Ah, fandoms, how do we love thee! To banish the winter blues, my friend Jenelle Schmidt hosts a fun fantasy-themed celebration every February. Forget about Valentine’s Day and roses and boxes of chocolates.* Why not go for dragons and elves, swords and superheroes, glowing portals and interplanetary adventures?
*Actually, don’t forget about chocolate. I needs it, precious.
This year, the theme is alllll about FANDOMS, whether they’re technically fantasy or not. And because it’s been oh-so-long since I did a blog tag, I decided to snag this one! You, too, can grab Jenelle’s questions and answer them on your own blog, Instagram, or drop your answers into the Void of Darkness That I Just Invented Today.
Here they are, and here… we… go…
What was the first fandom you fell into?
If we’re talking about waaaaay back when the word fandom wasn’t even in child Tracey’s vocabulary, then… probably Winnie the Pooh. To this day, the Hundred Acre Wood holds a special place in my heart!
As child Tracey got a little bit older, she also went through phases of loving Mandy Shaw mysteries, the Pony Pal series, and later, the Thoroughbred series. Yes, I was all about horses and sleuthing back in the day.
But the first REAL fandom I fell into—the first to really, truly pull me in for good—was The Chronicles of Narnia. The minute I began crawling through the attics with Polly and Digory in The Magician’s Nephew, I was entranced. And watching Aslan sing Narnia into existence was just… there’s no word for it other than magical.
What is the most recent fandom you’ve become a part of?
Last year, my siblings introduced me to a couple different anime, including My Hero Academia! I wasn’t sure I’d like it at first… I mean, I was already loving my first anime—Attack on Titan—but this hero show they wanted to watch with me was so bright and zany in comparison. And what was up with that overly buff guy with weird hair?? (Sorry, All Might. I think you’re awesome now.)
Buuut I gave it a try, and as the episodes went by, the show grew on me. By the time I got into Season 2, I was SO JAZZED. The heroism! The friendships! The character development! Even the villains started developing some seriously intriguing (even scarily relatable) motives.
Needless to say, I’m a big fan of My Hero now.
Star Wars or Star Trek?
Um, here’s where I can confess that I’ve never watched Star Trek and have seen only a few of the newer Star Wars movies. I know, I know! *ducks away from flying tomatoes*
But as far as Star Wars goes, I do plan to eventually watch all the movies. And probably The Mandalorian too.
Marvel or DC?
MARVEL ALL THE WAY!
Granted, I love DC’s Batman (the Christian Bale version) and really enjoyed most of The Flash TV series. Oh, and Wonder Woman is cool too.
But collectively, I’ve got to stake my flag on the Marvel hill. I mean, they have the Avengers! Following that storyline throughout my teen years, watching some of the movies in theaters, piecing together clues and post-credit scenes… man, now I’m feeling nostalgic. 😭
I haven’t seen any of the new shows yet (*is sad because no Disney Plus*) and I don’t have quite the same level of excitement for some of the upcoming movies. But at the very least, it’s been a really good ride up till now.
What is a fandom you love enough to want to live in that world?
I love this question! So many fantasy worlds, while fun to read about, would be terrifying to live in. Everywhere you turn, there are monsters, tyrannical governments, and natural disasters galore. But it just so happens that my favorite fantasy world is also a very peaceful place, for the most part.
NARNIAAAAA!
I’d specifically want to live there during the Golden Age (during the Pevensies’ reign) or the Age of Exploration (Caspian the Tenth’s reign). To live alongside the Talking Beasts, walk the forests or the shores of Cair Paravel, perhaps even see Aslan… YES PLEASE.
I’m still looking for my magical wardrobe, by the way. Though perhaps that search is in vain, since “things never happen the same way twice, dear one.”
Three runners-up to living in Narnia would be:
- Goldstone Wood (from the Tales of Goldstone Wood series by Anne Elisabeth Stengl) because it’s very nearly as beautiful and magical as Narnia.
- Middle Earth, but only the Shire or Rivendell (keep me away from all orcs and ginormous spiders pleaseandthankyou).
- Hogwarts because of course I’d love to learn magic and stay in a school that looks like a castle.
If you could hang out with a character from one of your fandoms, who would it be and why?
There are sooo many options I could pick, but I’m going to go with characters (plural) from a series I haven’t mentioned yet: the Rampion crew from the Lunar Chronicles!
These guys are serious #squadgoals and some of my TOP FAVORITE characters ever! I’d love to spend a day adventuring in some random city with them, laughing at their banter, finding snacks at some hole-in-the-wall restaurant, and quite possibly making trouble somewhere. I think I’d click especially well with Cinder, Kai, Cress, and Thorne. ❤️
Unknown fandom (something you love but nobody else seems to have heard of)
Okay, this one is popular within certain circles (mainly Christian homeschoolers), but to the general population of fantasy readers, it’s a hidden gem not many have heard about.
If Chronicles of Narnia was a turning point in my reading life at the age of eight, then THIS series was my second turning point at the age of twelve. It’s the book series responsible for my love of dragons, it showed me characters of faith in a fantastical modern setting, and it even inspired my first foray into novel-writing.
Some of you may know the answer already…
Dragons in Our Midst! (Not just the original four-book series, but all THREE series connected to that storyworld.)
