Fannish Drift
Mar. 2nd, 2009 02:18 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jadesfireWith Dreamwidth rapidly hurtling towards reality, I've been doing a lot of mulling (read: staring out of the window chewing a pencil) about the way I thought I'd use my LJ and the way I actually do.
Since that bit's of no interest to anyone but me, I've also been thinking about Fannish Drift as a phenomomonemon*. I came to LJ for House-fic, stayed for Torchwood/Doctor Who/Jack, got hooked, lined and sinkered by SGA and am now watching my flist diversify into Merlin, Leverage, Psych, Due South and all kinds of other shows. Fortunately, my flist is based not only on shared fandom interests, but actually getting on with people - if you've friended me and I haven't friended you back, it's not because I don't like you or find your journal offensive or not worth looking or anything, it's because I don't feel I know you yet. Well, at the moment it's more likely to be because I have enough flist-neglect-guilt as it is and can't take any more, but not knowing people is the other reason.
But it's at times like these that I'm relieved my flist is as much personal as it is fannish, because else I'd be left sort of standing in the corner, shuffling my feet and watching everyone else wander off. I've been trying to throw myself into Criminal Minds1, and am partially succeeding, but it's a heavily slash-based fandom and I'm still a gen-ficcer at heart. Not that people are friendly or hostile or anything like that about gen. They're just not interested, which again, is fine, but leaves me without people to engage with fully in the fandom. I'm still trying to seek out the gen-coterie that I'm sure is out there somewhere2, but that's going to take a while.
I'm going to have a look at Merlin at some point, but again, the fandom seems to be all-slash, all the time. I'm also toying with Numb3rs (2 seasons down, 2.5 to go), and Supernatural (6 episodes in - no detailed spoilers, please!), but I'm not used to being multi-fannish. That's probably why the writing's dried up; it's hard to focus on one show when you're watching 3 others. In a slight breaking of the meme rules, I can tell you that five of them are SGA, two are Criminal Minds, one is Torchwood and one is a CM/Numb3rs crossover. Juggling these, plus my own ficverse is just not possibly for my distracted little brain.
There may have been a point to this post at the beginning, but I think where I've ended up is actually where I started: gratitude that my flist sticks around despite fannish divergence. I'm going to add to that generalised frustration that I can't seem to focus on one thing at the moment, but maybe that's what I need right now. When things in Torchwood started getting drama-prone, I retreated to my flist, and I did the same in SGA. Criminal Minds seems too sensible for that, but I'm not ruling it out. But at the end of the day, this is where I come home to, and I love having a space where my whole fandom is at my disposal with one click
Judging by this report, I'm not the only one to view LJ this way. If you haven't seen it already, it makes fascinating reading, even if you do want to keep going "well, duh". I have to keep reminding myself that it's for people who don't necessarily use LJ!
1On the off-chance that a![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
bau_inbox mod clicked the cut, no linky thanks :)
2Hell, I can write Torchwood gen. I'm sure I can find it in Criminal Minds.
*Like Nanny Ogg, I know how to begin spelling things, I just have trouble knowing where to stop
Since that bit's of no interest to anyone but me, I've also been thinking about Fannish Drift as a phenomomonemon*. I came to LJ for House-fic, stayed for Torchwood/Doctor Who/Jack, got hooked, lined and sinkered by SGA and am now watching my flist diversify into Merlin, Leverage, Psych, Due South and all kinds of other shows. Fortunately, my flist is based not only on shared fandom interests, but actually getting on with people - if you've friended me and I haven't friended you back, it's not because I don't like you or find your journal offensive or not worth looking or anything, it's because I don't feel I know you yet. Well, at the moment it's more likely to be because I have enough flist-neglect-guilt as it is and can't take any more, but not knowing people is the other reason.
But it's at times like these that I'm relieved my flist is as much personal as it is fannish, because else I'd be left sort of standing in the corner, shuffling my feet and watching everyone else wander off. I've been trying to throw myself into Criminal Minds1, and am partially succeeding, but it's a heavily slash-based fandom and I'm still a gen-ficcer at heart. Not that people are friendly or hostile or anything like that about gen. They're just not interested, which again, is fine, but leaves me without people to engage with fully in the fandom. I'm still trying to seek out the gen-coterie that I'm sure is out there somewhere2, but that's going to take a while.
I'm going to have a look at Merlin at some point, but again, the fandom seems to be all-slash, all the time. I'm also toying with Numb3rs (2 seasons down, 2.5 to go), and Supernatural (6 episodes in - no detailed spoilers, please!), but I'm not used to being multi-fannish. That's probably why the writing's dried up; it's hard to focus on one show when you're watching 3 others. In a slight breaking of the meme rules, I can tell you that five of them are SGA, two are Criminal Minds, one is Torchwood and one is a CM/Numb3rs crossover. Juggling these, plus my own ficverse is just not possibly for my distracted little brain.
