The Whatnot of TJ

Challenge #5 Talk about what has improved in your life thanks to fandom.

You know what? Let's do a photo representation of just how, this summer, fandom improved my life. I wouldn't have either of these adventures without fandom. True story.

The first adventure was my reward for surviving 50+ years, hiking 50ish trails and getting my Bachelors in Early Childhood Education AND meeting redsnake05  all those years ago in a Ron Weasley Writing Community ❤️❤️
( Fandom Bestie International: New Zealand Road Trip )( Fandom Bestie International: New Zealand Road Trip )
I will forever be humbled and awed that this people see me at my geekiest and weirdest and still want to call me friend and show me their amazing country, and drive across our slightly less amazing one (only slightly) to keep me company. ❤️❤️

I'm back, bb! Two posts in one week?!?

And look, I even signed up for a Bingo. It's a comment one, cause even if I can't write enough in a year to Bingo, I know I can read enough and I ABSOLUTELY can comment enough!

So, I'll put this here to refer to as I go.

( Bingo Shenanigans )

Challenge Two: Origin Story

Gather around the fire as I regale you with tales of days of yore. The year was aught six and my life was about to change A LOT.

Before that, I was weird and obsessive about things, but only in my mind because I was the only one who thought like I did about the things I thought them about, right? I mean, obviously. As a wee one, while everyone was talking about Star Wars and Jedi and the Empire, light and dark and the politics and world building, no one was talking about the only thing that mattered to me. Han and Chewie.

Then when I was 12, I found The Outsiders and that changed my life and I had no outlet to pour into, no community to share stories and feelings and it all just sat in my heart for a very long time. When I think what I would have done if I'd known about fandom back then... if there had been a fandom for things back then.

I was a bit like that with My Own Private Idaho too... and River Phoenix in general. In fact, one of the first things I ever wrote before I even knew what fanfic was, before I ever knew what RPF was, a Mary Sue-ish, dream like thing that I embarrassingly gifted to a friend who I hope never read it. Years later, I'd change it up a bit here for my only RPF that I'll claim as my own.

There was music and musicians I obsessed with too--Dylan, Pearl Jam and some other bands that never made it out of Seattle proper.

Then I started reading Harry Potter to the littles in my care. I resisted--we resisted, but peer pressure is real and it truly was perfect timing as the oldest was herself 11. We started after Goblet of Fire and we actually tried to start with that one. Didn't work. It was half way through PoA that I started reading it while the littles were at school and at night in my room. I remember finishing that one and sneaking down stairs for the next one and reading it all throughout the night. That was NOT a short book. I just couldn't stop.

And I had no one to talk to it about. Well, the littles of course, and we did, as we listened to the audio books--after I've finished reading them--every day to and from school. We talked about theories and what we supposed would happen when the next one, the one after that and finally the last one came out.

It was when the third movie came out that I found out about fandom by meeting a woman who was in it. At first, I thought that I couldn't really get into sharing my thoughts and feelings with others because mine were ~unique~ and I was weird. HAHAHAHA! Don't we all feel that way? And isn't it amazing to realize we are just as weird--and oddly still unique--as everyone else? She talked me into going to a Harry Potter con in New Orleans. I wasn't sure, I didn't know anyone, didn't know any of the lingo--what's your lj username? Who is your OTP? I had no idea. But, I met a lot of people who actually thought like I did about the things I thought about.

Life was never the same.

There's more, of course, much more. But that's where it all began. And that's where I'll stop for now.

Because this doing it one at a time thing isn't working for me if I have any hope of catching up.



( ALL THE CHALLENGES!ALL OF THEM! *phew* )

AND HOLY SHIT--I AM CAUGHT UP!! for about an hour or two

Day 1

In your own space, talk about why you're participating in Snowflake and, if you’ve participated in the past, how the challenge has affected you. What drew you to it? What did you take away from it? What do you hope to accomplish this year?

Why? I sort of already talked about the why in the Mod Intro post. It's a ritual and rituals are important to me. It's also something that I get super excited about and yet I've never to date actually finished it. This year, holy shit! I WILL!

I hope.

I'm sure that anyone who knows me even a little is going "Yeah, surrrrrrre you will." Turns out, looking back on my fandom life, the only thing that is consistent is that I lack follow through in almost everything ever.

I'm going to work on that. Let that be my New Years Resolution. Follow the Fuck Through with Your Shit T.J.!

I am drinking. Again.

And also reading!

You guys, I can't even explain to you how very glorious my Yuletide present is! I want everyone in the world to read it! I want to shout it from the rooftops.

Sadly though, it is one of those books that very few people I know have read--I know, that's what Yuletide is about, but this author went above and beyond because not only did they write me THE SPARROW OMGOMG! They also referenced (per my request) the sequel! So, while there are a few people I know who have read The Sparrow, very few of them have read the sequel.

But if you have. Please, treat yourself right and go and read:

Patrilineage It is Emilio and John Condotti, and Felipe Reyes, and D.W. Yarborough and Supaari, and just PERFECTION! ♥♥

Also, also, I can't believe I forgot to link these to the Fandom Festivus Post of Yesterday! Everything Sounds More Official With Caps. No Lie.

( White Collar and White Collar Adjacent Holiday Shenanigans )

( Retro Holiday-ish Bromance FTW! )

And this one has nothing to do with bromance, White Collar or the actors that grace it, but it is one of my favorite holiday moments on any show.

Penny Gives Sheldon Leonard Nimoy For Christmas

Enjoy!

Again, I love you all!


♥

PS--LJ you suck! This post happened hours ago on Dreamwidth. :(((((