scrubjayspeaks

Challenge #5

Talk about what has improved in your life thanks to fandom. Post your answer to today’s challenge in your own space and leave a comment in this post saying you did it. Include a link to your post if you feel comfortable doing so.

I love the way that fandom can focus my mind through hyperfixation. By which I mean, being deep into a fandom gives me both motivation and a lens through which to see things. This feels very abstract, so, example time!

Right now, I'm very enthusiastic about the world of Moomins. So I'm trying to borrow books from my library, find copies to buy, and generally research what books exist or will be coming out. I'm watching the 90s cartoon on Youtube. I'm looking for posts on tumblr.

But also, I'm learning Swedish--partly to be able to read the original versions of the canon, but also just out of enthusiasm. It's fun to immerse myself in the language and culture out of which the canon arose, to surround myself with the trappings and vibes of it. Also, it's a fun excuse to try making various Scandinavian foods.

I'm thinking about making a Snufkin hat, which would be the first time I did cosplay crafting since sometime in the early 2000s. It's been a long time since I did fanart or any other physical/nonwriting fandom crafting. It's fun to have a "reason" to make things or a direction for my creative impulses.

A lot of this is stuff that I could do without the framing of fandom. I can try new recipes or make crafts whenever I want. But fandom provides a focus. It both points my enthusiasm and creativity at a target and helps ramp up that enthusiasm.

It's especially nice to have these outlets that aren't writing. Writing often feels like work, or at least feels like something I have to "get right." No one else is going to care if I get Swedish pancakes right, though, as long as I find them tasty. The all-consuming fixation of a fresh, strong fandom gives me so many more outlets that aren't subject to the self-criticism that comes with writing.

I think the reason Stranger Things has been floundering for me a bit is because I feel like writing is the only thing I can contribute to or do to engage with the fandom. And I just can't handle that pressure right now.

Maybe it's because it's a very cozy canon, or maybe it's because it's a non-American canon, or maybe it's because it's a canon directed in part at children. But Moomin feels very easy to playfully engage with like this. And at the literal end of the day, it's very helpful to have something fun to retreat into this way.

Challenge #1

Update your fandom information. Post your answer to today’s challenge in your own space and leave a comment in this post saying you did it. Include a link to your post if you feel comfortable doing so.

I think the only real change/addition this year is all things Moomin.

Being American, I did not grow up with Moomin things. However, I've been a casual enjoyer of it via tumblr for the last few years. When I saw the new game, Snufkin: Melody of Moominvalley, I started looking a bit more intentionally for Moominstuff. Aaaand down the rabbit hole I went.

In addition to reading/watching/playing whatever I can get my hands on, I decided this was a fun excuse to try learning a bit of Swedish. I'm just doing Duolingo to start, but I'm sort of hoping I could get my hands on something Moomin-related in Swedish to practice with as well.

Added a new icon to celebrate!