And don't think I've forgotten that I owe you a ramble, too! I've actually written bits of one.
What a thoughtful, insightful, perceptive "ramble" you've written here, but then who could be surprised? Not I. This was a delight to read. I'm happy for you to ramble more often!
I'm completely with you on canon-complicity; those stories are by far the ones I like best to read and write. That's not to say that I don't also enjoy the occasional total AU -- when the fully-recognizable canon characters are present. And I also want any romantic relationship to be plausible within the canon universe. I understand that different readers will have different interpretations of what constitutes "plausible," and that's fine. But to me, there are just certain pairings that wouldn't be likely. (Much as I'd enjoy some good Violet femmeslash, for instance, I just don't see it happening with Isobel [or so far, with any of the canon possibilities.] As you say, a fine writer could probably find a way to make it work -- sort of -- but it would be a stretch. Ditto Mrs Hughes/O'Brien.)
And I know you have not suggested otherwise, but I just want to clarify that even an intense fondness for pairings and sex-scenes doesn't preclude an equal appreciation of non-pairing gen. I often enter enthusiastically into discussions of "who can we pair with whom?"and I do write mostly pairing-fic (though with a wide rating range), but I still like gen very much.
I'm of two minds about fests that require a certain rating. On the one hand, I agree totally that being forced to put smut in a story that doesn't need it is a problem -- false to the story and not fun to write. But as a writer, sometimes I enjoy the challenge of writing something that requires me to include a certain element, whether it be sex or something else. But like you, I tend not to sign up if the requirements are too restrictive for whatever stories I have in mind.
I think what I like least about those "must be R or NC-17" fests is not the focus on sex and pairings per se, but how often the stories end up focusing JUST on the porn, with little attention to character or motivation, so that while the participants may be called "Harry" or "Severus" or whoever, they bear little relationship to their canon counterparts. They could just as easily be called "John Doe" and "Phil Moe."
Anyway, another fine TRS post. Do consider rambling more often, dear /g/.
no subject
What a thoughtful, insightful, perceptive "ramble" you've written here, but then who could be surprised? Not I. This was a delight to read. I'm happy for you to ramble more often!
I'm completely with you on canon-complicity; those stories are by far the ones I like best to read and write. That's not to say that I don't also enjoy the occasional total AU -- when the fully-recognizable canon characters are present. And I also want any romantic relationship to be plausible within the canon universe. I understand that different readers will have different interpretations of what constitutes "plausible," and that's fine. But to me, there are just certain pairings that wouldn't be likely. (Much as I'd enjoy some good Violet femmeslash, for instance, I just don't see it happening with Isobel [or so far, with any of the canon possibilities.] As you say, a fine writer could probably find a way to make it work -- sort of -- but it would be a stretch. Ditto Mrs Hughes/O'Brien.)
And I know you have not suggested otherwise, but I just want to clarify that even an intense fondness for pairings and sex-scenes doesn't preclude an equal appreciation of non-pairing gen. I often enter enthusiastically into discussions of "who can we pair with whom?"and I do write mostly pairing-fic (though with a wide rating range), but I still like gen very much.
I'm of two minds about fests that require a certain rating. On the one hand, I agree totally that being forced to put smut in a story that doesn't need it is a problem -- false to the story and not fun to write. But as a writer, sometimes I enjoy the challenge of writing something that requires me to include a certain element, whether it be sex or something else. But like you, I tend not to sign up if the requirements are too restrictive for whatever stories I have in mind.
I think what I like least about those "must be R or NC-17" fests is not the focus on sex and pairings per se, but how often the stories end up focusing JUST on the porn, with little attention to character or motivation, so that while the participants may be called "Harry" or "Severus" or whoever, they bear little relationship to their canon counterparts. They could just as easily be called "John Doe" and "Phil Moe."
Anyway, another fine TRS post. Do consider rambling more often, dear /g/.