fandom musings (aka psuedo-meta) - HP specific

[wook77]

The following is some fandom musings (psuedo-meta) about recent comments I've seen. Please keep in mind that I use "you" and mean the "general you". If you feel that the statements or actions apply to you... maybe they do but I didn't write this with you in mind. I wrote this with generalities and a population at large in mind...



I've seen the statement of "I'm bored with HP fandom" or "There's nothing good out there", "where are all the new people to reinvent the fandom", "there's no new artists, authors, etc" far too many times in my flist lately. Keep in mind that I have a small-ish flist, which causes me to wonder what's going on.

I see plenty going on in fandom and I have to wonder, are these people looking at the same fandom I am?

I see plenty of people offering up new stories. I see plenty of new artists out there offering up their work. I see plenty of new stories from semi-established writers and plenty of new takes on "old" pairings.

During a recent IM conversation with a friend that I shan't name, we were discussing how people aren't really commenting and it really feels like no one is out there reading and viewing the works.

I see these two issues as connected.

IMHO - The reason that people are feeling bored with HP Fandom is that they aren't giving new people a chance. They aren't reading new offerings by semi-established authors. They are so fixated on their own ennui that they aren't seeking out new things. Instead, it's easier to say "there's nothing new out there" or "I'm jumping ship to a new fandom because HP Fandom is dying".

I'm not saying don't get yourself a new fandom or two. I'm not saying that someone has to be specifically and only HP otherwise you're an adulterous h0r. Personally, I'm in quite a few fandoms that I love and adore.

I still come back to HP. Why? Because there are so many things out there I haven't read yet. There are so many artists that I haven't experienced yet. When I get "bored", I branch out in pairings and look for something I haven't experienced before.

I'm a H/D or D/H shipper by nature. I prefer slash over het. That doesn't mean that I won't read a McGonagall/Riddle if it intrigues me. I subscribe to quibbler_report so that I can get exposed to a variety of pairings. I also read the thegoldenseeker for het and femmeslash.

Basically, my point is that if you're bored with fandom or think it's imploding and/or dying… look to what you actually do with fandom. Do you give new authors a try? Do you give new pairings, new kinks, new experiences a try? Or do you stick with the same BNF's all the time? Do you keep to your corner of fandom and don't ever "leave the house"?

There are wonderful authors out there that I fangirl like mad. My fellow authors over at hd_365 do a fantastic job with various prompts for a series of interconnected semi-PWPs. anael has some wonderful writings of different pairings. coffeejunkii has written some unbelievably fantastic mpreg stories lately. hp_springsmut has some really fabulous rarepair stories and artwork. mayflo does amazing things with h/d art.

I could go on and on about all the people I fangirl (because there are plenty out there) but those are just a few examples off the top of my head.

If you're only reading people in the BNF groups than perhaps your corner of fandom is dying. BNF's can only put out so much as there are only so many of them. Give someone new a try…I think you'll be amazed at what you find.

/wook's musings and psuedo-meta.

In the spirit of my musings - who do you obsess over? Recc me a story or a piece of artwork... any pairing (even Snape), any rating, slash/het, any kink. Help me expand my horizons.

Comments

[wearethestars.livejournal.com]

Awwww. I appreciate how much pimping you do of my fics. And I've seen the same arguments and complaints on my flist too. It's frustrating to be writing stories and feel like they're not being read but I know I've been cruising by stories that probably deserve reading and appreciating... so I'm guilty of the same thing.

XXXOXOX

[coffeejunkii.livejournal.com]

aww, you are too kind! i nearly fell out of my chair when i saw that snapshots had been recced at hogwarts_today because let's just say that fluff and mpreg [esp. in that combo] doesn't usually get recced there. so that was a very nice experience.

i agree with what you say to a certain extent, in that there are probably a ton of people who write fantastic stuff and it doesn't get noticed. i think anon exchanges like smutmas are a really good antidote to that and a way for a new writer to get noticed.

i think some of the people who don't feel the hp love anymore are just not interested in exploring that world anymore, so it's not really a matter of not wanting to seek out new fic or art. i don't know. i do know, however, that i feel just as excited about hp and h/d as i did two years ago, and i can't see that changing any time soon :).

