attempted fandom explanations

[minkhollow]

In Nomine - Supernatural types act crazy. Occasional Dungeons-and-Dragons type atmosphere.
Lawrence of Arabia - Movie based on a real (crazy?) British guy, putting things awfully close to RPF. And there’s a lot of sand. And Peter O’Toole.
Moulin Rouge - Shiny scary music wossname.
X-Men - It didn’t start in the movies. There are people with freaky superpower things, one of whom is blue and German.
Chicago - A musical wherein people die and other people dance.
Slayers - ‘Tis anime, and evidently two characters who hate each other are meant to get together. (All I know is what Morgan’s mentioned.)
Les Miserables - French people. Singing French people. Therefore, the name is not pronounced like it’s spelled.
Elfquest - All the characters look female, except to the trained eye (I’m guessing).
Gangs of New York - Leonardo DiCaprio has a mustache.
Sandman - Pretty comic book/graphic novel things. Death is a Goth girl, and rather chipper at that.

Comments

[fujinsama.livejournal.com]

Yes, Filia and Xellos are MENT TO BE! *throws glares at the Mazoko Can't Love camp* However, I know I've told you a damn site more about it than that. Like the swords and sorcery which lends a D&Dish feel to it as well, even if I've never played D&D...), the comedy, the drama, the the fights about good vs. evil that leave you wondering who's really right (even stated in canon once! Gourry asked Lina who the real bad guys were, and Lina couldn't think of a reply), dramatic battles, death scenes, people being brought back through either magic or sheer dimwitted determination,... Slayers is just... perfect. ^^;;;

[minkhollow]

I think you mentioned it during your "why I don't like LotR" email, on the good vs. evil front...

[harukami]

...HEEE!

I blame the In Nomine with the D&D atmosphere on the fact that almost every gamer in existance started out in D&D. [giggles]

Re: Slayers, as that was my old fandom... heh. Well, Slayers is the story of Stereotypes that Save the World! (Fiesty Redheaded Sorceress + Big Dumb Blond Swordsman + Angsty Mysterious Swordsman sufffering Under a Curse + Cute Girl + Assorted Others). It's kind of sucky in places and kind of incredible in others (the 'there is no pure good' themes in Slayers TRY re: the genocides is genius). Overall, it's not a perfect series by any means, but it does a good job, and it's mostly fun comedy. The good sort of cheesy. (The fandom, however, is rabid. The fandom is best characterized by two words: Pairing Wars.)

[minkhollow]

Oh, you get 'shipper wars as well? If it's anything like they were in Daria fandom... hoo boy.
(Morgan - what was it you wanted to import 'maters to? Harry Potter?)

[harukami]

OH lord. At least, back when I was in Slayers fandom, which was a good two or three years ago, we suuuuuuuure did.

Like - mmm. The series sets up two canon couples: Lina and Gourry and Amelia and Zelgadis. They're pretty subtle about this, because the series isn't based on romance but adventure. Occassionally, Lina and Gourry will get a kiss, and then Lina will deny it vehemently later. Amelia and Zelgadis will hang around each other and blush and look sort of embarrassed and geeky and cute.

Xellos/Filia or Valgarv/Filia is another PROBABLE canon one - Xellos and Filia hate each other, but they're forced to combine powers more times than you can count, and otherwise... meld. (Not being human, combining power is much the same as combining bodies.) Valgarv/Filia is hinted at less in the tv series an dmore in the artbooks, but...yes.

However, the fans? There are RABID Lina/Zel fans. RABID Lina/Xellos fans. RABID Xellos/Zelgadis fans. RABID Amelia haters 'No! She must NOT be with my cutesy Zelly-poo!'. I mean, what I find most characterized in the Slayers fandom is *insensibility*. Nobody's willing to say 'well, I like this pairing, but I know that this other pairing has more evidence behind them.'. There's a lot of hate and meanness and... and wow, am I glad to be out of the fandom.

[fujinsama.livejournal.com]

Eh, I think the fact that (JILL! Close your eyes, hon!) When Val is reborn, Filia takes his egg to adopt, so she's basically his mom now (OKAY, you can open them again!) pretty much negates any F/V in the artbooks.

I pretty much like all and only the canon pairings in that series (which is a weird and unusual thing for me), well, if you count X/F as canon, anyway. However, as long as the ship wars aren't all out vicious, I'm pretty amused by them. Like the L/anyone but G people. You've got to wonder if they've ever seen NEXT, you know?

*shrugs* I've been involved in ship wars since the first day of my first fandom (Daria), so I guess I'm just used to them so they don't really bother me.

[harukami]

Heh. I agree with that, but I've seen such of logical arguing otherwise (and the artbooks show them in two differnt poses embracing nakedly, which is what I sort of meant).

I like canon pairings too, though I've written about every pairing there IS, because Slayers was my first real fandom so I was experimenting in it. Am best known for my Xel/Zel fics, which is funny, because - well, because Zel/Ame. :)

Eh, maybe the ship wars were rougher five years ago. [finally counted back. Feels old. o.O] At that point, we only had the first few volumes of Slayers translated (up to 3, I believe), and everything else was found through fansubs (very few available) and so forth. People hated Amelia simply because of how she was portrayed in the opening theme, and formed a mental image of her to conform to. People formed opinions on pairings based on half-facts and defended 'em to the death (or at least, the humiliation). The fandom could be rather mean at times. If they've improved, that's good; I left shortly after a BNF started attacking me publically for aaaaaabsolutely no reason except that I'd written a fic the pairing of which she didn't like.

It's good to hear it's not so bad anymore, though! (or maybe you're just used to 'em. HOping they're not so bad, though.)

[fujinsama.livejournal.com]

Yup, Harry Potter needs 'maters desperately. The ship wars need something to make them silly and light hearted. Plus, there can be other 'maters. The AU 'mater, the angst 'mater, the MWPP era 'mater, the OotP denial 'mater, the "everyone is gay!" 'mater... If there's a story cliche, we can make one for it.

[minkhollow]

Return of the 'Maters! (Why aren't those things on my interests list, anyway? They certainly merit it.)
The only problem would be if we ran out of colors. But I don't think that's likely, as long as we can keep them different enough that there's no easy confusion.