Snowflake Challenge 2025, challenge 2

[givemeyourhonor]

In your own space, talk about your fannish origin story.


If we're talking about the very first thing that counts as fannish participation, it was when I was first in college. I was really into Gravitation back then. For those who don't know, it was a doofy bl series with a 13 episode anime series, a longer manga series, and some of the trashiest, messed-up doujinshi written by the actual mangaka.

Anyways, there was a small dedicated fanfiction site for it, and on a whim, I used a school computer to type up and post a fanfic to that site. It was a very rare and problematic pairing, the type of thing I probably wouldn't have written today due to my different tastes, but I posted it and ended up doing a lot of rare pairs in a fandom that was understandably focused around the central pairing. I also got drawn into dwrp because I'd read the posts and threads on a small fandom rp and was asked by the mod if I wanted to join and I said yes. I have regrets about this for reasons I don't want to get into, but this would be my gateway into dwrp.

I bounced around fandoms on and off, mainly between fics and rp. I posted mainly on fanfiction.net back in the day and my LiveJournal. I think I had a long break from posting fanfic until about 2016 when I got into Makai Ouji. It also really changed my rp game. Then I took another break until 2021 when I fell hard into Twisted Wonderland and I've been trucking along ever since.

I should note that I poked around in fandom before I started creating. I was on some forums for Dragonlance and I read a lot of fics for series like Ranma 1/2, Ah! My Goddess, Pokemon and Digimon among other things. Some of this was not age appropriate, but I was a curious kid and I think I turned out fine in this respect.

Comments

[gingicat]

I'm so glad you were able to keep coming back.

I personally think that reading is an excellent entry point to fandom.

Thank you for joining!

[givemeyourhonor]

Yes, I think it's a good way to get into fandom, even if you're just lurking and not commenting much in the beginning. I think it builds confidence. I was always really bookish as a kid so fanfiction was a natural jumping off point for me.

[haunted_cherries]

YOOOOOO GRAVITATION!! I feel like owning the entire manga series should qualify me for a Veterans discount xD

Glad to hear you were able to get back into the swing of things!! I'm the same where I like poking around in a fandom first before I start creating stuff (even if I still lurk after the fact xD)

[givemeyourhonor]

We used to have all of it too. I was pretty obsessed for a time with it and still have a fond spot for it. So much fun music too.

And same. It's good to figure out exactly what's going on in a space.

[haunted_cherries]

BIG SAME, it was my first exposure to yaoi media and my brain was BLOWN OSHCISOSIDO

And AGREED, lurking beforehand has never steered me wrong before (even more so for certain fandoms 😅 xD)

[vriddy]

I still have my Gravitation DVDs, though I suspect I'm happier with my memories of it and it may be better not to rewatch haha!! I didn't have access to the manga at the same time but someday maybe I'll finally read it... ;) Love to see an origin story mentioning it, so cool :D

[givemeyourhonor]

I'm still so fond of it. I do want to watch it one day. The manga goes a little farther and has a lot more slapstick in it and intros a few characters.