I love everything about fandoms. Since I was a kid, I immersed myself into these worlds. I spent hours in our basement acting out scenes from Pokemon, Digimon, Sailor Moon, Cardcaptor Sakura, and pretty much anything on Toonami. I was happy to create my own worlds to play in.
Now that I’m an adult, I want to share the worlds in my mind. I want to give these pieces of myself to you so you can see who I am. Now, it’s in the form of theories about my favorite television show or movie opposed to that little girl pretending to be a Pokémon trainer.
(But if I could be a Pokémon Coordinator, I would be out of here so fast!)
Fandoms have always been important to me. On my podcast Hope of All Trades, I love analyzing fandom trends and how they affect the show. I’ve always loved the sense of community in fandoms. Most of my closest friends were formed over a love of a show or movie.
I’ve witnessed firsthand the power of fandom. I worked for several years with the Harry Potter Alliance. It’s a humanitarian organization using prominent themes in Harry Potter to promote social activism. I watched the Potterheads raise enough money to send five cargo planes of supplies to Haiti after the major earthquake there, send books to a youth village in Rwanda for children who survived the genocide, and smaller campaigns where you try to do something nice for a person to better their day. Fandoms can change the world. Look at the top grossing movies of all time. Many of them are superhero movies. We’re moving into a golden age where being a nerd is cool, and fandoms have power.
People always ask me why I go to conventions. I usually ask them what they’re a fan of. Whether you love sports, music, or comic books, we all have a passion for something. Going to conventions is the only time in my daily life that I’m truly surrounded by like-minded people. It’s where I feel most comfortable to be who I am. Going to conventions feels like coming home.
I wish to bring that out in this blog. I want to analyze these things I love so much to share with others who love it too.