![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
![[sticky entry]](http://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/entry/sticky_entry.png){kind=small}
This is the obligatory sticky post.
This journal is mostly that of a fangirl. Me. It will also have some friends locked posts about Real Life. And it may contain the occasional rant. It will contain links to my fanfiction, stuff about my fandoms, various fannish challenges I do.
I am old fan of LOTR and all things Tolkien. I am also fan of the MCU and Marvel. Most of my fics are those two fandoms. I dabble in quite a few others and run a few groups.
I live in the south in a very red state. I am not, however, red at all. Unlike many of my fellow southerners, I strive to not be racist, sexist, homophobic, agist, body shaming or any of those things. I am a peacenik from my early days in the late 60s. I love old rock and roll and a LOT of folk music. I have a hubby and no pets, due to allergies. I had one child who was killed in 2005 in a car crash. She lives in my heart and my memory.
I think my profile is fairly up to date and if you have questions, please ask!
I welcome most comers and love fannish discourse. Feel free to friend me if you like.
EDIT: Last year(2024), I was mostly absent from fandom, writing, Dreamwidth and everything else. I had both knees replaced and spent quite a bit of time depressed and tired. Since that thing was elected again, I plan on living in this alternate universe for the next 4 years. Hopefully you will see a lot of me here and around fandom.'
Edit 2: y 2025 goal:
Last year I did almost nothing. I got both knees replaced and watched a LOT of tv. So this year, I would like to set some goals. I may o=place these in my sticky note s a reminder that I DO have goals this year.
1. Read at least 20 books,
2. Write 75,000. I signed up again for the Get Your Words Ouy Challenge again thus year.
3. Be more involved in Fandom. I didn't even do one challenge this year,
4. A few personal goals as well - lose that last 20 pounds, get my shoulder back in working order, work my legs more.
My list - 2026
Jan. 10th, 2027 05:36 pmRatings: 1 star=worst, 5 stars=best (previously 4 stars)
Books
Raptor Red - Robert Bakker *****
Current Book(s):
Books to Read:
The Silence of the Library - Miranda James
A Marvellous Light - Freya Marske
Witch - Barbara Michaels
Bird by Bird - Anne Lamott
Four Leaf Cleaver - Maddie Day
Wretched Waterpark - Kiersten White
Hither Page - Cat Sebastian
Together We Burn - Isabel Ibañez
Arsenic and Old Books - Miranda James
Six Feet Deep Dish - Mindy Quigley
Fanfics Written this year to date:
Word Counts:
Films
Films @ Home:
A Melbourne Match ***
The Cases of Mystery Lane ****
The Cases of Mystery Lane - Death is Listening ****
Films @ Cinema:
Films to see:
TV Shows:
A Challenge for myself:
Sunday - Give thanks. Talk about something in your life you're thankful for. Even if it's tiny.
Monday - Music Monday. Anything about the music you listen to or like; artist profiles, recs, reviews, anything
Tuesday - Artistic stuff like fiction writing or writing of any sort, knitting, sewing, carpentry... whatever you do or have done.
Wednesday - Reading
Thursday - Throwback Thursday. Childhood memories, old photos, old blog posts...stuff from the past
Friday - Fandom stuff. Faves, new ones, actors, musicians, anything you're a fan of want to talk about.
Saturday - somebody, anybody. Your best friend, the Pope, Julius Caesar.. anyone at all
*
Other Places to find me on the internet:
Dreamwidth:
http://alexcat.dreamwidth.org/
Slashy Santa Tolkien slash challenge:
http://www.slashysanta.com/eFiction/viewuser.php?action=storiesby&uid=9 (alexcat)
AO3:
http://archiveofourown.org/users/alexcat
Facebook:
Comment and I’ll send you my info. Or you can friend Alex Cat HERE: https://www.facebook.com/alex.cat.9862?fref=ts
Tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/alexcat45
~~~~
Dragons
My Scroll
Books
Raptor Red - Robert Bakker *****
Current Book(s):
Books to Read:
The Silence of the Library - Miranda James
A Marvellous Light - Freya Marske
Witch - Barbara Michaels
Bird by Bird - Anne Lamott
Four Leaf Cleaver - Maddie Day
Wretched Waterpark - Kiersten White
Hither Page - Cat Sebastian
Together We Burn - Isabel Ibañez
Arsenic and Old Books - Miranda James
Six Feet Deep Dish - Mindy Quigley
Fanfics Written this year to date:
Word Counts:
Films
Films @ Home:
A Melbourne Match ***
The Cases of Mystery Lane ****
The Cases of Mystery Lane - Death is Listening ****
Films @ Cinema:
Films to see:
TV Shows:
A Challenge for myself:
Sunday - Give thanks. Talk about something in your life you're thankful for. Even if it's tiny.
