Occasionally Snarky and Meta

This could be your first fandom, your first fandom friend, the first fanwork you created, the first fanwork you interacted with... The options are endless! Leave a comment in this post saying you did it. Include a link to your post if you feel comfortable doing so.

Hm.

Fandom nonsense under the cut. I've made it a combination of fandom specific and more general "fan" stuff, to even out the playing field a little. I would LOVE to hear your thoughts!

ETA: Sorry the cut's weird, guys. There actually is a full entry under here, I just don't want to have to repost this all over again, so I'm not tinkering too much.

( Read more... )First niche hobby/interest: I went through a very brief rock collecting phase, around the same time as my astrology phase.

First favorite band or artist: Sarah Mclachlan.

First celebrity crush: Jason Mraz.

First time meeting a celebrity or public figure: Never have.

First unpopular opinion (that you can easily recall): In general, I liked Twister. In fandom, I didn't like a character a lot of people in my fandom adored. TBH, I can actually see it now.

First news-related obsession: Heaven's Gate had me obsessed with cults for a short period of time.

First convention: Don't do conventions,* but leaving this here for those of you who do.

*I hate crowds.

First Star Wars movie: Star Wars: A New Hope. But I didn't see any other movies from the original trilogy until I'd seen all of the prequels.

Okay, I gotta stop somewhere, guys. Like I said, feel free to snag, and/or add your own!

This is a reflection of my last post. I realized after making it that my fandom experience is different from a lot of people's, and I think that counts as a changed perspective, if not opinions. 

First, this does mention the Harry Potter fandom. I am not talking about it to condone JK Rowling's views, I'm talking about why I think my perception of fandom is a little skewed in relation to other people's. If you do not want to read about a JK Rowling property, I completely understand.
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 In your own space, talk about your fannish origin story. Post your answer to today’s challenge in your own space and leave a comment in this post saying you did it. Include a link to your post if you feel comfortable doing so.

I have already talked abouty origin story many times, so the short version is that was always very fannish even before I found online spaces. Once I did, I was part of a very large fandom (Harry Potter* - that fandom practically had its own fandoms) and a microscopic fandom. I'm no longer really in either, but have fond memories and several friends. (As well as bad memories, of course.)

Something I have learned is that every fandom is different. And, if the fandom is big enough, sometimes the fandom itself depends heavily on where you go. Especially in the days of forums and websites. Like I said, or alluded to, websites indeed could basically be their own fandoms within a fandom.
 

I will be participating in LJ Idol as best I can! 

I had trouble thinking of five things for the Snowflake prompt, and I've settled on Five Fannish Things I saw online to respond to. I basically just punched "fanfic" and "fandom" into AskReddit.
 
I tried to balance negative/positive discussion points. Fandom has a lot of ugly. It also has a lot of good. 


What was a fandom you missed out on?

This is actually my own question, because I thought of it while scrolling. I really wish I hadn't seen Firefly so late in the game. I loved Firefly when I finally watched it, but by the time I did, most of my LJ flist was into SuperWhoLock or not into any fandoms at all anymore. The only active forum for Firefly I found was very critical of the show, they basically hated everyone except for Mal. I settled for userpics after a while. Part of the problem is that I was boycotting fanfiction.net because censorship, and I had trouble finding fic on LJ, even though I'm sure there was still fanfic being written.

Ao3 was probably a better bet, but I used LJ for most of my fandom needs at that point. Which is another regret; in the case of Firefly, I think Ao3 was still new, so there might not have been much there anyway. But I kind of just left fanfiction.net and stuck with fic archives on fan websites and LJ, so once those stopped being a thing, that was that. :/

Going back to Firefly, I will say I now like OFMD better, even if it has also been unceremoniously canceled. Also, I think I feel the same way about season 2 that I feel about Serenity. 

Really interested in hearing your thoughts!

