of us look away humming when someone else is harassed, but if someone says something about popular types of fanfics, they get wanked to the point where they won't even post on the website they helped start because fandom got so bad? Why don't we review one another's fanfics?
OC writers sometimes remind me of some of the "less than popular" kids in Middle School. They'd watch in silence as you got teased, or pretend to tie their shoes, and only till the kids were gone would they offer any sort of comfort. If at all. And then it would be them, and they'd be all "OMG EVERYONE JUST STOOD THERE." And they'd condemn the kids who were teasing the others for teasing, even though they'd basically acted like they didn't care when it was happening.
And again, I'm not accusing anyone, because I'm just as guilty. All I am saying is, why are we borderline hypocritical?
(And Fern Withy, this isn't directed at you; your post made me think about it, but I've seen you review other OC authors and stuff, you're actually much better about it all than I am).
no subject
I think it might be more helpful to break down the category a bit - OC writers in general might not have something in common, but historical fiction writers do. But I've never seen historical fiction being slammed as a genre, so it doesn't have the catalyst for the community to show itself, as do the major ships.
Also, the reasons why someone might defend OCs vary. For example, I've seen people argue that OCs are a mark of superior creativity on the part of the author - I don't argee with that, so I'd feel less comfortable being aligned with people expressing such views. It's easier to find commonality between shippers who share an interpretation of a common canon.
Then there are people who think that all OCs are Mary Sues, but I'm not inclined to waste my time arguing with someone who so evidently hasn't gone out and looked, or even asked for decent OC recs.
And a lot of people read fanfic because they want to read about favourite characters, so why would they want to read OCs? I suspect that what OC readers and writers share is an interest - or willingness to explore - the world itself rather than just focussing on the characters.
sometimes it is about shipping.
Yes, but the same is true of any genfic. OCs aren't the only types of fics that people only interested in ships will avoid.
sometimes, I think people fear canon being breached.
Speaking for myself, I have much more fear of that for stories featuring the Trio. Apart from the blatant self-inserts - which can usually be spotted by the end of the first sentence - anyone who goes to the trouble of creating an OC is likely to take as much trouble over canonicity as would any serious fanfic writer.