DPP: Fandom Firsts

[shah-of-blah.livejournal.com]

Hello no_takebacks , I'm shah_of_blah  and I'll be driving the DPP this week.  (Advance warning: in light of that poll we had a few weeks ago and my own schedule, I may not post every day.  We'll see.)

But for today, I wanted to talk about firsts.  Not Kara and Lee's firsts, since canon aside, I'm pretty sure we've all talked about that before.  No, I mean our first experiences with this fandom.  What was the first episode you saw?  Your first impression of Lee, Kara, or Kara/Lee?  How about the first fic you read?  First icon you used?  First vid you watched?  If you're a writer/artist/vidder, what was the first fan creation you made for Kara and Lee?  How did these firsts shape your interpretation of the fandom and the ship?

I'll go first.  The first episode I saw was 33 and I was very confused.  But the guy I was watching it with gave me a brief bio of each character as they appeared on screen.  When Kara came striding around her Viper, he said "That's Starbuck, and she's awesome."  When I eventually got around to watching the series (starting with the mini), it was with that first impression in mind.  I saw the whole show through that lens, and if you've ever read my journal it should be pretty clear that I am still all about Starbuck and her awesomeness.

As for fandom, I don't totally remember, but I think the first fic I read was Long Shadows.  Now, it's not really one of my favorites for a variety of reasons, but it's 100% Kara-centric so that should tell you something about my preferences.  I was already familiar with the author--Alec Star--from my BtVS days so as soon as I had reached the appropriate point in the series (Home) I rushed over to his page to read the story.  Of course, then I also read Control (since apparently I have none) and thus spoiled myself rather thoroughly for Occupation.  Oops.

For the first icon I used (not counting my shitty hand-made icons)...well, I fail at my own DPP because I can't find it.  But it was by unightfog , and it was from a cap of Kara smiling when she sees Lee in Home Part 1.  

First vid: not necessarily the first vid I ever watched, but definitely one of the first and the first one I enjoyed: dualbunny 's God Is A DJ.  There's just no way to resist this vid.  Plus I have a lot of affection for it since it taught me that I could like fanvids.  Woohoo!

And the first fic I wrote for this fandom was a little ficlet called Horizon that was about adjusting to life on a planet after years of living in artificial gravity.  More specifically, it was about how Kara and Lee's child adjusted to life on a planet.  So I guess you could say that my first offering in this fandom was, well, babyfic (or childfic if you want to be more specific).

So those are my fandom firsts.  What about you guys?  Indulge me in a little trip down memory lane.

Comments

[rachelindeed.livejournal.com]

Cool! I remember my firsts well, as they were not all that long ago :)

First episode: I started at the beginning, with the miniseries. My stepfather owned the DVDs, and I was on vacation at home. We decided to watch them together because the series' critical success had filtered into my consciousness even though I didn't know anyone who watched it. I had been wanting to check it out for a long time, because I was a fan of Jamie Bamber from his "Hornblower" days, and also Ron Moore's "Deep Space Nine" had been very dear to me during my high school years. In general I like sci-fi and fantasy TV shows.

First impression: Jamie was the only one I knew, so I focused on Lee from the beginning. You can see how little that has changed :) I remember not being prepared for how long the miniseries was and feeling a bit exhausted around the time Adama and Leoben started wandering around Ragnar. Six annoyed me from the very beginning (I was already kind of done with seductive robot and/or alien women, it's a sci-fi cliche, and my DS9 experience had taught me not to expect the religious stuff to go anywhere interesting ~ did you know the main character poofed to a higher plane of existence at the end of that series as well, without bothering to say goodbye to his son, after discovering that his entire life had been preordained by the Prophets? Forewarned is forearmed).

But otherwise it was absolutely riveting. I was so impressed by the seriousness of the performances, the gravitas and realism of the "end of the world" feeling, and deeply pleased with such a rich ensemble of characters. My stepfather and I stayed up all night that weekend watching Season One in a rush. I fell for Kara in "33" when she surprised me by protesting the order to fire on the Olympic Carrier and then did it anyway in solidarity with Lee. I wanted to like Lee from the first, but he made it difficult and it didn't really click until the last ten minutes of Bastille Day, when he surpassed my expectations. There was no going back after that.

I remember how delighted I was watching that little scene in sickbay when he teases her with the crutches, so obviously concerned. And I distinctly remember the drop in my stomach in KLG Part One when he said "Just tell me why" and she said "'Cause I'm a screw-up, Lee. Try to bear that in mind."

