and at some point i also have to finish my yuletide fic

[whynot]

So my anthropology final is going to be about fanfiction as a platform for the expression of subaltern rhetoric (specifically, pro-LGBT and pro-women rhetoric), and I'll be using Merlin and Narnia fandoms as case studies. Basically, my essay is about: YOU GUYS. I have a 4-page outline for 20-ish (15-ish?) pages and it's due on Tuesday omg.

It was such a trip making this outline. I was writing about The Last Battle, and my gut instinct was to warn for spoilers. Spoilers! Warning for spoilers in an academic essay: I WON'T DO IT, but it feels wrong not to anyway! I'm probably going to compile stats & figures from LJ comms, fic archives, and kinkme_merlin (OMG I'M GONNA TALK ABOUT KINKME_MERLIN IN AN ACADEMIC PAPER) to support my claim that, what, people are into slash. Maybe I'll even make a table of it and put it in the appendix?!? MAYBE I'LL MAKE PIE CHARTS D: D: (XD)

There are peer-reviewed journals and published books about this stuff, but this paper doesn't feel like a grad-level anthro final. It feels like a "what I did over my summer vacation" essay, or an especially self-indulgent LJ post.

I've some interview questions for you guys, 'cos it's not everyday that the subject of my paper topic is but a flist away! Answer one, some, or all; I'd be happy with whatever.


1) Activism within fandom: is it effective? What are examples? I'm talking about when fandom bands together and does something concrete-ish in terms of fund- and awareness-raising. Like, what was that thing not so long ago where ppl were like, "Donate money to this pro-LGBT cause and I'll produce a fanwork for you!"? Or what about the Strikethrough migration, what the hell was up with that? This question is asked in context of why we choose fantasy fiction as a valid battleground for identity politics.

2) Why DO you write fanfiction? What are the relationships between ficcer, fic, and canon to you? (I'm especially interested in the opinions of those who porn, because I do not tend to porn and feel like I'm missing out on a huge subsection of fandom because of it.)

3) How tangible is the fannish community? Do you chat with these people everyday? Do you email them often, or about non-fannish things? Do you meet them IRL? What is the value of your interactions with fellow fans?

4) Small fandom (e.g. Narnia) vs. large fandom (e.g. Merlin): do you have a preference? Why?

5) "Fanfiction is the act of taking something that doesn’t represent you and transforming it into something that does." Discuss.



Non-interviewy questions--

a) What is that article about Merlin when it was new, in which Colin and Bradley were surprised/chuffed that the show was so embraced by the gay community?
b) Do you guys have links to the Merlin producers/publicists blatantly shipping Bradley/Colin, even if just for the slash fans' benefit? Like, that time when Bradley was playing charity soccer and Julian Jones or wtfe was like yeah, Colin's gonna be there with a sponge and bucket to wipe him down.
c) Not for my essay, but: are Katie McGrath's eyes green or blue? THEY'RE GREEN DAMMIT, but I've seen a lot of blue in fics. (GREEN.)

Comments

[animus-wyrmis.livejournal.com]

THIS IS AWESOME. Personally I feel that warning for spoilers in a book 50 years old is probably unnecessary.

1) Activism within fandom: is it effective? What are examples? I'm talking about when fandom bands together and does something concrete-ish in terms of fund- and awareness-raising. Like, what was that thing not so long ago where ppl were like, "Donate money to this pro-LGBT cause and I'll produce a fanwork for you!"? Or what about the Strikethrough migration, what the hell was up with that? This question is asked in context of why we choose fantasy fiction as a valid battleground for identity politics.
Hrm. I'm usually not involved in this stuff although I think it's been helpful in the past? They raised a lot of money in that auction thing, IIRC. I think more of the activism is meta and stuff--Racefail I would consider activism, for example. And I think that's really effective, getting stuff out there. And if you can change the stories you can change people's views, you know? Like I learned 99% of what I knew about it being okay to be queer from reading gltq fiction/fics.

