1) Eh, that's quite a question. I wouldn't know because it's something that changes with canon, I think. Or at least, if you go back to S2/S3 fics you can see that there was a ton of Jack/Sawyer getting posted, while when I came into fandom (and it was in the S3 hiatus) it already was getting less written and now you barely read enough, in comparison. While Sawyer/Juliet was a totally rare ship when I came into fandom, and in S5 it was all over the place. And then talks the one who writes Boone more than everyone else and so anyway I'm stuck either way, lol. ;) Anyway, I don't think there is. Lost is probably one of the most diverse fandoms I've ever been in and everyone has their cups of tea; I think it's mostly a question of what canon offers you. IE: I'm pretty sure that the lack of Jack/Sawyer is not due to people not shipping it anymore, but more because canon hasn't given those two enough of a decent fodder in ages and whenever they have two scenes together it never ends that well. Sorry if I keep on beating on the J/S example
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Actually, I find the alt difficult myself but I think that's because of the changes made to characters - I don't feel I really know, for example, cop!Sawyer at the moment and there isn't time to build up his backstory. I'm not saying I won't attempt the alt ever, but I do find original timeline easier!
I think the only times I've ever not posted have been if I've come to think something sucks.
This is a topic that I've pondered a lot, so I'm interested to see a discussion of it here.
I assume that new people coming into the fandom and old-timers leaving have had a large influence on 'what fandom wants', as has the introduction of new characters on the show and the deaths, marginalization and/or character damage done to the original characters and early-era pairings.
For instance, I came into the fandom near the end of S1 as solely a Jack/Sawyer shipper and as that was the predominant pairing at the time, all was well for a while. But things that happened on the show made that pairing more and more difficult to ship and at a certain point I gave up, as did most of the other people who shipped it. We moved on to other pairings or, for many, other fandoms, and now (if not for its history) Jack/Sawyer is basically a rare pairing. I believe that it’s primarily because of the structure and nature of Lost that fandom has taken the shape it has now, where there are so many ships and their popularity waxes and wanes so quickly.
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I've got one right now that I'm wondering if anyone will show interest in (it's a long Widmore fic, haven't finished it anyway but once I do, I don't know if anyone will read it) but I intend to post it anyway. I've accepted that there are always going to be people who won't read certain fics for various reasons, so I find it easier to just write for me and if people like it, it's a bonus.
For me, I prefer it with the diverse range rather than a dominant pairing, because I've always liked to attempt as many characters as possible, both for writing and reading. Eventually, I'd get bored of a dominant pairing I think.
01. Nothing static. I'm sure that closer to the beginning of the series, canon pairings were more popular in terms of fic, and sometime during that time-frame throw in Jack/Sawyer. But as the show moved on, and un-stereotypically, the Lost fans did too, that all changed. Canon pairings don't hold any monopoly on "what the people want" and possibly are even in the minority.
I think the only way to know what fandom wants at that particular moment in time, is to be dedicated enough to have a finger on the pulse of fandom, because it changes so frequently with this show that it's impossible to predict or pigeonhole
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Hell yeah, I like the variety - I'd get bored of just the same old pairings eventually (does that mean I'm better off keeping out of a lot of other fandoms?)
The perspective thing might be one for another discussion actually.
Yes, I write what I like too. And if other people think I go too obscure, then that's up to them really, but I usually get at least some readers!
1. No. It depends on which corner of it you're in, and I'm pretty firmly in the Ben and Ben/Locke ones. A lot of people in the fandom can see Ben/Locke but don't really ship it, so we have a small community (he_came_back) that wants to read anything Bocke. henrygalelovers generally wants to read Ben/anybody, whether it's slash or het, but will go for gen sometimes as well. I'm not that into het or gen myself, but have read some good stuff there.
2. The latter, even though I've only posted one fic so far (but I'm thisclose to my second). I tend to think writers get the ideas they get for a reason, and it can be a real mistake not to pursue them, even when it feels like nobody cares. And it's the internet. There's an audience for absolutely everything.
3. That's funny, because I hardly ever wrote in third person or cared for it too much before I got into this fandom. I've come to enjoy writing third person limited quite a bit and still don't feel right attempting first person with someone else's characters. I've seen some comments at fanficrants about
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I suppose if you know someone, it's easier to know if you'll like the fic, even if it's a character/pairing you don't read!
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I think the only times I've ever not posted have been if I've come to think something sucks.
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I assume that new people coming into the fandom and old-timers leaving have had a large influence on 'what fandom wants', as has the introduction of new characters on the show and the deaths, marginalization and/or character damage done to the original characters and early-era pairings.
For instance, I came into the fandom near the end of S1 as solely a Jack/Sawyer shipper and as that was the predominant pairing at the time, all was well for a while. But things that happened on the show made that pairing more and more difficult to ship and at a certain point I gave up, as did most of the other people who shipped it. We moved on to other pairings or, for many, other fandoms, and now (if not for its history) Jack/Sawyer is basically a rare pairing. I believe that it’s primarily because of the structure and nature of Lost that fandom has taken the shape it has now, where there are so many ships and their popularity waxes and wanes so quickly. ( ... )
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For me, I prefer it with the diverse range rather than a dominant pairing, because I've always liked to attempt as many characters as possible, both for writing and reading. Eventually, I'd get bored of a dominant pairing I think.
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I think the only way to know what fandom wants at that particular moment in time, is to be dedicated enough to have a finger on the pulse of fandom, because it changes so frequently with this show that it's impossible to predict or pigeonhole ( ... )
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The perspective thing might be one for another discussion actually.
Yes, I write what I like too. And if other people think I go too obscure, then that's up to them really, but I usually get at least some readers!
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2. The latter, even though I've only posted one fic so far (but I'm thisclose to my second). I tend to think writers get the ideas they get for a reason, and it can be a real mistake not to pursue them, even when it feels like nobody cares. And it's the internet. There's an audience for absolutely everything.
3. That's funny, because I hardly ever wrote in third person or cared for it too much before I got into this fandom. I've come to enjoy writing third person limited quite a bit and still don't feel right attempting first person with someone else's characters. I've seen some comments at fanficrants about ( ... )
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That's how I've been looking at it - I write gen, het and slash, and have attempted most characters now - someone somewhere is bound to be pleased!
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