Snowflake Challenge Day 2

[tjs_whatnot]

In your own space, talk about your fannish origin story.

Ha ha! I was going to cheat and just copy/paste this post from 2020’s answer to this question, but: A) I don’t want to be only associated with Harry Potter anymore and B.) the reasons why deserve their own post.

So, I thought I’d talk about a different fandom, or lack of fandom? Conglomeration of fandoms? IDEK anymore.

After being a voracious reader for most of my life, I hit a dry spell in the 2010s and it continued until 2023. So, a good decade of sporadic writing, reading a few fanfics and then not even doing those things. Until on New Year’s Eve 2022, I put out a Facebook post asking for book recs. I wanted to start reading again but I didn’t know where to start.

I got a lot. I started at the top and read a book by Stephen King, Dave Grohl’s memoir, A book by Sarah J Maas, and then I read Red, White and Royal Blue.

It changed my life.

Bit dramatic, but it did. I read it (okay, I’ll be honest--listened to it) like I was reading really powerful fanfic. Like I was reading the kind of queer stories that I’d only read as fanfiction, that I only thought existed as fanfiction. I was enthralled.

I gushed about my discovery one day at my local writer’s group to a friend, and she said, “Well, if you liked that, you will LOVE Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall.” She was right. I also loved Husband Material and every other book of theirs I read that year. I spent the rest of the year DEVOURING queer romance, the steamier the better.

It was a great year.

Then (again on FB) I was perusing a post where someone was complaining that these new Hall books weren’t as good as their older stuff. I thought that was crazy (even though I can sort of see their point now that I've read The Spire series, but still) , but then they also went on to say the same thing about T.J. Klune, and I said, “Who is T.J. Klune?”

Again with the over dramatics, but OH MY GODDD! This discovery of this writer truly changed my life. I started with How to Be a Normal Person and I'm the Lives of Puppets and since those two books were on two different spectrums of Klune's career, I saw what the guy meant and I sort of agree that his big, now mainstream(ish) things aren't nearly as good as his older things, but they're all still pretty fabulous.

And he's so proudly, loudly and fantastically queer, and I love him so very much.

Reading his books, and other queer books by queer authors helped me understand just what had been missing from the things I was reading and maybe why I stopped reading and instead turned to fanfiction.

When I read and wrote fic, it was slash, it was femslash and it was gen with a othered in someway viewpoint. Most books I was reading before 2023 didn't have any of that.

I remember saying, when I signed up for Yuletide in 2023 and all the fandoms I requested and offered to write had canonically queer characters and relationships, “Oh wow, is this how cishet people always feel about their OTPs?!?” I had been so used to having to put on slash goggles or dig deep in secondary characters to investigate the relationships and the dynamics I was most interested in.

So, that's the origin of how I discovered queer lit and also, in so doing, discovered more about myself. ❤️❤️

I'm still mostly in the consuming phase of my obsession, but I'm also more than interested discussing, reccing, being recced and gushing over queer books if anyone wants. I have created a few things, but not too many, though I'd love to write more. Someday...

Comments

[vendettadays]

Oh I love your post and that you discovered queer lit! Alexis Hall, Casey McQuiston <3 It's wonderful to read how sending a call out got you a list of recs of queer lit that got you back into the groove of reading and writing. Thank you for sharing your story!

[tjs_whatnot]

❤️❤️Thank you!

[barbaratp]

Cara leitura queer é a coisa mais doce que existe, por isso só fico nas fics. Comprei alguns títulos nacionais incríveis com relacionamentos slash, aroacespec, poliamoroso, de fantasia ou vivência urbana. Depois comprei alguns estrangeiros (meu sonho ter Vermelho, Branco e Sangue Azul na prateleira u.u

Às vezes me volto para esses livros queer, mas como tem hora que quero só algo pequeno continuo sempre nas fics.

Te entendo não querer mais ser associado com HP, querendo ou não esse ano comentei de novo que já estive lá nesse fandom, mas não quero mais por motivos óbvios.

Querendo ou não é uma parte obscura do meu passado, o qual eu só tô deixando de lado faz eras.

Mas sim é ótimo a gente ler um livro e ser feliz igual um monte de gente hétero foi antes. Nossas vivências queer na literatura ou na tela totalmente aberta e sem censura é um gostinho de vida plena que ninguém nos tira u.u

[tjs_whatnot]

Mas sim é ótimo a gente ler um livro e ser feliz igual um monte de gente hétero foi antes. Nossas vivências queer na literatura ou na tela totalmente aberta e sem censura é um gostinho de vida plena que ninguém nos tira

Thank you! And yes, I'll always come back to fic. I just wish there was more for the books that I love the most. ❤️❤️

[author_by_night]

I'm glad you found so many books- and fics! ❤️

RWRB is amazing. I wish there was a sequel. I know there's a new movie in the works, tohugh to be honest, I liked the book better. Still, at least the story will continue. I'll definitely be watching it.

