2025's Snowflake Challenge #2

[nonesensed]

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

Oh boy, I've reached that age (aka 36) where I'm having a hard time being 100% sure of exactly how I came in contact with fandom. But this is what I do recall!

1) I first encountered fanfiction while randomly surfing the Internet, back when I was 11-12 years old. I found a Gundam Wing website with fanfic and fanart of the ship Heero/Duo, and I remember being very confused about the fact that Duo was a boy and not a girl 😆 That got itty-bitty Swedish me started on a quest to watch all of Gundam Wing, one post-order VHS at the time! It took many years and many birthday wishes and Yule gifts + pocket money, and the last ones were DVDs, but I did collect the whole series 😊

2) I quickly started writing my own fanfic - in English, since fanfic in Swedish was unknown to me at the time and isn't exactly common these days either. So I wrote a very misspelled Swenglish self-insert Sailor Moon/SWAT Kats crossover and posted it to fanfiction.net~! My mother was so proud she printed the story 😁

3) When I was 13 I joined my first ever roleplaying group, an Elfquest group called "Starpool Holt". That really helped me improve both my English and realize how much more fun it is to roleplay when you're not insisting on being a "mysterious loner". My first character there was a blue-haired twin whose entire family of course had been slaughtered by humans, very brutally and traumatically. Had a ton of fun in that group 💙

And thus another fandom member was developed! I've been nerding out both with my sister and close IRL friends, and with friends and strangers online, ever since 💖

Comments

[gingicat]

That sounds like a very joyful introduction! Thank you for sharing.

[kiki_eng]

So I wrote a very misspelled Swenglish self-insert Sailor Moon/SWAT Kats crossover and posted it to fanfiction.net~! My mother was so proud she printed the story 😁
That's adorable.

And I had no idea SWAT Kats was a thing, and now I'm trying to figure out what a crossover would look like.

[flo_nelja]

OOoh you started with Gundam Wing :D
I loved this show, first degree.

[rekishi]

Ohhhh, Gundam Wing!!

And another one for the Sailor Moon self insert crowd. ;) *high five*

[scintilla10]

My mother was so proud she printed the story omg this is adorable <3

So cool to hear about your fannish beginnings!!

[potentiality_26]

Love the story of your first RPG character!

[nonesensed]

It was indeed joyous! Thank you for commenting 😊

[nonesensed]

Thanks 💖 And that's a really good question, 'cause I barely remember what I'd intended with the story itself, if the fic even had a plot 😆 I vaguely remembering my self-insert Sailor Moon character teleporting in on top of a building and encountering my favorite SWAT Kats character. They might have teamed up to fight the SWAT Kats ultimate evil bad guy. Very typical early teens wish-fulfillment 😁

(Also, SWAT Kats being a thing in and of itself is pretty funny, 'cause "cat furries fight evil in fighter jet" isn't my first go-to idea for a children's cartoon 😆 Then again, children's cartoons have always had pretty out there premises, so who am I to judge.)

[nonesensed]

Gundam Wing is so nostalgic for me now 😊💖 Did you have a favorite character and/or ship from the show? Mine started out as Heero/Duo and then changed to Heero/Relena and Duo/Wufei as time went on (my love for Trowa/Quatre has remained the same throughout). Favorite character is a shared place between Wufei and Duo, though if I rewatched the series now as an adult I suspect that'd change.

[nonesensed]

The Gundam Wing opening music is always on the playlist when my sister and I road trip to conventions 😊💖 Did/do you have any favorite Gundam Wing characters/scenes/etc?

Sailor Moon self-insert is a rite of passage for some parts of fandom spaces it would seem 🌝

[nonesensed]

Mom has always encouraged my creativity (and my sister's) which is likely why I've stuck with writing so long as I have. She's a great mom 😊 (and dad's great too, just encourages me in other ways 💖)

Thank you for reading! I'm looking forward to reading everyone else's Snowflake posts as soon as I have the free time 💙

[nonesensed]

Thank you! I'm so glad the group were so patient with me when I started, 'cause they were mostly older kids and young adults with great English skills having a 13 year old Swenglish writer join the part with Baby's First RPG Character 😆 To keep playing her as I developed as a player was a fun challenge 💗

[flo_nelja]

Oh yes, so good!
I never watched it as a teen. First time my fave was Trowa/Quatre, I also loved Heero/Relena, Treize/Une and Zechs/Lucrezia. I still love them, though I love Zechs/Lucrezia more and am more open to alternate pairings.
My faves are Duo, Quatre, Lady Une, Relena and Lucrezia.

[nonesensed]

Zechs/Lucrezia is such a good ship, such an interesting dynamic! 💖💖💖 Thank you for sharing 😊

[kiki_eng]

*grins* That sounds great. :)

"cat furries fight evil in fighter jet" isn't my first go-to idea for a children's cartoon 😆 Then again, children's cartoons have always had pretty out there premises, so who am I to judge
This. The unhinged things I have seen. Gotta admire the follow-through, though.

[nonesensed]

Agreed! They sure went for it 😆💖