#and also only for hermitcraft/life series but

[mkaroy]

so we all saw multiverse scar confirmed, now while the multiverse is only as expansive as hermitcraft, i think it’s fun to theorize life series scar is also in there, which makes my worm brain go “he paints the desert, he does lots of desert paintings but he hides them away as a way to try to forget how that ended because grian is still his neighbour” which makes me SOO SAD

I think that the life series is like a closely related alternate universe, he feels things that he’s feeling in this other life and sometimes pseudo-memories bubble up and scars way of coping is to paint it all out of his head so he doesn’t ever have to think about it (until, again, it inevitably bubbles up)

[aroaceleovaldez]

I've been listening to hank green explain (at various times with various contexts but most recently during a vlogbrothers video on Bree Sharp's David Duchovny) how "nothing lasts on the contemporary internet" and I wonder what that might have to do with your analysis on fandom infrastructure... like IS it even possible for BNF/public AUs/OCs/fandom events to exist at the same scale in the new internet? I also have to wonder if rr is similarly operating in this new (awful) way with the knowledge that the old books could last longer as cultural moments while the new books are kinda just... there to trend for a hot minute and then fade away into nonexistence within the fandom canon. or maybe i'm just coping bc I miss old tumblr

I absolutely do think old-style fandom is possible on the modern internet! some of the oldest pillars of fandom are from BEFORE the internet was popularized! Plus, there are still plenty of old-style fandoms that are active in those same ways!

You mention "at the same scale" and i think that's interesting because, yes, a lot of those old-style fandoms that are active are smaller. The thing is the scope of old fandom we're used to when we think of classic examples are outliers who were MASSIVE. PJO was a fandom GIANT back in the day, at least so far as book fandoms went (and still is!). The major thing that's changed is that "fandom" has become mainstream - or at least, the concept of fandom.

The thing with mainstream modern fandom is it gets conflated with general audience a lot. A lot of people trying to engage with fandom when they're new to it don't understand how it's different from just being a normal fan or audience member of a thing, and so just treat them as equivalent and this causes a lot of problems. The main one being the reliance on source material - which causes a lot of newer fandoms to die out whenever there is no new source material - comparatively to old-style fandom, which is inherently self-sustaining.

Some examples of old-style fandoms that are still plenty active are furry fandom (obviously), a decent number of anime fandoms (particularly older ones or less mainstream ones cause the communities are smaller/closer-knit, also their fandoms aren't as strictly western-leaning), and Hermitcraft/associated fandoms is one particularly that I'm in that's VERY active and old-fandom style. They're constantly engaging with material that's long over or series that have ended (Evo, older Life series, older Hermitcraft seasons, etc). They have fandom OCs/AUs/concepts that are shared, they have a TON of projects happening constantly (a recent massive one that just finished is the Hotguy Comics zine! It's an incredibly cool project). Hermitcraft fandom is pretty much the closest new* fandom to old-style fandom that I've found so far (*it is technically 11 years old but it had a recent boom during the MCYT surge in like 2020).

But yes! Old-style fandom absolutely can still exist - and does! It's just far less common because the mainstream image/concept of what fandom is that has become popularized differs from it in practicality. People are being introduced to fandom as just being equivalent to a general audience and are interacting with it as such, when it should be interacted with as a niche, very passionate community. The core of old fandom is always community.

I guess i would describe it as like, passive fandom versus active fandom? Passive fandom being the "new fandom" type format - near complete reliance on source material, usually some attitude of entitlement towards fanwork creators because theyre viewing it as another source material to passively engage with, large lack of headcanons or hcs being equated to theories, shipping is restricted almost exclusively to canon pairings (and ships/headcanons are treated more as things you want to become canon, not explorations outside of canon), etc etc. There's no community or creation happening, only a focus on consumption and maybe at best how to streamline consumption (the only sorts of hubs we see form in this type of fandom are update accounts and official social medias). Basically no proper community has formed and there is little to no engagement with the material outside of the source media. (I also have a theory that this format leads to some New Fandom behaviors that have become more commonplace comparatively to Old Fandom, such as a LOT more trying to directly interact with writers/cast/crew or reliance on them as secondary source materials during hiatus or similar - we see this now with PJO TV and a lot of people downright literally stalking the actors - and almost a refusal to make fanwork of their own. You see a lot more of "omg somebody write/draw [concept]" or trying to pitch ideas to source material writers because they only want to engage passively, not actively, or genuinely don't know how to engage actively.) Big Name Fans can absolutely exist in this sphere, but it's a completely different environment (for PJO, Velinxi is a good example of a new fandom BNF - ive found in this format of fandom, BNFs are almost exclusively fanartists, because fanart is one of the easiest fanworks to find and passively engage with. This also often results in the community being extremely entitled towards larger fanartists).