There may have been a point to this post at the beginning, but I think where I've ended up is actually where I started: gratitude that my flist sticks around despite fannish divergence. I'm going to add to that generalised frustration that I can't seem to focus on one thing at the moment, but maybe that's what I need right now. When things in Torchwood started getting drama-prone, I retreated to my flist, and I did the same in SGA. Criminal Minds seems too sensible for that, but I'm not ruling it out. But at the end of the day, this is where I come home to, and I love having a space where my whole fandom is at my disposal with one click
Judging by this report, I'm not the only one to view LJ this way. If you haven't seen it already, it makes fascinating reading, even if you do want to keep going "well, duh". I have to keep reminding myself that it's for people who don't necessarily use LJ!
1On the off-chance that a
bau_inbox mod clicked the cut, no linky thanks :)2Hell, I can write Torchwood gen. I'm sure I can find it in Criminal Minds.
*Like Nanny Ogg, I know how to begin spelling things, I just have trouble knowing where to stop
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
Date: 2009-03-02 02:46 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2009-03-02 02:50 pm (UTC)I think sharing *themselves* is such a good way to put it - we meet through fandom, then find we have so much else to share. It's very cool :)
(no subject)
Date: 2009-03-02 03:05 pm (UTC)And it's time we're aware,
It's a small world after all."
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!
You evil, evil woman!
(no subject)
Date: 2009-03-02 03:13 pm (UTC)Which brings me to CM, a show I watched for the first couple of seasons, but not since. You write gen CM? I have to read this. I think some of the greatest characters are in it, but I seriously only want gen for this show. Um, same for Numbers. And SPN. I cannot get into the SPN fandom because oh, ew, incest, no thanks, but really, would like good genfic of it.
I've been following the progress of Dreamwidth, and it seems cool, but I love my LJ, I've had it for six years, and I probably won't ever give it up, not for anything.
I'm not done rambling, but I think we'll end this here :D
(no subject)
Date: 2009-03-02 03:38 pm (UTC)I have one lit fandom (shared universe, all-OC) that I've been in for over 16 years now and that has gone through a lot of changes in that time with things moving out of paper publications and onto the web. It's one where - let's be honest - the canon presents a nice concept and a universe as complex or simple as you want it to be, but the original author... well, let's just say that I'm one of the ones who got in on the basis of "jeez, I can do better than that!". ;) When said fandom first cropped up back in the mid-70s it was "semi-official" in that the copyright holder gave their blessing subject to a few basic rules, one of which was that folks didn't use the canon characters. I think that has actually contributed to its longevity, and if you can navigate your way through the numerous Mary-Sues (canonical and otherwise!), there's some interesting stuff out there.
To this day, I know folks who don't believe I'm in Pern fandom as it seems far too fluffy for my tastes. ;) But the world isn't all that bad if you deconstruct and look at the bits that the author hinted at and then ignored. Of course, it may help that I've not touched any new canon in the entirety of those 16 years as the cash cow influence got seriously bad after the 80s.... ;)
My first real media fandom was Star Wars (new trilogy!) and fell into pretty much the same category as above - lovely-looking universe that I knew from childhood, huge potential, but the story presented barely scratched the surface, and badly at that. That seems to be my default - I need to have a universe that I can explore beyond what is presented on the page/screen, be it with full canon characters, minor characters, or OCs; I'm crap at AUs as for me the characters are an integral part of that universe. I was in SW for a few years, but my interest faded somewhat over time and somehow vanished entirely after the last film.
TW (and I am much more TW than DW here) is interesting as it's the first fandom I've had where I've latched onto a character as well as the universe... although the two are rather intimately tied, these days! But Jack could pretty much have crawled out of my brain and the whole TW concept hits all of my buttons - British-based, rarely any easy answers, high mortality, complex morality, unafraid of killing characters off or of just having them act in a very human way. When the show was first announced, I was excited. Then we learned that the Institute was founded in 1879 and I was all up for writing all-OC Victorian steampunk adventures. ;) Then they threw in Jack's immortality and long history with the Institute....
So, yeah, I'm happy here. ;) No urge to drift, though I may end up lonely here in my little mostly-gen TW ghetto as everyone else buggers off to pastures new! :D
(my, that ended up longer than I expected!)
(no subject)
Date: 2009-03-02 03:38 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2009-03-02 04:19 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2009-03-02 04:41 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2009-03-02 04:41 pm (UTC)She has a fic index on her LJ page; I strongly recommend checking it out if you're not familiar with her.
