Because I'm nosy

[turps]

I was thinking about pairings yesterday, about how when I post stories different people will comment depending on the pairing I'm writing about.

This got me wondering how deep OTP reading goes. Personally I only used to read the Chris pairings, but that's changed and I'll read most things now. Admittedly I much prefer stories where he's the focus, but there's many great non-Chris focussed stories out there, and I was missing out by passing them by.

So, I thought I'd poll and see what others think. You don't have to explain anything but feel free to discuss in comments. Same if I've missed something, which no doubt I have.



[Poll #965020]

Comments

[turps33.livejournal.com]

Technically my OTP should be Chris/Anyone. I'm just as happy reading Choey, trickyfish, trickynicky, timbertrick etc. But the thing is, trickc makes me happier. They make me smile, I love them together, I get all flaily when I think about it and I just love them. So I do have a OTP, even if I really don't.

It makes sense to me anyway.

[ceci2176.livejournal.com]

As for me, I'd read pretty much anything if it had owies in it. But if, for example, Chris and/or JC's involved, I might even read stories without owies...though I'd rather not.

[carta.livejournal.com]

I've never been an OTP person; I find it incredibly limiting. Why miss out on some awesome stuff just because the pairing that I pretend exists isn't featured? Makes no sense to me. I do, however, have an anti-OTP bent, meaning there is generally a pairing that I don't get at all, that sometimes makes my skin crawl even, and I flat-out refuse to read it. Even then, I've been known to read a couple. And in pop, my anti-pairing was actually the main point of the fic that got me in the fandom - which I find amusing. It let me in the door to the party, and I ditched it by the punch bowl.

[ephemera.livejournal.com]

re the pairing I don't read? I read - and enjoy - JuC, but if it's presented as 'Joshtin' I don't click the link, as that generally flags up both a writing style and a characterisation set that doesn't appeal to me.

re changing reading habbits? I'll follow an author I trust anywhere (which is what got me into pop originally) and over time I've gotten more of a feel for a wider range of characters, so I'll read pure-BSB and a wider range of 'supporting'/ stuff now, even if I don't know the author's work so well.

[tara]

Obviously I don't really read anything at all right now, but hey ;)

[withdiamonds.livejournal.com]

I don't consider myself to have an OTP, and I never have. I started out in XF and was an equal opportunity Mulder/Krycek, Mulder/Skinner, and even Skinner/Krycek reader. Each pairing brought something different to the table, and I enjoyed them all. Next was TS, which is one of the fandoms with a built-in OTP. But I certainly never minded the occasional Simon story.

That said, with popslash, I have several favorite pairings, several levels of favorites, but once again, I'll read anything. I can't imagine limiting myself to one pairing, or even one guy.

Lance is my OTP, obviously. When I first got here, JoLa was my favorite, as it was everyone else's at that time. Then I decided to love Lambs, mostly because that's when Sandy and Tiffany Rawlins were writing a lot of Lambs. Then after the Reel Nsync, we all wrote and read Trickyfish. (Yes, yes, I am apparently a sheep.) I loved what everyone was writing, but I also love TrickC and Bassez and Timbertrick. Today, I'd put Timbertone and JoeC and Choey and JuC, (even though I write a lot of JuC), near the bottom, and anything with Lance or JC near the top, but I love it all, really.

It took me a while to read Backstreet, except when I couldn't avoid them in a crossover, but I like Nick, AJ, and Kevin paired with anyone. I don't really love Howie or Brian, but that doesn't stop me from reading them.

I don't mind a bit of het thrown in, I don't mind deathfic, there's really nothing that bothers me except apologyfic. There are some things I love more than others, but like I said, why would I limit myself? Who knows what I could be missing by being fussy?

As far as writing is concerned, I've only ever written Lambs, TrickC, Bassez, JuC and Timbertrick. It looks like I don't love Joey, but I do! Actually, I wrote a Timbertone back in 2001 that will never see the light of day, mostly because I have no idea where it is.

And I haven't read your Choey ficlets from yesterday, but I'm off to do that right now.

[trumpeterofdoom.livejournal.com]

I tried answering this poll earlier, but then I realised that I've been reading and writing so little in the last two or three years that I just couldn't explain myself properly in the poll.

Basically, the long and short of it is that because reading is school for me, my need for reading material went down, not because I liked reading everything I had to for class, but because I had to. In which case, this situation has only served to cement my OTP leanings and made me read AJ pairings more or less exclusively for some time. I've got about a million other stories with other pairings in them bookmarked for reading, but I just haven't had the time to. In my mind somewhere I've got lists of stories for each pairing, actually (yes, even for TrickC), because I love seeing them interact in all sorts of different ways.

My old rule of thumb was that if it was well written, I'd give it a shot. However, now that I've got that much work to do, I zero in on the stuff that I know will give me a quick buzz whenever I had the time: Letterboys, AJ/Kevin, and AJ/Lance. Which are all underwritten pairings, and thus contributes even more to my non-read-y-ness.

I feel like a bad writer/reader/fan now.

[turps33.livejournal.com]

That's just the answer I'd expect from you *g*

I love the h/c stories too, but you beat even me ;)

[turps33.livejournal.com]

Why miss out on some awesome stuff just because the pairing that I pretend exists isn't featured? Makes no sense to me.

Me either. Like I said, I used to be all about only reading the Chris pairings, but that was when I first came into the fandom and there were huge amounts of stories to read.

I quickly realised that cutting myself off because of pairings was insane. All those stories and I wouldn't give them a chance because of a pairing? There's something wrong there.

