2011: a year of fandom

[diaphenia]

I wrote up a master list for my fic. Doing so has caused me to reflect on this past year.

I have never done the fandom thing before. And life was good!

But then Road Trip happened, and everything changed.



I googled the kiss, because surely someone already uploaded up to youtube? I didn't find the kiss (it had only been four minutes) but I found a bunch of people on tumblr who loved the Parks and Rec. And I thought, I can justify this. Pictures of the cast? Sure. But not fan fic. I'll just ignore that. 

But everyone I was following on tumblr- via googlereader, I wasn't one of those people- was squealing over fic, and I found shornt's list of seriously recommended fic, aaaaand... I broke. I read cypanache's "All Roads Lead to You". And it was awesome. So I started reading those things on the list, and they were all awesome. But, ok, I wasn't going to read the rest of it. 

And then I did that. 

And then the kinkmeme showed up. And... ok, I'm not going to read that. But I did. And I'm not going to write for it.... but I did. But I wasn't writing for the golden couple... and then I did. 

And then I decided I was going to write something longer. And I reached out to rikyl, and told her I was completely unknown but I wanted to write something and did she want to beta it? And also be my friend? Technically I only asked her one of those questions, but I tricked her into the other. And she didn't really know what she was doing! And I didn't either! And my first story (which I never published) was... I don't know, but not great. 

But I kept going! And I wrote a 12K fic called In Six Weeks You'll be Mine. And I was pretty proud! And hooked.

That was the middle of August. 
 
Around that time I started a tumblr. And at first I was just writing whatever, but then I saw a picture of Ann and Chris, in 3x04, where they are standing together in front of Door 214. And if a couple is in front of the number 214, that means something. And I started trying to figure out the set. And noticing the set dressings. And having fun with watches, costumes, and desk animals. And squealing over spoilers with whimsical_irony, and chatting with greenshouse and ballroom_pink. 

And I kept writing. And it was weird and I couldn't quite decide how to explain what I was doing, but I kept going. 

And then craponaspatula posted a fan art picture, and around the same time, stillscape needed help on her "Dear Friend" epic. And both stillscape and I expressed interest in her drawing for our stories. I don't know how it went down with stillscape, but for me, this involved an lj message with lots of hemming, hawing, and "you know, if you'd be interested, but you totally don't have to be, but, you know, of you want..." And she was all, "I mean, you know, if you'd want me to, we could..." And the three of us got along marvelously. And I ended up flying across the country to hang out with craponaspatula and eat her waffles and meet k8_26_2. And this was... holy crap, less than two months after I asked her to illustrate a story for me.

And all of this for a show I only started watching just over a year ago. 


Number of stories written: 10

Approximate number of words: 52K

Number of stories with illustrations: 2

WIPs: 1 (never again! One-shots all the way)

How I describe my fandom life to my friends: "My online writers critique group"

How I explained my vacation to visit craponaspatula: "Visiting a friend... from college."

Number of posts on tumblr: 621

Most popular post on tumblr: I can't claim credit, but this quote from Heather Hogan got 648 notes.

Most popular story on lj: I'm not sure. The Perfect Non-Underwear Gift? It was one of my favorite challenges, to write Jean-Ralphio.

Favorite story: My fic is like my babies. And you can't pick your favorite child... just kidding! You totally can. Safety Zone.

Favorite scene: maybe the double date in the second part of Physical Proximity, maybe the opening Ann/Ben scene in Who More Engilds the Night. 

Favorite thing to write: group scenes!

Number of abandoned stories: at least 7

Oh my god, how many words is that: about 15Kish

Most interesting abandoned story: I tried to do a bedroom door-slamming French farce for season four. I got about 3/4ths the way through before I gave up, because it never gelled. There's also a completed mistletoe story, a fully-written GBOGH thing, and one slash story that really needed an outline to work.

Least favorite story: shut your mouth, there's no such thing

Comments

[throwingpens.livejournal.com]

Visiting a friend from college.

Welcome to your first year in fandom. We in the Parks community were more than happy to have you. :D

[saucydiva.livejournal.com]

Awww, thanks! It's been such a blast!

[stillscape.livejournal.com]

This show inspires us to do the weirdest stuff, does it not? Not that I would know anything about any of that.

I am trying to remember how exactly craponaspatula got involved in "Dear Friend," and I can't remember the exact details. I think I just said "This part needs a picture!" I do know I couldn't tell her what I wanted illustrated until she read part 1 of the epilogue, and when I finally did there was a lot of virtual flailing. As I think there was when I told you where the epilogue was going. And then everything kind of spiraled out of control. I wish I had asked you, or someone, to help out with the monster fic sooner; it might have wound up being slightly less monstrous.

I have written something like 133,000 words of fic since July (good lord), and somehow, no one in my real life has noticed.

[saucydiva.livejournal.com]

It's amazing how easy it is to hide these things with a minimal amount of effort.

Remember when you were writing "Dear Friend" and I would leave huge insane flail-y comments on your stuff and then you became my friend anyway? It was pretty excellent.

[stillscape.livejournal.com]

Remember the time I sent you ten thousand really specific questions about Ben's mayoral tenure and then was like "Let me tell you my head canon about Leslie losing her virginity!" and then I immediately had mild freakouts about writing angst for about a week and kept sending you parts of two chapters at once, and then you became my friend anyway? That was also pretty excellent.

