#snowflakechallenge2017

2017 Snowflake Challenge Wrap-Up

In 2012 the first Snowflake Challenge was held on akamine_chan's personal journal.  The next year this community was created and aka wrote about that first year:

The band My Chemical Romance put in a guest appearance on the kids show Yo Gabba Gabba that December, singing about every snowflake being different, and that was what I wanted us to celebrate - how each one of us was unique and beautiful, broken and imperfect and intelligent and talented and lovable.

This year's Snowflake Challenge seems to have gone by so quickly.  It's been a whirl, the comment pages a flurry of people saying, "I did it" - taking on challenges that were difficult for them, reveling in nostalgia, spreading joy and love, being creative, being giving, doing a challenge every day or a bunch at once or just one challenge.

It's a 15 day challenge, and that 15th day is over, but Snowflake Challenge is still here, and you can participate year round, browse through entries, leave comments, and fill wishes, too!

Whether you participated in every challenge, just one, or somewhere in between - well done, you.  Doing these challenges takes time and effort.  However you participated this year, thank you.  You've made this challenge that flurry of joy and love and creativity and a hundred other things.

Day One:  In your own space, post a rec for at least three fanworks that you have created. It can be your favorite fanworks that you've created, or fanworks you feel no one ever saw, or fanworks you say would define you as a creator. 

Snowflake Challenge Day 12

Today’s challenge is all about community. I’m really excited to be posting today because of that, because of the comms that taught me how to write and the challenges that gave me the motivation to do so.  The newsletter that taught me about vids and recs and the people I met because I really needed to talk about a fictional character’s sexual orientation.   There are places in fandom that bring us together.  They teach us things and give us amazing gifts, places to hang out and fannish content to consume.  Sometimes they’re bustling hubs, and sometimes they’re quieter places.  Where are you hanging out in fandom these days?  Are there places you wish more people knew about? Here’s your chance to tell us about them. In your own space, post a rec for fannish spaces and resources - comms, challenges, twitters, tumblrs, etc.   Tell us about where you hang out. Leave a comment in this post saying you did it. Include a link to your post if you feel comfortable doing so.

Snowflake Challenge Day 14

This one is going to be SO EASY! For real. Most of you have been doing this for the last two weeks through other challenges in this fest, or in fandom stockings, and there’s even a Pay It Forward meme already floating around. Some of you do this challenge on your own on a pretty regular basis in your everyday lives throughout your year. However, some of us really need the excuse built in that this challenge allows. It’s a challenge that makes everyone feel better, and maybe, makes the world a better place, and who wouldn’t want a piece of that? What is the challenge you ask? Kindness. Commit a random act of kindness for a fellow fan. Send a note to someone telling them how awesome they are, buy some paid time, tokens or what-have-yous, craft something, check out some fellow Snowflake’s Wish List from Day 6 and do something for a stranger. Proclaim it to the world or do it quietly, anonymously. Anything. Go forth and commit an act of kindness.

Leave a comment in this post saying you did it, tell us about it if you’re comfortable doing so. Tag with “snowflakechallenge2017″ if you’re posting on tumblr.

Snowflake Challenge Day 15

I am just the kind of sappy fool who's written many love letters in my lifetime, so today's Challenge is perfect to my mind, and a great pinnacle for this year where the climate is doom and gloom in the wider world. Let's share the love that brings us all to fandom again and again. We might get frustrated and ranty at things, but we always come back, so let's celebrate that. In your own space, write a love letter to Fandom in general, to a particular fandom, to a trope, a relationship, a character, or to your flist/circle/followers. Share you love and squee as loud as you want to.

Leave a comment in this post saying you did it. Include a link to your post if you feel comfortable doing so. And tag with #snowflakechallenge2017 on Tumblr!

Snowflake Challenge Day 13

We're all here because fandom means a lot to us, right? I mean, why else would we be so passionate about it, so inspired by it, so involved? And for some of us, part of the draw is sharing that enthusiasm, that joy. Or conversely, finding someone else to vent to when canon is Getting It Wrong, having someone who can commiserate. For others, it's sitting back and letting all the fandom feels wash over you. There are as many ways to be a part of fandom as there are fanfolk- each experience as wonderfully unique as the snowflakes this challenge is named for. But one of the universal constants is that we all have those moments, times in fandom that stick with us, resonate with us.

Reading just the right fic at just the right time in your life. Getting to go to a fancon. Finding out you're not the only one with an Unpopular Fandom Opinion. Receiving a comment on something you created right when you needed it. Seeing fandom come together to support a cause, or a person. There are so many ways, big and small, that fandom touches our lives. In your own space, write about a moment in fandom that meant a lot to you.

Don’t forget to tag your response with #snowflakechallenge2017 so others can find it!

Introduction * Master Post * Day 1 * Day 2 * Day 3 * Day 4 * Day 5 * Day 6 * Day 7 * Day 8 * Day 9 * Day 10 * Day 11 * Day 12

Snowflake Challenge Friending Meme 2017

In most of the fandoms where I've actively participated, my interests are a bit...off center. For example, I don't ship pairings except in rare cases. I don't often enjoy reading or looking at explicit material. I'm a gen person. This means I have to look a little harder to find fanworks I enjoy (or create them myself...). But every now and again, I find creators who are my perfect match. It's almost as though they are seeing the world through my eyes: they view the characters just the way I do, their head canons are my head canons. I still remember vividly the excitement I felt the first time that it happened. It was magical.

Snowflake Challenge Day 11

In your own space, talk about a creator. Show us why you think they are amazing. Leave a comment in this post saying you did it. Include a link to your post if you feel comfortable doing so. How else might you demonstrate your love for your chosen creator? You could make a recs list of your  favorites. Or post a link to their personal website or to an archive, whether it's at fanfiction.net or Instagram. You could even create a page for them at Fanlore, or add to an existing one.