Fandom and home

[tangofiction]

One of the eternal mysteries of fandom life...

When is a fandom a home?

When is a fandom a home?



When I first found other Xena/Ares shippers years ago, it was as though I was home - there was an immediate sense of belonging, understanding and being understood. I still remember the joy I felt at realising that I could now share all my dubious ideas on the show with others who were on the same wavelength. It's not just the pairing, it's a whole collection of views that depend on several basic axioms -- and here were people who accepted the same axioms! It was heaven.



And yet, I have never found anything remotely like it in the "Phantom" fandom, with the notable exception of three wonderful people (one of whom is a fellow Xena/Ares fan to boot, and yep, Lyndal, you're one of the other two). There is nothing wrong with the fandom itself, the people are lovely. Some even like my fics. It's just that I don't seem to belong, in the sense of communal feeling and being on the same fan wavelength. I wondered for a while if it was because I was a newbie... But no. I just seem to have completely different priorities to almost everyone else, and it makes being a fan... well, lonely.



And thus ends the self-pity session. In my excuse I will cite physical and mental exhaustion.