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

[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.

[callmeonetrack.livejournal.com]

Yeah it helps this is an older-skewing fandom I'm sure. I hadn't really had a fandom experience before this, so I'm kinda spoiled now.

Hee Evanescence is the essence of Leemo anthems.

Anna Nalick was so good. I'm so disappointed she hasn't had a second album. :(

[shah-of-blah.livejournal.com]

Yeah it helps this is an older-skewing fandom I'm sure. I hadn't really had a fandom experience before this, so I'm kinda spoiled now.
Cherish the lack of angsty, OOC high school AUs.

[callmeonetrack.livejournal.com]

Haha. Well I am fond of the Caprica High series. It's cute.

[shah-of-blah.livejournal.com]

Well that one is, of course, the exception.

(Full disclosure: I would totally read L/K high school AUs...but they've got to be of the cracky, self-aware Caprica High variety, you know?)

[rachelindeed.livejournal.com]

I love how in every fandom there is someone who takes a ridiculous cliche and then handles it brilliantly :) I'm kind of bemused to realize that seriously large numbers of my favorite BSG fics are about Kara and Lee being in school together. Of course most of them are Academy fics, which are college rather than high school. But even the high school genre has blossomed for me. I love Lint's Rivals (http://www.fanfiction.net/s/3531406/1/Rivals) and Wet Hot Caprican Summer (http://www.fanfiction.net/s/3638340/1/Wet_Hot_Caprican_Summer). They make me grin like a loon every time I reread them :)

[shah-of-blah.livejournal.com]

Lint is such a marvelous writer. I love those stories like crazy! And even though they are high school AUs, I don't really think of them as such? Like, they just don't even go near any of the cliches that BtVS high school (all human) AUs seemed to be so riddled with.

[rachelindeed.livejournal.com]

So true! I love it when an author dodges the bullet and makes you realize that, in good hands, almost any scenario can turn into a good story :)

I love the detailed characterization in Lint's stories, like Kara's reaction to the Delphic art museum, or the way Lee instinctively salutes Socrata and she actually kind of goes for it - his sneaky little natural diplomacy skills are already on display! So fun.