Fannish migration and pimping...

[fajrdrako]

catalenamara's interesting post on fandoms today made me want to answer her questions in a post of my own. I'd love to hear and see other people's answers, too.

On writing this, and thinking about it, it clarified a little of what fandom is for me. It's falling in love with a book, show, or movie, and then finding other people to share my enthusiasm with. The enthusiasm was there from the beginning; the fandom was a bonus. In some cases, before the Net, I was a fandom of one. It's more fun when you've hundreds of people to share you passion - especially when it comes to slash fandoms - but that isn't the impetus.

Have you ever followed friends/favorite authors into a fandom without ever having seen/read the source material?

No, of course not. I can't even imagine wanting to. I have watched shows on the recommendations of my friends. Sometimes it takes - Professionals, Horatio Hornblower, Doctor Who. Usually it doesn't - all the other shows out there.

But I'm not sure what the question means: I'm not sure how to divorce a fandom from its show. I've never 'been a fan' of something I didn't watch or read. I suppose there are gradations of this - I call myself an X-Men fan, though I don't think the movies live up to the quality of the comics. But this doesn't mean I don't watch the movies, it just means they aren't what made me a fan.

Have you ever really enjoyed the source material, read the work of specific authors into a fandom, and yet have no interest in the fandom as a whole?

Uh... no. Not really. I have trouble even getting my head around the question. Have I ever... read only one author in a fandom? No. I suppose I only read Harry Potter when I'm betaing for friends, or when something has been brought to my attention, but that has nothing much to do with the fandom. It isn't my fandom and I don't consider myself in it even if I dabble - and there are are all sorts of reasong for dabbling, from curiosity to affection for a certain character or pairing, or even, in some cases, I suppose, horrified and incredulous fascination. Don't usually spent time on that last, though.
For instance, calatenamara mentions: Digression: if you want a truly kickass WONDERFUL crossover, here’s an awesome Supernatural/Harry Potter crossover: Old Country by Astolat. I'm sure it's wonderful and I might like it if I read it, but the idea of it gives me the shudders: you'd have to bribe me or torture me to get me to read it. (It might be possible to pique my curiosity, but I can't think how.)

Q. Have you ever been strenuously pimped by your friends into another fandom and immediately fell in love with the source material.

Yes, several times. The Professionals and Doctor Who being cases in point. Though I suppose it depends on your definition of "immediately". I've never become hooked on a fandom on only one viewing of something. It took three or four episodes of two series of Doctor Who to do it. Probably about the same for Pros.

Books, I fall for harder and faster and longer: Halfway through The Fellowship of the Ring I was doomed - it happened in Bree, of course, with the introduction of Strider. Three pages into The Game of Kings, when the pig got drunk. But these, I found on my own, though my father had vaguely recommended The Lord of the Rings to me as something he thought I'd like, though he hadn't read it himself, and a less fannish man I' can't imagine.

Have you ever gotten into a TV show/movie before your friends and busily pimped the source material to them in the hopes that a fandom would ensue?

I like to think I don't pimp. Ever. Some say I do. But, yes. Dunnett novels, for example. Stingray.

Q. Have you ever gotten into a TV show/movie and tried to pimp it to your friends only to find out that they’d just gotten into it as well and were about to pimp right back?

No. Can't think of any case where that's happened.

No, wait a minute. On my first meeting Guy Gavriel Kay, in the course of our conversation, he asked me if I'd ever heard of Dorothy Dunnett. I was speechless for a second. He proceeded to recommend the books to me. I recovered and explained and a delightful conversation ensued. And then, of course, we re-encountered each other in various ways in the course of burgeoning Dunnett fandom.

Q: Have you ever been part of a mass migration into another fandom?

No. On the whole, I am late to find fandoms, and slow to evolve from one to the next. When I do switch, it tends to be self-directed and in a totally unpredictable direction. (Doctor Who? I'd have bet good money I'd never be into that one. Not in a million years. Hah!)

What I have found generally is that, rather than follow friends to another fandom, when I move from one fandom to another I get a whole new set of friends that is almost entirely different. And though I remain friends with those in previous fandoms, and these people mean a lot fo me (tip of the hat here to msmoat and acampbell), we tend to be in touch much less. There is overlap - especially if I factor in slash friends from the early K/S days - but not as much as you might expect. In some ways, fandom is a small world. In other ways, it's a big one.

Comments

[duncanmac.livejournal.com]

Have you ever really enjoyed the source material, read the work of specific authors into a fandom, and yet have no interest in the fandom as a whole?

That's my reaction to Harry Potter too, though there are overtones of personal philosophy (in my case) that would sound strange to you. It doesn't help that (AFAIK) most HP fen are teenage boys and girls. I *never* liked being a teenager and have discovered little in common with most people that age.

