Fandom Meme, 6

[osprey_archer]

6. What’s the longest you’ve ever been in a fandom? What fandom was it? Not necessarily your oldest fandom, but a fandom that you started and still continue to read/write/create content for in some way.

I feel that this question is making a lot of assumptions, viz, that the fandom you’ve been in the longest is one that you’re still in today. What if you had ten lovely years with a fandom but ultimately parted ways in an acrimonious divorce? What then??

This is actually a hypothetical what-if, as the longest I’ve ever been in a fandom is Captain America fandom, and although my period of greatest activity ended maybe a few months after I finished writing by Steve/Bucky epic Reciprocity, I still put out a new fic now and again. My latest was a Natasha-centric fic in March 2021. I don’t read much fic anymore but I do remain a sucker for the fanart. (Speaking of: have I linked this fanart of Steve & Bucky in the style of a Leyendecker illustration? Gorgeous. Perfect.)

And of course I keep getting suckered back into new MCU content, most recently Black Widow. So far I’ve resisted Loki, but we’ll see if that lasts. And I’m probably going to end up seeing The Eternals (because it was directed by Chloe Zhao!) and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (because Awkwafina is in it and I am weak).

Admittedly, I often go in kicking and screaming “MCU, why can’t I quit you???” but honestly I think that proves the depth of my attachment rather than otherwise.

Comments

[anna_wing]

Tolkien, definitely. I am currently writing a Star Wars Sequel Trilogy epic, but I will always return to Middle-earth.

[troisoiseaux]

What if you had ten lovely years with a fandom but ultimately parted ways in an acrimonious divorce?

My longest fandom was Les Mis— from 2010 to, oh, probably 2017? I still love the book - I re-read it a few years ago - but oh geeze am I embarrassed by the fandom aspect in retrospect. Although I recently had the realization that there is, in the outer rings of my social circle, someone who is Really Into Les Mis, and it's not me??? That conversation with her genuinely felt a little like an out-of-body experience.

[osprey_archer]

I was only on the margins of Les Mis fandom but OH BOY was that an experience. SO many modern AUs of the Amis. SO many Amis speaking like they had learned everything about social justice straight from Tumblr.

[troisoiseaux]

There's probably an interesting question of "when does the mainstream fandom get so far away from the source material that it basically counts as a collective original fiction" to be discussed, here, but if I think about the post-2012 movie fandom for too long I break out in hives.

[potofsoup]

I, too, am tentatively hopeful about Shang Chi! Which is really saying a lot since I decided not to watch Dr. Strange bc I didn't want to see fake Asian stuff, and I ragequit Daredevil bc of the ninjas.

[osprey_archer]

I suspect Shang Chi will only enrage me in all the ways that Marvel movies GENERALLY enrage me these days, which is... probably an argument against watching Marvel movies, honestly, and yet HERE WE ARE.

[sovay]

Speaking of: have I linked this fanart of Steve & Bucky in the style of a Leyendecker illustration?

That's great.

[genarti]

It really, really is! Wowee.

[osprey_archer]

My next book cover is going to be in the style of a Leyendecker illustration and I maaaay send my cover artist this picture and be all "Kind of like this! Except with more amputees!"

[osprey_archer]

Isn't it beautiful? I just love looking at it.

[genarti]

I feel like my problem with these questions is often, how are we defining in a fandom? There's a lot of stuff that I've maybe written a fic or two about, and will enthusiastically read fic and meta about if I come across it or happen to have a craving for it, but it's a low simmer. And I've very rarely been a wildly prolific author, even at my most fannish. Usually I'm a distractably multifannish butterfly.

[osprey_archer]

This is true! Compared to my 2014-2015 levels of involvement, I'm really not in Stucky fandom at all anymore. But I'm much more engaged than I was, say, six years out of Torchwood fandom.

[asakiyume]

You have a tempestuous relationship with MCU that is worthy of a fic all of its own. The emotions!

[osprey_archer]

The MCU is that ex that you just keep going back to even though you KNOW the relationship doesn't work and could probably make a Powerpoint about why. What are reason and logic against the feelings of the heart??

[asakiyume]

egg-zactly.

[kore]

LOL, this is still so me after Infinity War/Endgame.