Snowflake day 12 - The nature of this fan

[amberdreams]

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.

SPN is the first fandom I’ve been in, but since ‘joining’, I’ve come to realise that I could have been a fan of several different programmes in the past, but just hadn’t known that this whole World of the Fan existed. Which I’m both sad and relieved about. Sad because I would have really enjoyed interacting with other lovers of LOTR, Firefly, or Star Trek, or Alias Smith and Jones, but at the same time I’m relieved, because being a fan is time consuming, and I might never have had the will power to tear myself away had I been sucked in earlier!

What drew me into SPN?

Dean, mostly. He had all the characteristics I’d always loved in my heroes – tortured but funny, noble and self-sacrificing but not taking himself too seriously – plus played by Jensen Ackles, he was also the prettiest man I’ve ever seen.

What keeps me watching?

Sam and Dean. The strength in their relationship, the frailties of it, the love and the obligations that tie them together. The complexity and simplicity of it. When I examined the films and shows I’d been drawn to, there was nearly always a strong buddy pairing – Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Hannibal Hayes & Kid Curry, Spock and Kirk, Starsky and Hutch, Bodie and Doyle – and SPN carries on with that theme. Though other characters have come and gone, for me, the relationship between the Winchesters is what drives the show.

What keeps me here?

But there is something different about this show from all the others I’ve been into, and that is this time, I’m involved with fandom. And I will be honest, over the last few seasons, had I not been surrounded and supported by the fantastic creativity of this fandom, I probably would have stopped watching the show. Whenever the show-runners didn’t give me what I wanted, fandom provided it. I discovered slash and I love wincest, but that isn’t the only love I have – the art, the gen stories, the vids and the conventions, the love and support fans give each other, the friendships – all combine to make this one of the best experiences in my long history of immersion in fantasy worlds.

And that was a long winded way of saying – I love SPN but above all I love Fandom, and all my Flisties who contribute to making this such a great place to be.

Comments

[synn.livejournal.com]

that is how I felt about Harry potter - I could take or leave the books (I only read them to begin with because it was all my friend talked about); it was the fandom that kept me invested and filled in all the things I wanted the books to be.

Also, I like Sam fine, but it was Dean that pulled me into SPN too :) It sounds horrible, but basically all the things I like about him come down to the ways he tortures himself in various ways. Not that I like him suffering, just that all the things I like about him are the things that he inevitably uses to torture himself (assuming responsibility for everything under the sun, etc).
Anyway. yay dean. But I admit I also have huge soft spots for castiel, crowley, gabriel, and bobby.

[amberdreams.livejournal.com]

Dean is a wonderful rich source of angst all right. *nods wisely*
Other characters - yep, definitely Gabriel, but I'd add Kevin, Ellen and Rufus to my list!

[synn.livejournal.com]

There's a lot of characters I love on the show, but that I just don't feel that pull to explore/learn more about. Probably because I haven't read the right fanfic about them yet :) Jo/Ellen, Kevin and Charlie fall into that category for me (and Cain too, I think).

I should have included Jody, Victor and death on my list, though :)

Random question (don't ask how my brain got here) - remember when Jared gave out a signed script for a AKF campaign? If you'd gotten that, what episode script would you have picked?

[amberdreams.livejournal.com]

That's an interesting question because the best script wouldn't necessarily be the best episode, would it... mmm. Because I think my fave episode is still Lazarus Rising, but a lot of what I like about that episode is in the visuals. So maybe I'd go for In My Time of Dying. Not sure!

Other characters - oh yes, I loved Victor, I'm still gutted they killed him off. Death too (though I'm still not convinced he's actually dead). And I love Jody and Donna.

[synn.livejournal.com]

Yes, Victor dying felt like just a waste - there's was so much they could have done with his character.
Death I haven't actually seen 'die' yet (I know he supposedly does, but I'm a season behind actually watching). I doubt he's truly dead, though. I mean, is anyone in the world dying with him gone? Or is it like the episode where noone in the town dies?

Oh, my time of dying is a good one :) (and lazarus rising, of course). As you say, it's a tricky one- not quite the same as your favorite episode, though I think a lot of people interpret it that way (a lot of people were crying out for 'swan song' when Jared did the thing). My favorite episode happens to be Weekend at Bobby's, but I have no idea what script I'd request.

[madebyme-x.livejournal.com]

This is a great challenge day! It's so interesting reading other peoples responses.

I too discovered fandom through SPN (maybe we really are twins?) and it's become such a safehaven for me; somewhere where I can find an outlet for my squee and creativity, to discover new ideas and things that may have passed me by etc etc. So I couldn't agree more, I love fandom and my Flisties and how they shape my fandom experience!

[milly-gal.livejournal.com]

I think I just kind of stepped inside your head and found a wonderful little spot to camp out, this whole post had me smiling so wide! You have NO idea! ♥ I have the absolute pleasure of already being a stapled to the wall member of several fandoms and I can say with absolute clarity that this is one of the most amazingly open, caring, giving and fun places to spend my time!

[amberdreams.livejournal.com]

I feel I landed on my feet in joining this SPN Family.

[milly-gal.livejournal.com]

I think we all did, and we're spoiled rotten :)

[balder12.livejournal.com]

I totally feel the same way about SPN fandom! I've lurked in various online fandoms since my teens, but this was the first one where I created fanworks and made friends. Like you, the wonderfulness of the SPN fandom experience has kept me engaged with the show even when I otherwise probably would've fallen away. I'm real glad I found it and got involved.