Fandom Snowflake 2020 - Challenge #6

[scrubjayspeaks]

Challenge #6: In your own space, make a list — anything between one and ten things is a sweet spot, but don't feel constrained by that! - of things that you wish existed in fandom or elsewhere, or that you'd like someone to make for you.

I struggled with this one, because I don't want or need a lot of more in my life right now. I don't need recs for most fannish things--stories to read, watch, or listen to--since I have difficulty keeping up with what I've got right now. I'm already branching out into more communities, so that's probably enough to be going on with in that department. I'm happy enough to have more fannish connections if they're people I can add to my reading list here, but I know I can't manage a lot of private messages in any medium.

That being said! Here are a few favors people could do for me:

1. More readers and engagement for Lake Lewisia, my microfiction project.

This is an ongoing series, currently posting MWF, set in a fictional town and the surrounding areas, full of magic, cryptids, successful small businesses, people being kind to each other, and other things a few feet left of our current reality.

It's available on both tumblr and dreamwidth, and there are currently 487 three-sentence pieces to read. Most of them are stand-alone, though there are recurring characters and I've done a few multi-piece arcs over the past two years. I'd like to expand it into longer works, especially if I could get enough interest going to generate reader prompts/requests and crowdfunding. Right now, I have a few followers on tumblr who regularly like the posts, but I'm not seeing any expansion in readership. Shouting into a void is dull.


2. Suggestions for watercolor tutorials and simple projects.

I've been teaching myself to watercolor, but I'm often stuck for ideas of what to make--my vision currently exceeds my abilities, so it can be hard to think of something I both WANT to make and CAN make. Cute projects that are good practice and actually make something reasonably worth looking at would be helpful. I like Youtube videos on the subject, but I'm down to try any format I have access to.


3. New music recs--artists or individual songs, either is fine.

I listen to a lot of music while on my day job--running big, sometimes loud machines to manufacture small medical doodads--and I'm always in the market for new things to try. For work purposes, I favor things with lyrics I can eventually sing along with, as instrumental stuff has a hard time holding my attention under those conditions. I'm looking for whatever you consider A Bop, suitable for shimmying in place to.

My taste in music is eclectic, verging on absurd, while also managing to have huge gaps among otherwise commonly known artists. So don't be afraid to suggest your weird niche love OR that thing everyone has already heard. While I can't promise I'll like it, I will, if nothing else, give Stockholm Syndrome a fair chance to kick in by listening to it on loop. I typically sample new stuff by listening on free services, then buy what I like for loading onto an mp3 player, so the weird niche stuff needs to be accessible on the usual platforms.

And finally, one fandom-wide request: be kind to one another. Be patient when you can be. Be firm when you must be. But be kind. Fandom has always had its problems, but they've become both particularly visible and widely distributed and particularly vicious over the last several years. Fandom should be fun, and it should be welcoming, and it should leave people better off than they were without it. I don't know how to fix any of the problems except to be persistently, belligerently kind.

Comments

Try this ...

[ysabetwordsmith]

And finally, one fandom-wide request: be kind to one another. Be patient when you can be. Be firm when you must be. But be kind. Fandom has always had its problems, but they've become both particularly visible and widely distributed and particularly vicious over the last several years. Fandom should be fun, and it should be welcoming, and it should leave people better off than they were without it. I don't know how to fix any of the problems except to be persistently, belligerently kind.

https://ysabetwordsmith.dreamwidth.org/12198195.html

Re: Try this ...

[scrubjayspeaks]

Thank you for looping me into this. While it's sort of sad to see that other people are running into these problems in their fandoms as well, it's reassuring at the same time. Other people want positive spaces and experiences, so there's a community to be part of right there.

>>Fandom wank does not bring itself.<< Wise and also amusing!

I think I'll take some time to update my profile here to reflect my fandom values. I've always loved the living room/office metaphor of your blog--it's a great model.

Re: Try this ...

[ysabetwordsmith]

>> Thank you for looping me into this. <<

I'm glad I could help.

>>While it's sort of sad to see that other people are running into these problems in their fandoms as well, it's reassuring at the same time. Other people want positive spaces and experiences, so there's a community to be part of right there.<<

Yeah, nobody chooses to be a victim -- but they do have a choice about whether to stay in a recreational venue that lets people hurt them. Moderators have a choice about what to permit or to block. Webcoders have all kinds of choices about how they build venues and what tools to include. Our lives are made of choices, and so are the worlds we create.

>> I think I'll take some time to update my profile here to reflect my fandom values. <<

Then I have accomplished something worthy by inspiring people to take action. snowflake_challenge is an ideal opportunity, because many folks look at other participants' profiles during it.

>> I've always loved the living room/office metaphor of your blog--it's a great model. <<

Yay! I also want to spread the idea of blog metaphors so that people can choose theirs mindfully. It's a very important way of communicating expectations and interactions without needing to go into exhausting detail. People behave differently in a living room/office than a street fair or a story circle under a tree.