There is a long story behind why I am doing this - and I'm not going to get into those details because I really feel the circumstances that have prompted this would overshadow the message I'm hoping to share, as well as the importance of the topic at hand.
Fandom is an unlimited space, where possibilities are truly endless, and because of that, there is room for everything imaginable, and everyone who wants to join in.
Let's pause for a second and let the enormity of that sink in.
Unlimited space; endless possibilities; everyone's welcome.
Now, let's talk about one of the biggest creative endeavors in fandom - you guessed it, fanfiction. You might be asking, what is fanfiction? To those unfamiliar, it can be tricky to explain, but I'm going to give it a try.
I have often explained fanfic as "a retelling of an established story" to my non-fandom friends. But it's so much more than that. It's the opportunity to fill in the gaps found in an already told tale; the chance to expand on an idea. It's taking known characters and writing them into your own story - or taking a known story and reshaping it with your own characters.
There is a lot more that could be said on the subject of the definition of fanfiction - and in time I'll do just that. ;-) But, for now, let's get back on track.
So, what makes one fandom appeal to one person, and not another? I don't have a clue - although I can offer a guess (or three).
We all relate to things differently - our experiences, relationships, families, our cultural, religious, and even socio economic backgrounds - these things all determine the way we see the world, and the people in it. There are so many things that factor into how we interpret what we see around us, there's no way for any two people to see things exactly alike.
Everyone has a unique perspective, and that perspective is formed from their personal experiences.
IMO (heh, you see what I did there? ;-) ) - this is a huge part of the reason we all like different things. Why we all can look at the same set of characters and envision them so differently. Let's take Pidge (from Voltron) for example - one person may look at him and see a boy genius, another may decide he's a whiny know-it-all.
And it's great that we all see things differently - that's why there are so many wonderful fanfics, and fanfic writers, out there!! There are so many ways to retell the same tale - so many various ways to explore the relationships of all these characters! This is why fanfiction is *so* exciting and appeals to so many people!
Over the years, I've read numerous fanfics - I couldn't even begin to count them! Most of them were Votron fics and usually starring Keith and Allura - that's my favorite pairing. But, I've also read fics starring Hunk, Pidge, Lance, even Lotor - and with the Sven/Romelle pairing, as well as Lance/Allura and Lotor/Allura pairings - even Keith/Lance pairing.
Some of those fics were long, some short. Some were written by friends, some by strangers. Some were amazing, some not so much. But we all start somewhere, right? I know when I first started writing, it wasn't pretty at all. Heck, you might not even consider my writing pretty right now! O__o
Of course, even if someone lacked skill as a writer, I would *never* discourage them from trying. The only real failure is not to try. If someone wrote a fanfic that I didn't like, I'd stop reading and look for something that I'd enjoy. Like I said before, fandom is an unlimited space - there's room for everyone.
However, what there is absolutely no room for is attempting to shame, or bully, someone who has a differing perspective than you do. And if you feel the need to do that, well, perhaps you really don't understand what fandom is all about.
Fandom is about a shared love for a certain anime or tv series or movie or book or...the list goes on. It's about sharing the excitement, the emotion, the inspiration of your fandom with other people who are similarly influenced by the same series. They may not always see things the same way you do, or have the same favorite character, but they love the series just the same as you.
Now, to make a really important point, I need to get a little off track, so just hang in there!
I want you to really think about this...
One day I stop by your house for a visit. You've recently adopted an adorable, furry friend - let's say a dog. So, you have fallen head over heels in love with Spot, who is a fuzzy little slipper-chewing ball of fun times! When I show up, you proceed to tell me all about your new pal - lots of anecdotes and giggles about the dog park and tennis balls, chew toys and bones.
I can see that you obviously adore your new friend - all this time and attention spent, all the love you've been pouring into Spot - it is clear to see that this is something important to you. And I can relate because I know how much I love my pet - I have a cat! (In reality I have 3 cats and a dog and they are all my fur-babies, but for the sake of this tale, let's limit it to 1 cat!)
So, as you wrap up your tale, I smile and nod. You say, "Isn't Spot great?" and I reply, "No, I don't like dogs, they are bad pets, I like cats. You need to get rid of Spot."
