eldabe: Image of canal in Venice (Default)
Siiiiiigh. (Link goes to a tumblr blog post about recent content from Lindsay Ellis and Sarah Z about fanfiction. The language gets a bit strong, just a heads up.) (Also, there's valid commentary specifically on fandom as a queer space that I'm just not equipped to talk about but don't want to entirely ignore, so, to be clear, I defer entirely to Older Than Netfic on this)

Youtube has been a primary form of media consumption for me for, hmmm, a few years now? And I liked Lindsay Ellis since she was still working with Channel Awesome, so like. The parasocial fondness is real.

But she has been...not great...about fanfiction for a long time. She will admit that she wrote it, but she always spins it either as a dumb kid thing or qualifies fanfiction as her stepping stone to writing "real" fiction.

And like, she's not alone. There's a lot of pressure in that direction in fandom still. When I was younger, I thought that was the only real justification for investing into fanfiction writing. And then Naomi Novick was like, nahh, I can still write my Game of Thrones OTP while cranking out fabulous fantasy novels, bu-bye, and while I have lots of other fun anxieties related to fanfiction, it's been a relief to remind myself, no, fanfiction is wonderful as a goal in and of itself. So I'm actually pretty tired and turned off by Lindsay's perspective on fanfiction. Honestly, the best thing I can say about it is that she rarely talks about fanfiction, and she's so clearly uncomfortable with the topic that she avoids it. Which is great! Please don't talk about fanfiction, Lindsay. You're not in the community, you're not hip to the jive (and like, for ME to say that...lol), you can bring other media perspectives in. Leave the fanfiction corner of fandom alone.

(I enjoyed her videos on the omegaverse stuff primarily because she avoided the fanfiction angle as much as possible. And I thinks she was right to do so!)

Now....Sarah Z. I liked her for a while. I actually think I'm still subscribed to her, technically. But as I literally dig through her archive...I haven't liked anything she's posted in years. I'm pretty sure I found her during the Channel Awesome debacle, where her research skills came in handy in being one of many voices breaking down a complicated story. And I enjoyed her video on Heathers (literally the second-oldest video on her channel) because it was clearly coming from the perspective of a fan of Heathers criticizing problems with the new show. Her content focused on media productions has always been decent.

But I realize, as I scroll through Sarah Z's content, that I never really liked her content on fandom, even when I agreed with some of her points. I actually tried to watch her video on the Oncler fandom multiple times because it was a fandom I didn't know, and I love learning about new fandoms. What are the trends, who are the people, what is the content being produced? Individual fandoms are like individual little ecologies, existing both independently and intertwined with larger fandom as a whole. And getting to see other fandoms, without my personal Fandom Brain getting in the way, can be a delight!

But I just haven't gotten very far in the video. Sarah Z's obvious distaste for the fandom, and her past self, were such visceral turn-offs for me that I couldn't proceed.

I actively avoided her video essays on Sherlock and Supernatural. I'm not even in either of those fandoms, but I didn't want to hear her making fun of them, and I fully expect that to happen. Hbomberguy's takedown of Sherlock was, in my opinion, so gentle to the fans, and made it clear that the fans were treated terribly by Moffat. Based on nothing but the title card, in which Sarah Z is rubbing her temple in obvious judgement of the fandom, I wanted nothing to do with that video.

In fact, looking through her content, I'm not sure why I still think of myself as a fan. I did want to watch some of her videos about being a youtube creator (although I'm hesitant to try as I expect she's going to be kind of a jerk about her fans, and even when they deserve it, I don't trust her POV, you know?) and I think her video about the history of Rebecca Black's Friday is another valuable commentary, but that's...maybe it. At least Lindsay is sometimes willing to admit that her fandom feelings are uncontrollably bursting out of her, even if those feelings are not allowed to translate into fanfiction.

I wish there were youtubers who were more familiar with and supportive of, fanfiction and fanfiction-adjacent fandom spaces. It's odd how the youtube platform, which is one so borne of internet culture, is so hostile to fanfiction. Sure, fanfiction is acknowledged? But frequently as the butt of jokes. Lindsay Ellis' "well, this is something I did as a child but no longer" seems progressive almost, in context.

Maybe it's the result of youtube being so clearly tied to real life identities in a way fanfiction communities have avoided for so long? Either way, it's a strong support for my old school preference for the safety of the fourth wall. I would rather spend time with the people who get it, who are kind and supportive and accept fanfiction as a good thing (or at least a neutral thing!) and cheerfully encourage fan creation in all it's wild and weird ways.

Oh, and also; so glad to be off twitter. So, so, so very glad.
eldabe: Image of canal in Venice (Default)
So, uh, I'm watching Sense 8?*

And I'm almost ANNOYED that episode 8 is the one where everything GOT REAL. Because I have invested like, six-and-a-half hours in these characters and NOW I am YELLING AT THE SCREEN. WHAT IS HAPPENING. D:LFKJSD:FKJ

(There is still too much violence oh my gosh)

*I tried to watch Sense 8 years ago, when it first came out, but I honestly found it frustrating. I am only getting back to watching it because ladyknightthebrave just posted a video and while I'll happily watch her videos without consuming the underlying media, I was always planning on getting back to Sense 8 so this is as good a reason as any.

See: I also keep meaning to watch JoJo Rabbit.
eldabe: Image of canal in Venice (Default)


Listening to Hank Green Harry Potter songs and re-reading MGK's "Why I Should Write the Legion" series.

/yearns for some (more) decent LSH fanfic.

ETA: Finishing off the day by watching Lilo & Stitch with roommate while we split a pint of Americone Dream.

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