End Of Year Fandom Meme

[rogueslayer452]

Which TV shows did you start watching in 2016?
Wynonna Earp, Legends of Tomorrow, The Good Place, Berlin Station, Stranger Things

Which TV shows did you let go of in 2016?
Pretty Little Liars. Sadly, it was time. I never thought it would happen because, quite frankly, as ridiculous and convoluted as the show got I managed to have stuck with it because of the characters, unfortunately the five year time jump didn't do it any favors. I found myself not only getting bored, but also just really disliking the directions it was taking, the lack of continuity and just how much of a mess everything got. It was a fun ride while it lasted, but I just wasn't enjoying the show as I once had been.

Which TV shows did you mean to get into but didn't in 2016? Why?
Luke Cage. It is still on my queue of things to watch when I find the time, though.

Which TV shows do you intend on checking out in 2017?
The Defenders is the only one that I can think of at the moment.

Which TV show impressed you least in 2016?
Supergirl, unfortunately. I haven't been watching the current season (because that's how I do things when I have too many shows to watch/catch up on), but I know enough that I'm unimpressed with the direction they've been taking. While they've been doing some things incredibly right, such as Alex discovering her sexuality and genuinely handling her coming out story in a positive light, I really hate that they basically broke Kara/James apart without even giving them a chance (especially after spending the entire first season setting them up), and of course now they're pushing for Kara/Mon-El down our throats which is a huge DNW. I'm hoping that Kara/James will be endgame somewhere down the line, but the way that all of that was handled in such a nonchalant, careless (and lowkey racist) manner was incredibly disappointing.

Which TV show do you think you might let go of in 2017 unless things significantly improve?
I honestly can't think of any at the moment?

Which TV shows do you think you’ll never let go of no matter how crappy they get?
Elementary and Brooklyn Nine-Nine. Not that I think they'll ever get crappy, but they're just such fun, enjoyable and pure shows that I would never think about giving them up for anything.

Your main fandom of the year?
At this point it's probably Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them because I kinda got obsessed with it, more so with a particular character than anything else. But other than that, I would also have to say Stranger Things and Wynonna Earp also qualify, as well.

Your favorite film you watched this year?
Deadpool and Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them are kinda tied, both for different reasons but overall I enjoyed the hell out of myself with both. Rogue One has yet to come out so that might also be another one, as well.

Your favorite book read this year?
Revenge by Yōko Ogawa

Your favorite album or song to listen to this year?
For albums: Hamilton (both the stage production soundtrack and the mixtape soundtrack) and Beyonce's Lemonade. Movie soundtracks: Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them, but more specifically "The Main Title Theme" and "Tina Takes Newt In / MACUSA Headquarters". For artists: Icon For Hire, Hayley Kiyoko, and Indila.

Your favorite TV show(s) of the year?
Wynonna Earp, Carmilla (webseries, but still counts imho, especially since the series itself ended this year and it was such a perfect and lovely journey for three seasons), Stranger Things, Agents of Shield, Legends of Tomorrow, Dark Matter.

Your best new fandom discovery of the year?
Most definitely Stranger Things. Everyone was raving about it and, at first, I was a bit nervous due to things getting hyped up sometimes don't always live up to those expectations. However, hearing how it was basically a fusion between Stephen King and Steven Spielberg and seeing the gifsets everywhere, I decided to take the plunge and see what everyone was talking about. And I'm so glad I did because it was utterly amazing. Also, Wynonna Earp, which is absolutely right up my alley when it comes to women characters, focusing on family relationships and other character dynamics, and an intriguing paranormal plot.

Your fandom that made an unexpected comeback this year?
Harry Potter, not so much the series (because The Cursed Child is a Huge No in my book) but the rest of the wizarding universe, thanks to Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them. Similarly, I got back into my Harry/Draco love again, which never went away but it was pushed to the sidelines for a time, but now I'm going through their tag on AO3 and there is just so much that I need to catch up on. Also, interestingly enough, Game Of Thrones. That show is still a massively disappointing messy pile of shit, but the sixth season was actually their first decent season in a long time. I doubt it'll stay that way, though. And how can I forget Gilmore Girls? Their revival happened recently and it just seems so surreal that it even happened, getting all these characters back and for Stars Hollow to exist once more after all these years.

Your biggest fandom disappointment of the year?
Pretty Little Liars. Supergirl, mostly for the Kara/James thing.

Your fandom boyfriend(s) of the year?
Percival Graves (Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them), Robbie Reyes (Agents of Shield).

Your fandom girlfriend(s) of the year?
Sara Lance (Legends of Tomorrow), Camille Engelson (Stitchers), Daisy Johnson (Agents of Shield), Rosa Diaz (Brooklyn Nine-Nine), Carmilla Karnstein (Carmilla).

Your biggest squee moment of the year?
Probably when I got to see an advanced screening of Fantastic Beasts, that was not only a pleasant surprise gifted to me but, due to my sudden interest in the particular character of Percival Graves, it made my excitement go through the roof. And this was the first time I've ever gotten a chance to attend an advanced screening for anything, so it was an interesting experience. It was like a midnight premiere without it being midnight or at the official premiere. That is definitely the biggest squee/fangirl moment I have had for any fandom this year.

