Quick thoughts on fandom life
So i went back to dA after a 4-year hiatus and I'm Really Happy about it. Capital Really Happy, even. I'm also lurking Tumblr and got a Pixiv account. I went back for a trip to some Japanese fanart sites. The creativity output on the internet is amazing and I'm as happy a fan as I've ever been. So many good things to follow at once! I'm re-learning to appreciate Final Fantasy as a whole, getting back into Ace Attorney via Ghost Trick, idly fangirling Sword&Sworcery, rediscovering Myst's roots, watching Assassin's Creed from afar (as usual, dammit, I feel like this fandom's White Rabbit), squeeing over Doctors old and new, something something Fire Emblem. Which got me thinking.
I'm hoarding the positive. When the negative happens, I am learning not to care. And boy, does it happen - suffice it to say that I found the Italian fanfiction scene to be a more welcoming habitat than its cosplay community. *embarrassed pause*
Even outside of fandom, canons implode, shows get cancelled. But it's still part of a whole - I've got tons of other things to fall back on. Even my active contributions are '1/x': fic writing may be what I'm doing the most atm, as cosplay was in the past, but it's NOT all I identify as (as a fan). In my personal experience, this has given me perspective and I'm grateful for it.
Every fan lives this hobby in their own way and I'm not saying that other people are doing it wrong, but let me at least wish this to anyone who's not enjoying themselves to the fullest:
I wish that everyone could experience at least some of this diversity. Dip their toes into more than one kind of traditional fannish production (writing, drawing, costuming, graphic manipulation), even just by lurking. Discover that there is much, much more to creativity than that. Switch fandoms and enjoy if/how the characteristics of each canon are reflected upon their communities. Try something huge, something obscure, something old, something new, something one-shot, something ongoing, something Western, something Eastern, something visual, something written. Have honest-to-goodness meta discussions. Spend some time in multifandom activity-centered communities (writing, drawing etc.) and some time in communities focused on all aspects of a single fandom. Meet people who like the same things, but for completely different reasons, and people who find the same values in completely different works. Lurk more. Lurk less. Get to know what's best for you. Find the one corner of the internet that's tailored just for you. It's so big and so full!
Paraphrasing ('cause I'm too lazy to find the exact quote) the immortal words of dear, wise RAWA: if you're not having fun right here right now, do something else and enjoy yourselves while 'here' becomes fun again. If it doesn't, for your sake, don't come back.
All this with special thanks to Myst fandom (of course), that's incredibly welcoming and relaxed and creative in its own sweet ways which are probably really boring to most of the internet population & I couldn't care less. Ok I'm just excited for the MOSO entries and some of the incredible galleries I've seen, plus fan Ages and webzines and Guild business and everything else that's going on in and out of this crazy Cavern. I find all these kinds of personal expression amazing.
I'm hoarding the positive. When the negative happens, I am learning not to care. And boy, does it happen - suffice it to say that I found the Italian fanfiction scene to be a more welcoming habitat than its cosplay community. *embarrassed pause*
Even outside of fandom, canons implode, shows get cancelled. But it's still part of a whole - I've got tons of other things to fall back on. Even my active contributions are '1/x': fic writing may be what I'm doing the most atm, as cosplay was in the past, but it's NOT all I identify as (as a fan). In my personal experience, this has given me perspective and I'm grateful for it.
Every fan lives this hobby in their own way and I'm not saying that other people are doing it wrong, but let me at least wish this to anyone who's not enjoying themselves to the fullest:
I wish that everyone could experience at least some of this diversity. Dip their toes into more than one kind of traditional fannish production (writing, drawing, costuming, graphic manipulation), even just by lurking. Discover that there is much, much more to creativity than that. Switch fandoms and enjoy if/how the characteristics of each canon are reflected upon their communities. Try something huge, something obscure, something old, something new, something one-shot, something ongoing, something Western, something Eastern, something visual, something written. Have honest-to-goodness meta discussions. Spend some time in multifandom activity-centered communities (writing, drawing etc.) and some time in communities focused on all aspects of a single fandom. Meet people who like the same things, but for completely different reasons, and people who find the same values in completely different works. Lurk more. Lurk less. Get to know what's best for you. Find the one corner of the internet that's tailored just for you. It's so big and so full!
Paraphrasing ('cause I'm too lazy to find the exact quote) the immortal words of dear, wise RAWA: if you're not having fun right here right now, do something else and enjoy yourselves while 'here' becomes fun again. If it doesn't, for your sake, don't come back.
All this with special thanks to Myst fandom (of course), that's incredibly welcoming and relaxed and creative in its own sweet ways which are probably really boring to most of the internet population & I couldn't care less. Ok I'm just excited for the MOSO entries and some of the incredible galleries I've seen, plus fan Ages and webzines and Guild business and everything else that's going on in and out of this crazy Cavern. I find all these kinds of personal expression amazing.