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randomfatechidnai consider myself a,,, mild online fannish history nerd.
i've been in fandom proper since june 2012 when i joined tumblr, but i had been reading fanfiction on ffnet since probably 2009 at the earliest. it started with twilight fic. dont judge me.
my interest in studying fandom history only really began in earnest this year, when i read the cassandra clare plagiarism debacle and then soon after, the msscribe story (which still has me thinking about it months and months later). now, i'm reading about andy "thanfiction" blake.
for those that don't know:
i like history. i think it's fun to analyse shit that happened in the past so we can try not to repeat it. what keeps happening again and again, though, is that fandom idolises these big name fans - who are just normal, complex people (except possibly in the case of andy, who is skilled at creating cults of personality and shows no intention of stopping.) msscribe wanted to be popular. cassie wanted people to think her fic was good. hopefully, as fandom, there comes a point where we can recognise these desires in ourselves and work on them so that they don't become as toxic as they did in history.
it's not just the dramas that i like about fandom history.
i love the newsgroups and email chains. webrings, just,, as a concept. fic websites. fandom_wank (what 2014!me wouldn't give for a tumblr f_w - it would have been an absolute dumpster fire but every second would have been good to watch).
i like the way early fic feels different to modern fic. i frequent trekiverse (a star trek archive) and gossamer (an x files archive) and love that each fic, especially the ones written prior to the finale of each show, has its own feeling of age. i love when i read a fic and in the author's notes it denotes the zine it was originally published in - a testament to the fact that fandom doesn't need the internet to function, that we were and always will be fans!
however, there are horrible things that happen in fandom too, like andy blake.
despite these stories, i do believe that fandom and fannish culture can be a cool vehicle for artists and ordinary people to come together and do something fun. i think the otw is a testament to the ability of fans (esp. women) to think of something, to band together, and to achieve it. that the otw is not for profit speaks for the love people have for what they do: that they'll donate for something they believe in, that they'll volunteer hours to work for it, and that they'll create fanworks for free (i considered applying for a fanlore position recently, and if entry-level positions at the otw become available, i'll likely apply for them).
like everything people do, though, there are people who have motivations that aren't sincere and ruin it for everyone else. as a very curious and interested party, though, i think it's an important part of the culture, i think it's important to preserve, and i'd like to keep looking into it as much as i can.
i've been in fandom proper since june 2012 when i joined tumblr, but i had been reading fanfiction on ffnet since probably 2009 at the earliest. it started with twilight fic. dont judge me.
my interest in studying fandom history only really began in earnest this year, when i read the cassandra clare plagiarism debacle and then soon after, the msscribe story (which still has me thinking about it months and months later). now, i'm reading about andy "thanfiction" blake.
for those that don't know:
- the cassandra clare plagiarism debacle occurred in 2001 and surrounded a hp slashfic of cassie's that sparked debate about whether she had plagiarised because she took phrases (and sometimes whole paragraphs) from a published novel. it also sparked debate as to whether doing so (despite whether you believe cassie did it or not*) was ethical. *spoiler alert: she did
- the msscribe story is about how, in the hp fandom, another user made sockpuppet accounts to boost her own popularity. even when the appendices were being written for the journal post about her, it is suspected she was still pretending to be other people as an "anonymousie"
- andy thanfiction has been active in fandom for about 20 years now, creating cults of personality first around his "ability" to channel other people, then his DAYDverse fics. he has lured in women, men, and minors, has been accused of (and confessed to) sexual assault, and is a threat to everyone he comes into contact with.
i like history. i think it's fun to analyse shit that happened in the past so we can try not to repeat it. what keeps happening again and again, though, is that fandom idolises these big name fans - who are just normal, complex people (except possibly in the case of andy, who is skilled at creating cults of personality and shows no intention of stopping.) msscribe wanted to be popular. cassie wanted people to think her fic was good. hopefully, as fandom, there comes a point where we can recognise these desires in ourselves and work on them so that they don't become as toxic as they did in history.
it's not just the dramas that i like about fandom history.
i love the newsgroups and email chains. webrings, just,, as a concept. fic websites. fandom_wank (what 2014!me wouldn't give for a tumblr f_w - it would have been an absolute dumpster fire but every second would have been good to watch).
i like the way early fic feels different to modern fic. i frequent trekiverse (a star trek archive) and gossamer (an x files archive) and love that each fic, especially the ones written prior to the finale of each show, has its own feeling of age. i love when i read a fic and in the author's notes it denotes the zine it was originally published in - a testament to the fact that fandom doesn't need the internet to function, that we were and always will be fans!
however, there are horrible things that happen in fandom too, like andy blake.
despite these stories, i do believe that fandom and fannish culture can be a cool vehicle for artists and ordinary people to come together and do something fun. i think the otw is a testament to the ability of fans (esp. women) to think of something, to band together, and to achieve it. that the otw is not for profit speaks for the love people have for what they do: that they'll donate for something they believe in, that they'll volunteer hours to work for it, and that they'll create fanworks for free (i considered applying for a fanlore position recently, and if entry-level positions at the otw become available, i'll likely apply for them).
like everything people do, though, there are people who have motivations that aren't sincere and ruin it for everyone else. as a very curious and interested party, though, i think it's an important part of the culture, i think it's important to preserve, and i'd like to keep looking into it as much as i can.
no subject
Date: 2018-12-08 10:51 pm (UTC)part of the msscribe debacle toward the end - i didnt realise the significance of the posts and jokes about everyone being an msscribe sockpuppet till i read the backstory and went ohhhhhhhhh my gosh
iirc thanfiction turned up on tumblr; there were posts about him and I was astonished it was the same person id read about years before
i find it soooo interesting reading old fics - a while ago in search of a fic well that would take a long time to dry up i searched for spock/kirk and ended up with ascattering of really vintage fic amongst the more recent stuff and it was super interesting to experience that difference in tone and voice
no subject
Date: 2018-12-08 11:50 pm (UTC)thanfiction did turn up on tumblr - he was in the critical role and spn fandoms mainly - but he's also made an appearance on instagram and twitter. his tumblr is password protected. he's said he's going to leave fandom bc of its toxicity many times, but i don't think he ever will. it's the only place he wields this much power, and there are always people to indoctrinate there.
i love vintage fic! it's sometimes hard to wade through the aged sensibilities (the amount of horrible patriarchal shit i've had to sift through is. sad.) but once you get to the good stuff it's so endearing!
no subject
Date: 2018-12-09 03:50 am (UTC)there were icons about thanfiction's son being a sparrow, too, as a variation of "his wife? a horse" though i don't think i have any of those saved. christ, the whole epic story of hollywood cosplay busking and the lotr con was him as well wasn't it?? SO MANY THINGS
no subject
Date: 2018-12-09 10:43 pm (UTC)i love the internet so much
no subject
Date: 2018-12-10 01:34 am (UTC)