Now I'll read pretty much anything, though I do discriminate about pairing names. Joshtin and trickykitty put me off immediately. Which sounds really petty, but it's just how it is.

It let me in the door to the party, and I ditched it by the punch bowl.

That's a great description.

Thanks for answering.

[daisydust.livejournal.com]

I don't think my answers follow the logic of your questions, but I didn't mean to be confusing. Technically I don't have a OTP, because I will read most anything except for a few authors that I've not enjoyed. However, Lambs is my "emotional" OTP. It's the pairing I most want to read, most often reread and the one I like to think of plots for even though I don't write. I also have a bit of your "man of interest" thing happening, because followed closely by Lambs is anything with Lance - especially Trickyfish.

The only pairings I tend to stay away from unless I know the author are JuC and Choey. I'm not sure what about JuC squicks me, but for the most part I only enjoy the pairing in an AU setting. My lack of Choey enthusiasm may be due to a lack of options - or it may just be Joey and Chris tend to read really straight to me and I have a hard time suspending my disbelief enough to put them together.

PS - This was a fun survey, I'm looking forward to reading others' responses!

[daisydust.livejournal.com]

Hee! This makes sense to me ... it's totally where I am for Lance & Lambs!

[autumnyte.livejournal.com]

For me, it's more of an OT3 (see icon). Stories with any combination of those three are 99% of what I read. It's not that I absolutely refuse to read another pairing, but it really has to grab my attention. Whereas with TrickyfishC, I will read just about anything.

The funny thing is, it's not that I don't love Justin and Joey. I just personally have a hard time seeing them as slashy. Not sure why. No offense intended to those who enjoy pairings involving them.

[turps33.livejournal.com]

Oh man, me too about Joshtin. I have that reaction to trickykitty too.

I think reading a wider range of stories is the way to go. I know a lot of people are totally OTP only, but there's so much cool stuff out there it's a shame not to give it a try. Same with writers I suppose, you don't know if you like their stories until you give it a try.

Thanks for answering :)

[turps33.livejournal.com]

But you did! That always counts *mwah*

[tara]

And if I ever get the time to do the fandom thing again, I'm sure my tastes will be the same *g*

[turps33.livejournal.com]

I was just reading your comment and thinking, yeah, she understands where I'm coming from *g*

[mickeym.livejournal.com]

A lot of what I read and how I read is based on who's writing the story. I'm pretty sure I will read or have read every (Nsync) pairing--but in most cases (esp if it's a non-Chris pairing) it has to be an author I trust to write the guys the way I see/hear them. Some authors do certain voices/pairings better than others, some do them all well.

I'm definitely an OTP person (which, I know you're thinking, 'no, Kim, really?' *g*)--and I don't like to read out of my comfort zone...but I make myself do it sometimes, or else I'd have nothing new to read. So when I say that my reading habits have changed, and that I read other pairings, that's what I'm talking about.

[ravenbat.livejournal.com]

I have an OT3 (JC/Chris/Lance), which basically I'll read all of the "couples" you can make of it. I also have a xover OT3 <Chris/Nick/JC), and will read all the pairings that are made from it. But I have much love for a couple pairings that are seldomly written, JoeC and Timbertone - when those 2 pairings are well written it's a joyous thing. As for stories or pairings I won't read. I don't like Brian fic. Just ew. On the rare occasion I read it, generally it's something a friend has written and asked me to read. Same with Kevin being slashed. I generally will read things that friends have written, unless it's deathfic. I'm not a fan of deathfic or overly angsty stories. That said, does that mean that I won't or haven't written things that are angsty or have a death (or Kevin or Brian slashed) in them, nope. But then again, I've never claimed to make sense. I'm all rambly now, so I'm going to be thankful that you just asked about stories in the pop fandom, because if I went into my other fandoms that I read in and what I will or won't read in those. Well you'd really be rolling your eyes at me.

[stellamira]

Okay, some explanation. I wouldn't say Trickyfish is my OTP, but it's my favorite pairing. Which pairing I read comes and goes in phases. Or it used to, nowadays I mostly read what's new, but a while back I had so much old stuff to read as well. I remember a very long JuC phase when I read almost nothing but JuC for weeks.

Also, authors that I admire can make me read a lot of stuff, but not everything. I stay away from most of the NSync/BSB crossovers, but I have read Joey/Justin, for example, which I normally wouldn't read, by a few very selected authors.

[carta.livejournal.com]

I do discriminate about pairing names. Joshtin and trickykitty put me off immediately. Which sounds really petty, but it's just how it is.


imo, they're generally indicative of the quality of the story. (she said, owning her snobbery)

[queenydiva.livejournal.com]

My OTP is Joshtin, and since I left the online fandom a few years ago and only recently returned, there are a lot of great stories I haven't read yet. I'm still trying to find and read them all. I'll also read stories that have either one of those men in them, though I obviously prefer it when they're coupled. The only thing I have trouble reading is the Chris/Joey pairing, mostly because I just can't see them together, lol. :D

[queenydiva.livejournal.com]

Hurt/Comfort? Recs, please? *begs*

[queenydiva.livejournal.com]

Interesting! It was some good Joshtin stories that started me reading fanfic several years ago, so that's the pairing name I prefer, lol. JuC sounds, I don't know, tacky? I still read them, though. :)

[carta.livejournal.com]

Oh, I agree about "JuC" - it's a little too descriptive or something. Ick.

[turps33.livejournal.com]

That's popslash for you, the fandom with multiple cutsie names for two guys *g*