because we built this kingdom, motherfuckers, with the trekkie zine housewives before us.
So here’s a story. One Fourth of July I was walking down the street and ran into a BNF who I’d met a couple of times at a slash-centric con. It turned out she lived in the same building as one of my boyfriends at the time, which was nearby, so she invited me to stop by. She had a small group of friends there, and one of them was an older woman with short, white hair.
“How old are you?” she asked.
I told her my age, probably about 28 at the time.
“I’ve been reading fanfiction longer than you’ve been alive,” she said.
Here’s another story. A couple of years ago at GeekGirlCon they had an “elders speak” panel. It included some women who had organized Star Trek cons in the 70s and 80s. So, first off, we really have always been here, this is a kind of geekiness that has always belonged to women. Andthey talked about women doing fandom back then secretly, about having to ask their husbands for money so they could travel to meet other fans. And two of the women on this panel were a couple who’d met each other in fandom.
One of the main reasons I go to slash cons is to connect with my foremothers in fandom. A lot of them aren’t on Tumblr or Twitter, some never even really got into LiveJournal. But they’re still here, doing their thing, having Fourth of July parties and emailing with their friends about fandom. Our elders are our history, our proof that we have always been here, that “media fandom” (fandom of Western TV and movies) is our house that we built with our hands.
respect your fandom mothers and grandmothers you ungrateful little buggers
I never understand this bullshit from younger fans.
Like there is no secret police squadron that comes on your 20th birthday and makes you stop enjoying the things you love???
What is this ‘love what u love and dnt let nobody stop u uwu … unless you’re older than me’ crap?
I don’t understand why people would ask something like that. Most of the best fanfics I’ve read were written by women in their 20s-40s. I even know two fanfic writers with great stories who are in their 40s. They’ve probably contributed more to their fandoms than the rest of the younger fans. Seeessh….
When an anon told me I should stop being so excited about Shadowhunters because the show wasn’t made for my age group anyway…
Who do these children think creates the shows/films/books for them? Pixies?
My coolest random hangout at a con was with a 46-year old mother of two who cosplayed as Tony Stark. We played an incredible round of Cards Against Humanity together, and I played as if she was Tony.
It was the most fun I’ve ever had playing that game.
Mooncustafer 