do I remember how to be fannish?
So in an effort to post more in December, I asked for prompts (feel free to contribute if you want), and 
chaila said, "I would like to hear you opine about what's taking up your media/fannish time lately, if anything? Watching anything new that you like? Any good books? Etc."
I'm not sure I have a very satisfactory response, though. At least it doesn't satisfy me. Because I keep almost getting excited about things and then just fizzling out a bit, or moving on, or whatever. This has been happening pretty consistently since at least summer.
Thing one: Orphan Black, which I really enjoyed and watched all in a rush and particularly loved for being Canadian and for all the kickass women. But I also didn't, and don't, feel like I have that much to say about it. I liked it! I'm looking forward to more! Is it weird to say that I think Beth would have been my favorite clone, had she lived?
But ultimately I think it's not leaving me with the right questions to get me all fannishly engaged. My questions are all fairly plot-related: what will happen next? And I know the show will answer those, so I'm not all that interested in trying to answer them myself. The only character I'm deeply curious about is Siobhan (going for the morally ambiguous middle-aged woman; nice to know some things never change), but that hasn't been enough to hold my attention in terms of really wanting to imaginatively pursue that.
Thing two: Wonder Woman, which I want to love because of all the squee, and I do love, but not enough for squee, I think. But there's still lots (LOTS) more I haven't read/watched/etc., and I'm interested enough to continue pursuing it, so we'll see.
Admittedly, the medium is a challenge. I like words. Lots of them. Gorgeous words, thick, layered prose. I like symbols and nuance and twelve things happening at once. Lots and lots of complexity. And graphic novels and comics can definitely do some of that and do it well, but it's not the default, I think. Instead, it's a medium well-suited to plot and to letting a lot of the other stuff--especially character development--happen in the gaps and in the reader's imagination. And if there's a continuum with, I don't know, Ulysses on one end and the most straightforward plotty graphic novel on the other, I'm comfortable with a range in between.
But the thing is, Diana is pretty awesome. I want more of her. More, more, more!!!! I want to know what makes her tick, what makes her push on to do what she does, how she feels when she fights and fights and fights and gets precious little thanks in return from anyone. And I get so little of that. At the end of Rucka's run, when I was overcome with all my Diana love and squee and tweeted it enthusiastically to
chaila and
beccatoria, and maybe they thought they had a convert, I couldn't sustain it because I wanted fallout, and the comic didn't give it to me. It just ended. And then I tried to pick up Simone's run and was SO CONFUSED because of course the story has been going on for years in between, but without actually giving that fallout that I want, I understand. So I put it down and read The Hiketeia, which was gorgeous and like a fantastic short story, doing a small thing really, really well. But I still wanted Diana's FEEEEEEELIIIIIIINGS!!!!!!
I haven't gone back to Simone, or re-read any of what I've already read, or tried the animated movie, but I'll probably keep poking at all of that. And is there fic? That might do it, if it's good. In the meantime, though, I'm having trouble turning the spark into a flame.
Though I must say: Wonder Woman/Batman? Yes, please.
Thing three: Scott and Bailey, which went more the way of Orphan Black: watched it, loved it, don't really have anything to say about it, except to highly recommend it to anyone wanting nuanced and complex portrayals of women's relationships with each other. I think perhaps my favorite thing about it is how normalized their roles are. It's not a matter of discussion that all of the main characters are women, that probably the majority of conversations on the show pass the Bechdel test, that most of the women are in some sort of authority role. Basically, it's the gender reversal of every other show ever, especially cop shows. And I love Janet and Rachel and Gill and the ways they're all so terrifyingly good at their jobs and frequently not good at all at their lives, but even Rachel hasn't managed to fuck things up too badly yet.
Anyway. Those are the main three things I've tried to fall in love with lately, and in each case there was a definite success in the sense that I watched/read, really enjoyed, will watch/read more. But the spark has not turned into a fannish flame. It's been a long time since the fannish flame, really, and I'm starting to wonder if my days of having ALL THE FEELINGS for a show or book or character are behind me. It makes me sad to think so, but, well, it's been a long time. A Sarah Connor and James Ellison long time, to be honest (I do still have ALL THE FEELINGS about them, at least). But maybe I'll fall in love again, yet, and when I do, I'll let you all know!
