make me talk in January - round 4
grimorie said: January 16 - What was your fandom at the start of the decade and the end of the decade, do you think your tastes have changed since then?
Oooh, down the rabbit hole! I looked at my livejournal / dreamwidth posts from 2010 - and early 2011, because I got a bit carried away. So let's see:
- Battlestar Galactica ended in 2009, but I was still fairly active in that fandom in 2010. I was co-mod for the BSG fanfic remix for a third year.
- I made this Dreamwidth account and started cross-posting in 2010.
- I continued my mild flirtation with Doctor Who fandom; I loved Martha Jones and Mickey Smith. Watching the show months or years after the episodes aired shielded me from the worst fannish reactions.
- I did a “thirty days” favorite female characters challenge meme over several months. In fact, the last posts are in 2011; here’s a round-up list that links to the original livejournal posts.
- Lost had its sixth and final season in 2010. I wasn’t as fannish about it as BSG but it was a landmark show: the last big network show to have a weekly following. I used to go to watch parties with co-workers and we talked about it at lunch.
- For the first time I participated in the big Yuletide fanfic exchange. It was exciting and scary.
- That also meant signing up for AO3, and posting fic there. At the time most of us were posting fanfic on livejournal--either on our own blogs or dedicated fannish comms.
BSG was my first online fandom; since my focus in 2010 remained primarily on that show, this means that I was still in a fandom bubble. On livejournal I mostly interacted with other BSG fans (even if some had moved onto other shows), and in spite of some occasional drama, it was a fairly mellow experience. This is at least in part because I’m a white and able-bodied woman, so I was a) not as observant about problems as I might have been, and b) I wasn’t the target of fannish ire.
In the last decade that bubble burst. The way we watch television has dramatically changed. Our use of social media has moved from site to site. It’s not just that I was in a bubble; we’re also just having different experiences as a whole--as fannish consumers and creators. This includes how we interact with the content creators, which is--well, let’s just say it’s often messy.
A decade later I would say that my tastes have changed. In 2012, after the first season of Person of Interest, I made a personal vow not to start watching new shows focusing on two white men. Around the same time (it might have been 2013?) I accepted a challenge to read books by people other than white men for a year.
My tastes broadened in many ways and got pickier in other ways. Also, I have a new appreciation for the size and pace of fandom on Dreamwidth. Yeah, we’re a tiny group here. But also, it’s not twitter or tumblr or instagram, or whatever else.
Current fannish likes:
- The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (2015) continues as a source of inspiration. Mostly because Gaby Teller’s life experiences from birth to age 24 are almost a complete blank slate, other than historical information about Germany from 1938 to 1963.
- So... anyone else interested in doing a TMFU fanfic remix challenge? Because I could be persuaded to attempt organizing something.
- The Witcher (Netflix). I don’t know if this will go anywhere other than “Fun to watch! I love the women! They’re awesome and terrifying!”
- The Expanse. I still have season four to watch. It’s available; I just haven’t taken the time yet.
- I’m looking forward to reading more books by Leigh Bardugo in the Grisha-verse.
- There’s gonna be a Netflix show. I’m not sure what I think of that. Guess I’ll find out in several months.
- Anticipatory woohoo for Wonder Woman 84 this summer. Woohoo!
Posted at Dreamwidth: https://rose-griffes.dreamwidth.org/345985.html. Comment where you wish.