O__o
I'm sure, at this point, you'd be thinking something like, excuse me? If you don't like dogs, don't get one and stick to your cat. But, WTH does your opinion of dogs have to do with me being a dog owner?
Well, it really doesn't matter what I think about you and your dog - my response to you was a choice. I had the option to say something like, "Personally I like cats, but I am really happy that you're happy and that you've chosen to share your joy and excitement over your dog with me." That would have been nice...Instead, I attempted to force my will on you, and said something mean and snarky.
Okay, back to fandom - just be sure to keep that story in mind as we continue.
So, when you sit down and read someone else's fanfic, you are being given the opportunity to step outside yourself and see the world through the writer's eyes - you are getting to experience that person's world. Or more accurately their interpretation of the ____ universe (fill in that blank) - for me, that would be - their interpretation of the Voltron universe.
Do you see where I'm going with this?
There are many times when we read a fanfic and it just doesn‘t fit with our vision of the universe. Maybe as you read, you think, I just can't see character A with character B - or maybe you think the bad guys deserve a happy ending - perhaps you think one of the good guys is a jerk, or one of the baddies is an unsung hero... It could be that the plot stinks - or that the entire thing is riddled with inconsistencies. For whatever reason, you don't like it.
So what are you going to do?
Are you going to support your fandom, and be a positive influence on other people? Or are you going to be disrespectful and behave in a manner that's hate-filled and negative? Of course, you could just step back and do nothing...
Personally, I find it difficult to do nothing, especially when I'm in a position to affect positive change. I also truly believe that you attract what you put out into the world. Which brings us to that old adage, do unto others...I can't count the number of times I told my kids, "Hey, if you don't want someone to do it to you, don't do it to anyone else."
Next time you come across a fanfic, or even fanart, that you don't like, or don't agree with, remember this - choose kindness. If you don't like it, walk away.
Nothing good comes out of leaving hurtful, hateful, or bigoted comments. If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all.
As Ellen DeGeneres says, "Be kind to one another."
And that's the message I really wanted to share.
So, take it or leave it, it's just my opinion.
Giant Hugs!
Shan
Fandom is an unlimited space, where possibilities are truly endless, and because of that, there is room for everything imaginable, and everyone who wants to join in.
Let's pause for a second and let the enormity of that sink in.
Unlimited space; endless possibilities; everyone's welcome.
Now, let's talk about one of the biggest creative endeavors in fandom - you guessed it, fanfiction. You might be asking, what is fanfiction? To those unfamiliar, it can be tricky to explain, but I'm going to give it a try.
I have often explained fanfic as "a retelling of an established story" to my non-fandom friends. But it's so much more than that. It's the opportunity to fill in the gaps found in an already told tale; the chance to expand on an idea. It's taking known characters and writing them into your own story - or taking a known story and reshaping it with your own characters.
There is a lot more that could be said on the subject of the definition of fanfiction - and in time I'll do just that. ;-) But, for now, let's get back on track.
So, what makes one fandom appeal to one person, and not another? I don't have a clue - although I can offer a guess (or three).
We all relate to things differently - our experiences, relationships, families, our cultural, religious, and even socio economic backgrounds - these things all determine the way we see the world, and the people in it. There are so many things that factor into how we interpret what we see around us, there's no way for any two people to see things exactly alike.
Everyone has a unique perspective, and that perspective is formed from their personal experiences.
IMO (heh, you see what I did there? ;-) ) - this is a huge part of the reason we all like different things. Why we all can look at the same set of characters and envision them so differently. Let's take Pidge (from Voltron) for example - one person may look at him and see a boy genius, another may decide he's a whiny know-it-all.
And it's great that we all see things differently - that's why there are so many wonderful fanfics, and fanfic writers, out there!! There are so many ways to retell the same tale - so many various ways to explore the relationships of all these characters! This is why fanfiction is *so* exciting and appeals to so many people!
Over the years, I've read numerous fanfics - I couldn't even begin to count them! Most of them were Votron fics and usually starring Keith and Allura - that's my favorite pairing. But, I've also read fics starring Hunk, Pidge, Lance, even Lotor - and with the Sven/Romelle pairing, as well as Lance/Allura and Lotor/Allura pairings - even Keith/Lance pairing.