Crossposted from DW, where there are
comments. Comment here or there.
chaila said, "I would like to hear you opine about what's taking up your media/fannish time lately, if anything? Watching anything new that you like? Any good books? Etc."
I'm not sure I have a very satisfactory response, though. At least it doesn't satisfy me. Because I keep almost getting excited about things and then just fizzling out a bit, or moving on, or whatever. This has been happening pretty consistently since at least summer.
Thing one: Orphan Black, which I really enjoyed and watched all in a rush and particularly loved for being Canadian and for all the kickass women. But I also didn't, and don't, feel like I have that much to say about it. I liked it! I'm looking forward to more! Is it weird to say that I think Beth would have been my favorite clone, had she lived?
But ultimately I think it's not leaving me with the right questions to get me all fannishly engaged. My questions are all fairly plot-related: what will happen next? And I know the show will answer those, so I'm not all that interested in trying to answer them myself. The only character I'm deeply curious about is Siobhan (going for the morally ambiguous middle-aged woman; nice to know some things never change), but that hasn't been enough to hold my attention in terms of really wanting to imaginatively pursue that.
Thing two: Wonder Woman, which I want to love because of all the squee, and I do love, but not enough for squee, I think. But there's still lots (LOTS) more I haven't read/watched/etc., and I'm interested enough to continue pursuing it, so we'll see.
Admittedly, the medium is a challenge. I like words. Lots of them. Gorgeous words, thick, layered prose. I like symbols and nuance and twelve things happening at once. Lots and lots of complexity. And graphic novels and comics can definitely do some of that and do it well, but it's not the default, I think. Instead, it's a medium well-suited to plot and to letting a lot of the other stuff--especially character development--happen in the gaps and in the reader's imagination. And if there's a continuum with, I don't know, Ulysses on one end and the most straightforward plotty graphic novel on the other, I'm comfortable with a range in between.
But the thing is, Diana is pretty awesome. I want more of her. More, more, more!!!! I want to know what makes her tick, what makes her push on to do what she does, how she feels when she fights and fights and fights and gets precious little thanks in return from anyone. And I get so little of that. At the end of Rucka's run, when I was overcome with all my Diana love and squee and tweeted it enthusiastically to
chaila and
beccatoria, and maybe they thought they had a convert, I couldn't sustain it because I wanted fallout, and the comic didn't give it to me. It just ended. And then I tried to pick up Simone's run and was SO CONFUSED because of course the story has been going on for years in between, but without actually giving that fallout that I want, I understand. So I put it down and read The Hiketeia, which was gorgeous and like a fantastic short story, doing a small thing really, really well. But I still wanted Diana's FEEEEEEELIIIIIIINGS!!!!!!
I haven't gone back to Simone, or re-read any of what I've already read, or tried the animated movie, but I'll probably keep poking at all of that. And is there fic? That might do it, if it's good. In the meantime, though, I'm having trouble turning the spark into a flame.
Though I must say: Wonder Woman/Batman? Yes, please.
Thing three: Scott and Bailey, which went more the way of Orphan Black: watched it, loved it, don't really have anything to say about it, except to highly recommend it to anyone wanting nuanced and complex portrayals of women's relationships with each other. I think perhaps my favorite thing about it is how normalized their roles are. It's not a matter of discussion that all of the main characters are women, that probably the majority of conversations on the show pass the Bechdel test, that most of the women are in some sort of authority role. Basically, it's the gender reversal of every other show ever, especially cop shows. And I love Janet and Rachel and Gill and the ways they're all so terrifyingly good at their jobs and frequently not good at all at their lives, but even Rachel hasn't managed to fuck things up too badly yet.
Anyway. Those are the main three things I've tried to fall in love with lately, and in each case there was a definite success in the sense that I watched/read, really enjoyed, will watch/read more. But the spark has not turned into a fannish flame. It's been a long time since the fannish flame, really, and I'm starting to wonder if my days of having ALL THE FEELINGS for a show or book or character are behind me. It makes me sad to think so, but, well, it's been a long time. A Sarah Connor and James Ellison long time, to be honest (I do still have ALL THE FEELINGS about them, at least). But maybe I'll fall in love again, yet, and when I do, I'll let you all know!
Crossposted from DW, where there are
comments. Comment here or there.