Have you ever gotten into a TV show/movie before your friends and busily pimped the source material to them in the hopes that a fandom would ensue?

My dear, you have been talking about Dorothy Dunnett for about as far back as I have known you. This has not made me a fan of same ... yet. I *do* intend to read these books. But there are only 24 hours in a day and 168 hours in a week; I'm finding that too much of it is wasted on work and various forms of health maintenance (aka sleep).

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

That's my reaction to Harry Potter too, though there are overtones of personal philosophy (in my case) that would sound strange to you

Like what? You've made me curious! I promise not to argue if you tell me.

It doesn't help that (AFAIK) most HP fen are teenage boys and girls.

Are they? I have no idea what the statistics are, but the only HP fans I know tend to be in the 30-60 year old group, just because that's the age my friends tend to be and I don't really know any HP fans outisde my own circle. Not that I don't have younger and older friends, of course.... I find that in general, fandom transcends age. Which is one of the things I love about it.

One hears a lot on the media about kids who are into Harry Potter but the teens I know don't like it, and the people I know who are fans, are much older than that.

I *never* liked being a teenager and have discovered little in common with most people that age.

I didn't much like being a teen, it's a horrible time, and when I was a teen there were a lot of teens I knew and didn't like. But I think it's agist to condemn an age group - teens are no better or worse than people of any age, and I do love reading about teens. Miles Vorkosigan was a teen in the first few Bujold novels. Gen is a teen in the first few Attolia novels. I also have a taste for coming-of-age novels, and the protagonists there are often teens. So... yeah, I gues I like novels about teens! What I have in common with them, is that they are discovering what life is all about. As Are younger people, and older people, and everyone else of any age.

My dear, you have been talking about Dorothy Dunnett for about as far back as I have known you. This has not made me a fan of same ...

Ah-hah! The proof of the pudding! I wonder if you'd have read them by now if your sister weren't a fan. [heh]

But there are only 24 hours in a day and 168 hours in a week; I'm finding that too much of it is wasted on work and various forms of health maintenance (aka sleep).

Oh, so true. So pathetically true. Especially when it's so time-consuming and difficult to get around these days.

[duncanmac.livejournal.com]

[overtones of personal philosophy] Like what? You've made me curious!

I'll talk more generally about Root Ground philosophy later (though I will admit that "Root Ground" has a lot in common with the Buddhist concept of "Basic Path"). The point here is that I don't feel comfortable with "magic" or with protraying "technology" as "magic." There is nothing obscure or occult about basic knowledge of any kind, and portraying it as such bothers the **** [generic four-letter word] out of my Rationalist beliefs. [It's a reflection of that, I suspect, that I view any acceptable Higher Power to be not just Ens Realissimum but Ens Rationissimum or 'Ultimate Mind' as well.] Rationalism is very deeply part of my philosophy. I also don't care much for astrology, numerology, and other such stuporstitions (beliefs that strip from you the power of logical thought and criticism), for much the same reason.

OTOH, I look at myself in a mirror and wonder how much I sound like Ms. Umbridge to others. [I am also reminded of my sister here, for reasons that should be obvious.]

it's agist to condemn an age group.

Point taken. I didn't mean to condemn all teens, just that I sometimes doubt I have much in common with them. I *do* enjoy some coming-of-age novels, though I find some of them far too emotional or psychological. I will admit I do not know many HP fans, but I suspect many of the people I deal with outside of work (in the pagan/wicca groups) *are* fen of same.

I wonder if you'd have read [the Dunnett books] by now if your sister weren't a fan.

I have been more generally biased in favor of future (over historical) fiction for a *long* time; if anything, I am trying to switch to a better appreciation of historical fiction nowadays. The key word remains "yet."

I find I am feeling very grumpy about lack of time lately. The bus strike and other such sillinesses are costing me time -- and old age [with a loss of brain function] is getting Too Close for my peace of mind. :-(

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Interesting! I think we must use some of these words differently and I don't quite understand what you mean by some of the usages, or what it has to do with HP; but that's okay. (I just mean that as far as I know there is no technology, and nothing occult, in Harry Potter.) But I take your point, that the kind of irrational basis of the HP universe doesn't appeal to you much. Or to me either, but for different reasons entirely.

I don't remember who Ms Umbridge is. Is she the one in pink?

Sadly, SF and fantasy are these days way, way more popular than my favourite genre - historical fiction. I wish they'd write fantasy-type novels without the fantasy! Meanwhile, not much good historical fiction is being written or published. Nor is history valued much.

I am grumpy about lack of time too, but I figure being grumpy isn't going to help, so I'm trying to be cheerful about it. As for old age - not everyone gets dimmer with time, and time passes whatever we do. Coming to terms with it is one of the challenges of humanity. An important one, in my opinion. Not growing old with style, but doing it with grace and happiness.