weird fandom ramblings...

[marguerite_26]

We are all still sick around here and actually WORSE than yesterday. FML. Getting no writing done today. again.

Anyway - random observation of the day...

When I very very first entered Merlin fandom I was asked:
So are you a Merlin girl or an Arthur girl?

I remember staring at that question for a long time thinking... WHAT? WAIT. WHAT?
I have to choose? People choose?????

Then after a while of being in fandom I grew to accept this weird culture of Merlin fandom that seems to assume fans could be sorted into two groups. And yes, I know many fans of Merlin/Arthur don't actually fall on either side. There are lots of us who like both characters equally. But for me the fact that the question is even asked... idek.. it's still weird to me.

Yes, there is always the shipper question. Who do you ship, is like the universal question after hearing 'I just fell in love with a new fandom' but are there other fandoms beyond Merlin that asks you to pick which half of your pairing you are more in love with?

When I entered Harry Potter fandom, no one asked if I was a 'Draco girl' or a 'Harry girl', in Teen Wolf fandom no one says 'so Stiles or Derek??? which sort of fan are you?' (In TW it's usually 'sterek? y/n?')

Do I just think of characters differently? :/
I guess I'm just not the sort to 'stan' any particular character (as much as I love certain ones more than others). Just like I'm not the sort to have an OTP (as much as I have strong preferences when reading and writing). Why choose? I don't wanna!!!

/random observations brought to you by the fevered mind of one who should stay off tumblr because it gives her weird thoughts. (thoughts she will never post on tumblr because that place is scary)

eta:

In the wise words of chantefable:
Why choose when it's BLOW JOB FRIDAY and you can celebrate both characters with a quick ficlet?

Comments

[alby-mangroves.livejournal.com]

Merlin is definitely the first fandom where I've seen the stan wars progress to a fever pitch. I love them separately and together, and though I find Bradley/Arthur to be the hottest thing on two legs, I adore both boys. I don't want to and won't choose. It's kind of redundant!

[marguerite-26.livejournal.com]

I love them separately and together, and though I find Bradley/Arthur to be the hottest thing on two legs, I adore both boys.

yes, this is me as well. I'll admit it was Bradley's looks and Arthur's character that first caught my interest beyond a casual entertainment. But I adore Colin and Merlin's character fascinates me.

and I basically ship arthur/anyone, merlin/anyone... so choosing is impossible!

[melusinahp.livejournal.com]

Who could choose? Seriously. :D

I've never heard the question "Are you a Harry or a Draco girl?" But I've lost count of the number of people who claim to be madly in love with Draco and only include Harry in the pairing so he has someone to fuck. :/

[writcraft]

Noooo!!!! This makes me so SAD! :( *squishes Harry*

[ginger-veela.livejournal.com]

Tumblr devotees seem to skew younger. Ergo, perhaps, less nuanced takes on fandom? IDK.

I do think HP fans stan particular characters, but not necessarily in the same way.

[marguerite-26.livejournal.com]

oh, the merlin stan vs arthur stan isn't a tumblr thing. It's been going on long before that fandom found a home on tumblr.


It was just something I saw on tumblr that triggered these thoughts.

I do think HP fans stan particular characters, but not necessarily in the same way.
agreed.

[herbeautifullie.livejournal.com]

This is not Twilight or The Hunger Games; we are not teams pitted against one another. There is no tragic love triangle here (except maybe Merlin/Arthur/Gwen which would call for "Team Gwen" and "Team Merlin", not "Merlin or Arthur?") for us to even begin to consider which is "better".

I'm a fan of ALL THE BOYS for ALL THE REASONS and picking one or the other kind of ruins the entire point of shipping. I don't give a damn who is "better", I just want them to be happy with each other (faults and all!). ♥

[marguerite-26.livejournal.com]

(I was Team Jacob, btw)

But yes!!! Shipping wars are common! I think every fandom has them (except for TW where there is like one ship and a bunch of little dinghies trying not to capsize in the waves.)

But with Merlin it does seem like the biggest arguments fandom gets into revolve not around ships but around the characters themselves. I'll never understand how you can ship a pairing and have such an imbalance of feelings between the characters in that pairing.

[k-nightfox.livejournal.com]

Funny, I actually have NOT been asked this question. I have a preference but no one I know has cared. The question that seems more important to the fans I know is, slash or het? Now there is a rabid division I observe all the time in the Merlin fandom. The numbers seem to be very imbalanced but the minority are often much more fierce and mouthy!

