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I really wish there were more podfics out there. I do a lot of paperwork at work that doesn't really require much thought, so listen to them while working. I've downloaded pretty much everything from ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
sgapodfic and listened to it at least twice. Which is why, I'm currently at work, listening to the most recently posted fic, which is John/Elizabeth.
Man, nothing against the author (really really, this is all me) but I'm having a lot of trouble listening to it. I just... can't take John/Elizabeth seriously. In fact I have trouble taking John/Anyone-but-Rodney seriously. I think I've been reading McShep too long to be able to read anything else. I only started reading McShep because there was so much of it (and so many of the writers were *good*), I actually started out reading McBeck, but I think I finally have to admit to myself that I am a McShep fan.
Also, after all this time, it's kind of hard to go back to het. I've been reading slash for... 4 years now.
God I'm bored at work right now. There's *nothing* to do! I think I'm going to shuffle some papers and look busy.
sgapodfic and listened to it at least twice. Which is why, I'm currently at work, listening to the most recently posted fic, which is John/Elizabeth. Man, nothing against the author (really really, this is all me) but I'm having a lot of trouble listening to it. I just... can't take John/Elizabeth seriously. In fact I have trouble taking John/Anyone-but-Rodney seriously. I think I've been reading McShep too long to be able to read anything else. I only started reading McShep because there was so much of it (and so many of the writers were *good*), I actually started out reading McBeck, but I think I finally have to admit to myself that I am a McShep fan.
Also, after all this time, it's kind of hard to go back to het. I've been reading slash for... 4 years now.
God I'm bored at work right now. There's *nothing* to do! I think I'm going to shuffle some papers and look busy.
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And then readers are another issue entirely. There's one reader I lovelovelove, but I think she's read maybe two fics. And there are two readers I dislike who have read some of my favorite fics. And then there's the lack of gen and blah blah rantycakes but yes. Yes to all of it.
Do you have an opinion on Katie/Rodney, by the way?
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Granted, I think people go after their favourite fics which can often be too long for a first attempt (I know there's one that I've been working on, on and off, for a year now, because the fic is over 50,000 words.
As for readers... I think my favourite has been
I don't think there are any readers that I avoid. Some I don't like as much, and a few whom I want to point to some of the many online dictionaries that have audio files of how to *pronounce* words. Seriously, everything should be beta'd, audio fics included. It's perfectly understandable that you've never used dishabille in a day to day conversation, and have therefore never had to say it aloud, but you should still pronounce it *correctly* if you're going to record yourself saying it.
Also, it gets me how sometimes people will post fics in which they've stumbled over their words and leave it in. It's not all that hard to edit it out, there are free programs out there that do that.
Oh god, now that I've started, I seem to have quite a few complaints.:S
Like if you're going to splice things together, you could at least *try* to hide it. Muting is really obvious, and throws people out of it, especially if it's in the middle of a sentence (or worse, multiple times in one sentence).
Music should *never* be added. It doesn't make it more interesting, it just makes me want to laugh and mock things. Or, oh god, there's this one fic, 20000 Leagues Under the Sea (Give or Take), where they have the sound of running water in the background. It's distracting (because the author doesn't speak that loudly, and you can't hear her all that well) and makes me have to pee. What's the point!?
Ok, last one for now: I understand that some people have trouble with accents. That's ok. I understand. I'll admit, the first time I heard a fic read with an Australian accent it threw me, but I got over it in about 3 seconds. Speak however is comfortable for you. Don't, however, attempt to do an accent for the characters (Carson, or Zelenka for example) if you can't do it. It's distracting. Also, if you are attempting accents, Carson's and Zelenka's should *not* sound the same.
Audiofic
Yes, exactly! And it's a fun way to be a part of fics you really like. You may not have been involved in the original creative process, but you can certainly contribute to the creative process of reading it. I don't quite know why it hasn't caught on more. There must be some fandom demographic we're missing, since the Due South and SPN people seem to have jumped on the bandwagon as well and Due South is a much smaller fandom. Or it could be just the intimidation factor. There are a few fics out there I'd like to take a shot at reading (although I don't know if I'd enjoy listening to myself read -- I haven't tried that yet with someone else's work), but I'm a bit too intimidated to ask. I don't know if that holds true across the board.
Seriously, everything should be beta'd, audio fics included. It's perfectly understandable that you've never used dishabille in a day to day conversation, and have therefore never had to say it aloud, but you should still pronounce it *correctly* if you're going to record yourself saying it.