I stopped at the end of Season One because my vacation ended and I didn't wind up seeing any more of the series for about six months. In the meantime, I wrote an email to a friend of mine mentioning my first impression of the show. I just looked up that email, and it made me laugh. Here it is:

"I'm kind of getting into Battlestar Galactica ~ I suspect it's like you and Torchwood - you fall in love with some of the characters, but instinctively understand that it's too dark to trust yourself to it very far."

I have good instincts, apparently. Unlike most of you, I never expected the show to allow Kara and Lee to work out as a romance, but I was rooting for them anyway and watching my preconceptions play out still hurt, although I was braced for it.

[shah-of-blah.livejournal.com]

Jamie was the only one I knew, so I focused on Lee from the beginning. You can see how little that has changed :)
I am not at all surprised! But I do think it's interesting how these, like, preconceptions can shape our viewing experiences--I didn't know Katee from any other roles, but about a year passed between my viewing of 33 and the time I actually sat down and decided to watch the show, starting with the miniseries. And in that year, I had forgotten just about everyone except for Starbuck (who was awesome), so I was totally focused on her like you were with Lee.

my DS9 experience had taught me not to expect the religious stuff to go anywhere interesting ~ did you know the main character poofed to a higher plane of existence at the end of that series as well, without bothering to say goodbye to his son, after discovering that his entire life had been preordained by the Prophets?
Oh my god I did not know that but that's hilarious! And also a little bit horrifying.

I was similarly impressed by the gravitas of the show when I started watching. Since I had a background in the Whedonverse, I remember being surprised and also sort of impressed by how not witty the show was. It's a strange thing to find impressive, but it totally works too.

And I distinctly remember the drop in my stomach in KLG Part One when he said "Just tell me why" and she said "'Cause I'm a screw-up, Lee. Try to bear that in mind."
Hee, that is one of my favorite scenes ever. I must be a masochist. Sometimes I cite that as the moment I knew I was a shipper.

Unlike most of you, I never expected the show to allow Kara and Lee to work out as a romance, but I was rooting for them anyway and watching my preconceptions play out still hurt, although I was braced for it.
Beyond your instincts, were you spoiled at all for the end of the show? Looking back on my 4.0-era posts, the optimism almost hurts (I was so sure...) but I can also remember that I had been spoiled for the Dylan Four before I started watching, so I knew that Kara's husband was a Cylon. When I did start watching, I was so confused because how could Lee be a Cylon if his father had seen him grow up? :P

[nazkey.livejournal.com]

did you know the main character poofed to a higher plane of existence at the end of that series as well, without bothering to say goodbye to his son, after discovering that his entire life had been preordained by the Prophets? Forewarned is forearmed

DUDE!!!! Totally forgot about that. You're right. Humph. Damn RDM and his damn poofs.

(Firsts, continued)

[rachelindeed.livejournal.com]

First fic read: I read my first BSG fic before I ever watched the series. I was a fan of flowrs4ophelia's Harry Potter fanfiction, and one day I decided to try one of her BSG fics because I was curious about the show and thought anything she wrote would be good. Sadly for me, the story of hers that I clicked on was Where Soul Meets Body (http://www.fanfiction.net/s/4889450/1/Where_Soul_Meets_Body), which is basically incomprehensible without having seen almost the entire series. So I can't say I understood much about the plot or characters, but there was a haunting feel to it that I liked very much. Needless to say, I eventually came back to it and recognized it for the Kara/Lee masterpiece it is.

First icon used: The first and only icon I've ever used was a gift from sci_fi_shipper for me during the first annual no_takebacks challenge exchange. Thank you again!!

First vid watched: I feel a bit guilty about watching vids repeatedly if I haven't bought the song they use. The first vid that prompted me to purchase the song so I could watch it again and again was Taragel's Shine (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TM95TTnHzD4) and I still think it's terrific.

First story written: My first story was a short little Maelstrom AU called Shortcuts (http://rachelindeed.livejournal.com/5454.html) which played with the idea that perhaps Starbuck's manadala and her destiny had more than one possible interpretation. The original subtitle was "When Love Closes A Door, Fate Opens a Window," and the idea was basically that if Kara and Lee's love was great enough to save her life, then it wouldn't actually disrupt the gods' plans for leading humanity to salvation. In fact, it might actually have made things work out faster and easier.

