dizzojay | Snowflake Challenge 2025

Challenge #10

In your own space, talk about one of your fandom firsts. This could be your first fandom, your first fandom friend, the first fanwork you created, the first fanwork you interacted with... The options are endless!

So, I’m going to talk about my first convention.

I discovered the supernatural fandom in early 2010. In late 2010, I met a friend via Fanfiction.net, and we discovered that we only lived about ten miles apart. So, we had a couple of real life meet ups and during those meet ups she occasionally mentioned to me these things called conventions that she’d attended.

I’d heard of conventions in a broad sense, but wasn’t really familiar with what happened at them or who went to them.

Eventually, she talked me into attending the next convention in the UK, Asylum 7, with her. The convention was October 2011 and I was excited to find out what it was all about. I was also invited that Julian was one of the guests and I was going to get the opportunity to ‘hug Death’. Who could turn down an opportunity like that?

So the convention came, and I loved every second of it. I did indeed hug Death, and he was an absolute sweetie. I told him that he was my very first ever convention photoshoot and he seemed more excited about that than I did!

Since that fateful day, I’ve been to probably about forty conventions (who’s counting), many of them still with that same friend, I’ve met Jared, Jensen and Misha multiple times, and my convention-going has crossed borders into Italy, France and Germany.

I went to that first convention all those years ago to please my friend and because I was curious, and I am so very, very glad that I did!

Here I am, proudly hugging Death!