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sunshine_challenge, click on the link.
Prompt Two: What does your username mean? How is it pronounced? What's your origin story? Is it fannish?
My username comes from a comic book, so that probably makes it fannish. Specificially, it comes from a Transformers comic: Transformers Generation 2, #7, “New Dawn.” Transformers Generation 2 was a reboot/continuation of the original Marvel US/UK comic, but featuring new toy designs and artwork that could get seriously *weird* (see the thumbnail below).
The quote comes from Starscream who is musing about the fact that Megatron is eventually going to get rid of him because of Starscream’s treacherous and deceitful nature:
"[Megatron’s] telling me my usefulness has almost run its course -- that once his new army is fully mobilized my services will no longer be required. And given my past record of treachery, I doubt that means a pension and a sign that says 'Dunmurderin.' Can't say I blame him. It's what I'd do! The trick is...to get in there first!"
It’s pronounced, pretty much like you’ve probably guessed it does, since it’s a phonetical spelling of “Done Murdering” and is a reference to the British custom of naming homes things like ‘Dunroamin,’ which makes sense since Simon Furman, who wrote the issue (and the entirety of Transformers: Generation 2, plus a metric freak-load of other Transformers comics). Furman’s a topic I’ll come back to later on. Suffice to say that when he’s good, he’s good and when he’s bad…sweet magnolia, is he awful. Prime’s Rib being one example and something I want to touch on in depth at another time.
If you’re a Terry Pratchett/Discworld fan, the joke shows up there too with the home of the gods being called “Dunmanifestin”
What is your default icon about? Does it have personal meaning? Why did you choose it? What is it from?
My default icon can be described thusly: “A clownfish, orange and white, with a banner saying he is NOT a Combaticon! So no one mistakes him for one, y'know?” It was made for me by KoiLungfish back in my LiveJournal days (link leads to KoiLungfish’s AO3 page). It represents my love of Combaticons and clownfish. (I have a second icon, also by KoiLungfish, that features the Combaticons stating that none of them is a clownfish.)
Tell us anything else you want to share publicly that would help people know how to interact with you.
I’m originally from a rural community in Indiana but I live in a small city in Ohio now (and have for 14 years). I knew a girl in high school whose brother wanted to put a ceiling fan in his truck (no, seriously). I’m turning 50 next year, which feels just strange because how the hell am I almost fifty!? I’m bisexual, in a 20+ year same-sex relationship with a fellow Transformers fan who complements my nerdiness in all the best ways. (We met on a Transformers MU* back in the late 90s). I write original fiction, mostly science fiction/fantasy based.
Preferred pronouns?: She/her
Do you have a first language other than English?
Sadly, no. I am woefully monolinguistic and I have a great admiration for people who can speak more than one language. I can speak just enough Spanish to maybe order lunch or to find the way to the bathroom. In French, I can inform people that I am a red potato (because a co-worker knew how to say it and I demanded to be taught it because it’s funny).
The one language that isn’t English that I come closest to speaking fluently, is Mando’a, the language of the Mandalorians in Star Wars (aka Boba Fett’s people).
What does "fannish identity" mean to you?
To me, ‘fannish identity’ is who I am. It’s not an identity I try to keep secret. I don’t announce it, but I also don’t try to hide the fact that I like fannish things. I mean, I don’t talk to people about fannish things at random, but I also don’t try to hide my fannish side if it feels like the conversation might lean that way. For me, it’s just a part of who I am. For as long as I can remember, I’ve been interested in fannish things. When I was about six, I remember asking my babysitter, who was the advanced age of like, eighteen or so, if they still watched cartoons. I can’t remember what they said, but I do remember that I said that when I was eighteen, I would still be watching cartoons. It’s a vow I kept and then some. I’m waaaaay older than the lofty age of eighteen (over two and a half times, in fact) but I still enjoy cartoons.
I saw Star Wars in the theatres – I want to say it was when it was first released but I really think it was on the second release in 1977. I have a memory of seeing R2-D2 on the big screen getting shot by Jawas. I watched Quark (warning: TV Tropes link!) and thought it was a cool thing. I was also a huge fan of M*A*S*H – at one point, due to the show being in syndication and still being broadcast on CBS, I was watching the show at least 11 times a week (2 times/day + the network broadcast on Mondays).
