When most people think of fandoms, they imagine comic con with various people dressed up as their favorite superheroes. The fandoms I’m in while we do dress up a lot of our interaction is online. Since March of this year, we all have been indoors. Creators, YouTubers, and Theater Groups have had to get creative with ways to continue producing content and interacting with fans and keep them entertained during this time. That is where a small thing called Patreon comes in.
Several StarKid members and other creators I follow launched their Patreon’s during the quarantine. It was a way for the fans to help them create content for us during this time. While I am relatively new to navigating the platforms and various social media’s it has been rewarding watching everyone produce videos, podcasts, live-streams, and even release a show they had been working on for years. I have been very grateful to have been a Patreon member of several people I admire.
In joining different creators, Patreon’s, I’ve joined a various number of other fans. A few creator’s have their own discords, where you create different topic channels where everyone can chat. In joining the Discord myself, I have made friends with people worldwide who have the same interests. I’ve made new friends and witnessed how genuinely unique a community of strangers on the internet can be. We all chat about the people we love, discuss various worldly topics, movies, etc., and are there for one another when the world gets us down and have a support system should we need someone to talk about different things we are going through.
I will forever be grateful to the people I’ve met, the creators I follow, and the kindness and acceptance a bunch of strangers showed me. It truly means a lot.
To Team StarKid, Curt Mega, Jaime Lyn Beatty, Lauren Lopez, Maxwell Glick, Mary Kate Wiles, and the Tin Can Brothers Brian Rosenthal, Corey Lubowich, Joey Richter. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for creating your Patreon’s and a community for me and others to have. I adore you all very, very much.
All my love and eternal thanks,
Jonell Martin