Monday - Music Monday. Anything about the music you listen to or like; artist profiles, recs, reviews, anything
Tuesday - Artistic stuff like fiction writing or writing of any sort, knitting, sewing, carpentry... whatever you do or have done.
Wednesday - Reading
Thursday - Throwback Thursday. Childhood memories, old photos, old blog posts...stuff from the past
Friday - Fandom stuff. Faves, new ones, actors, musicians, anything you're a fan of want to talk about.
Saturday - somebody, anybody. Your best friend, the Pope, Julius Caesar.. anyone at all
*
Other Places to find me on the internet:
Dreamwidth:
http://alexcat.dreamwidth.org/
Slashy Santa Tolkien slash challenge:
http://www.slashysanta.com/eFiction/viewuser.php?action=storiesby&uid=9 (alexcat)
AO3:
http://archiveofourown.org/users/alexcat
Facebook:
Comment and I’ll send you my info. Or you can friend Alex Cat HERE: https://www.facebook.com/alex.cat.9862?fref=ts
Tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/alexcat45
~~~~
Dragons
My Scroll
| #01 – Adamant | #02 – Snow | #03 – Lion | #04 – Spark | #05 – Amber |
| #06 – Lust | #07 – Bronze | #08 – Mint | #09 – Arctic | #10 – Black |
| #11 – Moonlight | #12 – Sunlight | #13 – Blue | #14 – Navy | #15 – Tea |
| #16 – Neon | #17 – Twilight | #18 – Blush | #19 – Wine | #20 – Nude |
| #21 – Rhythm | #22 – Brown | #23 – Linen | #24 – Ember | #25 – Thistle |
| #26 – Cherry | #27 – Orange | #28 – Vanilla | #29 – Bone | #30 – Harlequin |
| #31 – Cadet | #32 – Chocolate | #33 – Peach | #34 – Lead | #35 – Cream |
| #36 – Sand | #37 – White | #38 – Crimson | #39 – Pink | #40 – Ocean |
| #41 – Dove | #42 – Platinum | #43 – Yellow | #44 – Earth | #45 – Midnight |
| #46 – Pearl | #47 – Frostbite | #48 – Pumpkin | #49 – Electric | #50 – Purple |
| #51 – Coral | #52 – Salt | #53 – Crow | #54 – Rainbow | #55 – Cloud |
| #56 – Flame | #57 – Red | #58 – Ash | #59 – Rose | #60 – Slate |
| #61 – Green | #62 – Ruby | #63 – Olive | #64 – Lipstick | #65 – Spice |
| #66 – Grey | #67 – Denim | #68 – Rust | #69 – Flirt | #70 – Sunset |
| #71 – Sable | #72 – Desert | #73 – Jade | #74 – Sage | #75 – Buff |
| #76 – Jet | #77 – Plum | #78 – Leather | #79 – Liberty | #80 – Metal |
| #81 – Sepia | #82 – Lavender | #83 – Scarlet | #84 – Crystal | #85 – Chestnut |
| #86 – Shadow | #87 – Lemon | #88 – Mystic | #89 – Silver | #90 – Coffee |
| #91 – Seafoam | #92 – Lime | #93 – Punch | #94 – Pickle | #95 – Champagne |
| #96 – Copper | #97 – Bittersweet | #98 – Honey | #99 – Candy | #100 – Gold |
FIC: In a Grain of Sand
Jan. 20th, 2026 05:37 pmTitle: In a Grain of Sand
Fandom: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Rating: PG
Length: 392
Content notes: My sweethearts: Steve Rogers/Natasha Romanov
Author notes: The beach trip takes place just before Captain America: The Winter Soldier.
Summary: Steve remembers Natasha.
Fandom: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Rating: PG
Length: 392
Content notes: My sweethearts: Steve Rogers/Natasha Romanov
Author notes: The beach trip takes place just before Captain America: The Winter Soldier.
Summary: Steve remembers Natasha.
Snowflake Challenge #3
Jan. 17th, 2026 10:54 amChallebge #3 'Write a love letter to fandom. It might be to fandom in general, to a particular fandom, favourite character, anything at all.