Yes to this as well. I had a horrible mispronunciation on one of my first audio fics that I didn't know was a mispronunciation for months. I'm still horribly embarrassed by it and have even contemplated taking my audio fics down because that made me really insecure. I don't know why I'm far more insecure about reading something I wrote than posting something I wrote, but I am.
Word word word on editing and accents. I haven't really heard anyone who can do a good Zelenka accent, so most people are probably better off leaving well enough alone. An oddly accented line can throw me out of the whole story. The flip side of that is that if the author's written Zelenka in article free dialect, it's hard to get the rhythm of his speech across without the accent.
Also, it gets me how sometimes people will post fics in which they've stumbled over their words and leave it in.
Hackbenjamin, omg. I try not to call her out by name, but she ruined the grocery store one and the dancing one for all of fandom because no one will ask to make another copy of those and her reading is horrible. Drives me crazy. Multiple takes are your friend. They really, really are.
And while we're talking about pet peeves, here's one of mine: volume. General Jinjur is the only reader I've come across who shouts when the characters are shouting and whispers when the characters are whispering. That one flat volume found in most readings just doesn't work for me. And there was one reader recently who sounded like she was trying to read quietly -- other people in the house, maybe? -- and instead the whole gen fic sounded like phone sex. It was so odd. And it was a fic I really liked, too.
I'm definitely going to check out Them Other Boys Don't Know How To Act, so thanks for the rec. I first read that fic when it was recced over at
If you wanted to rec some more audiofic, that would be awesome. I've avoided most of it because the NC-17 readings make me a little uncomfortable, but I willing to cover my ears during the naughty bits if it means more fic to listen to.
Also, sorry about the comment spam. It's email catch up time again. :)
Re: Audiofic Part I
I think it's just one of those things that people don't think of. SGA is the only fandom I'm in that has a lot of podfics. My last fandom, I think I ran across 1 or two, and the one before that I don't think there are any. All it takes is for a few people to really decide to do it to have it take off, or at least have a presence.
Or it could be just the intimidation factor.
I think that's a big part of it too. I mean, the few half finished podfics I have going, I haven't asked the author for permission yet. I don't know the authors, and they don't know me. I would hate to ask them and have them say no, just because they don't know me. I tell myself I'm making it for me (and well, that one for you) and if I can share it, great, if not, well I'll enjoy it (although I'm not sure how real that is in practice, since after spending 200 hours working on it, you might be tired of hearing it). Also, I feel I should give the author some kind of indication that I can do it.
And fandom, in a lot of ways, is like a school playground. There are the “cool kids” that the lurkers really admire, and the ones whose fics they’re most likely to want to podfic, but since they’re “cool” the potential podficcer is intimidated. It’s not even necessarily a case of BNFs, because people can be intimidated by anyone whose work they admire, and the “cool kid” would totally laugh their asses off if they knew what the other person thought. I know there are a few people who I treat like the “cool kid” and a few I’ve even told that, and yes, they have totally laughed at me. I’ve had people say to *me* that they thought of me as such, and I just kind of stare at them in shock and wonder *why?*. Fandom has a lot of really weird dynamics.
I also kind of worry about the reading part, because I have this bad habit of mispronouncing words, because, as I said in my previous comment, I learned a lot of words from reading them, and haven't ever heard anyone else say it, so have to rely on phonetics to guess (and really the English language has enough exceptions to every rule that it really is guessing). I'm also one of those people who really skims when I read, so the way I pronounce it in my head can be *really* different from how it's really said (extra syllables, missing letters, you name it).
I had a horrible mispronunciation on one of my first audio fics that I didn't know was a mispronunciation for months.
Oh, you have a podfic? Where? I’d be really interested in hearing what you sound like.
Hackbenjamin, omg.
:P When I first discovered [Bad username or site: ”sgapodfic”/ @ livejournal.com] she had just posted her podfic tip sheet and one of the points she had was that you should read the whole thing in one sitting. Actually point 6 makes me a little sad. I cannot imagine doing these things in one sitting without editing stuff out. For one thing, if you’re reading a longer fic, you’ll have no voice left. Another, is that your chances of getting it right the first time are really low. Even if you do a couple practice runs, are you really going to remember that this line was supposed to be said sarcastically and this one wasn’t? I know that when I do my readings, I’ll stop halfway through a sentence of dialogue because I’ve realized that I put the wrong kind of emphasis on it. If you’re not going to put the right kind of emotions into it, then it’s going to be boring, and can even change the meaning behind it.
Re: Audiofic Part II
Yeah, that’s something I find kind of sad. And why I’d feel really awkward about going up to an author that doesn’t know me and asking before I record. I figure if I have at least some of it recorded that I can send with my original request they can make an informed decision. I know that I’m a nice enough person that I’ll still say “Thanks! That’s great.” even if I think it’s crap. At least if you have a sample before hand you can make up some kind of excuse.
