Someone has finally written the reasons as to why Fandom means so much.
Hannah at Literally Darling has done it. Check it out below.
http://www.literallydarling.com/blog/2014/08/20/fandom-matters/
MY THOUGHTS
I've often wondered what kind of person I would be without Harry Potter in my life. The possibilities make my cringe actually. I wonder if I would be as accepting as I am now. If I would be as willing to embrace the weird, and the wonderful. I know I certainly wouldn't have the job I do now without Harry Potter.
Harry Potter has been in my life since the 3rd grade. My cousin bought me Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone on VHS (just saying that makes me feel old...) for my birthday. It was magical. It was amazing. Quidditch drew me in. (After all who doesn't want to play a sport on broomstick in the air?) It certainly helped that my uncle had build a broom ride at the top of the hill for her. It was a zipline between two trees and you dragged your broom to the top of the hill to 'fly' down to the bottom. (I'm terribly fond of trees, probably for this very reason.)
I was hooked.
In 4th grade I attended a small private Christian school. (My parent's aren't religious, but they thought me being homeschooled and then thrown into public school at that age wouldn't be a good idea. I was a bit of a little shit at home) Harry Potter was banned here, but that certainly didn't deter me. By that point I'd decided to read the books. I snuck my copy of Goblet of Fire into the school to show my best friend. She too loved Harry Potter. We even skipped school to go see Prisoner of Azkaban (They gave lego out at the theatre too, but I have long since lost my Lego Knight Bus)
5th grade found me recruiting some other girls to a Harry Potter trivia competition. We lost by one point. The question we lost on was "What are Bludgers made of? Iron or Lead?" I'd mistakenly chosen Lead....forgetting that indeed pencils are made of lead and therefore are much softer.
In 6th grade I was made fun of for owning Harry Potter crayons because I was a girl... and Harry Potter was for boys. Needless to say, I kept those crayons. (Thankfully I'm a fairly thick skinned person when it comes to bullying)
I got grounded at one point for being a smart alec and instead of saying you can't go out, my mum took away my Harry Potter books. I was more upset about this then most kids would be. I snuck into the kitchen and read them at night with a flashlight.
By highschool I was a bit more quieter about my love Harry Potter and all things geeky. Halloween continued to be my favourite time of the year (Which is for sure what lead me to CosPLAY). I joined dance and theatre, my favourite parts being costuming and the show itself. My group dance project for my graduating year was Pirate of the Caribbean themed.
I heard about Harry Potter conventions. I remembered the broadcastings of Midnight releases (which never happened in our town) on Mugglenet and the LeakyCauldron. I distinctly recall thinking how awesome it must be to play life size wizard's chess. (At one of the midnight releases this happened)
I found out about LeakyCon shortly after I graduated. It was a month before the convention, and I wouldn't be able to attend, but there would be another one the next year. I was determined to go. I went to college for Legal Administration, and finished my exams early so I could attend LeakyCon Portland 2013. In order to get my certificate for my course I would need to complete a 60 hour practicum. (Which I had to find myself... and I had no luck in finding one in the 3 weeks before I left)
My best friend Sarina came with me to Portland. It was a long bus ride from Canada and but an amazing adventure. The energy at LeakyCon is so positive. (My favourite moment was the morning before the convention started and we were downtown Portland and there were folks in cloaks everywhere)
On our last night in Portland we got dinner with Sarina's parents friends. (They're Canadian, but live and work in Portland). Jay's wife just so happened to have a friend who was a legal assistant in the city where I was applying and said she would ask her about getting me a practicum.
A phone call later and I got the practicum. After I finished my 60 hours I got my certificate. On one of my last days at the office, one of the assistants at a different firm in the building was leaving for her new job. The girl who got the job was A.
This is were things get ironic. No, I did not get the job in the building. Rather Am who got the litigation assistant position, left one open at another solicitor's firm. WHICH I GOT! and it is exactly the kind of law firm I wanted to work for to begin with. Small and focuses on Wills, Estates, and conveyancing.(selling and buying of houses)
So moral of the story... Read Harry Potter.... it just might get you a job.
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