Re: (Firsts, continued)

[shah-of-blah.livejournal.com]

That's so cool that you read florws4ophelia's fic before seeing the show! I love "Where Soul Meets Body," though yeah, I'd imagine it would be pretty much impossible to a non-viewer.

Hmm, now you're making me feel a bit guilty about all the vids I've watched without downloading the songs! Although I did dl "Shine" because it kept getting stuck in my head after I watched the vid.

the idea was basically that if Kara and Lee's love was great enough to save her life, then it wouldn't actually disrupt the gods' plans for leading humanity to salvation. In fact, it might actually have made things work out faster and easier.
What a lovely idea, and a great place to start. :)

Re: (Firsts, continued)

[callmeonetrack.livejournal.com]

Aw Shine! I'm so disappointed that Anna Nalick never released a second album. Her first was amazing. And Shine came out as a single after that. As soon as I heard it I thought of Kara and then pilots too and it just wouldn't leave my head!

You should try vidding! I bet you'd like it.

[callmeonetrack.livejournal.com]

Ok, let's see I'd heard about the show being great for ages, but never checked it out because I'm not really sci-fi fan. But I started watching Bionic Woman (mainly due to the hubby's interest) and was really taken by Katee Sackhoff. Also, I was a big fan of the TWOP recaps by Jacob and I knew he did BSG's also. Plus around the same time there was that big article EW did with Katee where she looked all gorgeous with the black tunic and long hair (I have to admit it took me a little bit to recognize her!)

So I started with the miniseries because I'm a start at the beginning kind of girl and really was surprised by how much I loved the show and all the characters. I loved that it was realistic without hardly any crazy space magic (Oh innocent me!) or goofy-looking aliens. And I loved Kara and was intrigued by Kara/Lee right from the start.

First icon: This one. Love her smirk.

First fic read: Oh god I have no idea! I was a fanfic whore when I really started getting into the show because I tore through S1 in about a week and immediately went out and bought seasons 2 and 3 and just needed more more more. I know very early I found someone's (Loki?) excellent page of recs and began there. The Daydream Awards page was good too. Detour by Brynnmck might have been one of the very first I read and that set the bar really amazingly high. In fact I read a lot of truly excellent LJ fic that was incredibly impressive.

First fic I wrote: Brotherly Advice (http://taragel.livejournal.com/3644.html#cutid1). About Lee and Zak having a conversation about things being not quite right with Kara and a flashback to Lee's first meeting with Kara. It was in the post season 3.5 hiatus, and I wondered what kara had meant in UB about Lee making the same mistakes he did when she was with Zak. That whole tangle just intrigued me so.

First vid I watched: Gods I have no idea. But I was spoiling myself like crazy while only being up to Home on the DVD watching because I couldn't get enough Kara and K/L. Hence I knew Maelstrom was coming and spent a lot of time sobbing over like vids about her dying to My Immortal. LOL. Even though I knew she'd come back, I also knew Moore had said she had really died and wouldn't be the same Kara Thrace and that crushed my shipper heart, because if she wasn't the same Kara Thrace and she wasn't human, I saw no possible way for an ending with Lee. Sadly I was right, but I forgot I felt that way when she did come back and he accepted her and she seemed so like herself. Sigh.

First vid I made: Shine (http://taragel.livejournal.com/10141.html) I never thought I'd vid ever, had never done it before, had no idea how to do it...Then I heard this song and I couldn't stop thinking of BSG peeps... This started in my head as the perfect vid song for Kara, but while I was making it turned into the perfect vid song for Kara/Lee, because they had such potential and they shined so brightly when together. Sniff.

[shah-of-blah.livejournal.com]

Wow, that's so weird that you saw Bionic Woman first...but I'd say it's doubly impressive on Katee's part then.

I know what you mean about that early fic-reading spree! The only reason I can point to Long Shadows is because I'd been getting the Author Alerts for ages. But in all honesty, it probably wasn't the first. I think I spent the summer of 07 reading everything ever. But I do remember being generally impressed by the quality of the fic--and I'd attribute some of that to the target audience (not teenagers) and some of that to the gravity of the source material and some of that just to the talented fandom.

I knew Maelstrom was coming and spent a lot of time sobbing over like vids about her dying to My Immortal.
I lol-ed. Seriously, that's hilarious.

