So. Much. Truth.
So I found hesychasm's glorious post filled with so much incredible truth, and it makes me reflect on the ways fandom has affected me.
In my lifetime I've been into a variety of fandoms, lightly dipping my toe in a few for 4+ years until my delving deeper into fandom started with combining two and observing the results. From there I worked on my own grounds. My first true fandom was Soul Eater, in a way, and I still remain in it. Then I moved from that to How to Train Your Dragon, to Amnesia: The Dark Descent, to My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, and now, to Homestuck.
I can't imagine my life in any other way. Almost EVERYTHING in the media has a fandom, with their pros and cons, and it's these strokes of genius by these fandoms that make the internet worth it. Wanna' know what I mean, then check out nenena's Soul Eater Moments of Zen. Because I can achieve these moments of Zen through the various kinds of mediums found in and done by fandom, from poetry writing's reflecting a character, to remixes of soundtrack music, to AMV's, to beautiful works of art.
Myself, I have done a self-portait based on the Vocaloid song Matryoshka, done two paintings based on Metroid Prime games, and written hundreds of pages of writings based on my own vision.
I've found my two soul-sisters through fandom, kashii_ai and shinigamishi, and many other incredibly talented artists and writer's via fandom. All of them are special in their own way, have their own talents and do their own contribitions to their respective fandoms.
Through my 8+ years of shenanigans on the internet, I've learned harsh but valuable lessons when it comes to dealing with fandoms:
1: Appreciate, don't obssess.
2: Run wildly at the mention of an OC as a main character.
3: Haters will exist whether I want them to or not.
4: It's fandom, and it's all good fun only. I can pair who I want with whom I want.
5: Obsessively hating something (yes, including Twilight) is just as bad as obsessively liking something.
6: Anti-stuff in fandom is a waste of time. Let's stay positive people.
7: Some pairings, fanfictions, fanart, and fandoms are not meant for everyone, only for the people they were meant for.
8: Real life comes first, fandom life comes second.
9: I will respect you for disliking something I like, so long as you respect me for liking it.
10: Sometimes things are popular and provably bad, and sometimes things are popular because they are actually good.
These are what I have learned from my years in fandom. They might not be the right lesson's I've learned, but they are lesson's I plan to stick to.
I just cannot see myself quitting fandom anytime in my life, anytime soon. I may write fanfiction well into my adult years, still may participte in fandom when I'm turning 50, who knows.
It's changed my life nonetheless, for better or for worse.