Post your answer to today’s challenge in your own space and leave a comment in this post saying you did it
Dear fandom,
I’m supposed to write you a love letter, but I am kinda stumped this year. The political situation in the US and health issues have conspired to come between us. My imagination seems to have dried up and characters that spoke to me for many years seem to have moved on to greener pastures and maybe just left the galaxy all together. Who could blame them?
I’m hoping to get reacquainted and spend a lot of time with you this year. Maybe I can even find all my old fiction friends and tell some more of their stories again OR maybe I could even meet some new people to write about. I do live to tell a love story/
I guess I should also mention how important the real people in fandom are. I’ve lost touch with many of the folks I’ve met in my various fandoms, so it’s also time to make new friends and look up some of the old ones. Fandom friends have kept me same for a long time and sanity is in short supply these days.
What do you say, fandom? Can we do this? I surely hope so.
Post your answer to today’s challenge in your own space and leave a comment in this post saying you did it
Dear fandom,
I’m supposed to write you a love letter, but I am kinda stumped this year. The political situation in the US and health issues have conspired to come between us. My imagination seems to have dried up and characters that spoke to me for many years seem to have moved on to greener pastures and maybe just left the galaxy all together. Who could blame them?
I’m hoping to get reacquainted and spend a lot of time with you this year. Maybe I can even find all my old fiction friends and tell some more of their stories again OR maybe I could even meet some new people to write about. I do live to tell a love story/
I guess I should also mention how important the real people in fandom are. I’ve lost touch with many of the folks I’ve met in my various fandoms, so it’s also time to make new friends and look up some of the old ones. Fandom friends have kept me same for a long time and sanity is in short supply these days.
What do you say, fandom? Can we do this? I surely hope so.
My list for 2025
Jan. 11th, 2026 08:58 pmRatings: 1 star=worst, 5 stars=best (previously 4 stars)
Books
Tart of Darkness - Denise Swanson ****
Current Book(s):
The Legend of Anne Bonny - Robert Q. Hoyt
Books to Read:
The Silence of the Library - Miranda James
A Marvellous Light - Freya Marske
Witch - Barbara Michaels
Bird by Bird - Anne Lamott
Four Leaf Cleaver - Maddie Day
Wretched Waterpark - Kiersten White
Hither Page - Cat Sebastian
Together We Burn - Isabel Ibañez
Arsenic and Old Books - Miranda James
Six Feet Deep Dish - Mindy Quigley
Fanfics Written this year to date:
Among the Flowers - Keeping Up Appearances
The Man Who Wasn't There - Mad Men
Stress and the Superhero - MCU - Fan Flashworks
One Man's Ceiling )(is another man's floor) - Supernatural - Fan Flashworks
Sunshine on My Shoulders - MCU
One Night with You - MCU
Word Counts:
January - 3107
Films
Films @ Home:
The Adam Project ****
The Six Triple Eight *****
Jazz Ramsey: A K-9 Mystery***
Wallace and Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl ****
Dashing Through the Snow ****
Reality Bites: A Hannah Swenson Mystery ***
A Haunting in Venice ****
Films @ Cinema:
A Complete Unknown *****
Films to see:
Captain America: Brave New World
Thunderbolts*
TV Shows:
Star Wars: Skeleton Crew *****
A Challenge for myself:
Sunday - Give thanks. Talk about something in your life you're thankful for. Even if it's tiny.
Monday - Music Monday. Anything about the music you listen to or like; artist profiles, recs, reviews, anything
Tuesday - Artistic stuff like fiction writing or writing of any sort, knitting, sewing, carpentry... whatever you do or have done.
Wednesday - Reading
Thursday - Throwback Thursday. Childhood memories, old photos, old blog posts...stuff from the past
Friday - Fandom stuff. Faves, new ones, actors, musicians, anything you're a fan of want to talk about.