And while we're talking about pet peeves, here's one of mine: volume
That’s one of mine too, although slightly different from you. I find that so many of the fics are too quite. So quite in fact that I can’t put them on my MP3 player because I can’t turn the volume up loud enough to hear it. This annoys me and makes me really nervous, because right now I have all of these fics (and quite a few are NC-17) sitting on my work computers hard drive.
General Jinjur is the only reader I've come across who shouts when the characters are shouting and whispers when the characters are whispering. That one flat volume found in most readings just doesn't work for me.
Hmm, now I’m really curious as to whether I do that. I’m not sure. I’m pretty sure I try and put emotions behind the words, I’m not sure if I change my volume all that much….
I remember the reccer saying she couldn't get over the incongruous Lance Bass reference and now it drives me crazy as well.
Hmm, it didn’t seem incongruous to me… actually I more giggled over the Justin Timberlake being straight bit, just because of all the popslash out there (I never read it, but I assumed that people just slashed the whole group).
If you wanted to rec some more audiofic, that would be awesome. I've avoided most of it because the NC-17 readings make me a little uncomfortable, but I willing to cover my ears during the naughty bits if it means more fic to listen to.
Hmm, do you want recs based off the reader or the fic itself?
Oddly enough I don’t find the NC-17 bits uncomfortable, just boring if they go on too long (I normally skim them when I’m reading too). I remember when I was a teenager (I used to read a ton of romance novels) I’d sometimes get books on tapes and finding it the most awkward thing in existence to listen to. I’m kind of surprised that that’s changed; I’m *really* surprised that I was able to read NC-17 bits without it even being an issue. I think fandom has desensitized me.
Also, sorry about the comment spam.
No worries, I love comment spamming :D As you can see, I totally encourage by my hugely long replies :P
Re: Audiofic Part II
God, isn't that the truth. The cool kid analogy is so spot on and it's even more ridiculous online than it is in real life. In real life, you at least have a sense of the wider social dynamics: there's some shared sense of who's cool and who's not, who's in and who's out. Online, I think we're largely missing that shared consensus. Sometimes I think that translates as seeing groups as more insular than they really are and that keeps the out kids from being the in kids and perpetuates the cycle.
In a similar vein, I've always wished I had a flow chart for fandom to keep track of who gets along with whom. Sometimes I'll read Person A on my flist and they'll snark about Person B and I'll have forgotten that they didn't like each other. Or I'll forget who's on which side of what wank and get everyone all mixed up. Part of it is that I have a horrible memory for names (and there are some pairs of LJers that I'll forever get mixed up no matter what), but part of it is that fandom is so fast paced and transitory I just can't keep up. But that's another discussion entirely.
Oh, you have a podfic?
I have a few, yeah. There's a House fic (http://www.livejournal.com/community/podslash/6255.html) with that horrible mispronounciation, a CSI fic (http://www.livejournal.com/community/podslash/7780.html) that's somehow now missing its last two minutes when I swear it used to be complete, and an SGA fic (http://paradise-city.us/lj/podslash/Less%20With%20Longing%20Than%20Wonder.mp3) I took down because I really didn't like the reading. It was more an experiment than anything else, trying to figure out what kind of reading voice I have so I'd know what sort of fics I'd be best suited to read. It's all been for naught, really, since I've never actually gotten around to finishing recording or asking someone for permission to record their fic. Like my website, I think it'll always stay an experiment.
And why I’d feel really awkward about going up to an author that doesn’t know me and asking before I record. I figure if I have at least some of it recorded that I can send with my original request they can make an informed decision.
That's such a great idea, and it never even occurred to me. That's really the way to do it, though.
...just because of all the popslash out there (I never read it, but I assumed that people just slashed the whole group).
Dear god. I don't even want to think about all the hours I wasted reading fics just like that. It was its own genre and it was completely ridiculous. Not as ridiculous as all the LOTR orgy fic, but pretty close.
I’m *really* surprised that I was able to read NC-17 bits without it even being an issue. I think fandom has desensitized me.
Gah, it's a huge issue for me. It's my own issue that I'm hypersensitive to anything that's vaguely lesbian but aside from that, it takes a particular voice to read porn. I've heard good porn and bad porn, and oftentimes someone who reads a great Rodney can't read great porn. I don't know if it's two different skill sets or if it has more to do with the timbre of the reader's voice or what, but badly read porn just squicks me. I think I'm learning to fast forward, thought. And speaking of recs, I don't need them -- I've decided to just go through the podfic comm and download all of it for at least one listen and toss out the really bad readings. I don't know how far I'll get -- so far I've spent more time trying to figure out what I don't like the Nantucket AU series than actually listening to the series (or anything else, for that matter).