I remember Shine! I actually downloaded the song because of your vid.

[daybreak777.livejournal.com]

Hi Shah! I'll answer! I hope people don't get tired of my answers as they don't change much. But I like to remember. :-)

1. First episode. 33. Back-to-back with Water. I couldn't walk away. I liked TOS so I expected full Starbuck awesomeness and wasn't disappointed.

2. First impressions. I was intrigued with Kara but still trying to get to know the whole 'world' of this show. I didn't care much for Lee. He seemed to be into his Daddy issues at the end of the world! I do remember being confused over the stimulants conversation in 33. Were they really mad? Oh, no. Okaaaay. ;-)

3. First fic. Ooh, I printed them out. I think they were Intra and Never Be Warm again. I still have the print-outs. :-)

4. First icon. Can't remember. But this is one of my oldest icons, if not the oldest ones of all the ones I have now.

5. First pilots vid was Cold, Cold Water by sdwolfpup. That vid never gets old.

6. First fannish pilots creation. It's still a WIP. But my first public K/L fic was this one. (http://daybreak777.livejournal.com/19479.html)

How first impressions shaped fandom and the ship.
My first impression was that fan fic was well-written! That really surprised me because the little fanfic I'd read before in another fandom was really, really bad. Also people seemed so nice and close to one another on LJ. And the love for K/L was wide and deep and hard. Gosh, they were loved hard. Every new pic, every new piece of BSG or K/L news hit LJ or TWoP like news of a natural disaster. It was pretty awesome. :-) I lurked and read and read and read.

And the show was really, really good and the kids were sooo cute. So cute and so sad. Fingerpainting, busting knees and boxing and dreams and sweet, impulsive kisses hello. Hope was high and life worth living for the kids, you know what I mean? Yeah, Kara and Lee thought they were emo then. They had no idea!

Ah, you mentioned Horizon! You know how I feel about that story since it influenced four of my stories! Horizon will always hold a special place for me. :-)

[shah-of-blah.livejournal.com]

Hey DB! Hee, my answers don't change too much either. But I like talking about them anyway. :P

3. Oh, those stories. They make me shiver they're so good. I think Intra is one of my top ten (maybe top five) fics in the whole fandom.

6. Ooh, I loved that little fic! Thanks for the reminder. And oh look, I commented too (on the babyfic parts, naturally).

My first impression was that fan fic was well-written! That really surprised me because the little fanfic I'd read before in another fandom was really, really bad.
Hee, I had the same thought! I mean, sure, I'd read some fantastic fic before but I'd also read a ton of badfic (it didn't help that my standards were much lower). But everyone seemed so talented and mature here.

Oh, happy fingerpainting pilots. Remember that old icon that said "My fandom fingerpaints" or something like that? It was my favorite when I was a lurker. So cute.

Yup, I thought of the excellent stories that have been tied into Horizon when I was writing that! It still amazes me sometimes, what came out of that little story.

[shah-of-blah.livejournal.com]

I think I fell in love with Kara instantly, 'cos she was hot and snarky and badass and generally really frakking cool.
Amen to that.

Oh, Claira et al...definitely a good way to start. The best of the best indeed. :)

And of course I remember We Bend, We Break--I think I felt a tad useless as a beta because I couldn't come up with any criticism.

Firsts... less than a year old.

[kag523.livejournal.com]

First Episode I refused to watch BSG until the entire series was over and on DVD. Long story – but basically I wanted to experience it altogether as one story. So the first episode I saw was the mini and I watched it with my hubby in one sitting. It was LONG... and I was completely hooked at the end. I loved the Starbuck character first, which I knew I would, as a friend of mine (a fellow sci fi nerd) kept insisting she was this amazing character I’d totally connect with. He sent me random things like my...

First Iconwhich was the angst icon which I often use, but which is not mine and which I’m reasonably sure my friend didn’t create either. So whoever you are out there who created the “Angst Present” gif, I thank you. You are lovely.

After plowing through the entire series in about a month, I was horrified to discover the non-ending. As we watched it, but husband actually turned and said “well, I guess they ran out of time”. I sometimes wonder at this statement, because it would explain a great deal. I do not in any way believe this was the intention of that entire storyline. (Insert rant about choices versus destiny, then one about downfall versus redemption). I was so distraught that I checked out the...

