The Internet Answers How Fandom Changed Their Lives
Gail Simone asked Twitter how fandom helped them or changed their lives and the answers given in return are full of love, hope, belonging, a
Fandom saved me. From myself, I guess.
Reading and rereading (and re-re-re-re-reading) my Pratchett and Bujold collections (and listening to the audiobooks when I couldn't read) until I had them memorized, that is what got me through my worst depressions for the last decade. Perhaps it was more obsession than fandom, though. It was a comfort to 'visit' (and occasionally draw) these much-loved worlds and characters, but it was an ultimately sterile experience, emotional maintainance without progression.
I found real fandom community in 2019 - the Good Omens "Ineffables" fandom specifically - with all the fic and art and aus and metas and chats that entails. And I'm old, there was a learning curve, but I love it. I love the mass-participatory aspect of it, the diy attitude, the gentle self aware humour. It triggered a surge of creative energy that I am still riding; my confidence as an artist has never been higher. For me it is both an outlet and an inlet, a seemingly endless wellspring of inspiration and encouragement, a platform to shout from, a door I can open. I love that in fandom, I can be a consumer, a creator, a student, and a mentor all at once, with no gatekeepers.
It's not hyperbole to say, my fandom got me through The Covid Times - but honestly, that might be the least of it. I've spent a long time just trying to "get through", and I want more than that. I want to become a better, more generous, confident, and compassionate person, in my selfimage, my relationships, and my art - through fandom, I am finding ways to practice.
I wrote a little comic about it 😁
Fandom Saves masterpost A little more than a year ago, Good Omens opened the door to fandom for me, and bedtime hasn't been the same since!