I think the biggest aspect of my fannish identity is I like thinking too hard about things – I am the person who wrote an essay all about how/why Transformers have sex, after all. (And I need to update it because holy paradigm shift, have things changed since 2009!).
And that's it for me, but feel free to ask questions!
sunshine_challenge, click on the link. Prompt Two: What does your username mean? How is it pronounced? What's your origin story? Is it fannish?
My username comes from a comic book, so that probably makes it fannish. Specificially, it comes from a Transformers comic: Transformers Generation 2, #7, “New Dawn.” Transformers Generation 2 was a reboot/continuation of the original Marvel US/UK comic, but featuring new toy designs and artwork that could get seriously *weird* (see the thumbnail below).
The quote comes from Starscream who is musing about the fact that Megatron is eventually going to get rid of him because of Starscream’s treacherous and deceitful nature:
"[Megatron’s] telling me my usefulness has almost run its course -- that once his new army is fully mobilized my services will no longer be required. And given my past record of treachery, I doubt that means a pension and a sign that says 'Dunmurderin.' Can't say I blame him. It's what I'd do! The trick is...to get in there first!"
It’s pronounced, pretty much like you’ve probably guessed it does, since it’s a phonetical spelling of “Done Murdering” and is a reference to the British custom of naming homes things like ‘Dunroamin,’ which makes sense since Simon Furman, who wrote the issue (and the entirety of Transformers: Generation 2, plus a metric freak-load of other Transformers comics). Furman’s a topic I’ll come back to later on. Suffice to say that when he’s good, he’s good and when he’s bad…sweet magnolia, is he awful. Prime’s Rib being one example and something I want to touch on in depth at another time.
If you’re a Terry Pratchett/Discworld fan, the joke shows up there too with the home of the gods being called “Dunmanifestin”
What is your default icon about? Does it have personal meaning? Why did you choose it? What is it from?
My default icon can be described thusly: “A clownfish, orange and white, with a banner saying he is NOT a Combaticon! So no one mistakes him for one, y'know?” It was made for me by KoiLungfish back in my LiveJournal days (link leads to KoiLungfish’s AO3 page). It represents my love of Combaticons and clownfish. (I have a second icon, also by KoiLungfish, that features the Combaticons stating that none of them is a clownfish.)
Tell us anything else you want to share publicly that would help people know how to interact with you.
I’m originally from a rural community in Indiana but I live in a small city in Ohio now (and have for 14 years). I knew a girl in high school whose brother wanted to put a ceiling fan in his truck (no, seriously). I’m turning 50 next year, which feels just strange because how the hell am I almost fifty!? I’m bisexual, in a 20+ year same-sex relationship with a fellow Transformers fan who complements my nerdiness in all the best ways. (We met on a Transformers MU* back in the late 90s). I write original fiction, mostly science fiction/fantasy based.
Preferred pronouns?: She/her
Do you have a first language other than English?
Sadly, no. I am woefully monolinguistic and I have a great admiration for people who can speak more than one language. I can speak just enough Spanish to maybe order lunch or to find the way to the bathroom. In French, I can inform people that I am a red potato (because a co-worker knew how to say it and I demanded to be taught it because it’s funny).
The one language that isn’t English that I come closest to speaking fluently, is Mando’a, the language of the Mandalorians in Star Wars (aka Boba Fett’s people).
What does "fannish identity" mean to you?
To me, ‘fannish identity’ is who I am. It’s not an identity I try to keep secret. I don’t announce it, but I also don’t try to hide the fact that I like fannish things. I mean, I don’t talk to people about fannish things at random, but I also don’t try to hide my fannish side if it feels like the conversation might lean that way. For me, it’s just a part of who I am. For as long as I can remember, I’ve been interested in fannish things. When I was about six, I remember asking my babysitter, who was the advanced age of like, eighteen or so, if they still watched cartoons. I can’t remember what they said, but I do remember that I said that when I was eighteen, I would still be watching cartoons. It’s a vow I kept and then some. I’m waaaaay older than the lofty age of eighteen (over two and a half times, in fact) but I still enjoy cartoons.
I saw Star Wars in the theatres – I want to say it was when it was first released but I really think it was on the second release in 1977. I have a memory of seeing R2-D2 on the big screen getting shot by Jawas. I watched Quark (warning: TV Tropes link!) and thought it was a cool thing. I was also a huge fan of M*A*S*H – at one point, due to the show being in syndication and still being broadcast on CBS, I was watching the show at least 11 times a week (2 times/day + the network broadcast on Mondays).
