Just taking a study break, so I only read this your post.
The popularity of one main pairing depends on lots of factors that again may vary from fandom to fandom, but off the top of my head, I can think of a few:
1. Inherent conflict or greatly differing position.
Skeptic + believer, Vampire + Vampire Slayer, vampire + human, "good" one + "bad" one, spy + assassin or civilian, Earth astronaut + alien warrior woman, in general scientist + soldier. This is admittedly a huge, perhaps the biggest one for me...but not only me, given a look at the majority of my previous and current fandoms. *g*
2. Identification
Simple enough, the ability of a character, casting choice, or dynamic to evoke feelings of Yes, That Is/Could/TOTALLY SHOULD! be me. I debated whether to put this after the Attraction level, but frankly, I think this may matter even more. Certainly a lot of SGA fiction reflects an, uh, somewhat strong empathy with Rodney.
3. Attraction
Kinda self-explanatory, although I think this one is somewhat over-estimated as a reason for writing. Not, mind you, for reading or fanning a show, necessarily, but creative output in the fiction realms has to be fueled by more than this, I feel. For all the complaints that people "just like JM's abs" or that Supernatural is "just about teh pretty," I think not many authors are motivated only by their personal reaction to character A and/or B.
These also underline why I don't do the John/Ronon thing--that pairing pings neither 1 nor 2, and 3 alone has never been a reason for me to write. TV is full of pretty people; I want differences, delightful contrasts, opportunities to explore and ultimate bridge gaps, and I think I already tl;dr'ed about this in your LJ? John/Rodney pings 'em all on all sides (although the Rodney attraction is subdued and my John identification stronger than the Rodney one), and of course, although that is arguably a sub-set of #1, I crave banter and dialogue like whoa. Neither John nor Ronon are quippy, talkative people by nature, and as a dialogue writer who thrives on verbal sparring, I just don't feel any incentive.
no subject
The popularity of one main pairing depends on lots of factors that again may vary from fandom to fandom, but off the top of my head, I can think of a few:
1. Inherent conflict or greatly differing position.
Skeptic + believer, Vampire + Vampire Slayer, vampire + human, "good" one + "bad" one, spy + assassin or civilian, Earth astronaut + alien warrior woman, in general scientist + soldier. This is admittedly a huge, perhaps the biggest one for me...but not only me, given a look at the majority of my previous and current fandoms. *g*
2. Identification
Simple enough, the ability of a character, casting choice, or dynamic to evoke feelings of Yes, That Is/Could/TOTALLY SHOULD! be me. I debated whether to put this after the Attraction level, but frankly, I think this may matter even more. Certainly a lot of SGA fiction reflects an, uh, somewhat strong empathy with Rodney.
3. Attraction
Kinda self-explanatory, although I think this one is somewhat over-estimated as a reason for writing. Not, mind you, for reading or fanning a show, necessarily, but creative output in the fiction realms has to be fueled by more than this, I feel. For all the complaints that people "just like JM's abs" or that Supernatural is "just about teh pretty," I think not many authors are motivated only by their personal reaction to character A and/or B.
These also underline why I don't do the John/Ronon thing--that pairing pings neither 1 nor 2, and 3 alone has never been a reason for me to write. TV is full of pretty people; I want differences, delightful contrasts, opportunities to explore and ultimate bridge gaps, and I think I already tl;dr'ed about this in your LJ? John/Rodney pings 'em all on all sides (although the Rodney attraction is subdued and my John identification stronger than the Rodney one), and of course, although that is arguably a sub-set of #1, I crave banter and dialogue like whoa. Neither John nor Ronon are quippy, talkative people by nature, and as a dialogue writer who thrives on verbal sparring, I just don't feel any incentive.