Questions, Questions all Around, and Not a Sensible Answer in Sight

[netgirl_y2k]

-Comment with "Winter is Coming"
-I'll respond by asking you five questions so I can get to know you better.
-Update your journal with the answers to the questions.
-Include this explanation in the post and offer to ask other people questions. (If you want. Totally optional.)

Questions provided by cleo and amaresu

1. Why did you pick your username?

A catastrophic failure of imagination, I think is the answer to that.

I was fifteen-ish, and I dashed it off as a quick handle to register on a message board. It was daft, but what the hell, I was probably never going to comment on that board again, let alone be involved in fandom for half my life (speaking of, eeesh!)

And then there was never a good time to change it, I don't seem to ever leave fandoms so much as I forever drag them behind me with varying feelings of fondness or dismay, and it was my name on a bunch of different sites (LJ, DW, AO3, Teaspoon) and I'm too lazy and forgetful to have different names different places.

Like I said, half my life, so now it's the same as with my real name, it's slightly embarrassing and wouldn't be my first choice, but I can't imagine going by anything else.

2. What's your favorite comfort food?

Cheese. Cheese on toast, cheesey pasta, brie if things are really dire, stilton if what's making me sad is that people are standing too close to me

3. If you could tell your younger self one thing, what would it be and why?

That primary school teacher who said she couldn't tell if you were lazy or stupid? Yeah, that wasn't an invitation to keep the mystique up for the rest of your school career, kid.

Alternatively,

Sleep with her! She's gorgeous, and she won't ask again. Anyway, he's really more of an acquaintance than a friend, and they're going to break up soon whether you take the high road or not.

4. Bigfoot or the Loch Ness Monster?

Nessie, totally!

Visit, Scotland! We may have ten months of rain, borderline national alcoholism, and deep fried mars bars, but we also have a misplaced seal colony and people fly-tipping tires into a conveniently massive and opaque lake. Yippee!

5. Which Game of Thrones family would you be a member of?

Well, the Starks are my favourite.

The Lannisters get you wealth and power.

House Baratheon seems to be where all the drinking and homosexuality is at.

House Martell is probably the least worst option for a woman in Westeros.

But I spent the last couple of years as my gran's full time carer as her dementia got worse, so the whole Family, Duty, Honor thing resonates with me a bit, so I'm going to say a Tully. A Tully with pretensions of being a Stark.

1. What is the tv show of your dreams?

Okay, I am aware this is a somewhat childish reaction to The Avengers and The Hobbit - both of which I have seen and liked very much, but the fannish appeal of both shoots over my head at a rate of knots - but something with a found family type vibe (crew of a spaceship, superheroes, fantasy archetypes on a quest) all of them women apart from one token guy, and this would never, ever be commented upon, ever.

2. You're trapped on an island for the rest of your life with one person. Who are they? (Alive, dead, real, fictional, whatever)

It's a toss up between the world's greatest expert in raft construction and sailing or Eva Green.

Eva Green. Yeah, I feel like that's the right choice.

3. If you wear jewelry: What is your favorite piece? If you don't: Why?

I don't, really. Not for any statement or particular reason, I just never got into the habit. So because I don't wear jewelry much I don't really buy it, and because I don't buy it I have a paltry selection, so I don't wear it, and so on and so forth.

I do have my gran's engagement ring to remember her by; I wear it on my pinkie because she had tiny bird-like hands, but it will fit onto my ring finger in the event of emergency! this creep won't take the damn hint situations. And, oh, how I hate living in a world where claiming prior ownership is the easiest and least fraught way out of those situations.

And I make a habit of wearing earrings a couple of times a week. Just because I didn't for ages and they started to close up, so I went: oh, it'll just be a little bit of skin and pushed the stud through and BLOOD! BLOOD EVERYWHERE!

4. What is the one fic you most want to be remixed?

Of my own? Hmm, one of my A Song of Ice and Fire fics, perhaps? The Reluctant Queen, maybe? There's a lot of different little background details that you could pull out of that one, and anyone who wanted to write a remix about Asha & Sarella's swashbuckling lesbian dalliance would have my eternal love.