[marguerite-26.livejournal.com]

Funny, I actually have NOT been asked this question.
Really? I can't count the number of times I've been asked (or in some case told) which I prefer.

I can't even pick between slash and het!!! LOL
while I'm not a fan of Arthur/Gwen, I adore Merlin/Mithian, Gwaine/Elena, Arthur/Morgana...

[writcraft]

I have definitely heard that in Supernatural, and the concept of 'Sam girls' and 'Dean girls' is used in the show. I haven't heard that in HP though, I agree. Hmmm, interesting!

P.S. Get well soon!

[leashy-bebes.livejournal.com]

I was just coming here to say that re: SPN. You beat me to it :) I think it's one of the few fandoms I really see it in, though.

[ellecc.livejournal.com]

Feel better! Worse is the wrong way! ♥

I think because of the fandom from where I originated, the "are you an X girl or a Y girl?" question seems normal to me. But I don't know if I've ever sided more with Harry or Draco--I love them both and probably best when they're together--but if I had to choose, I'd be a Merlin (or Colin) girl, and I definitely find myself favoring him in some fics or on the show if there's some reason to take one's side over the other. Not that I don't love Arthur and Bradley, but I think I tend to go for the dorkier character of any pair if there is one. The ostensible underdog. It's probably an identifying-with thing :)

[marguerite-26.livejournal.com]

Worse is the wrong way!
Is it EVER. D:


Not that I don't love Arthur and Bradley, but I think I tend to go for the dorkier character of any pair if there is one. The ostensible underdog. It's probably an identifying-with thing :)

yes, I totally get that... and as someone below said, it's about 'who do you love the MOST' rather than having to choose. I find that very natural to have someone you love just a bit MORE. but having to declare such a thing upon entering fandom is not something I had previously encountered.

[wesleysgirl.livejournal.com]

I think it depends on the fandom... for me, there are some fandoms where I'm a bigger fan of one character than the other, and other fandoms where it's more about the OTP that the two characters create when they're together.

[marguerite-26.livejournal.com]

It definitely changes from fandom to fandom. In Buffy, I leaned towards Spike, in Angel it was Wesley. But that devotion changed from episode to episode, season to season.

I just never saw someone shipping Angel/Wesley being asked to choose. But then again ensemble fandoms tend to have more choice and less of the 'two main characters to pick from' like Merlin or SPN.

[chantefable.livejournal.com]

Why choose when it's BLOW JOB FRIDAY (http://torino10154.livejournal.com/381381.html) and you can celebrate both characters with a quick ficlet?

[marguerite-26.livejournal.com]

I JUST SAW THAT!!!

\o/


Going to add a pimp to this post. :)

[gleditsia.livejournal.com]

You know, that's really interesting question, because I was just thinking... If someone asked me who was my favourite character I would probably say Merlin. But, if they asked to choose between the two of them, I would be like "Don't be silly, I love them both equally! They are two sides of the same coin, after all..."
Which doesn't make much sense...

[marguerite-26.livejournal.com]

"Don't be silly, I love them both equally! They are two sides of the same coin, after all..."

BEST ARGUMENT EVER

[kathyh]

Hope you all start to get better soon!

Choosing between characters isn't unique to Merlin fandom as I've definitely come across it before. In the old days (adopts aged crone voice) mailing lists used to be devoted to one character over others and versions of stan wars used to go on. It's pernicious but not new.

If asked I would have to say I was an Arthur girl but I really love them both and don't like to choose between them.

[marguerite-26.livejournal.com]

mailing lists used to be devoted to one character over others and versions of stan wars used to go on.
That's fascinating! I can't imagine being so focused on a single character. I'm really in fandom for the interactions between characters.

[alba17.livejournal.com]

I think it's weird too. Why would you want to make it into a competition just because you prefer one actor/character over the other?

Feel better soon. :D

[marguerite-26.livejournal.com]

We just have too much love! we need to share it among both boys. ;)

[gealach-ros.livejournal.com]

Bah, where's the point in choosing one when I can choose both? xD

I'm not interested in stan wars, I don't want to be categorised as this or that, I ship what I like and how I like it. Yes, I have this huge and undeniable bias towards Bradley. Does that mean I hate Colin? OMG, no, why would I? I'm allowed to find him hot and gorgeous and amazing, too. Same goes for Bradley with short hair or a beard. I love it both and find him sexy no matter what but I'd to defend my love for scruffy!Bradley more than once and people tried to convince me that ONLY clean shaven Bradley is the real deal.