First Fic I Read because I was sure SOMEONE had the real ending that RDM had lost. I can’t recall exactly which one was the very first, but I know I read MintEnergy’s Signal Fire at that point, and it sticks in my mind, so I’m going to say it was that.

Surprisingly, this wasn’t the end for me. The whole series had numerous loose threads that seemed to be going somewhere, but didn’t. (Daniel / Dreilide, Angels / Head characters etc.) They irked me enough that I then spent about four months writing down all the loose ends and composing my...

First Fic Creation which was After the End. I kept everything, absolutely EVERY LITTLE SCENE from the original (including poof and the almost-on-the-table-frak) and rewrote them along with a number of missing scenes and dreams to make that ending work for myself. Everything came together. It is now my personal canon of what happened after poof, and it doesn’t change a damn thing.

It also led me to ff.net and then eventually to LJ and you guys. And since then, I’ve just been exploring some creative avenues, including my...

First Vid Creation which was the trailer for The Officers’ Club.

All in all, a pretty amazing ride for the last year. So awesome! And my friend was right all along. I absolutely did love BSG, and should have started watching from the very beginning.

Re: Firsts... less than a year old.

[amaliak.livejournal.com]

Awwww....thanks about the icon! I made it! :) But it's from BSG in Five Minutes (http://www.fiveminute.net/movies/battlestargalactica.html). One day I will make the Adama/Lee one that goes with "I didn't have time to shop."

hee.
cheers.
--Lex

[kag523.livejournal.com]

First impression of Kara/Lee: I IMMEDIATELY ADORED KARA. Mainly 'cause I was like "AWESOME, badass pilot! WHO'S A WOMAN!"
Lee, I was more like "Tehehehe...pretty...oh, hi there, daddy-issues."

This was my impression too. So funny to have someone else express the very same things I felt about the two of them. Though I must admit, Lee's character certainly grew on me as time went on. :>)

[amidala-thrace.livejournal.com]

Woo, firsts! I've been hanging around memory lane the past few days anyway, so this suits well. :)

First episode: Being the contrary contrarian that I am, I did not start at the beginning but rather smack dab in the middle, with S2's "The Farm". I was introduced to BSG more by osmosis than anything else, as my ex-boyfriend had been watching reruns of it on the Space channel, and I usually happened to be in the room at the same time. The Farm, being a Kara-centric episode, drew me in almost immediately, where before I'd been pretty apathetic toward the series in general (typically because I was doing other stuff and didn't pay much attention). I remember being so curious about the woman in the bed and instinctively wanting to know more about why she was there and why she distrusted the doctor treating her. My second episode was "Scar", which subsequently introduced me to the Kara/Lee pairing (and Kara/Sam as well). From then on I was pretty much hooked. ;)

First fic: I mostly lurked in fandom for quite a while, and I only started reading fic after I'd mainlined most of the series, so as not to be spoiled. My first fic was elzed's "Decline and Fall", and my second was "Something Pretty" - both of which subsequently intimidated me so much when it came to writing that I didn't post anything for quite some time. Heh.

First icon: I don't have my first BSG icon uploaded anymore, but I do remember that it was one of Bill Adama, by so_out_of_ideas. My second was Kara from "Unfinished Business".

First vid: Good grief ... I don't know if I can recall! It was probably one by either dualbunny or taragel. :)

First fic: The first fic I WROTE will never ever see the light of day (er, the light of the internet?) because it is just THAT BAD. Heh. The first fic I posted was, perhaps unsurprisingly, a Kara-centric piece, and dealt with her state of mind after the events of "Torn".

[shah-of-blah.livejournal.com]

Hey Liz!

Hee, I get the osmosis thing. Certain members of my household were watching it before I was too, so I saw some random episodes. It's soooo appropriate though that you saw The Farm and then Scar. Heh. I didn't see a lot of Kara though--maybe I would have sat down and watched the series earlier if I had!

Re: first fic. Wow, I'm actually surprised. For some reason, I had it in my head that you'd been posting fic longer than that ('cause, like, I remember when Decline and Fall was new...).

Okay, I have to say--I'm a little (a lot) surprised that your first icon was of Adama!

The first fic I posted was, perhaps unsurprisingly, a Kara-centric piece, and dealt with her state of mind after the events of "Torn".
Funny, one of my first fics dealt with that too. I mean, it was just begging to be ficced.

