Freak energy

nyctanthes posted this article called: Why on Earth Have I Seen the Same Broadway Show 13 Times? An Investigation. I love the sincere way the writer explores their own self-proclaimed insane behavior about the play. It was also fun how they discuss being in the theater with so many other mega-fans, and feeling a part of something.

That's the most important part! For me, fandom isn't just about falling in love with media. It's also being able to share that love in a sincere way and a safe way with other people. I think muccamukk mentioned the philosophy of it in their post - when someone else says they see this particular aspect of the show/song/book the same way I do, HUZZAH! My perception of reality isn't totally fucked up! Or if it is, at least we can play pretend together :)

To that end, I'd like to say thank you to Supernatural fandom. For those peak years from 2005 to about 2010 or so, Supernatural fandom led me to all kinds of wonderful internet spaces. I used to tape episodes on VHS as they aired live, and then I rewatched them countless times. Probably more than 13 if I liked a particular episode :P My family definitely categorized that behavior as insane. There was definitely nobody I could talk about wincest with IRL, but the signs where there in the canon imo!! Posting recaps and dissecting tiny little details in canon became a jumping-off point for genuine conversations that were fun to be a part of. I started being much more creative while reading so much fic - and learning a lot about sexuality/gender in the process. Supernatural fandom also taught me a lot about internet etiquette - like how you don't have to get involved in discourse you don't agree with, you don't have to attack people who ship something different or write a kink you don't like. Because lucky for us, fandom spaces on the internet are a huge gathering place! I've always been able to find someone else who views my ship or my show the way I do (on Livejournal, but now on AO3 and DW and Tumblr), and I can just filter out all the rest. That's probably the number one reason fandom space feels so safe - I can curate my own experience and share my love with a particular piece of media with other people while being creative. And being creative makes my brain feel really great. So THANK YOU for being a part of that.

Of course there have been some people who have acted in bad faith throughout the years, so I also want to use this post to say I'm so grateful to everyone who moderates comms and exchanges! By enforcing fair rules, you make our community what it is. Thank you for giving me this space to just vibe and have a nice time with other fans ♥

This theme is the perfect opportunity to talk about my three favorite animated horses! I love these three films, and I think the horse companions add a lot - we get to know the characters through their relationship with their horse, the horse advances the plot, and even provides comic relief. Plus the animation itself is gorgeous for all three of these.

03. Altivo from The Road to El Dorado


gif source

He falls into a life of adventure (literally)! His mane falls loose from its tight bindings once he escapes his Spanish master and it's such a lovely metaphor. Just like Miguel and Tulio, he is set free and chooses a life that he actually wants!

02. Khan from Mulan



He follows Mulan into war and stays loyal to her no matter what - he seems to represent Mulan's immediate family in a way that Mushu does not. He's probably the most regal horse on this list.

01. Angus from Brave



Merida is the ultimate horse girl, and Angus is so beautiful and just as adventurous as she is. I'm in awe of the animation.

Honorable mention to Spirit in Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron but I wouldn't count him as a pet. He's the main character!

#3: In your own space, talk about a fannish opinion you hold that has changed over time.

I've been in fandom 20 years now (WHOA!) and fandom has opened my mind and my heart to so many things. But the biggest one is probably about shipping. When I first joined online fandom, I thought you HAD to pick your ship and stay with your ship. It was like your ship dictated your team loyalty, and you should always defend your ship no matter what. For me, it was Clark and Lana from Smallville. I looked down on so called 'multi shippers' and figured they couldn't really care about a couple if they didn't want them to be canon (and I said some mean shit online). Now of course I think that's all stupid bullshit and I'm a proud multi-shipper myself. Also, I do not really care if my ships become canon. BUT I can see why there are antis out there who have staked their whole fandom personality on a ship and feel like they must defend it like they'd defend a child. I was that way for a couple years. I can't remember exactly why I changed my mind but I did start reading other ship fic that my friends were writing. And it was fun to read other fic! It was fun to imagine how other character dynamics would work! And it was fun to get into poly ships (and learn more about being poly in general)! So I guess just being around and meeting other fandom friends who were multi-shippers helped me understand that we're all here to have fun and it's fine to like what you like :)

#4: Goals
I always like this one because then I get to look back on

last year's goals:

-Keep up with posting my icons to my own journal and have an icons: 2024 tag. It got way too complicated to keep up with the icons I was posting for various challenges. Also, remember to post icons to other icon comms!
-Write 5+ longfic, which I'm defining as over 5k. Last year, I only wrote 4 fics over 5k. I only wrote 3 fics over 5k! 2 of them were for RNM and 1 was for MotA.
-Finish up the WIPs I am bringing with me from 2023. ???? I did finish some, but not all.
-Consider doing fffx if noms go well! Still too intimidated :/
-Do ficinabox again, because that's always a blast (and do more not-fic this year).
-Make time for battleshipex even though it comes at a challenging time of year.
-Maybe take a break from other exchanges during the year so I have time for my WIPs. Oopsie, I mostly wrote for exchanges this year.

