Thoughts on identify and fandom stuff

[selenay]

I've been doing some work on identity on-line today and it's brought up some interesting thoughts. Yes, this is actual college work :-) There is a reason why I love college. We got encouraged to play MUDs and, unfortunately, I had to admit to my tutor group that I know nothing. I'm sure there is a MUDding LJ somewhere, but I'm not going to find it. How have I ended up with this many friends, communities and RSS feeds after only three weeks?

Back to the original thought :-)



They were relating a lot of it to MUD playing, but it has a lot of relevant to all of us in our email groups, LJs and message boards. Basically, it's the idea that we invent identities for all this stuff. Some of us (heh, not me - too confusing) have several identities for different communities or even several within a community. Much too confusing for me. A lot of us have one ID - nobody thought my RL name is Selenay, right?

Er.

Anyway. The bit that interests me is the relation between our on-line identities and our RL identities. I freely admit that Selenay is my RL personality with all the masks removed. It doesn't matter to me whether people don't want to associate with a lesbian slash writer with a small Teryl Rothry obsession - take me or leave me. In RL, to get along with everyone around us, there have to be certain compromises we make in the persona we show to the world. They're as much about protecting ourselves as anything else. On-line, that kind of thing doesn't matter. The kind of people I want to be friends with and having long, insane email conversations with aren't going to care about that kind of stuff. Actually, those long, insane email conversations are aided if we share interests and can be fairly tolerant of differing world views :-) That's my motivation behind having Selenay and my RL persona. Other people have other motivations. I'd be fascinated to hear about them :-) Selenay and RL are getting closer - I'm finding it easier to be open with people in RL and getting less afraid of being rejected. It probably helps that so many of my on-line friends are becoming people that I hang with in RL too.




There's been a lot of interesting discussions about fandom, fanfic, fanon vs. canon and many other interesting things on the LJs that I follow. Check out some of riverfox's entries and the comments for more interesting things about fandom segregation and inane fanfic headers. It has got me thinking. Never good. All fandoms seem have a problem with the OTP thing, whether they're slashers or shippers. I'll freely admit that in a lot of fandoms (Stargate, TPM, Due South) there are certain pairings that I prefer. In Stargate, I would say that my OTPs are Jack/Daniel and Sam/Janet. I'm not going to do down anyone else's choice because that goes against everything I believe in. I'm not going to yell that my pairings are the only ones and try to foist them on others. paranoidangel42 is a lovely person because she's a Sam/Jack-er who doesn't push her ship on me. Hopefully I don't push my stuff onto her, although I'm wincing here because, well, she's read Serpent and I'm sure she hadn't found Lex/Clarke until I sent her links. I try not to push my thing onto others.

I'm unlikely, though, to read fic with other pairings and I tend to be wary about a lot of gen fic because of the Sam/Jack-ness that should really be labeled het (that's a rant for another day). I guess that makes me an OTP-er, but that has lately become a label I'm not too proud of. Fandom can be a great community, but we also seem to be a very divided community a lot of the time and I just wish that we could all get along without any of the "My OTP is better than yours!" crap that I see.
[/rant]


I actually got the sister's present in the mail today (aren't I organised?) and even got college stuff done. Didn't write any fanfic, didn't read any fanfic and looked at riverfox's new fic with great longing because I know that it will be fab. But I did rent Return of the King from the library today because it's been over a month since I last saw it at the cinema. Have a feeling that I'll be curling up with that on Friday night *g*

I also noted that it's the FDAS York meet on Monday and I'll me traveling up with Eos and dmouse because great minds think alike when booking trains. I'll take Inner Voices 4 to work on in the train and probably not get anything done, but at least I'll be able to say that I tried to work on it. It's Tour de France build-up time so I'll also be taking my race guide to start memorising routes and teams because I am sad like that *g*

Comments

[ningyouhime.livejournal.com]

MUD communities... Try these?

guard_self, mooo, mu_rpers, mud_addicts, mush, orpgers, muds.

That's a nice little rant! ::points to own icon:: I don't think it's very fashionable to have OTPs these days, but why not? I won't read fic featuring pairings that conflict with whatever pairings I OTP. A lot of people think that's foolish, and yes, it may be unfortunate that I will undoubtedly miss out on some well-written fic, but I'm willing to make the sacrifice! None of that means I don't respect everyone's right to pair, cross-pair, and multi-pair whomever. =D

[selenay]

MUD communities... Try these?

Thank you :-) They're scary, but thank you :-) I think I lost geek points with my tutor group (I am the group's only geek - it's a computer course so WUWT?) for having no knowledge of MUDs. I feel dreadfully un-nerdy. I'm only just reading The Necromancer!

