Fandom is my Fandom

I am over 60 and have been in media fandom for 30+ years. I have a love of fandom and its history. I am disabled and use voice recognition software to write so there may be typos and the occasional word salad. Please feel free to reblog or link to my tumblr. I love to meet fans by phone or video and live in the SF Bay Area. My Asks are open but I take long breaks from Tumblr. Note: this blog is for adults only. If you are under the age of majority in your country, please pass it by.

[meeedeee]

My Fandom Journeys

Hi, I am Morgan Dawn. I am over 60 and have been in fanfiction/fanvid fandom for 30+ years. I have a love of fandom and its history. I am disabled and use voice recognition software to write so there may be typos and the occasional word salad. Please feel free to reblog or link to my tumblr. I love to meet fans by phone or video and live in the SF Bay Area.

Look for my fandom history posts under the #fandom history tag and my personal experiences across 30 years in fandom under #my fandom journeys

Fun things I am working on 1. Scanning and preserving fanfiction fanzines from the 1960s-2000s

2. Digitizing fanvids made on VCR videotapes (1980s-2000s)

3. Promoting a DIY Oral History project for fanfiction/fanvid/fanart/cosplay (transformative) fandom. Grab a friend and join the party

4. Documenting fan run conventions, fanzines and fanvids on Fanlore, the fan-run wiki run by the Organization For Transformative Works (OTW).

My Asks are open but I often take long breaks to rest and recharge so if I don't get back to you, please be patient

Note: this blog is for adults only. If you are under the age of majority in your country, please pass it by.

[awayfromterra]

special effects are too good now because as we left the theater after Project Hail Mary my mom was like "it's really impressive that Ryan Gosling was the only actor on screen for most of that movie" and I was confused for several seconds thinking "what about the giant crab that played Rocky?"

[penrosesun]

No but like, fr this is the power of puppetry. This is why people are regularly accidentally mic-ing Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy instead of their actors. This is why Labyrinth and Farscape and Little Shop of Horrors hold up. We all spent two and a half hours convinced that that little spider rock dude was real, because James Ortiz and his team created the sort of incredible acting chemistry with Ryan Gosling that can only happen with a real guy who actually occupies physical space

[elision]

"So, what would fandom etiquette for journalists actually look like?

At the very least, it means asking permission before embedding fan art or linking directly to fan fiction in coverage. It means thinking twice before asking actors or artists to react to ships or explicit fan creations. It means considering whether a fan reasonably expected their work to stay within the community it was made for. Most importantly, it means treating fandom spaces like real places inhabited by real people, many of whom seek out these spaces precisely because they offer a sense of belonging they may not find elsewhere.

Fandom does not need to remain in the margins to deserve respect. But if journalists are going to cover this subject, and we should, we have to be willing to approach these spaces with the same care, ethics, and nuance we would bring to any other community. Because behind every fic or piece of fan art is someone saying, 'This mattered to me.' Did it matter to you too?"

Crystal Bell - "The Pitt" fans aren't happy with journalists. We need real etiquette when reporting on fandom" Teen Vogue, April 9, 2026

[ironedorchid]

Kelly Link, 21st April 2026

[depsidase]

[bonersniper]

Here was a write up of direct results five years later (2021): Five years later, Panama Papers still having a big impact - ICIJ

Five years later, Panama Papers still having a big impact - ICIJ

ICIJ’s massive cross-border investigation remains an influence — and a catchphrase — in politics, business, academia and pop culture, half a

And a similar 10 year update from April 2026: Ten years after the Panama Papers, enablers and tax cheats are still being brought to justice - ICIJ

Ten years after the Panama Papers, enablers and tax cheats are still being brought to justice - ICIJ

A look back at a decade of changes after the Pulitzer-Prize winning investigation sent a shock through the offshore world.

And here is an article on the specific ramifications on U.S. tax law and enforcement: Panama Papers 10th Anniversary: U.S. Tax Implications, IRS Results & Compliance Lessons For American Taxpayers - Tax Authorities - United States

Panama Papers 10th Anniversary: U.S. Tax Implications, IRS Results & Compliance Lessons For American Taxpayers

April 2026 marks the 10th anniversary of the Panama Papers, one of the largest data leaks in history. The leak exposed how wealthy individua

And a BREAKING UPDATE: The trial of Yorgen Fenech, the man accused of masterminding the assassination of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia (put respect on her name) began on July 1, 2026 and is ongoing - you can go watch coverage of it.

The Degiorgio brothers pleaded guilty to carrying out the bombing and are serving 40-year prison sentences. The two suppliers of the bomb also received life sentences.

Others involved (middlemen, etc) have received a variety of reduced aentences and pardons based on their participation and testimony to take down Yorgen Fenech.

The former prime minister of Malta, Vincent Muscat, resigned and trials are ongoing.

