Fan Fiction poll part one take two

[rivers_bend]

So, there's some things I've been wondering about fanfiction lately and I decided to do a poll. Here's part one, which is about what makes you decide to open a fic and start reading. Second try, cos I confused radio buttons and check buttons on the first one.



[Poll #1074872]

Comments

[mickeym.livejournal.com]

Interesting poll :)

To expand on my answers in the last two questions: Chances are, if I love an author that much, I probably trust them, and am likely to give pretty much anything a chance at their hands. Some subjects I enter a little more cautiously than others, but the authors I really love and respect, I'll give a chance regardless.

Likewise, if it's an author I hate? The odds of me opening a story by them are...very slim, even if it's one of a couple bullet-proof kinks. Actually, especially if, because I love my kinks and if I don't like an author, it's generally because I don't like the style /manner in which they write my guys. Does that make sense? So, yeah.

[rivers-bend.livejournal.com]

That totally makes sense. I guess when I don't like an author, it's much more often for grammar or silly situation reasons. And to some extent I'm willing to put up with "I would have went" if where Sam would have gone is closer to Dean so he could stick his tongue up his arse. Though I have to say, I've never seen my two fave kinks in incompetent hands, possibly because they are things that on the whole only more experienced writers feel comfortable tackling.

With the squicks, I just know that no matter who's writing it, It will freak me. I'm squicked as well by may-december, student/teacher, and anyone under 14/15 or so having sex with anyone even the same age. But with those, if I trust the writer, I will give it a chance. m-preg I will read if it's purposefully crack-fic and it's someone I totally trust who I know also hates m-preg.

[vanillafluffy.livejournal.com]

If I don't recognize the author name, I look to see if the summary is coherent. I look at pairings---there are some things I won't read, even if it's written by one of my bestest friends---and at length. Sometimes, I'll get sucked into a multi-part, but I've gotten to the point where I'll wait until the last chapter is identified as such and posted, because I'm tired of missing out on bits. I don't usually pay much attention to who betas, although if it's someone I know personally, I'm more likely to pop in for a look.

[rivers-bend.livejournal.com]

The summary is often a good clue to the quality of writing, though I have been fooled! :)

I so wish I could have the strength to skip unfinished multi-parters, but sometimes something in them will catch my eye, and then I get stuck.

I only noticed recently that I was deciding to read fics because I like fic by the beta. Maybe because It's taken me this long to get to 'know' enough of the people in the SPN fandom to do that.

[gramina.livejournal.com]

Another thing I consider (and I don't read a *lot* of fanfic, so please add salt to taste) is what the fandom is (or fandoms are for crossover) -- much fanfic seems to rely on the reader being already familiar with the characters, so if I'm not, it's often harder to follow.

And, sadly, a lot probably depends on exactly when I see a link, and how much time I have, and how I'm feeling. Though there are authors I'll gladly read any time :)

[rivers-bend.livejournal.com]

This was really useful to me, because it showed up one of the assumptions that I have. And that is that people 'find' fanfic the same way I do. ie. have comms on the f'list and read from that. therefore that all the fic you see would be from fandom(s) you're reading. Since I hadn't even considered I was making that assumption, it's extra helpful!

[eboniorchid.livejournal.com]

These days I spend a lot more time writing than reading, so I consider everything when I'm thinking about reading a fic, but I usually only read it if it's an author/series I'm already adoring AND it fulfills one of my various and sundry kinks. In certain cases, though, rare kinks of mine can draw me in no matter who the author is, which is why I watch a very particular set of comms.

As for squicks, I may have had more when I entered fandom, but amazing writers have made me question almost all of them. I may not prefer to read lots of things, but I won't immediately run from them. The few squicks left are ones that I've never seen anyone, anyone in SPN fandom at least, try to incorporate, despite the fact that they are kinks that real-live people have. Honestly, though, if someone was ballsy enough to go there in a serious way and not in a cracky way, trying to understand the psychology and whatnot, I might fight through my urge to heave just to see how they approached the subject.

