Fandom Snowflake 2021: Challenge #10

[scrubjayspeaks]

Challenge #10: write a love letter to Fandom in general, to a particular fandom, to a trope, a relationship, a character, creator, episode, or it could be your fandom friends.

Thank you, fandom, for always giving me something to look forward to.

Maybe it's a new movie or show coming up, and I'm sharing the breathless anticipation with other soon-to-be fans. Or I've just seen that new thing and I'm eager to find out what everyone else is squeeing over. Maybe it's thinking, I can't wait to see what my favorite fan artists do with this character or moment. What my favorite authors will write to give me a little more time with these people, this world.

Maybe it's the long backlog of bookmarked fic. The mark-for-laters. The saved html pages. The downloaded .epub files. Sometimes I feel bad about the things I haven't gotten to yet. But sometimes, it's nice to know they're waiting for me. Nice to know how much more there is still to enjoy when I'm ready.

Maybe it's the sudden thought that I haven't reread that old favorite in a long time. The file paths familiar as old leather bindings, the digital line breaks long since memorized. A sensation like deciding to call up a friend out of the blue and knowing they'll answer. Because they've always answered and always will, hard drive backups willing.

Fandom will always find something new to love, because it is built on unabashed enthusiasm. Fandom will always make something new to share, because it is built on the creative impulse.

Comments

[goddess47]

Yes!

I love the newbies and the fandom!old and everyone in between. The creativity and energy is endless.

Thank goodness. That is what keeps us all going... my 'to be read' list is endless and every growing but I know I will never in my life be without something new to read.

New, old, small, big -- fandom is what brings us together.

Thank you for sharing! Hope to see you again in Snowflake!

[scrubjayspeaks]

Thanks for stopping by!

[sjh2009]

This is a wonderful response.

The thrill and anticipation of something new; the saved websites and marked for later stories to read (and boy there are certainly plenty of them already this month); the comfort and familiarity of old favourites; these are all things that I love about fandom. The fact that it's always there, the people are always there. Maybe in different fandoms but, hey, the love of new fandoms is equally as fun as sharing the love of old fandoms.

Fandom is something wonderful, and the friends we make along the way make our fandoms a community.

Thank you for sharing and taking part in the challenge.

[scrubjayspeaks]

The fact that it's always there, the people are always there. Maybe in different fandoms but, hey, the love of new fandoms is equally as fun as sharing the love of old fandoms.

This is our strange form of reincarnation, isn't it? Always a way to restart, always a place to go to next.

[spikedluv]

Great letter, especially that last paragraph. I love the notion that fandom is always giving us something to look forward to. That's such a great way to look at it.

[scrubjayspeaks]

Thank you!

[tsuki_no_bara]

those last two sentences are the absolute truth. fandom is built on squee and it survives because people want to share the things they love, and find other people who love those things too. and there's always going to be something new to love. :D

[scrubjayspeaks]

built on squee

Yes, and thank goodness for that. Thanks to fandom, I think that's what I look for first in other people more than anything else. Are you enthusiastic about something? Are you filled with joy at the prospect of sharing your interests? That's a good place to start.