Saturday - somebody, anybody. Your best friend, the Pope, Julius Caesar.. anyone at all
*
Other Places to find me on the internet:
Dreamwidth:
http://alexcat.dreamwidth.org/
Slashy Santa Tolkien slash challenge:
http://www.slashysanta.com/eFiction/viewuser.php?action=storiesby&uid=9 (alexcat)
AO3:
http://archiveofourown.org/users/alexcat
Facebook:
Comment and I’ll send you my info. Or you can friend Alex Cat HERE: https://www.facebook.com/alex.cat.9862?fref=ts
Tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/alexcat45
~~~~
Dragons
My Scroll
Books
Tart of Darkness - Denise Swanson ****
Current Book(s):
The Legend of Anne Bonny - Robert Q. Hoyt
Books to Read:
The Silence of the Library - Miranda James
A Marvellous Light - Freya Marske
Witch - Barbara Michaels
Bird by Bird - Anne Lamott
Four Leaf Cleaver - Maddie Day
Wretched Waterpark - Kiersten White
Hither Page - Cat Sebastian
Together We Burn - Isabel Ibañez
Arsenic and Old Books - Miranda James
Six Feet Deep Dish - Mindy Quigley
Fanfics Written this year to date:
Among the Flowers - Keeping Up Appearances
The Man Who Wasn't There - Mad Men
Stress and the Superhero - MCU - Fan Flashworks
One Man's Ceiling )(is another man's floor) - Supernatural - Fan Flashworks
Sunshine on My Shoulders - MCU
One Night with You - MCU
Word Counts:
January - 3107
Films
Films @ Home:
The Adam Project ****
The Six Triple Eight *****
Jazz Ramsey: A K-9 Mystery***
Wallace and Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl ****
Dashing Through the Snow ****
Reality Bites: A Hannah Swenson Mystery ***
A Haunting in Venice ****
Films @ Cinema:
A Complete Unknown *****
Films to see:
Captain America: Brave New World
Thunderbolts*
TV Shows:
Star Wars: Skeleton Crew *****
A Challenge for myself:
Sunday - Give thanks. Talk about something in your life you're thankful for. Even if it's tiny.
Monday - Music Monday. Anything about the music you listen to or like; artist profiles, recs, reviews, anything
Tuesday - Artistic stuff like fiction writing or writing of any sort, knitting, sewing, carpentry... whatever you do or have done.
Wednesday - Reading
Thursday - Throwback Thursday. Childhood memories, old photos, old blog posts...stuff from the past
Friday - Fandom stuff. Faves, new ones, actors, musicians, anything you're a fan of want to talk about.
Saturday - somebody, anybody. Your best friend, the Pope, Julius Caesar.. anyone at all
*
Other Places to find me on the internet:
Dreamwidth:
http://alexcat.dreamwidth.org/
Slashy Santa Tolkien slash challenge:
http://www.slashysanta.com/eFiction/viewuser.php?action=storiesby&uid=9 (alexcat)
AO3:
http://archiveofourown.org/users/alexcat
Facebook:
Comment and I’ll send you my info. Or you can friend Alex Cat HERE: https://www.facebook.com/alex.cat.9862?fref=ts
Tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/alexcat45
~~~~
Dragons
My Scroll
Snowflake Challenge #2
Jan. 4th, 2026 12:56 pmChallenge #2: Pets of Fandom
Loosely defined! Post about your pets, pets from your canon, anything you want!
I actually have no pets, being allergic to both digs and cats.
I have written a few pets but Stevie the goat stands out. He's from a Big Bang I wrote in 2020 featuring Steve Rogers/Tony Stark/Bucky Barnes. Bucky lives in Wakanda and has a little goat friend named Stevie. The artist who did fanart for the fic even made a drawing of Stevie. You can meet him Here.
I have WIP in which a cat adopts Steve and Tony in Stark Tower. Maybe that one will be done someday.
Loosely defined! Post about your pets, pets from your canon, anything you want!
I actually have no pets, being allergic to both digs and cats.
I have written a few pets but Stevie the goat stands out. He's from a Big Bang I wrote in 2020 featuring Steve Rogers/Tony Stark/Bucky Barnes. Bucky lives in Wakanda and has a little goat friend named Stevie. The artist who did fanart for the fic even made a drawing of Stevie. You can meet him Here.
I have WIP in which a cat adopts Steve and Tony in Stark Tower. Maybe that one will be done someday.
Snowflake Challenge #1
Jan. 4th, 2026 12:44 pmChallenge #1
The Icebreaker Challenge: Introduce yourself. Tell us why you're doing the challenge, and what you hope to gain from it.
Post your answer to today’s challenge in your own space and leave a comment in this post saying you did it.
Well, I'm alexcat - I'll call myself a long time fandom person rather than an old woman. I've been invisible the last year and am in fear of fading out completely. Hoping to get off to a better start this year and to keep the momentum going. Snowflake challenge is a fun way to do that. Sometimes I make a new friend along the way.
