Fannish crap

Though I've elected to use my non-fan Sylvester icon, the non-fandom readers can ignore this and simply save their sanity (don't you wish I always came with such warnings? *G*).

Yes, there was a celebrity wreck. Yes, it seems a couple of passengers were hurt. No, apparently there was no alcohol involved. Yes, apparently the paparazzi WERE involved. No, I seriously doubt anyone was leaving the scene of anything, as that would be stupid when you've already been seen crashing a car and there are cameras on the scene (DUH). Yes, the entertainment media's having a field day, but it seems reputable media is leaving it in the "entertainment" category, and not that high up on even that priority list. No, I don't think the cops are covering for him, since they've stopped and charged bigger celebrities than him with criminal acts.

In short: Seems someone had a wreck, nobody was killed, the driver was sober, help was called. Whoopdedoo; I've been in this position more times in the last 14 years than I wish my insurance company knew about.

If you love POTC or Hornblower fic and you're still not subscribed to despatches ... well, why aren't you? It's a summary of what's been posted in several communities in a week's time, and while it usually reads somewhat like a roster of "Elizabeth Does England," it does have many other characters and pairings that don't involve the new fandom bike, as well as whatever genfic has been posted.

Okay, fannishness over for now!

More fannish crap (it's Saturday, I don't have to acknowledge real life)

Years ago, webcrowmancer made an interesting comment that I've always wondered about. She really enjoyed Sparrington and was one of the first writers to popularize it in the fandom, and she gained a big readership. But she once told me that when she would get a comment from someone that included the phrase "I don't like slash, but ..." or "I don't like this pairing, but ..." that it annoyed the hell out of her. I thought Well, why would that bother you? It means you've "converted" them, at least for the moment. That's a compliment.

I think I sort of understand now what she was trying to say. The more I see comments on POTC fics with Will in them that start off "I don't like Will ..." "I don't like the whelp ..." "I have this condition that causes me to not care about Will ...", the more I wonder why it's necessary to say it all the time. I see a couple of certain people who, every time they comment on a story with Will, feel the need to throw it in there like a badge of honor - shoot, sometimes I see it in comments to stories that don't even have Will IN them. (To date, there's only one writer I've left positive comments for where I acknowledged I didn't like J/E ... but, they were J/E stories, and we'd discussed my preferences, so it was more of a personal correspondence than attention-whoring.) What's the fuss? Why not just say, "Hey, this was a good story, I liked this about it"? Nobody's going to think you're uncool if you don't immediately disclaim yourself with an "I Hate This Character" statement.

EDIT: Yes, I have a new mood theme. Gary!

ETA2: Don't be fooled into thinking this is genuine, legitimate fandom meta; this is mostly me bitching (though bitching chipperly. *points to snail* There are less entertaining ways to dress of a morning than while watching a meowing pseudopod).