It's a fandom I'd love to remix in too, but it's not a fandom that has much of a fanwork of fanworks tradition (possibly because we've only just gotten used to the idea that GRRM isn't going to sue us off the face of the internet just for writing fic) so no remixes and no podfics :-(

5. What fandom do you least understand the appeal to?

It's dreadfully judgemental of me, because I've never seen a single episode of it and I don't really intend to, but Teen Wolf. It's partly because I'm trying to avoid tipping headfirst into another juggernaut boyslash fandom. The only thing more frustrating than being in fandom with no fanworks is being in a fandom with endless fanworks, none of which you want to read. But it's also the title, I think I've aged out of having much sympathy for teenaged characters, or twenty-five year olds pretending to be teenaged characters. I don't think I'd be as much of a Buffy fan if it started now, and I think it's part of why The Vampire Diaries did nothing for me, I just find myself going: Oh, grow up!

Comments

[cleo]

I so understand about your username! The move to DW was an excellent chance for me to drop the "2584" at the end of mine. I picked it when I was eleven or twelve and we first got aol. And I just...can't see it not being me.

I WOULD LOVE TO COME TO SCOTLAND! D and I have been talking about it. He did a drive all through when I was 19, but I have never been there. It seems like EVERYTHING SCOTLAND has been throwing itself in my face lately. So I think it's a sign!

Also, I like your analysis of which ASoIF family you'd be in. Very well reasoned. I'd totally be a Stark. But I'd probably be the Sansa kind, who didn't realize what she had until it was gone.

And lasty...winter is coming!

[netgirl_y2k]

YES, DO VISIT! I mean, not at this time of year, because we're having some sort of freak unseasonal blizzard, but Edinburgh in the summer is actually lovely.

Sansa's slow realisation that the South isn't all she thought it would be and, really, she wants to go home, she wants her mum, breaks my heart, but is also my favourite part of the series.

1. If you could commit one crime without fear of reprisal, what would it be?
2. Honestly, do you think you'd survive in a post-apocalyptic dystopia?
3. What's the one fic you've always wanted to write but never gotten around to for whatever reason?
4. Tea or coffee?
5. Do you have any interesting or unusual phobias?

[cleo]

We'd probably come in summer or early fall. Well, no we're not doing anything this summer but studying for and taking the bar. But I'm seriously dying to come because of things like House Hunters International and Skyfall and everyone talking about how awesome it is. Plus, through some genetic testing (I was adopted), I found out that I have some Scottish ancestry somewhere in there!

Oh, man...Sansa... I didn't like her at all until she started having those realizations. But I almost think that was the point. Even though the way she has to grow up is so awful, it really makes her such a wonderful, strong character.

[annaalamode]

Winter is Coming and someday the Winds of Winter will come as well.

[netgirl_y2k]

I don't want to be one of those people always whining about GRRM not writing quickly enough, but 2015? Seriously?

1. If you could pick one ASOIAF character who you could guarantee would come through the series unscathed, who would pick?
2. Which House would you be in?
3. Which five books would you take to a desert island with you?
4. If you could commit one crime without fear of punishment what would you do?
5. Fantasy, money-no-object, item of clothing?

[annaalamode]

I am totally one of those people who is always whining about GRRM not writing fast enough. I try to limit my complaining in public spaces though!

[escritoireazul]

Winter is coming.

I really enjoyed reading your answers to this, particularly that last question.

The only thing more frustrating than being in fandom with no fanworks is being in a fandom with endless fanworks, none of which you want to read.

This rings so true for me, with Teen Wolf, but with a lot of things I love the source, but don't end up fannish about.

[netgirl_y2k]

Yeah, and the weird thing is, much as I do need to like something to be fannish about it, the more wholeheartedly I'm enjoy it the less likely I am to want to read or write fic.

1. If you could commit one crime completely without consequence what would you do?
2. What would be your apocalypse of choice?
3. Do you have any strange or interesting phobias?
4. If you could travel anywhere in the world, money no object, where would you go?
5. What's an unpopular fandom opinion you hold?

[jetpack_monkey]

Winter is coming.

[netgirl_y2k]

1. If you could commit one crime with no fear of reprisals, what would you do?
2. Any strange or interesting phobias?
3. What vid do you really want to make but you've never gotten around to for whatever reason?
4. Now the vid that you wish somebody else would make for you?
5. Favourite breakfast food?

[mfirefly10]

but something with a found family type vibe (crew of a spaceship, superheroes, fantasy archetypes on a quest) all of them women apart from one token guy, and this would never, ever be commented upon, ever.