Swear to god, I never think I have this much to say about anything until I start commenting with you. :)
Re: Audiofic Part II
Sooo, true. I mean at least in the playground the cool kids *know* they're cool, and the uncool kids know it too. In fandom though, there are the BNFs, who often try and act surprised or modest when you call them on it. And then there are the people who the BNFs and some of their followers think are uncool. I remember in the QaF fandom that was really apparent. The title Bad!Fic writer would get thrown around a lot. But those "uncool kids" would have the legions of fans on their own. And then there's everyone else, and I bet, that if you have put forth anything in a fannish way, there is at least one person out there who fangirls you, or think that you're a BNF. The lines are so blurry here.
I've always wished I had a flow chart for fandom to keep track of who gets along with whom. Sometimes I'll read Person A on my flist and they'll snark about Person B and I'll have forgotten that they didn't like each other.
Oh god, I just don't even try. I know that there's someone on my flist (you?) who doesn't like
I have a few, yeah.
Ohh, pretty. I'll take a listen to them tomorrow at work.
That's such a great idea, and it never even occurred to me. That's really the way to do it, though.
Yeah, it makes sense, especially if it's your first podfic. If you have a couple under your belt, then you can just show those, but, it's kind of like a resume.
ear god. I don't even want to think about all the hours I wasted reading fics just like that.
When I started out in fandom it was in Queer as Folk, so having all the characters gay was pretty much canon, but it would get me, especially in the HP fandom, how you'd go read a fic and suddenly the *entire* cast is gay. I notice it sometimes in SGA, but it's not that bad. It just doesn't work that way. *shakes head*
Gah, it's a huge issue for me.
I'm really, really surprised that it *isn't* for me. I was raised in this really religious family where your sexuality is something that you just don't discuss. My parents don't think I've ever dated, the truth is, I just don't talk about it with them. I feel uncomfortable talking about the kinds of fics I like to read, because of what they reveal about me. But for some reason, I can read these sex scenes out loud without any problems. Weird. Whether I'm any good at it remains to be seen. :P
And speaking of recs, I don't need them -- I've decided to just go through the podfic comm and download all of it for at least one listen and toss out the really bad readings.
Good luck! There aren't all *that* many. I think I have about 5GBs worth on my computer. I'm sure you could get through them all in a week.
Swear to god, I never think I have this much to say about anything until I start commenting with you. :)
Hey it's not just you. I' feel I'm doing well if I can keep it down to one comment.
Re: Audiofic Part II
I think that's one of my least favorite aspects of fandom. Someone on my flist used an economic model for fandom hierarchy and pointed out that what makes someone a BNF is often some sort of service to fandom. From that point of view, BNFdom is their paycheck. You can accept that paycheck without having to fake modesty about it -- you do top quality work, you get a top quality salary. A lot of people in town know who the doctors and lawyers are, so it's kind of pointless pretending your paycheck isn't as large as everyone knows it is. I suppose it's difficult on the other side, too -- BNFs tend to have a lot of actions and trends ascribed to them when perhaps they shouldn't be. I suppose it's hard for a pimp, even online.
Oh god, I just don't even try. I know that there's someone on my flist (you?) who doesn't like trinityofone and rageprufrock's writing? That wouldn't stop me from fangirling over them though.
Yep, that's me. And the flowchart comment was prompted by a friend's entry yesterday -- she's a recognizable name to me, so I always assume she aligns herself with the other recognizable names on my flist, when she's usually on the opposite side. It's so strange to read an anti-metafandom post from her when I assume she's pro-metafandom. It's the memory for names thing again.
how you'd go read a fic and suddenly the *entire* cast is gay. I notice it sometimes in SGA, but it's not that bad. It just doesn't work that way. *shakes head*
Oh, that drives me crazy. It's a huge pet peeve.
Relatedly, I read a lot of first time John/Rodney and what really irritates me is the way people often write Rodney as automatically assuming that (a) John is homophobic and (b) going to hit Rodney for revealing his feelings. I've been meaning to make a post about this forever because I don't understand where it comes from, but I've just been too lazy.
I feel uncomfortable talking about the kinds of fics I like to read, because of what they reveal about me.