As someone with a lot of extreme interests, both in fandom and in RL, it's difficult for me to truly squick out of fic on principle without at least giving it a chance, especially if it's done by an author I respect.

[rivers-bend.livejournal.com]

The squicks you mentioned are definitely ones I have for RL, and I doubt I would find them kinks in fic, though if they were done, as you say, in a serious way, with knowledge and respect, I don't know that I'd find them fic!squicks. The few squicks I do have I can either point to an exact experience in my life that gave it to me, or it's wing!fic, which squick took me by surprise and I still can't explain it.

[sadelyrate.livejournal.com]

To elaborate on that click a fic-decision:
Language (ie. the summary), the fic's name, these are the ones I've found myself carefully considering.
For example, the reason I clicked and read dreamlittleyo's Subrogate (http://dreamlittleyo.livejournal.com/9232.html) was because of its title.

I'm so very, very glad I did. :)

On the daddy!cest-squick: I consider this to include pedophilia = sexual attraction to non-adult bodies. The age not so much. And no, parent/child will not float my boat, no matter what.

[rivers-bend.livejournal.com]

i have to agree on the daddy!cest. or any parent child. there was not enough space to fit all my squicks! (these polls, I need to learn more how to use them!)

I am very particular about age and activities. If I'm starting to feel myself get squicked, I think back to what I was doing at 14 (which is when I had my first boyfriend) and how I felt about it and test the fic against that. I have discovered recently that Dean fucking Sam before Stanford = NO to me. Too much an age difference between them, and I also think that it's OOC for Dean who is such a care-taker of his brother. Sam on top I can handle, but I prefer kissing, rubbing and hand-jobs at least until Sam's 17.

dreamlittleyo is a total joy to have discovered, I have to agree!

[luvsabitch.livejournal.com]

This is was agood idea for a poll, it really made me question my likes/dislikes in terms of what I read. One thing I forgot to mention was timing - if I'm desperate for a fic fix then I'll read pretty much anything. Having said that I would rather re-read a fic that I love than read any of my major squicks.

The importance of the author is huge, I look out for anything new that my favourite authors post. When I first found the fandom on LJ it was through Zenamydog because I had found some good SPN fics that she had got posted elsewhere. So I read her J2 fics even though RPS was a huge squick for me at the time. I now read a lot of J2 but usually only if it states it is AU.

[rivers-bend.livejournal.com]

I started out with RPS as a squick as well, but have now got so sucked in that I will even read total non-AUs if I'm needing my J2 fix. And it totally is a drug.

I'm glad the poll made you think, I love finding things on my f'list that make me consider stuff, so I'm glad I could return the favour for someone!

[gaffsie.livejournal.com]

I sometimes click on summaries that I'm not enamored with, just to make sure that I'm not missing out on anything good. Instead, I tend to make my decision once I've read the first few lines (unless it's by an author I trust, in which case I'll read on until something squicks me).

And sometimes, when I'm in the mood, I deliberately seek out fics by writers I despise just to make fun of them.

In conclusion, I'm a horrible human being. ;)

[rivers-bend.livejournal.com]

I think pretty much I only click on not so good looking summaries with AU RPS. Mostly because I've found some fantastic fic that's a subject I wouldn't normally read, like secretary falls for boss and will do anything to get him or whatever. I'm much more picky about what people do with characters in my shows.

I had to laugh at your seeking out comment. Not least because yesterday I read more chapters of a story that I'd given up for its being a total bad!fic, simply to make something I was reading for school look better in comparison :D

[zillah975]

I consider all those things except whether it's been beta-read when deciding to click, but none of them are a deal-breaker. I've clicked links to stories that had a summary that made me twitch, an author I'd never heard of, and a pairing I don't like, just because something about it sounded interesting. I'll click WIPs and multi-parters if I have time and/or am feeling patient, and I'll stick to shorter works if I've only got a few minutes, usually, but I've been known to click long works when I've got thirty-seven seconds and then leave them open in a tab for a week, just because for whatever reason I'm not put off by a long one that day, and to skip a long one that looks interesting just because my brain is full and I don't have the emotional patience to try it.

