Comments | jennickels: I don't know how to fandom anymore

jennickels

I don't know how to fandom anymore

Oct 25, 2021 17:20

I miss being in fandom, but I don't know how to do it anymore. The fandoms I was involved in either evaporated over time or I lost interest. I followed new fandoms to Tumblr, and that's, well, an experience. Every time I get into something, I regret looking up the fandom. Everything is so hostile anymore. I miss the way things were in the olden ( Read more... )

me: feeling old, me: bored

Comments 7

nynaeve_sedai October 26 2021, 01:09:49 UTC

Hey you! I don't know how to fandom anymore either. I think things have gotten WAY more hostile than it was when we were into it. Wheel of Time is about to be made into a tv series. I'm super stoked... and also sad to see the fandom start down the toxic route (because no tv show adaptation can be the source material, you either take it as it is or bitch and moan. I've opted to take it as it is).

Grandson?! Good grief. Go away for a few years and the whole world changes. Literally. So stopping by to say hey. You're literally the only reason I logged into LJ.

jennickels October 26 2021, 01:29:32 UTC

I think I've gotten too old to be involved in fandom as it currently is.

My kids got me into Avatar: the Last Airbender last year, and I was having so much fun with it until I checked out the actual fandom. Went from 100 to not even wanting to watch the show in a matter of months. The fandom is so toxic. Between the shipping wars and just everything else (racism, sexism, every other ism), it's so toxic. And the crazy part is most of the fans I encountered watched the show as kids so they're in their mid- to late- 20s. Old enough to know better.

I just don't bother anymore. If I write a story, I post it and then ignore it.

It's making me feel really old.

Grandson?! Good grief. Go away for a few years and the whole world changes. Literally. So stopping by to say hey. You're literally the only reason I logged into LJ.I know, right? And he's already 2. My oldest got pregnant just after she turned 18. She was the one that was completely out of control--dropped out of high school, stoner, no future. She got pregnant and just turned ( ... )

nynaeve_sedai October 29 2021, 16:30:36 UTC

I feel it myself! My oldest will be 15 in February and my youngest is 8. I've stayed out of most fandoms now and just enjoy things as I like them along with a small group of other people who I stumble across. I'm definitely staying away from the Wheel of Time fandom. Niche books? Easy to interact. Now with the television show, I'm afraid there will be people who are book snobs - I love the books and I also know that only so much can be translated to television and I'm stoked about it. I also know that fifteen books is an undertaking and it just may not be someone's cup of tea.

And it's good to hear about your oldest. I remember some of what you used to talk about with her.

You bought a house some years back right? How has that worked out?

jennickels October 29 2021, 20:53:52 UTC

And it's good to hear about your oldest. I remember some of what you used to talk about with her.

You bought a house some years back right? How has that worked out?Oh, the house ordeal. I forgot I posted about that stress, lol. Yeah, we bought this house in 2016. I can't believe it's been five years now that we've been here ( ... )

campylobacter November 2 2021, 22:18:42 UTC

Good to see you posting again ( ... )

jennickels November 3 2021, 04:57:03 UTC

Yeah, I don't "get" tumblr as a fandom space. There's no meaningful interaction between the creators and the consumers of the creation. Having conversations is through reblogs or PMs or Asks. It's so different from LJ/DW with the commenting system that encourages you to actually talk to other people.

In fact, from what I can tell, commenting on stuff on tumblr is actually against "the rules." People, especially artists" get really mad if you comment on their stuff. Comments go in the tags which makes tags completely pointless. I really don't get the point, but it's where my fandoms are at. I still post all of my fanfic to my Wordpress blog besides to AO3, and most of the time, I still post to LJ and DW, too. Depends on my energy level because each one needs different formatting.

lem0nb0mbs November 21 2021, 21:51:37 UTC

The internet has not been kind to fandom. It makes it too easy for trolls to slip inside a fan group and stir up trouble.