[damao2010.livejournal.com]

First episode/very fist impression:

I remembered the old BSG show from my childhood. There was no cable or internet at the time, so the show only aired in my country a few years after it was originally released but I was very much into sci-fi by then, having seen the first Star Wars movies and being a huge Star Trek fan. So, when I heard that there was a new BSG show on TV, I was moved by a certain chilhood nostalgia and decided to give it a try.

I think the first episode I saw was "The hand of God". And I HATED it. A couple of weeks later, I watched part of another episode, but I don't remember which one. My overall first reaction to both these episodes was : WTF?? First, I didn't understand all the "old-fashioned" technology. Wasn't it supposed to be science-fiction? In space? The old show seemed more techonologically advanced than the new one. How was it possible? Also, I found everything extremely confusing. Where were the cylons, which I could only envision as machines? Why isn't Baltar with the cylons, he used to be the traitor (in the old show)? Who is this blond woman he is talking to and why doesn't anybody see her? Where are Starbuck and Apollo? (It took me such a long time to understand the whole callsigns thing)? Starbuck is a WOMAN? And if they are in space, running, what are these other guys (Helo and Sharon) doing on a planet? Who is Sharon and who is Boomer?
However, after trying to sort things out by searching for info about the show on the internet, I kept reading such good reviews that I got curious again. And decided to start at the beggining, the mini. And that make all the difference. I suddenly got everything and I fell in love with the show. In fact, I have never loved a show (or characters) so much. I watched all 4 seasons in a couple of months late last year.

First fic

Since I went through the whole series so fast and I really needed to get more of it, I started to look for fics on the net. The first site I found was ffnet. I don't remember the first fic I read there, but the firt one I really liked is called Breaking Point (http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2401236/1/Breaking_Point) . It is still one of my favorite ones.

First LJ comm NoTakebacks :D

It opened a whole new world for me. LOL

[shah-of-blah.livejournal.com]

Wow, that's so funny that you hated it! (And Hand of God--such a great episode!) But I guess it makes sense, if you were expecting something very different.

I kept reading such good reviews that I got curious again. And decided to start at the beggining, the mini. And that make all the difference. I suddenly got everything and I fell in love with the show.
Yeah, this show is definitely hard to pick up in the middle, I think. Hell, I had trouble just with 33! I saw some random bits of later episodes after that, and I remember asking my family, like "Where are the Cylons? Why aren't they jumping?" because I thought the whole series was them jumping every 33 minutes (god, how exhausting that would have been just to watch).

I remember Breaking Point. I read that pretty early on too, and I've reread it a couple times. Good stuff (although I have an issue or two with it).

First LJ comm! Oh, I should have made that one of the questions! Mine was probably bsg2003fics. Or maybe beyond_insane. Or the_wireless.

[amaliak.livejournal.com]

First episode: The mini.

First impression: I LOVED LEE. I was intrigued by Kara, and I was kind of afraid that them as a couple would be the ship that the writers would cramp down our throats. But I loved them individually, and they did have AMAZING chemistry. I was excited.

First icon: by the_crapshack. Oh yeah. LOVED IT.

First icon I made: I find this hard to believe, but it was this one:
.
Which I don't think it's technically true, but apparently Windows tells me it is. Haha. I'd been watching for a year or so, but finally I decided to jump into the icon challenge comms. I really wanted to hone my photoshop skills and I thought this was the was to do it.

First fic I read: Finding Purpose (http://nytel.livejournal.com/54717.html) by nytel

First fic I wrote: actually took a lot longer after spending a LOT time in fandom. It was as a reply to the first karathracelives challenge. You can find it HERE (http://amaliak.livejournal.com/51170.html). the reason why it was awesome? It made me really fall into place w/ my BrainTwin mintenergy.

hee. Good question!
cheers.
--Lex

[shah-of-blah.livejournal.com]

I love the first icon you made! It always cracks me up. :)

Mmm, Finding Purpose. Good times. It's one of those fics I read when I'm in a bad mood and just want to curl up with a story that I know will deliver all the angst with a happy ending.

That's so cool that you found your BrainTwin through fic!

[amaliak.livejournal.com]

As for fics: Hmm, am I bad fan 'cause I haven't read any yet? I don't know. I just don't feel like reading these days. Plus, I haven't finished watching the series yet, so I wanna wait and see 'til the end and then crack open some fics.

Ummmm...are you serious? Dude.

Ok, that only thing that I'll say is that there's TONS of fics out there that were written during S2 that are what we would call "fandom staples". I don't think that you should wait to read them because really, what makes them even better is that uncertainty of "well, it COULD happen".