I distinctly remember receiving the first book, Raising Dragons, for my twelfth birthday. And I have many more fond memories of collecting the rest of the books… devouring all 600 pages of Eye of the Oracle before it was due at the library… following the characters literally to hell and back… and feeling my heart swell with happiness at the end of The Bones of Makaidos. I’ve also gotten all (or at least most) of the books signed by the author, Bryan Davis, which is pretty darn cool if you ask me.
Ha, I literally JUST posted my answers to this tag on my blog and then checked my email and saw your post. xD Great minds think alike!
Once upon a time, I never thought I could favor Marvel over DC, since I grew up watching Batman and Superman cartoons… but here we are. xD I truly wish DC had movies to compare with Marvel, because the Avengers are just SO amazing and I love them so much. <3
Yessss to Narnia!! If I could create a fantasy world HALF as lovely as Narnia… *dreamy sigh* Though YES, I would LOVE to live in the Shire. I always say I'm a hobbit-at-heart, and I would love nothing more than to visit Hobbiton. <3
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NICE! I’m going to go read yours just as soon as I finish replying to comments! XD
Haha, you’re a Marvel convert! I wish DC movies could match the epicness of the Avengers too, because they have so many great characters to work with. I wanted so badly for the Justice League to be as cool as the Avengers, but… <.< That would be the dream! <3 Oh, I'm with you... a total hobbit-at-heart. Although I'm much too tall to fit comfortably in their homes, I think. I might bump my head on light fixtures like Gandalf does. XD
Aaaahhhh I adored reading your answers! And oh my goodness, we have such similar tastes. I just love that! I put Winnie-the-Pooh as my first fandom too!!! Seriously, I think the Disney classic movie was my first TRUE story love. That is so special it was your first fandom too!
I seriously need to try some of these animes. It’s just shameful I have yet! ONE DAY.
*high-fives for not being a major Star Wars fan* And I, too, haven’t seen any of Star Trek (save for the newer movies). It’s so nice to know I’m not the only one on these things. *grins*
MARVEL WINS EVERYTHING THE END.
And NARNIAAAA!!!! YES YES YES. That is also my go-to answer for traveling to a fantasy world. Middle-earth may have been one of my first fantasy loves buuuut I feel like Narnia is a lot more peaceful a.k.a I may not die. XD But more than that it’s just…*dreamy sigh* It’s just such a wondrous place. <3
Okay but hanging out with the Rampion crew would be THE. GREATEST. THING.
And AAAHHHH DRAGONS IN OUR MIDST. OF COURSE. Somehow I didn't even THINK of that one for that question. :O But that is so perfect! I love how those books were such integral parts of our teenage years. They will forever hold such a special place in my heart. <3
I absolutely adored reading this! You know I could fangril alllll day! 😀
No way! I loved Pooh. <3 I saw you'd answered the tag just before me, but I refrained from reading it to make sure I didn't unconsciously copy you or something... and haha, it looks like we were on the same wavelength anyway! (Speaking of your post though, I must go read that!)
You seriously do. 😉 I'd be so curious to hear what you think!
Nope, definitely not the only one! And we were both "late" to the Harry Potter fandom too, weren't we?
YES, THAT'S IT. THAT'S THE WHOLE STORY.
Right? I ADORE Middle Earth too, but Narnia was my first love aaaaand the mortality rates seem to be more in our favor. XD I've been listening to the Narnia movie soundtracks lately and gosh, the nostalgia makes my heart hurt in the best way.
Wouldn't it, though?!
I love that about DIOM too! Those books helped to shape my love for fantasy... they gave me DRAGONS... they taught me so much about life and faith. Ah, I just love that it's a special series for you too! ^_^
YAY YOU DID THE TAG!!!
I LOVED reading your answers!! Winnie the Pooh was probably my first fandom, too, actually. I said Fairy Tales in my post, but you and Christine made me remember that PROBABLY Winnie the Pooh was actually first. Though I’m not sure. Could have been either.
The Rampion Crew would be fantastically fun to hang out with!
I really enjoyed reading the first Dragons in Our Midst and am excited to read more of them. Thank you for the recommendation!!!!
And it was so fun!!!
Winnie the Pooh is so precious! And oooh, fairy tales in general? I WISH they were one of my first fandoms, but I didn’t start reading the original tales until I was well into my teen years, sadly.
You and Christine can come with me, then–we’ll crash the next Rampion party and go save the galaxy or something epic!
You’re SO welcome! You have so many good books ahead of you in that series…!
Narnia WOULD be a good choice XD
(And wdym, wouldn’t you want to visit Shelob? Maybe she’s just misunderstood!!)
*claps for Dragons in Our Midst*
Definitely responsible for my love of dragons as well haha XD It also (along with The Door Within) launched my love of Fantasy I’m pretty sure
Awesome post! <3
Whether or not Shelob is misunderstood, all *I* need to understand is EIGHT SPIDER LEGS AND GIGANTIC EYES AND DISGUSTINGNESS BLEGH GET ME AWAY. xDDD
Yay for DIOM! And ohhh, The Door Within! I read those around the same time as Raising Dragons and they also had a huge impact on my fantasy-loving heart. <3 (Captain Valithor will forever live in my mind as the epitome of a fantasy mentor.)
Haha! I also was weirded out about All Might but now I love him! You should give the new Star Trek movies a shot. As a Trekkie I’m a huge fan of them! And so much yes to the Dragons in Our Midst shout out!
He’s such a lovable character! Oooh, yes I should. The new ones do look good, I just haven’t gotten around to them yet. Three cheers for DIOM! 😀