i wonder how different fandom is for people depending on the age they found/entered it

bc for me i stumbled into fandom at a very young age. i’ve almost grown up with fandom. it’s been something that’s helped me through mental illness and social isolation, has influenced how i critique media, shaped my worldview. i can’t really imagine the person i would have been very well if i hadn’t found fandom. fandom has in a way shaped me and how i consume and react and think about all media in a very profound way.

i think it was inevitable, too. considering my personality and tastes if i hadn’t found fandom when i did it was only a matter of time.

fandom is almost – a part of me. it’s in my bones, it’s an essential part of my makeup, it’s lead me to so many different things that have affected me and changed me (music, books, other media, politics, social justice, psychology, sexuality, relationships, gender, cultures, language) at a very young age for a very long time.

what’s it like for people who entered fandom when they were older? when they had already developed a lot as a person? i grew up with fandom, but what is someone’s experience with fandom when they found it at an older age? how does it feel? what is different?

fandom is…not easy, but there, for me. it’s almost always existed for me and i can’t imagine what it would be like without it. i’ve grown with it. we’ve grown together.

what’s it like to experience fandom in a way other than that?