So here is my part in the changing fandom conversations:

I say I'm fine with change, but truth be told, I'm really... not. I mean, I'm not one to glorify the good old days. It actually strikes me as ironic when people act like tumblr invented drama when LJ was one of the most melodramatic sites ever. I loved LJ! Don't get me wrong. I loved the hell out of LJ. But if it weren't a drama hub, fandom_wank wouldn't have existed.  I think tumblr drama is a lot different in many ways, but in other ways, it's that the language has changed. If anything, LJ could even be meaner. There were dozens of communities that existed just to make fun of fanfics thirteen year olds wrote. I don't think that could happen anymore, and I'm glad for that. 

But there was a lot about LJ that was great, too. And that's what I miss, what a lot of us miss, and I think a lot of people who only know tumblr don't get. Or who never used LJ for fandom. Which is valid. I miss LJ fandom how it was in 2007, okay? And it saddens me that it's smaller on DW. And while tumblr has some features of LJ fandom, the quirky stuff and the meta and the images, it's not really the same. I don't feel like there's a lot of community.

And on a personal note: Since this is a public post, I'd rather not get too deep into it, but several years ago I went through some deep personal trauma as a loved one was dying. I needed old school LJ/DW fandom more than ever, and it just wasn't there. I'm going to be honest, I think this led to some resentment. Which wasn't fair. It wasn't. I probably should have tried tumblr then, but I definitely didn't want to risk drama at that point. Then things were better personally, but I was still wistful for fandom. Then I got busy because of some GOOD real life changes, and for a while, I didn't really miss fandom?

Then 2020 happened, and once again I missed the escape. Then I found Schitt's Creek, which led me to being more active on Ao3, which finally saw me give in to tumblr. I'll be honest, I really wish Schitt's Creek fandom was on DW. Because I love DW. I don't love tumblr, it's just... where all the fandom stuff, at least for mine, happens. Things change, though. Tumblr's not going to be around forever; that said, I can't keep hoping DW turns into LJ in 2007. It's not going to. In some ways, maybe that's for the better.

As others have pointed out, fandom constantly changes. We've had fandoms since Sherlock Holmes, and if we ever actually terraform planets in outer space someday, astronauts will probably cheekily share "ancient" Firefly and Star Trek fanfic while writing fanfic for their new mediums. It's going to be different. 

There are of course things I miss. There are things I don't like about tumblr fandom, or fandom altogether. I think it's honestly okay to be sad. I am a little sad about some things changing. I'm also a little sad about people I've lost touch with. But of course, the same is true IRL.  But... things do still change, whether we like it or not. We just have to adapt.

At 7 in the morning EST, so I hope people still read this?


I'm just answering a few of these. Because it's seven in the morning. I'm pretty behind too, I think this was meant to be daily.


How did you find Dreamwidth? What attracted you to this platform? Why did you start blogging?

I found DW years and years ago during one of the original LJ exoduses. In general I started blogging because I like getting my thoughts out there. That, and I was part of a pretty big fandom at the time (Harry Potter), plus a very small fandom, so LJ was a place to connect with fandom friends. It was basically Facebook for people I met on forums and in chatrooms. Then friending memes, communities, it goes on...


What types or topics of posts get the most enthusiastic responses from your readership? What do you think makes those so engaging?

It seems pretty random, to be honest? Posts I think will get zero traction sometimes get lots of comments, whereas posts I expect to blow up get nothing.

That being said, I rewatched Firefly a few years ago and my notifications exploded. I didn't expect that but really should have, given how passionate Firefly fans tend to be.


Do you use your blog for personal, hobby, or professional purposes? Do you mix those or keep them separate, and why? Do you like to talk about yourself in your blog, or do you prefer to post about other people and events instead?

I don't talk about my personal life that much. Partly because I just prefer talking about my various observations rather than about my day overall, partly because I've run into times when online people knew RL people, and that's made me overly cautious. I just... don't want people finding out I talk about them online. Unless I really need to vent. Mostly this just isn't a "talk about my day" blog, though.