The most missed of your old fandoms?
I may have mentioned this last year during this meme, but I miss the communication from my old fandoms. Like, Battlestar Galactica and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, those fandoms are still around, but there isn't much of engaging in fandom discussion as there used to be. Places among certain fandom spaces like LiveJournal are where you can talk at length in individual threads or posts with people, however in places like Tumblr, while it isn't impossible to talk with other fans, there is no sense of community or place of discussion as there had been previously. Even here on LJ, while fannish people still exist when you know where to find them, the fandom communities that we once knew and lurked on have become rather nonexistent, which makes me rather sad. I know that fandom culture changes and shifts depending on where it goes, but I do miss the way communication was with fandoms and fans in general.

The fandom you haven't tried yet, but want to?
Very recently I've been seeing this television show called Skam all over my Tumblr dash. It's a Norwegian series that is basically a coming-of-age story of high school teenagers as they struggle to discover themselves, but is apparently incredibly inclusive and discusses a wide range of topics including LGBT issues, religion and feminism. From what I hear, it is now in its third season but it has now become quite a phenomenon that the audience for it has grown due to international exposure. It has gotten me intrigued, to say the least.

Your biggest fan anticipations for the coming year?
The Defenders, Carmilla: The Movie, Wonder Woman, Star Wars: Episode 8

Comments

[author-by-night.livejournal.com]

That’s not supposed to mean that fanfic and icon posts are irrelevant, but without discussion posts thrown into the mix it doesn’t really encourage people to actively participate and if people just lurk the community will be dead pretty quickly.


Exactly. And so often if it's a show, the discussion posts are really more reaction posts while the show is airing, with the discussion ending as soon as the episode does. Which always sucks for people not watching at the same time, but I also always used to think (back when I bothered joining TV show comms), "if you're in the fandom, shouldn't you like the show enough to be able to discuss it in between episodes?" But I don't think the comms are even always intended to be fandomy or have fandom-types in them.


I've actually thought about doing a friending meme myself, for people who are still into the books and/or the new stuff. Maybe a Circle the Wagon meme? That's basically where you don't really do much of anything, just sign up to be added by multiple people.

[icecream-junkie.livejournal.com]

And so often if it's a show, the discussion posts are really more reaction posts while the show is airing, with the discussion ending as soon as the episode does. Which always sucks for people not watching at the same time,

Yeah, that’s my experience as well. I’m in the UK, so I’m always behind the US airdates and even if there’s only a two week gap between US and UK airdates, nobody responds to comments in older discussion posts anymore. So it’s pretty much pointless to post comments if you can’t watch it live.


Maybe a Circle the Wagon meme? That's basically where you don't really do much of anything, just sign up to be added by multiple people.

Well, my journal is friends only for a reason (except for my fanfic), so I’m usually very picky when it comes to friending people. I don’t just want to add a random bunch of people I don’t have much in common with and might not have much interaction with once I’ve added them, because neither of us is interested in the other person’s posts. I know I could simply unfriend them if it doesn’t work, but I always feel bad if I unfriend people. Therefore, I prefer friending memes with a questionnaire to get a better idea of who I’m friending before I actually do. However, at this point, I’m desperate. So I take whatever I can get as long as I can discuss Fantastic Beasts. *lol*

[author-by-night.livejournal.com]

I've also noticed - on both LJ and forums, actually - that if a show's in the "off season", no one wants to talk about it. To me, that's the best time. However, I partially blame the Harry Potter fandom for it - I'm not sure when you were in it, but I think the gap between books was largely responsible for the ginormous size. I was in it almost from the start, and the best meta and fanfic came in between each installment. Same with another book fandom, So when people are all "oh well the show isn't on right now, what's there to discuss?" I just... gawk. Or used to, I've all but given up on finding new fandoms apart from lurking PreviouslyTV and Reddit threads.

Can I add you? We seem to have a lot in common.

ETA: Oh, and yes, those sporadic adding memes can be tricky. Even... regular ones can be, TBH. It seems to me people used to add each other largely from forums and comms, which I honestly think was the easiest as you already had an established common interest and at least kind of knew them. (Although that could have its own awkwardness.)

[icecream-junkie.livejournal.com]

if a show's in the "off season", no one wants to talk about it. To me, that's the best time.
True. While the show is on TV you’ve got new episodes you can watch, but when it’s not on you need to find other ways to get your weekly dose. ^^
I also prefer “off season” to be active in fandom, because during that time (as long as I’ve seen all episodes) I won’t stumble over spoilers accidentally, just because I have not seen the trailer for the current episode yet/the UK is behind on airing episodes or whatnot. Makes fandom a lot more enjoyable if you don’t have to worry about spoilers.

To be honest, while I am a Harry Potter fan, I’ve mostly stayed out of the fandom. I’ve read a few fanfics, but I’ve mostly just been re-reading the books/constantly listening to the audio books. I don’t know, I mostly get into fandom through ships and with Harry Potter it took me a long time to find a ship I like (Snape/Lily; Lucius/Narcissa in the last 2-3 volumes). Also, there were 7 amazing books I could read over and over again.
It’s different with Fantastic Beasts, because there is hardly any information on all the things I want to know, so I have no choice than to dive head first into fandom. It also doesn’t help that my favourite character will most likely not be in any of the other movies. (Though I do hope JKR changes her mind in brings Graves back.)

Can I add you? We seem to have a lot in common.
Sure, go ahead. As I said, I need more people to discuss Fantastic Beasts with. :D

It seems to me people used to add each other largely from forums and comms, which I honestly think was the easiest as you already had an established common interest and at least kind of knew them.
Yeah, that’s how I used to find people to add on LJ. We would exchange a few comments in community posts or on forums, realize we have a lot in common and add each other to stay in touch and discuss all things fandom more easily. Without active communities it’s really hard to find people to add.