Snowflake Challenge #1

[axael]

Fandom Snowflake Challenge — January 1st

❄ Challenge #1 on snowflake_challenge.

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Icebreaker Challenge: Introductions!

Introduce yourself. Tell us why you're doing the challenge and what you hope to gain from it.

Happy New Year! It is I, Axael! A.k.a. Desiderii everywhere else on the internet except for dreamwidth, lol. I'm in my early 40s, and I only discovered fandom as the internet knows it a decade or so ago, though I've been poking around fandom in offline and non-mainstream in many different forms since I was bitty. I did a write-up last year that went in depth into where I cam from, fandom-wise. The only place I am currently online at the moment is here on dreamwidth and on ao3 as desiderii.

Offline, I've started a bunch of new knitting projects and I'm resolved to read a book a week this year that's not fanfiction, just so I don't only read fanfic for another year in a row. Cozy cooperative games with friends has also been something that I've been enjoying, namely Stardew Valley and Voyagers of Nera. I'm also, unfortunately, having to adjust to no longer having a cat at my side, as mine passed just in December.

As for why the challenge? Well, mostly I enjoyed it so much last year. :) It's something nice to kick off the year with, even if I can only manage half the challenges. Also, I am hoping to poke around more fandom on dreamwidth to see what can be seen in a way that I just wasn't up for last year. I've stopped looping back around to tumblr whenever I needed those dopamine micro-hits, but I do miss fandom people-interactions. I definitely don't want to go back to passively scrolling, though. So! Interaction! Older-style fandom! Saying hello!

So: hello! :) :)

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❄❄ Snowflake Challenge 2026 Masterpost ❄❄
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Comments

[switchbladeeyes]

Offline, I've started a bunch of new knitting projects and I'm resolved to read a book a week this year that's not fanfiction

I'm always so impressed with folks who can make things with their hands! 🧶

Awesome reading goal! I hope you get to read some fun books!

[axael]

Ty ty!! My to be read pile is probably the metaphorical height of a two story building at this point, so I'm determined to make a dent. :) :)

[royalblue31]

Wishing you the best of luck on your reading goal!

[axael]

Thanks! I'm hoping I can keep it up this year. (I got too distracted last year. XD)

Hello!

[ysabetwordsmith]

>> I've started a bunch of new knitting projects <<

That's awesome. Several of the crafting communities do check-in posts where people talk about their projects, like get_knitted and justcreate.

>>Also, I am hoping to poke around more fandom on dreamwidth to see what can be seen in a way that I just wasn't up for last year. <<

fandomcalendar is the go-to spot for seeing what's up in fandom. allbingo has a new fest each month; January is "Public Domain Day Bingo."

goal_on_dw has signup posts for Fannish 50 and Full Content on Dreamwidth, useful either for writing or finding things to read -- along with other topics.

You may also like other events such as marchmetamatterschallenge, Three Weeks for Dreamwdith (April 25-May 15), or sunshine_revival.

>>I do miss fandom people-interactions.<<

If you like poetry, you're welcome to visit my Poetry Fishbowl on January 6 with a theme of "Short Forms." The crosstalk among the audience can get pretty lively as people bounce ideas off each other. Most of my recurring posts are interactive too.

Re: Hello!

[axael]

Oh wow, thank you for the links. I'm going to investigate these for sure. I'm very intrigued! Allbingos is such a fun name for a bingo com, imho. And I think I definitely will like all of the events. Poetry fishbowl! How intriguing.

Tyty.

Re: Hello!

[ysabetwordsmith]

>> Oh wow, thank you for the links. I'm going to investigate these for sure. I'm very intrigued! <<

I'm happy I could help.

>> Allbingos is such a fun name for a bingo com, imho.<<

It was an alternative created when many bingo comms were closing, the small fandoms didn't have a way to play, and some of the rules were exasperating like having to post all the works before calling bingo. So this is a low-pressure, high-inspiration comm.

>> And I think I definitely will like all of the events. <<

Yay! The more, the merrier.

>> Poetry fishbowl! How intriguing. <<

Thanks. Some of yesterday's poems have already been sponsored and posted.

[unholyghost]

hello! as someone with a TBR list that's been gathering dust, here's to us reading stuff that isn't fanfic this year 🍻 good luck on your book a week!

my condolences about your cat, I understand how the adjustment period that comes after is and I wish you comfort and peace in the times you need it.

[axael]

<3<3 Ty about my cat. It's been very weird.

Heck yeah for reading things! I have my first one on my coffee table staring at me, waiting for me to finishing it. :) :) So so far so good, lol.

[sugareey]

Ahh, yes...more book reading! I hear ya on that one!

I am very much the same way with crocheting as you are with knitting...my hopes is to actually finish the WIPs that are still outstanding (since I very much hate sewing pieces together)!

Stardew is so fun and relaxing (and if I'm not careful, very addicting :P). This is my reminder to get back into playing again since it has been quite some time since I've last played!

[axael]

I have three knitting WIPs in clear view of me while I sit on my laptop. Hrm. One must be frogged and restarted, though, so I don't know if it that counts, lol. Sympathies on sewing things together, tho!! I'm really haphazard at it. If it's together it's together, ahaha.

XD I lose *so* much time to Stardew, when I play, because that adjusted day-night cycle is very easy to just...slip time. Wow. I'm as far as I've ever gotten in it now (year three winter!!) and I'm just starting to get to Ginger Island and I still can't believe how much game there is left, even playing cooperative. o_O

[desecrets]

Books and crafting and spending less time going back to tumblr is p much what I wanna try for this year! Good luck!

[axael]

Good luck to you too! (The tumblr one is tricky. Hrmhrm.)

[tjs_whatnot]

Sorry about your kitty. 😔

I look forward to reading more of the responses to the challenge! And yay for committing to reading a book a week!

I want to try and do a crochet tracking project for the books I read this year. A few of my friends did a snake to keep track of books and genres and it was super cute. ❤️❤️

[axael]

Ty ty <3

Yeah! I haven't finished this week's book, but it's waiting for me.

Oh wow. A tracking project???? I...you know, I've seen that in a temperature scarf and a sky scarf for a year, but I haven't seen a cute book-tracking snake?! That sounds *incredibly* adorable.

[tjs_whatnot]

This is one of my friend's snake

❤️❤️