somniloquence

I think about this topic a lot, especially because, as you know, I come from the earlier way-not-public worldview. And I still tend to prefer not to get involved in too much streams-crossing.

Not because I'm a dog-in-the-manger who doesn't want anyone else to have fun; not because I think anything's wrong with fandom or fannish pursuits. Not because I'm some sort of a Luddite. Really, it's largely because of the "didn't make it for you" issue. I'm working in a tradition where the readers/viewers/etc. already know the rules of the game, and understand what they're looking at. They have the context. They're already to some degree simpatico. I can trust them with my id.

It feels to me very different from the kind of people who fly in as tourists with little to no context at all--the latter reactions are often the ones that end up as plain old Mocking And Gawking, thinking for instance that all slash is intended to be laughed at, that it's all about the incongruity (HAHAHAHA AS IF KIRK AND SPOCK WOULD HAVE SEX HILARIOUS AMIRITE). I come from a serious/romantic tradition (even in the comedic stories or bantery pairings), not an ironic tradition, so being treated as an ironic window display for people who have no context is extremely uncomfortable. (Not to mention showing it to showrunners, actors, etc., which brings for me a whole extra level of horror.)

Anyway, thanks for posting about this! It's often on my mind.