Dear god, yes. Yesyesyes. Someone on my flist lost her John/Rodney bookmarks the other day and was asking for recs. I don't quite know what possessed me, but I offered to send her my John/Rodney bookmarks and afterward I thought, "God, I wonder what she thinks of me now." Probably nothing -- my bookmarks probably look like anyone else's. So I like biting -- big deal. Some people dig genderswap (which I'll never understand) or D/s or drugged!John or aliens made them do it, etc. etc. But I was still thinking, "Oh, no, she knows I like biting!" So ridiculous, but great food for thought. I should make a post about this too, at some point. I wonder if this self-consciousness is one of the reasons people shy away from discussing fic in general.
Re: Audiofic Part II
Hmm, I think part of it, and I'm totally guessing here, is that fandom seems to attract a lot of people who are socially awkward in RL (at least that's what I've seen, we may not have been the kid getting picked on, but a lot of us weren't the cool kid at school either). So people are genuinely surprised when they find themselves popular here. Also, even if you have a ton of people on your flist, you may not feel very close to many of them, so it doesn't feel like your have a ton of friends (I have over 90 mutual friends on my flist, but I probably only talk to about 10 of them at a time, friends will cycle).
Although, I do think you hit a point when you have to realize that, yes, you are a BNF. When you can make a post about how you have to do the laundry later and get over a page of comments, then I think it's time to accept it.
Oh, that drives me crazy. It's a huge pet peeve
It really drove me crazy at first. It's just... come on! Atlantis is half military, they're not exactly gay friendly! And I highly doubt that Lorne and Parrish are going to be offering gay sex tips to John, while Markham and Stackhouse make out in the hallway.
I've been meaning to make a post about this forever because I don't understand where it comes from, but I've just been too lazy.
Hmm, I have a feeling getting into this is going to send me into a second comment, but hey, here I go anyways.
I think I can kind of understand it, if only because John is military and Rodney has spent most of his life working for the military. Beside the whole DADT thing, well, it's based on actual feelings. I can't say as I know all that many people in the US military, but I did watch a section of the Republican Debate a few weeks ago when they were asking politicians about the rule. Also, guys in general seem to make a lot of careless homosexual jokes, and use words like "gay" "fag" and "pansy" as insults. If Rodney had spent a lot of his life around people like that, hearing people *talk* like that, then, well, he probably has certain low expectations for people in the military.
I personally don't think John would be homophobic, even if he isn't gay. You see him on screen acting with an air of "To each their own" when they meet aliens, and he doesn't act like the typical military man. But! He is very physical with McKay. He'll give him whacks and smacks if he thinks McKay is being stupid, he'll get right into his face if he's angry, and even hit things or grab him.
So, if McKay is basing things off his various past experiences... it's not *that* far fetched. It may not be the most likely outcome, but it's not outside the realm of possibilities. *shrugs*
Re: Audiofic Part II
I never really think about that. I mean, I know what kind of people populate the internet, but I tend to forget sometimes. That's a really good point, and I'd do well to keep that mind.
And I highly doubt that Lorne and Parrish are going to be offering gay sex tips to John, while Markham and Stackhouse make out in the hallway.
Which brings me to another point here -- I've always wondered how pairings like Markham/Stackhouse and Parrish/Lorne get off the ground. They have five second of screen time together and somehow develop their own slice of fandom. It's cool, but it boggles me completely.
But! He is very physical with McKay. He'll give him whacks and smacks if he thinks McKay is being stupid, he'll get right into his face if he's angry, and even hit things or grab him. So, if McKay is basing things off his various past experiences... it's not *that* far fetched.
And here you've made another excellent point. I was thinking about my brother when you brought this up. He's a teenager and pretty tolerant for someone who grew up in a fairly homophobic culture. He's even weathered being the option of a gay crush very well (better than I have, in fact, and I've got ten years on him). Despite all that, though, he'll still use slurs without really thinking about and while I know he's more tolerant than he might come across, I can see how someone could miss that. So yeah, your explanation for John holds a lot of water.
I still think I'll make a post about it, though -- probably after the holidays when everyone's back in Netville. I've even thought about taking it to metafandom, but I'm still not sure about that. I once accidentally stepped into a huge pile of wank in a metafandomesque comm and I'm always afraid of doing that again every time I post to a place I don't frequent.
Re: Audiofic Part II
Hee, I always keep it in mind, since I'm totally one of those people. I'm often surprised at the amount of people I consider friends on the internet, and really wish that we weren't so spread around the world so we could actually get together in RL. The few times I've met online friends in RL have been absolute blasts though. :)
I've always wondered how pairings like Markham/Stackhouse and Parrish/Lorne get off the ground. They have five second of screen time together and somehow develop their own slice of fandom. It's cool, but it boggles me completely.
I've heard the argument made that they become popular because it's basically wish fulfillment on the author's part. Since there's so little canon about them, they're a blank slate and you can do whatever the hell you want with them. Put them in any situation, and not have to worry about it being OOC.
