Chicken :cqlgusu:
Sometimes I read a fic that stays with me, that I can't stop thinking about. It gets its hooks in me.
But if there's something significant about it that seems flawed (characterisation, plot, language use, whatever), I hesitate to rec it.
I read and enjoy a lot of fics. but usually only rec fics that are most compelling to me personally.
When I find a fic compelling enough to want to rec it, and it also has certain kinds of flaws, I usually don't rec.
Chicken :cqlgusu:
Starting to think this is a bit precious of me.
I don't intend for recs to be indicators of my own highly refined reading tastes or whatever. But I suspect a little bit of that attitude has crept into whether I decide to rec something.
A rec just means that I found it compelling enough to want to share it more widely.
(There's also a bit of wanting to connect with other fans who like similar things, and wanting to send more readers to that author.)
Chicken :cqlgusu:
I'm never going to send unsolicited concrit to an author. (Apart from it being rude, I do enough concrit in my day job and have no desire to do it in my free time.)
And I'm not going to post recs with reservations. As in: "the plot is stupid but there are some good jokes." (I might do that if reccing a commercial work, but never for a fanwork.)
I'm going to loosen up about recs. Sometimes I'm going to rec works that I think are flawed but compelling anyway.
(All work has some flaw, right?)
Chicken :cqlgusu:
And I'm not going to immediately post the rec to the fic that had me thinking about this topic, on the off-chance that the author actually finds my rec and reads this meta 😅
Chicken :cqlgusu:
Hmm a few things off the top of my head:
- promising fic with weak ending, maybe it fizzles out or ends abruptly or seems unresolved in a way that doesn't seem intentional
- frequent typos or misuse of words (you keep using that word, I do not think it means what you think it means)
- good story but some of the canon characters seem more like original characters wearing the canon character's clothes (I love a good OC but only if it's clear that they're an OC)
Forestofglory
@lookitmychicken yeah sometimes one aspect of a fic is really compelling but the fic as whole doesn't hold together for me
But also now I'm so curious what types of flaws you mean?
Chicken :cqlgusu:
@glitchontwitch
Do you mean you don't share recs often, or that you're mostly a lurker, or something else?
Sometimes I feel a little self-conscious when I share the more filthy recs. I always include NSFW so that people can filter them out if that's what not what they follow me for. But they have to see one of those NSFW posts first in order to realize that they might want to set up a filter for them.
Glitch
@lookitmychicken I feel you there. Like, I don’t even recommend on nearly the same scale either in quantity or reach, but I can find it hard to recommend fics.
For me it’s also probably a degree of excess self consciousness.
In fact, even the other stuff I share (videos, pictures, etc), I’m kinda used to not sharing in most places. Masto has been something of an experiment. So that’s something for me to think about.
Chicken :cqlgusu:
and in the meantime they have learned much more about my own kinks etc that perhaps they wanted to know
I'm not particularly concerned about people knowing my kinks etc but I do want to give people the choice not to know 😂
Chicken :cqlgusu:
@glitchontwitch
Any rec that I post in the next few days will definitely *not* be the one that inspired this thread
Glitch
@lookitmychicken yeah that might not be the best timing :blobcatgiggle:
Chicken :cqlgusu:
- good story but the sex and/or kink and/or understanding of consent is ... not good (I'm fine with bad sex, bad kink, dubious consent, etc. as long as it seems the author *knows* it's bad or dubious, and isn't just writing it that way out of ignorance)
- I love everything about the story except that the plot hinges on characters not communicating with each other for stupid reasons (this often gets a pass but not always)
Chicken :cqlgusu:
- my reluctance to rec increases every time a character lets out a breath they didn't know they were holding
- also every time someone gives someone else a shovel talk
- I know jealousy can be a big thing in monogamous relationships but I'm not comfortable with it being a major part of the plot. A little bit is fine
Huh I have more Opinions than I thought about Flaws That Make Hesitant to Rec
Chicken :cqlgusu:
@glitchontwitch I don't think you need to pressure yourself if it's not something that comes naturally. But if you'd like to get better at it, it definitely gets easier with practice. ❤️
Glitch
@lookitmychicken lol Fair! I’m pretty shy about sharing steamy recs myself, especially in the context of, like, because it is.
It’s also something I’m poking at, but I think maybe I should consistently be able to talk myself into sharing fandom videos without hemming and hawing as a first step. :blobcatfingerguns:
Chicken :cqlgusu:
@westie ohhh, good point
If a particular rec doesn't do it for me, I really don't think anything judgy about the reccer.
I'm still glad that they found something in the fic that resonated with them, and happy that they shared the rec
westie
@lookitmychicken ooh, I'm familiar with this phenomenon.
Though FWIW I can't think of a specific time I've ever finished a recced fic and been like "gosh can't believe they recced this one with all the [whatever] 🙄"
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