gothikmaus (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
gothikmaus) wrote2013-10-27 07:32 pm
gothikmaus) wrote2013-10-27 07:32 pm
Entry tags:
On fandom and slash
I haven't seen the latest H50 episode yet (hopefully that will change as soon as my internet connection starts working decently again), so I can't say anything about it. But I saw a few comments that made me stop and think. I'm going to post this here in my journal and not in a community because I'm afraid it'd stir up a wankfest of epic proportions.
So, people don't like Steve/Cath. OK, I can understand that. I personally like that pairing, but I also like slash and I ship Steve/Danny, I can understand people liking one pairing more than another. But then I see comments along the lines of "Ugh, why do TPTB ship Steve/Cath!?"
Um. Hello? It's canon. You can like it, dislike it or be indifferent towards it, but it's there, it's been there ever since season 1. We can discuss whether Steve and Catherine work as a couple (I think they do, but that's just my personal opinion), we can discuss the fact that having her around so much has changed the original dynamic of the show, but of course TPTB "ship" Steve/Cath: they created that pairing and that's the official pairing of the show.
I think people in fandom (any fandom, not just H50) overestimate themselves: we may think we are a lot, but we really are a minority, especially slashers. Let's be honest: Hawaii 5-0 is a prime-time show broadcast by CBS, does anyone really think Steve/Danny could become canon? I don't. The only way I see it happening would be on the very last episode of the last season. I'd love to be proved wrong, but I don't think it's going to happen.
They have given us bromance, they have given us subtle and not-so-subtle displays of affection (air hearts, anyone?) They know that if they give us a little hint, we'll take it as "undeniable proof" that character A and character B are secretly in love and/or shagging like bunnies. They have handed out lots of hints to keep us happy. At the same time, the same little hints will be seen simply as something cute by the rest of the audience. My mother, who still thinks homosexuality is something against nature and was disgusted and upset when she saw two women kiss in "Under the dome", squealed (actually squealed) with delight when she saw Danny snuggle up against Steve in the Halloween episode in season 3. She didn't see the gesture as proof of anything, she just thought it was cute. That way you keep both parties happy and the show can go on.
That said, we can complain about the quality of the writing, about the fact that TPTB use female characters only as love interests or Mary Sue, about plots having more holes than a Gruyere cheese, but saying the show should make Steve/Danny official because "that's how it's meant to be" is both naïve and presumptuous.
That's why we have fanfiction: to fix what we don't like and make everything perfect. Being part of a fandom should be a fun experience, but I think some people want way too much and are never going to be happy, no matter what they get.
So, people don't like Steve/Cath. OK, I can understand that. I personally like that pairing, but I also like slash and I ship Steve/Danny, I can understand people liking one pairing more than another. But then I see comments along the lines of "Ugh, why do TPTB ship Steve/Cath!?"
Um. Hello? It's canon. You can like it, dislike it or be indifferent towards it, but it's there, it's been there ever since season 1. We can discuss whether Steve and Catherine work as a couple (I think they do, but that's just my personal opinion), we can discuss the fact that having her around so much has changed the original dynamic of the show, but of course TPTB "ship" Steve/Cath: they created that pairing and that's the official pairing of the show.
I think people in fandom (any fandom, not just H50) overestimate themselves: we may think we are a lot, but we really are a minority, especially slashers. Let's be honest: Hawaii 5-0 is a prime-time show broadcast by CBS, does anyone really think Steve/Danny could become canon? I don't. The only way I see it happening would be on the very last episode of the last season. I'd love to be proved wrong, but I don't think it's going to happen.
They have given us bromance, they have given us subtle and not-so-subtle displays of affection (air hearts, anyone?) They know that if they give us a little hint, we'll take it as "undeniable proof" that character A and character B are secretly in love and/or shagging like bunnies. They have handed out lots of hints to keep us happy. At the same time, the same little hints will be seen simply as something cute by the rest of the audience. My mother, who still thinks homosexuality is something against nature and was disgusted and upset when she saw two women kiss in "Under the dome", squealed (actually squealed) with delight when she saw Danny snuggle up against Steve in the Halloween episode in season 3. She didn't see the gesture as proof of anything, she just thought it was cute. That way you keep both parties happy and the show can go on.
That said, we can complain about the quality of the writing, about the fact that TPTB use female characters only as love interests or Mary Sue, about plots having more holes than a Gruyere cheese, but saying the show should make Steve/Danny official because "that's how it's meant to be" is both naïve and presumptuous.
That's why we have fanfiction: to fix what we don't like and make everything perfect. Being part of a fandom should be a fun experience, but I think some people want way too much and are never going to be happy, no matter what they get.