Fandom

[mrv3000]

DW fandom has made me cranky of late. Some days it's just really hard to be zen about it, especially when the fandom group you're in is constantly accused of being these rabid, vicious fans -- but no one ever POINTS to any examples other than shippers having the gall to defend themselves in a D/R community or in their own journals, and I've yet to see a D/R shipper storm a Martha community -- while at the same time being kicked at, being called stupid and ignorant and 16-year-olds because what we ship is flat-out wrong. And lately, called even worse for continuing to ship a pairing no longer onscreen.

This essay is by someone who I don't think is a D/R shipper - I believe her main fandom is Harry Potter. But it has all caught her eye, and she directly addresses what's been going on in Who fandom. It's very well thought out.

"The great difference between voyages rests not with the ships, but with the people you meet on them."

A while back, a locked Doctor/Rose community was created because of people just outright tired of the berating. It seemed like a fantastic plan (it still is) - we're playing with our own ball in our own corner. No one bothers no one. But apparently that was also wrong in that the ones doing the kicking no longer had as much stuff to kick - and so now Doctor/Rose shippers are "anti-community" as well for locking stuff up. Which conveniently ignores the fact that they themselves are the reason we have gone elsewhere.

People don't like a pairing. That's fine. Or don't like a character. Also fine. But how that's somehow turned into it being acceptable to smash fans just for liking what they don't, I really will never understand.

Comments

[ivydoor.livejournal.com]

I've come to the conclusion that some people will not be happy until we swear our undying loyalty to their philosophy. It must suck for them, because I know I'll never see things the way they do. It must be hard going through life pinning all their happiness and contentment on the desire to have everyone be just like them because life doesn't work that way.

*sigh*

I honestly feel sorry for folks who feel that way. All that bile will eat them from the inside out. How anyone can keep up that sort of frenzy is beyond me. I can't fathom it. It must be miserable.

[mrv3000.livejournal.com]

I just keep thinking that *they're* thinking if they smack us around hard enough, we'll eventually come to our senses and see things the "proper" way. And all the smacking around has really done has made us dig down even deeper.

And actually, in one instance has made me give up a classic fanon notion I'd gotten from reading opinions and so on when I first got into fandom. I was happily going along with this non-canon belief from Old Who, when someone pressed the issue, saying it was absolute fact. Someone else brought up canon points to the contrary. And now I think I'm dumping that old notion. Whoopsie. :D

[ivydoor.livejournal.com]

Exactly. They keep pounding away until we were underground. Once we were there, we looked around, dug a series of tunnels, and stocked up on snacks and booze. They put us here and now they're pissy they don't have punching bags any more. Heh.

Oh, that sounds interesting. What canon was that exactly then?

[mrv3000.livejournal.com]

Oh, it was the idea that the Doctor was in love with Susan's grandmother - that OTP kind of love forever and ever. Not *everyone* in Whodom goes with this, but I'd seen a few people talking about it. And when it came down to it, I just thought it was *nice* to think that way.

However, there's absolutely nothing in canon to support this. And in fact, there have been a couple of times in New Who where the Doctor's made cracks about marriage, as well as talking to that couple in Father's Day saying he's never had their kind of life.

It's all *completely* vague though, so you still could go any way you want, but I think I'm now going with the notion that the Doctor might have been less than thrilled with the whole Susan's grandmother thing. We don't even know if they were married, but if so, possibly a marriage of pressures of society? Wouldn't surprise me as Time Lords are dicks.