I think it's possible to dislike someone on their own but like them as part of a pairing/group, and vice versa. People aren't static and they change depending on their surroundings and who they're with Very true. And sometimes, you can hate the *idea* of a person, but not actually mind them, when they are around. My sister and brother-in-law are like that about his brother. There are issues about how he's treated by the rest of the family, and how he doesn't give into the rest of the family, so that when Jen and Kevin talk about Adam, the don't like him at all, but when he's actually there, and they're hanging out, they have a lot of fun. I think that's the reaction that John inspires in some Rodney fans. We see John getting the praise from TPTB as being the lead character, we see on canon how he acts in a more "perfect" manner, never getting in trouble, or getting off with a slap on the wrist when he can't avoid trouble, things like that. When we compare how John is treated to how Rodney is treated, I don't know, a resentment builds up, not because of John himself, but because of the imbalance we see, and when such discussions start, it's easy to blame John for this, and forget that he's not really that bad.
So while I haven't read sardonicsmiley's post, I think that her opinion, if it happens to be that she dislikes John on his own but likes him as part of a pairing with Rodney, is totally valid. Her post was one asking for unpopular opinions. I believe she mentioned in her post that she doesn't find him all that, but equusentric was reacting to a comment someone else left saying they *hated* John. She has told me that she can understand liking one part of a pairing more than another, after all she prefers John over Rodney, she can even understand people not really caring about half of the pairing, like she didn't care for Justin while still shipping Brian and Justin in QaF, she just doesn't understand why you'd waste your time reading a pairing when half of it inspires such hate, which is a valid point. But still, while John can sometimes be mean to Rodney, Rodney does seem to bring out the best in him. It's with Rodney that we see John acting like a dork most, when we see him smile and make funny faces. It's with John that we see the most consistent chemistry from Rodney, and, if you wanted to make the argument that John brings out the best in Rodney, well then, you might *hate hate HATE* John, but love how Rodney is around him, so can put up with John for that.
(I just can't stop myself from blathering :S More to come)
Re: Oh, John
Very true. And sometimes, you can hate the *idea* of a person, but not actually mind them, when they are around. My sister and brother-in-law are like that about his brother. There are issues about how he's treated by the rest of the family, and how he doesn't give into the rest of the family, so that when Jen and Kevin talk about Adam, the don't like him at all, but when he's actually there, and they're hanging out, they have a lot of fun. I think that's the reaction that John inspires in some Rodney fans. We see John getting the praise from TPTB as being the lead character, we see on canon how he acts in a more "perfect" manner, never getting in trouble, or getting off with a slap on the wrist when he can't avoid trouble, things like that. When we compare how John is treated to how Rodney is treated, I don't know, a resentment builds up, not because of John himself, but because of the imbalance we see, and when such discussions start, it's easy to blame John for this, and forget that he's not really that bad.
So while I haven't read
Her post was one asking for unpopular opinions. I believe she mentioned in her post that she doesn't find him all that, but
But still, while John can sometimes be mean to Rodney, Rodney does seem to bring out the best in him. It's with Rodney that we see John acting like a dork most, when we see him smile and make funny faces. It's with John that we see the most consistent chemistry from Rodney, and, if you wanted to make the argument that John brings out the best in Rodney, well then, you might *hate hate HATE* John, but love how Rodney is around him, so can put up with John for that.
(I just can't stop myself from blathering :S More to come)