Fandom Friends

You know, if you are lucky enough to have friends in your life it's quite a fulfillment.  I have been fortunate enough to call a few friends in my lifetime.  Somehow, all of those 'friends' have drifted away over the years for whatever reason....too busy with my/their own lives, moved away or some ridiculous falling out that over the years you can't even recall what it was about. 

In this fandom, over a secular common thread, I've found the meaning of what it really is to have friends. Ironically enough, most of them wouldn't know me if I passed them on the street...unless I opened my mouth.  The people here that I call friends know me beyond the physical look of my person.  They know ME, that real me that I may hide from the people that know the physical me for whatever reason....to avoid prejudice, or offense, or just because you don't want the people you see day in and day out to know the innermost workings of your mind.

There's something banal and liberating of connecting with people on a level that transcends the here and now.  The anonymous nature of this fandom allows you to let down any preconceived notion that you would have of someone and get to know them on the basic level.  You get to know what they like, what they hate, what makes them the happiest and what pisses them off instantly.  They know your family, without ever having met them....you happily divulge your deepest darkest secrets without any fear of judgement or repercussions. 

It's freeing to speak your mind to these people and know, that while you occasionally meet opposition, mostly you're met with a welcoming "Hell yeah!" if they are being true to themselves.  Of course, there are always those anywhere seeking acceptance and attention, wherever they can get it.  But for the most part, I've found that these people are real.  They are genuine and I feel so goddamn lucky that I can call many of them friends.