The Icebreaker Challenge: Introduce yourself. Tell us why you're doing the challenge, and what you hope to gain from it.
Post your answer to today’s challenge in your own space and leave a comment in this post saying you did it.
Well, I'm alexcat - I'll call myself a long time fandom person rather than an old woman. I've been invisible the last year and am in fear of fading out completely. Hoping to get off to a better start this year and to keep the momentum going. Snowflake challenge is a fun way to do that. Sometimes I make a new friend along the way.
Get Your Words Out
Dec. 28th, 2025 10:37 am
GetYourWordsOut: Year Eighteen!
Pledges & Requirements | getyourwordsout.net
Sunshine Revival Challenge #1
Jul. 2nd, 2025 06:54 pmChallenge #1
Journaling Prompt: Light up your journal with activity this month. Talk about your goals for July or for the second half of 2025.
Creative Prompt: Shine a light on your own creativity. Create anything you want (an image, an icon, a story, a poem, or a craft) and share it with your community.. 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.
Goals? Oh my! I think I might have given goals some time back. These days, just getting thour8gh the day is good. Living in t****'s America is draining. I would love to get back into writing. It does help with all that existential dread and angst I feel these days. My favorite Big Bang canceled this year. Maybe I'll hunt another one. Anyhow, my rest of the year goals and July goals are to do more fandom things.
I made this:
Journaling Prompt: Light up your journal with activity this month. Talk about your goals for July or for the second half of 2025.
Creative Prompt: Shine a light on your own creativity. Create anything you want (an image, an icon, a story, a poem, or a craft) and share it with your community.. 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.
Goals? Oh my! I think I might have given goals some time back. These days, just getting thour8gh the day is good. Living in t****'s America is draining. I would love to get back into writing. It does help with all that existential dread and angst I feel these days. My favorite Big Bang canceled this year. Maybe I'll hunt another one. Anyhow, my rest of the year goals and July goals are to do more fandom things.
I made this:
Basics
Name: alexcat
Age: 65
Location: Southern US
Other blogs/socials: alexcat45 at Tumblr and alexcat45 or alex_writes on Discord
Dreamwidth Stuff
What do you post about? Fandom stuff, fics, life in general(friends)
How often do you post? Whenever I write something usually. I am way too lazy.
What communities, if any, are you involved in? I write some challenge fics for![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
cap_ironman and fan_flashworks. I host fandom50challenge.
What kind of accounts do you like to follow? I like to read about other people's daily lives if they like to share. I like fandom and fic oriented posts as well.
Fandom Stuff
Fandoms: MCU, Sherlock Holmes, Babylon 5, Tolkien - and others.
Favorite Characters: Steve Rogers, Sherlock Holmes, John Sheridan(B5) and Tolkien's elves.
Ships: Steve Rogers/Tony Stark, Steve Rogers/Natasha Romanov, Steve Rogers/Bucky Barnes... you get the drift.
Things you're into but not fannish about: I LOVE Star Wars but am not in the fandom.
I Designed This Meme So I Get To Ask Weird Stuff
Explain your username: Many years ago when I had to come up with a username, I was into CATS with my daughter AND I have been obsessed with Alexander the Great since I was in 3rd grade so... alexcat came about.
Favorite season (it's ok if it's not summer): Fall. It reminds me of buying notebooks and pencils when I was a kid, as well as the county fair, Halloween and my birthday in November. An added bonus is cool weather.
What's your vibe? I am not sure I have a vibe... I am a grumpy old cat so that might be my vibe.
What is your summeriest fandom? (You can interpret this however you like….): This is strange but MCU, probably Nat and Steve... they like the outdoors.
Opening song on your summer mixtape: "Walk This Way" by Aerosmith. I remember hot days at the beach as a teen with Aerosmith playing loudly on the jukebox while we played Eight Ball in the Pier House. We wore short shorts and flirted with silly boys we'd never see again.
Name: alexcat
Age: 65
Location: Southern US
Other blogs/socials: alexcat45 at Tumblr and alexcat45 or alex_writes on Discord
Dreamwidth Stuff
What do you post about? Fandom stuff, fics, life in general(friends)
How often do you post? Whenever I write something usually. I am way too lazy.
What communities, if any, are you involved in? I write some challenge fics for
cap_ironman and fan_flashworks. I host fandom50challenge.What kind of accounts do you like to follow? I like to read about other people's daily lives if they like to share. I like fandom and fic oriented posts as well.
