“You’ll be safe here.”
Society 6 / DeviantArt / Wallpaper <- click that for real, tho
This is fabulous. And yes, click the wallpaper link!
Guys, this is what geek culture is all about.
This. Right here.
That kid who picks up one comic. Maybe it’s Batman, maybe it’s X-men, maybe it’s the Ninja Turtles (for me, it was Spider-man). But, it’s about that kid who picks up that one comic or watches that one show or reads that one book and finds their world completely changed. Who feels like they’ve come home for the first time.
This kid, who’s never felt entirely comfortable in the real world, who finds a fictional world in which they feel welcome. That kid who knows they would accept the X-men if they ever met. Who wants to be saved by Batman. Who wants to fly aboard the Enterprise or in the TARDIS. That kid who wishes they could be bombarded with cosmic rays, gain wondrous abilities, and leave their world behind for one of adventure.
The real world is a world of bullies; of teachers; of parents who might be abusive or neglectful or who might be perfectly wonderful but, through no fault of their own, might not be able to help or understand. The real world is a world of change, and fear, and social conventions that are sometimes mind-boggling. The fictional world, however, will always be there for you. When the rest of the world is simply too hard, this world can be your oasis. I think, if you asked any one of us about our first fictional love; about our first fandom before we ever knew that word, you’d find a lot of stories with a lot of similarities.
That’s why it pisses me off so badly when I hear about people who aren’t being accepted by this culture. Stories about guys who spend their time policing the “fake” geek girls. People who so harshly judge the cosplayers who “get it wrong”, because they don’t have the right body type or enough money to get every costume piece perfect. These people who act as if you can’t really love a character if you’ve only read or seen some of it; who forget that fandom is often love at first sight. It only took me one episode of Star Trek to know I loved it. If I didn’t have the time or ability to watch every episode, does that make my love any less real than the person who owns every season?
Geek culture can and should be the most accepting culture there is. We are bound together by a love for a world that is other than our own. There’s no need for credentials or proof, just a sharing of this love and a welcoming of all comers with open arms. These characters, this world, will always accept you, and so will I.
You’ll be safe here.
(via thegeek531)
