Snowflake 2018: Days 1 & 2
Jan. 3rd, 2018 03:53 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
balsamandashBrain is still off-kilter but I really don't want to miss participating in Snowflake this year. Hoping I can actually make it to the end for once even! So here's the last two days and I will try and do day 3 tonight or tomorrow. (I like reccing shit anyway so day 3 excites me enough to probably go back to it. XD)
Day 1: In your own space, talk about why you're participating in Snowflake and, if you’ve participated in the past, how the challenge has affected you. What drew you to it? What did you take away from it? What do you hope to accomplish this year?
First of all, it's always nice to get a chance to talk to interesting people. I'm not great at reaching out to people, but I do like meeting and learning about new people, and Snowflake gives me a chance to do that. And I've met some interesting people through it already in the last few years! I'm hoping to continue that pattern.
Also, my fannish involvement has decreased a lot over the years. I read fic and watch vids, and occasional get glimpses of art as it crossed my way through tumblr, but I'm bad at producing, I'm bad at interacting, I'm even bad at commenting. (I really want to get better at that this year, it's kind of a resolution.) It's always really nice when things come my way to remind me why I've gotten so excited about fandom at times over the fifteen years I've been a part of. Snowflake gets me starting the year feeling hopeful about fandom, and I really like that.
Day 2: In your own space, share a favorite memory about fandom: the first time you got into fandom, the last time a fanwork touched your heart, crazy times with fellow fans (whether on-line or off-line), a lovely comment you’ve received or have left for someone.
My first fandom was Harry Potter, and my first midnight book release I managed to get to was Half-Blood Prince, and I remember running around in awe of all the games, and all the excitement, and how great it was to get to enjoy something I loved that much with people who also loved it that much. I saw Goblet of Fire at the midnight release with my NaNo group and cried on a near-stranger. Writing filk on the Fiction Alley Park message boards pretty much at the drop of a hat, having pretty much no idea what filk was until I rediscovered it several years later. I was super into Rent when I was 14 and got to see it with a new friend, and immediately went back the next day to rush it; I remember sitting on the ground with everybody else all day, talking to them, and I remember not feeling completely out of place or looked down on even though I'm pretty sure I was the youngest person there. Staying up ridiculously late in RP chats doing ridiculous, or occasionally heart-breaking, things. Staying up ridiculous late in chats with friends "singing" musical scores back and forth. Way more round robins and word wars than I could possibly count. My first con was a more writing-focused than fannish experience, but I remember the "let's crowd-plot a Serenity" sequel panel. For that matter, seeing Serenity (my first introduction to Firefly) in theaters for the first time and literally dancing in front of the screen during the credits I was so blown away. Recently, seeing Guardians of the Galaxy 2 in theaters and getting excited about the ongoing Marvel universe again for the first time in a while. Doing the Wicked lottery, getting front-row seats on the first try, and making a dream of over a decade finally come true. Seeing Night Vale live in both 2015 and 2016 -- and seeing it with Dessa as the musical guest in 2015, which was two fannish excitements colliding, especially when one of my favorite songs unexpectedly came up as The Weather.
There have been so, so many things that stuck with me, so many good times, so many gorgeous things that struck a chord, so many nice things people have said. I keep trying to narrow it down and expand on one or two and I just end up thinking of more, so I guess I'll leave it here.
Day 1: In your own space, talk about why you're participating in Snowflake and, if you’ve participated in the past, how the challenge has affected you. What drew you to it? What did you take away from it? What do you hope to accomplish this year?
First of all, it's always nice to get a chance to talk to interesting people. I'm not great at reaching out to people, but I do like meeting and learning about new people, and Snowflake gives me a chance to do that. And I've met some interesting people through it already in the last few years! I'm hoping to continue that pattern.
Also, my fannish involvement has decreased a lot over the years. I read fic and watch vids, and occasional get glimpses of art as it crossed my way through tumblr, but I'm bad at producing, I'm bad at interacting, I'm even bad at commenting. (I really want to get better at that this year, it's kind of a resolution.) It's always really nice when things come my way to remind me why I've gotten so excited about fandom at times over the fifteen years I've been a part of. Snowflake gets me starting the year feeling hopeful about fandom, and I really like that.
Day 2: In your own space, share a favorite memory about fandom: the first time you got into fandom, the last time a fanwork touched your heart, crazy times with fellow fans (whether on-line or off-line), a lovely comment you’ve received or have left for someone.
My first fandom was Harry Potter, and my first midnight book release I managed to get to was Half-Blood Prince, and I remember running around in awe of all the games, and all the excitement, and how great it was to get to enjoy something I loved that much with people who also loved it that much. I saw Goblet of Fire at the midnight release with my NaNo group and cried on a near-stranger. Writing filk on the Fiction Alley Park message boards pretty much at the drop of a hat, having pretty much no idea what filk was until I rediscovered it several years later. I was super into Rent when I was 14 and got to see it with a new friend, and immediately went back the next day to rush it; I remember sitting on the ground with everybody else all day, talking to them, and I remember not feeling completely out of place or looked down on even though I'm pretty sure I was the youngest person there. Staying up ridiculously late in RP chats doing ridiculous, or occasionally heart-breaking, things. Staying up ridiculous late in chats with friends "singing" musical scores back and forth. Way more round robins and word wars than I could possibly count. My first con was a more writing-focused than fannish experience, but I remember the "let's crowd-plot a Serenity" sequel panel. For that matter, seeing Serenity (my first introduction to Firefly) in theaters for the first time and literally dancing in front of the screen during the credits I was so blown away. Recently, seeing Guardians of the Galaxy 2 in theaters and getting excited about the ongoing Marvel universe again for the first time in a while. Doing the Wicked lottery, getting front-row seats on the first try, and making a dream of over a decade finally come true. Seeing Night Vale live in both 2015 and 2016 -- and seeing it with Dessa as the musical guest in 2015, which was two fannish excitements colliding, especially when one of my favorite songs unexpectedly came up as The Weather.
There have been so, so many things that stuck with me, so many good times, so many gorgeous things that struck a chord, so many nice things people have said. I keep trying to narrow it down and expand on one or two and I just end up thinking of more, so I guess I'll leave it here.
no subject
Date: 2018-01-04 04:18 pm (UTC)Same!
It sounds like you've had some pretty amazing fandom experiences!
no subject
Date: 2018-01-05 04:12 am (UTC)I really have! I've been lucky in a lot of ways, and fandom's been very good to me. ^^