A question on fandom familiarity

[leethet]

I just read a remark from someone saying they'd read and enjoyed an MFU fanfic despite knowing nothing about the show, and it got me thinking ... how?  Why? WTF? *G*

Then it occurred to me, if you read a fanfic about a show you know nothing about, you're really reading original fic, aren't you? For your purposes, it's all new, there's no "canon" (that you know about) to compare the story or characters to, there's only the writer's skill at telling a story. It's original fic.

I assume this reader read the fic because they knew the writer from another fandom and trusted their work (because I can't imagine why anyone would bother, otherwise). But I'm interested in people's thoughts on this. Is it weird to read in a fandom you know nothing about? Would you do it? If so ... why? Because it's an author you trust from elsewhere? But ... isn't it still, basically, reading original fic? So why?

Any thoughts are welcome here. This is really weird to me. :)

Comments

[leethet.livejournal.com]

I know of a few cases where it was the author the reader followed into strange fandoms. I don't get that myself - even if I love an author, I'm not likely to be interested in his/her work outside the area I read. Too much good stuff within my parameters, usually. :) Still, that's not an uncommon way to read outside one's usual fandoms, so I hear.

I mostly see the media first, then read when I want more/run out of canon

[raveninthewind.livejournal.com]

But I have followed many an author into unfamiliar territory, and it's worked out for me. My tastes are multifandom anyway, so when I've read few stories and liked the characters, I tend to seek the media and then dive back in to the fanfic.

Re: I mostly see the media first, then read when I want more/run out of canon

[leethet.livejournal.com]

Yeah, it's not to imply that that's a wrong way to do it, only that to me it's mysterious, because I always have the interest in the book or show first. Even if I loved an author I wouldn't read their stuff in another fandom, not because I doubt their ability, but because it's basically orig. fic, to me, and about people I'm just not interested in. :) Weird, because I'll certainly read original fic. I suppose it's that when I'm in fannish mindset, I'm here for the familiar characters/setting.

(How'd you find this LJ? ;-) You do know you've got me friended in HP, don't you?)

how I found your LJ

[raveninthewind.livejournal.com]

You commented to another commenter to an HP rec post I made in Crack Van.

And I have read and enjoyed your MfU writing, in particular "Liaison."

Re: how I found your LJ

[leethet.livejournal.com]

Oh! Thanks! I didn't know you were in MFU too (although probably if I was a little more on the ball, I would have). You did know I'm auctasinistra, didn't you? (It's not exactly a secret, but not that many people are aware of it). :-)

Re: your HP pseud

[raveninthewind.livejournal.com]

No, I didn't know! I remember reading that LJ when you first started posting, and I check back regularly, you know. You are one of my favorite HP writers, definitely. I like how human you write Snape and Harry without exaggerating. That might be why I like you MfU, too. The MfU writers on teh whole seem to me to have a tendency to write Napoleon and Illya as more idealized, as archetypes rather than men. Not necessarily bad in some cases, but I didn't always recognize the characters in the show was being those in the stories. I do like the canon and the fanfic, but I had a much harder time finding MfU stories I really loved. You know, the ones so good that I make people who haven't seen the canon read.

I'm not sure why I never friended you; I think I'd gotten away from friending monofannish LJs, and I didn't know we had another fandom in common.

Re: your HP pseud

[leethet.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I'm a serious compartmentalizer. It's not that one fandom's secret from another so much as that I like having fandom appropriate pseudonyms, and I like having a bunch of different looking LJs. :-) I like tidy boxes. I know, pathetic.

I agree with you about wanting the characters to be human (maybe a little better than average *g*) and also for them to be men. I'm delighted that the days of making IK a delicate flower are over. Who are your favorite MFU writers?

Re: my old pseud

[raveninthewind.livejournal.com]

And I probably first commented to auctasinistra as vamplover84. (I renamed my LJ about 18 mos. ago.)

Re: my old pseud

[leethet.livejournal.com]

I remember you!