pronker

2024 contained exemplary episodes of joy, so I'll stick to a fannish one: I "cut the cord" to cable TV in September. This made me grumpy and mourning the loss of Turner Classic Movies, in particular. I DVR'd sooo much from that station, researched the films and especially the silent films offered every Sunday. But onward to joy ... Tubi! Since Nephew gifted me Roku that contains Tubi, I've discovered its glories and therefore the joy was truly unexpected. :)

I happily add this to my pinterest saves as a kind of reblog: the film "Two Weeks To Live" derived from the Lum 'n Abner old timey radio show. It's a rural comedy about the folks in Pine Ridge, Arkansas, especially the customers of the Jot 'Em Down Store. There's a gen-u-wine museum devoted to them in the town and its residents voted in 1936 to rename their town Pine Ridge from the original Waters, Arkansas.

Can a greater expression of fandom exist? Do we expect citizens of New York City to rename it "Spidermantown"? We do not.

Another example of fandom furor arose in 1941, when Gene Autry, Oklahoma came into being, renamed from Berwyn, Oklahoma. Another inspiring example of true fandom. :) Anecdote: on a cross country driving trip, I demanded a visit to Gene Autry, Oklahoma. It was as fun as it sounds.

Fandom first:

Upon rereading my Challenge #8 post, a fandom first memory emerged. The photo on the right contains Jonathan Frid, me, and my sister *she's the blonde* but the first thing springing to mind isn't either of us, fans of Dark Shadows though we were: it's of my friend Ai Eyeball. We gave each other silly names and it was she who ran home from school along with the rest of our "clan" but only she who took notes on every episode. I'm sure I teased her about it then because I was a brat. Now I admire the dedication and grit of the depths of her fandom expressions. When I visit her this spring, these photos will surely spark even more cackles between us. Ai was Superfan #1, prior to my Star Trek fellow fan a bit later, Superfan #2.

Favorite trope:

Still Vitriolic Best Buds, I guess? It's a gentler version of Power Dynamics, which was the last "fave" I offered in 2023 as a response.

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Thanks to the ever-gracious royalblue31, I gained a glimmer of how to manifesto, so here goes:

Why I like Dark Shadows:

Dark Shadows is a soap opera with Gothic touches aplenty. Sure, there are love triangles which are the staple of daytime drama, but golems, vampires, witches, phoenixes, and ghosts enliven the mix. DS has about the only time travel I'll stomach as described here. A plus is that the series aired from 1966-1971, so bring on sheath dresses, Edwardian lapels for men's suits, and shag haircuts. That's when time travel isn't in the current plotline; when we travel in time, be prepared for 1795, 1840, and even the 1600s's exquisite costumes and approximations of old timey speech patterns.

What sparks the joy?

About 1100 episodes detailing the Collins family of Collinsport, Maine, old money hiding old secrets with folks upholding Family ~Honor. This series was taped live, part of its charm IMHO, with flubbed lines, wavery special effects, and yes, juicy, plummy acting. Barnabas Collins chews the scenery among other things, and as seen in the above photo, smiles on the outside while scheming on the inside. (That last was just a guess, because in the public appearance the fam and I attended, Jonathan Frid couldn't have been more accommodating to his fans.)

"In this essay, I shall prove ... "

... that soaps contain enough fun to warrant thirty minutes of your time to taste the rich, dark crimson of a Gothic romance spanning the centuries; just a sample and you'll be hooked. EAD: Barnabas Collins enters the story about episode 210, with previous episodes setting the scene firmly within a small fishing village replete with gossips and the occasional phoenix. I've not seen these episodes. Also, I apologize for the inexpert posting of the photo. Alsoalso, Here is an article describing a very personal relationship with the show.

Used to be, my favorite canon from an opera was Chi mi frena in tal momento from Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor, the famous sextet, and I still like it, but I think now it's been usurped by the Flower Duet from Delibes' Lakmé. The fluidity of Olga and Elena's version in the clip pertains to their vocal and facial expressions, which emphasizes the fluid way fandom entertains in its variety because the clip's Eiffel Tower concert setting blows me away. I'm not putting this well, but opera uses music and acting and staging and costuming just about perfectly. Branching out to the reality [what's that? :D] of my own experiences, I've attended performances of Madame Butterfly, Lucia di Lammermoor, and Carmen. I'd like to see Turandot, Akhenaten, and Lakmé at some point.

Goals:

RL: I resolved on January 1, 2025, to visit Eldest Sister 200 miles away on pubtrans, and I did this on January 4, 2025. DONE

FANNISH: After discovering https://meta-warehouse.dreamwidth.org/ and https://olderthannetfic.tumblr.com/ last year thanks to a delightful full_metal_ox, I resolve to explore these more. Fannish history FTW! :D

This stands as a favorite fandom memory, genesis, what have you. It's the fannish sense of community that I treasure the most. If you've heard this story before, bear with me.

Bjo Trimble began a letter-writing campaign to Save Star Trek and somehow my friend the Superfan discovered it. She was the one who scribbled reams of Star Trek fanfic collaborations from us all onto legal pads and who came up, honestly, with stuff like plots while the rest of us supplied the longing sighs over Shatner, et al.

Superfan, who later became my first apartment roommate, was more smarter, more fannish, more dating-ish, more social-ish, just more. She organized our clique of five into writing letters to NBC during our almost-weekly sleepovers at our mutual friends' house. Friends' Mom, who had owned a bakeshop along with her ex-Navy cook husband, prepared pancakes and all sorts of goodies for us the next morning every time. Loved that family. Still do; we're meeting in spring.

That moment of fannish glory, added to the fact that there was a Season Three for Star Trek and what we did worked, remains empowering.

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/14401532/1/23. Absolutely scrumptious Haladriel crack, dare I add, poignant?

Veni vidi vici! :)

  I made this dolly from separate head and hands that bothered me so much ... :D Her name is Dinah because she's someone in the kitchen with me. As for a personal win, I'm blown away by Generous Friend, who gifted me this laptop last Saturday.