Some of those fics were long, some short. Some were written by friends, some by strangers. Some were amazing, some not so much. But we all start somewhere, right? I know when I first started writing, it wasn't pretty at all. Heck, you might not even consider my writing pretty right now! O__o
Of course, even if someone lacked skill as a writer, I would *never* discourage them from trying. The only real failure is not to try. If someone wrote a fanfic that I didn't like, I'd stop reading and look for something that I'd enjoy. Like I said before, fandom is an unlimited space - there's room for everyone.
However, what there is absolutely no room for is attempting to shame, or bully, someone who has a differing perspective than you do. And if you feel the need to do that, well, perhaps you really don't understand what fandom is all about.
Fandom is about a shared love for a certain anime or tv series or movie or book or...the list goes on. It's about sharing the excitement, the emotion, the inspiration of your fandom with other people who are similarly influenced by the same series. They may not always see things the same way you do, or have the same favorite character, but they love the series just the same as you.
Now, to make a really important point, I need to get a little off track, so just hang in there!
I want you to really think about this...
One day I stop by your house for a visit. You've recently adopted an adorable, furry friend - let's say a dog. So, you have fallen head over heels in love with Spot, who is a fuzzy little slipper-chewing ball of fun times! When I show up, you proceed to tell me all about your new pal - lots of anecdotes and giggles about the dog park and tennis balls, chew toys and bones.
I can see that you obviously adore your new friend - all this time and attention spent, all the love you've been pouring into Spot - it is clear to see that this is something important to you. And I can relate because I know how much I love my pet - I have a cat! (In reality I have 3 cats and a dog and they are all my fur-babies, but for the sake of this tale, let's limit it to 1 cat!)
So, as you wrap up your tale, I smile and nod. You say, "Isn't Spot great?" and I reply, "No, I don't like dogs, they are bad pets, I like cats. You need to get rid of Spot."
O__o
I'm sure, at this point, you'd be thinking something like, excuse me? If you don't like dogs, don't get one and stick to your cat. But, WTH does your opinion of dogs have to do with me being a dog owner?
Well, it really doesn't matter what I think about you and your dog - my response to you was a choice. I had the option to say something like, "Personally I like cats, but I am really happy that you're happy and that you've chosen to share your joy and excitement over your dog with me." That would have been nice...Instead, I attempted to force my will on you, and said something mean and snarky.
Okay, back to fandom - just be sure to keep that story in mind as we continue.
So, when you sit down and read someone else's fanfic, you are being given the opportunity to step outside yourself and see the world through the writer's eyes - you are getting to experience that person's world. Or more accurately their interpretation of the ____ universe (fill in that blank) - for me, that would be - their interpretation of the Voltron universe.
Do you see where I'm going with this?
There are many times when we read a fanfic and it just doesn‘t fit with our vision of the universe. Maybe as you read, you think, I just can't see character A with character B - or maybe you think the bad guys deserve a happy ending - perhaps you think one of the good guys is a jerk, or one of the baddies is an unsung hero... It could be that the plot stinks - or that the entire thing is riddled with inconsistencies. For whatever reason, you don't like it.
So what are you going to do?
Are you going to support your fandom, and be a positive influence on other people? Or are you going to be disrespectful and behave in a manner that's hate-filled and negative? Of course, you could just step back and do nothing...
Personally, I find it difficult to do nothing, especially when I'm in a position to affect positive change. I also truly believe that you attract what you put out into the world. Which brings us to that old adage, do unto others...I can't count the number of times I told my kids, "Hey, if you don't want someone to do it to you, don't do it to anyone else."
Next time you come across a fanfic, or even fanart, that you don't like, or don't agree with, remember this - choose kindness. If you don't like it, walk away.
Nothing good comes out of leaving hurtful, hateful, or bigoted comments. If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all.
As Ellen DeGeneres says, "Be kind to one another."
And that's the message I really wanted to share.
So, take it or leave it, it's just my opinion.
Giant Hugs!
Shan