Degrees of dissonance

[graculus]

In the six or seven years I've been in fandom, I've read widely in a number of fandoms. I'm wondering if my tolerance levels are the same as they were, or whether it changes as new fandoms gain my interest, or is dependent on the fandom itself.

I've been reading a lot of Harry Potter fic recently. Some of it is excellent and some of it can only be described as god-awful. In essence, no better and no worse than any other fandom, as far as I can see. But where it differs in one respect is the couple of fics I've given up on early on because they just don't work - there's some fundamental flaw to the story premise that is only evident to me because I have a knowledge of the law and mores of the culture the stories are based in (not the wizarding world, of course, but mid-90's England).

So, I was wondering about this - I know there are people reading this entry that read in an equally wide variety of fandoms, or focus intently on one to the exclusion of all others, people with a wide variety of life experiences and areas of expertise. Can you get past a glaring error in something you have knowledge of and move on to read the rest of the story? Are you someone who, once they've started reading something, have to finish it? Or is it dependent on the quality of the tale, that if it's good enough then you can ignore something you know to be incorrect?

Inquiring minds and all that...

Comments

[seanchaidh.livejournal.com]

I used to be that way, particularly about novels, but as I've grown wiser older, I find I'm more picky. If there's something vital about the story I don't like, or that doesn't sit well, I close it.

A few examples?

Last night I was reading a CSI story, where the story did not state it was basically an AU. The author had Gil Grissom as a vampire, and that just rang so false with me, I closed it.

I read one SG-1 story where someone Daniel had met was somehow stranded offworld. While it was real written, my "suspension of disbelief" couldn't accept it and I closed the story.

Grammar isn't something I pay attention to too much unless it totally ruins the story's effect. Same with spelling. I'm more picky with bad writing, where the characters aren't reading true and there are huge issues with facts, etc.

[seanchaidh.livejournal.com]

Er, "real written" should be "well written." I haven't finished my first cup of tea yet. Blah.

[graculus.livejournal.com]

Last night I was reading a CSI story, where the story did not state it was basically an AU. The author had Gil Grissom as a vampire, and that just rang so false with me, I closed it.

So was it the lack of warning or the premise itself that was the bigger problem?

Grammar isn't something I pay attention to too much unless it totally ruins the story's effect. Same with spelling. I'm more picky with bad writing, where the characters aren't reading true and there are huge issues with facts, etc.

I tend to think that if someone apparently can't be bothered to even spell-check their fic (and worse, if there are blatant errors in the summary) then the chances of it being worth the effort aren't all that good... ;)

[seanchaidh.livejournal.com]

So was it the lack of warning or the premise itself that was the bigger problem?

Premise, definitely. There are fantastical things I can excuse in Stargate because it's science fiction - if you can do it well, go for it. But for things like CSI, which is "real world based" (well, iffy on that:)), there are things that just don't read well, imo. Having a main character as a vampire, no. Having the main characters investigate a real vampire? More plausible. :)

I tend to think that if someone apparently can't be bothered to even spell-check their fic (and worse, if there are blatant errors in the summary) then the chances of it being worth the effort aren't all that good... ;)

True, sometimes you can judge a book by its cover. :) I'm thinking more the stories that I go through, oh, the first few paragraphs.

[graculus.livejournal.com]

There are fantastical things I can excuse in Stargate because it's science fiction - if you can do it well, go for it. But for things like CSI, which is "real world based" (well, iffy on that:)), there are things that just don't read well, imo.

So, it's fandom-dependant? I can see how this would be more of a stretch than in some other fandoms, but then I'm also loosely involved with Mag7 fandom where there are a shedload of bizarrely-premised universes vying for attention...

[seanchaidh.livejournal.com]

Fandom-dependant may indeed be it. I guess different shows has their own rules that seem, at least imo, inviolable without become totally AU... or something like that. And I guess it depends on the person, too? Meh. Not feeling too verbose today, I guess.