Fandom Stuff
Fandoms: MCU, Sherlock Holmes, Babylon 5, Tolkien - and others.
Favorite Characters: Steve Rogers, Sherlock Holmes, John Sheridan(B5) and Tolkien's elves.
Ships: Steve Rogers/Tony Stark, Steve Rogers/Natasha Romanov, Steve Rogers/Bucky Barnes... you get the drift.
Things you're into but not fannish about: I LOVE Star Wars but am not in the fandom.
I Designed This Meme So I Get To Ask Weird Stuff
Explain your username: Many years ago when I had to come up with a username, I was into CATS with my daughter AND I have been obsessed with Alexander the Great since I was in 3rd grade so... alexcat came about.
Favorite season (it's ok if it's not summer): Fall. It reminds me of buying notebooks and pencils when I was a kid, as well as the county fair, Halloween and my birthday in November. An added bonus is cool weather.
What's your vibe? I am not sure I have a vibe... I am a grumpy old cat so that might be my vibe.
What is your summeriest fandom? (You can interpret this however you like….): This is strange but MCU, probably Nat and Steve... they like the outdoors.
Opening song on your summer mixtape: "Walk This Way" by Aerosmith. I remember hot days at the beach as a teen with Aerosmith playing loudly on the jukebox while we played Eight Ball in the Pier House. We wore short shorts and flirted with silly boys we'd never see again.
FIC: None of Us Stand Alone
Jun. 11th, 2025 11:43 pmTitle: None of Us Stand Alone
Fandom: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Rating: PG
Length: 681 words
Content notes: This is post Endgame
Author notes: My grandmother used to say 'Charity begins at home' because she never gave anyone anything.
Summary: Tony has a surprise for Steve at his charity ball.
Fandom: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Rating: PG
Length: 681 words
Content notes: This is post Endgame
Author notes: My grandmother used to say 'Charity begins at home' because she never gave anyone anything.
Summary: Tony has a surprise for Steve at his charity ball.
FIC: Interlude (MCU)
Jun. 7th, 2025 06:39 pmTitle: Interlude
Creator: alexcat
Universe: MCU
Pairing(s): Steve Rogers/Tony Stark
Rating: Explicit
Word Count: 1281
Summary: The last person Steve expected to see in Berlin was Stark....
Author's Notes: From this prompt. I have no idea the source::
First time seeing each other after years ( for whatever reason, civil war, someone was in space etc..) they did not part on the best terms but neither expected to go this long without seeing the other
Creator: alexcat
Universe: MCU
Pairing(s): Steve Rogers/Tony Stark
Rating: Explicit
Word Count: 1281
Summary: The last person Steve expected to see in Berlin was Stark....
Author's Notes: From this prompt. I have no idea the source::
First time seeing each other after years ( for whatever reason, civil war, someone was in space etc..) they did not part on the best terms but neither expected to go this long without seeing the other
#1 - Has fandom changed?
Jun. 5th, 2025 11:53 amFandom 50
Kind of late for a first entry but here is one.
Has fandom changed or have I?
I was never in a fandom until the 2000’s. I did not know what a ‘zine was. I did not know what a con was. I never heard of fanfiction. I was a Star Wars fan from way back.
I got into the LOTR fandom right after the first movie came out. It was quite hostile, to be honest. There were wars between character writers and real person writers, between shippers of different pairings, between hetters and slashers. It was ugly. There was gatekeeping then, too.
I decided early on that I came into this not to fight but to enjoy and I did. I had my own website and ran a Yahoo group that hosted at least 100 stories a week in its heyday. I welcomed all. It wasn’t perfect but it was good.
Is today different?
I think so. I think we have a reflection of our divisive society in fandom. There are things we’re not ‘allowed’ to write now because they might upset someone. There are people who want to police Ao3 to make sure it doesn’t hurt their feelings and that it does reflect their ‘moral’ codes. An example is someone once complained because characters were eating meat and I did not warn for it.
Ao3 was born to combat gatekeeping and censorship in fandom. Other sites caved. Fanfic dot com made their site completely shite when they kicked all the adult stories out. I never bothered with them again. Livejournal was sold once then again to some Russian oligarch who decided to purge all adult anything, because there were rumblings of kiddie porn, and by that, I mean stories with underage fictional characters. Ao3 was born out of frustration over these events and others like them.