Personal Goals:
-Read 20+ books (more than the 16 I read in 2023)
-Donate clothes I don't wear anymore to get ready for the move
-Go to at least three concerts this year
-Pack my lunch more (so that I only eat out for lunch once a week)
-Find new workout classes once we move
-Read to my baby in Japanese more (and practice Japanese more) Need to work on this!
-Come up with a great thesis topic in the fall
-Make lasting friend(s) when we move! AKA Be as social as I can be in the fall
-Plan and make baby's Halloween costume early this year
-Start that t-shirt quilt I've been meaning to make?

For 2025:
-Write 4 fics over 5k.
-Finish the MotA pre-canon ranch Clegan fic.
-Finish Dark Academia Bingo and at least one other bingo this year.
-Win an icon challenge this year!
-fffx
-Make posts here to practice Japanese.
-Make a manifesto/wrap up post for The Great (because I loved it so much and hardly posted about it).

Personal:
-Read 20 books.
-Move (again).
-Finish the semester strong so that I can graduate with honors.
-Plan Halloween family costumes earlier this year.
-Hold the Line! aka don't quit.

#12: Tell us about a personal win
I finished and posted the final chapter to my Kyle/Max Roswell New Mexico Big Bang!!! At 10,287 words total, it's the longest Roswell New Mexico fic I've ever written.

#15: Fandom Snowflake Challenge's 2023 Fandom Wrapped!
Your top 5 4 fandoms for 2023 were: Based off of events and fic, I'd say Roswell New Mexico, Band of Brothers, Supernatural, & MCU.

Your top 5 4 fandom spaces in 2023 were: Dreamwidth, Tumblr, Discord, AO3

The top 5 things you did to contribute to fandom in 2023 were: Write fic, Leave comments on fic, chat on Discord, Make graphics and icons, & compete for my teams at lands_of_magic and fandom_empire.

Your top 5 most appreciated fandom contributions were: I'll go by top five kudos on AO3.
1. On Screen and Off, Gen, 9-1-1, Buck/Eddie
2. First Anniversary, Teen, RNM, Michael/Alex
3. Do Your Worst, Explicit, MCU, Sam/Bucky/Zemo
4. Potential Constituent, Teen, Generation Kill, Brad/Nate
5. Ugly Red Couch, Explicit, MCU, Steve/Tony

Bonus question: In 2023, you discovered: The original Roswell!! There are so many episodes to love, and I already rewatched it twice. I also had fun reading Red, White & Royal Blue (so many tropes!), but I still need to watch the film.

And my own question: Top Five Favorite Fics I Wrote This Year: ( under the cut )

For Snowflake #11 and fandom_empire, in honor of Dean's birthday today.



( A rated-Gen ficlet under here )

#8 Talk about a current fannish project: I am bound and determined to finish chapter 5 (the last chapter) of my Roswell New Mexico Big Bang fic Drew the Line Right Through You. I finished editing what I've written so far, but I just have to stick the landing/ending. This is one of those projects that lived in my head so long, because I had all these pre-canon Kyle Valenti headcanons - and then I spent so much time outlining and editing, that I'm probably putting too much pressure on it :/ But I already received GORGEOUS cover art for it (with QUOTES! In WATERCOLOR!!), and the whole challenge period has already ended, so I just need to send it out into the world.

#9 Rec Us Your Newest Thing: Hades the Video Game! Okay I know this came out way back in 2018, but I'm finally playing it. It was really intimidating to start, because I know NOTHING about video games. I was only playing Stardew Valley at the time, which I still love. But the Hades controls are pretty user-friendly and the graphics are gorgeous. What's really amazing about the game is the story, though! Zagreus is an outstanding character - he's got Daddy and Mommy issues, many admirers, tons of bravado and personality, and he's hot :P Thanatos is my other favorite right now, and I definitely ship it. Although the Meg/Zag vibes are getting stronger. Eurydice is so interesting, and I'm just now getting into the Achilles and Patroclus storyline. I'm not sure how accurate everything is, but I feel like I'm learning about Greek mythology too. I finally made it to the final boss for the first time, using the twin fists of malphon, but I haven't escaped yet. I used boons from Aphrodite, Artemis, Dionysus, Zeus, and someone else I'm forgetting - I think the key to that run was leveling up the boons as much as I could, and using the spiked collar keepsake until the last level (when I switched to Skelly's tooth).

Fandom Goals:
-Keep up with posting my icons to my own journal and have an icons: 2024 tag. It got way too complicated to keep up with the icons I was posting for various challenges. Also, remember to post icons to other icon comms!
-Write 5+ longfic, which I'm defining as over 5k. Last year, I only wrote 4 fics over 5k.
-Finish up the WIPs I am bringing with me from 2023. All of them are RNM and Buzzfeed Unsolved/Watcher fics, and I want to finish them in case my enthusiasm for those fandoms leaves me.
-Consider doing fffx if noms go well!
-Do ficinabox again, because that's always a blast (and do more not-fic this year).
-Make time for battleshipex even though it comes at a challenging time of year.
-Maybe take a break from other exchanges during the year so I have time for my WIPs.

