Fantopia, Or, How to Live With Fellow Fans (And Not Kill Them)
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| Title: | Fantopia, Or, How to Live With Fellow Fans (And Not Kill Them) |
| Creator: | Merlin Missy |
| Date(s): | September 13, 2007 |
| Medium: | |
| Fandom: | multifandom |
| Topic: | |
| External Links: | Fantopia, Or, How to Live With Fellow Fans (And Not Kill Them) (page 1) (the second page is offline] |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
Fantopia, Or, How to Live With Fellow Fans (And Not Kill Them) is a 2007 essay by Merlin Missy.
Series
This essay is part of a series called Dr. Merlin's Soapbox.
Some Topics Discussed
- sharing living quarters with other fans
- many practical tips (not necessarily fannish) about getting along with others
- tips specifically about fans: discuss each other physical boundaries, discuss each others views on spoilers, recognize that people have different fannish interests
- have more than one television
From the Essay
Fantopia is the dream: living with someone who understands that We Do Not Talk Between Commercials, who knows firsthand that writing fanfic is a vital part of one's mental health, who groks your take on Kirk/Spock. Congratulations. You have arrived.
I have been privileged to witness many a fantopia, and even live in a few during my time. I have also seen them shatter apart, many times over frictions that could have been prevented. This guide is intended as a helpful point of reference for avoiding many of the major pitfalls of cohabitation among fans.
... your roommate is not your best friend. At least, typically your roommate will not be your best friend, especially if you're moving in together as a result of a shared fannish interest. I know, I know. You're excited that you're finally living with someone who gets you. However, back to the boundaries thing, your roommate likely already has friends of her own.
...your squee might not be your roommate's squee. While you both might enjoy LOTR RPS, she might be more of a Viggorli person, while you're mad about Domlijah. And that's okay. Everyone has their squee. You can celebrate your roommate's squee without being obligated to share it. That goes in reverse, too. Just because you believe in your heart of hearts that Harry should marry Hermione (for reasons you will happily go into in detail) does not mean you should try to convert your roommate away from her Harry/Sirius fixation. Celebrate the fact that you both thought the last book sucked dead donkey, and leave it there. 'Shipwars should not come home with you.