Tag Archives: fandom snowflake challenge

Day 15

In your own space, talk about what you’re taking away from this challenge. Did you learn something? Did you interact with new people? Or did you try out different fandoms or formats or relationships? What’s changed between Day 1 and Day 15 of this challenge? Leave a comment in this post saying you did it. Include a link to your post if you feel comfortable doing so.

Browsing the replies for day 14 I was reminded of fandom tea blends. I’ve heard of that before and even looked at it (probably the last time I actually finished the Fandom Snowflake Challenge, LOL!), but I had completely forgotten about it, and now I’m just tickled pink about that whole thing. Fandom teas! How awesome is that?! (Of course I want to make my own blends now. And how about fandom chocolate?)

Yes, I did interact with new people (stuffing some fandom stockings and making a few fandom wishes from the second Snowflake come true) and I had tons of fun with that. I always do. I love meeting new people! But this year more meaningful for me was that a few people with whom I had interacted previously in passing remembered me. That was astonishing and made me wibble with the feels. And even more than that, analise010 didn’t just link to my old post about transformative works from the 2014 Fandom Snowflake Challenge, she even took the time to change my name in her links to reflect my recent name change from JunoMagic to satismagic. Honestly, that made me cry. ♥

What has changed between Day 1 and Day 15 of this challenge?

Nothing has really changed, I think. It’s more that some things have been confirmed for me? Like that I’m still fucking fragile and raw and vulnerable and I need to be very, very careful how much I participate in fandom and how I interact with people, and that sucks so much I can’t even tell you. But I also really, really, really want to keep this, the creativity, the joy, the people, everything, and I want to fight for all of that. And… I’m at least in a place where I could complete this challenge. That means a lot.

Thank you so much to everyone who read my posts and took the time to leave comments and send messages. That means so much, you have no idea.

Just… thank you. ♥

Day 14

In your own space, share your love for something fannish: a trope, cliché, kink, motif, theme, format, or fandom.

I want to share my love for the Kink Meme.

Almost every fandom has its own Kink Meme, and I think the whole concept is really fucking fabulous. A Kink Meme is this amazing, subversive space where people of all gender identities and sexual identities can freely explore their fantasies.

In society and the media, female sexuality is so often at best ridiculed, but more often censured and oppressed, and at worst abused and exploited. Queer sexuality is frequently treated worse. It gets ignored, fetishized, pathologized, violated.

Those are the coordinates of fandom demographics (see centrumlumina’s 2013 survey). Fandom is female. Fandom is gender non-conforming. Fandom is queer.

Because fandom is not – as mainstream media still seem to maintain – a domain of straight cisgender middle-aged women. It’s rather the other way around: Fandom and all its sexy and kinky niches is also the space of straight cisgender middle-aged women. You know, those women whose sexual interests get publicly ridiculed as “mommy porn” and whose kinky fantasies are fobbed off with mediocre, unhealthy narratives such as 50SoG.

For gender-nonconforming persons the situation is much worse. Just living their identities can be dangerous in real life. Literary representation is already hard to find. Sexy, kinky stories even more so.

Same goes for the other minorities that make up fandom. Outside of M/M romance and erotica, there’s not much to choose from. And within that genre the erasure of other sexual identities, especially bisexuality, is a real problem.

I think that’s what makes fandom culturally and socially such an important space in general, and the Kink Meme in particular.

To start with, the Kink Meme offers a fantastic selection in topics, kinks, and fantasies that is not easily found elsewhere, much less for free.

More than that, the Kink Meme provides a safe space to explore sexuality in diverse ways as the member of a community. The dynamics are completely different from those in commercial contexts of porn. The free, equal, and anonymous sharing of prompts and stories creates an atmosphere that is mostly free of pressure and exploitation (if not, of course, from all wank and drama).

But there’s even more to it than the “gift” aspects of fandom, I believe. What I’m trying to get at is that neither writers nor readers are left alone in their explorations. The structure of the Kink Meme – of prompts with comments and stories with comments – provides opportunities for conversation beyond instant solitary gratification. I think this structure also has a certain grounding, humanising effect. Neither writing nor reading happens passively, in a vacuum, but within a creative and critical community of women and various minorities. That at least reduces tendencies of objectification and fetishisation, and overall encourages a healthier perspective of sexual fantasies and porn.

