(no subject)

[kaixo]

Share a book/song/movie/tv show/fanwork/etc that changed your life. Leave a comment in this post saying you did it. Include a link to your post if you feel comfortable doing so.



One, I got more use out of my English degree writing meta for HP fandom, than I did at uni tbh. I even got some of my written meta referenced at a couple of fandom conferences (that's how deep it got).

I made my bones in the HP fandom as a meta writer and a beta reader. This was invaluable to my fandom experience because in the HP fandom I never felt 'lesser than' (in terms of say, not being a writer) because my talents of beta'ing and meta writing was seen as worthy as those who did the Harry Potter fandom newsletters on LJ. Which is why I get mad when certain skills aren't respected in fandom (like podficcers/transformative works), because there was a space for me to contribute to the fandom and feel that my talents were valued.

Two, the terabytes of Harry Potter fanfic broke me out of the habit of feeling I had to persevere with bad books/stories. Life is too short to read badfic when there was so much good fic out there. Harry Potter made me a more engaged and challenging reader (I didn't write much fanfic in the HP fandom).

Shipping wise: Remus Lupin and Sirius Black's relationship in Harry Potter either canon or imagined.

Either way, the men were brave, and filled with indomitable spirit. Be it Black for surviving Azkaban with the Dementors for fourteen years, and Lupin living on the margins of society and learning to make do at the same time. I always admired the fact that they didn't feel moved to throw themselves under trains, or take poison, etc. That they were in hell and kept on going, and although they were bogged down by regret and history, they still felt moved enough to do what was right despite the cost to their bodies and souls.

Be it Sirius Black for having The Order of the Phoenix at his ancestral home (which sent him around the twist) or just everything Remus endured because of his lycanthropy. Then, on top of that, the stories around Remus/Sirius - *heart eyes emoji* With that fandom, on LJ, you were spoilt for choice for such good fic, across all genres.

Either way, the pairing made me demand more from whatever stories I read in terms of characterisations and how to write complex characters who weren't all good/bad.

That's about it, really.

Comments

[silveradept]

I like that the fandom respected people who had skills other than writing. That sometimes feels missing in places.

this!

[kaixo]

I like that the fandom respected people who had skills other than writing. That sometimes feels missing in places.

This.

I didn't realise how spoilt Harry Potter fandom made me until I drifted into other fandoms. For the first year or so I didn't write fanfic at all. But even me just leaving comments on people's fic I just felt really valued. You had people who used their administrative skill being moderators, or being dedicated betas (*raises hand*). I'd just sit down and read stories and do rec lists once a week, and even that was warmly welcomed.

I only stumbled into writing because of a dare, and someone wanted a rare pairing and I thought I'd take a shot. But from what I gather, podfic has had the problem of being treated like a redheaded stepchild in most fandoms, which is a shame.

Re: this!

[silveradept]

That is a shame. It takes a lot of effort to record something to a professional (or good-sounding amateur) quality. Podficcers have major respect for that skill.