I would love to do fandom, but no one is IN my fandoms, so. That makes it hard. :P I talk about Harry Potter a bit, but beyond JK Rowling being... JK Rowling, I don't have anythng left to say. I got into the fandom 22 years ago, at some point I ran out of steam. (Though I do listen to a podcast for it and enjoy hearing other people's perspectives! I've just shared my thoughts on House Elves and the Marauders and everything else so many times.) I do read and write fanfic, but again, no one is in my fandom, so why post my fics or rec others?

The most professional I get is that I sometimes talk about issues relating to my job, which I won't get into as this is a public post.


What are some things that you haven't tried in your blog, but would like to try? What cool things have you seen in other blogs that you haven't done yourself? What things have you tried that totally flopped? Try something new today!

I tried doing what I called the Crunchy Questions Meme, which is basically a questions meme that asks... slightly more conversational questions than what I felt a lot of memes offer. I'm still a little sad it never really took off, but I also get it? I think the great thing about 365 memes is that they go along with more general posts. They're fun. These were meant to be their own posts, for the most part, rather than fun questions to answer in addition TO longer posts.

Also, it was in 2020, so I understand that a lot of people just were not in the right headspace. I'm someone who (a) likes escape and (b) processes through writing, so I NEEDED that meme as there was a combination of questions that asked about current events along with questions that asked about... anything other than current events. A lot of people just wanted or needed to stick to how COVID/quarantine was affecting their daiy lives, which I get.

I can only find the LJ link, and I deleted my LJ. Grr. I'll keep looking and try finding the DW link in case anyone would be interested.

ETA: Finally found it! Here: https://author-by-night.dreamwidth.org/1306139.html


Do you follow any blogging guidelines? What do you make a point of doing, or not doing, in your blog?


Not any specific guidelines, apart from things I think should be pretty standard? Don't be catty, don't be a bigot, the works.

I do make sure I provide content and trigger warnings when talking about sensitive subjects. It takes so little effort to be considerate, and can make such a huge difference for other people.

In your own space, update your fandom information! Leave a comment in this post saying you did it. Include a link to your post if you feel comfortable doing so.

My most active current fandom is Schitt's Creek. Found it almost a year ago now, and it's nice being in a fandom again. I have to admit I was a little nervous posting fic for a new fandom, but I'm now glad I did. It got me writing again.

Harry Potter will always hold a special place in my heart, despite the author being transphobic. I don't know if I'm really part of the fandom anymore, but I do dabble and am always up for talking about the series. I read fic here and there, though not nearly as much as I used to. It's how I met friends I still have today, and besides, I've re-read each book so many times they're sort of permanently encased in my soul. Or maybe I'm just too much of a Hufflepuff to let go. ;)

I also love Buffy, and I think if I'd caught it at the right time, I probably would've been in the fandom. Like Harry Potter, I dabble a bit and I read some fanfic, but not a whole lot. To be honest, I don't really need to seek out fic for either of them.

I'm a strong advocate for fanfic and other fanworks. After all, a lot of very well known literature is actually fanfic. Even if fanfic were truly invented in the 2000s by millennials with too much time on their hands (it wasn't), so what? I personally love fanfic because I love the stories I fall into, and writing/reading about it lets me further explore, sometimes beyond the limitations of that universe. I also love fannish discourse, and miss when there was more of it. I could spend all day rambling about the things I love.

ETA: You can find me on Ao3 here. https://archiveofourown.org/users/AuthorByNight/

It's from 2010, when I was still in college. (I went to college for a very long time.) It's an issue I faced when a college professor incorporated fandom into a class of people utterly unprepared for it. I was talking about it with a friend, and decided to repost to look at the issue from current lens.

This post had very little context. I took a class on Digital Media, which ended up being about social media and various facets of online culture, including fandom. None of this was in the course description, so we didn't know what we were getting ourselves into. The course descriptions were always so vague, they were the academic equivalent of clickbait articles at time. Except you know, we spent thousands of dollars instead of clicking and wasting a few minutes...

On to the entry. Italics is what I originally wrote.


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