Most of all, the Kink Meme is fun for creators and consumers.

In other words, all hail the Kink Meme!

Day 13

In your own space, post a rec for at least three fanworks that you did not create. Leave a comment in this post saying you did it. Include a link to your post if you feel comfortable doing so.

There’s one story from 2015 that I really want everyone to read.

And I mean everyone.

No matter if you’re in Star Trek or Star Trek RPF fandom or in any fandom at all. Because I think the story is that important. And I mean really important. This is not just fanfiction at its best, this is fiction, story telling, on a visceral, truth-in-my-bones level that grips me at my throat and changes how I see the world.

Please, please, please read this story.

And once you’re done, please take the time to show your appreciation for the hard work of the writer. Bookmark the story, recommend the story to others, and leave Kudos & comments galore!

If I Could Have Chosen (12330 words) by soproudofya
Chapters: 5/5
Fandom: Star Trek RPF
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Chris Pine/Zachary Quinto
Additional Tags: Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Transgender, Gender Identity, Gender Dysphoria
Summary: Chris has been keeping a secret his entire life. At thirty-five, he snaps and comes clean: he’s transgender.

Next up is a Star Trek fanfic that encapsulates the glorious problems and opportunities of Star Trek AOS fandom, with old and young lovers and their fates colliding, and hopefully a happy ending…

Brilliant!

Please take the time to read this story, and leave the author some love in form of Kudos and even better, comments!

I’ll Be Home for Christmas (29263 words) by AnnaKnitsSpock
Chapters: 2/2
Fandom: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: James T. Kirk/Spock Prime, James T. Kirk/Spock, James T. Kirk Prime/Spock Prime
Characters: James T. Kirk, Spock, Spock Prime, James T. Kirk Prime, Leonard McCoy, Sarek (Star Trek)
Additional Tags: Star Trek: Generations, generations fix-it, Fix-It, Christmas, Holidays, Winter, Smut, K/S Advent Calendar 2015, Age Difference, Jealous Spock, Vulnerable Jim, But also BAMF Jim, Nexus – Freeform, Bonding, Possessive Spock
Summary: After Jim comes back from the dead, Spock stops talking to him. Lonely and in love with his unattainable first officer, Jim seeks the other Spock on New Vulcan. Desperate for his own Jim, Spock is more than willing to reciprocate and a happy, if unexpected, affair begins. But when the younger Spock finds out what his Captain has been up to, Jim will have to choose between the two versions of his beloved Vulcan.

But no Spock is meant to be without a Kirk—and Jim will do what it takes to make sure the Old Man isn’t alone, even if he has to navigate the unpredictable landscape of the Nexus himself.

Last but not least, I want to recommend not a single fanwork, but a fanartist.

wolfi-sama on Tumblr is one of the most gifted manip artists I’ve encountered since I joined online fandom in 2004. I absolutely adore her Star Trek and Star Trek RPF art. It’s not just technically excellent, she also has a unique way of looking at scenes and characters, very tongue-in-cheek, often challenging, definitely sexy, and always unusual.

Please have a look at her wonderful manips on her Tumblr page, and leave her some love in form of reblogs, Likes, and messages!

Day 12

What makes you fannish? And by that we mean, what is it about a tv show/movie/book/band/podcast/etc that takes you from, “Yeah, I like that,” to “I need MOAR!!!” Is it a character? A plotline? The pretty? Subtext that’s just screaming to be acknowledged?

In your own space, tell us what it is that gets you to cross that line into fandom. Leave a comment in this post saying you did it. Include a link to your post if you feel comfortable doing so.

In the past I’ve been very much a “fix-it” ficcer and an AU junkie. I’ve brought the Elves back to Middle-earth, and I’ve kept Severus Snape alive. I’ve written a Tenth Walker Novel, a “Voldemort won” scenario, and I’m working on an epic Star Trek fic that is supposed to cover an entire five-year mission.

The impulses at work there are definitely “how it should have ended” and “I have the power to say: this is not how the story ends”, and of course “but what if…?” is the underlying question of all AUs.

But besides that, I’m discovering that there is another aspect that makes me write fanfic. If canon settings, story, or characters speak to me in terms of issues I personally want and need to explore, I’ll do that in fanfic, too, and not just in o-fic.

