Submission by @timburtonisamazing

Fandoms are an extremely important part of who I am today. Without fandoms I don’t know where I’d be. To some people, they’re silly and inconsequential, but the things that I love legitimately saved my life. When I was a teenager I went through some tough stuff, as most teenagers do, and I wasn’t at all sure that I could get through it. And then I discovered that movies and TV shows and books and musical theatre and other assorted forms of media held the exact same emotion that I was feeling, and I found that it was easier and a thousand times more enjoyable to feel someone else’s pain instead of my own. At first I worried that other people wouldn’t understand my deep connection with these things I loved. I thought that they’d all be like my family; thinking that they’re just silly fiction, and they don’t mean anything real. And then I discovered that there were scores of people who felt just like I did. Fandoms made me feel included, and they gave me an outlet for all of my ships and headcanons. It’s great to have things you love, but it’s even better when there’s somebody to talk to about them. I think each fandom is like a family. We love each other, and get along for the most part, even though we fight sometimes. And even though different fandoms fight tooth and nail, they still stick up for each other when the outside world threatens us. And I’ve seen so many wonderful things sprout from a fandom idea. Several fanfictions have become novels of themselves, with fandoms of their own, and I just really think that’s wonderful. We’re creative, silly, and so supportive of each other (most of the time). In closing, I think I’d be lost without fandoms, and I’m super grateful for them.