None of that means I don't respect everyone's right to pair, cross-pair, and multi-pair whomever. =D

That is exactly the way I feel *g* I can't make myself read fics with Sam/Jack content because they interfere with, well, both my OTPs, although I have no problem reading genuinely gen stuff when I'm in the mood for it. It doesn't seem to be fashionable to admit to having an OTP these days and I think a lot of that is down to the small minority (in the slash and ship communities) who have given the concept a bad name. Which is sad because without that crap our fandom communities might be less polarised and nicer places to be.

[selenay]

*le sigh* That should read Neuromancer. Yet more geek points gone. This is why I have my fic beta'd - I can't spell for peanuts and my ability to use the correct words needs work. Much work.

[jooniper-pearl.livejournal.com]

I just wish that we could all get along without any of the "My OTP is better than yours!"

Like HELL!! MY OTP is better than yours!! ;P~

And, on a side note...CLARK'S name doesn't have an E on the end!!

Goober, going to the York meeting without me!! Do you have any idea how unloyal that is?! You should have to stay home and pine I tell you!! PINE!!

heh, can you tell I've figured out html tags :)

[selenay]

Like HELL!! MY OTP is better than yours!! ;P~

:-p~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Erm, don't we have some of the same OTPs, hon? *g*

CLARK'S name doesn't have an E on the end!!

I can't spell. I will freely admit it and apologise to all Clark fans out there. I am a bad, bad person.

You should have to stay home and pine I tell you!! PINE!!

Sorry, hon, but I can try to take some photos with my shiny, beautiful accidental camera. It's not the same, I know, but you can almost feel like you were there. We're getting to meet Eos. Eos. There may be fangirly moments.

For a fanfic writer. I must need a reality check *g*

heh, can you tell I've figured out html tags :)

Really, hon? I hadn't noticed *snerk*

[paranoidangel]

In RL, to get along with everyone around us, there have to be certain compromises we make in the persona we show to the world

I agree with you there, but that is kind of said, in a way, that we can never be ourselves. And you still can't spell Teryl's name :)

I'm not going to yell that my pairings are the only ones and try to foist them on others.

Pairings are a bit like religion and politics in that. They tend to be something you either see/believe in or not and no-one is going to be able to change your mind unless you want them to.

I'll point out here, I liked Serpant. When I looked at the SG nominations last night it was the only story in there I'd read (congrats, btw in getting nominated). In fact, I recognise a couple of the names in the het section, but more in the slash ones.

Clark's name seems to be looking a tad feminine as well :) Why, yes, I am here just to point out your typos :)

Hopefully I don't push my stuff onto her

You don't. And if you did, I wouldn't be reading your lj, never mind commenting in it. The only stuff you can push onto me is stuff I want to be pushed into. It's going to be interesting to see how much Jack/Daniel I see in season 8, in comparion to Sam/Jack.

[selenay]

And you still can't spell Teryl's name :) Clark's name seems to be looking a tad feminine as well :) Why, yes, I am here just to point out your typos :)

[whine] I can't spell. You can't blame me for that.[/whine] Although you'd think I'd be able to spell Teryl by now :-)

Pairings are a bit like religion and politics in that. They tend to be something you either see/believe in or not and no-one is going to be able to change your mind unless you want them to.

Yup, agree there. Unfortunately they're also like religion and politics in that some people try to persuade everyone that they're OTP is the only one. An idea that I simply can't subscribe to. I believe that everyone has the right to ship/slash anyone they want without being made to feel bad for it. I'll even support the Paul/Junior shippers out there.

Hmm, do we know the gender of Junior? Is it a ship or a slash? Hmm.

Obviously I haven't had enough coffee yet if I'm pondering the gender of a dead Goa'uld symbiote *g*

(congrats, btw in getting nominated)

::blush:: Thank you. I'm pretty impressed that you recognised more slash authors than het *g* Either you're spending way too much time on the Dark Side of the fandom or we're just louder and more obnoxious than the het guys *g*

The only stuff you can push onto me is stuff I want to be pushed into.

Phew! I do sometimes feel guilty about landing you in the middle of a bunch of slashers, but you are being held up as the example of a sane, rational shipper to counteract that more rabid end of the ship spectrum. I'm just sorry that you've also been exposed to the rabid end of the slasher spectrum - the picnic is only open to sane, open-minded, tolerant folks this year *g*

It's going to be interesting to see how much Jack/Daniel I see in season 8, in comparion to Sam/Jack.

Oh, boy, that could be interesting. It could turn out to be a disaster for both of us or we could end up enjoying it. I'm amazed to find out how much I miss new Stargate eps and, even more, the list discussions of new SG eps. Roll on the new season (and illegally DL-ing the new eps so that we can keep up with our lucky trans-Atlantic sibs).