shipping kills puppies!
Feb. 24th, 2009 09:56 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
xparrotI've seen a couple discussions about the negative turn SGA fandom has taken, re: McKeller, people, mostly Keller fans (or at least not anti-Keller fans) who are feeling actively driven from the fandom by aggressive character/pairing hate. They feel this is a recent trend, and I concur; while SGA had its share of past wank, I think it was one of the lower-conflict fandoms for its size. And if that's changed now, then I blame shipping. Or rather, canon shipping.
Every fandom I know of that has these battles, has these levels of anger and resentment between fans, is a fandom with canon ships. Witness Smallville, or HP. Ships going canon wreak havoc on a fandom. Nothing embitters your average fan as much as a ship that sinks their own, and an embittered fan can be eager to share their hate, wants the solidarity of all of fandom telling TPTB that they're wrong, wants all of fandom together seeking change. Even killing a character doesn't cause the kind of conflict that shipping does...
There are other things that get fans' backs up, but the majority of fen are shippers, and ships are often why they fan. There are exceptions, there are other types of fans - and other types of shippers - but in modern Western media fandom, the majority of fans (slash, het, even many gen fen) are in it for particular relationships. Mess with those relationships in canon, and you get fandom meltdown.
(I think there's a reason that a lot of the old fan shows, the big ones, were series that never had canon ships, never had any romances that lasted more than a single episode. Star Trek, Starsky & Hutch, The Sentinel, all those old episodic shows that never really progressed the character relationships - that never changed them, never pulled the figurative rug out from under fannish feet. The only series I know of with low-conflict canon ships are ships which were introduced in the first season, that the fandom grew up around, and even in those there's often little interaction between contrasting shippers. I also suspect it's a major reason why new female characters are viewed with such suspicion, because while male characters are often introduced for plot purposes, nine times out of ten a new female character is going to mean new canon ships.)
I don't blame shippers. I'm a shipper myself; I wouldn't fan without my ships. I need my OTPs to fic. And I strive to be reasonable and fair to all my fellow fans, but I still have been known to go utterly psycho batshit when I feel my OTP is "threatened," so it doesn't surprise me to see other otherwise reasonable types lose it over shipping. It's frustrating since the fandom used to be cooler about it - but then the fandom didn't have canon ships before. A fandom with canon ships has ship wars. It just seems to be a fact of fandom; it's why I tended to avoid Who fandom, or Avatar fandom, why I often keep wary distance from anime fandoms.
My OTPs aren't canon, generally (at least not in my fic fandoms, my active "Type B" fandoms - and I tend to avoid main fandom for my Type As, because I'd just as soon not get drawn into shipping wars.) But I don't need my OTPs to be canon to be satisfied, don't need my interpretation of the characters validated above all other interpretations. As long as they're never actually denied, I'm good. The more open-ended canon is, the more freedom there is for all fans, all different shippers, to peacefully co-exist, and I like it that way.
If I sound like I'm saying I'd rather not have canon ships in my ficcing fandoms - yeah, I am. Bring on the subtext and the UST, and leave the consummations to the fanfic. Maybe it's unrealistic and maybe it's boring, but I don't care. It's more peaceful that way XP
Every fandom I know of that has these battles, has these levels of anger and resentment between fans, is a fandom with canon ships. Witness Smallville, or HP. Ships going canon wreak havoc on a fandom. Nothing embitters your average fan as much as a ship that sinks their own, and an embittered fan can be eager to share their hate, wants the solidarity of all of fandom telling TPTB that they're wrong, wants all of fandom together seeking change. Even killing a character doesn't cause the kind of conflict that shipping does...
There are other things that get fans' backs up, but the majority of fen are shippers, and ships are often why they fan. There are exceptions, there are other types of fans - and other types of shippers - but in modern Western media fandom, the majority of fans (slash, het, even many gen fen) are in it for particular relationships. Mess with those relationships in canon, and you get fandom meltdown.
(I think there's a reason that a lot of the old fan shows, the big ones, were series that never had canon ships, never had any romances that lasted more than a single episode. Star Trek, Starsky & Hutch, The Sentinel, all those old episodic shows that never really progressed the character relationships - that never changed them, never pulled the figurative rug out from under fannish feet. The only series I know of with low-conflict canon ships are ships which were introduced in the first season, that the fandom grew up around, and even in those there's often little interaction between contrasting shippers. I also suspect it's a major reason why new female characters are viewed with such suspicion, because while male characters are often introduced for plot purposes, nine times out of ten a new female character is going to mean new canon ships.)
