Mastodon #FandomFriendingMeme

A "fandom friending meme" has been going around Mastodon (which is where I spend most of my social media time these days), and I really like answering questions about my fandom history, involvement, likes and dislikes, so I decided to join in! I saw that punk was answering the questions at a rate of one per day, which seemed like a great idea to me - a way to stagger things so that I didn't get fed up of churning the posts out (and my followers didn't get fed up of me churning them out) while also giving myself something to look forward to every day.

There were 20 questions, and I answered them between the 19th December and the 11th January - I was lagging a bit towards the end because a couple of my answers to the questions ran long and I procrastinated figuring out how to either fit them into 500 characters or split them up nicely, but I made it in the end! Along the way, I decided that I should collect all my responses as a Dreamwidth post when I was done, since Mastodon is meant to be more ephemeral but I wanted to hang on to my responses here (I'm thinking of using DW to archive some of my other past threads, if I can find them xD). Plus, DW content that isn't a Yuletide letter! What a novelty 😉

So here are my answers, along with the dates that they were posted - I've joined them together where they were split up over multiple posts unless they were self-contained two-part answers, in which case I've separated them out as they were in my response.

Get to Know Your Friends on Masto

1. How long have you been in fandom? (19th Dec)

It's been... about 18 years by now? (Happy adulthood to my fandom involvement xD) I count my fandom "beginnings" from when I discovered Quizilla and online fic in about 2004. Before then, I had written fic without knowing what it was, but this was when I discovered the wider world of online fandom and fanfic, and then I started publishing fic on FF.net in 2005.

2. Which fandoms are you in now? (20th Dec)

SK8 SK8 SK8 SK8

I learned that there was a skateboarding anime and thought "huh, that would probably be my thing" because I love skateboarding as a concept (rubbish at actually doing it, but the idea is very cool), and I was totally right! I love SK8 and watching first the original and then the English dub made me extremely happy. Being into an anime fandom also feels like a very pleasant blast from the past. I'm even writing drabbles!

3. Do you create transformative works (fic, fan art, podfic, etc.)? (21st Dec)

I very much do! I actually aspire to try creating every type of transformative work at least once. So far I've made fic, fanart, and fanvids. I'm first and foremost a fic writer, but this year saw me create fanart (technically, fan*comics*) for the first time in years. I plan to do more if I can find the time. And I have many, many plans for fanvids that I want to make in future.

3 (cont). Out of the types of fanwork I haven't made yet, I would most like to try making gifsets and podfic. Gifsets intimidate me a bit because I have no idea how to go about them, though I'm sure there are lots of how-tos. For podfic I pretty much have everything I need, because my other half is a broadcaster and is happy to let me borrow his equipment, so I can give it a go whenever I want to. I just need to (all together now) find the time 😆

4. What was your first fandom? (22nd Dec)

Rurouni Kenshin! 😍 You could make a case for Yu-Gi-Oh! being my first because it was the first fandom I read fic for on Quizilla, but I didn't spend very long in it. Rurouni Kenshin was the first fandom I really got immersed in, reading tons of fic on FF.net, which also introduced me to fun terms like "fluff", "angst" and "hurt/comfort" 😄 And then I started publishing fic of my own, chatting with other writers and making friends with them ^^

5. How often has fic made you cry? (23rd Dec)

Almost never - not because I don't cry easily (I do) but because I generally avoid tragedy as a genre, and filter out warnings for Major Character Death when I'm searching for fic. I was going to say categorically "I have never cried over fic" and then I remembered dirgewithoutmusic's incredible Boy With a Scar series (and their amazing fic "the train station") which definitely made me, if not tear up, then come very close to it 😅

6. Rec a fic that you love! (24th Dec)

I thought LONG AND HARD about my pick for this (and changed my mind about 4 times) because firstly: ONE fic? Just one? And secondly, I wanted to have something to say! Anyway, my rec is: After the Storm, by Sar-kaz-m.