Not to minimize how bad the world currently is, because shits not great, but don't ignore the wins when they actually exist. There ARE steps towards justice, there is still good in the world and people working to correct course. Don't let the gloom of it all jade you from seeing the action and effort that IS happening.

[destielaureversebb]

Are you a (Destiel) writer?

If so, come join the third round of the Destiel AU Reverse Big Bang!! We have 70 (yes, 70!) artists working on absolutely incredible AU ideas that will need writers (that's you!) who want to write a fic about them.

You might say...

But I've never done a reverse bang before and I don't know how it works.

No problem! You won't be the only newbie, so questions are expected and welcomed. The basic idea of a reverse bang is that writers claim art from an anonymous gallery to write a fic about. It's a great way to make friends. Still have questions about the format? Take a look at the rules!

But I don't know if I'll have time.

We have a very generous schedule to give you plenty of time to write and brainstorm with your artist about the world you're creating together. Check out the schedule here.

But what if my writing isn't good enough?

We're beating you over the head with a newspaper until the impostor syndrome gremlins go away.

But what if I change my mind about participating?

There's no obligation for you to claim an art piece if you happen to look at the gallery of works by our 70 (70!!) artists and see nothing that inspires your muse. In the meantime, you get to hang out on our event server, which we like to think is one of the most fun places in fandom. We have group reads of fics, unhinged SPN finale rants, channels for writing advice and sprints, and, best of all, a bracket-style tournament where we pit AU Deans and AU Cas's against each other to decide once and for all whether Muppet Cas is superior to Alpha Cas. (Yes, we're a very serious bunch.)

Still have questions?

Feel free to contact your friendly mods, @hawkland, @friendofcarlotta, @valdelion, @wanderingcas and @farenmaddox, or send an ask on this blog!

All set?

>>Click here for the sign-up form<<

[chernobog13]

The future is so bright Spock has to wear shades.

[shot-thru-the-art]

Someone just reblogged my dancing ghosts with “#digital art” and it doesn’t matter at all but I’m still fighting the urge to dm them “they are very much not digital! They’re chicken wire, tore my jeans, and left me covered in small, bleeding scratches! I got a tetanus shot about it!”

No computers were used for these - partly because I like using my hands and partly because I have genuinely no idea how to do digital animation anyway. It seems like witchcraft.

These are life-sized because I have very little experience with figure drawing/sculpting so I just used my husband and I for proportion measurements. (Which meant I was chasing him around going “come back! Let me measure your femur!”)

Video description: green light on a chicken wire sculpture of a dancing couple. It’s turning in the wind outside at night so they (hopefully) look alive.

[ladydei]

I saw another version but I'll def reblog this one.

@shot-thru-the-art can I ask: the wire they're hung from, does it just go anywhere the wind blows? vs being on some sort of tumbrel (I think it's called?) that spins them, I mean.

This is the most amazing thing, IDK how anyone could think it's digtal. It's too perfectly imperfect.

Tho I am sorry about the tetanus shot <shudder>

[shot-thru-the-art]

Hi! The ghosts are hung on an arial yoga rig thingy that can spin and sway in the wind without tangling the ropes supporting it. It catches moderate winds but because it doesn’t have a lot of surface area it doesn’t sway or spin in every small breeze.

For this video I went up and shoved it to make it spin.

[fanlore-wiki]

Fandom in Color: KPop Demon Hunters

For Fandom in Color we're looking back on last summer's surprise viral hit KPop Demon Hunters!

KPop Demon Hunters is about a K-Pop girl group that also fights demons. This film sparked quite a bit of meta and discourse about its connection to K-Pop and its sugarcoating of idol culture. It also sparked a lot of fandom creativity, from fanart, fic, vids, crafts like crochet, and more! It also provided fans with a nice selection of relationship options to choose from.

Are Rumi, Zoey, and Mira your girls? Or are you still haunted by the aquarium date that never was? Come visit the Fanlore page!

----------

We value every contribution to our shared fandom history. If you’re new to editing Fanlore or wikis in general, visit our New Visitor Portal to get started or ask us questions here!

[steampunktendencies]

This is a literal "Hammerhead" shark created by artist Matt Sanders.

The sculpture is made from 685 reclaimed steel hammer heads and weighs 500 lbs (about 227 kg). It took approximately 2,500 hours of work to weld together. Sanders even used sledgehammers for the eye sockets and ball-peen hammers for the eyes to give it a realistic look.

It was displayed at the Aquarium of the Pacific in California and remains one of the coolest examples of upcycled art out there.

[homunculus-argument]

We need to isolate and start selectively breeding the plastic eating bacteria so we can optimise their efficiency, and then somehow splice their DNA into the gut bacteria of an obligate carnivore, so we can put it in our cats gut biomes so they'll finally be free of having to choose between whether they want to eat plastic or whether they want to live.

