Trigger Warning: Depression and Suicidal Ideation.
Everyone’s part of a fandom. Whether it’s books, movies, TV shows, or more, if you love something and share your enthusiasm for this particular thing with others, you’re part of a fandom. And for many, being part of a fandom transcends just liking or loving something. Fandom means community, family, and a place to belong. It’s a home for those of us that have never had one, and it’s where many of us find who we are as people. That’s why the responses to Gail Simone’s tweet, asking for positive things that fandom has done for you, has hit so many right in the feels.
Okay, for the question of the day…can you name a single positive thing, big or small, that your fandom did for you, in your real life?
Gaming, genre lit, comics, film, whatever. What is a benefit you have gotten from your hobby/passion?
Please use hashtag#MyFandomHelpedMe
— Gail Simone (@GailSimone) July 2, 2021
Personally, fandom saved my life. After an assault, my life spiraled. I couldn’t get out of bed, I felt like I couldn’t breathe, and I spent so much time wondering if the pain I was experiencing would stop if I just ended it all. I honestly couldn’t find any hope, even after therapy and even when I started taking medication to quiet the fire in my mind. But you know what did save me? Do you know who swooped in and gave me a family, a home, and a purpose? Fandom did. That’s why when I say fandom saved me, I mean it.
A huge part of my survival today is due to the Marvel Cinematic Universe in general. I remember sitting in therapy, my therapist trying his hardest to get me to find some hope in my life. The goal was to find something, no matter how small, that I could hold onto to keep me breathing and living for just a little longer. Jokingly, I said, “I have to know what happens in the next Marvel movie. Can’t know if I kill myself,” and it felt dumb and silly in the moment, but the way that my therapist lit up like a Christmas tree showed me that I had hit gold.
And it worked. Anytime I felt like my assault, my family, or the world was crushing me, I’d remind myself, “You gotta hold on a little longer because you have to know what happens in the MCU.” This worked for years. And it’s thanks to that fandom, that universe, that I kept pushing myself to get better and to become a more active part in that fandom and others that I found myself falling in love and like with. Years later, and even though my relationship with the MCU has shifted, I thank it for how much it grounded me.
I’m still fully entrenched in fandom, well beyond just the MCU. And because of it, I’ve met friends who have turned into my family and that I visit yearly, I’ve found my passion for writing, and I have a clearer understanding of my place in the world and the mark that I want to leave on it. I’m still working on quieting that fire in my mind through therapy and medication. Those things are essential. But it’s become so much easier to live with fandom at my side, constantly holding my hand.
This power that fandom has over the lives of those who join these communities isn’t limited to me or my experience, either. Twitter was quick to answer Gail Simone’s question with responses of their own about the positives that come with having passion and being part of a fandom. Some found their careers, their partners, and explored the world because they embraced their passion and became part of something bigger than themselves.
I have a lot of answers to how #MyFandomHelpedMe become the person I am today.
I came out through fanfic.
I grew to love myself through cosplay.
I started to create characters who reflected my experiences through magical girls.
Fandom helped me be unapologetically me. https://t.co/OBISTaKI3m
— Birthday Month Bri (@BrichibiTweets) July 2, 2021
I get to dress up as my favorite game/comic book characters and people give me compliments for it instead of judging me. I got to come out of my shell more, make more friends and it really helped me get over the slump of being diagnosed with my mental illness.#MyFandomHelpedMe
— CloudsPretty ️ (@cloudspretty) July 2, 2021
#MyFandomHelpedMe overcome many of my social anxieties. Even at the height of my anxiety, the one thing that’s never left me at a loss for words is my fave character(s). That common ground introduced me to some of my favorite humans & gave me a confidence I hadn’t known before. https://t.co/uewSLcSIWV
— Colleen Julia ♀️ (@rocknrollgrrl) July 2, 2021
Earpers gave me strength, confidence, and support right as I was trying to leave an emotionally abusive marriage. They even helped me financially when I was struggling. Not sure I could’ve done it without them.#MyFandomHelpedMe
— Sunny, ND (she/they) (@Sunny_One_143) July 2, 2021
#MyFandomHelpedMe
be more broadly informed, more emotionally intelligent, & thus, to be a better ally. I have met the most amazing people thrgh fandom.Also, helped me find the BEST fiction, ever. I didn’t know what #fanfic was before Twitter & fandom. I’m forever grateful. https://t.co/GubGY6t00q
— Marguerite (@margcellent) July 2, 2021
Reading comics are what got me through the death of my sister. The Batman issues where there was an earthquake (dating myself) made me feel that others were dealing with loss too, even though it was fiction.
— Nothindoin (@Nothindoin4) July 2, 2021
Diving deep into Star Wars books, movies and cartoons helped get me through a very difficult season of anxiety and depression brought on by a traumatic event.
Star Wars will always be important to me because of this. #MyFandomHelpedMe https://t.co/qQXxhsvOuK
— Kristin (@KristinIsNoJedi) July 2, 2021
Dragon Age was my lifeline when I had cancer. I felt lonely and scared and isolated, and going on adventures and saving the world with my weird gang of misfit friends made me feel less alone. #MyFandomHelpedMe
— rhodri (@rhodria) July 2, 2021
I met my wife through one of our shared fandoms. We had thoughtful conversation about Final Fantasy and have been together for over 12 years, six of it long-distance, and now married since 2019.
With our interest, she spurred me to keep writing and get deep into storytelling. https://t.co/tIurdTQcL3 pic.twitter.com/eGelb3HNEV
— (@JB_Sargent) July 2, 2021
When I was about 4 I had to live in an oxygen tent in a hospital due to severe asthma. My mom would bring me Wonder Woman comics & a Slurpee from 7-11. I told myself I’d get better & be WW one day. I still have those comics. #MyFandomHelpedMe
— Calen Spindler (@calenspindler) July 2, 2021
I met my husband at a Godzilla convention and married him there ten years later! https://t.co/iCVmYuw78f
— Transgender Orc Girlfriend (@KaijuNellie) July 2, 2021
Growing up in an abusive home, I didn’t know it at the time but I was learning morality and empathy from the comics I was reading. Those characters gave me strength and hope for a better life someday and now I impart those lessons to my own son. #MyFandomHelpedMe
— Erik Hale (@ErikHale24) July 2, 2021
I met my wife through fandom
I met some of my best friends through fandom
Fandom supported my creative writing
Fandom folks helped me land a job
Fandom helped me through tough personal times#MyFandomHelpedMe https://t.co/FPkdH7z3sn— Jerzey (@jerzeyredhead) July 2, 2021
(image: Marvel Studios)
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