Reading everyone else’s sentimental goodbyes to glee has made me sentimental about saying goodbye, so here goes. Beware - sappiness ahead.
This show got me through some really tough years. I started watching during the second half of season one and joined tumblr in the summer between seasons one and two. I have been in this fandom since my final year in college, and it honestly has made all the difference. I graduated with a degree in something I wasn’t sure I wanted and proceeded to work for two and a half years at a job that was the definition of everything I hated about my major (accounting, if you were wondering). There were days I almost walked out, days where I sat in the office and did nothing because I couldn’t get passed the anger, and days that I took a “sick day” just so I didn’t have to deal with it, even if only for 24 hours. It was a nightmare.
But this show - this funny, heartfelt, insane, unbelievable, sad, angry, frustrating, beautiful show - made it all easier to get through. I loved getting lost in fandom and fanfic and meta and, for awhile, spoilers (until I realized they made the show less enjoyable for me) - it made it totally worth doing something I hated for ten hours a day. It gave me something to look forward to. It gave me something to relate to.
Now, both the show and fandom have done a great deal to seriously piss me off over the years. There’s no denying that. But they have also given me so many great joys, and that is what I choose to take from this show and this fandom.
There’s a post that goes around saying something along the lines of if you weren’t in the glee fandom between 2010 and 2012 you don’t know what I’ve been through or survived. I love this post, both for its sarcasm and for its immense realness. I think seasons 2 and 3 were when fandom was the craziest, but they were also when fandom was the best. I’ve met some of my favorite people in the whole world through this fandom, and though some of us have moved on to different shows/books/movies or left fandom all together, I will never forget all the great times we had, and I want to thank everyone that I’ve had this amazing experience with.
To Nance, my sister. How my life has changed since that day in 2011 when you responded to one of my personal posts. Glee brought us together and together we’ve laughed, we’ve cried, we’ve gotten drunk (well, you got drunk), we’ve traveled, we’ve sang - we’ve done it all because of glee. I can’t remember a day that I haven’t spoken to you and I can’t picture that day ever coming. You mean more to me than you could possibly know, and I can’t imagine a life without you in it.
To Odd, my forever friend. Reading your fic is what brought us together, and I remember the first time I gif-reacted to your story, I was terrified. I’m not really someone that willingly tags people or brings attention to myself because you can never be quite sure of someone’s reaction. But I am so, so glad I decided to tag you in those posts. You are simply wonderful, and getting to know you has been a gift. You were the first fandom person I met in real life, and it was brilliant; you are simply brilliant. Though you no longer live nearly as close as you used to, I look forward to all of our future shenanigans together.
To Amanda, my favorite person. I remember coming across your blog and seeing where you lived and freaking out because I couldn’t imagine someone living so close being a glee fan. At the time we were a mere 60 miles apart, and it came in handy when we agreed one week before Glee Live that we HAD to go and ended up getting amazing floor seats. Those 21 hours hold some of my favorite memories. Though you’re no longer in the fandom, our conversations will live on in infamy. And in case you were wondering, I’m pretty sure Samcedes is going to end up permanently in the front seat come Friday. :)
To Stephanie, my dear, dear friend. Our introduction will be a story I tell until the day I die. There is not a moment more serendipitous than meeting someone who, at the time, lived across the parking lot from me in a city 2,000 miles from home. That moment still makes me laugh at the absurdity of it, but I am so glad it happened. Getting to hang out with you post-NYC, getting to know you, getting to fangirl with you, and getting to go see Darren Criss in concert with you was truly a pleasure. Though we don’t get to see each other as often as I’d like, considering we live in the same city, it makes those times that we do even better.
To Kathryn, probably the sweetest person in fandom. Flailing with you about Kurt and Blaine and Steve and Bucky and dogs and cats and hot weather versus cold weather and everything else under the sun brings me such joy. I want only good things for you, and I hope we continue to flail together after glee is over.
To Alexa, my favorite capslocking partner. There are few things I have enjoyed more than capslocking our feels together either via tumblr or text message. Meeting you in NYC was a great adventure, and I want only success for you in the future.
To Courtney, Morgan, Michy, and Donya, the day we spent together in NYC is one of my favorite days of all time. That day was so special, and I’m glad I got to spend it with all of you.
And to Hannah, though I know you’re not on tumblr any more, I hope you know how much I enjoyed all the time we spent getting to know one another.
I also want to thank the people I’ve been following for years, whose stories and meta and reaction posts and sanity has made this fandom that much better for it (even if you’re not a part of it anymore): lettersfromtitan, flamingmuse, stoney321, rainjoy, miggy, chriscolfernews, glorfindel-m, pencilpushingenthusiast, devonwood, chazzam, sirblaine, bescpeckledcolfer, bononoh, stackedcroocked, selfmadesuperhero, fashionhasnogender, joutei, slightestwind, thisdoesnotsuck, and so many more, I’m sure.
I’m going to miss this show more than I think I realize right now. To be honest, part of me is glad it’s over, but the larger part of me is already missing post-episode blogging and fandom discussion. The fandom won’t die out right away, but its inevitable trickle into something so much smaller than it once was already makes me feel nostalgic.
Disclaimer: If we’ve spoken and you aren’t mentioned in this post, don’t think you’re not important. I’m just old and have a very bad memory. Feel free to remind me at length if I’ve forgotten you. :)