[craponaspatula.livejournal.com]

I can't remember how it came about, either. You and I had been messaging about non-fandom related stuff for a while at that point, I think? However it happened, I'm SO GLAD IT DID. Hooray for spiraling out of control.

I have no idea how you hide it because I have been almost caught about 1,000 times in the past, oh, 10 days or so while BF has been here. How you manage with someone who actually lives in your house year-round is beyond me.

[stillscape.livejournal.com]

I don't do it while he's in the room, basically.

[craponaspatula.livejournal.com]

You make it sound so easy.

[stillscape.livejournal.com]

I also have a different LJ that he knows about, which I have had since before we met, and which he knows I use to follow other communities that are of explicable personal and professional interest. I cleverly use the same layout scheme for both journals so if you are not really paying attention, they look the same (although the icon for my other journal is not Leslie and I should probably change that).

[stillscape.livejournal.com]

Oh, I still have those messages. We were talking about Matthew Weiner's kitchen because I saw an NYT photo gallery of it and immediately thought "that person on the internet whose name I don't know yet would appreciate this."

[rikyl.livejournal.com]

Well, I'm glad you found us. And that you tricked me into befriending you. That has worked out well for me.

I can't remember exactly when I started lurking ... sometime early season 3. I think I just went looking for anyone, just anyone, anywhere who knew who Ben and Leslie were. It seemed like nobody in the world watched my show and nobody else was excited about this back then. And then I found some fic and read something out of curiosity, can't remember what it was I read first. Come to think of it, I probably got here through shornt's tumblr too. But it was so gooooood, I went looking for more. And then there was a hiatus fest, with challenges, and I wrote something for that. God, that was scary. And then it's addictive, isn't it? I just made my own fic master list, but I'd be afraid to add up the word counts.

"Online writers critique group." Ha ha ... that's sort of what I tell people too. People can know I write, and they can know I'm a Parks fan, but not that the two are connected!

[saucydiva.livejournal.com]

I don't know why it never occurred to me to look on the internet before that moment. I got a friend to start watching the show and I remember she powered through everything in two weeks, but she was still on 3x03 when I was on 3x08 and I just wanted her to catch all the way up so we could flail. The only website I really thought about as having fans was TWOP, and they are a little flail-y but not really.

Sometimes I wonder if I give myself away by knowing too much about the show... I'm just waiting for someone to notice that I really love discussing it!

Some day I am going to add up with word counts for you and just send you an email with a number. It'll be fun! For me, mostly.

[popgurlie.livejournal.com]

you are the cutest! welcome to fandom in general! i totes did the "friend in college" thing in buffy. now if someone asks me how i know someone, i just name the fandom.

and what a lovely fandom to start off in! i swear, P&R got me back in fandom -- i had really missed it and no others felt right. i do love everyone in this bar!

(i apologize, i'm def a bit drink taken. but still. yay!)

[saucydiva.livejournal.com]

Everyone in this bar is awesome... just very friendly and chatty. And speaking of bars, I hope to use the phrase "drink taken" from now on, because that's fantastic. I'm not drunk, I'm drink taken.

[popgurlie.livejournal.com]

it IS! i totes stole it from an irish boy i met while at a bus stop waiting for another bus in some random town in ireland. i love, love it. please, take and pass on!

[saucydiva.livejournal.com]

True story. NYE, 1 am my time. I read this comment on my phone while my party hostess was drink taken in the bathroom and we were all awkwardly sitting there, trying to decide what to do about that fact.

[ballroom_pink.livejournal.com]

Awwwwww! (I like how all the links to fic are visited when I look at this post.)



I hope you enjoy this video as a token of my esteem and appreciation (and our congenial nerdiness.)

[saucydiva.livejournal.com]

This is so delightful. I mean, you are calling me Meryl Streep, who is a goddess, and you get to be Anne Hathaway, who I adore so much I sat through Love and Other Drugs for her.

[craponaspatula.livejournal.com]

TWO MONTHS? Seriously? It seems like we have been chatting for decades.

Also, I still can't believe it took you until Road Trip. Not like I should say anything as I was still a long-time lurker at that point. But this has all gone by crazy fast.

[craponaspatula.livejournal.com]

Also, wow about the conversation you linked to where we were talking about illustrating your stories. It is a precious time capsule from our former selves.

[saucydiva.livejournal.com]

And I didn't even post the awkward message I sent you right after that where I was all, hi, we've never even spoken before this moment... why don't you draw pictures for me on the basis that I want you to? And then I awkwardly stumbled into why I find writing sex scenes difficult, and that it's not because I haven't, really... good lord, why didn't you block me right away?

(Also, seriously, less than two months and I was on a plane. I'm super glad you were not a serial killer)

[craponaspatula.livejournal.com]

Haa haa, thankfully I found the frank sex comments super-endearing. I was probably too excited that you were actually talking to me to be looking for any red flags.

We should both be congratulated for not being serial killers. Nice job, us!

[saucydiva.livejournal.com]

I find one of your most charming qualities is that you talk to me despite the near-constant nonsense coming out of my mouth. For instance, my first thought when I saw this comment was to write "At least, not people who serial killed each other because of course serial killers don't murder everyone they meet." Luckily I realized that would ridiculous to write straight, so I merely decided to mention it as an impulse.

This is why people sometimes stop talking to me.