I sometimes wonder why it seems to be so difficult for some people to accept that others have different taste, focus on different things, sail differnt ships. Wouldn't it be utterly boring if we'd all worship at the altar of the very same thing/person/ship? Man, that'd be so crowded.

Get better, bb! ♥

[marguerite-26.livejournal.com]

Yes, I have this huge and undeniable bias towards Bradley. Does that mean I hate Colin? OMG, no, why would I?
BRADLEYYYYYYYYYYY!!! LOL. but yes, WHY CANT YOU LOVE COLIN TOO???

If people can juggle epic loves of many many fandoms and pairings, surely people don't need to say which member of pairing is the one they love. You can love them also for different reasons. (and that makes it even more impossible to choose!)

that ONLY clean shaven Bradley is the real deal.
ahahahahhaha... ahahhahahha... having a preference is normal. but liking BOTH even though you have a preference is also NORMAL.

[junkshop-disco.livejournal.com]

I don't think it's you - I think people just like to have people categorised (like 'are you a dog or a cat person?' Some people will have a preference and be vehemently against its apparant opposite, some will like both, some will go, 'wtf are the paramaters of this survey? Where's my chinchilla option?!?'). In my corner of HP fandom (Marauder corner), there were certainly camps like The People Who Hate James (often but not always Snape fans) and The People Who Don't Hate James and there was some devision between Remus/Sirius shippers who preferred Remus and those who preferred Sirius, but I've always tripped about between categories because otherwise I just get bored.

I find I can never pick a team because my interest in a character tends to wax and wane - esepcially when your canon is still live (as it were) and you're getting new info on the characters. Remus was my first HP love in PoA, but then I switched to Lily in GoF and Sirius in OotP and I was happy reading/writing discussing all of them equally. Same with Merlin - S1, I was all about Merlin. S2, I was all about Arthur. S3 I fell out with both of them and switched to Gwaine. S4 I was sort of back to Merlin. So far S5 I'm mostly thinking Gwen and Morgana thoughts. I find the people who only want to talk about one character a bit weird, tbh.

[marguerite-26.livejournal.com]

I'm a dog person!!! oh, god! I know it's unpopular and all the cat people on my flist will likely defriend me for admitting it. But I am. I really, really prefer dogs.

:/

(actually... I have two fish.)

anyway... yes, I definitely people HP is filled with fan would 'love Snape' and 'hate James' or in my circles. 'love/hate Ginny' or 'love/hate Draco' so maybe it's a multi-pairing environment that makes it less about 'pick between only two'.


but yes, I would get bored if I narrowed my choices so much! I wax and wane (as you put it so perfectly). I only entered HP fandom post-DH, but I could only imagine how much each single book affected those early ships (especially Sirius/Remus... who out of everyone were the most screwed of all the shippers as the books went on. *pets*)

Gwaine is another character whose flares and simmers, flares and simmers based on open canon.

now I want to cry because canon is closing soon... and I hope it ends with a flare and not an icy bucket. D:

[who_la_hoop]

...I wonder if it's less they're asking which half of the pairing you like best, and more which half of the pairing you are in love with most? IDK, it seems to me nowadays that fangirling crosses the line between character/actor very easily these days, so while Miss X might (say) enjoy Arthur/Merlin in the show, she might also slash the RL actors, at the same time as very much wanting personally to fuck Colin (or Bradley). Hence the preference :D

I don't see it so much in H/D, but it can't be denied that HP fandom is full of 'Snape girls', for example. It wouldn't massively surprise me if a lot of Snarry fans would choose Snape over Harry if asked (again, possibly because they would rather fuck Rickman than Radcliffe).

Perhaps I am being too simplistic :D

I hope you all feel better soon!

(Also: I am watching Teen Wolf! Have watched 7 eps so far and omg it is so silly, but I am enjoying it more as it goes along. It reminds me so much of Buffy.)

[marguerite-26.livejournal.com]

...I wonder if it's less they're asking which half of the pairing you like best, and more which half of the pairing you are in love with most?

what a positive way to spin it! :D I like the way you think. It does make it more of a natural question that way. Which of the two would you like MOST in your bed. :P

You are right about the 'Snape Girls' though Snarry fandom has changed so much in the last few years I've almost forgotten how it used to be.

I am watching Teen Wolf! Have watched 7 eps so far and omg it is so silly, but I am enjoying it more as it goes along. It reminds me so much of Buffy.
IT IS SILLY! :D \o/ Though it gets progressively less silly at the episode 8 mark... so.

jgfkldjglfdjglfjdldg df jdfkljglkdfjgf

OMG! ARE YOU ARE STILES GIRL OR A DEREK GIRL???? /jk

Finish season 1!!!! I want to talk to you all about it. :D

[leashy-bebes.livejournal.com]

Iiiiiinteresting thoughts, Maggie.

