100 Fandom Related Things: 001 - Fandom.
So, the downside to giving myself such a broad topic is I didn't know where to start. I have so much I can do with this topic - fic recs, comm recs, fanmixes, anything - that when it came down to it, I didn't know where to start.
I thought about it for a while, read some posts on my flist, refreshed tumblr and then, then it occurred to me. My subject is fandom, broadly. Why not talk about fandom, broadly, and what it is to me? Why not talk about why I chose it? So I did.
Fandom, to me, is synonymous with community. I'll be completely honest and say I really don't have many friends IRL. We live in a pretty secluded area, and since I left school, I only know one person my age and he gets on my tits. I've got people who're friends, I hang out with them, I like them, but they're all older than me, and because of that gap we have very little in common.
That's not an issue in fandom. Most of my fandom friends are older than me, but it doesn't matter that they're in university and I'm not, they're in long term relationships and I'm not, they have kids and I don't. None of that matters, because we have something initial to bond over - the love of a book, or a show, or a character. We're from different cultures, different countries, different points in time, but none of that matters the way it does in real life.
I've met some of the most wonderful people through fandom. I've met people who tell me it's okay when I'm upset or angry. I've met people who cheer me on when I beat my personal best run time. I meet people who don't ask me stupid, offensive questions when I talk about my future. I meet people who don't care about who or what I do, they care about who I am as a person.
I've met people who accept me for the fact I go off on rants. I've met people who like my rants, people who like the fact I always have an opinion. I've met people who don't tell me to shut up when I talk, because they don't care. I've met people who want discussion, who want to hear differing opinions.
Fandom gives me a way to express myself. It gives me a way to improve my writing, my photoshop skills. Fandom's the place that understands that yes, sometimes I care more about characters than real people. Fandom's the place where I can sum up my feelings as "bgidpngidgin" and get "so9touejgmsf" as a response.
There's also an element of control to fandom as well. In real life, if you don't like someone, there's very little you can do. There's people I work with that I hate, people that make me feel uncomfortable but I can do nothing. In fandom? I can leave. I can block them. The glee fandom pushed the wrong buttons, made me feel uneasy, a tiny few of them wished violence on me so I left. I don't have to deal with that. In real life, I don't have that control. That's a negative side of fandom, I guess, but it's positive, almost, in a way. Fandom means I can surround myself with people who are kind and caring and smart and funny.
Fandom is, in essence, a giant support group of cuddles. Fandom is where I know someone will always care, even if we have our differences. Fandom is a place to educate myself, about people, about cultures, about anything. And maybe some people find it silly, or weird, but it's important to me, and I hope it always will be.
What's your favourite thing about fandom?
I thought about it for a while, read some posts on my flist, refreshed tumblr and then, then it occurred to me. My subject is fandom, broadly. Why not talk about fandom, broadly, and what it is to me? Why not talk about why I chose it? So I did.
Fandom, to me, is synonymous with community. I'll be completely honest and say I really don't have many friends IRL. We live in a pretty secluded area, and since I left school, I only know one person my age and he gets on my tits. I've got people who're friends, I hang out with them, I like them, but they're all older than me, and because of that gap we have very little in common.
That's not an issue in fandom. Most of my fandom friends are older than me, but it doesn't matter that they're in university and I'm not, they're in long term relationships and I'm not, they have kids and I don't. None of that matters, because we have something initial to bond over - the love of a book, or a show, or a character. We're from different cultures, different countries, different points in time, but none of that matters the way it does in real life.
I've met some of the most wonderful people through fandom. I've met people who tell me it's okay when I'm upset or angry. I've met people who cheer me on when I beat my personal best run time. I meet people who don't ask me stupid, offensive questions when I talk about my future. I meet people who don't care about who or what I do, they care about who I am as a person.
I've met people who accept me for the fact I go off on rants. I've met people who like my rants, people who like the fact I always have an opinion. I've met people who don't tell me to shut up when I talk, because they don't care. I've met people who want discussion, who want to hear differing opinions.
Fandom gives me a way to express myself. It gives me a way to improve my writing, my photoshop skills. Fandom's the place that understands that yes, sometimes I care more about characters than real people. Fandom's the place where I can sum up my feelings as "bgidpngidgin" and get "so9touejgmsf" as a response.
There's also an element of control to fandom as well. In real life, if you don't like someone, there's very little you can do. There's people I work with that I hate, people that make me feel uncomfortable but I can do nothing. In fandom? I can leave. I can block them. The glee fandom pushed the wrong buttons, made me feel uneasy, a tiny few of them wished violence on me so I left. I don't have to deal with that. In real life, I don't have that control. That's a negative side of fandom, I guess, but it's positive, almost, in a way. Fandom means I can surround myself with people who are kind and caring and smart and funny.
Fandom is, in essence, a giant support group of cuddles. Fandom is where I know someone will always care, even if we have our differences. Fandom is a place to educate myself, about people, about cultures, about anything. And maybe some people find it silly, or weird, but it's important to me, and I hope it always will be.
What's your favourite thing about fandom?