My question to you guys is: What is it that you actually LIKE about the fandom in general or the community here? I mean, if you decided to join a place like this to discuss one of your favorite shows with other fans and stayed as long as you have (and I know there are a lot of people here who've been around for several years), there has to be something about the community in general that makes you want to stick around and be a part of it. I'm sure that if the fandom had just pure drama and discontent to offer, very few, if any, people would bother to remain involved in it.
So what I want to know is, what keeps you coming back to a place like this? Is it that, even with a lot of people acting unintelligent or immature, there is also a good number of other people with whom it's enjoyable to talk about something related to a like you have in common? Is it that you can share things you've worked on with said people who you know will very likely appreciate them? Is it that you can just learn about and socialize and be geeky with other people who like Dragonball? Is it just because the fandom amuses you in some way, whether good or not-so-good? Or is it for some other reason? Whatever it is, I'd like to hear it.
If you have to think about what it is that you actually like about the other people here and in the fandom in general, then maybe that's a good thing. It might be a bit discouraging at first, I guess, but recalling what it is that still appeals to you about this whole group might be a good reminder about what you got into this fandom for. I'm guessing that, for some people, their initial or continuing inclusion among the other fans here results from just an intense-enough like of the series itself and not from any sort of influence that communicating with other fans has given them; if that's the case for you, that's okay, and you can mention that that's where you're coming from. I'm not going to make a big deal about it if you find that interaction with other people here in general isn't enough to keep you here. ^^;
About my only stipulation for this thread is that I would like for it to remain positive in tone for however long it lasts. It's fine if you want to mention a few things you're not so happy about, but I really don't want this to turn into another centrally-negative or even hostile thread; we've already had plenty of those for a while, I think.
To get things started, I'll mention some of the things I like about the fandom. For one, getting into it has allowed me to meet some pretty great new people, on the internet and in real life, that I don't think I'd've ever encountered otherwise. I'm pretty reclusive, in all honesty, so I don't make friends too quickly or easily; getting to know other people who share my like for things like Dragonball opens up the lines of communication for me somewhat. At the same time, I can safely say I've grown a little bit by seeing these other people's different perspectives on things, be them Dragonball-related or not, so while I can't say I can agree with everything they might have to say, I can at least understand where they're coming from, so I can keep a relatively open mind. For another thing, I like how I've been able to work with other fans on random Dragonball-related things like the long-enduring fandub project (yeah, it has its ups and downs, but overall I can't say I don't like working on it), seeing and sharing other things we've worked on or enjoyed, and finding out about other things that they're interested in that I'm into. And, it's always interesting to see what other people have to say about things like news, speculations, etc. related to the series and the franchise, even if it does get a little turbulent at times. I've both had some enlightening moments and gotten a few laughs out of some of the things I've read.
They may be fairly general, but those are some of the things that I enjoy about the fandom. What about you guys?