I would watch the FRELL out of that show. Add in some canon femslash and make it a spaceship crew and it would be my very favorite thing ever :)


lol, I'm the same with my username. It's something I picked years and years ago and just never got around to changing and now I've had it so long, it seems pointless. Plus, having the same username on every site is incredibly convenient.

[netgirl_y2k]

In my fantasy, whenever the creators are asked about the gender breakdown of the show they stare blankly at the interviewer like they don't understand the question until everyone gets uncomfortable.

Actually, that's another reason not to get into Teen Wolf, Merlin soured me forever on reading thousands of words of slash fic just on the off-chance that the femslash pairing it's been tagged with is more than a two-line passing mention. If I were queen of fandom, tagging on the AO3 would be broken down further into main characters, main relationships, then secondary characters, secondary ships.

[mfirefly10]

Ugh, tagging...I wish there was a tag that differentiated between actual secondary ships (i.e., ships that get lines and plots and all of that good stuff) and ships that get a brief mention/share a 'look' in chapter 3. Because yes, there is a HUGE difference.

[mfirefly10]

Also on the Teen Wolf front, I tried reading one or two of the slash fics because they had femslash in the background + that's slightly better than nothing but...it seems TW fanon is VASTLY different from the actual canon. To the point where most of the characters and relationship dynamics were completely unrecognizable. So I haven't really read anything in it since, despite my interest in the female characters.

As far as the show goes, I don't think you're missing out on anything. It's entertaining enough for what it is but if I never saw it again, I wouldn't care.

[amaresu]

I heard (in the comments of a fandom_secrets post so) that a lot of the writing fandom hasn't actually seen the show. They base things off of gif and pic spams. So it's kinda like the fanon is an entirely different fandom.

[mfirefly10]

lol, that would make sense of some of the things I've read :)

[glinda]

Winter is Coming!

...well it's already here tbh as the snow has finally decided to stop missing us completely so we have just enough to make the roads treacherous but not enough to justify a snow day... :(

Also I completely understand the teen wolf thing, massive boyslash fandom that I've not seen the show of and really have no interest in, but its everywhere. There seem to be a lot of fandoms like that at the moment for me, though Teen Wolf is the worst. EVERYWHERE. :S

[netgirl_y2k]

Yeah, it's less keep calm and carry on and more flip out and drive like a maniac :-(

1. If you were queen of fandom for a week what changes would you introduce by royal decree?
2. Do you have any interesting or unusual phobias you'd like to share with the class?
3. If you could travel anywhere in the world, money no object, where would you go?
4. If you could commit one crime, no come-back, what would you do?
5. If you could only read the same five books for the rest of your life, what would they be?

[hibernate]

Winter is... definitely already here. :P

something with a found family type vibe (crew of a spaceship, superheroes, fantasy archetypes on a quest) all of them women apart from one token guy, and this would never, ever be commented upon, ever.

YES PLEASE. (That's kind of like Xena.)

I have never watched Teen Wolf, but it sounds exactly like the opposite of everything I like. I hear you on teenage characters! Possibly I've just turned old.

[netgirl_y2k]

I was on a bus yesterday afternoon at the same time as the local secondary school let out, and a load of the pupils got on, I found myself sitting there staring intently at my book going: FUCK. YOUTHS. HELP.

I'm 29 going on 80, I think.

1. What's your favourite dinosaur?
2. Do you have any skills that would be useful in a post apocalyptic setting?
3. You have just been crowned queen of fandom, what changes do you make?
4. which of your fandoms would you most like to be a character in?
5. What's the best breakfast food?

[aralias]

these are some very good answers! the username and the earrings comment particularly resonate, but i also love your television show idea, and i really like your careful working through of GoT houses, and your final answer :)

re- teen wolf, it is a very pleasant show to watch and i have enjoyed what i've seen of it. that said, i have no desire to read in the fandom, because it's the wrong sort of show that i just sort of glance off rather than think 'I HAVE ALL THE STORIES TO TELL'. in a way, it is a case of not understanding why there's a fandom, even as i really like the show.

[netgirl_y2k]

Yeah, it's strange how some shows are GIVE ME ALL THE FANWORKS! and others you just glance off or are perfectly happy with what canon gives you.

