tangerine's dream

Prompt 2: Fannish Identity

As the sunshine_challenge continues, we invite everyone to take a deeper look at their own fandom identities. Remember that there is no official deadline, so feel free to join in at any time or go back and do any prompts you've missed!

I started using Tangerine in 1996 or so, possibly earlier. I was really into the X-Men at the time, and I really wanted to talk about the X-Men, but I had no way of doing that. Literally and figuratively. I didn't know anyone into the X-Men like I was, and my speech impediment (stutter) was at its absolute worst, so speaking was actual physical and mental agony for me. But I could type. And I came across an X-Men bulletin board, and well... I needed a name, and I was reading back issues of Excalibur at the time. Tangerine was only in it for two issues (66 and 67) so I figured the name was likely available. ::points at default icon:: That's Tangerine. She's a telepath. This is the Earth-811 version of her. There are others.

I've always felt most comfortable with this pseudonym. This icon, which I have dragged around for decades, makes me happy whenever I see it. I definitely respond to Tan or Tange in real life. It is almost my truest self, because while my speech has improved somewhat in real life (i.e. I know every trick in the book by now to improve my fluency), I'm still not much of a talker. I have been Tangerine for so long that it just feels like another layer of myself. I kind of drift in and out of fandom, but I know it's always there for me, if and when I need it.

(My other pseudonym, Rhys St. John, more commonly known as Rhys, was made up on the fly because everyone else was having secret identities for popslash, and it felt like the thing to do. I was still into X-Men and, also, really into Jonathan Rhys Meyers (thank you, Velvet Goldmine), so I basically took the Rhys from him and the St. John from Pyro in X-Men and voila. I haven't really used the name since 2004, but it's still kicking around.)

The moral of these stories is, probably, I'm really into the X-Men. Still. Decades later. They were something I identified with as a very sheltered teenager in the 90s, who felt different and didn't really understand why until I came out as bisexual for the first time in the late 90s. And I continue to identify with them now, as a mostly formed adult. I'm glad my fannish identity has an X-Men connection. It would feel very weird if it didn't. :)

Hello, and welcome to my Dreamwidth! My name is Tangerine (the R is there because I am always three days late to every new platform). I was also once known as Rhys.

You're welcome to subscribe or follow if something interests you (with or without commenting first -- feel free to just add!). I love fandom and people being fannish about things, regardless if we have any fandoms in common. I'm also incredibly susceptible to fannish suggestion, so if someone else is squeeing about something, I typically find myself sucked in and at least learn the basics. I can be found a few other places: Tangerine, atangeriner, tangeriner and tangherin3 on Discord.

A few of my favourite things:

• EarthMix - my current obsession. Love all their shows, fictional and non. Definitely consider myself part of Nameless fandom. They have 9 cats between them! What a gift!
• Asian BL dramas - I mostly stick to Thailand, South Korea, Japan and Taiwan for these, but tbh (and my MyDramaList would confirm this) I basically watch them all. Some particular favs: Blueming (South Korea), Ossan's Love/Ossan's Love Returns (Japan), We Best Love (Taiwan), Theory of Love (Thailand), Roommates of Poongduck 304 (South Korea), Plus&Minus (Taiwan), Love Mechanics (Thailand), Old Fashion Cupcake (Japan).
• Kpop - ATEEZ is my main group, with Yeosang as my bias and Wooyoung as my bias wrecker and Yunho as that guy always lurking in the background (typical Yunho), but I am OT8 through and through. I watch Wanteez obsessively as one does. Other groups I follow but not quite as obsessively: ZEROBASEONE.
• Rictor/Shatterstar - X-Force era, X-Factor era and anything in-between or after. New Mutants: Dead Souls, Shatterstar mini, give me all of it, Marvel.
• X-Men (Comics) - my life's ambition is to basically have a collection of all X-Men-related comics. I'm probably 60% of the way there. My X-Men fic tends to be comicverse, not movieverse, for this exact reason. Angel (and all his variations) is my favourite and has been for 25 years (!).
• Anime and Manga - My Hero Academia, Run with the Wind and Yona of the Dawn are the big ones for me right now, but this list tends to shift (Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu, Yowamushi Pedal, Haiykuu!!, Natsume Yuujinchou, Yuri on Ice, etc.), and once I love something, I love it forever (i.e. Samurai Champloo, Inuyasha, Trigun, Gundam Wing, Weiß Kreuz, Naruto). I also read the manga for My Hero Academia and Yona of the Dawn and am mostly caught up. I also have an ongoing love affair with all things From Eroica with Love related.
• Dragon Age, especially Inquisition - I think I am on my seventh play-through.
• The Professionals - I am just getting into this, reading and watching. I at least know which one is which now.
• Hockey - This is a perpetual source of anguish for me, because my team is bad on multiple levels, and embarrasses me on the regular in new and unexpected ways (Senators). I would update this, but hey, still true, though at least they're entertaining now in their chaos (written in 2021, still applicable in 2025 -- why, hockey, why).
• Historical Romance Novels - Mary Balogh gives me life. And Lisa Kleypas. And Laura Kinsale. And KJ Charles.

Transformative Works Policy

Feel free to transform my works into podfics, art, translations, remixes, sequels, etc. I only ask that you link to the original source and that whatever you produce remains non-commercial.

Last updated: January 1, 2025