[tjs_whatnot]

Yes, I wish too that we get more RWRB from Casey, but then bring involved with the screenplay makes it even more exciting that it's happening. ❤️❤️

[author_by_night]

For sure!

[gingicat]

I absolutely adore TJ Klune, though I do keep putting the werewolf novels back on hold at the library.

How awesome that you rediscovered a love of reading through also discovering queer lit. (And how awesome is it that there's so much of it now?)

Thank you for participating!

[tjs_whatnot]

Wait, putting them on hold like because you are not ready to read them? Or because you want to read them over and over? Because, if the latter, same. Big same. If, the former, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE get those holds. You will NOT regret it. Then also, come here and let me experience it along side you. ❤️❤️ Living through other people's first is almost as magical as my first time. ❤️❤️

[gingicat]

Noted :)

I loved the first two, but I'm getting stuck on reading Robbie's.

[tjs_whatnot]

Ohhhh, let's discuss. Is it because you don't get the need for a Robbie book? Because you think it's going to rip your heart out? You're not ready to proceed?

[gingicat]

I think it's going to rip my heart out and hit my embarrassment squick on the way. So, yeah, not ready to proceed.

[tjs_whatnot]

Well, I can confirm it will rip your heart out, but I don't think it's going to be nearly as embarrassing as you imagined. I can't tell you why, but trust me. ❤️❤️

[gingicat]

I'm currently reading Ravensong and realizing that I hadn't read it before, so it's probably just as well that I finish that before starting Heartsong again :)

And hey, it wouldn't hurt to read the first one again.

These BOYS! They are so ridiculous. (Currently at the bit where Gordo is denying his pining, specifically the scene where they are videoconferencing with Michelle about the third Omega attracted to Alpha-Ox.)

Is there any fanfic from the women's POV?

[tjs_whatnot]

Haha! Yes, Heartsong is hard enough to figure out without having a huge missing element too! And yeah, every time I read that book, I get more and more angry on Gordo's behalf. ❤️❤️

Sadly, in a fandom that only has 300 some stories (and that's counting crossovers and fusions of which there are alot) there is very little that focus on the women of GC. But, after Heartsong, Klune wrote some short stories and one is from Elizabeth's POV. It is exquisite and achey and I love it!

[sarajayechan]

I keep seeing Red, White, & Royal Blue at the top of Goodreads' LGBT book lists! Maybe I oughta read it sometime, too.

This was a great post. <3

[tjs_whatnot]

Yes! You absolutely should! And then come back here and talk to me about it. ❤️❤️

[walgesang]

Thank you so much for sharing this! ♥ That's awesome that queer lit was a foray into discovering more about yourself as well. I saw Red, White and Royal Blue with a couple of friends and a lot of them said "this wasn't nearly as good as the book!" Which makes me wonder if maybe I should read the book since I felt kind of mixed about the movie adaptation? I really do need to read more queer lit that isn't just nonfiction (which is what I tend to do or graphic novels).

[tjs_whatnot]

I think most people who have mixed feelings about the movie adaptation should read the book, as it is a much more nuanced character study and there were a lot of cuts that really diminished the overall story-- like whole characters and plot lines cut.

But, if you want other queer lit recs, please do let me know. Also, what queer nonfiction have you been reading? I need to read more nonfiction. ❤️❤️

[nuclearpolymer]

I have been really enjoying your book reviews and gotten some great tips! For example, I really didn't enjoy The House in the Cerulean Sea, but your reviews got me reading some of TJ Klune's other books, which were a lot of fun. Please keep up the reccing & gushing!

[tjs_whatnot]

Yay! I'm glad you decided to give other Klune works a try. He had written so many different kinds of books I'd hate if you missed them because of the first experience. It also makes me wonder if I would have been the same if The House in the Cerulean Sea had been my first, or if I'd only read In the Lives of Puppets without also reading How to be a Normal Person. Like the Puppets book was good, but it didn't rock me to my foundations like the other one did. Would I have moved on? *shudders*

[silveradept]

There's a lot of good (and middling) queer lit out there these days, and it's fantastic. I read both of the Cerulean Sea books so far and enjoyed them, so knowing there's others is good, and while I haven't read RWRB, there's a lot of other stuff in YA that I have professionally perused.

How nice it is that you don't have to put the slash goggles on to see queer rep any more.

[mierke]

Isn't it amazing how much of queer lit there exists nowadays? That makes me so incredibly happy. And how cool that you rediscovered a love of reading through it!

[wenchpixie]

This is so lovely to read! I love that you've found a new fannish joy!