Fandom Meme!

[rthstewart]

Because after this morning, I need something that reminds me why fannish pursuits are fun and the people you meet there are wonderful.

Spotted on eleanorjane

First TV show I had self-insertion fantasies about:
Dark Shadows, 1970 to 1971.  Cynthia, Cheryl and I watched it after school and ate popcorn.  I was going to work at Collinwood as a powerful witch and secret heiress.  Book-wise, at ages 8-10 I had a lot of imagined self-inserts in Narnia and Prydain as intrepid explorer girl.   I was also Laura Ingalls’ next door neighbor.  I watched a lot of original Trek too, but it didn't create the fantasy roleplay for me that the others did.

First fandom in which I interacted (online and in person) with other fans:
In person, who Leia was going to end up with occupied a lot of time for me and girlfriends at the barn where I rode in 1977. 

On line, in 1995?  1996? I had a meet up in Chicago with some awesome women I met in the Star Ladies chat on AOL. We drove to a comic book store (my first time ever in such a place) and we returned with the cardboard standup of Luke Skywalker ("First one to bed wakes up with Skywalker").  The group expanded over the years and we returned to the same scene of the crime several years later for marathon viewings of Ewan McGregor films. 

Pairing in the first slash fanfiction I read:
I scored the triple play on that one, Han, Luke and Leia, incest, slash, and threesome.  It was at our first Con together, Gen Con in 1995 or 1996?  There was also a Luke/OFC PWP and that one had illustrations.  Also, we had a catapult.  I’ve never since drunk Jaggermeister. 

First RPS I read:
That was recent.  Probably something from Supernatural.  I don’t read much RP fic. 

First fanfiction I read that made me think, YES, this is exactly the kind of fanfiction I'd like to write...
I have read SO much over the years. Ellen Randolph’s Star Wars zine stories were the first really amazing fic I’d ever read.  I loved the old HP fic, Rising from Ashes by Arabella and Jedi Boadicea  In the last few years work by anastigmatfic(Breaking the Borders) edenfalling(Courting Dance) cofax7 (Carpetbaggers) and snacky(Sing down the Stars) all really moved me to the point that they occupy permanent space as head canon.  It’s getting a little crowded in there.

First fanfiction I read that made me think, YES, this is exactly the kind of fanfiction I'd like to write, really well-written, and also funny...
this will surprise her but raykel began a  hilarious Quantum Leap/Star Wars EU cross where Sam leaped into the body of Lando Calrissian during KJA’s Jedi Apprentice series.  hlynn wrote some amazing reviews of fic back in the day for duncatra ‘s fan fic newsletter Certain Point of View.  The “pardodies” of Club Jade back in its heyday were amazing. 

Pairing in the first fanfiction I wrote:
Luke Skywalker and Mara Jade. 

First FPS OTP:
There was a terrific story in 2010 for the narniaexchange called Home by grim_lupine that was Caspian/Peter.  Non-slash, Luke/Mara and Mulder/Scully (Words OMG Words) were the closest I’ve ever come to OTPs. 

First RPS OTP:
Nothing really.  See above.

First fandom I wrote in that made me sweat bullets in fear I would fuck it up:
I angst over everything, but especially Doctor Who, Temeraire, Narnia and trying to return to Star Wars after over a decade away. 

First fanfiction writer I collaborated with:
Yav.  Best co-author ever.  I had a lot of fun on an MST3K with HLynn and Duncatra that we never published.

First fanvid I saw that made me think WHAT IS THIS SORCERY!
Sydsvaughn's Raining Men, original and updated.  Brought down the house.
Calapine’s Wild Child.  Also LOVED the Down With Love vid from this year’s festivids and that Firefly one Defying Gravity.  The Maru vid to U2 was great.

First fannish friend I met in person:
Knitress and I bonded over Star Wars in 1979.  I don’t remember who I met first in Chicago (PG or Holo I think) in 1995-96 but it was magic.  And there was a lot of alcohol.  And fan fiction.  Since coming over here, I first met Tasty As It Gets over a Christmas holiday.  I brought Barbies and they did lewd things.

Comments

[lady_songsmith]

Ooh, I think that's the first time I've seen the Wild Child one! I need need need a list of the clips in that, because I kept going, "oooh, what IS that?!"

[duncatra.livejournal.com]

Oh god, I had almost forgotten about that MSTing...

[rthstewart.livejournal.com]

I know I lost it like 15 years and 6 computers ago but I remember laughing so damn hard.

[duncatra.livejournal.com]

I'm pretty sure I've lost it as well, unless it's lurking on a Zip disc somewhere (snort.)

[sedri.livejournal.com]

You know, I think I needed this meme. A reminder of why we're here and why we love it so much - scratch that, definitely needed it. So thank you; I'm going to pinch it. (One question, though - I've not heard the term "FPS". Is that... "first person [something]"?)

Also, thanks for sharing. It's so interesting, how different and yet how similar peoples' backgrounds are. Also, whatever happened to the cardboard Luke? ;p

[rthstewart.livejournal.com]

FPS I had to look up -- fictional person slash as opposed to RPS. The queries definitely have slash goggle on which I don't tend to wear that much but I did love that story SO MUCH.

