👋 Hiya Companions,
If you’re receiving this newsletter, you’ll be no stranger to how shows like Stargate, Sanctuary, and Star Trek can completely influence, affect, and change your life. Sometimes, it’s introducing you to new friends; other times, it’s the comfort blanket when you feel lonely. And for many of us, it’s the catalyst that gets us traveling, leading to profound discoveries.
While all of the stories submitted were special, today’s story is sort of an announcement, because it’s the first contributor story that kicks off the book—surprise Fabienne!
When I first read Fabienne’s story, it had every element that makes fandom so great. Internet friendships, international travel, conventions, the highs, the lows, and proof that fandom isn’t just something that lasts a season.
Fandom lasts a lifetime.
Fandom is multigenerational.
Enjoy.
New to The Companion?
Here’s the latest book update:
- Read Amanda’s introduction to the book
- Catch up on Moon’s story from Chapter 3: Courage
- Catch up on Ellie’s story from Chapter 8: Fandom Saves Lives
- If you’d like to stay up-to-date with the book, here’s our public To-Do list
- Sign up to our free newsletter to get more of these stories in your inbox.
And if you can do me a favor, please share this newsletter with a friend who might be interested.
Today’s Featured Story from Purpose
It started as a dare… a weekend… and it ended up changing my life.
It was the early internet, I would hear the familiar windchimes of my computer as MSN opened up, and then—bing, bing, bing—as I typed away with my internet friends from the Stargate fan groups. Back then, meeting people from the internet felt so safe and innocent. It was exciting because it was so different from my daily life growing up in the French countryside.
Don’t get me wrong, I was so lucky growing up in nature—to run freely in the fields, taste extra fresh honey Dad just harvested, and to be able to hold an egg in my hand as it was about to hatch. My parents gave me the tools to work hard and the values of seeking adventure that would prove so important later in life.
So when I had the opportunity to go bowling with my Stargate friends, naturally Dad thought it was weird meeting up with people I had only chatted to online.
Mom, however—although she had her own worries—was the one who gave me the courage to go.
My mother was no stranger to having friends she never met. She had a penfriend from Montreal, Monique, and they had been exchanging letters since the 1970s, a decade before I was born. Growing up, I remember her telling me stories about Quebec—the wilderness, the beauty of the north—stories that came from her own mother’s fascination with that part of the world. I think it’s why she was so incredibly supportive of whatever I wanted to do, even traveling to meet strangers from the internet, because it was something neither my mother nor grandmother could do when they were my age.
When I came back after the first bowling meetup, Dad realised how happy I was and just let me do my thing. Next group meetup, Disneyland Paris!
When I turned 20 years old, my Stargate friends gave me a friendly dare: to join them at a Stargate Convention in Vancouver. With childhood stories of Quebec on the one hand and my love for Stargate on the other, I decided to give myself a big gift and go to Canada. I spent four weeks there seeing the ocean and exploring the mountains. There were these big parks in the middle of the city—all capped off with Gatecon 2004.
I really fell in love with the place.
Canada became an annual trip over the next seven years where I got to meet some of my best friends. And with these new friends, we would experience those wonderful Amanda hugs, go crazy together, and travel to other conventions in the UK and Germany!
2004 was also the year Mom’s penfriend passed. She had been writing to Monique for three decades, yet never met face to face. I understood too late that the reason why she never met her friend was because of her fear of flying on her own, and Dad would never set foot on a plane. The next year, I decided to take my mom to meet Monique’s family. We got along so well that over the years, when I had the chance to study abroad in Ottawa, I would spend Christmas and every holiday with them in Quebec.
My love for Canada continued to grow. I volunteered in Toronto when Amanda was in the Vagina Monologues for V-Day, attended the 2010 Winter Olympics with tickets to see hockey, and in 2020, I decided to sign up for the Vancouver Marathon!
Then Covid happened… and Dad fell really sick.
The Covid restrictions made it so difficult to see him, let alone stay with him. We had to fight every day to visit him for just a few hours. As I watched my dad suffer, I wished I could have taken on his pain. I remember the last time he was able to open his eyes, he was able to hear his granddaughter for the first time on the phone. As he started to fade, we played him his favourite songs. I don’t think he ever knew we were organising to stay close to the hospital before he died.
We did not see the end coming so fast.
I wish I was able to talk to him one last time.
I wish we had been able to be with him that night.
After Dad passed, I became seriously burned out. I left work, sold my apartment, and moved back home with Mom 400km away. It gave me a purpose: organising all the papers, home maintenance, spending time with my mom, but it was all a distraction from figuring out what I wanted to do. I had completely disconnected from the fandom at this point, but at my lowest point, my friends all came back to support me. Actually, they aren’t just friends… they are family.
I was brutally reminded—you only live once.
With the support of my extended family, I applied for an international job fair and before I knew it, I received a job offer with a company in the Yukon. I did not expect things to happen so quickly, if at all.
Then the guilt set in. I was about to abandon my mother.
You might have guessed that Mom always encouraged me to travel, embrace different cultures, and explore the world. This time was no different. I left for Whitehorse in June 2023.
I spent the next year hiking and discovering the magnificent scenery of the Yukon. I spent many mornings thinking about Mom, and each time I went hiking, I had a little cry thinking about Dad. I wish he could have been there. He would have loved the scenic drives, the wildlife, and the lakes. I’m just afraid I will forget him one day.
Last summer when I finally got my permanent residence visa, my mother sent me a beautiful letter.
She told me something I never knew, that I was fulfilling a three-generation dream. I remember the long conversations with my grandmother about the latest books she read or the TV movies she watched set in the breathtaking wilderness of Quebec. I always guessed that it must have influenced Mom in finding a penfriend in Montreal. But I never realised that Grandma actually dreamt of going to Canada one day. Now with my new residency status, her granddaughter gets to call it home.
Fabienne, Canada
📘 Hardback and Paperback, Strictly limited
The Collector’s Edition was always limited to 500. About 100 copies are left, and once they’re gone, they will be gone forever.
If you’re like me, and like to keep Collector’s Editions pristine, we have a Paperback Edition available as well. The cutoff for orders will be between Thanksgiving and December (exact date to come).
🧑🚀 European and International Pins partial refunds
Quick update, for those of you who ordered pins and keychains, I recently reduced our prices for the period of the book pre-order.
All of the US orders had this price reduction reflected.
Some of our international friends bought the pins before this change, so if you bought pins within the last month and are outside the US, I have proactively refunded you the difference. This also means anyone in the world can now take advantage of the reduced prices to celebrate Purpose: Embracing Mental Health as a Fandom.
Add a few to your book order, or get the whole set. They’ll ship in the same parcel as your book in January 2027.
Already ordered a book but want to add some pins?
Make the purchase, email me at lawrence.kao@thecompanion.app and I’ll refund the shipping and pack them in with your book.
Just want pins?
Order them now, and I’ll ship them right away.
Have a great weekend,
Lawrence
