Fandom Snowflake Challenge, Day 1

[aadler]

Taking on the meme/challenge here.

Fandom Snowflake Challenge, Day 1

In your own space, introduce yourself! Leave a comment here saying you did it. Include a link to your post if you feel comfortable doing so.

Very well, then. Let me introduce myself: I’m a man of wealth and taste …

Oh, wait.

Forget the wealth, and my taste has been called into question way more times than I can count. So that doesn’t work. What else, then —?

I remember the Kennedy assassination. I’ve been a soldier, a truck driver, a judo instructor; I’ve worked in factories and foundries and (twice) the corporate offices of major companies. I took 14 years to work my way through college to a Bachelor’s degree, then picked up a Master’s in my forties. I’ve been married to the same woman for 27 years (with that little ten-year intermission when she couldn’t stand me and I started deploying to various Middle Eastern theaters in an effort to perpetrate some righteous violence). My kids are married to foreign nationals and living in their respective spouses’ home countries, and my only grandchild is half-Chinese. I’m currently the oldest member of my generation in my family. In fact, in my immediate family I’m the oldest, period.

During my lifetime, I have voluntarily transitioned through the Baptist, Methodist, and Episcopal churches to my eventual home in the Catholic Church (which is funny considering that I grew up firmly anti-Catholic; not nasty about it, but I had my reasons and I was serious about them). I was the first person in my family to become Catholic; now my wife, son, daughter-in-law, son-in-law, and granddaughter likewise are. (Only my daughter remains non-official, but she’s living in Ireland and married to an Irish Catholic, and ‘belongs’ to the church even if she never formally became a member.)

I live 500 miles southeast of the geographic center of the contiguous United States.

I started writing fanfiction in 1999, and recently posted my 100th piece of fanfic. I’ve dabbled in various fandoms, but by far my major focus has been — and continues to be — the fascinating world of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I love action, and am good at writing it, but find myself doing less and less of that; I’m wary of relationship fic (saw way too many early stories that ignored the settings and characters to focus on favorite ’ships), but have recently started doing considerably more of that. I am a serious NOT-fan of slash, or for most things that can be readily identified as kinks or tropes. (Other examples of things that actively repel me: mpreg and all-human AU stories, and the whole alpha-beta-omega business makes me want to hurl.)

My wife and I are now seriously exploring, not the possibility, but a plan to retire to Asia. Maybe Malaysia (for the low cost of living); maybe, if our daughter-in-law has her way, China itself.

No wealth. Doubtful taste. But I do like my life.