[lusiology.livejournal.com]

Before the reccing, let me have a little moan first. What's really pissing me off at the moment is this new trend of not responding to readers comments. It seems to be happening more & more and I don't mean not responding in the first 24 hours after a post, I mean never - it's so rude. I'm actually at the point now where I check to see if an author responds before I'll leave a comment. I think I may post about this to get it off my chest.

Moan over and on to the good stuff. You know I adore this artist but I'll say again go and check out lillithium's website Harry Potter and the Planetarium (http://lillithium.azile.net/frame.html) and drool over pictures, comics and doujinshi's.

Have you read any of nimori's fics? I did rec 3 of her HP/LM fics a few posts ago. Did you read them? And there is also the wonderfully funny The Pandora Complex in which Snape discovers the internet, then slash, then HP slash with him in it. Brilliant. If you like dark!fic there is Memoirs of a Death Eater Whore in which the DE's get more than they bargained for. You need to get a code word to read her NC-17 stuff on her website but it's definitely worth it. She's also a damn good artist too.

[annella.livejournal.com]

I agree... it's a bit distressing to me to see so many on my flist slowly abandoning the HP fandom. It's not dying! It's as alive as ever!! At least in my corner it is. :D

I confess to being a bit narrow in my reading, especially lately. I just don't have time to read every new story like I used to. I tend to read something if I know the author, it's a story I'm following, or it's been recced. Real life has really encroached on my involvement in fandom, and it's not by choice that I'm less involved. *sigh*

There are a HEAP of fantastic stories out there. I lose track of all the works in progress I'm reading. *clings to HP fandom*

I obsess over wtf_drarry. Soooo cracky. Bit angsty at the moment, though.

[acidpop25.livejournal.com]

Hm, well, Triptych (http://antoshevu.livejournal.com/8738.html) by antoshevu is a cool Harry/Ginny/Luna piece. I'd never read the pair before, but I quite liked it. Also a piece called "Pray It Never Fades," by crimson_stained (the link for which I can't find at the moment) which is a really beautiful H/D. I'd also reccomend Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others (http://ofscarletwoman.livejournal.com/41381.html) by ofscarletwoman, which is a really cool Millicent-centered piece.

[coffeejunkii.livejournal.com]

this new trend of not responding to readers comments.

that's my number one fandom pet peeve right there. i can't stand it! i don't think it's a new trend, though. maybe it's been happening more recently, but i hadn't noticed. i do the same thing you do--i check if someone responds before leaving a comment. i tend to leave more than "awesome!" in my comments, so i don't want to take time to craft a response that gets ignored anyway.

[emeraldpen.livejournal.com]

As a new author, I agree with your statement about responding to comments 100 percent. I think it's so important to respond to every comment, even if it's just 1 or 2 words. It's an acknowledgement.

[emeraldpen.livejournal.com]

*clings to HP*

It can't be dead yet, I just got here. *clings more*

I told someone I was having a jazz funeral when or if it does die. Heh.

[jehnt.livejournal.com]

I'm obsessed with helenish, who may well be the funniest person in existence. She's by no means new in fandom (in fact, I think she's pretty much no longer in HP fandom, having abandoned it in favor of SGA) but I see that she's not on your flist so maybe she's new to you. I read everything she writes, even the stuff she writes in fandoms that I know nothing about. My favorite of her HP stories is A Soft Spot for Lost Causes, which is pretty much one of my favorite fics ever. If you haven't read it you totally should.

I'm sure there are newer stories/authors I obsess over, but I'm too lazy to go through my bookmarks right now.

[yaycoffee.livejournal.com]

You are so right! I'd noticed some grumbling as well, and it surprised me, too. I'm still working through writers' block that makes fandom a little less fun for me, because I'm not ALL UP IN ITS BUSINESS these days, but I'm still finding fabulous art and fic from both familiar and new people.

I love you, HP fandom! :-D

[brockssnow.livejournal.com]

The first author that really got me hooked on the whole HP fandom is starflowers. Her stories are here: http://www.fictionalley.org/authors/cinnamon/. Sorry I don't know how to put up links yet. She wrote Harry/Draco, Draco/Ron and Draco/Ginny stories. I really enjoyed them all. HP fandom is not dead to me since I just started reading about six months ago. I am still finding stories that get me excited.

