In July this 12 months, I attended the Dokibird birthday live performance at Anime Expo—the identical one which was simply uploaded to her YouTube. It had a full of life ambiance, and a gaggle of followers had assembled in entrance of a display screen to do their wotagei performances. Others shouted with pleasure. However subsequent to me was a man who remained silent all through. It was clear he was a fan. He simply wasn’t expressing it loudly.
The distinction had me excited about how there are challenges to being a quiet fan. A lot of how we “present” fandom nowadays is thru very seen and really vocal gestures. On-line, we have now react movies and social media platforms that thrive on “virality.” Offline, we have now enthusiastic crowds drawing the cameras to them. It is sensible that they might get a lot consideration, a lot in the identical approach that cosplayers are essentially the most photographed ingredient at conventions. However it might create this notion that that is the best way followers “ought to” be, when that’s not true.
I believe it’s necessary to keep in mind that being quiet doesn’t make you much less of a fan. You may not get all of the constructive affirmation and even the eye that extra vocal followers do, however that doesn’t imply the eagerness inside you is one way or the other not as vibrant. I’m not a really expressive individual myself, and it’s most likely a part of why I began running a blog—I’m filled with ideas and feelings, however they only don’t essentially come out by way of pronounced bodily actions.
On the similar time, the followers who do go on the market and make their presence identified are expressing themselves in their very own approach. Until they’re disruptive to the purpose of ruining the expertise totally for others, it shouldn’t be a difficulty. Everyone seems to be their very own individual. There’s no particular “proper” approach to be a fan, and I salute my fellow quiet varieties as a result of I do know the eagerness is there.
