National Friendship Day is perfect for celebrating The Walking Dead fandom

National Friendship Day is a great day to celebrate The Walking Dead and the fans who make TWDFamily what it is.

Recently I had to take my truck in for a new battery. It was 7 AM on a Saturday so there weren’t many people there. The receptionist noticed The Walking Dead stickers on my truck. She mentioned that she and her husband are fans, and that they had gone on one of the tours in Senoia, Georgia. So we talked about Senoia a little, and I mentioned the writing I do here for Undead Walking, and we chatted about last season.

As we were chatting other people came in to drop off their vehicles. A couple of older folks came in, and some younger men, and a mom with two kids in tow. One by one as they overheard our conversation about The Walking Dead they chimed in with their own stories, and theories, and the characters they missed the most. By the time my truck was ready to go we were all exchanging numbers and email addresses and social media handles.

I went in to get my truck serviced at 7 AM on a Saturday and got so much more. I got a really interesting group discussion about The Walking Dead and a bunch of new friends. That’s the power that this  TV show has – to unite people from different backgrounds, ages, lifestyles, and life experiences. And that’s a pretty amazing thing.

And the connection that the fans have to each other goes far beyond a shared interest in a TV show. On Twitter and other social media fans become lifelong friends bonded by the same tenets that bond our favorite survivors: love, loyalty, and family. The Walking Dead fandom is, at the core, a family.

Like families do they sometimes squabble, and differences of opinion can lead to some heated arguments. But at the end of the day we’re all fans and that means more than any differences of opinion.

The Power Of Stories

"“After nourishment, shelter and companionship, stories are the thing we need most in the world.” – Philip Pullman"

Stories are a universal language that people throughout history have used to inspire, to comfort, and to teach. Stories can take the form of religious parables, myths and legends, or fairy tales. As a society we no longer sit around the fire telling stories as a way to explain the unexplained, explore our place in the universe, or try to make order from the chaos around today.

Today we sit around the TV or the computer or the tablet and we watch stories in TV shows and movies. But those TV shows and movies serve the same purpose as those ancient campfire gatherings. In a world that is flooded with facts we turn over and over again to the stories that connect us to each other and to the world. Movies and TV shows are our version of fairy tales or parables of old. And their impact goes far beyond mere entertainment.

"“Fairy tales are more than true: not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten.” – Neil Gaiman, Coraline"

While there are no dragons in The Walking Dead there are plenty of monsters in our modern-day fairy tales. And the bleaker and more dangerous the world gets the more we need each other and need stories of ordinary people doing extraordinary things to protect those they love.

The Walking Dead touches so many people from so many different backgrounds because the story of these survivors fighting off monsters both alive and dead in order to protect each other is the only story that matters. It’s a story that has been told thousands of times in thousands of different ways. The story of humanity.

And even though every member of TWD Family has their own reasons why this story of the fight for survival resonates with them all the fans share the experience of the journey together. That bond is more than fandom, it’s friendship.

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Online Friends are Real Friends

Don’t let social scientists or critics tell you that friendships formed in fandom, or online, or through social media aren’t real friendships. They are absolutely real. I have seen strangers who have never met in person go above and beyond to help each other when one person has a crisis, or just needs a friend. TWD Family has raised thousands of dollars to help other fans in need and they give their art, their money, their time, and attention freely just because of the connection they share as a result of being fans.

Anyone who has ever attended a Walker Stalker Con will tell you that the atmosphere at a WSC is unlike any other con. It’s a family gathering, a celebration of the stories that inspire us, heal us, and bond us. There are no strangers at WSC. Everyone is part of TWD Family.

National Friendship Day

So it’s only fitting on National Friendship Day that we celebrate TWD Family and the amazing fandom that has formed because of The Walking Dead. I’m sure I speak for all of the Undead Walking team when I say that we’re so glad to be part of this fandom and to have made so many amazing, original, unique and talented friends.

Next: 10 predictions for TWD season 8

We have some really exciting stuff planned as we all get ready to celebrate the 100^th episode of The Walking Dead and the war that’s coming. We’re glad to get to share our passion for these stories with all of you who share that passion.

Happy National Friendship Day TWD Family. Always remember that we survive by pulling together, not apart.