It's a Lord of the Rings Eowyn/Faramir fic taking place during and after ROTK, and it's just *chef's kiss* SO good. The characterisations, the build of the romance, the way everything comes together... It's very much an "I love everyone in this bar" type of fic. It's solidly movieverse but (I think) also draws on the books for worldbuilding details and characterisation, and it gives a lovely resolution to Eowyn and Faramir's respective arcs in the films. I've never been in LOTR fandom but this is an all-time favourite and re-reading it after every trilogy rewatch is a tradition. Highly, highly rec if you enjoy the canon

7. Who's your ult OTP? (26th Dec)

Uh... I struggle with questions that require me to pick a single OTP, because I don't really have One True Pairing to Rule Them All. I have many pairings (and moresomes) I'm happy to come back to, but there isn't one pairing that I would pick over any other because it really depends what mood I'm in.

I posted a short list of loved ships for the "Top 5 ships" meme/challenge/trend so that can stand in for my answer 😆

8. Share a pic that would convince someone to fall for your current fandom! (26th Dec)

I'm going to cheat and use two: the left-hand pic I would use to get someone into #SK8 overall - if you like fluffy found family (and dumb skaters), then this show is for you! The right-hand pic I'd use to get someone interested in my ship, MatchaBlossom 😄 If you've seen the scene you know there's no straight interpretation, especially in the dub!



9. Have you ever met a fandom friend IRL? (28th Dec)

I spent most of yesterday hanging out with one! :D (hi @christycorr!) Yes, I've met quite a lot, which I think would blow my teen self's mind because all of my internet friends back then lived Far Away and meeting up felt impossible ^^; But I did meet several of them starting when I was about 17! While they were more "general internet friends" than fandom friends, we were all more or less in anime fandom, so I'm counting it xD

10. What's the last fandom merch or craft you got? (28th Dec)

I'm pretty sure it was this lovely sticker set from the OTW donation drive in April this year. (Of course I have Sticker Anxiety and so haven't actually used them). Before that it was a pair of Dean- and Cas-themed pins from Etsy as a birthday gift for my Destiel-loving friend.



Day 10 amended (I posted this after my Juno Steel merch arrived in the post xD) (31st Dec)

I need to make a correction to my answer for Day 10! I completely forgot that I'd recently bought this awesome 'Private Bi' T-shirt for The Penumbra Podcast :D  That along with a Penumbra Podcast logo sticker and some gorgeous posters for 'Juno Steel and What Lies Beyond' are my latest fandom merch!

11. Rare pairs, big ships, or gen? (29th Dec)

Any/all! I've fallen in love with ships of all sizes (and it's very much relative to the size of the fandom, as well) but I've also published more gen fics than shippy fics, and some of my major recent fandoms have been gen-oriented (The Murderbot Diaries and Encanto are two examples). I love shipfic but also love close friendships, QPRs, found family and "actual" family dynamics.

12. Are you multi-fandom or mono-fannish? (30th Dec)

Incurably multi-fandom. While I do have a "current" fandom that I mainly focus on, I'm also happy to read fic from a number of my recent or long-standing fandoms while I do, or sometimes I'll get into a couple of fandoms in parallel, which can result in some interesting crossovers xD Other times I might be in a "lull" where I cycle through a few different fandoms or dip back into an old one before something new catches my interest.

13. When did you last travel for a con, concert, fanmeet, or cupsleeve event? (31st Dec)

It must have been October 2019 for the first Ineffable Con in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire. Admittedly, it wasn't far to travel, but I'm counting it xD It was my first encounter with this kind of "all in one" con (where everyone does the same activities) instead of the kind where you just rock up and look at some stalls, but I had an amazing time! I also made my first fanvid for the con vid show.