Despite all that, though, he'll still use slurs without really thinking about and while I know he's more tolerant than he might come across, I can see how someone could miss that.
*nods* There are a lot of people who intellectually are ok with homosexuality, but don't know how to deal with it, so act in ways that aren't always the best. They say things that they don't realize is insulting, or try too hard to not be insulting and come off as insulting anyways. Like, my uncle, every time he says anything at all about homosexuals or homosexuality, no matter how vague (although it's generally after a joke), adds the line "not that there's anything wrong with that".
I've even thought about taking it to metafandom, but I'm still not sure about that. I once accidentally stepped into a huge pile of wank in a metafandomesque comm and I'm always afraid of doing that again every time I post to a place I don't frequent.
Oh god,
Reading Habits.
I would totally support such a post. I think part of it comes down to sexuality; Woman have never been open about sex the same way men are (not that we can't be plenty open in some ways), and to air to the world what it is we find sexy... it's a bit weird. We're not used to that. I had a girl on my flist make a post a while back about how she found it really odd and TMI when people would leave comments to fic saying "I'll be in my bunk now" or I've seen icons that say something to the effect of "You owe me a new pair of panties". The friend was kind of nervous about saying anything because she didn't want to come off as a prude, but it's true. I would *never* tell someone, or imply that what they wrote had me masturbating. In fact, the one time a friend of mine brought up masturbating habits with regards to me, I almost *died*. I'm so not exaggerating there.
I think another aspect of sharing fics, is, well, everyone has certain standards for reading. I know my roommate, and the person who got me into fanfic, only reads fics that have been recommended by people she trusts, or written by author's she loves. She's in a bazillion fandoms so she's able to do that, but as someone who only reads in one fandom, you end up reading some fics that aren't *amazing*. When I first started off in fandom, back in my QaF days (wow I bring those days up a lot when speaking with you :P) I read everything I could get my hands on. Everything. And QaF isn't that big of a fandom, and doesn't (or at least didn't, I haven't checked lately) have a ton of choice in fic, and the fic it did churn out, well a lot of them were *bad*. So bad, that I have no idea how I read them, looking back. I'd sometimes talk to my room mate about the fics that I would read, and she'd often just look at me, and say "Oh Lindsay." and "Why do you read stuff like that?" or "I can point you towards some really good fic if you'd like."
While I know my standards have risen since those days, I still read some that others turn their noses up at. I love AUs. Probably more than I love canon fics. I love harlequin fics. Hell, I sometimes read Mpreg. I read almost any fic that is posted to
Also, since you have a nice list all ready, would you show me the favourites that you shared with your friend?
Re: Reading Habits.
That might have been me, actually. And if it wasn't, there's someone out there who shares my hang-up. Awesome. :)
I wonder if maybe it has to do with permission. It seems like guys don't really need permission to talk about sex -- they just do. Women, on the other hand, seem to need explicit permission for each different situation. For example, I had a friend who used to use the "I need a new pair of panties" line whenever she saw a hot guy or a nice car, just interject it into the middle of a non-sexual conversation and that always seemed inappropriate to me. But if I were have a sexually-centered conversation with her, it wasn't as inappropriate. Maybe that's the issue with the commenting and sharing thing: some people don't see that as an appropriate venue for sexual frankness, whereas other people do. And maybe that has a polarizing effect: the people who are comfortable with sexual frankness are quite happy to produce and talk porn wherever whenever, which might make the conservative fans even more conservative. Who knows.
I think another aspect of sharing fics, is, well, everyone has certain standards for reading...I'd sometimes talk to my room mate about the fics that I would read, and she'd often just look at me, and say "Oh Lindsay." and "Why do you read stuff like that?"
I totally get that. I always feel that if I were to share my reading choices, I'd have to defend them for any number of reasons. "Yes, serious fic is really very good and I'm sure I'm missing out on a lot by never having read [insert serious epic here], but I just don't like sad stories" or "Yes, I know [insert schmoopy OOC fic] is kind of ridiculous, but sometimes I just like the idea of the characters and not their actual representation," etc. etc. I know fandom isn't entirely made up of snooty acafans, but I forget that sometimes.
Also, since you have a nice list all ready, would you show me the favourites that you shared with your friend?
I don't know if you still want it, but if you do, let me know. And allow me to defend my choices here: there's a lot of porn on there because (a) it's hard for me to find good gen fic and (b) I like stories with sex not necessarily for the sex, but because there seems to be more on the line emotionally when sex is involved. I'm not a dirty, dirty porn whore and even if I were, that would totally be okay. Or something.
