I think that one of the things *behind* fandom--and OTPs--is that it's more psychological than physical. What I mean is, I suspect that the kind of people who get involved in stuff like this are the kind of people for whom personality trumps appearance. At least, in a "fantasy" setting. Not all of it, of course--but it strikes me that if you're writing fanfic you're involved a lot more in words and deeds than appearances.
Damn--another romance dogged by the specters of 'ships.
I agree, and have often thought the same thing. Lots of people say stuff like they're "in it for the pretty", but I have difficulty with that when what they primarily do to sustain this "interest" is to read *stories*. Otherwise we'd be *watching* porn, not writing it.
As much as I dislike gender generalizations (as I so often fall into the male generalizations, which makes me uncomfortable, probably unjustly so), this seems more common among women (the fantasy aspect) and less common among men.
I feel the same way about physical ideals as opposed to what's actually attractive in real life. The people I find most attractive in life aren't necessarily the kind of people I'd chose to watch on screen.
I guess it's a pretty common finding--whether it's true or not--that women prefer words to images.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
Damn--another romance dogged by the specters of 'ships.
no subject
As much as I dislike gender generalizations (as I so often fall into the male generalizations, which makes me uncomfortable, probably unjustly so), this seems more common among women (the fantasy aspect) and less common among men.
no subject
I guess it's a pretty common finding--whether it's true or not--that women prefer words to images.