Fannish identity & communication style

[extrapenguin]

I haven't actually been doing sunshine_challenge, but I did clean up my sticky post and add my friending policy there. I've also meant to give some Guardian fic recs for a bit. Today's post, however, is mostly inspired by sewn's post on fannish identity.

Like sewn, I, too, am Finnish, but came to Anglophone fandom instead of FinFanFun. (I basically exclusively read English-language obscure sci-fi, which has zero fic fandom in Finnish. At least on the Anglophone internet, I can connect with the one other person who's read the book and wants to chat fic.) Nevertheless, I'm Finnish. On the internet, one of my primary identities is "not American". I wish I could make people grok that I don't want to have to give a fuck about the US issue du jour, but alas, that is hard.

But the reason I'm writing this slightly incoherent post is communication styles. I watch people do that squeesplosion/cutesy communication and I just ... can't. I can sort of follow, but if I tried to mimic it, I'd cringe so hard my brain would escape through my ears. I'm most at home in content-first, dry-humor communication styles, and that's what my posts and comments reflect.

So. I'm direct and get to the point if I have one. I don't habitually shroud my opinions in a veil of caveats and insecurity. And I'm much happier amongst oldskool types than the modern fandom youth of today, communication style -wise. (And I am very grateful that Guardian fandom is mostly people for whom 15 is a distant memory rather than present reality!)

Comments

[jo_lasalle]

I'm most at home in content-first, dry-humor communication styles, and that's what my posts and comments reflect.

Interesting post! I enjoy your posting style and find it fun to read. I'm similar, which may not be entirely shocking, albeit probably more in a "direct but belaboring the point to explain what I really, really mean" way. *g* Over the years I've adapted to and adopted some degree of flail, because sometimes that is just my heart's response to Shen Wei pining secretly or Zhao Yunlan having a knife at his throat, though! (I can get genuinely overwhelmed when it's nothing but that. I've literally had to step away from the Twitter at certain points when the sheer volume of KEYSMASHFEELS was starting to put me off a thing, even if I had no issue with the content of what was being said. I need the correct dosage of flail for my maximum happiness. *g*)

I've also spent ten years in a fandom that uses English as its lingua franca but is genuinely international, so Guardian is my first fandom in a long time where there's a majority American contingent. It's been an interesting shift. ^_^

[extrapenguin]

I've adapted to and adopted some degree of flail, because sometimes that is just my heart's response to Shen Wei pining secretly or Zhao Yunlan having a knife at his throat, though!
See, when I'm having that degree of feels, I am going !!! and can't type! There's a demarcation between "capable of forming coherent sentences" and "not capable of typing" for me, so if I were to try and express the flailing, it'd be *after* the emotions calmed down and I'd be faking it post facto. (I suppose there are some complicating matters here, such as my Asperger's affecting how I experience emotions and experience myself experiencing emotions, but idek. Someone else can write that treatise! :P)

I've literally had to step away from the Twitter at certain points when the sheer volume of KEYSMASHFEELS was starting to put me off a thing, even if I had no issue with the content of what was being said.
I feel you - I have done the same thing, albeit not with Twitter. It's just ... could I have some actual content that's not just "omgyaysquee"?

Guardian is my first fandom in a long time where there's a majority American contingent.
I was about to go "But surely you mean German?" but them I remembered that we have at least two Americans and likely more, bringing them past Germans as the majority nationality. :P Looking at it, Europeans seem to be disproportionately represented within my Guardian DW circle, though idk if that's some subconscious bias or just some culture/communication thing.

[jo_lasalle]

It's just ... could I have some actual content that's not just "omgyaysquee"?

Just to be... me overly precise, I really meant omgyaysquee stuff I do too. It's just cumulative for me. Like, fun, fun, FUN, fun... OMG OVERLOAD TOO MUCH INCOHERENCE.

I was about to go "But surely you mean German?" but them I remembered that we have at least two Americans and likely more, bringing them past Germans as the majority nationality.

LOL! The Germans get into everything too, granted. ^_^ But if I do a roll-call of "people I interact with / see active both on DW and Twitter", I think I get about 50% American?

[extrapenguin]

OMG OVERLOAD TOO MUCH INCOHERENCE.
Ahh yeah, I get you.

But if I do a roll-call of "people I interact with / see active both on DW and Twitter", I think I get about 50% American?
Maybe! I guess the Americans are just less explicit about where they're from (because erryone is from America ofc etc), unlike us non-Americans? Or I have blanked out the US-ness for my sanity. *g* It's not like I've counted.

[phyrry]

There's a demarcation between "capable of forming coherent sentences" and "not capable of typing" for me, so if I were to try and express the flailing, it'd be *after* the emotions calmed down and I'd be faking it post facto.

My two emotional states are 'numb' and 'distressed' so a lot of flailing just seems performative to me. (Yay mental illness goggles! /s) Sometimes I can perform it, sometimes I don't have the energy it takes to do so. Either way is kinda uncomfortable and I would rather be talking about the canon or headcanons. (However, I can certainly appreciate the aesthetic appeal of various scenes, just... not the same way as most people, apparently.)

[extrapenguin]

You can perform it? That's already better than me. *g* (Sad neuroatypicality high-five!) The best I can do is "Oh wow this was amazing!" which doesn't even count. I agree that I'd rather be talking about something rather than doing the flail thing.

not the same way as most people
Are you still talking about the flailing (i.e. showing one's appreciation) or experiencing the appreciation?

[phyrry]

Sometimes. Unfortunately acting out emotions I don't feel is a required skill for life around my mother. My success rate is ... moderate.

Are you still talking about the flailing (i.e. showing one's appreciation) or experiencing the appreciation?
Experiencing the appreciation. I don't experience sexual attraction at all, so a lot of fanservice that most people flail about just leaves me disturbed or confused, or I end up finding other things to enjoy about it (like emotional intimacy or character studies in smut).

[extrapenguin]

Urgh, sympathies. Having to act out emotions sucks.

a lot of fanservice that most people flail about just leaves me disturbed or confused, or I end up finding other things to enjoy about it
Nodnod. As someone who's almost exclusively attracted to women, I can sympathize about the whole "I suppose this is fanservice, but I do not find it in the least appealing" thing.