I wonder if it's a timing issue with Teen Wolf, lots of people coming out of Merlin and Supernatural and looking for the next big slashy thing, but not clicking with the Avengers for whatever reason.

[amaresu]

1a. I love username backstories.

3a. A teacher actually said that to you? That's just wrong.

1b. I like your tv show. I like it a lot set in space. They should make this show. Reminds me a bit of Cleopatra 2525, but perhaps with less male gaze.

2b. I had to look up who Eva Green was. Perhaps she's also really good at raft building?

4b. Perhaps you should spearhead (or poke others into spearheading) a small remix?

5b. I totally get you on Teen Wolf. I read episode summaries and they just sounded so...high school. Which is the point I'm sure, but.

Edit: Also Winter is HereComing!

...my phone says it's 0F right now. Still warmer than it was a few days ago right?

[netgirl_y2k]

3a. A teacher actually said that to you? That's just wrong.

More than one, as I recall. Ah, British state school in the 80s/90s, the memories. That one just sticks in my head because she also threw my maths book across the room. In retrospect, I'm not entirely sure teaching was the right profession for her.

4b. Perhaps you should spearhead (or poke others into spearheading) a small remix?

You know, I'd love that, but I think the logistics would be incredibly hard because so much of the fandom still takes place under f-lock. And although the one comm I frequent is perfectly civilised, I do hear tell that there is a lot of ill-feeling between people who like different ships/characters which is probably a recipe for disaster when it comes to remixes.

1. If you could commit one crime, totally without consequence, what would you do?
2. Which fandom trope or pairing do you least understand the appeal of?
3. Do you have any interesting or odd phobias?
4. If you could only read five books for the rest of your life what would they be?
5. Do you have any skills that would come in handy in a post apocalyptic environment?

[walkthegale]

Winter is coming!

Cheese is the best of all the foods!

Agreed about Teen Wolf. I do not get it.

something with a found family type vibe (crew of a spaceship, superheroes, fantasy archetypes on a quest) all of them women apart from one token guy, and this would never, ever be commented upon, ever.

Yes, yes, yes please. Would watch. Do want. Can this show exist now??

[netgirl_y2k]

1. If you could commit one crime, no consequences, what would you do?
2. What changes would you implement if you were crowned queen of fandom?
3. If you could only read five books for the rest of your life what would they be?
4. Any interesting phobias you'd like to share with the class?
5. Zombies or robots?

[karatam]

I also wish I had spent more time thinking about my usernames, both of them!

Scotland is a gorgeous place and I would definitely love to visit again :)

I would like to watch your tv show please?

Winter is coming.

[netgirl_y2k]

Parts of Scotland are gorgeous, I don't live in the picturesque bit, I live in the deep fried mars bar bit.

1. Any interesting or unusual phobias you'd like to share with the class?
2. What's your ideal fic, the one you wish you could bring into existence just by the power of your mind?
3. If you could commit one crime, consequence free, what would it be?
4. If you could pick one character to survive to the end of ASOIAF unscathed who would you protect?
5. Tell me an unpopular fandom opinion of yours?

[woldy]

Winter is here already! *looks mournfully at the 2 inches of snow surrounding my house* Last Monday I walked to the optician in -16C and it was Not Fun.

...but I would love some questions :-)

[netgirl_y2k]

Gosh, you're hardy. It reached the dizzy lows of -2 here and the entire country descended into free-fall panic.

1. What fandom pairing or trope do you least understand the appeal of?
2. If you could commit one crime without fear of punishment what would you do?
3. Do you have any interesting or unusual phobias?
4. If you were queen of fandom what changes would you make by royal decree?
5. Tea or coffee?

[karatam]

*interjects in someone else's comment thread*

lol it's -16C right now and today is a relatively warm day and there's about two feet of snow on my lawn right now (a lot of it has compacted to ice unfortunately)

[cordialcount]

re:Tullys, I'm so sorry to hear about your grandmother, and hope those years went as well as they could given that loss.

(Sleep with her!
Ouch for your younger self.)

[netgirl_y2k]

Thank you, she passed away a couple of months ago, and I still have the odd moment of finding myself at a loss. But in retrospect, difficult as it got at times, I'm so glad I had the opportunity to spend that time with her.

(Young me had a sense of propriety that at times did her no favours.)