2) Why DO you write fanfiction? What are the relationships between ficcer, fic, and canon to you?
Hm. Sometimes I have Things To Say about the canon--things that bug me, or that I want to explore, or want more of. Sometimes these things are easier to get out in story form than essay form, and more people want to read the stories. Also I see queer women everywhere in fiction but there are very few of them canonically; I want to see more queer characters, I guess, so I write them in (I mean, I always see them as queer before I write them; it's not like I sit at a computer and go "Now I will write lesbians into Narnia" or whatever). And I'm interested in relationships women have with each other, which also tend not to be in canon.

Also, it's just really fun. People read fic! And then they comment on it! And then you get to talk to people about stuff you like to read/watch! And that's fun too.

3) How tangible is the fannish community? Do you chat with these people everyday? Do you email them often, or about non-fannish things? Do you meet them IRL? What is the value of your interactions with fellow fans?
I talk to a lot of fandom people about other stuff, I guess; I know some of them irl and we're good friends--my primary beta is one of my best friends from junior high. And fandom people are usually a lot like me in terms of dissecting/critiquing things. I mean, when I watch a movie with my roommate, I'll say "Damn, that's fail, why is everyone white except for the villains? And why is this plot silly?" and my roomie is usually like "Shut up and watch the movie!" but that's just not how I engage with things. So it's great to have fandom friends who also have these thoughts.

4) Small fandom (e.g. Narnia) vs. large fandom (e.g. Merlin): do you have a preference? Why?
I started out in HP so everything seems small. :) But actually I prefer that--I feel like I read a lot more Narnia fic because I can keep an eye on most of it, whereas wading through all the stuff in a bigger fandom is just...hard. There's a lot of crap out there, so while there's more good stuff it's harder to find and I wind up either going to rec lists only or not reading fic at all. Narnia is definitely more manageable, and I feel like I get to know authors better.

5) "Fanfiction is the act of taking something that doesn’t represent you and transforming it into something that does." Discuss.
I think it can be. I don't think it always is (I mean, except as much as your writing represents you by definition). But I think a lot of times we look at the stories that didn't get told--the ones that are about us--and then we write them. Where *are* the queer people? The conversations between Morgana and Gwen, or Gwen and...anyone? Where are the non-evil women in Narnia? I think stories that are complete I never try to write fic for, and sometimes stories aren't complete because they leave so many groups of people out.

[animus-wyrmis.livejournal.com]

4) ALSO I think I prefer bigger fandoms usually, actually, come to think of it, but only when I have time. So if I could go back to when I had time it would be bigger fandoms all the way. Now I follow a couple communities for Narnia/Merlin/HP and a couple rec lists and that's basically it, who has time for more? So: in theory, the bigger the better! In practice, if it's big I don't have time to look for stuff.

[twoskeletons.livejournal.com]

Auction? What auction?

Like I learned 99% of what I knew about it being okay to be queer from reading gltq fiction/fics.
OMG yes me too. Participating in fandom is like Women's Studies 101, there should be credit. Cultural appropriation, gender multiplicities, etc. And I learn more because I'm invested in a different way!

Ahaha, I totally feel you on stories vs. meta. I write fics 'cos I'm too lazy to write meta.

the stories that didn't get told--the ones that are about us
The similarity of these two phrases :(((

wading through all the stuff in a bigger fandom is just...hard.
Yaaaa. I used to mine the shit out of Narnia fandom for Peter/Susan fics and be like, "OH WELL I guess it's adequately unterrible for me to bookmark." But with Merlin fandom, I'm taking a much more haphazard approach.

[animus-wyrmis.livejournal.com]

I...I think there was an auction to raise money for marriage equality? I am not entirely sure; I had classes or exams or something. But I think it was like you bid on items and then paid the money to a group, or something.

Yesss, we are invested differently, it makes it easier to learn this stuff. And also, also, who wants to read meta really? (Well I do. But like, if you were like "Hey Wyrm here's a meta essay and here's a fic, which do you want more?" I would be like OMG FIC.)

Yeah, it makes it easier to find good stuff on the one hand, but you have to look through so much of it!

[twoskeletons.livejournal.com]

Ya and sometimes you end up learning interesting things during the writing/reading of fic too anyway.