Snowflake Challenge #2

[malenkayacherepakha]

Challenge #2 - in your own space, talk about your fannish history

I loved Harry Potter from the very first time I read it - I clearly remember buying a copy of Philosopher's Stone at Paddington Station on the way home from staying with my Grandma when I was 7ish and falling in love immediately. A few of the books were already out but after that I waited impatiently for each new one to be released and can still remember how excited I would be each time I'd wake up to find the newest book waiting on the doorstep. My brother and I would play Harry Potter for hours on end too, putting on robes and making potions with shampoo while using chopsticks as wands. I didn't know anything about fanfiction and fandom though. I do have vague memories of searching for Harry Potter stuff on the internet as I tried to get my fix while waiting for a new book to come out, and I think I ended up on fanfiction.net? but I was still young and not used to the internet so I had no idea how to navigate it and quickly gave up before reading anything. 

I only properly discovered the Harry Potter fandom in the past 2 years or so, and I've already forgotten how exactly I stumbled across my first fanfic. I do know that I started reading Marauders era fics, at first focusing on Sirius and Marlene, then Wolfstar. After that, I was hooked, and started devouring fics from all the pairings I could find. As a child and teen I loved reading - I always had multiple books on the go, and regularly got in trouble for reading at the dinner table - but when I went to uni I stopped reading apart from books I was studying. Fanfic reminded me how much I loved getting lost in a story, and suddenly I was back to reading constantly. 

I spent about a year just reading, and then I decided it was time to try my hand at writing. I've always enjoyed writing - as a child I wrote endless short stories, diary entries, and songs, and when I was at uni I made a tentative start on some original fiction. I also wrote the very beginning of what I now realise was Peaky Blinders fanfiction, which I hope has been lost in various computer changes over the years! My first Harry Potter fic was posted exactly a year ago today (happy anniversary, me) and is an incomplete Harry/Ginny fic which being realistic, I won't ever finish, although it has given me the very basic idea for my next H/G fic. After that I discovered fests, and spent basically the rest of the year with at least one fest deadline hanging over me at all times. I was not good at balance and moderation this year! 

When I started writing, I also discovered the fandom community - tumblr, discord, etc. I have mixed feelings about some of these places (I'm very glad I didn't discover fandom and therefore tumblr when I was a teenager as I think that could have been a disaster) but I've met some lovely people and it's been great getting more involved in the community. I'm looking forward to seeing where fandom takes me next, and continuing to improve my skill as a writer. 

Comments

[seleneheart]

Fandom is always a river that carries us along from one place to the next. Enjoy your journey!

[malenkayacherepakha]

Thanks!

[paulamcg]

Fanfic reminded me how much I loved getting lost in a story Perhaps you (too) will experience how writing (longer) fic which you also want to finish means really getting lost. But let’s trust that we’ll be found!

[gracerene]

My first Harry Potter fic was posted exactly a year ago today

How exciting! Happy fic-iversary! ♥

[malenkayacherepakha]

Thank you! <3

[nachodiablo]

Ah the fest deadlines!! They are addicting, aren't they? So many good ones these days, especially in HP. I scaled back last year; I was worried about FOMO but honestly I was more relieved to have breathing room than anything else.

Congrats on your writing anniversary! :)

[malenkayacherepakha]

They're so addicting, I just couldn't resist signing up. That's good to hear, hopefully I'll just feel the relief rather than the FOMO too!

Thank you 😊

[pauraque]

My stepson reads at the dinner table, which my wife has always let him do because she used to get in trouble for doing it as a kid. Sometimes you just can't let a little thing like eating get in the way of a good story. ;)

[malenkayacherepakha]

A good story is definitely more important than making conversation at the dinner table ;)

[st_aurafina]

putting on robes and making potions with shampoo while using chopsticks as wands. I

Oh, that is adorable! You tiny wizards!

[malenkayacherepakha]

I think there are some very adorable photos of us somewhere - it helps that my brother looks a lot like Daniel Radcliffe too!

[writcraft]

Happy Ficiversary! Much of your story resonated with me, like rediscovering how good it feels to get lost in a story and writing fanfic without knowing you were writing fanfic (mine was Mary Sue/Gary Stu involving the band Blur :D). Like you I am also tremendously glad for me personally I didn't discover fandom as a teenager I don't think it would have been a good space for me in those days, although who knows!

Perhaps we find these things exactly when we're meant to. I'm very glad you're here now! <3

[malenkayacherepakha]

I used to write so much Mary Sue/self-insert stuff in my head when I was younger - I would spend hours daydreaming about being with Sirius or Fred, and I'm very glad I never thought to write any of it down!

I do wonder what would have happened if I'd found fandom earlier, I think in some ways it could have been a good thing but that the risk of it (particularly tumblr) messing with me would have been so high that on balance I'm glad I only recently found it. I definitely think we find these things when the time is right.

Ahh thank you, I'm very glad to be here and to have met you and so many other wonderful people <3

[sdk]

My brother and I would play Harry Potter for hours on end too, putting on robes and making potions with shampoo while using chopsticks as wands.

Oh my gosh, that is adorable!!!

I have a similar history in that I was writing fanfic before I realized I was writing fanfic (mine was self-insert Star Trek TNG LOL) and oh I remember just hours upon hours of devouring fic when I first discovered fanfic and how it resparked my love for reading. I so relate!

Thanks for sharing this! And Happy fic-aversary!

[malenkayacherepakha]

I'll have to try and find the photos when I'm next at my Dad's - I'll probably cringe but it'll be lovely to look back on!

The more I've thought about it since I wrote this post the more I realise that I spent a lot of time writing fanfic without knowing it, and I think a lot of us probably did exactly the same. I spent a lot of time mentally writing self-insert me x Sirius fics, which thank god I never actually wrote down!

Thank you! <3

[icarusinflight]

Oh i love this!!!

Thank you for sharing, and happy anniversary of your first fic. I am glad to have found you as part of our shared fic journey <3

[malenkayacherepakha]

Thank you! I'm very glad to have found you too ❤

[walgesang]

I absolutely adore the description of you and your brother playing Harry Potter, I wish I'd been younger when it first came out as I probably would have enjoyed playing that too!

I am the wife that allows reading at the table. ;) But as our kid has gotten older, the book becomes more of a prop and he's always listening in on our conversations.

So glad to hear about your involvement and that you're enjoying yourself!

[malenkayacherepakha]

I think I discovered Harry Potter at the perfect age, it sucked me in so completely and playing it was so much fun!

Your kid is very lucky, I was always very happy when my parents let me keep reading!