It's just my opinion.
But it's right.
(haha, j/k).
cheers.
--Lex

[cosetteferaud.livejournal.com]

Fun topic!

First episode. Ok, I started with the mini. My hub’s BFF’s had been raving about it for ages and we decided to gave it a chance, since we consider ourselves proud geeks and this is the sort of stuff (sci-fi and fantasy in general) that we enjoy the most. Funny enough, my expectations weren’t very high (I had seen all those covers with Six in it and I am not found of hypersexualized robots, heh), but after the mini I was hooked --not obsessed, though, that would happen later. But I was impressed by the whole thing: the epicness, the realistic approach, the characters, Starbuck being a WOMAN!!!, the awesome Lee and Kara’s chemistry (yeah, I was totally biased from the start, lol). By the end of S1 the show had took over my life and I marathoned it –the first 3 seasons— in a month. I honestly think BSG will always be my one true show, I have never loved some fictional characters as I love Lee and Kara.

First icon. This one by me! Of course, Kara being badass and awesome :D

First Fic I Read. OMG, I don’t know… I read so much fic after I finished S3, I even stopped reading books for a while! I think it was something by stars_like_dust or daphnaea… And I remember I was really impressed by all those fic writers and stories I discovered that made me love the show and the characters even more.

First vic. Surrender (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTvWNsA7Xbw&playnext=1&videos=mGvkh4t0yts) by Dayln3. And “White Flag” still remains one of my all-time favorite pilots songs.

Also, I must say that BSG made me discover LJ… which is a pretty awesome place full of people who actually understood my unconditional love for these characters. It made me realize that I am not crazy ;P

[kag523.livejournal.com]

Have you seen the Starbuck painting of that exact screencap? It's on youtube. Amazing!

(I will of course be even MORE amazed, if you are the artist who did it. LOL. But crazier things have happened.)

[nazkey.livejournal.com]

What a great topic!

First episode I started watching right at the beginning with the mini. My best friend had been hounding me for months to watch it and I kept resisting cuz I remembered the original from back when I was a kid and I was very meh about it. He lent me S1 over the Xmas holidays and I was hooked the minute Six came on and said "Are you alive? Prove it" and everything exploded AND THERE WAS NO EXPLOSION SOUNDS!!! I know that sounds strange, but for some reason, that made it so authentic to me. I still have a special place in my heart for the mini, but my favorite K/L episode is definitely 33. That's where you see the depth of their relationship I think.

First impression I loved it. I loved the entire premise. I loved the fact that the show was not painted in black & white but in shades of gray and that you had to actually THINK about what you had just watched, mull it over and take time to digest its meaning. It was a "smart" show and it felt like I had just read a fantastic novel. I have to say though, I never thought that K/L would get together and that was because their chemistry was too great and I knew that the powers that be would screw with that somehow and that getting them together might be, in their heads, a way of jumping the shark. I didn't realize to what ridiculous extents they would go (pigeons??? Seriously???) but I expected the ending and wasn't as crushed as a lot of other people. It "fit" the theme/tone of the show for me.

First icon Lee in the towel. That's one of the only ones I found on my own. Other than that, everything I have, I have snagged from the lovely sci_fi_shipper including the one I'm currently using.

First fic I read I was very, very cautious about reading fic. I watched the entire series in about a week and I was sorely tempted to go seek out fic almost on a daily basis but this was one time when I didn't want to be spoiled, so I refrained until I was done watching. Then I spent a week emotionally exhausted (some of you know why) and cried and then I went in search of fic and the first one I read was Risk & Reward (http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5680954/1/bRisk_b_bReward_b) which provided a great "solution" to the whole poof thing at the end. I still love that fic. I worked my way through ff.net and then found taragel on LJ, and stalked her for a while (wink) before I decided to join this comm.

First vid Not a big video watcher, but I've seen some of taragel's (remember, I was totally stalking her), I love this one: Single Ladies (http://www.youtube.com/user/TaraGel#p/u/5/2IEXb8L2xbk) I love the sense of humor in it and the way she matches the lyrics so beautifully.

