and about your shipping/pairing "problem": it's a bit like watching movies for actors, neh? which i *know* we all do a lot. now, obviously, there can be different, more or less "fannish", reasons to watch an actor's collected works, but if you take away the fannish implications of "ohmygodheissoHAWT!" it can simply be because that particular actor pushes certain buttons, or delivers performances a certain way that just moves us to the core.

same with pairings, i guess - you're always going to "feel" more for a certain character than another. and if you think that makes you miss out on great fic, then perhaps ask people to rec you great stuff with pairings you wouldn't necessarily venture into on your own? or better yet, ask them to rec you fics with pairings that THEY wouldn't venture into on their own, but were recced/forced to, and were pleasantly surprised.