Just People

Once upon a time, about twenty years ago, I was a great big stupid fanboy.  I did what just about every fanboy did: I took the creators of the content I liked, and put them on pedestals.  I made them into demigods and worshiped them for bringing me The Happy.

I try not to look down on fanboys nowadays, since it's just part of being an introverted youth in the era of the internet.  It's a phase a lot of kids in Western culture go through these days.  But in the intervening decades, a whole lot of life happened to me.  A whole lot of life happened to a lot of my idols, as well.

And I gradually realized something which should have been obvious.  For them, it's just a job.  A job with unique perks, sometimes, but mostly just a job.  If they're lucky, it's profitable.  If they're luckier, it's fun.  If they're really spectacularly lucky, it's both.  But even when that's the case, it doesn't always last.

I also discovered that very few creators really want to be worshiped.  Some of them do, sure.  But the majority respond much better to an honest, genuine attempt at a human connection.  Because, lo and behold, they're not demigods; they're just human.  Not founts of knowledge, not suggestion boxes, not paragons, not heroes, not even celebrities.  They're just people.

Escapism is fun and entertaining, but humanity is infinitely more interesting and beautiful in the end.  And what I've gotten back from those connections has infinitely surpassed the transient glee I got from shaking hands with my heroes at conventions.

If you happen across this entry, and you're one of the animators, artists, designers, voice actors, musicians, writers, photographers, or other creative types I've befriended, thank you.  Thank you for your inspiration, your friendship, and your humanity. :)