I think the only fandom where I'm really conscious of stuff like this is Supernatural, where there's a lot of talk about 'Sam-girls' and 'Dean-girls'. I consider myself a Dean girl (because his issues are delicioussssss, and hit close to home sometimes) but I've never really been a Wincest shipper, and I wonder how I'd feel about having such an obvious preference when I actually shipped the characters?

I definitely don't remember it being such a thing in HP, I've always conceptualised the divide more along the different eras? I was always more a MWPP kinda gal. (And then next-gen happened!) But omg, ask me to pick between Remus and Sirius, what kind of monster are you?!

So basically, I don't know, my thoughts are vague, but I am with you on 'pfft, who wants to choose?! the more the merrier!'

ps: HI YOU *hugs*

[magnolia822.livejournal.com]

I've been in tons of fandoms at this point and I think that Merlin isn't necessarily unique in this respect; in SPN people often have a marked preference for either Sam or Dean, as one poster above has mentioned. And in TW most of my friends visibly prefer Stiles or Derek (though they don't *dislike* the other one); you can tell by the things they blog and who they flail about on Twitter. Really I don't think there's anything wrong with it; it's natural for people to prefer one 'type' over another. I'm an avowed Merlin/Colin girl, but I still love Bradley/Arthur. The problem arises when the other characters get vilified.

[xfortytwo.livejournal.com]

To be honest I've stayed mostly oblivious to this whole thing. I mean, I've noticed that a lot of us tend to like one more than the other, somehow, but I've never actually been asked, as such.

Personally I've ended up being more attached to Arthur, but I still don't feel like I necessarily chose, cause I love them both pretty mcuh equally. It's weird that people feel like you have to choose, though. And I have no idea why that's come about in Merlin fandom, cause there are plenty of fandoms where you're never expected to make a ~choice~.

[snegurochka_lee]

Its funny how some fandoms do that, and others totally don't. Like, there really isn't any reason why HP wouldn't have devolved into "Harry girls" and "Draco girls," and yet, IMO, we haven't at all.

IDK about Merlin and Teen Wolf, but I'll second having seen it hugely in Supernatural fandom with Sam and Dean -- to the extent that I've seen a popular SPN writer on my flist have to make posts calming vitriolic wank attacks on her for writing in a way that readers interpreted as betraying her estbalished Dean girl-ness, or something. o_O.

... and now that I'm thinking about it, who would have thought HP fandom could feel good about doing something in a way that lessens wank?? o_O.

♥

[xsmoonshine.livejournal.com]

I've lurked in a bunch of fandoms, and these sorts of preferences seem to come out more strongly for shows where 1) the otp are both major focal characters, so there's lots of interaction and individual development in contrast to ships from ensemble shows or where one is a relatively minor character (except for Highlander, but that's a special case in part due to the minor character capturing the fandom imagination and a serious case of (2).

2) where the two characters have an intense, bantery and sometimes antagonistic relationship, bonus points for apparent imbalances in power/emotional investment and serious conflicts between them. Fandom then takes it on itself to redress this INJUSTICE by making the omghorrible character grovel and apologise to the wronged party, at which point I shrug and wander off for a drink and snack and find something else to read.

[romaine24.livejournal.com]

The closest I saw in H/D was discussions on which POV you preferred to write from.

It's more natural for me to write from Harry's but sometimes Draco's is more fun. LOL

Hope you and the family feel better soon!

[wooly-bear.livejournal.com]

*sends you chicken soup, saltines and gingerale*

It's ALWAYS Sterek. :D *snerk*

[moonie]

Yes, there is always the shipper question.

I read that as, "there is always the STRIPPER question", and then my mind went places and now I'm sort of useless.

[torino10154]

♥ Thanks!

Also, to stay relevant, I am not an either/or person but I do know a lot of people who really seem to prefer one character to the other in their OTP and yeah, I just don't quite get that.

[clawdine]

*sends cuddles*!

Lol, I had to unfollow someone on Tumblr because they were constantly woobifying Arthur over Merlin! Which is rare, I know, but I don't follow anyone who hates on Arthur as a rule so it reaaaally annoyed me.

As for Arthur or Merlin... I think at this point I prefer Arthur a tiny bit more. :D BUT I LOVE THEM BOTH AND SAME GOES FOR BRADLEY AND COLIN <333

Get well soon!