wrote... a poem :D
“I like your shoelaces.” Pay attention to the stranger’s clothing, watch for symbols. A red and white baseball shirt, skeleton gloves, a zodiac sign, anything. Something to send a beacon of their interests out into the world for only the community to find. Make references in your first few conversations. Be subtle, only something the fans would understand. Mention dates. 4/13, 11/16, 3/22. When you mention them, watch their reaction. See if their eyes light up. Use words they might recognize. Talk about pepsicola or cotton candy, mention chemicals or marching bands. Pay attention, see if they’re more engaged. Have visceral reactions to things so they know they’re in a safe space. Point out the blue and green in disgust, laugh at the sharpie being next to hand sanitizer. Tell them: You know things, remember? Maybe they’ll laugh it off, but you’ll know. If there’s a flash of sadness in their eyes, it’ll be apparent. Ask about their music taste. What songs do they know? Which artist is their favorite? Do they move their hands along to the songs, posing like whatever character they cosplay? Analyze the music, look for the cosplay songs or OST’s. Never ask them outright, not even as a last resort. The strategies fail sometimes, but keep looking. Someday, you’ll be out and about, and you’ll see someone. Someone with a zodiac shirt, someone with bracelets spelling out album names, someone with headphones lipsyncing to a song with hand motions, maybe even someone in cosplay. When you find this person, it’s very important to talk to them. Make sure they know you know. After all, a fandom is a community, and without community, you have nothing. “Thanks. I stole them from the president.”