First fic I wrote huh. Don't really write them (yet - I still have one in WIP limbo with my super fabulous beta waiting for me to finish it!), but the first thing I wrote was actually a silly piece of nonsense for kag523 and if you're so inclined, you can read it here: Dr. Seuss Drabble (http://nazkey.livejournal.com/3893.html)

[shah-of-blah.livejournal.com]

No explosion sounds! I totally get what you mean. It made the show seem like...not the same old sci-fi, you know?

I don't think that, from the beginning, I ever expected Kara and Lee to ride off into the sunset together. Just wasn't that kind of show. But after the many twists and turns their relationship took...I expected something, you know? What upset me about their ending wasn't that they weren't together but that it didn't make any sense. I would take a well-written tragedy over that any day!

Haha, that's funny about stalking Tara. I LJ-stalked a lot of people when I first joined fandom, but most of them are gone now.

I like that Dr. Seuss drabble! Very cute.

[coffeesuperhero.livejournal.com]

Well, I migrated over to the K/L side of fandom from the A/R side of the fandom, so the first stories I read and the first icons I used are A/R-related. The first fanvid I ever saw, though, was taragel's I Feel Lucky, which is here (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZTM-7mPRaQ&feature=player_embedded) and is fabulous.

First episode I watched was the miniseries, and I was hooked from minute one. Amazing.

The first fic I wrote is actually not the first fic I posted. The first fic I wrote is The Dishes or Hack (http://coffeesuperhero.livejournal.com/119481.html), a total AU crackfic which is A/R, but which also features a tiny Lee Adama. The first fic I posted, though, is Fifty Ways to Leave Your Lover (http://coffeesuperhero.livejournal.com/114555.html), which is Saul Tigh-centric but has some Kara at the end. Meanwhile, the first K/L fic I wrote is Sleeping to Dream About You (http://coffeesuperhero.livejournal.com/161169.html).

That's my fannish history!

[callmeonetrack.livejournal.com]

Ha! I Feel Lucky! Yay! My almost cracky vid! Hot Dog! Lyle Lovett=Sam! Dwight Yoakum=Lee! Ha ha. Vidding was so fun then!

[stripes13.livejournal.com]

I started at the Mini. Used some free iTunes stuff to get it, watched, squeed and then downloaded s1 (back in....WOW! iTunes tells me it was back in January of 2007!!!). I kinda stalled for a bit, started over in late '08 and took it SLOW until last August when I started over AGAIN and watched it all in one week with my sister.

I looooved Kara from that first moment. And Lee and his daddy issues (and OMG cuteness) had me wanting more of him. And their chemistry just BLEW. ME. AWAY.

I honestly have no idea what the first fic was that I read. I read so much that I was so incredibly spoiled, but I didn't care. stars_like_dust and leda13 were two authors that I know I read early on. Other than that....*shrugs*

First Icon....Hmmmmm I think the first BSG icon I used was one I'd done from a cap...it was bad, and I no longer have it ANYWHERE.

[shah-of-blah.livejournal.com]

Wow, that's so...unusual that you took your own hiatus while catching up. But perhaps appropriate.

Hee, I know what you mean about reading so much fic. I remember I had this list of LJ writers who had been recced on TWOP, and I read everything they wrote, everything they recced, and then everything written or recced by everyone on their flists...

I think the first BSG icon I used was one I'd done from a cap...it was bad, and I no longer have it ANYWHERE.
Hehe, me too. To be honest, I didn't really understand icons, so I just cropped a few screencaps into the right shape and size.

[koolaidmom11.livejournal.com]

I have a 20 year old daughter who was on crutches from this past October through May. Because she couldn't get around her college campus, she watched a lot of tv on the computer. I bought her all seasons of BSG in January and she went through all seasons in a month. After falling in love with Lee Adama, she insisted that my husband, myself and my 16 year old son watch the show too. We started with the mini and enjoyed it but the clincher was finding out about Boomer. My husband loved her and was so upset about her that we started watching with a vengeance. Seriously, between two and four episodes per night.

Before we had even finished, I saw the video Hot and Cold with Lee and Kara. I knew the show didn't end well before we got to the last season but we were in full blown addiction mode by then. I had seen tons of videos because of my daughter and a friend of hers put together a BSG recovery kit full of fanfic recommendations.

Now I can't stop the reading, although I'm not a writer. I must say that this fandom thing intrigues me.

[shah-of-blah.livejournal.com]

Hi there! You didn't by any chance comment anonymously on my journal a few days ago, did you? Either way, that's so cool that BSG was able to help you and your daughter, and that she got you into the fandom.