Snowflake Challenge -- day twelve

[turps]

Day 12


What makes you fannish? And by that we mean, what is it about a tv show/movie/book/band/podcast/etc that takes you from, "Yeah, I like that," to "I need MOAR!!!" Is it a character? A plotline? The pretty? Subtext that’s just screaming to be acknowledged?

In your own space, tell us what it is that gets you to cross that line into fandom. Leave a comment in this post saying you did it. Include a link to your post if you feel comfortable doing so.



Simple answer, the characters, I've always been a OTC person and every active fandom I've been in has had one characters I've adored above all others.

My first obsession. Tom Paris. Oh how I loved that man. I was lucky enough to meet and get my photo taken with Robert Duncan McNeil at a Voyager convention, and how I managed to stay upright I'll never know.



My next big obsession was Blair Sandburg. The Sentinel had my attention for a very long time, and Blair was a huge part of that. I started writing in this fandom, posted on mailing lists and created my first community with castalie



This next one overlapped with my popslash days for a while, but Brennan Mulwray. My beautiful mutant, he was the start of my mega busy fannish time, writing, creating archives, I was all over the place fannishly and enjoyed every moment.



Then came my move into rps, which started with Kevin from Backstreet Boys.




And because of Kevin I found Chris Kirkpatrick. Nsync were never big in England so I knew nothing about them until I read a Kevin/Chris cross, and became very interested in this Chris person. Soon Chris was my everything, and popslash was where I juggled multiple comms and challenges, wrote and made some of the best friends ever.



I was in popslash for many many years, and then one day I was watching a video on Kerrang. It was this band called Fall Out Boy, and included this guy call Pete who made me sit up and think, hello!



Then, much like Kevin and Chris above, I read a Pete/Mikey story, got intrigued by this Mikey person, and that was it. I fell and fell hard, and still haven't got up.





So yes, a lot of it is I need to fall for a character to be fannish, but that's not everything. I mean, I read in lots of other fandoms and enjoy characters but never had that final push to be fannish. Reid in Criminal Minds, Greg in CSI, Tony in NCIS, Nick in Poltergiest the Legacy, most shows I enjoy have a character I love above all others.

I think in the end that final fannish push can come from those around me. I'm much more likely to be involved fannishly and creatively if I have friends doing the same thing, even if that's just one person like in the Magic Mike fandom where only sperrywink seems to share the interest.

Honestly, I doubt I could fully explain what makes me think, need more! But, on a very simplistic and shallow level, connecting with a characters is a hell of a start, and if that needing more is amplified by those around me, well, that's all the better.

Comments

[mizface]

Oh my, that is a FINE picture of Blair Sandburg!

[turps]

Isn't it just? Picking a photo I was catapulted back to my time in TS fandom and very much enjoyed the experience.

[sperrywink]

Picspam, awesome! I love this picture ride through your fannish history. And I feel you. Finding a community of people who say, "YES!!eleventy!!" about your character or pairing or story or what-have-you is so important.

Man, I wish more people loved ken the way we do.

[turps]

I figured this snowflake was a good excuse to answer my own challenge. And it was a nice way to spend some time.

Ken is adorable! It'll be forever a mystery why more people don't see that. And now I'm thinking of his little face when he saw Mike in the van.

[turlough]

That's almost the opposite of me, I never discover my favourite character until I've been in the fandom at least for a little while. But yes, having people around you that are also interested in the same thing can really boost your fannish interest and activity.

[turps]

Did you slide into popslash and bandom without a favourite person at all? It feels like you were always about Lance and then Gerard. And does that mean with a better prod you could have fallen for the right Way bro? *g*

It helps so much to have people around you who love the same things. Just that back and forward adds to things hugely, and fannish happiness is an incredibly contagious thing.

[turlough]

Lance was the first person I came into contact with in popslash but I'm fairly sure it took a little while for him to become my OTC. And when I started out reading bandom stories I mostly read Patrick centric stuff and only slowly migrated into MCR and my first interest there was probably Bob. But no, there was never any chance of me falling for the wrong Way bro, he's so very much not my type :-)

[turps]

Ah yes, I remember that about Patrick now. It's so very long ago the precise details are a bit blurry. It's weird to think you could have been a Bob!wife, just the thought is wrong.

[turlough]

It's totally wrong and could never have happened! Hopefully :-)

[glitteryv]

I fell and fell hard, and still haven't got up.

Hahahahahaha! FTR, I'm laughing because that's pretty much my reaction about Mikeyway too.

Sharing fannishness with other people definitely makes the experience feel even more magical for sure. ;P

[turps]

Mikey is magic like that. He clings on and doesn't let go.

Some of my best fannish moments have been been enhanced due to being surrounded by fellow fans, both online and in reality. They always get you completely.

[winterlover]

Very interesting to read your fandom-story. And thanks for illustrating, because I'm not really familiar with the faces. Except Pete and Mikey, of course.
:-)

[turps]

You're welcome! I like looking at pictures so I had fun picking which ones to use. It was also nice revisiting my fannish past :)

[wenchpixie]

It is really very lovely to follow people's journeys down the fandom rabbit hole :D

[turps]

I agree! What I like it so often fans go in and out of each others lives, turning up in new fandoms. The fannish journey is a roundabout and ever moving one for us all I think.

[akamine_chan]

Lovely post, T. It's fascinating to see what brings people into fandom.

[turps]

Thank you. I did enjoy pulling this together.

[rikes]

I did not know you went to a Voyager con! Cool. :D

[turps]

I did. In fact I went to lots of Trek cons before I had to give up cons for boring bills.