My participation in various fandoms has never been very big, with the possible exception of playing Lucius in LN. I've only ever posted one piece of fanfic, an awful little thing probably still up on the net. I really never knew how much fandom existed til I was in my twenties, and mostly I keep my ramblings about characters and stories to myself.
I enjoy a sense of community where and when I find it. But I think I've never been very active because I instinctively shy away from the scary, scary people who seem to gravitate to these places. Granted, there are many perfectly nice and friendly folk I've met in fandoms. But, oh how the other half frightens me.
You can read
the fantastic story of LOTR fandom gone bad that is Victoria Bitter. Holy Cow. It's got to be the most amazing, hysterical, disturbing and downright wrong thing I've seen in years. This is exactly why fandoms get a bad rap, crazy people doing batshit awful things like this. This girl needs a nice padded cell and about a decade of therapy. God help her.
It's a trainwreck, and I can't help staring.