Corgigirl writes mostly House fic (also mostly gen, with some gorgeous, understated House/Cuddy on occasion), which is how I met her. She's amazing.
(no subject)
Date: 2009-03-02 05:36 pm (UTC)the way I thought I'd use my LJ and the way I actually do.
Meant to say also - I have thoughts like this too and would be interested in hearing yours!)
I have found the same to be true. I came to LJ with Buffy fandom, and until Buffy and Angel ended, I think all of my LJ friends were people I knew through that fandom - but many of whom I considered more as "regular" friends, as in our friendship didn't depend at all on fandom anymore. Afterwards, I actually met a few people through non-fannish routes (pretty unusual!).
When I started getting interested in Doctor Who fandom, I had almost no LJ friends who were interested in it to the level I was, so I stayed really quiet. I still have about 40 full-length analysis and reaction posts I wrote during that time and never posted, because I didn't know anyone who would read them, and I couldn't figure out how to get onto the who_daily watchlist (or whether I was brave enough to do it anyway). But eventually, through friends and friends of friends, I started meeting people in Whoniverse fandom.
What I've realized in comparing those two fandom/LJ experiences is that, to participate in fandom, I need people-friends, not just fan acquaintances. I'm not comfortable discussing fannish stuff except with people I know and like generally, and a result of that is that even without the fan stuff, we have a good chance of keeping in touch. Though it feels a bit odd saying "I need to know about your children and your life and your interests before I'm comfortable talking with you about fictional people in a TV show." *g*
So fandom drift isn't such a scary thing. What does trouble me a lot is *location* drift. What do you do if your internet friends leave LJ and disperse to five other places on the internet? How many sites is it practical, or possible, to monitor in order to keep up with your friends?
(no subject)
Date: 2009-03-02 05:47 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2009-03-02 05:49 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2009-03-02 06:02 pm (UTC)XWA
(no subject)
Date: 2009-03-02 06:12 pm (UTC)XWA
(no subject)
Date: 2009-03-02 06:22 pm (UTC)The fandom these days is mostly odd little RPG sites but there are still some story sites out there. I have to give a plug for the group I'm most involved in, Kadanzer Weyr - it's an old-style 'zine group that has gone fully online and takes its cues from the earlier novels. There are a lot of the stories up on the public pages of the site and more in the members section - have a look around and see if it's the sort of thing you might be interested in. :)
I've not read it myself yet, but you might also want to have a look at Dragonchoice which is a fan-written novel. I don't know what the rating there is, though.
(no subject)
Date: 2009-03-02 06:30 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2009-03-02 07:45 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2009-03-02 07:48 pm (UTC)Drive-by question from the due South portion of your fannish drift ;) - where did you get your wordcount widget from? I tried googling, but they're all either NaNoWriMo, or horrible boxy ones :(Found one!Also, yes on flist diversity \o/ I like that my flist are into different shows, it means that sometimes I end up checking out something I wouldn't otherwise have bothered with.
(no subject)
Date: 2009-03-02 09:00 pm (UTC)My whole f-list was incredibly supportive during the whole Motorcycle Accident ordeal and I got to meet great people during the Squeeeee Odyssey.
It's too bad I still run into traces of my LJ divorce around the f-list but luckily it's less and less, which makes me happy.
(no subject)
Date: 2009-03-02 09:04 pm (UTC)Link me and die...
(no subject)
Date: 2009-03-02 09:10 pm (UTC)*rummages* Here (http://jadesfire2808.livejournal.com/20548.html).
I shall see what I can do to provide you with more :D I think I feel the same way about LJ, although I've only had it two and a half years. Unless I can incite my friends into a mass exodus, I'll be staying put or parallel posting.
Please ramble away! I like rambling, as you can probably tell...
(no subject)
Date: 2009-03-02 09:17 pm (UTC)I was definitely distracted by the shiny of SGA, which seemed to offer what Torchwood did - interesting characters with unexplored potential - but in space, and with Latin, which pushed my buttons. Hard. But I think I'm more or less done with them - I've got some unfinished business, but then? I'm happy to leave the fandom to the McKay/Sheppard folks.
I don't think I'll ever be finished with Jack. My thing is always to latch onto characters, rather than universes - I've read the Pern books, but none of the characters 'pinged' me enough for fanfic. Since my plotting sucks, and story ideas come slowly and painfully, I have to have that character connection to make it worth the effort. No one in Criminal Minds, Numb3rs or SPN makes my writing-brain tingle the way Jack does, and I think I'll always end up coming back. Not to Torchwood or Doctor Who, but to Jack specifically.
We all have our buttons! :D
(no subject)
Date: 2009-03-02 09:18 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2009-03-02 09:19 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2009-03-02 09:23 pm (UTC)