solarcat

Because Twitter was not the ideal environment for this sort of discussion topic...

Safe Sex & Porn

Readers, what is YOUR take on the topic of safe-sex practices in porn? (Fic porn, filmed porn, whatever.) Does it turn you on/off? What about a distinct LACK of safe-sex practices in your porn? Do you sit there thinking, No condom?? >:( or UNF. I WILL BE IN MY BUNK!? Are certain unsafe-sex practices kinks and others total turn-offs? Is it sexy when Character A says "I forgot the condoms" and Character B says "Do it anyway", or do you cringe and hit the back button?

LET US TALK ABOUT WHAT TURNS US ON. FOR ~*SCIENCE*~! (Or, y'know, just because it's fun. XD )


( My two cents... )

(Please feel free to discuss/debate/talk about your differing opinions. I trust you guys to respect each other, and each other's kinks! <3 )

ETA: Hi there, metafandomers! You're more than welcome to throw your two cents in! Additionally, this post is mirrored on LJ here, if you are interested in the comments there, or prefer commenting on LJ. <3

Default icons.

Most of us have them, I would venture. But in changing my default icon recently, I got to thinking about how we choose default icons.

I know that in some cases, I associate icons with people almost as strongly as I associate their online handles (which is saying something, since in many cases the only name I have for someone is their online handle!). For example, long before I was friends with sansets, I knew her default icon (and in fact I had a moment of "Oh, hey, YOU!" during the friending process, which I am admitting here only because it's relevant to the topic at hand *shame*). BTW, sansets? You are never allowed to change your icon, or I will have to hurt you~, okay? All my <3, Me.

That's just a tiny example, but I was thinking about it. What impact does a default icon have? Do we draw conclusions about users based on their default icon? If, for instance, a default icon isn't overly polished, or if it's pixelated, or hard to read, or not 100x100px, or any number of other things that might be considered "faults", does that affect our perception of the user the icon is representing?

I guess I'm pondering this because icons ARE representational in the LJ/DW-verse, where we often communicate solely by text. The icons a we use may be the only visual representation of us that our friends and acquaintances see.

So besides the question of perception (that is, what impact do you think others' icons/icon choices have on your perceptions of them), I'm also wondering what, if any, consideration goes into selecting your own default icon. Have you had the same icon for years and years, or does it change more frequently? Do you prefer a more general image for your default, or is it a fandom-based icon? Do you mean your icon to make any sort of statement, or represent something about you?


Because I always try to do a bit of self-analysis when I do these sorts of posts, I guess I'll take a look at my own icon, as well as my perception of others'.

( Cut to Save Your F-lists! )

Hi there, metafandomers! Yipe, okay, so my email didn't bother to give me comments all day yesterday; I didn't mean to ignore all of you!! D= I can't guarantee I'll reply to everybody, I think I'm just gonna hang out and participate in the discussion, at this point, but I really appreciate all of you taking the time to read and share your opinions! Also, I want to make it clear that by making this post, I'm not trying to insult anyone! Your icon is your personal choice; I'm interested in why and/or how you made that choice. *g*

I probably shouldn't write about this, because it can only bring teh wank to the door, but I have to. I read thingswithwings's post--specifically, this post right here this morning, and it has bothered me all day, which is something that rarely happens. I love my meta, but usually I can move beyond it, take the opinions offered with a grain of salt, and not let it bother me for very long. Twelve hours after my initial reading of the post in question, I still feel the need to write about it, so that's what you're getting here.

Reading the original post is probably a good idea (note: the author has essentially turned off commenting, so don't bother trying), but I will be quoting sections of it here. I will make every effort to leave those quotes in as much context as I can, and will try not to mis-characterize (what I see as) the author's intent. I am not a mind-reader, and I will likely manage to mangle something here, so I would like to apologize in advance. If thingswithwings should ever make her way here (look! I'm assuming gender already! XD ) and feels that I have mis-characterized her or her points, she is more than welcome to point that out to me in a comment, and I will of course be willing to clarify whatever I can of my own opinions and thoughts. I honestly do not want the wank storm, and I don't mean this post to be an attack on thingswithwings, who was (much as I am) just expressing her opinions. I just feel the overwhelming need to talk about this.

I will also note that I am neither an Arthurian scholar, nor any sort of academic at all. I have a BA in English and Religion and work as a lowly Editorial Assistant. I'm just your average fan (actually, considering the makeup of fandom, I'm probably a below average fan), so I don't claim to have any super-special knowledge or authority or anything. This is just my thoughts and opinions, and yeah, sometimes they might be wrong, or unpopular, or just plain weird. But I'd be glad to engage in a cordial discussion with anyone about any of my points, at any time. Talking is how we learn from each other, after all. =)

Also, possible spoilers for the entire first season of Merlin beneath the cut. Enter at your own risk. Plus, LONG POST IS LONG. (Sorry! I talk too much. ^^;;; )

( Merlin Meta: Magic, Misogyny, and Why I am Not a Moron, Thx. )


Ahh. I feel better now. ^_^

Public post is public, feel free to direct others to it and link to it at will. I'd actually like to hear what people have to say about my readings of the text, since I haven't laid them out like this before and I'd love to know what other people are thinking about these issues. =3 (But do try to keep it civil in the comments, yeah? I don't mind metafandom, but I have no desire to end up on Fandom Wank. ^^;; )

<--This icon is too happy for this post. But Arthur is too adorable to replace with something ranty-er. >.>;;

Warning: This is me, getting my rant on. That said... I probably won't be spewing vitriol or anything. I suppose this is more of a "moderately dissatisfied grumble" than a rant, really... >.> Anyway, no offense meant to any parties in particular--I speak in the general, mostly because I am too lazy to research the "guilty" parties and name them by name. XD (And also because naming names just pisses people off, and that isn't the goal. The goal is to rant until I feel better, at which time I will rejoin fandom as my happy, cheerful, porn-writing self. =3 )


( Merlin and the Art of Name Mashups )

Ahem. Well, I feel better now. =)

Feel free to comment. Feel free to tell me I'm a nitpicky, easily-annoyed dumbass and that you all hate my guts now. (Well, I'd prefer if you didn't, but I'm not gonna stop you.) I have a new episode to watch, and then some promising-looking fics to read. >.>

(It occurs to me to add, because I don't believe I've ever made it known, that if a post of mine is public, and tagged with *public post, then you're free to link to it or direct anyone to it to your heart's content. So that goes for this post, and any other *public post entries. ^^ )

ETA: *ahem* Welcome, all ye metafandomers! Nice to see you all. Rest assured that I appreciate your comments, and I am trying to keep up with them as well as I can. Please be gentle, it's my first time. ;)