[flamingoslim]

Starsky and Hutch SHareCon 2026: Let's talk panel topics!

Let's talk panel topics!

What's the hardest part of SHareCon programming?

It's not the games; they're already planned. It's not the play; it's ready to go. (Applause, please, for our hard-working CONspirators!) It's not the vids, either. While we always look forward to brand new premieres from our amazing vidders, we also have hundreds of tried-and-true older vids we can use to create wonderful vid shows.

No, the hardest part of SHareCon programming is finding fresh panel topics. Let's face it. We've been talking about these guys and this show for 50 years now. Haven't we said it all?

We refuse to believe that. In spite of our lengthy lists of panel topics, we always manage to add new topics every year. That's why we use a poll to determine which topics are your favorites.

Are you a new fan who has questions you need answered? A veteran fan who has that one topic that never gets discussed? Now's the time to bring your idea forward! We want it!

You can suggest your topic here, or if you're shy and would rather keep it private, send to [email protected]. Your idea might be just the spark that keeps our programming fun and interesting! And makes picking panel topics a little easier.

Flamingo

[republicansaredomesticterrorists]

[aphrostiel]

finally drew them together, t'pura my loves

[someshakespearequote]

This is beautiful and as an alternative shipname I know they’re both bi but U-Hol Lesbians is also available.

[confabcon]

I was managing the heat by thinking of the cool chill of Chicago in fall and realized: October is coming up fast, friends! You could be with us in Chicago, for a four day slumber party, it's not too late! Registration for CONfab is still open: https://forms.gle/Pch3Rtc8CCqk42HQA

And what would CONfab be without you? Nothing! Which is why we've opened up for Activities submissions, as well as looking for vids and programming suggestions. You don't have to attend to submit (though it's way more fun if you do!)

Vid Show Submissions: https://forms.gle/U3yQhM7qtj2fHaTg9

Programming Submissions: https://confabcon.com/chicago/programming-chicago/

Activities submissions: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1-Sa2Q0lt_2u0ImfAm_Ktw8p5v_uGn1Is68CfJ-bdqp0/edit

New to CONfab Chicago as of 2023, Activities are longer time slots in the evening after regular programming concludes. Activities can include group games, movie or TV watching, crafting, themed vid shows, and more. Activities are hosted in CONfab meeting spaces on Friday from 7-11pm or Sunday from 3-6pm.

So get your submissions in now!

[jwilsoncap-blog]

Hand-made  Tamari (traditional Japanese string-ball toys) made by a 92yr old. Originally made from old left over parts of kimonos. Hand sewn/embroidered. 

[soursorrel]

This is the original photographer’s account:

Temari

CC BY-NC-ND クレジット表示 - 非営利 - 改変禁止 Attribution - NonCommercial - NoDerivatives If you want to use my pictures, YOU MUST give appropriate

And her grandmother did unfortunately pass in 2019.

[overseer-picard]

It’s difficult to fully articulate the hold that Patrick Stewart had on audiences when TNG was airing. Between the hundreds of magazine covers, the talk show circuits, and the paparazzi nonsense, the amount of baldness puns editors were compelled to create was astounding.

It was like the media fixated on this man because he had catastrophic levels of charisma and audiences were losing their minds over him (TNG was regularly beating network shows in ratings), yet he was so far removed from the narrow Hollywood standards of beauty that it vexed and haunted these people for years.

Baldness was a joke in Hollywood. 75% of George Costanza's identity revolved around bald jokes. If you were a bald actor, you were cast as a villain or a buffoon, never the hero. And if you were losing your hair, you had to slap a wig on or risk losing your career. Yul Brynner was somewhat of an exception but he was from a much different generation of Hollywood and even Bruce Willis didn't fully shave his head until 1994 (post TNG success incidentally).

In Patrick Stewart's case, there was often an undercurrent of snide putdowns with many interviewers, drawing focus to his baldness over and over and over again with low hanging jokes. It was like you could see their vanity-based paradigms cracking in real time and it was strange to witness. Imagine how bizarre it would be if talk show hosts today could only ask The Rock, Vin Diesel, or Jason Statham about their bald heads.

But karma swooped in to the rescue. In 1992 Stewart was voted TV Guide's "Sexiest Man on Television" with a whopping 54% of votes. He beat out the likes of Luke Perry, John Corbett, A. Martinez, and even Burt Reynolds (with a total of 20 contenders).

The middle-aged bald guy in the syndicated sci-fi show beat out the hottest of the Hot Guys™️ and it wasn't even remotely close.

^ Bald joke

So yeah, today he's an old, revered thespian who is occasionally Charles Xavier, but not only did Patrick Stewart pave the way for other bald actors to be considered leading men, he discombobulated Hollywood with his unconventional attractiveness and it was amazing.