[rthstewart.livejournal.com]

As for cardboard Luke, he ended up accompanying us on Cons for years during which we learned that he did not fit in the overhead bin or securely in the seat in front of you. He ended up being accompanied by many other cardboard stand ups and they would all be signed by our group at the end of the Con.

In 1999 Cardboard Luke was married to Cardboard Mara Jade in Las Vegas, Nevada. Elvis presided at the wedding. Amanda Nelligan crashed the wedding and had to be bodily removed. The reception was at a VFW hall? American Legion hall? It was crashed by the Men In Black and cardboard Luke and Cardboard Mara fled out just in time. Unfortunately, we left them by mistake so Luke and Mara spent their wedding night in the legion hall bathroom. Elements of this historic event ended up being memorialized in a fabulous wedding video and in the Union comic. In issue 1, I think, you will see Mara and a heap of wedding dresses including something in orange or purple with a big butt bow. It is possible that I and others might have worn said butt bows at said wedding. Come to think of it, the bridesmaid dress I wore was a loaner courtesy of Knitress -- lavender acetate, with hoop skirt and white eyelet and lace mitts. I looked like a Mardi Gras float.

[amine-eyes.livejournal.com]

... Oh my God, this sounds AMAZING :DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD

[h-dash-h.livejournal.com]

That is awesome.

[sedri.livejournal.com]

I hope their cardboard lightsabers weren't confiscated by airport security or left in the seat pocket while tray tables were being securely fastened. That would have been a disappointment.

(Cheers for the FPS clear-up!)

[econopodder.livejournal.com]

...Come to think of it, the bridesmaid dress I wore was a loaner courtesy of Knitress -- lavender acetate, with hoop skirt and white eyelet and lace mitts. I looked like a Mardi Gras float....


You did. You so did. A horrible, horrible 1980s Mardi Gras float. The lace mitts alone...words fail. :-)

[rthstewart.livejournal.com]

I was going to dig up some photos then decided, errr, better not. Welcome back!!

[harmony-lover.livejournal.com]

I want to pinch this as well, but also need a terminology clarification - OTP? I've seen this term but never it's translation.

[rthstewart.livejournal.com]

OtP = one true pairing. Like you know, Caspian and Lucy, Caspian and Susan, Caspian and Edmund and Caspian and Peter.

Heheee.

I hope you are well?!

[harmony-lover.livejournal.com]

Ah, now OTP makes /so much sense/.

AAHH! Suspian! Rth, you are teasing me. *shields eyes and ears* Ugh. Thank goodness for your genius and the wonderfulness of Mrs. Caspian.

I am all right - just completed my first bit of fic in a while, which makes me happy. Life is, otherwise, still stressful, but I am dealing with the madness as best I can, as is my other half. :)

[dm-lunsford.livejournal.com]

Oh, the memories. ;)

[rthstewart.livejournal.com]

I know! It makes me so happy! (and today has been ugly, so YEAH!) But BUT HOW COULD I HAVE FORGOTTEN THE PHANTOM WEDDING VIDEO???? AND THE SAGA WILL GO ON AND ON? "You died, a galaxy cried... Del Rey has taken you away..." The Titanic tribute to the Death of Chewbacca when a moon fell on him? Do you know if either of these awesome works by raykel are uploaded anywhere????

[raykel.livejournal.com]

Hm. I'd have to FIND them first. And the Chewbacca one was from Caitlin and Rogue, too. If I find them, I'll see if I can get them on YouTube, but they're analog, so.... yeah. Maybe Ray can convert them.

[econopodder.livejournal.com]

Oh, lord, listening to the Death of Chewbacca tribute for the first time....

[rthstewart.livejournal.com]

It's so funny to think how TERRIFIED we were of infringement when you look at all the fan videos today. Caitlin and Rogue even scored and filked the original music, and used it for creative, derivative parody. Today, that creation wouldn't raise an eyebrow when you think of all the vidding going on today. Geez, the property owners have Vid contests! They show them at their sponsored Cons. How times changes....

[magdalaena.livejournal.com]

I am going to check Your favourite stories, but I am intrigued by Your own earlier SW stories. Are they somewhere available?

[rthstewart.livejournal.com]

My big first fic, Stuff, is still on the Club Jade website. It's an old, old story and Luke and Mara, so definitely not for everyone. I'm slowly putting it up on ff.net under that moniker. The others are under different pseudos (I think), lost to time. I recently posted a Who/SW xover, Separated at Birth, and that's on AO3 and ff.net.

[raykel.livejournal.com]

Oh, my, that does indeed surprise me. I'd totally forgotten about that fic. Never did finish it. :(

[cofax7]

I am honored to be considered head!canon!

[rthstewart.livejournal.com]

absolutely!

[yav-14.livejournal.com]

We certainly had fun and wreaked havoc in the GFFA. It makes me happy that you're still writing and finding joy in it.

[rthstewart.livejournal.com]

We did! Yeah, I love it, even when the haters get me down. Goodness certain elemetns of fandom can be weird and it's certainly driven me further and further left, which is definitely not a bad thing. Being in fandom for so long and being on the Internet for so long, it is interesting how some of it has changed so much (porn is easier to find) but other elements really haven't changed at all. Bad fic is still bad fic for the same reasons, great fic is great because amazing people write it, and people move from one place to another, but the bonds remain.