So. Origin story
Apr. 5th, 2018 11:08 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
fufarawBefore I can tell you that story, I have to tell you this one.
I've been a fan of tv shows almost all my life, but it took the internet to hook me into fandom. I almost made it with CBS' live-action Beauty and the Beast, Highlander, and Robin of Sherwood—all near misses due to timing. It was Buffy that tumbled me into internet fandom, and I've never looked back. It was Buffy that brought a diverse group of people from all professions and different countries together, within the fandom itself, to form our own little circle of fandom, eventually build our own fansite, and attract members like Tim Minear, writer/showrunner for Angel and Firefly. Every time a Buffy, Angel, and Firefly ep aired, there was a watch-and-post, posting live while the show aired.
The fandom family had annual rl get-togethers, found jobs for people moving from one coast to the other (and offered couches to surf along the trip), found women's shelters in other towns, ref'd lawyers and doctors (doctors and lawyers and rocket scientists among us) and clinics and shelters, took vacations together. During 911 we got news ahead of US networks because of our international members posting, and there was location and communication not possible by phone.
Our site had threads: Angel, Buffy, Firefly, Spike's Bitches, wherein we talked about corsets, menstruation, makeup, relationships, fashion, shoezzz. The facilitators of our first annual F2F were awarded Class Protector Medals, specially struck medallions on sashes for the guys, and flower bouquets and sparkly tiaras for the gals.
The Bitches were talking one day about how we cheer ourselves up, and E popped up with, "I vacuum in the nude, wearing my tiara." Well, then. Someone suggested we draw names and send each other tiaras. Excitement ensued, with everybody providing links to pictures of the type of tiara we liked, so our send-ers could catch a clue. We actually had two runs of the tiara exchange—I still have mine, and wear one every now and then when I'm a little blue. The other exchange was the Bitch Blanket exchange: "We should hand-make a shawl or blanket for each other. Wrapping up in it would be like a hug from another Bitch, to make us feel better on a bad day." I still have mine, and yes, it does.
Another thread was about not-Whedon shows, shows we viewed through slash goggles, shows about which people wrote fic. Ah. And then I was introduced to wonderful stories beautifully written that sometimes nearly forcefully expanded my view, not only on a show, or on my perspectives, but on the world. And since there was no thread on our site for fic, writers posted to ff.net, and began to post to LJ. We appreciated--and wrote fic for--shows like Due South, La Femme Nikita, Farscape, Stargate SG-1.
Buffy wrapped in 2003, Angel in 2004. Lost, Stargate Atlantis and Battlestar Galactica premiered that same year, and Smallville was four years into its run. Supernatural premiered in 2005, and the cast was sort of familiar, from Gilmore Girls and Smallville (and Dark Angel--hey!), and look at that, the dad (whoo boy, hot!) was also on two other new shows, Grey's Anatomy and Weeds. Plus, this Supernatural show looked...kinda different from everything else, either already running, or premiering. Some of us fannish types started watching, live-posting, discussing in-thread. We got so noisy we wound up with our own thread devoted entirely to SPN. And there was so.much.fic! Season 1 ended in a mother of a cliffhanger, and fans were left hanging because the show hadn't been picked up for a second season. We waited and hoped.
In August my son was in a traffic accident. We spent a week sitting with him in ICU while his condition worsened to the point no meaningful recovery was possible, and decided to let him go.
Supernatural's second season premiered with In My Time of Dying. Dean didn't die.
I'm never leaving this show
I've been a fan of tv shows almost all my life, but it took the internet to hook me into fandom. I almost made it with CBS' live-action Beauty and the Beast, Highlander, and Robin of Sherwood—all near misses due to timing. It was Buffy that tumbled me into internet fandom, and I've never looked back. It was Buffy that brought a diverse group of people from all professions and different countries together, within the fandom itself, to form our own little circle of fandom, eventually build our own fansite, and attract members like Tim Minear, writer/showrunner for Angel and Firefly. Every time a Buffy, Angel, and Firefly ep aired, there was a watch-and-post, posting live while the show aired.