I don't blame shippers. I'm a shipper myself; I wouldn't fan without my ships. I need my OTPs to fic. And I strive to be reasonable and fair to all my fellow fans, but I still have been known to go utterly psycho batshit when I feel my OTP is "threatened," so it doesn't surprise me to see other otherwise reasonable types lose it over shipping. It's frustrating since the fandom used to be cooler about it - but then the fandom didn't have canon ships before. A fandom with canon ships has ship wars. It just seems to be a fact of fandom; it's why I tended to avoid Who fandom, or Avatar fandom, why I often keep wary distance from anime fandoms.
My OTPs aren't canon, generally (at least not in my fic fandoms, my active "Type B" fandoms - and I tend to avoid main fandom for my Type As, because I'd just as soon not get drawn into shipping wars.) But I don't need my OTPs to be canon to be satisfied, don't need my interpretation of the characters validated above all other interpretations. As long as they're never actually denied, I'm good. The more open-ended canon is, the more freedom there is for all fans, all different shippers, to peacefully co-exist, and I like it that way.
If I sound like I'm saying I'd rather not have canon ships in my ficcing fandoms - yeah, I am. Bring on the subtext and the UST, and leave the consummations to the fanfic. Maybe it's unrealistic and maybe it's boring, but I don't care. It's more peaceful that way XP
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And kittens too!
Date: 2009-02-24 01:48 pm (UTC)Re: And kittens too!
Date: 2009-02-24 04:16 pm (UTC)I've been drifting myself, but fannish butterfly that I am, that's not really surprising. It makes me sad, though, that SGA fandom might not be a happy place I can revisit, the way I do with many of my old and dearest flames...I hope it might settle, though. Closed canons rarely keep up this kind of heat. (Also I don't want all McSheppers to jump ship yet, I've still got a fic, dangit! XP)
Re: And kittens too!
Date: 2009-02-24 04:55 pm (UTC)because it feels like any opinion I state is bound to hurt somebody's feelings.
That's is exactly. I don't want to make anyone angry, hurt their feelings, or "ruin the show". (Mostly because a lot of fen I consider friends, and I don't intentionally do these things to my friends.) And in turn... it's kind of ruining things for me. The thing I loved about this fandom so much is that I could talk, say things, joke around, deconstruct... and it's really not that environment right now. At least for me.
I'm still hanging on, hoping that it will SETTLEOMG, and it probably will. I'm just not sure if it will before the tension drives me away.
(Also I don't want all McSheppers to jump ship yet, I've still got a fic, dangit! XP)
And it's a good one, darn tootin'!
Re: And kittens too!
Date: 2009-02-24 05:19 pm (UTC)But while I wander, I don't surrender my heart easily...I want SGA fandom to be there when I come back! I mean, look at Rodney in your icon! socute! Yup, I'm afraid my Rodney-love is there for the long haul...
It's not *technically* cheating...
Date: 2009-02-24 05:28 pm (UTC)which is kind of awesome, even if it's weird to be madly crushing on a 40-years-younger Ducky. But OMG HE IS ADORABLE.
OMGYESHEIS. I discovered that over Xmas, and am trying to figure out if I can afford the DVDs so I don't have to keep watching them on my laptop. MFU is such zany fun, and kind of reminds me of a goofier version of Wild, Wild West.
It's also really strange to go from Ducky to Illya. It's kind of like my Clint Eastwood crush all over again.
I want SGA fandom to be there when I come back! I mean, look at Rodney in your icon! socute! Yup, I'm afraid my Rodney-love is there for the long haul...
I'm afraid mine is too. I keep watching other shows, but inevitably I drift back to SGA, which is dug down far too deep into my brain to be healthy.
Re: It's not *technically* cheating...
Date: 2009-02-25 05:09 pm (UTC)MFU is so FUN, yes! I'm tickled by how enjoyable it is. Especially Illya, even if there is such weirdness (double weirdness because I also love the BBC show Hustle, in which Robert Vaughn is one of the stars...)
