General Fandom Meta

seanachai - Japan's doujinshi industry and Harry Potter fandom - I was quite surprised while I was searching for Fullmetal Alchemist and Death Note doujinshi to discover several devoted to HP (and I've since uncovered many more). I am not quite sure how I managed to spend six or so years in Harry Potter slash fandom without realizing there was a thriving HP dj market; maybe I'm too closeted away in my Snape pairings and in other corners of the fandom this is more well known? Or are there are a lot of Western HP fans who also have no idea of the existence of this part of their fandom?

svlurker - superhero meta - Watching "Spiderman" tonight, though, it was striking me that at some point in recent years there's been this cultural shift, so that what excites audiences now is deeply conflicted superheroes. Peter Parker isolates himself emotionally because Spiderman's enemies will target the people he cares for. And we're not supposed to read him as stoic and manly; his isolation makes us pity him, this incredibly powerful figure who sees no choice but to wall himself off. Along similar lines, in both "Superman Returns" and "Smallville," it's not the alien superpowers that make Superman a compelling character; it's the fact that he's also living this human life but he can't let anybody get close to him.

nardasarmy - Five unpopular opinions - A wise woman in fandom said to me recently, "If we were to take the fandom as society analogy way to far, I suppose we would have people who see it as a melting pot and others who see it as a salad. I'm a salad girl myself. I cherish individuality I read online and enjoy differences of opinion. Unfortunately, for the melting pot folks, 'differences in opinion' is often seen as 'hurting fandom'."

telesilla - Observartions on "fic is a gift" and "I'm only a reader." - I'm so sick of the way fandom does its best to segregate readers and writers, as if we writers are never readers and as if people who don't write are somehow unable to understand what they read. I really hate it when I do a meta post and people with good, insightful things to say preface their remarks with "of course I'm just a reader" as if that means their contribution to the discussion has less value than that of a writer.

aubrem - OOC - I thought fanfic was all about writing the characters - maybe expanding on some character hints and exploring some possible directions but still based on canon characters. As such, being in character is good and out of character is straying from the goal. If an author warns for OOC does that mean she wrote OOC on purpose? And if she purposely wrote OOC is she writing the character at all? Is it fanfic of the character even? I'm confused on the concept.

kitzen_kat - Comfort viewing - Many of us also have comfort viewing - the film or television equivalent of comfort food. It's an old favourite that fills a need, warms us up, reminds us of all that is good about that series or film, and above all, makes us happy.

furiosity - PSA - If someone has not-so-nice things to say about something you've written, whether it's fic or meta, they are not talking about you. They're talking whatever it is that you have written. By posting anything in a public forum geared towards discussion -- such as LiveJournal, for example -- you are saying "I want opinions". There's just no getting around that. If you don't want negative opinions of any sort, say so at the outset.

rexluscus - OMG MY FEELINGS ARE HURT!!!11! - Reviews are often themselves criticized for being too subjective, too hurtful, too high-culture, too low-culture, or whatever it is the people criticizing don't consider themselves to be. But reviews are necessary because nobody has the time to read, look at, test or try on everything. They aren't always 100% effective in leading you to what's good or protecting you from what's bad, but that's because opinions differ, so you've just gotta take the chance with the imperfect system.

tryfanstone - Fiction is not fact - Like it or not, I the reader, and I the writer, am affected by the community in which I read and write. There are authors I will read whatever they write. Others I will pass by, not through any fault of their own as an author, but rather because I know that I am unable to appreciate their style or content. There are people who have been kind and honest enough to criticise the work that I-as-author create, and to those people I will listen and respond: indeed, attempt to view what I have written through their eyes, and thus see the faults and inconsistencies they point out. For how else do I-as-author improve? And in doing so I add another layer of fictionality to what I do, here.

shardamin - who was I kidding? - It occurred to me a few days ago that I used to be a girl who called herself a lesbian while writing and wanking to man on man porn. How the HELL did I reconcile that with myself? "Oh, I'm imagining them with breasts?" Um, no. "I'm getting off on the friendship?" Buyable, if I were to be as gullible as I used to be about myself, but no, that's ultimately another desperate attempt not to be so "boring" as to be attracted to men.

coffeeandink - How to Suppress Discussions of Racism - Tired of discussions of racism in literature, television, and film? Worn out from the unexpected criticism of your leisure pursuits? Exhausted by the effort of having to respond to each new argument carefully and conscientiously?
We can help!
We'll teach you how to suppress discussion of racism in six easy steps. Soon suppressing dissent will be so easy you can do it in your sleep!

Specific Fandom Meta

( Cut for possible spoilers in Harry Potter and POTC )

Links, Polls, etc

etrangere - Poll : for fic writers - I'm curious about fic writers' habits, and how it interract with reviews and such.