The fandom family had annual rl get-togethers, found jobs for people moving from one coast to the other (and offered couches to surf along the trip), found women's shelters in other towns, ref'd lawyers and doctors (doctors and lawyers and rocket scientists among us) and clinics and shelters, took vacations together. During 911 we got news ahead of US networks because of our international members posting, and there was location and communication not possible by phone.
Our site had threads: Angel, Buffy, Firefly, Spike's Bitches, wherein we talked about corsets, menstruation, makeup, relationships, fashion, shoezzz. The facilitators of our first annual F2F were awarded Class Protector Medals, specially struck medallions on sashes for the guys, and flower bouquets and sparkly tiaras for the gals.
The Bitches were talking one day about how we cheer ourselves up, and E popped up with, "I vacuum in the nude, wearing my tiara." Well, then. Someone suggested we draw names and send each other tiaras. Excitement ensued, with everybody providing links to pictures of the type of tiara we liked, so our send-ers could catch a clue. We actually had two runs of the tiara exchange—I still have mine, and wear one every now and then when I'm a little blue. The other exchange was the Bitch Blanket exchange: "We should hand-make a shawl or blanket for each other. Wrapping up in it would be like a hug from another Bitch, to make us feel better on a bad day." I still have mine, and yes, it does.
Another thread was about not-Whedon shows, shows we viewed through slash goggles, shows about which people wrote fic. Ah. And then I was introduced to wonderful stories beautifully written that sometimes nearly forcefully expanded my view, not only on a show, or on my perspectives, but on the world. And since there was no thread on our site for fic, writers posted to ff.net, and began to post to LJ. We appreciated--and wrote fic for--shows like Due South, La Femme Nikita, Farscape, Stargate SG-1.
Buffy wrapped in 2003, Angel in 2004. Lost, Stargate Atlantis and Battlestar Galactica premiered that same year, and Smallville was four years into its run. Supernatural premiered in 2005, and the cast was sort of familiar, from Gilmore Girls and Smallville (and Dark Angel--hey!), and look at that, the dad (whoo boy, hot!) was also on two other new shows, Grey's Anatomy and Weeds. Plus, this Supernatural show looked...kinda different from everything else, either already running, or premiering. Some of us fannish types started watching, live-posting, discussing in-thread. We got so noisy we wound up with our own thread devoted entirely to SPN. And there was so.much.fic! Season 1 ended in a mother of a cliffhanger, and fans were left hanging because the show hadn't been picked up for a second season. We waited and hoped.
In August my son was in a traffic accident. We spent a week sitting with him in ICU while his condition worsened to the point no meaningful recovery was possible, and decided to let him go.
Supernatural's second season premiered with In My Time of Dying. Dean didn't die.
I'm never leaving this show
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2018-04-05 06:49 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2018-04-05 11:24 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2018-04-06 01:55 am (UTC)I loved my time at BtVS and Angel fandom I made so many friends, some, a lot are still around and I'm most grateful.
I'm so sorry to hear about your son, I can't even imagine.
I'm never leaving this show either or the people I've met because of it.
*loves all over you*
no subject
Date: 2018-04-06 02:19 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2018-04-06 07:58 am (UTC)I might be a little bit of a trecky (yes I have a uniform) and went to exebitions or some kind of conventions (but without any stars) I never checked the internet for fan fics.
Even with SN it took me till 2010 to start reading fan fics. But by than I was aware they were out there, I just avoided them.
Supernatural aired the first time in Germany in November 2007. I remember watching the Pilot with my hubby and my eight month old son was sleeping upstairs. I remember thinking please let nothing happen to the baby!
no subject
Date: 2018-04-06 09:15 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2018-04-06 09:48 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2018-04-06 09:54 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2018-04-07 02:25 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2018-04-07 02:35 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2018-04-07 06:21 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2018-04-10 07:40 pm (UTC)*hugs you back*
no subject
Date: 2018-04-13 05:43 am (UTC)I love your Origin Story. I love YOU. <3 <3 <3
no subject
Date: 2018-04-13 07:34 am (UTC)