Basically, I'm a story slut, and my "type" varies depending on my mood and how much I've had to drink. :)

[rivers-bend.livejournal.com]

that actually sounds very much like me. It depends on my day or my mood or how much time I have. Though on the whole I'll open anything that looks interesting in a tab. If it's less than 3000 words and I haven't got to it by the end of the day I'll try it and either read it or skip it depending, and if it's more than 3000 and I haven't got to it, i'll book mark it for another day when I'll be looking for fic to read and I have time.

I too am a story slut. Though drinking doesn't come into it. (I realized yesterday that it was July the last time I had alcohol... I think I need to dump the bottle of red wine that's been open since then *g*)

[daisylily.livejournal.com]

The most important thing to me for deciding whether or not to read is the pairing (e.g. I don't tend to care at all for House/Cameron).

I can't think of any authors I hate, but if there were any I wouldn't read anything of theirs once I'd decided I hated their stuff.

[rivers-bend.livejournal.com]

I can't think of any authors in Housefandom that I hate either. (at least not in the slash comms)

Other fandoms, there are more bad!fic writers. Though if the MSTs are anything to go by, there are some badfic writers in House somewhere! :D

[runedgirl.livejournal.com]

So glad you're doing this and, as with your answers to my fanfic question, will probably steal it and use it in class:)

After I submitted I also began to think of other things that would keep me away from a fic - in general I don't like AU - probably for some of the same reasons you gave for writing fic in the first place. No shared character knowledge. We all know Sam/Dean and we have a collective idea of "Jared"/""Jensen" but that doesn't always come through in AU.

And things that will make me read - at least initially. J3 - every time (how could I forget that??). And the dangerous stuff - blood, knives, anything where they are dancing far too close to the edge. (And oh crap, what does that say about *me*??!!)

I know I'm going to be thinking about this for a while now . . .

Kat

[rivers-bend.livejournal.com]

The next part of the poll(when i can find the energy) is going to be about what keeps you reading/stops you reading, and about some fanfic cliches.

I'm quite the opposite with RPS than you. J3 will almost always keep me away, unless I trust the author. The age thing squicks me a little, and the fact that a lot of people do daddy kink with it. I also don't like to see the boys with anyone but each other or a random fling. and Jeff isn't that. I also much prefer AUs because it feels less intrusive into the person's life. But I do like when the AU characters are recognizable as the fanon Jared and Jensen that I know. I have to really like the author in order to read fics that deal with Sandy and Jared's realtionship. If I'm reading 'canon' J2, I prefer that to just be ignored. So again, AU :)

If the AU is going to just be names tacked on to original fic, then I have to really like the fic. and I look at it as someone talented's original fiction.

yay! thinking :D

[deelaundry.livejournal.com]

My "other" when deciding to open a fic is how the post announcing the fic is written overall. I like to give new authors a shot, but if they have a lot of misspellings, say "I don't like this but here it is," demand comments, or say other things that make me think they haven't put much time or effort into the fic, then I won't click.

I was thinking just the other day how I miss some of the authors who aren't writing in Housefic any more (such as yourself!). It started to spiral down into "House (H/W) fandom isn't what it used to be," but then I realized there are a few writers who are leading the next wave. phinnia and serotonin_storm, off the top of my head, but there are more.

[rivers-bend.livejournal.com]

That's a very good point about the overall look of the intro. I pay a lot of attention to that. Demanding comments does put me off. Especially of the 'if you don't comment I won't write more' variety.

I often wonder if I'm unique in tending towards only one fandom at a time, or if there are others like me. I miss the people in house fandom who haven't stuck around my flist, but I just got so I couldn't read or write about House anymore. I think the third series broke my love. Which makes me sad.

