AN: I just wanted to prelude this with the fact that I don’t name what fandom this is referring to, because this isn’t intended to blame, or call out, or anything. It’s not even really about the franchise or the fandom. This is just me, writing something that I am experiencing, WAY too late at night.
...and just to be clear, no, the franchise/fandom I’m referring to isn’t Star Trek. That’s just the topic of my blog, and therefore, how I’m tagging it.
-I have never been a part of a dying fandom.
-I guess it’s because all the other fandoms I’m a part of still have thriving franchises. Some have sequels and prequels being released. Others, like Star Trek, have large enough fanbases to warrant being rebooted, or getting spinoffs with new stories and new characters.
-But sometimes, that’s not the case. Sometimes, there is no sequel, or prequel, or spinoff, or even reboot. Sometimes, the franchise is just… done. And the fandom begins to fade away.
-I’ll admit, the pain was unexpected. I didn’t know that this would make me as sad as it does. That I would feel distraught over the loss of people I don’t even know, from the fandom that I had mixed feelings over.
-Don’t get me wrong. There have been some truly amazing things that have come out of this fandom, and it was always great seeing others express their joy and creativity. But I’m also not so naive as to say that it was always this way. To be blatant, I’m just going to say this fandom wasn’t always the… nicest place to be, and leave it at that.
-But in it, and the franchise, I found characters to add to my little fictional found family. Which is kind of funny to me, because in the part of the fandom I liked, they were seen as the actual found family, over the one the franchise was actually pushing. But I digress. Sure, half of them were dead shortly after being introduced, and the ones that lived had almost no lines, but I loved them. And it made me feel happy to know that there were others that loved them as well. To see others gushing, or squealing, or even keyboard smashing because there was no better way to put what they were feeling into words. I didn’t even have to talk to them (a blessing to my awkward self). Simply knowing that we shared an interest was enough to make me feel connected.
-And this is what makes it difficult, knowing that day by day, the fandom fades a little more. That less and less people are making art/fanfictions/headcanons/gifs/moodboards/etc. To feel like I’m losing my connections.
-To be clear, this isn’t me complaining about people moving on, or whining that less new things are being produced. Nor do I expect perfect strangers to uphold some type of weird “connection” to someone they don’t know, from a franchise they’ve moved on from.
-This is just me, acknowledging the sadness I feel, in the only way I know how. Through writing.
-Nothing stays unchanging. Every fandom and franchise has highs and lows. Even big fandoms go away for a bit, and then come back, usually stronger (and with a Chris, lol).
-But I’m not going to allow this sadness to taint my love. And though I know I will eventually move on too, I’m not going to waste the happiness that I have been given, nor will I let myself forget.
-This franchise has made me laugh and cry. I’ve yelled at the screen, and hidden my face behind my pillow in order to hide a goofy smile. I’ve dissected, ranted, over-analyzed, and more. Yes, there were things about the franchise that I didn’t like. But when isn’t there? Sometimes, you have to ignore the things you don’t like, and just focus on the things you do. And through the franchise’s fandom, I found other people like me. And it was through these people, that I was able to feel a little less alone.
-This may be the end of the franchise for the foreseeable future, but who knows. Maybe the franchise will get rebooted. And honestly, do fandoms ever truly die?
