If a fanfiction falls on the internet...

[veronicaluv]

will anyone read it?

(also know as V's latest attempt at quantifying the value of fanfiction. Yeah, still haven't figured it out.)

Comments

[fide_et_spe]

Veronica do you post on ff.net? I've noticed some of the good TW writers who are left seem to be posting there more than LJ. I don't have an account there and back in the day wouldn't even check it out unless something was recced, but now I check it all the time as it's more active than LJ. I think people will read your story. I love Mac, so I'll just go ahead and love it!

I wonder if the nature of fandom has changed? I'm too old for Tumbler, well I have friends my age on it, but I really don't get it, does nothing for me. I like meta and fanfiction, but I was only ever into TW, well online anyhow, I was a bit of a trekkie before the internet, and into The X Files before I was really online.

It's interesting you mention fandom secrets because one thing that comes up there regularly is that people don't like to leave comments, they feel too shy, and at the same time there are secrets about people wanting feedback. I think maybe leaving feedback has died down a lot .

I do think TW is dead as a fandom since Miracle Day, it just seemed to kill it. There are still some people reading the Jack/Ianto stuff, but that is it, nothing else has taken off. I was only just watching this show on the BBC this morning which was John Barrowman talking about his life, and various people being interviewed about him, and it was kind of surreal, because it was made specially for this Christmas, but they talked about Capt Jack as if he was still in Dr Who and still a current character. Didn't mention the Arrow show at all and really talked to JB as if his career is totally BBC. Now of course this is a Christmas series for BBC One, where they interview a different celebrity for Sunday mornings approaching Christmas, so it's quite likely that they will focus on his work for them, but I did keep hoping that it meant they knew something we don't know... (Jack in Dr Who or Cardiff TW though, that would be my impractical fantasy idea..)

[veronicaluv]

I guess my problem is that I'm afraid I've become irrelevant, either by the method I use to participate in fandom - writing - or by the lack of interest in the fandom I want to participate in - TW, H50. And for me it isn't so much about feedback, it's about feeling part of something, that sense of community when a fandom is active and talking and sharing. I know there are fandom communities like that, but we love what we love, right? There are many active, even mega fandoms that I'll never join, they just don't interest me. What do you do when fandom leaves you and you're not ready?

As for TW, I would suggest that it died with COE. Love COE or hate it, the indifference I saw from LJ's TW fandom toward MD has to be a result of what happened in COE. I know a lot of people who enjoyed COE yet found MD pretty off-putting for many reasons (and as we know, the non-fandom reviews weren't good). The whole thing makes me sad - I miss Captain Jack and my affection for JB has only grown over the years since COE.

It seems like certain fandoms are breaking up with me and I'm still too starry-eyed to notice;).

[fide_et_spe]

It's extraordinary though how it died after MD, before MD there were the fix it's and the people who defended CoE and got very excited about the prospect of CoE. I think what happened was that those people just left, because MD was, well, awful. I've noticed maybe two or three fans who are writing MD characters. Then people who I think had somehow been hanging on, just moved on. Maybe it was the end of hope that things might be redeemed.

CoE was the death, but I think many fans hung on in hope, and then that was gone. I agree with you about being sad, I still feel upset about it, and in denial! I mean not actively, but it can be triggered. When I was watching the JB special and they talked about how great it was that Capt Jack fancied men, they showed some bits of TW and some bits of DW, but the TW was just him and Gwen, and the bit to illustrate his fancying men was the scene with Russell Tovey in DW. Well I just thought "Oi that's not fair", felt all offended on behalf of Ianto! Then reminded myself I need to get over it!

[dylantoms]

JB said on Twitter that the programme with Fern Brittain was filmed about six or seven months ago, so before he know about Arrow - which he wasn't asked to do until August.
Not seen the programme yet, but assume they used a point of reference that he is best known for - which I always find a bit strange as I, and many more were fans of his singing and West End appearances long before Doctor Who.

On an aside, one of my closest friends has no idea who John Barrowman is; she never sees, or is interested in the kind of work he does!

Would be nice if they knew something we don't...

[fide_et_spe]

Oh I don't really think Arrow is that relevant, I've certainly not seen any adverts for it being shown here. Also it was very BBC focused. They did cover all of his West End career though, right back to Anything Goes with some lovely old footage of him on stage then, and even earlier.

I'm not a JB obsessive, like him a lot, but I find I tend to just see him on things in passing, so often miss things he does. I've seen him on stage, but hadn't really clocked him before DW I guess.

Makes sense they filmed it in summer, and I suppose some of the stuff he would have known he was going to do, like say the Jubilee coverage, he's not going to mention if it's not done yet. Presumably he's doing panto, he said he was, but I don't follow him enough to know.. It did sort of imply he's about to do more BBC stuff, but it's hard to know if that's just to keep him seem current or something. I hope it's more than that!

[dylantoms]

I have watched the programme now :) It was similar to one he did with Gloria Hunniford a few years ago for the God Squad slot.

It covered a very good resume of his life, family and career and yes, he always comes across as such a lovely guy. I remind myself of this and his stance on gay rights whenever he is being a bit of a knob [i.e.saying how wonderful Miracle Day was and acting like Torchwood Cardiff never happened - I'm getting over it now... a bit] ;)

[veronicaluv]

I think JB was between a rock and a hard place regarding COE/MD - these were his employers and he had a vested interest in the success of the shows. But I've heard a few stories about how, in private, he was quite unhappy about how they both turned out. In fact, I think in his (second? so cheeky) autobiography, he talks about how at odds he was with the director of COE (and the writer(s), too). I'm sure a lot of that was anecdotal, but he has stated repeatedly over the years how much he loves Captain Jack - the Captain Jack we remember, not what they had turned him into by MD.

Anyway, I guess I'd like to believe he's a Jack/Ianto fanboy but had to behave during filming ;).