Personal Goals:
-Read 20+ books (more than the 16 I read in 2023)
-Donate clothes I don't wear anymore to get ready for the move
-Go to at least three concerts this year
-Pack my lunch more (so that I only eat out for lunch once a week)
-Find new workout classes once we move
-Read to my baby in Japanese more (and practice Japanese more)
-Come up with a great thesis topic in the fall
-Make lasting friend(s) when we move! AKA Be as social as I can be in the fall
-Plan and make baby's Halloween costume early this year
-Start that t-shirt quilt I've been meaning to make?

I read through a lot of the comments/posts others made for this Snowflake Challenge, and I was feeling pretty down. It's so sad to hear how people have been bullied and harassed in fandom spaces. I went away for just a bit, and watched some comfort shows, before I typed this. Because a vast majority of the time fandom makes me happy!!

-I am very fond of fic exchanges. BUT I don't think they encourage engagement the same way other events do. Bring back comment fic challenges and watch/re-watch reaction posts and kink memes where people can keep commenting and building on each other!! On that note, I wish more of us were watching the same shows!! There are too many shows and they finish airing too quickly!! If it drops all at once, I have to get through the whole show before I can engage with fandom!! (because I don't like major spoilers)

-I get SO annoyed on tumblr when I see all those posts about how reblogs are important and "likes" mean nothing to them and they get mad about the ratio of likes vs. reblogs. The OPs seem to think we don't get that reblogs share the content and likes don't? That's not the case, I know how tumblr works, I'm a tumblr old. But I am the curator of MY blog. That's the whole point: I get to choose what I want on my blog, and I mostly only share things that bring joy. So I give a 'like' if I want to be encouraging, or if it's not my fandom but I can appreciate the post, or if it is interesting but I don't necessarily agree with the sentiment, or if I can't stand that character but the gif is nice. Those posts make me not want to even give likes. It's not my job to be your promoter. If the campaign was for more comments, I'd be happy to do that!! But they don't care about engagement it seems like, they just want to win the reblog game!!

Challenge #5: In your own space, talk about an idea you wish you had the time / talent / energy to do.

I used to really love themed Land Comms! I'd love to bring back a challenge with some kind of team aspect that takes place over a period of time. The one I'm thinking of is A War of Roses, which was a Land comm for all historical fandoms. Participants were split into two teams, and then there was a weekly and a monthly challenge (I think?). Teams earned points based on participation. Each challenge was catered to totally different skills - there were fic or drabble challeneges, icon challenges, signature tags, puzzle challenges, recc challenges, maybe even some things that had to be completed as a team like a mini bingo? I think it's funner to do have broader themes, like Sci Fi or Historical - because then people aren't limited by fandom. On the other hand, I loved the way fffc ran their anniversary challenge, where they would just pick fandoms at random and you'd have a week to create something. Fandoms with the least amount of participation got eliminated - although the scoring could be worked out a little differently. That format could work for a general Land Comm, too. I know there used to be Supernatural land comms too, like SPN Verse. Oh, and I really like the kinkalot team challenge every summer. It's limited to Merlin fandom and fic, but the points and team aspects are great. I'm just worried that challenges that take place over a long period might not garner a lot of interest? It would be a lot of work to come up with team challenges and then do all the scoring.

Challenge #7: In your own space, tell us about 3 fandom resources, spaces, or communities you use or enjoy.

Not fandom specific:
•fffc has some really fun writing challenges! And you can earn badges along the way. I especially love their bingo challenges, even though I haven't had the energy to do them in a while.
•historium has some great people and interesting posts, including historical reference posts. I learn new things from the comm all the time.
•recthething is an informal recc comm. There's a post once a week to post about things you love, and it's great to get to share random fanwork squee.
•I really like following vidding even though I haven't vidded in years. There are so many creative vids and they post about vid events/exchanges, so I don't miss when collections go live :D

Challenge #2: In your own space, set some goals for the coming year.

I talked about my writing goals a little bit in my end of the year post, but my main writing goals are:
Mod a writing exchange (currently doing it!)
ficinabox
iddyiddybangbang
Possibly another longfic exchange? Triple crown is still way scary, but maybe I can do fffx next year.
Complete a bingo this year, maybe for seasonofkink
Write more words than 2021 (102,284)
ETA LJ Book Bingo??

I'd also love to write more of my original story that I started in 2019. I had a bunch of things outlined and I could probably finish it if I actively tried.

As for real life, work out at least 3x a week. Possibly start walking to work from the parking lot that is farther away (weather dependent). Visit friends that I haven't seen in forever. Make time for me.