‘Shadowhunters’ fans speak: Last night the #Shadowfam saved my life

What’s up, Shadowfan? We hope you had a blast at our Shadowhunters event in Toronto. And, if you were unable to make it, don’t fret. We’re planning more events around the globe throughout the year, so chances are we’ll be stopping by somewhere near you very soon.

Throughout our campaign to #SaveSaturdays, no fandom has been more vocal or supportive than the Shadowfam. We’ve been overwhelmed with the love you’ve been sending us, and our Toronto premiere was just one of the examples of the sense of community & inclusion the fandom so consistently displays.

We recently called for an open interview on the site, and Film Daily has been incredibly moved by the flood of passionate and personal responses sent our way. Reading through the deeply intimate tributes to your favorite show has been an emotional journey for us, and we wanted to pay respect to the fans who have had their lives saved by the best fantasy series on TV.

It’s time to let the fans speak once again to let Freeform know what they’re taking away from so many dedicated viewers.

@repmixermutual: “I discovered the definition of parabatai and made my real life bestie my parabatai. Also I managed to discover more about the LGBT & POC comm and started being inspired to support them.

“My mother abused me last year and my dad tried strangling me when I was younger. I had thoughts of committing sucide before but this show gave me the strength and courage to hold on to life and keep on fighting.

“I used to get racially discriminated against, so I felt that part of me was like Maia Roberts. I have ADHD, dyspraxia, and a curved backbone so I got bullied and excluded from group activities back in elementary school, along with my two friends who are the only classmates who accepted me. This show really saved and inspired me so much.”

@cbwentworth: “Six members of my family and circle of friends passed away in the span of just a few years. That amount of grief in such a short period of time was devastating and I found myself falling deeper and deeper into a darkness I couldn’t escape.

“For an hour each week, I got a chance to live outside of the grief and experience emotions beyond those of loss and sadness.

“The fandom supported me simply by being there with all their passion, excitement, and love. Even if they never knew the personal battles I was fighting, they played a part in helping me heal and find my center and happiness again. For that I will always be eternally grateful.”

@sh_wanderlust: “When I was 14 years old I was sexually and emotionally abused by an 18-year-old. I was young, foolish, vulnerable, depressed, and most importantly, I thought it was okay and that he loved me. It took me some months to figure out that something wasn’t right about this situation. I severed all contact, but the wound and the scars still stayed.

“Shadowhunters, especially Magnus and Alec, have been and continue to be my anchor when everything was crashing down on me and no one was there to pull me up. They’ve kept me at bay, squeezing the water out of my lungs, warming me up when I was freezing. There isn’t a day that goes by that I’m not thankful and appreciative of Shadowhunters.”

@mellyb6: “The last school year was incredibly tough for me and discovering Shadowhunters at the very beginning of it has made it bearable. I have grown so attached to the characters and to their stories. There are some episodes that I have watched close to ten times, and I know that whatever happens in my life there are people around the world who have my back.”

@_LightwoodBane_: “I am a bisexual woman who faces so much discrimination it’s ridiculous. But, when I discovered Magnus Bane, my world changed. The way he was portrayed was perfect. It was not only accurate, but they addressed stereotypes and absolutely destroyed them. It made people understand bisexuals as people and I’m so grateful for that. He made me realize that I am worth it and bisexuality isn’t a burden.”

@xhollie_sealeyx: “For a lot of people, Shadowhunters for those 40 minutes each week is their only source of happiness and brings them the most joy in their life and strength to keep fighting. It has been a really great help to me these past six months, and if I hadn’t started watching the show and made the friends I have now, I honestly don’t know where I would be right now. It’s given me the confidence to keep on fighting no matter what.”

@DianaLorenaDav3: “I have this disease called muscular dystrophy and the show really helped me smile every time Simon sang a song, or I watched one of their fight sequences; they are amazing at what they do.”

Michelle of the @F_F_Podcast: “I used to be hugely invested in fandom, mainly TV shows and music bands. But for the last five years or so, work took over my life and I stopped talking to people about things that I loved. Shadowhunters got me back into fandom. I started talking to people online about the show and started reading fanfic again.

“I hadn’t picked up a pencil in years and suddenly I was drawing again. 18 months ago I started a weekly podcast with my best friends about Shadowhunters, which now has had almost 20,000 listens, and 6 months ago we launched a second multi-fandom podcast and are currently planning a third.

“I had not realised just how much of myself I had given up when I gave up fandom. Shadowhunters helped me find my way back to this previous version of myself.”

@irisadler379: “The show led me to characters and people who have transformed my life. I encountered Shadowhunters when I was in a really difficult place with my health, and I just devoured it, bingewatching every episode in a matter of days. I immersed myself in the world of Shadowhunters to take refuge from the things that were too big for me to handle.

“Because of Shadowhunters, I discovered creativity through writing – not just to create content, but as a weapon at my disposal. I use creativity now to combat my depression and sense of hopelessness. I use creativity as a form of rebellion. Every single word I write is a word that would not otherwise have been written. Every story I tell is a joy that is mine, something Freeform and the cancellation cannot steal from me.”

@enthusiasm85: “When I first began watching Shadowhunters, what I now know to be an eating disorder was starting to snowball out of control. I watched every episode up until I was caught up with 3A in under a week, because I couldn’t sit upright for long periods of time, much less focus on college.

“During the summer, due to the fallout this eating disorder and other preexisting mental health issues had had on my grades, I ended up stuck inside my house all summer trying to finish three incomplete finals and taking an online summer course. My mother and I kept fighting, but my stepdad had no sympathy and became super controlling, and I had no access to the outside world.

“The only contact I had with other people was online. I was still pretty new to the Shadowhunters fandom at that point, but I fought off my anxiety and began talking to people and interacting more. Talking about Matt, Harry, and Malec gave me something that made me happy and able to laugh.”

If you have a story about how Shadowhunters saved you, how the online community supported you through dark times, or just wanted to show your appreciation for a kickass show, you can let us know right here – and there’s a chance your story could be featured in our next article.

Take it easy, and don’t forget to come back next week for all the coverage you need for Season 3B Episode 2, “Original Sin”.

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Interviews edited and condensed for clarity