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

[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.

[amidala-thrace.livejournal.com]

Yeah, when I look at the episodes I saw first, they really set the tone for much of my later fandom views and preferences. The Farm, being centred on Kara, did for me what The Phantom Menace (with Padmé) did for my Star Wars obsession: gave me a character who could be my entry point and subsequent touchstone for writing and reading and viewing. I seem to need a character like that if I'm to get involved in a fandom, and without such a character, it's proportionately less likely that I'll become interested enough to produce content for the fandom. Scar, meanwhile, gave me the two pairings that would become my OTPs (not that I necessarily need ships in order to like a fandom, but they're nice!) in Kara/Lee and Kara/Sam. Funnily enough - for this crowd, anyway - my first posted shippy fic was Kara/Sam. ;)

I think I began reading fic JUST as Decline and Fall was posted, though I came into the fandom in December 2007 after getting hooked that November. I'd have to check back in my journal's archive to be a hundred percent sure, though. I had avoided fandom and fic partly on my best friend's advice - she was a BSG fan right from the Miniseries in 2003 and told me that it would be so much more enjoyable for me if I went into each episode as unspoiled as possible. And, she was right. :)

I am too! ;) To be honest, I can't recall why I uploaded an Adama icon first - but I think that's why I remember that specifically, because in hindsight it seems so bizarre. Heh.

And yeah, there was something about her scenes in the pilots' rec room and the obvious transformation she made in cutting off her hair that spoke to me, and I imagine it must have been the same for other folks too. :)