Fandom Snowflake Challenge: Day 2

[itsadrizzit]

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. Leave a comment in this post saying you did it. Include a link to your post if you feel comfortable doing so.

I actually have a few instances to talk about, all of them over the past year.

The first is a locally hosted/run event for the podfic community, Podfication. This year was the second year of the event and although I attended the first year and I enjoyed myself and met some truly great friends there, I didn't feel like I had hugely connected with people (for a lot of reasons, mostly me not knowing how to socialise). So, I went into year two thinking, okay, well, I'll know some people and I'll try to be more social this year and that's fine. They'd implemented a podfic buddy system that I participated in and my buddy was SO GREAT about integrating me into things, etc. and it felt so good to have that. I am hugely appreciative to KLB for that and am glad she was my buddy! That said, I was sort of blown away with how many people who had been at the event in year one but I hadn't really spoken with because I was bad at speaking with people/participating REMEMBERED WHO I WAS from the previous year, even though we hadn't interacted online at all in the interim. It was this moment where, for the first time, I felt like a real, actual member of the podfic community and not just someone who hung out on the periphery and made podfics over here in her little corner of fandom where no one else is really making podfic. I had gone in expecting to sort of still be a fringe participant and for the first time I felt like I was an actual member of the community and that people knew who I was, and that was really special to me.

Second, pod_together. This was my first year participating in Pod Together, which is a fandom fest where authors team up with podficcers and write a story specifically to be podficced, then the podficcer records it. This year I co-wrote and co-recorded the story, and my co-collaborator and I decided that since the fic really had quite an ensemble cast in it, we could use more voices. It was in a fandom where there are VERY FEW podficcers and none of the people I had direct connection with in the podfic community were in the fandom, so I didn't really expect a lot of interest. When I asked the mods if they could find me up to seven voices, I thought we'd probably get a few and people would just take multiple roles and that would be fine. Instead, we filled all seven roles in less than half a day and everyone was SO GREAT to work with and I was just blown away by the willingness of people to help with my project even though they had no idea what was happening in the story or who these people were.

Third, and DEFINTELY not least. for Christmas this year, two of my fandom friends analise010 and kaixo teamed up to create a fic/podfic (pod together style) JUST FOR ME. My main pairing is a rarepair where I create much of the content (although kaixo indulges me far too often, really!) and analise010, while she's my adopted fandom sibling, is NOT AT ALL in this fandom and doesn't really know anything about it. Yet analise010 reached out and asked if kaixo would write a fic and then kaixo wrote multiple fics (both of which were great) and let analise010 choose and she chose THE SUPER LONG ONE and it's an AU that I wanted to exist but knew I couldn't write and it's truly an amazing fic. I will always treasure this in both written and audio form as a coming together of two friends I wouldn't have were it not for fandom. It was a truly, truly, truly special and humbling moment for me and I don't think I can ever express my appreciation fully.

Comments

[jadesfire]

<3

Even among fans, I think podficcers have a special kind of community, because it's so niche, and you get so little feedback, that, coming back to it this year, I really noticed everyone pulling together to support each other.

That's truly an awesome Christmas present! And I am all kinds of jealous of everyone who can get to Podfication - it sounds like a brilliant experience!

[itsadrizzit]

YES! Absolutely this.

From the first moment I got into podfic fandom I felt really loved and supported and there's so much positivity compared to so much of the rest of fandom. Admittedly, podfic fandom is growing SO QUICKLY now, so there are definitely parts of it that are happening outside the sort of "core" community, but the people I've met and worked with have all been so lovely and supportive and encouraging, and it's been a great little niche in which to exist.

It was an awesome present. There were TEARS involved upon receiving it. It meant so much.

Podfication is SO FUN. I don't know that I'd commit to going if it weren't in town, but I'm so glad that it's literally the easiest thing for me to do. I have some connection with the podfic community via twitter, but there are so many people, even in the "core" podfic community that I don't know because I primarily work in small, non-podfic fandoms and podfication has introduced me to people whose work I may never have listened to and may never listen to since our fandoms have zero overlap, but we are all doing the same thing and they are great people to know. If you can manage the time/travel/expense/hardship I highly recommend attending if at all possible.

Thanks for your response!

[spikedluv]

All of your moments are wonderful! I'm glad you got the nice surprise of being remembered when you thought you hadn't stood out, and of so many volunteers for your project, and of your gift!

[itsadrizzit]

Yes! Thank you.

I spend so much time feeling like a fringe member of fandom outside my tiny niche, so all of this was just like...I finally felt like I was a part of something and that was really special.

Thanks for your comment and for stopping by.