Popularity vs Inspiration

[extrapenguin]

Does anyone else feel like they have much more creation-energy (writing fic, meta, etc) for rare canons and rarepairs than for juggernauts? I keep thinking I should post some sorta-meta for Star Wars, but keep putting it off, and while I do ship Obi-Wan/Anakin* I have written a grand total of zero fics for that. Meanwhile my current favorite pool noodle of a ship, Anakin/Mace, has 6 things I have contributed to the tag and I actually have further ideas for that. IDK. It's like the more popular something is, the more likely I am to go "eh, that's been done already" and go think about something else. This is probably related to me not liking to repeat myself thematically/plotwise – there are themes and such I return to, but I have so many ideas, I'd rather write something that I haven't already written a form of.

* As a side note, I hate the smushname. In this age of fictionkin, every time I see Obikin I have a moment of panic of the "oh no, does this person believe they are Obi-Wan Kenobi on the astral plane?" sort.

Comments

[china_shop]

Oh yeah, I much prefer uncharted territory, and rarer ships and fandoms have more of that. It's one of the reasons I'm not reading much in my fandom(s), too, because I don't want to be put off my WIPs by seeing other people's similar things; if I keep my blinkers on, I can pretend that all my ideas are blazingly original and shiny. ;-p

[extrapenguin]

Ha! Alas, my fannish squee comes from interacting with a community (even if it's a community of one), so I tend to encounter the "common" tropes anyway even if it's from my conversation partner mentioning fics they've read. And I do like looking, since if it's a rarepair or equivalent I want to shower any fellow fen in squee and entice them to make more.

[china_shop]

Alas, my fannish squee comes from interacting with a community (even if it's a community of one)

*nodnod* I do that in email or on meta posts, mostly. But I think your way is commendable/better!

[extrapenguin]

I have my safe space of private communication with friends, but also I would like more friends, which necessitates public communication! And I do also like reading and engaging with other people's public posts. So I try my best!