mistressofmuses

For snowflake_challenge: A fannish opinion that has changed over time.

Originally I was going to skip this prompt, because I couldn't think of a good answer. I don't really have that many fandom opinions that changed... I mostly keep liking the same things, even if the level of "fannishness" I feel ebbs and flows. I add new canons and fandoms and ships that I like, but don't really change my feelings on old ones, beyond losing interest. I've gotten a little pickier about quality, maybe? But that's just a function of growing up and getting exposed to more stuff. At most my feelings tend to move from positive to neutral, which doesn't feel like much of a change.

Then I thought of something. (I thought of it before the subject tangentially came up in comments on a different Snowflake post, but that just sort of seemed like a sign that yeah, maybe that IS the thing to mention.)

The thing that my opinion has changed on is... Mary Sues.

Or at least the painfully overbroad and mean-spirited definition that I first learned in the 00s when I entered fandom.

( This got long: )

As glad as I am that I was very rarely any sort of public jerk about it, I still feel pretty guilty about having and adding to that general attitude at the time. And I am really sorry that I was judgey toward people that I loved! I also remember that teenage-me was Going Through It, so maybe it's not shocking that I had some douchey thoughts. Still, I am glad that I grew up and am happier for people to play in their own corner of the sandbox however they'd like.

For snowflake_challenge: "Talk about your fannish origin story."

My true fandom origin stretches back before I can specifically remember - coming up with games and play-acting stories based on the shows I watched and books I read. I would imagine my own Pokemon team as I played in my yard, or come up with improbable ways in which I could meet and hang out with characters from Redwall or Valdemar or Tortall or Sailor Moon. I don't think I ever wrote any of those stories down; I just acted them out when playing. (Though in middle school I did start to write a story that was absolutely just a thinly-veiled, serial-numbers-filed-off version of Outlaw Star, haha.)

My first formal introduction to the idea of organized fandom came while sitting in the cafeteria in high school. Freshman year, probably? My friend Kelsey and I were talking to each other, and she said something to the effect of, "It's weird, but when I'm going to sleep, I imagine stories about my favorite characters and me where we go on adventures and things." 

I said something like, "That is SO weird, because I do the same thing! How crazy!"

Third friend Erin (who I always thought was way cooler than me, and would soon become my source for weird VHS anime and such) rolled her eyes and smacked her hands down on the table and said, exasperated, "Oh my god, that's not weird at all! Haven't you ever heard of FANFICTION?" 

She then dramatically walked away, and Kelsey and I stared at each other a moment. I was bemused, because no, I had not ever heard that word! She said it like it was something I should have been familiar with, so I was vaguely embarrassed that I apparently didn't understand something I should, and now slightly-cooler-friend realized it!

That night I googled the term, and found fanfiction dot net and that was that! From there I also found other sites like media miner, as well as the then-wealth of individual sites and character shrines and personal archives and such. I eventually started writing fanfiction of my own. (It was all very bad. There were terrible songfics!)

(Ultimately I also introduced much of the rest of the friend group to fanfiction. I was one of the only ones with easy internet access and a printer, so I'd print off favorite fics, and we'd pass them around in binders.)

It wasn't long before I'd also joined my school's anime club, and then for many years went to the main anime con in the region.

So thank you, Erin, for your offhand comment, introducing me to the idea that it wasn't that weird to imagine your own stories about your favorite characters!

Hi there! Snowflake always provides a welcome reminder and opportunity to do some journal housekeeping. :) You can find two sticky posts at the top of my journal, one with some general info on my journal, and one as a directory of my fic.

Transformative Works Policy: I'm happy and flattered for people to create podfic, translations, and fanart or other works inspired by my fanworks, and I would really like a link to anything created!

Current Passion: No extremely strong passions at the moment... kind of in the process of looking for one! In general, writing tends to be where most of my passion goes, so just looking for the next project to really grab hold.

Where to Find Me: This is the platform that I'm the most active on, and the only one that really includes anything personal. I am also at mistressofmuses where I post my fic, and mistressofmuses, where I mostly reblog a variety of things that interest me.

Master List: This is a directory of all my completed and in-progress fic. I'm... mostly good about keeping it updated!

Anything Else: Nothing in particular I can think of. I'm always happy to make friends here on DW, particularly people who are active!