Re: Reading Habits.
I thought it was
I wonder if maybe it has to do with permission. It seems like guys don't really need permission to talk about sex -- they just do. Women, on the other hand, seem to need explicit permission for each different situation.
I think that's definitely a part of it. I also think it comes down (at least for me) what is permissible to talk about. Like, for example, if I were to meet a guy tomorrow and have a hot one night stand, then I probably wouldn't feel any hesitation is giving details to my best friend. I would however feel really hesitant to tell her that I found a fic hot, nothing so explicit as needing new panties, just it made me go "guh". And of course, like I mentioned, the one time a friend asked me about masturbating and I nearly died, because I don't think I could ever talk about that comfortably, whereas with guys, masturbating is kind of a fact of life, and it's assumed that they do it regularly.
I totally get that. I always feel that if I were to share my reading choices, I'd have to defend them for any number of reasons.
*word* I'm a really moody person when it comes to reading, so sometimes I want something really dark that will make me cry, other times I just want something that's pure fluff. Sometimes I want to read about harlequins or mpregs. I just do. It doesn't mean I don't read a ton of other fic that aren't such extremes.
It drives me crazy when people demand certain qualities from a *fic* and fail to recognize the qualities of a *story*. Like people who turn their noses up at AUs or porny fic. Someone on my flist made a post bitching about
I know fandom isn't entirely made up of snooty acafans, but I forget that sometimes.
In the SGA fandom especially it's hard to remember that, and this coming from the fandom that made *penguin* fics a common trope.
I don't know if you still want it, but if you do, let me know.
I'm still interested. If it's easier you can e-mail it to me, my main e-mail is my LJ one.
Re: Reading Habits.
Gah. I think we've covered this already, but I have so much love for that fic. She gave great Rodney, and he's one of the hardest characters to pin down? How could anyone deny her props for that?
...and this coming from the fandom that made *penguin* fics a common trope.
And the genderfuck, god. I will never understand how Rodney being a GIRL is okay, but the Coming Home scenario is not.
Also, I will always and forever remember SGA fic as the one with the cat and the barista, the same way all Smallville fic can be boiled down to that one where Lex wore a corset. The things that stick in people's minds, I swear.
The bookmark list is coming your way via email. :)
Re: Reading Habits.
Yeah, I think we did too, which is why I felt ok at mentioning it. I have to say, Coming Home is probably my favourite fic ever, in *any* fandom.
She gave great Rodney, and he's one of the hardest characters to pin down?
Well, in the General and Dr. Sheppard I found her Rodney characterization painfully off, so I think of the two stories as different fics altogether, so I personally have no problems with Coming Home, but I can see how others would think it's OOC (too many people see Rodney as a control freak who could never let go like that, even though it tends to be the control freaks that do let go like that...).
Also, one of the things that was brought up in the discussion is that they found it OOC for Rodney to be a bottom, which I found hilarious, because it took me a long time to even consider that John could be the bottom in their relationship, because in my head it was totally Rodney all the way.
It's weird how different people can interpret the same thing.
How could anyone deny her props for that?
Well, if you're interested, here's the discussion, although, I should warn you, IIRC I think I go a kittke into the realm of TMI when it comes to my own sex life.
But the jist of the argument, from
Actually, how old do you think someone has to be in order to reach the rank of General? That was one of the things she felt was off.
And the genderfuck, god. I will never understand how Rodney being a GIRL is okay, but the Coming Home scenario is not.
Ah ha ha ha! That is the best. Yeah it gets me how in some respects people will have no problem with improbable things (just touch this machine and it will change your sex/species and/or make you pregnant, even though you haven't a uterus!) and in other's it's totally unacceptable (this world would never work!).
Also, I will always and forever remember SGA fic as the one with the cat and the barista
Well, that whole thing forever cemented SGA in my mind as a fandom that is crazy in a *scary* way, and not just a "AUs! Good for what ails you" way. :S
Rodney/Katie
Rodney/Katie... hmm, I'm kind of indifferent to them. I don't strongly associate my fandom pairings with canon, so don't feel like it's threatening my OTP like I'm sure many others do. If Katie had been written into a fic though, I'd probably roll my eyes really heavily at the author, because I really don't see Rodney dating someone like her; come on, she's *stupid*, and she's in botany, I'm sure that falls under the soft science that Rodney seems to have such disdain for. She'd let him walk all over her, look at how she seemed to have acted like there was nothing weird about Rodney asking her out after a *year*.