Active fandom, comparatively, is focused on community and creation. This is where you see fandom projects, engaging with the media beyond the source material, things of that nature. There is actually a structured community.

This post got long but I have more points regarding the second half of your question and my thoughts for why the new books are so. Like That. so I'm going to move that whole ramble to a second post which I will post momentarily.

[part 2 here!]

[ickmick]

i really should make a masterpost of my fics... and generally my stuff... i need a proper pinned post fr

tho i do like pinning my newest stuff- it also just,gets odd when i have pauses between it cuz ive either swapped main fandoms again or just generally am like 'hm. that was a while ago.' LOL

(stick around for my rambles for a wip peek under the cut <3)

in news of my recent works! im finally doing that 'life series in my style' thing lol... the base has been sitting in my wips for ages man... i have about haaaaaalf (tenative) done?

actually I'll fact check that *does so*

okay i have 7 done out of 17 so! a little less than half, but close! maybe ill even give you a sneak peek... :3

tiny canvas because im vaugely insecure over some of the sketches BUT im proud of how everyone is interacting at least a little so far! because i see that a lot when others do this soooo :3

anyways scurrying away now to work on it!!

[risibledeer]

joel being a Disney princess

look everybody my art is arting properly again! also pls send me any asks as i'm awfully bored lol

[athanmis]

last and third life sketches (feat gem?) (close ups below)

[kojitheopossum]

King and Queen of the Pelicans we / No other Birds so grand we see / None but we have feet like fins / With lovely leathery throats and chins

[w1ngedv01d]

Hermitcraft/Life Series Characters that are not explicitly married (platonically or romantically) in canon, but give off the Vibes:

Impulse and Skizz

Scar and Grian

Mumbo and Grian (they share)

Jimmy and Martyn

Joe and Cleo

...I would have put Ren and Doc but.... I don't think they count... anymore-

[shreddies-scribbles]

TW// burn scars !!

.

i wanted to make mumbos last death a little more dramatic lol i reimagined my red mumbo design from last life, i had like a red infection growing on him so that worked well with his second death in secret life lmaoo

poor mumbos just been through it man DAMN

[staringamassivemistakeintheface]

I’ve got gauze in my mouth and am ordered on bedrest. I have nothing to do. Please give me things to draw. :)

[rosaacicularis]

thinking about writing a third act break up/make up scarian fic rn…… like where they both realise that they miss and love each other at the same time and their respective best friends have to tell the other “he just left to go find you” and when they finally meet back up it’s a passionate kiss and a breathless apology and confession and maybe it’s raining and maybe they don’t care and maybe they’re getting soaked but they’re laughing and they’re together……

[quaranmine]

random firewatch au detail that has basically no impact on the story unless you want to psychoanalyze fw!grian even further than i did as the author, but it's very intentional that i always refer to both of mumbo's parents but only grian's mom. did i give him daddy issues? i guess so, but not in a way where i really deeply examined the implications as meaningful to the story. it was just a detail i stuck with from the beginning as a way to keep fleshing out the story's background subtly. the idea behind grian's dual citizenship was always that he was born in america to an american dad and british mom, and that his mom moved back to the UK when he was very young since she wanted to be closer to her family. perhaps his dad didn't go with them? or perhaps his dad did, and then later they split and he went back to america? whatever the cause, grian never even mentions his dad in the story, and it wasn't because i intended him to be dead (because that would have come up in a story about grief) if you get me

[lyraofthestarsss]

Ethoslav

[kiwibirdlafayette]

has anyone assigned life series members to mianite gods i am wondering for Reasons (blorbus insanity)

[calico-kiwi]

every joel smallishbeans video i become more obsessed with joel smallishbeans

[shifty-boy-inc]

Last Life Grian sketch, dont kind the wonk

[shortfeather]

Jimmy makes a desperate bid to save Tango in Double Life, and the consequences are felt across universes.

Works completed:

bit off more than i could chew - Establishes the premise of this series. check my head, i've been feeling insane - Introduces all of our POV characters for this series, while also showing some of the aftermath of the introductory work.

Currently working on:

swing my heart across the line - where our characters start to come together to solve problems and uncover new ones. this fic is being posted but is temporarily delayed due to the author having carpal tunnel. moonwatch - a prequel to everything else in hesperides, centered on pearl, grian, and jimmy. this fic is written but will not be released until a certain part of "swing my heart across the line" is published. and should our heartbeat stutter - a short oneshot centered on pearl and tango. this fic is written but will not be released until after the main storyline is concluded.

All questions, comments, and thoughts are welcome either on AO3 or here!