[diachrony.livejournal.com]

To expand on the last two questions, I have read stuff with topics that squick me out and which I would never ever read if it were not for knowing the author is a wonderful writer. I've read one pee-drinking story (!) I dislike incest and daddy!kinks gross me out ... I'm not even referring to actual father/child incest (Eeeww) but to that vibe, and game-playing "Daddy/daughter" kink stories. That is a huge squick of mine, yet I've read several stories incorporating it because I knew the writers were good. And I just read a sister-incest story the other day because one of my favorite writers was the author. So this makes me wonder just how squicked I would have to be to NOT read something by an author I love. Hmm. The curiosity, wanting to know how they dealt with the situation, always gets the best of me.

Oh, and this is of course fandoms I am familiar with. Even with authors I love, I won't read stories that are in a fandom I'm unfamiliar with (shows I've not watched, etc).

And I simply cannot think of any kinks I might have that would incline me to read works by authors I don't like. If something is badly written, I just can't take it. Nor can I stomach bashing of a character I love (I dislike character-bashing in any case).

[rivers-bend.livejournal.com]

I'm much more willing to read stuff like pee drinking which would squick me in RL, than I am to brave father/child incest. Though I will do things like teacher/student if I trust the author, so I am stretching my boundries all the time. Probably some day I will find there is nothing I won't try.

There are some fandoms I will read even if I'm not familiar with them if I like the writer, especially if they aren't overly based on canon.

I can't think of a fic that I've read in any fandom that had character bashing in. So I'm not really sure how it manifests.

[dontkickmycane.livejournal.com]

Expanding on my answers:

I don't pay much attention to who beta read as far as whether or not that will influence me to read the story.

I generally don't read WiPs. I hate not getting to read the end because the author crapped out.

I generally don't read anything over 6000 to 7000 words. I'm too busy.

Exception to that rule: If I know and like the author and the work is finished, I'll take a chance on longer stuff.

There are squicks I wont read involving age and incests of all types.

[rivers-bend.livejournal.com]

I noticed just lately that I was reading fics because I knew the beta was a good writer, kind of like that was a rec. I either didn't do that before, or didn't notice.

I've been burned by WiPs but also seem to get strangely addicted to them. I don't know why.

[fallen-arazil.livejournal.com]

oddly enough, I look for different things in different fandoms. In House these days, if I don't recognize the author I probably won't read it, unless I'm really bored or it really hits a bulletproof kink.

Conversely, I'll read almost any SPN fic that comes down the line, and I will read any fic that contains hurt!Dean regardless of author. ( I might get disgusted with it halfway through and not finish, but I'll always give it a try.) However, I have never and probably will never read a SPN OFC fic. At least, not without a very strong recommendation.

~Djinn

[rivers-bend.livejournal.com]

I'm so uni-fandom (counting J2 and SPN as one fandom really) that I hadn't really thought about different responses to different fandoms. (I'm so not cut out for this research business)

I see you didn't even read MY Dean/OFC fic, though I do strongly recommend it ;)

[victorian-tweed.livejournal.com]

Just reading some of the responses, let me agree with ref_1985 about Mary Sues.

I have a friend who writes them, and I wish I could find a diplomatic way of telling her I find her fic unreadable because it is SO not my thing.

[rivers-bend.livejournal.com]

Oh goodness. That is hard. Mary-Sues are just not ok. And yeah, how do you tell a friend that?

[daasgrrl.livejournal.com]

Nice poll! I would say nowadays there is absolutely nothing that will guarantee I will read a fic. It's probably more dependent on my mood than anything else - one day I'll have time and inclination to read, one day I won't, and it's a matter of chance. There are some writers I will try and mentally bookmark if I'm not in the mood for it, but that doesn't always work. Whereas if I'm feeling 'fannish' I will try almost anything :)

[rivers-bend.livejournal.com]

All these discussions are totally making me realize how much I put my own habits into this poll, and have given me all sorts of ideas for questions for the next part! Thank you!

[merihn.livejournal.com]

I will generally read ANYTHING by an author if I like something they've written. Also, if I really love them, I'll read anything.
OH, no, wait, I totally forgot. If it's necrophillia, NOTHING will make me read it. NOTHING.

If a fic is a WIP, I don't read, unless it isn't properly labelled, then I get pissed when I find it IS a WIp. *glares* I fucking HATE WIPs.
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