The Question

I would like to ask people why they’re in fandom, but I’m not sure it’s polite to ask, and I’m not sure anyone entirely knows the answer.

As far as I can tell people are usually in fandom for a reason: it fills some kind of gap. I don’t mean that in a condescending way. Every hobby fills a gap, it’s not a bad thing. You don’t need a reason to be in fandom, but I’m pretty sure everyone has one. Or twelve.

I want to ask, but then I remember that I have no idea how to honestly answer the question myself.

I love to write. I love experimenting with writing and learning about the process; I love the language of shared characters and divergent interpretation. I love fandom communities, and sussing out their economies. I’m fascinated by fanwork as labour and as learning. I love dissecting and interpreting things I enjoy. I absolutely love all the wonderful people I meet. But that’s probably not the whole story. I suspect there are other reasons of which I am only partially conscious.

There is a gap fandom fills. Sometimes I think it’s my replacement for graduate school, or an interactive creative outlet. Or a particular kind of social engagement. (I dont know: maybe I’m lonely.) Maybe it’s a desire for connection and commitment, or to escape into something. I don’t know, I’m not sure.

So I’d like to ask people, because I think the answers would be interesting and challenging, but how do you ask someone a question about themselves you’re not sure you could ever honestly and fully answer yourself?

92 Notes/ Hide

  1. seats-taken reblogged this from ivyblossom and added:
    I’m not entirely sure myself. I like that it reminds me that I’m not alone in getting really excited over movies, tv...
  2. sundancekidallie reblogged this from sophiahelix and added:
    Everything sophia said. I was fifteen and lonely and bored when I discovered fandom (bored.com had a link to...
  3. sophiahelix reblogged this from ivyblossom and added:
    I’m in fandom because this is where I grew up. Fandom is my culture. It’s my community. It’s where I belong. When I was...
  4. moonflower75 said: I’ve been imagining stories based on TV shows ever since I was ten,to ‘see what happens next’,and finding fandoms and people who wanted the same thing and wanted to write about it was,I don’t know,like discovering that Wonderland actually existed :D
  5. nichellen reblogged this from ivyblossom and added:
    For me the answer to this question lies in the realm of fix-it fanfiction. Back when I watched Journey’s End as a...
  6. turifer reblogged this from ivyblossom and added:
    It’s an interesting question that I’ve been thinking about for some time. I suppose the answer depends on how you define...
  7. cellia1 reblogged this from ivyblossom
  8. dxslove reblogged this from professorfangirl
  9. professorfangirl reblogged this from zwischendenstuehlen and added:
    I would like to propose the preceding as the perfect answer to the question, “Why fandom?” That is all.
  10. that-lunatic-slytherin said: You can always ask and then have a long discusssion about it? =3 That would be quite enjoyable
  11. zwischendenstuehlen reblogged this from ivyblossom and added:
    I thought about this a lot, not done yet. What I get until now: 1) Being a fan: I’ve spent the last 35 years (=my life)...
  12. mugenmine reblogged this from ivyblossom and added:
    Going in, I had no idea of what to expect from this fandom. I hit the end of Reichenbach and was like, wait what?...
  13. londoninjune said: I have an addictive personality and I think it’s better to be addicted to a fandom than alcohol or cigarettes or an actual person. It’s safer to be addicted to a fictional couple. I think I’m actually addicted to how that couple makes me feel.
  14. intosnarkness reblogged this from songofsunset and added:
    I never fit in well with other kids - besides being an abuse victim, which changes you fundamentally, I was really...
  15. songofsunset reblogged this from ivyblossom and added:
    I’m in fandom because it helps me find people like me. I’ve never really know how to interact with people. I was always...
  16. jomk reblogged this from ivyblossom and added:
    Fandom filled an inexpressibly wonderful niche for me. Growing up in a brutal environment, my only safety came from...
  17. isallornothingthebestwecando reblogged this from ivyblossom
  18. soursheep said: there’re many scattered ideas in my head and fandom helps me organise them, it changes my viewpoint, shows me what i’ve missed. lets me evolve, go deeper. and it’s full of awesome people, too, but they’re means to an end, not an objective on its own.
  19. fursasaida reblogged this from ivyblossom and added:
    For me, it’s a lot of things, but the way I explained it to my parents—the simplest thing—is that here in Cairo, my...
  20. longsnowsmoon said: The chemicals. It’s medicine. When I enter the fandom door, I smile, laugh, relax,wonder,explore. My life isn’t offering those options right now. Things change, and I may drift away from fandom. But its value and meaning to me at this moment is incalculable.
  21. glorioussunday said: I participate in fandom because I feel more intensely connected with characters than I ever have with anyone in my real life.
  22. wincestuouslydelicious reblogged this from holligenet
  23. custardcustard said: Fandom helped me get through a hard part of my life, and has stuck with me since. I’ve made friends and I’ve talked to people that are all around amazing. It filled in the void that my life couldn’t fill at the time, gave me friends and joy.
  24. prettyarbitrary reblogged this from ivyblossom and added:
    I’m in fandom because these are my stories. I don’t care what intellectual property law says. You give me a story and...
  25. marsdaydream reblogged this from ivyblossom and added:
    Reblogging for more space to ramble an answer. I am in fandom because I can’t help it. This is the way my brain is...
  26. reine-einfuhlung reblogged this from ivyblossom and added:
    This is a really interesting question! I’m glad you’re interested ~ For me it fills a gap in my life yes. I love to find...