I turned on the television one night to see a ruggedly handsome character summon a loa through a funky looking hamburger drive up and to see a very broodingly sexy vampire with a baby. It was season four of Angel, and while I admit I watched really rather expecting that the vampire would kill the baby, I found myself drawn into an amazing and wonderful world–the world of Angel. From there, it opened the gateway to my first big fandom, Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
I started Buffy on the episode Tabula Rosa, quite the place to start. But soon, I picked up DVD sets, caught up, and fell in love with the quirky characters on the Hellmouth. I cried when Willow lost Tara, and I watched as she turned bad, and honestly I didn’t blame her. I thought she was cool and kinda hot. But broken crayons saved the world and reminded all of us that even if we’re broken inside, we too, still color.
I joined LiveJournal and got involved in fandom. It was my first real experience with a big fandom and though I mostly lurked around the edges and wrote fanfic, it was a good one. The community I was a part of all kind of faded away. It seemed a bit like an era ended.
But also, I think it also goes to show that fandom doesn’t end when shows do. There are still Buffy fans who connect over a love of episodes or over writing fanfic. You immediately sense a kindred spirit in someone who enjoys the same shows you do. And I’ll never forget my first fandom.
Beep me if the apocalypse comes.
