Thanks for the feedback! I completely agree that a major reason why people don’t make the things they want to is because the idea is too big, I’ve certainly been there. Having smaller, less “important” projects to work on is a crucial part of growing as an artist. I am aware that Goncharov is not the first or only work like this. I wanted to focus on Goncharov because of the smaller scope of this zine, but I said in the description that I wanted to elaborate on that concept, and part of that elaboration will definitely be talking about stuff like SCP Foundation and even an earlier “fandom for a work that doesn’t exist”, Ships of the Northern Fleet. Now that you’ve mentioned it, I definitely want to talk about how collaborative, low-stakes works like these allow people to start making art without the daunting task of building something from scratch, with credit to you of course! Thank you so much for commenting. I hope you got something out of reading my little zine!
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I enjoyed reading it, of course! It's really like an interesting little video essay, and well-written. I wouldn't have typed this long-winded reply if I hadn't liked it! I really love the "collective, unspoken roleplaying" aspect of emergent phenomenons like these "fandoms for stuff that doesn't exist" - just so many people pretending and being in on a joke. Something about it resonates with me. It's like the whole "brass kingdom" thing as well! It feels immersive, in a way, like opening the door to an alternate reality, and getting to live slices of the daily life like it is in that other world. It's a feeling like a change of scenery, exploring something new yet familiar, in a similar way to immersive experiences like videogames can provide (cultist simulator, potioncraft, monster hunter come to mind), some LARPs, or long-form, continuous, collective roleplaying experiences (to a much stronger degree I think). It's like there's this critical mass of immersion for a joke to turn into this little pocket universe that you can actually live in, even if it's just pretend, if enough people are in on it, it's undistinguishable from reality. (Sorry now I'm just musing.)
Of course, you were right to focus on it! It is a very fascinating topic! I'm looking forwards to your follow-ups!