Snowflake Challenge 5: In Every Possible Way

[author_by_night]

 

Talk about what has improved in your life thanks to fandom. Post your answer to today’s challenge in your own space and leave a comment in this post saying you did it. Include a link to your post if you feel comfortable doing so.

Ironically, I had "Dreams" by the Cranberries in my head right before seeing this prompt. Make of that what you will.

- Over the last 25 years (...holy shit), I met a lot of people who left a deep impact on me. Some are still friends, some have gone their own way, some are somewhere in between. Either way, I'm glad I met them.

- I traveled to places I may never have been to.

- I met people from all around the world, learned a lot of new perspectives, and continue to do both.

- Writing fanfiction improved my writing and helped me gain clarity on the kinds of stories I like writing.

- I discovered Buffy, Firefly, and Doctor Who, and Our Flag Means Death much later on. :) I suppose those weren't really life-changing, but those shows do mean a lot to me. 

- Going back to my humble beginnings, I think fandom was a godsend in high school specifically. I used to say that I wasn't really in any activities, but I was. It was fandom instead of marching band or cheerleading. Fandom was the thing that I couldn't wait to get to every day after school.

Comments

[visualjyushi]

>> Writing fanfiction improved my writing and helped me gain clarity on the kinds of stories I like writing.

I really relate to this. I'm glad fanfiction was able to do this for you too! I personally find that it's much easier to experiment with writing this way. It feels more low-pressure for me.

[author_by_night]

Exactly!

[ragnarok_08]

Writing fanfiction improved my writing and helped me gain clarity on the kinds of stories I like writing.

Same! It has helped me quite a lot.

[lunabee34]

I often wonder what it would have been like to find fandom as a teen instead of a married adult with a kid.

[hamsterwoman]

Really lovely list of tings, and quite similar to mine :) (once I get around to posting it)

[tsuki_no_bara]

fandom was your extracurricular! i love it and i mean that sincerely. and getting to go new places is an underrated benefit.

[author_by_night]

Thanks! :)

[pattrose]

This was a wonderful post. I was much older at the start. But it’s great meeting friends.

[tjs_whatnot]

I'm always so jealous of people who got to be fannish in school. ❤️ Such a luxury! ❤️

[yalumesse]

This is a lovely way to look back on fandom life :) <3

[elizalavelle]

Friends and travel would be high on my list too. I learned how to travel by going to NYC to see RENT and then other musicals through the years. I learned to travel with friends and solo which were both great skills to build.

I'm so grateful to the friends I've made through fandom. Some are lifelong people for me now, others have been people where we've passed through each others lives and made a difference when we were there.

For me I'd add that a lot of fandom things have helped me in my career. I've learned how to lead a group of volunteers, taught myself how to use photoshop, learned other assorted computer things for fandom that later applied to work, even learning how to make fanart and writing helps in all kinds of other ways.

Fandom was definitely my high school thing too. I met my people through various fandoms and figured out a lot of who I was through them.

[author_by_night]

. I learned how to travel by going to NYC to see RENT and then other musicals through the years. I learned to travel with friends and solo which were both great skills to build.

Definitely. And how fun to see RENT in New York with fandom friends. :) I've seen it on stage, but with a cousin and not in New York. (Side note, Maureen in the musical and Maureen in the movie seemed different. Not sure if it was acting/portrayal or the writing. The basics are the same, but Maureen seemed even more manipulative and fuller of herself on stage, whereas in the movie she's still pretty bad but I think a little toned down. Not sure if you got that impression.)

I've learned how to lead a group of volunteers, taught myself how to use photoshop, learned other assorted computer things for fandom that later applied to work, even learning how to make fanart and writing helps in all kinds of other ways.

Oh, I like that. That's very true, and I can relate as well. I work remotely, as you know, and being able to adjust to new websites and platforms and understanding online etiquette has come in handy.

[elizalavelle]

I think the movie suffered from a movie director and stage actors and difficulty in meshing the two. I'm glad they filmed a version on stage as well, that one is far better for me. I also was very much a RENThead back in the day (I used to camp out for tickets and I have lost track of how many times I've seen the show) so I'm a bit snobby about it. I'm glad the movie got made so everyone could see most of the Original Broadway Cast, it's just not my favourite iteration of the show.

For sure - I think a lot of what we learned in the early days of fandom online is serving us well now. I'm glad for those early experiences. Being able to adjust to new online platforms is really vital these days.

[used_songs]

Writing fanfiction improved my writing and helped me gain clarity on the kinds of stories I like writing.

THIS right here. I feel like fandom gives you permission to play around with genres and tropes and just all of the building blocks of writing because you aren't doing it for a grade or for money. It's for fun and mutual enjoyment with the readers.

[silveradept]

Finding lots of people to hang out with, even if you didn't stick around with all of them, is one of the great things about fandom. And so, it turns out, is the practice, as a lot of people have been talking about both of those things. Fandom is great for helping with developing the practice of writing things (or other practice with tools.)

[rogueslayer452]

Over the last 25 years (...holy shit), I met a lot of people who left a deep impact on me. Some are still friends, some have gone their own way, some are somewhere in between. Either way, I'm glad I met them.

Fandom has truly allowed me to meet and befriend some really interesting and amazing people. I still remember some of my early days on LJ, and while a lot of them disappeared I still think about them from time to time.

Writing fanfiction improved my writing and helped me gain clarity on the kinds of stories I like writing.

Same. Reading and writing fanfiction has helped me figure out my writing style, and I'm always improving and strengthening that skill and continuing to improve every single time.

Going back to my humble beginnings, I think fandom was a godsend in high school specifically. I used to say that I wasn't really in any activities, but I was. It was fandom instead of marching band or cheerleading. Fandom was the thing that I couldn't wait to get to every day after school.

I felt that, very deeply. Discovering online fandom helped me through some of my darkest years as a teenager, it was my escape from what I was dealing with at the time. I couldn't wait to get home and go online and see what my online friends were talking about, what shows they were watching, reading fanfiction, and the like. Once I discovered online fandom I never went back. Even now as an adult, it is my escape from things I'm dealing with in life, and avoiding all the other bullshit that happens online.

[ngtskynebula]

"Going back to my humble beginnings, I think fandom was a godsend in high school specifically. I used to say that I wasn't really in any activities, but I was. It was fandom instead of marching band or cheerleading. Fandom was the thing that I couldn't wait to get to every day after school." THIS!!! This! Exactly this! I relate to this so much, ugh. The fansphere saved me in my adolescence, in many ways...