Fandom Snowflake Challenge - Day 4

Day 4

In your own space, create a fannish wishlist. No limits on size or type of fanwork; just tell us what you’d like to see. Leave a comment in this post saying you did it. Include a link to your post if you feel comfortable doing so. And if you grant a wish, do the same thing!

1) I would love for there to be more Blake and Avery series fics. This is a series of three historical fiction mystery novels by M.J. Carter that begin in British occupied Calcutta in 1837 and later move on to London and feature a Holmes and Watson-esque pair of leads. I can't even explain why I love these books so much, but I do and I would be thrilled to see more fic! And more squee! from anyone else who's read them.


2) I would love for there to be more Injection fics. Injection is an ongoing comic written by Warren Ellis, illustrated by Declan Shalvey, and published by Image that is shaping up to be as brilliant in its own way as Transmetropolitan. It's an absurdly deft blend of fantasy and sci-fi, humor and action/drama, and nods to other series that also features a stellar cast of characters, and I am obsessed. Only two full length fics were ever posted to AO3, but they are insanely well-written, and I would love to see more.

3) A revival of raw scans communities. I loved these for finding new mangaka, but if they're still around anymore, I have no idea where to find them.

これで以上です。

Fandom Snowflake Challenge - Day 2

Day 2

In your own space, share a favorite memory about fandom: the first time you got into fandom, the last time a fanwork touched your heart, crazy times with fellow fans (whether on-line or off-line), a lovely comment you’ve received or have left for someone. Leave a comment in this post saying you did it. Include a link to your post if you feel comfortable doing so.

Twenty-odd years ago I was hugely into several fandoms (like X-Files) with very active slash communities. Through their MLs I was vaguely aware of something called "yaoi," that was like comics, only in black and white, that you could just buy in a store, and that people created for their jobs. It seemed cool, but far removed from any reality I inhabited.

Fast forward five years and I'm newly arrived in Japan. On a whim, I decide to go into some store called Book-Off on the strength of its humorous name, and while I'm there my brain goes, Hey, remember hearing about that yaoi stuff?

And somehow, without having any idea of how Japan' publishing industry works, or a Japanese bookstore is organized, or how the Japanese language is alphabetized, or even the ability to read above a fourth grade level, I managed to find a 100 yen copy of Naono Bohra's A Bird in a Dream.

I spent hours each night over the next two months hunched over a dictionary trying to figure out kanji compounds, slang, verb conjugations, and grammar patterns. But that was the start of learning to read Japanese like a native, and better yet, my entry into a subculture in which I've made some of my best and most lasting friendships, to people all over the world. A totally excellent return on investment for 100 yen and a couple of one-off references on an ML.

これで以上です。