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

[nakeisha.livejournal.com]

For me it depends on the quality of the story, how engrossed I am, and what kind of glaring error it is - different people will have different levels of 'glaring'. I've read a fair few stories with errors in them that have made me blink and think 'oh, yeh'? but generally if it's a one off thing and I'm already gripped, I tend to let it go. I've also come across things that I might perceive as an error, but that I'm well aware may not be an error in the country in which the story is set. So unless I really want to stop my reading to research this, I tend to let that go and make a mental note to check it, should it really bother me.

I can't honestly think of any error I've come across that has actually stopped me, or would actually stop me reading a story once I'd started. I tend to be extremely tolerant, more than a lot of people. However, if the error was something really fundamental that was easy to check out (after all something that I might consider glaring, because it's within my sphere of knowledge, might not be that easy to check out, okay I know, so why use it then, but....) then I might be leery about reading something else by said author.

I pretty much tend to finish something once I've started it. There's only one squick I have that will make me put down the story/novel and not pick it up again.

[graculus.livejournal.com]

I've read a fair few stories with errors in them that have made me blink and think 'oh, yeh'? but generally if it's a one off thing and I'm already gripped, I tend to let it go.

Do you think this has an effect on what you write yourself and how hard you try to make sure things are 'right'?

I pretty much tend to finish something once I've started it.

I just don't think I have that kind of stamina...

There's only one squick I have that will make me put down the story/novel and not pick it up again.

Now you know I'm going to have to ask... ;)

[nakeisha.livejournal.com]

Do you think this has an effect on what you write yourself and how hard you try to make sure things are 'right'?

Well I'm really meticulous with research. I make sure that factual stuff is correct. I even like to do background research that I might not actually use for a story, but like to know anyway.

Now you know I'm going to have to ask... ;)

You mean I've managed to avoid telling you thus far :-) It's a fairly odd one and one that no one would warn for (yet one that, surprising when I do mention it quite a few people say 'me too'). It's sex and food in the same scene. Romantic dinner is super, partner feeding (as long as it's from fork or fingers if finger food into mouth at a table) is nice, but when they take food into the bedroom and it becomes part of the sex act, smearing jam on the other's body and licking it off, etc. etc. etc. that's it, I'm gone. It makes me feel so sick that I simply cannot go on reading, even when the story is by my favourite author (which has happened once) and even if I'm loving the story. I just can't go on as I'd spend the whole time worrying that it'd occur again. So there you go. Told you it was odd.

[graculus.livejournal.com]

Well I'm really meticulous with research. I make sure that factual stuff is correct. I even like to do background research that I might not actually use for a story, but like to know anyway.

I was curious about this because I always try and do as much research as I can (it partly comes from being in a fandom where there are way too many people who'll notice straight away if you mess up on the medical stuff in particular, but also from being a perfectionist control freak...) and I wondered if those of us who are insistent on researching our stuff are more or less tolerant of other people's mistakes and/or omissions?

And I think you have mentioned the food sex kink before. It's something that doesn't do anything for me, so I tend to skip that kind of thing... ;)

[nakeisha.livejournal.com]

I wondered if those of us who are insistent on researching our stuff are more or less tolerant of other people's mistakes and/or omissions?

And I've proved that this isn't the case, at least not for me ::sigh:: I'm tolerant of other folks, but not my own :-))

And I think you have mentioned the food sex kink before.

LOL It does tend to crop up from time to time :-)

so I tend to skip that kind of thing...

I really wish I could just skip it, but.... I can't.