Snowflake Challenge 2018, Day 2

[pensnest]

Day 2

In your own space, share a favorite memory about fandom: the first time you got into fandom, the last time a fanwork touched your heart, crazy times with fellow fans (whether on-line or off-line), a lovely comment you’ve received or have left for someone. Leave a comment in this post saying you did it. Include a link to your post if you feel comfortable doing so.

My First Convention was the May Trek Con which took place in Cardiff back in the '90s—I think it was 1996. I went on my own, not at all sure what to expect or what to do. But… in the registration line I heard a name I recognised, so pounced on the owner with "I love your stories!" and we had a long conversation about writing and became penfriends for a good while. I wore my Ol' Yellow Eyes Is Back T-shirt, which drew to me a fellow Data fan, and we spent quite a lot of the con together, talking about, well, whatever it is that two Dataphiles talk about. On the following evening the two of us got into a conversation with two Picard fans, and spent hours in conversation (you know that scene where Picard is being tortured and he stands up and he's naked and he's hidden by a computer screen—don't you just…? *tilts sideways to peer round screen*) that had us all laughing like loons, and had a guy at the next table wander over to us at the end of the night and tell us he'd enjoyed listening in so much he wished he'd been able to record it.

I enjoyed the programmed stuff, but it was the fannish connections, the time spent discussing stories and What We Were Really Fans Of, that made it so much fun.

Comments

[turps]

What a fantastic memory. And what a great first convention!

[pensnest]

It was! It was the Big con, and had Nana Visitor (with bonus Alexander Siddig), Robert Picardo, Walter Koenig and Carolyn Seymour - the NextGen cast being off filming 'Generations'. Lots of discussion sessions, and the fact that it was in a convention centre rather than a hotel worked fine for me.

[sixbeforelunch]

That sounds like an awesome con!

[pensnest]

I later met someone who'd been to it and wasn't impressed, because she had been to many, and didn't like its being held in a convention centre rather than a hotel, but I thought it worked very well for me!

[spikedluv]

That sounds lovely! As I've mentioned in other comments, so many people are mentioning other fans as part of their favorite memory and it makes me feel all squishy inside.

[pensnest]

Yeah! I mean, I have had fun experiences occasionally with meeting the people I'm a fan *of*, but the laugh-so-hard-your-stomach-hurts-next-day experiences have always been with fellow fans.

[turlough]

That's a fantastic memory! But now you've made me feel nostalgic for the small Swedish science fiction cons I attended in the late 90s. The conversations at breakfast were just the best!

[pensnest]

I'm very partial to the Redemption con, which we missed this year because of the building work - a nice little convention, and the one at which I met nopseud, which was fateful indeed. Breakfast conversations can be jolly good there, too!

[frausorge]

That sounds grand! And meeting up with someone you know from online while waiting in line is such classic fannishness.

[mf_luder_xf]

Conventions are definitely made by the fan friends you make. Thanks for sharing this awesome experience!