I think the biggest aspect of my fannish identity is I like thinking too hard about things – I am the person who wrote an essay all about how/why Transformers have sex, after all. (And I need to update it because holy paradigm shift, have things changed since 2009!).
And that's it for me, but feel free to ask questions!
(no subject)
Date: 2019-07-06 09:56 pm (UTC)I was just talking about M*A*S*H with someone and how it was such a formative show for me watching all those reruns growing up. I'm still mystified that anyone who grew up watching M*A*S*H isn't solidly anti-war.
(no subject)
Date: 2019-07-07 04:51 am (UTC)war
Date: 2019-07-07 05:01 am (UTC)Re: war
Date: 2019-07-07 05:52 am (UTC)Re: war
Date: 2019-07-07 07:36 am (UTC)Between the two World Wars, the Holocaust, multiple disease outbreaks, and famines, it's a wonder the human race survived that century at all.
Re: war
Date: 2019-07-07 05:27 pm (UTC)But, yeah, it's amazing we're still around. What's even crazier is when you look at the 1980s and how close we came to the brink of nuclear war based on accidents.
Re: war
Date: 2019-07-08 05:28 am (UTC)Re: war
Date: 2019-07-08 06:15 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2019-07-06 10:53 pm (UTC)The Transformers essay was a good read! I had wondered about how ficwriters handled that, and I'm not surprised there are different schools of thought on it. What do you think has changed the most since then?
(no subject)
Date: 2019-07-07 05:33 am (UTC)As far as what's changed in Transformers...hoo boy, well, the biggest change that I've seen is the fact that romantic relationships and gender are being acknowledged in the canon as things that exist. It's just so refreshing!
(no subject)
Date: 2019-07-07 03:33 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2019-07-07 04:50 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2019-07-07 05:25 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2019-07-07 05:28 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2019-07-08 12:01 am (UTC)The older I've gotten, the more free I am with my fannish interests in face-to-face conversations. It used to be a lot more hush hush than it is nowadays, and I've even converted a few coworkers to more nerdy things because they shows an interest and I was able to share freely with them. It's a nice thing. :D
(no subject)
Date: 2019-07-08 06:10 am (UTC)It's very much a nice thing to be able to talk about fannish things with folks. The fact that fannishness is something that's more openly talked about has given us a common language.
(no subject)
Date: 2019-07-08 04:14 pm (UTC)It was also so interesting to learn about how vast and varied the Transformers universe is. It makes sense: I've tangentially enjoyed and consumed certain TF products over several decades, from cartoons to toy to the more recent live-action films. The canon material is immense to a scale my anime/manga brain can't fully comprehend (as typically my series are limited in volumes, often never animated/half-animated or translated, etc.). Thanks so much for sharing!
(no subject)
Date: 2019-07-08 06:12 pm (UTC)Oddly enough, it's already linked over at Fanlore! Which I found out while doing a search for Transformers fandom. It was a surprise, to say the least!
What was even more surprising was finding out that the essay's been quoted on a podcast: https://thenickscast.com/fanthropological/e/3632cc85a949c6/ -- though they used it to talk about Transformers fandom as a whole, rather than about Transformers and sex.
As for how vast Transformers is...oh yeah, is it ever! Even if you're just talking about the original 1980s media, you've got the cartoon, which can be subdivided into US and Japanese versions, the comic book, which divides down to US, UK and Japanese versions, and the toyline which is also divided into US, European and Japanese versions. So, with the original franchise, you're looking at eight related but frequently different continuities. Hell, even if you just look at the G1 US cartoon, the Constructicons have THREE different origins.
The good thing is, you don't necessarily have to follow every single bit of the lore to have a good time. It helps that a lot of elements get repeated from version to version: heroic Autobots vs. evil Decepticons, Megatron leads the Decepticons, Optimus Prime leads the Autobots, a several million year long war (time in Transformers is the subject of another essay I did and one which I also want to revisit because it fascinates me no end).
(no subject)
Date: 2019-07-09 03:55 am (UTC)I do love how the TF canons share common details like that, as it totally helps casual fans step into those spaces more easily.
(no subject)
Date: 2019-07-09 05:28 am (UTC)