[wook77.livejournal.com]

I pimp cause it's true. You have some amazingly poignant stuff that deserves recognition.

I cruise past some stuff, I click randomly on others. Sometimes, I'm rewarded, sometimes I'm not.

My whole point is that fandom is what you make of it. If it's dying, look to yourself. You're not saying fandom is dying so I don't think you're guilty...

[wook77.livejournal.com]

That was amazing! I squee'd when I saw it there because you're right... mpreg is rarely recc'd let alone mpreg WITH fluff.

And your continuation of Precipice?! *ded*

I do love anon exchanges. It's instant exposure to people that you wouldn't read otherwise. That's why I'm enjoying springsmut so much. There are tons of pairings I otherwise wouldn't read but they're all there and begging for attention.

I'm with you on the excitement thing. I'm still in love with H/D - even when I find other pairings. I'm not so "focused" on h/d but I will always be a h/d OTP person...

[wook77.livejournal.com]

I'm with you on the commenting stuff (for me - it's both ways...) I get so annoyed when authors don't even just drop a note back saying "thanks for letting me know". As CJ says below - I try to leave coherent concrit and commentary (unless I'm so amazed that I leave gobblygook but that's another topic) and I'd like, at the very least, a comment back letting me know it's been acknowledged.

I also don't like the trend of readers not commenting, even if it's just to say "I read this and liked it" or "I read this and didn't like it". Otherwise (at least for me) I feel a bit like I'm talking to an empty room.

I'm on my way over there for both of those. I hadn't read the hp/lm stories but I'm there...Thanks for pointing them out!

[wook77.livejournal.com]

Exactly! It's not dying! It's here!

Everyone is allowed to be narrow in their reading. My point was really... fandom is what one makes of it. (you're still reading me, though, right????? *winks*)

I've been slowly getting into wtf_drarry. I used to obsess over hogwarts_bound but no one is active there... at all.

(btw - totally off-topic - the icon keeeeeelllllsssss me)

[wook77.livejournal.com]

Harry/Ginny/Luna is my OT3 at this point. (although I'm still hoping for H/D/Blaise over at hp_bb)

I'll have to look those up... THANKS!!!!

(how are you, btw?)

[wook77.livejournal.com]

It's not dead... we're here! and see, you made my point! New blood into fandom when people are saying there isn't any!

(in honor of your *heh*... I'm using one of my new favorite icons...)

[wook77.livejournal.com]

I'll have to go look her up. I've never seen SGA but I'll give it a try.

I have about 30 people I fangirl so I didn't want to list them all... I just really posted the highlights and who I thought of off the top of my head.

Anyway - rambling aside... thanks for the link! She is new to me.

[wook77.livejournal.com]

I understand the writer's block (*smites writer's block*).

Exactly on finding the new stuff. I've also found some of the greatest people in the world through HP Fandom. It's not dead and it's not dying.

*loves on the fandom and you*

[wook77.livejournal.com]

I started reading a little over a year ago, so it's not dead for me either. That being said... I've read all the "classics" and I'm constantly finding new people to read as well. There are some amazing new additions to the fandom.

I adore cinnamon's stuff. She's amazing and fabulous! Thanks for reminding me!

[jehnt.livejournal.com]

Errr, I haven't seen SGA either. But if this photo doesn't convince you that it's a fandom worth being in...

But seriously, everything Helenish writes is sharp and clean and sparkling and exactly the kind of thing I wish I could write.

[wearethestars.livejournal.com]

I totally agree. It's irksome when you type out a thought out response to someones fic and they never even acknowledge you. :(

[wearethestars.livejournal.com]

Hi, I secrectly ship Harry/Luna (HET-OT). :"> *hides*

[incapricious.livejournal.com]

You have some amazingly poignant stuff that deserves recognition.

Word.

That goes for you too though, wook.

[acidpop25.livejournal.com]

I've been known to write it. I'm not ashamed. Not my OTP by any means, but I like them together.