I've heard some fun things about Wild Wild West...maybe I'll check that out next, if I can find it!
Re: It's not *technically* cheating...
Date: 2009-02-25 05:25 pm (UTC)First.Episode=♥
I rewatched it the other week, and I just about died. I think it definitely might tickle your fancy. I'm still not all that crazy about the animation, but I never realized how much I would love the characters.
double weirdness because I also love the BBC show Hustle, in which Robert Vaughn is one of the stars...
Hah! Try going from the Original Magnificent Seven movie, to the M7 television series, to MfU, then to Hustle. Talk about cognitive whiplash XD
I've heard some fun things about Wild Wild West...maybe I'll check that out next, if I can find it!
Oh, WWW is definitely fun, but like MFU you have to forgive a little bit of it for being produced in the time period it was (which is really the case with a lot of older television shows). Once you move past that... somuchfunomg. I wound up inventing a drinking game to the first season. I have a feeling you might join me in my Artemus Gordon fangirl club.
Re: It's not *technically* cheating...
Date: 2009-02-25 05:32 pm (UTC)Re: And kittens too!
Date: 2009-02-24 11:01 pm (UTC)Re: And kittens too!
Date: 2009-02-25 05:05 pm (UTC)Re: And kittens too!
Date: 2009-02-25 12:05 am (UTC)But really, the issue is with the omnipresence and the casual bashing at places like the noticeboard, the ficsearch comms and other places that are read by the entire fandom. And also with people coming to Keller friendly posts and fic and start arguing about her there. Ach, I'm really starting to repeat myself, it's all in my post here (http://astridv.livejournal.com/136488.html). You'll see from the comments as well that LJ posts are not the issue at all.
People afraid of posting anything is not what anyone wants, no way! Nobody denies anyone their opinion. It would just be nice if people would think for a moment where they're posting it and who will likely be reading, and if they'll be appreciative to be dragged into yet another argument or would rather just enjoy a bit of squee. Like, deconstruct in your (generic you) LJ and not in mine and everything's cool.
See, you leaving the fandom over this, that would suck. Well, me leaving would suck as well. Okay, I don't really know where I'm going with this. It's late?
I guess I wann say, the last thing I want to do is ruin anyone's fandom experience. All I want is that they return the favor.
I think it'll settle. But it's been brewing a long time and it's maybe time all this got dragged out in the open.
Re: And kittens too!
Date: 2009-02-25 02:58 pm (UTC)Intellectually, I know this is true. Emotionally I'm still trying to catch up to that, because, and maybe this only happened to me, but not too long after I posted my deconstruction of "Brain Storm", there was a whirlwind of posts decrying negativity in fandom. I had to do a lot of searching for context to realize those weren't pointed at me (at least... I think so), but it's hard to get rid of that gut punch feeling that you've done someone wrong without realizing it, without even meaning to. (And obviously there's some real life context on my end that adds even further baggage onto that, but that's neither here nor there.) So, sadly... the comment section in your linked post stirred that up again -- at least until a day later and I came to my senses after whining about it in private.
It's a big jumbled mess, IMO *g*
See, you leaving the fandom over this, that would suck. Well, me leaving would suck as well. Okay, I don't really know where I'm going with this. It's late?
I do, I do. *g* Anyone leaving over this would suck, because there is so much more to this fandom, to our love of the show than who is hooking up with who. Or at least mine is. I just can't seem to escape it, wherever I turn. It's kind of soured me on the pairing to the point to where I don't think I'll ever enjoy it again -- but that really isn't anyone's problem but mine.
I think it'll settle. But it's been brewing a long time and it's maybe time all this got dragged out in the open.
I agree. I feel like I've been walking on eggshells since the end of November, I'd rather get it over and done with, so we can move onto brighter, happier things...
...like
It's a little sad how much I'm looking forward to that.
Re: And kittens too!
Date: 2009-02-26 09:41 pm (UTC)I want to print this out and frame it and hang it next to my computer. Because, hell yeah!
It's a little sad how much I'm looking forward to that.
Not just you... :o)
Re: And kittens too!
Date: 2009-02-25 09:25 am (UTC)*waves flag* I'm still here! I'm staying put *sets up deck chair and cracks open thermos of coffee*
Also, yay I've found my writing mojo now that canon's closed.