So what do you do about these things?
As of today, we do still have freedom of speech here in the US, where Ao3 is based. I say let people write what they will, as long as they are not inciting specific violence. Writers write violence, rape, child abuse out of a need for catharsis many times. Or maybe they are angry and rather than take it out on a real person, they write something violent. Let it be. We write for our own reasons and we don’t owe any explanations of those to anyone.
Oddly enough, the young seem to be the ones who want to gatekeep. Life is hard, kids. If you don’t want to read certain kinds of fiction, then DON’T CLICK ON IT. It’s that simple.
Fandom has changed but not that much. There will always be those who want more rules and to control others. That’s life. We must guard against that and keep fandom and fans free to express themselves.
*Crossposted atfandom50challenge
Kind of late for a first entry but here is one.
Has fandom changed or have I?
I was never in a fandom until the 2000’s. I did not know what a ‘zine was. I did not know what a con was. I never heard of fanfiction. I was a Star Wars fan from way back.
I got into the LOTR fandom right after the first movie came out. It was quite hostile, to be honest. There were wars between character writers and real person writers, between shippers of different pairings, between hetters and slashers. It was ugly. There was gatekeeping then, too.
I decided early on that I came into this not to fight but to enjoy and I did. I had my own website and ran a Yahoo group that hosted at least 100 stories a week in its heyday. I welcomed all. It wasn’t perfect but it was good.
Is today different?
I think so. I think we have a reflection of our divisive society in fandom. There are things we’re not ‘allowed’ to write now because they might upset someone. There are people who want to police Ao3 to make sure it doesn’t hurt their feelings and that it does reflect their ‘moral’ codes. An example is someone once complained because characters were eating meat and I did not warn for it.
Ao3 was born to combat gatekeeping and censorship in fandom. Other sites caved. Fanfic dot com made their site completely shite when they kicked all the adult stories out. I never bothered with them again. Livejournal was sold once then again to some Russian oligarch who decided to purge all adult anything, because there were rumblings of kiddie porn, and by that, I mean stories with underage fictional characters. Ao3 was born out of frustration over these events and others like them.
So what do you do about these things?
As of today, we do still have freedom of speech here in the US, where Ao3 is based. I say let people write what they will, as long as they are not inciting specific violence. Writers write violence, rape, child abuse out of a need for catharsis many times. Or maybe they are angry and rather than take it out on a real person, they write something violent. Let it be. We write for our own reasons and we don’t owe any explanations of those to anyone.
Oddly enough, the young seem to be the ones who want to gatekeep. Life is hard, kids. If you don’t want to read certain kinds of fiction, then DON’T CLICK ON IT. It’s that simple.
Fandom has changed but not that much. There will always be those who want more rules and to control others. That’s life. We must guard against that and keep fandom and fans free to express themselves.
*Crossposted at
fandom50challengeFIC:" Now Showing
Jun. 1st, 2025 02:49 pm
Title: now showing
Artist: jetblackfeeling Writer: alexcat
Universe: MCU
Rating: Explicit for art and fic
Fic Wordcount: 5571
Summary:
How can a simple malfunction in a building's computer keep two people apart? It can when they're both too stubborn to talk to one another and too embarrassed to take anyone's advice. OR - this is what happens when you accidentally become a porn star to your own friends.
Happy Saint Patrick's Day
Mar. 17th, 2025 06:20 pm
I might have some Irish heritage. Most of the folks from where I am from here in rural NC are descended from Scots-Irish people. There is some reason to think I may also be descended from Germans who moved down from Pennsylvania. Today, I am Irish.
We're having a Guinness beef stew with soda bread. Never had corned beef and it's not so easy to find around here. Maybe I'll try it next year. I like a nice cottage pie, too. What're y'all having?
More medical appts this week. Tomorrow, I have my shot for GA and will speak with the Dr. about getting one in my other eye as well. My eyes are doing much better since I got cataract surgery. Vision has improved quite a bit, especially close up. I already did my therapy today... I may only have one more appt with PT but 3-4 more with the lymphedema therapist. I have a black sleeve for my right arm and am awaiting black compression socks for my legs. I told Larry I need some shiny hardware on them and I'll look like a biker granny, as many of my clothes are already black.
The weather is lovely here today, a little chilly but bright and sunny with blue, blue skies. One can almost feel hopeful on a day like this. Almost.
Can't think of much else to say.
Erin go bragh
