Fandom Ramblings

I have this fandom, not my original LOTR fandom but slightly newer -- it's only the second one I've taken on, and really, I think two is quite enough. It's "The Sentinel", a well-established fandom that's been around since 1997 I think, and there are *thousands* of fics, both slash and gen, to read. I mean it: *thousands*. Many, many of them are well-written and long. So, like, this explains where my head is at least half the time.

There are eerie similarities between the Jim/Blair pairing of "The Sentinel" and the Merry/Pippin pairing: there is an older, more worldly and experienced character, and there is a younger, more innocent-to-the-world (in some ways) character. Both of the younger characters are always described with "unruly curls". Both of the older characters are frequently described as being very protective of the younger. Okay, damn, it just occured to me that half of fanfiction has pairings like this, right? Well, it seemed like a revelation there for about half a minute... I *did* mention I only have experience with two fandoms, right? *still learning*

I love my original fandom because Tolkien's world was part of my heart for so long, and really, how can anybody *not* love the tales of Middle Earth? And the fandom has added some very rich, wonderful, insightful, and moving elements to the original (daisy_gamgee, I mean you!), but I was already in love with the original to begin with, so it was just natural. My second fandom, though, was discovered entirely through fanfiction, and through the back door of fanfiction at that (that is, whilst I was exploring some of the darker elements of it all, in some very strange and sometimes disturbing archives). My interest was greatly helped along by the wonderful white_trillium, who answered many questions and steered me toward the best fics and websites. I'd been reading in the fandom for several months before the Sci-Fi network finally started airing "The Sentinel" again, so I dutifully recorded every episode. Mostly, they suck. I would never have discovered the fandom through the TV show, I can tell you. This is a case of the fanfiction writers taking a decent premise and making it much, much better -- I wholeheartedly *love* the fandom.

But here are some special bits of glee that I get out of it: one of the main characters (he of the unruly curls) is a grad student. I work with grad students. He is a TA. I hire TAs. There is much discussion of grad student and campus life. I live and breathe grad students and campus life. Some fanfic writers, in order to add veracity to their stories, cite examples of anthropological fact (Blair Sandburg is an Anthropology grad student). I work right above our own anthropology department. The Yanomamo Indians are often mentioned in stories. There is a big display downstairs of the Yanomamo lifestyle, as our department is a forerunner in exploring their lives. Some fanfic writers even mention Napoleon Chagnon and the anthropological scandal of several years ago (something about exploiting the research subjects; I'm pretty sure he was cleared of wrongdoing but actually don't know how it all ended up). Prof. Chagnon is an emeritus faculty member of the department downstairs.

Do I giggle when these little bits of real life portrayed in fanfiction hit so close to home? You bet I do. Sometimes I think I should offer myself up as a consultant to the fandom. *snicker*

Must find out how to get a Sentinel icon or three...

Ooooh, hot chai latte again! *ZING!!!*