Fandom Snowflake Day 12

[thisbluespirit]

In your own space, rec at least three fanworks that you think would make a good intro into XYZ fandom. Rec a fandom overview, a introductory picspam, stories that define and shape the fandom. Leave a comment in this post saying you did it. Include a link to your post if you feel comfortable doing so.

If at all possible, try to pick a smaller or rarer fandom, one that maybe doesn't have the following you feel it should.

Hmm. Good question. For me, it's usually crossovers, especially since my first fandom is and was Doctor Who, which is probably the most natural show for crossover fics. Anyway, to be boring:

Sapphire & Steel, because this is easy. For one thing, there is a wonderful, comprehensive, non-spoilery and entertaining introductory picspam by eponymous_rose and for another, because I know what got me into the fandom (apart from various people who kept telling me I would like it) - the fanfic. Because there's so little canon of any sort in S&S, crossovers tend to be very accessible. And amazing and intriguing. Let me hereby blame these two excellent fics for my obsession:

The beautiful Blue by Lurky McLurklurk (Sapphire/TARDIS) and The Glade by Wiccagirl24 (Seven, Ace, Sapphire & Steel.)

I did think about doing this for other fandoms, but I was a bit stumped. I know the above worked for me, but the other stuff I either already liked, or watched because people told me to. Blake's 7, for instance. Velvetfascism isn't around any more, but she told me that if I liked Spooks and Classic Who there was no way I wouldn't like B7. She was absolutely right. And if it comes to doing the same to other people, I, um, er, do quite a bit of that already. *attempts to look innocent and fails* (I'm a librarian! I can't help it.)

I suppose I've been doing a sort of series of non-spoilery intro to Blake's 7 pics over on Tumblr. (I should make that into an LJ post sometime, because all you can say about B7 is that it's great, but don't Google anything, read any fic, look at any pics or watch any fanvids. It's unhelpful.) Oh, and oceloty did a great fandom overview for Spooks/MI-5 on crack_van. Spooks is almost as bad as B7 for spoilers, but it's about as non-spoilery as you can get without refusing to talk about anything post S3.

ETA: So, I suppose my answer to the question is "people talking about it". ;-) (Feel free to ask me to rec a fandom to you, then. :lol:)

Comments

[usuallyhats]

because all you can say about B7 is that it's great, but don't Google anything, read any fic, look at any pics or watch any fanvids.
Or watch that one episode of Doctor Who Confidential that spoils the last episode! /o\ I was already spoiled for it, but my sister wasn't...

[thisbluespirit]

It's a terrible fandom, yes. (And DW Confidential of all things? I'm kind of amazed now!)

[usuallyhats]

Yep, the one for "Parting of the Ways", I think! I can only assume that they thought that everyone who would care already knew...

[aralias.livejournal.com]

I lolled at all you can say about B7 is that it's great, but don't Google anything, read any fic, look at any pics or watch any fanvids but... i think after the first google thing, which is indeed a good idea (although it's so famous, particularly among Who circles, that you don't need to actively go looking to find out what happens in 'blake' - people just tell you when you don't know you care. very annoying), it would be ok to read... carefully vetted fic. and probably fanvids would be ok. but... the thing about blake 7 that is the most awesome is the character dialogue and that would be lost, so you might just think 'what is this ridiculous costume this woman is wearing? what are ALL these ridiculous costumes this woman is wearing????' (but, to be fair, that might make me want to watch the show).

[john_amend_all]

IIRC, the first time I ever heard of Blakes 7 was when it was mentioned in Peter Haining's book celebrating the 25th anniversary of Doctor Who. He helpfully gave away the ending :-)

[thisbluespirit]

:lol: you are so right. That's the other problem with B7. I did have a go at selling it as hard as I could to Classic Who fans in my Tumblr post, though.

And, no, really, the fanvids are frequently so spoilery! That final scene features over and over... :lol: There are some that aren't, but I tend to react as follows: 0_o non-spoilery B7 vid! *faint* \o/ I mean, with S&S you can put the final screen in a vid and who would know what it was? With B7 what's happening is painfully obvious even to the most casual viewer.

Servalan's dresses are amazing. I think they would convert people in themselves, but I wouldn't want to spoiler anyone for all of them. (I think I would have turned violent if anyone had spoiled me for upcoming costumes once I'd watched about six or seven episodes. :lol:)

[persiflage-1.livejournal.com]

Everyone should watch Sapphire & Steel because Jo Lumley and the Davids (McCullum and Collings) are brilliant.

That is all they need to know.

[thisbluespirit]

:-D

I don't know, I always think people should be told there will be an evil pillow in it, as well. :lol:

[persiflage-1.livejournal.com]

Why? I had no warning before I saw it...

[thisbluespirit]

Oh, I just think it's an added attraction! I tend to tell people there'll be Joanna Lumley, David McCallum and an evil pillow. Who wouldn't want to see a show with an evil pillow?? :lol:

[persiflage-1.livejournal.com]

*raises eyebrows and backs away slowly...*

Yes dear...

[swordznsorcery.livejournal.com]

The evil pillow is a thing of glory. I had no warning either, but the wonderful thing about it is that it works. It may be an evil pillow, but it's a logical evil pillow. Sort of.

When I started watching S&S, all I knew about it was that it had David McCallum and Joanna Lumley in it. That was literally all. I had somehow managed to never hear of it before it came out on DVD; and then I saw it in HMV and thought it might be worth the risk. It's awesome discovering "new" bits of old TV.

[persiflage-1.livejournal.com]

I'm so ancient that I watched the show as a kid as it was broadcast...

[swordznsorcery.livejournal.com]

I'm old enough to have seen most of it. It's a similar vintage to B7, and I saw quite a bit of that. S&S totally passed me by, though. Drawback of being a little kid, I guess. You have to watch what everybody else is watching!

[persiflage-1.livejournal.com]

Oh indeed.

[justice-turtle.livejournal.com]

I have actually gotten somebody (I forget who, sadly) to watch S&S specifically by mentioning the evil pillow. So there's that. :D

[persiflage-1.livejournal.com]

!!

Oh-kaaay....

[liadt]

Well if the picspam doesn't get people watching nothing will! I got in to S&S by reading about it in a book with no pictures, eee times were hard.

[thisbluespirit]

I hope it had words in, then, otherwise you should have taken it back. ;-)

Yes, it's a wonderful picspam, isn't it?

[liadt]

Lol, I think Sapphire put the words back in before it was sold.

Yes, more nice pics to turn into blurry ebook covers.