A 3D chibi character model I did of Dante, the main protagonist of Devil May Cry. Specifically based off of his design from Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening.
i am so thankful for the gifsets, the fanfic, the fanart, the memes, the overanalysis of every little aspect of a piece of media, the group chats, the private spamming in dms, the openness towards making our own representation, the queer and neurodivergent safety that is created, the lack of shaming for intense emotional reactions or for being obsessive, the community aspect and discussion, etc.
and i am especially thankful for the validation, the closure, the healing, the solidarity, and the connection that fan spaces can provide. i’m thankful that i can have so much content for all of my interests, that i can feel that fulfilment of my deep desire to enjoy the things i love fully. i’m thankful that after i finish a show, a book, a movie, anything, and i’m genuinely upset, in tears, or maybe even having a trauma response (ex. media with mental illness or grief themes), i can come here and laugh. if i’m angry, if i’m ecstatic, if i’m unsatisfied, if i’m so anxious i don’t know what to do after i finish something, i can come here and know i’m not alone.
fandom is NOT all good. the discourse, the gatekeeping, the lack of boundaries when real life people are involved, and yeah, a lot of it enables unhealthy relationships with media. so many obsessions i’ve had have been toxic (*cough* supernatural *cough*), and being a part of fandoms didn’t exactly help me get out of that. however that can coexist with the fact that having other people as passionate as i was made me feel so much less alone and to this day gives me a safe space to release what is in my mind.
basically, thank you. if you’re on this hellsite, if you’re a creator within fandoms, a commenter, or just a lurker contributing with likes, you contribute to people like me feeling less alone, and i’m really glad you exist.
I've been thinking more about DanOli and hmm...there's something about Dante being an orphan with lasting trauma from the death of his parents and Olivine being a parental figure who runs an orphanage...
“The man who lies asleep will never waken fame, and his desire and all his life drift past him like a dream, and the traces of his memory fade from time like smoke in air, or ripples on a stream.”
― Dante Alighieri, The Divine Comedy (Everyman's Library; August 1, 1995)