Snowflake #3 and #4

#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.

Snowflake 10 and 11: Fandom Firsts and Outsider POV

#10: Fandom Firsts

•My first fic bookmark on AO3 was the Kris Allen/Adam Lambert RPF Fic They Come in Threes from Yuletide 2009. I have no recollection of this fic, but I vaguely remember being into Adam Lambert RPF. It's got plenty of crack/humor, which was definitely one of my favorite tropes back in the day.
•My first post on Livejournal was made on 04 December 2006! I wrote how I was excited to join LJ and I used a ton of exclamation points and smiley faces, so I guess some things never change.
•My first fanvid bookmark on AO3 was the Scott&Stiles vid From Here On Out by mithborien from 2014. It's still so good! ♥

#11: Share your love for a trope, cliche, kink, motif, or theme.

Outsider POV! I love how this trope (also called Bystander fic?) makes use of actually having a narrator - either another character or an OC - showcase how in love and/or unhinged a ship is.

From fanlore: The removed point of view often serves to highlight how unusual the characters' lives are when compared to the life of an average bystander, or to otherwise explore how someone who doesn't know all the details would parse the information they have access to.

The format of outsider POV fic can vary from non-traditional fic, to overhearing canon quotes from characters, to kink fic that might lead to voyuerism or a threesome. I love them all. But my favorite is when there is a somewhat oblivious narrator who eventually realizes what they're seeing, and this leads to some great insight on all three (or more) characters involved. There is a tiny bit of controversy with this trope because the narrator may be viewed as a character getting shoved aside for the sake of the ship, but I don't think this happens nearly as much as people think. The narrator is arguably the most important character in the fic because it's the narrator's thought process that I'm interested in.

Some of my favorite outsider POV fic:
Daniel LaRusso, karate, and the soul of the San Fernando Valley, Cobra Kai, LaRusso/Lawrence, Rated Mature
This fic practically defines the genre for me!! A man's man of a reporter comes out to interview Daniel the karate legend, and Johnny's there too, and the writer goes on this journey with his subjects and it's absolutely a fantastic read.

The Death-Defying Mystery of the Brothers Winchester, Supernatural & Buzzfeed Unsolved, Rated Gen
The crossover of my dreams! What if Shane and Ryan dissected Dean and Sam on Buzzfeed? This is witty and funny and I definitely laughed out loud.

It's All in Print, Band of Brothers, Winters/Nixon, Rated G
A collection of "primary sources" like news articles that showcase Nix and Dick's lives after the war! So creative and interesting.

Artificial Intelligence, MCU, Steve/Tony, Rated Gen
A little crack treated seriously where Tony's smart appliances play matchmaker!

Some Outsider POV fic that I've written:

Are They Serious?, Supernatural, Sam/Rowena
Crowley realizes that his mother and Sam are dating. This one is mostly crack but I still think it's funny :P

The New York Institute’s Shadowhunter-in-Training, Shadowhunters, Simon/Jace
Where I shamelessly borrow the idea from the above LawRusso fic, and have a reporter go interview Jace and Simon about becoming a Shadowhunter.

The Fate of the Underworld's New Hellhound, Crossover with Teen Wolf and Ancient Greek religion and lore, Lydia Martin/Jordan Parrish
Persephone goes to find the Hellhound Parrish, and observes Lydia and Parrish's relationship.

It turns out I've also written three different fics where an OC demon character is observing Shane and Ryan!