thoughts on fandoms

[minkhollow]

My online fandom history in a nutshell: Daria, brief aside into Hitchhiker's Guide, Good Omens, just now getting into Discworld.
Daria strikes me, in retrospect, as a good fandom to have gotten into when I did. I didn't find FF.Net until late 2000/early 2001, and I first ran across Outpost Daria in early 2000, so that was (still is) my main judge of Dariafic quality. And there's very little of the craptastic there. I think the biggest contributor to that is that the other people in the fandom are honest. They'll tell you when you're writing utter shite and give you ideas on how to fix it.
I gave up on Hitchhiker's (for the most part) a) because my muse gave up on me - let's face it, my crossover is NEVER gonna be done - and b) because it was so small I didn't know anyone.
Good Omens is on the larger end of small, though, and it's just tons more fun to be obsessive over. The smaller amount of fic (and proportionately larger amount of good fic) raises the bar quite a bit, odds are you can find something that hasn't been done yet, and getting into it as late as I did meant I'd had practice writing. A helpful thing when you're getting into a small fandom, that.
I haven't really looked for Discworld fic yet - trying to save that till after I've read more of the books. But the fandom started me writing drabbles (fun and challenging at the same time), and discworld is a pretty fun place, and that Buffy/Discworld fic that someone found yesterday was a very pleasant surprise.
Sure, the occasional idiots show up, but I don't think I've had a truly bad experience in one of these fandoms yet. (Aside from the general not-liking of HItchhiker's.)
On a tangentially-related note, I remember all kinds of crap from the beginning of my time in Daria fandom. The Outpost's pre-nonFoxing URL (systech.simplenet.com/daria). A comment on accidentally buying characters' outfits that degenerated into a Princess Bride quotefest. Outpost Daria having a message board. Morgan and Wouter getting together. One season of TLAS. I Am (NOT) Daria. Daria's Rubber Room. People actually having 'mater fights. The non-Foxing itself, and everyone going completely crazy (despite the site owner telling us not to panic). The Lawndale Banner Exchange (which I hear is being revived).
...Dude. I am so obsessed. XD

Comments

[charisntma.livejournal.com]

If it makes you feel better, I remember the greater part of the Daria fandom bit. The Outpost Daria board. Oy. Feel old much? :)

[minkhollow]

Funny thing is, it was only... three years ago. (Next Friday, in regards to the non-Foxing.)
I keep forgetting Antisocial Butterflies was you. Dude.