14. How did you get into your current fandom? (4th Jan)

In #12 I talked a bit about being multi-fannish and but also how I mostly focus on one fandom at a time. This is relevant because when I got into SK8, I wasn't in a "lull" between fandoms like I usually am when I get into a new fandom; I was pretty solidly in Sandman TV fandom. So SK8 kind of came along like the truck in that one meme and totally bodied me xD

Fanlore (which I'm a volunteer with in my free time) did a "Ship Sunday" social media post about MatchaBlossom, which piqued my interest in a) the fact that there was a skateboarding anime, and b) the ship. My other half, who watches more anime than me, has a CrunchyRoll subscription so I used it to watch the anime and finished it in 2 days. xD Then I got into the fandom via shippy MatchaBlossom art and fic.

(Sorry, Sandman! I still love you, too!)

15. What's your favourite trope? (4th Jan)

As with the fic rec post... can I really only pick one?? Well, it's hard to go wrong with There's Only One Bed, though for me it works best when one of the characters is prickly and/or in denial, which isn't true of every ship. I also really love a good Band AU? I haven't read THAT many, but have also yet to find one I dislike. With the right characters and writing, it's just a really fun group setup. I wrote one myself for the 2021 Fiction Podcast Big Bang...

16. What are 3 tags that will make you click no matter what? (4th Jan)

Hmmm... that depends on the ship (or fandom) for me, and whether I think the writing quality will be good. There was a time when I would read any slow burn, because I loved the concept and those tend to be well-written, but I don't have the patience for a long, drawn-out saga any more.

For the right ship, Getting Together is usually an indicator of something I'll like, and for superhero fandoms, I almost always enjoy Identity Porn. Everything else is up for grabs.

17. Fav fest you've prompted/read/written for? (8th Jan)

I had to check the definition of "fest" on Fanlore and at first I was like, "I don't think I've ever actually done one" but then I remembered I have! It was '12 Days of Clois' back in Superman Returns fandom, in 2007.

Normally I wouldn't pick the only one I can remember completing as my "favourite", but it's a fandom I don't normally talk about, and it was a lot of fun! I think it was the first fanwork I posted on LJ, and I was still getting to grips with the site - iirc I was all emo because I thought no-one had commented on my fic, and then I realised I had comments set to auto-moderate, and there were in fact some lovely comments xD

I did claim a prompt for another fest in the same comm, but never finished the fic, oop.

18. Share an upcoming fest you're excited about! (10th Jan)

The MatchaBlossom flash reverse bang! 😄🌸🍵 My first ever bang was a reverse bang (i-reversebang in Inception fandom in 2016) and I'm excited to do another one. This one also has a theme, which is spring! Sketch claims open in a few days, so hopefully I'll be inspired! 🤩

19. What's your favourite episode, song, moment, etc. from your current fandom? (10th Jan)

Overall, my favourite SK8 episode is Episode 6, Steamy Mystery Skating?! because it has the most found family vibes and hilarious moments. The scene where the characters all discover that they're ~mysteriously all heading to the same hot springs is priceless. The last third with the mud... creature... things is a bit bizarre though and I usually skip it xD

19 (cont). In terms of my ship, MatchaBlossom, the best episode is unquestionably Episode 9, We Were Special Back Then. It's text, you guys! Joe rushes to Cherry's side before the beef with Adam because he's WORRIED but then he doesn't know what to SAY and then afterwards Cherry SNEAKS OUT OF THE HOSPITAL to drink with him in Sia la Luce! Hhhhhhhh! I have written many drabbles around this episode. Also, we get young!Cherry with piercings!


Young!Cherry and Joe in SK8 episode 9: We Were Special Back Then

20. Tag three fandom friends on Masto! (11th Jan)

I mean... all my friends on Mastodon are fandom friends! xD So that makes it very hard to pick just three. Maybe this is so that they, too, can do the meme, but I'm sure that anyone who follows me has at least seen this meme if not already started doing it, and if they haven't yet, I'm sure they have their reasons xD Still, if you see this and want to do the meme, consider yourself "tagged"!