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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

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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I should make a post about this too, at some point.
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

atlantiskink. I used to be one of those emo teenagers, and sometimes still want to read fics where the guys act like that (even though I realize that they're wildly OOC, and can only read them in certain moods now or they make me claw my eyes out). I also read a ton of "normal" fic too, but, I don't know, it's like, I don't want people to think less of me, because I read something they wouldn't touch with a ten foot pole. And it's stupid, but there you go.

Also, since you have a nice list all ready, would you show me the favourites that you shared with your friend?

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..."
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.

That might have been me, actually. And if it wasn't, there's someone out there who shares my hang-up. Awesome. :)
I thought it was

ana_grl who made the post, but I think it's more likely I just confuse you two when it comes to opinions, since I thought she was the one who didn't like Pru and Trinity....

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

xanthelj and her Coming Home fic. She, and it seemed almost everyone but me who responded to the post, couldn't see Coming Home as good because there were too many "errors" in it. They didn't see how that AU-verse could work in RL, or they saw her characters as too OOC, etc. I tried to explain that the people who read and love that fic, love it for different reasons, but it came across to me that the reasons I had for liking it weren't as... good? important? valid? as theirs were. And I don't think that's an isolated incident.

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.

Someone on my flist made a post bitching about [info]xanthelj and her Coming Home fic...

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. :)

Gah. I think we've covered this already, but I have so much love for that fic.
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

geeklite was that everyone was OOC, and the argument from

amireal was that it wasn't realistic enough.
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

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Reading Habits.

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