#only in fandom

[doppel-doodles]

Jax without his skin made me think of mochi.

He just looks so chewable.

[takadasaiko]

That moment when someone reblogs a piece of writing you did and says it makes them want to die.... and you hope that means in a good way? Like the fluff killed them?

[inell]

Only in fandom...

Can you send a friend a message asking “what is play mating???” and that be totally normal. 

[iverna]

*hugs* thanks for the angst I live off it

Me too!! (although only when there’s a happy ending to make it all okay)

Thank you, I’m glad you enjoyed the pain! :D

[liandrin]

AO3 kills me because it is a normal thing to come across fics on there that have a tag like "Public Displays of Affection" placed right next to tags like "Cannibalism" and "Murder"

[destinationtoast]

Only in Fandom notes

Did anyone take notes at the Only in Fandom panel?  

One of the panels I was on which made me think about the most new things was the Only in Fandom panel.  I proposed the panel and did a ton of brainstorming ahead of time because I didn't want to run out of things to say. :)  I'll share my pre-notes below the cut, but I really wish I'd also taken notes during the panel, because so many people in the audience chipped in with so many fantastic ideas, questions, and observations!  

Okay, all my brainstorm notes -- of which we only covered a few bullets, because as I said, the audience joined us in a terrific conversation that took us in many great directions:

What’s the contract between writer and reader in fandom?

mainstream writers — supposed to surprise you, make you think? not supposed to sell out and satisfy everyone?

fan writers — supposed to be comforting, satisfying?  filling a prompt precisely as the reader expects, or repeating a common trope is good?

Are fannish tastes really that different from “normal”?:

Do fanfic readers and mainstream readers look for different things in their art?  If you had bookstores that advertised Fluff, Angst, Crack, Alternate Universe, Crossover — would most people like that?

Would AUs and Crossovers be a popular form of storytelling in mainstream fic if it werent for copyright?

Why do we like to read/tell so many variations of the same story or tropes with the same characters?   What do we get out of reading the 10th adaptation of The Empty House, or the 100th first kiss between our favorite pairing, or the 1000th time that John is exasperated about something that Sherlock keeps in the fridge?  Is it similar to why people read series (epic fantasy, mystery, etc)?

In fandom most of us have read (and are deeply familiar with) the same canon and a lot of the same fan stories.  Does this make our stories different/more in-jokey/more playful/more inherently collaborative/etc. than mainstream fic?

Agree or disagree: Most mainstream readers value story, pacing, plot developments.  Most fanfic readers value character studies and filling in the domestic moments when nothing much happens.

Are spoilers less of an issue in fanfic?  Fanfic seems far more concerned with telling you what’s going to happen -- pairings, warnings, reassurances of “eventual happy ending”, and other tags… why?  

Why are fannish writers motivated to write? (or artists to art, etc.)

One reason people write fanfic is to fix something that is bugging them.  Does this impulse exist in other writing?

How many people in fandom write stories where their favorite characters to be more like themselves?  I write queer, poly fic.  Others write ace fic, or gender bent or race bent fic or fic where the characters are neurodiverse.  Do other writers do something similar?

Is there an equivalent of prompt fic outside of fandom?  would that be frowned upon — to write what someone asks you to write?  why or why not? 

Why do fan writers who want to develop a new AU and do world building choose to do it in fandom rather than as original fic?

[destinationtoast]

The author is not dead in fandom.

tiltedsyllogism, contrasting the high degree of interactivity, conversation, community, and collaboration between fan writers & readers with mainstream fiction