In canon though, it's interesting to see how Rodney acts around her. How he seems to be such a different person, and treats her delicately, and is kind of awkward. It's cute to see them dating, but again, I don't know how well they'd be together for a longer relationship. Rodney treats her delicately, but what happens one day when there's a crisis, or they just got over one, or her just *tired* and he snaps at her? I think she'd be hurt to have McKay's displeasure turned on her, and so Rodney would be spending all his time either holding his tongue or avoiding her when he needs someone the most, so I don't think overall it'd be a comfortable relationship.
Of course that's just what I feel from the characters, canon has all the power to prove me wrong, not that I think they will. There's a rule in TV dramas where you just can't have people happily paired off, not unless it's the end of the show and you have a "and they lived happily ever after" type ending (like Friends for example). People don't like watching happy couples, they're boring, they want angst and UST and fighting.
So I guess overall, I'm still indifferent. I don't look forward to the Rodney/Katie parts, and I certainly wouldn't go out looking for fics about them, but I don't dislike them, or change the channel whenever they're on screen together.
Why do you ask?
Re: Rodney/Katie
Also, if you don't mind me asking, what kind of work do you do?
Re: Rodney/Katie
And yeah, it weird that more people aren't talking about it. Normally slashers are pretty protective of their characters, how much is Cheya brought up? But maybe it's because they just can't take the couple seriously...
Also, if you don't mind me asking, what kind of work do you do?
No, I don't mind, I'm sure I've mentioned it here more than once, but that was probably before you were here.
I work at a company that sells scientific supplies and instrumentation. Actually, if you've ever been in a lab, certainly anywhere in North America and Europe, but really all over the world, then chances are they've carried something from my company. I work at the Canadian head office for the distributions side of things. I started off in Customer Service (all orders go through us), but recently made a switch to the Contracts Department. I don't actually have my own accounts, I mostly do grunt work for the coordinators (When I started at Fisher, I would just work summers as a student, but now that I'm no longer in school, I'm working there full time, but they haven't really moved me beyond "Summer Student" status). So I spend a lot of time doing up spreadsheets, making things look pretty, and a *lot* of time cross-referencing things. A lot of times when customers are shopping around, they'll send in lists of things that they buy that we might sell, but they'll all be part numbers from a competitor, so it's my job to find an equivalent that we sell. I like it, and I'm learning *tons*, although sometimes it's kind of funny, the other day I went on a hunt for albino corn seeds....
Re: Rodney/Katie
I guess the John storyline really overshadowed Rodney's potential for wedded bliss, and with good reason. JF really knocked that one out of the park.
Your job sounds cool! I've worked on and off in a hospital for a couple of years on the clerical side of things and we always get catalogs for some of the strangest things. The practice trauma dummies were probably my favorite, because they sell them with super size bags of trauma: 50 free lacerations and 12 free bullets with an upgrade to Timmy Trauma! It's ridiculous and morbid, but totally entertaining. Probably not as cool as albino corn seeds, though. I never even know those existed.
Re: Rodney/Katie
True.
Your job sounds cool!
It is, when there's work to do. We seem to go through insanely busy times (OMG there was this one time a potential customer sent in a list of 6500 items to be cross referenced and we only had a week to do it. Our guidelines state that a list of 100 items or more should take about a week, and needs approval from the big bosses. I wanted to kill someone over the pipet tips), and times when it's really slow. The slow bumps can be pretty boring. Especially since my "spare time" project is to go through the thousands of contracts we have, read the terms and conditions and input specific agreements into the system (exchange rate mostly). That's fine for a couple hours, but a couple days has me wanting to kill myself.
It's ridiculous and morbid, but totally entertaining.
Oh, you want to talk about morbid? Try flipping through a Thermo Shandon catalogue. Among other things, they sell mortuary supplies. I remember being really depressed one day to realize that we sold a morgue set up that could house 500 bodies. And looking at the various saws and what not? :S
Probably not as cool as albino corn seeds, though. I never even know those existed.
Yeah, that was a funny day. I had gotten a call from our warehouse earlier, saying that they had these buckets of worms, and can I please find out what they're supposed to do with them? They'd had them sitting there for about a month now. I looked them up (because I was really bothered by the idea of buckets of worms sitting around for months) and at least it turned out that they were preserved worms for high school dissections. It turned out that the worms were too small, so I had to call the various customers and see if they'd accept the shorter worms. I was leaving this one customer a message "You had order cat# XXXX which is supposed to be 10", but it turns out that the ones we got are only 8". Will that be big enough for you?" And I look up, and see Phil staring at me with this *huge* grin on his face, and choked while leaving my contact info. He laughed at me and said he didn't want to know, which had be yelling Worms! It was worms! Oh, I miss Phil.