Guardian105

Today marks the 20th anniversary of Gargoyles premiering on The Disney Afternoon. Wow, twenty years; so that show premiered when I was ten. I don't feel old at all!

A lot of people have posted their thoughts. I think I gottah, too, yeah?

I honestly don't remember much from my childhood. Bits an' pieces, yeah, but 1994 was when my parents first started having marital difficulties, so I think a lot of it is blocked out.

Except, of course, Gargoyles. Gargoyles gave me sanctuary during a time when even my own house was a battleground. I distinctly remember going into the kitchen with a glass of Ovaltine or soda and a snack, and watching Gargoyles on the tiny-dinky little television we had in there at the time.

If you're in the Los Angeles area, you'll probably recall a slow-speed chase with a white Bronco . . . This was back when "Breaking News" was all the rage. It took me I think a good ten years to finally see 'M.I.A.' in its entirety thanks to that O.J. Simpson asshole. And don't get me started on the damn "trial coverage." DAMMIT, GIMME MY CARTOONS!

Like many of you, I was bullied in school, especially for enjoying Gargoyles. I distinctly remember a time in high school during some assembly, some bitch whispered "Gargoyles -- geek" behind me. I made a point of not responding.

But enough negativity. Let's focus on the positive.

When my father eventually got his own place, I distinctly remember visiting s8 as "Gargoyles Fan," putting my n00b self out there and figuring out the world of chat-rooms. This was before I understood the importance of 'bookmarking,' and by the time I returned to my dad's place two weeks later, I couldn't for the life of me remember the website. So I did another search for "Gargoyles" (ON NETSCAPE!) and found GFW.

Ahh . . . Good times. This was where Guardian was born. And the Fleet. And the FBA-Triad. And TwinRealms/'RiftWar'.

I'm not gonna say I'm a kick-ass writer. I'd like to THINK I am, and so far the claim is more-or-less corroborated by my peers, but -- I'll leave that question to the philosophers. I mean, heck, TwinRealms is Mary Sue fan service incarnate. But I'd like to think I fixed that. Again, I'll leave that question to the philosophers.

Gargoyles was the one constant in my life when there was anything but consistency. Thanks to this show, I know people that I never would have considered befriending. I know people who struggle with the very same things I do. I also know people who struggle with things I will never be able to comprehend, but thanks to Gargoyles I can empathize with their pain and offer them my support as a friend.

I've said before, Gargoyles holds a lot of power over me, especially during my childhood . . . I was going to link to a post I made March 27, 2013, but it's not long enough to warrant a "Continue Reading" link, but the date's right there if'n yer interested.

Thanks to Gargoyles, I am happy with who I am. Now, granted, it also took me some years in therapy to get there, but Gargoyles was a great coping mechanism for a long time. I am known as "Miss Awesome-Shirt-Girl" at the school where I work; granted, that's a name I encourage the kids to call me, but there's good reason for it: after eleven years in retail with "business cas." as the rule, I am rebelling in every way possible and wearing all the Lantern shirts I've picked up over the years at the Galaxy of Comics.

The most important thing Gargoyles and its fandom taught me was acceptance, especially of people who are "not like me." Me, I was raised Catholic. God was/is the be-all end-all, and anyone who thought otherwise was going straight to Hell. And, lemme tell you, any mention of Wicca during my childhood sent chills down my spine. Had it not been for this fandom, I wouldn't have stuck my neck out and asked Dasha Ariel Clancey for advice on how to get rid of what I eventually realized was an incredibly irrational phobia.

Yes, there have been bumps along the way. But overall, I am proud of my place in the fandom, and honored to be considered a part of it. I do not consider myself a member of any other fandoms, despite being a rather big Transformers fan. Recently I've managed to insert myself into a Team Fortress AU of sorts on DevArt --- but 's-not th' same. Now, granted, I've only been with that group for a month at most, but the camaraderie that i see in Gargoyles just ain't there. Maybe in time I'll find it, but the fact that I'm not finding it immediately speaks volumes.

There is no other fandom I would rather be a part of. Versatility, compassion, empathy, equality, these are words I would use to describe Gargoyles and its fandom.

I am Gargoyle*. Hear me ROAR!

*(Okay, technically Andusian, but whatev's.)