Like when I wrote about history and faith in “I Will Lift Up Mine Eyes” (LotR), or when I wrote about trauma and healing in “My Crimson Joy” (HP) or “Everything I Can Do” (Star Trek).  

And I think that’s actually what pushed me into fannishness in terms of Star Trek RPF. That I could see these actors embody the characters in the stories that I’m currently interested in writing. You could also call it “all human Star Trek AU”, or “face-claim o-fic”, I guess.

It’s a matter of how the public personae of the actors relate to issues I’m exploring right now, such as the personal and political dimensions of sexual identity, the complex connections between friendship, romance, and love, or the effects of internal and external turmoils and tragedies on a person and their relationships.

Maybe one could say that with my fix-it fics and with my AUs, the way canon is reflected within me makes the fic, but with other stories and with other types of fandom it’s the other way around, that fandom is a way to reflect myself, my own stories.

I’m not sure that makes any sense; it’s 3:30 am right now, and I’ve reached the point where I’m exclaiming “what even are words?” in despair. I guess at least I’ve tried to think about a different aspect of my fannishness!

Day 11

In your own space, make a list of at least 3 things that you like about yourself. Leave a comment in this post saying you did it. Include a link to your post if you feel comfortable doing so.

I’ve been struggling with myself so much last year that this is really hard. Especially since the challenge is not supposed to be about something I perceive on an intellectual level as positive about myself, but something I really feel. Something I really actively like about myself at the moment.

(Can I say that what I like about myself are my friends, my cats, and my beanbag? No? *sigh*)

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Day 10

In your own space, post a rec for fannish and/or creative resources and spaces. Tell us where you go to dig up canon facts for your fandom, or where you get all the juicy details about your favorite ship. Where do you like to hang out and squee like a squeeing thing? Leave a comment in this post saying you did it. Include a link to your post if you feel comfortable doing so.

For all adult Star Trek and Star Trek RPF fans (no minors allowed, sorry) I want to recommend the Chatzy chatroom I run:

“The Pinto Bar”

The bar is slash-friendly and porn-friendly (in general, no NSFW warnings are required; I just expect people to be considerate if they share extremely kinky or otherwise disturbing content).

It’s a great place for hanging out and squee-ing and moaning over all things Star Trek and especially Star Trek RPF, but we’re also happy to hear from other fandoms or about original work. The bar is also a safe space to talk about difficult topics – no matter if you have personal, philosophical, or political issues on your mind.

I – and the staff members who help me with running the bar – do our best to keep my bar a comfortable and positive space for everyone. We’re taking privacy and safety concerns seriously, and try to have a member of the staff around most of the time. Two rules that I will always enforce are: no bashing (of anything and anyone) and no brawling. 

We have a weekly gathering (jour fixe or “Stammtisch”) in the bar each Saturday at 10 pm UTC (→ convert UTC to your timezone). But some people are around at some point almost every day, just to chat or to do “writing sprints” (20 to 30 minutes of writing/working followed by the sharing of snippets and general cheering each other on).

We also do movie nights and porn nights and free-style RPG nights. We’ve hosted Big Bang brunches for the participants of the Pinto Big Bang, run a book club for “Captive Prince”, we have instigated several challenges on Tumblr, I really want to do a virtual writing retreat at some point this year, and we’re always open for suggestions!

Day 09

In your own space, set some goals for the coming year. They can be fannish or not, public or private. Leave a comment in this post saying you did it. Include a link to your post if you feel comfortable doing so.

I have come across two articles about the topic of this Snowflake that I really, really recommend:

• 16 Elevating Resolutions for 2016 Inspired by Some of Humanity’s Greatest Minds
• 7 Self-Compassionate Practices and Habits for the New Year

During the last weeks I’ve seen many articles trying to tackle the problem of New Year’s resolutions. If you should make any, why they don’t work, how they can work. (Basically, New Year’s resolutions are like diets. They don’t work.)

Last year I’ve read many articles about psychology and creativity. One thing I’ve come across a couple of times is that there’s apparently evidence backing up the idea that people who focus on the process instead of on the outcome are happier and also more successful.

That approach matches the article about self-compassionate practices and habits. So I’ve decided to apply that idea to New Year’s resolutions.

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