Over the last few days, I’ve encountered a lot of people who have been kind to me. I’ve seen people in random places, like the grocery store and the pet store, who have told me that they read my stuff online, and they appreciate me. I ran into a bunch of people at my friend’s show last night, who told me how much they value — not just like, but value — Tabletop, and more than a few people there told me that they thought I was a good person who does good things.
If you’re one of these people, I know I said “thank you” in person, but I want to say it again, in public, in a way that my anxiety doesn’t allow when we’re face to face.
Thank you! I needed that, so much.
You see, I *really* needed to be reminded that the stuff I do matters to people, and is worth my time and effort. I’m dealing with a few really terrible things in my real life that I’m not talking about in public, and won’t talk about in public, and at the same time, I’ve been struggling with anxiety. I can feel a capital-D Depressive episode lurking around pretty much every corner, and I’m doing my best to practice my CBT and take my meds and talk to the people who are close to me, who care about me and help me when my brain decides to turn on me. For far too long, my brain has been going out of its way to remind me that I suck at everything, the book I’ve worked so hard on for so long is going to fail (it won’t; I’m super proud of it and believe in it), and nobody cares about me or what I do. The world has moved on, I’m drifting into “trivia answer” territory, and if I just disappeared from public life tomorrow, nobody would care or notice.
I know that none of that is real, but … well, I’ve written about Depression before and how it is such a giant dick about stuff like this. It’s challenging to tune out that insistent voice of doubt and despair, even when I know that it’s just a bunch of noise.
I shouldn’t give trolls and harassers any space in my head, too, but I gotta be honest: that last week on Twitter was horrible. Every day was a flood of people putting in considerable time and effort to make me miserable, and even though I was able to ignore most of it, some of it still got through. I mean, I’m just human and I have a wonky brain, so…
Maybe I’m just more *aware* of the kindness of people in the last few days, or maybe there really has been some kind of uptick in kindness for some reason that normal people can probably see, but remains hidden to me. But the end result is: I’m doing everything I can to practice gratitude, kindness, empathy, and patience. I’m not always successful, but the affirmation I’ve gotten from people who don’t know me and have no reason to reach out with kindness and appreciation has made a HUGE difference.
I’m so grateful for the love and support and patience that my wife and children give me every day, but I’ve been dealing with so much negativity and cruelty, I haven’t been able to see and feel it. The people who have been kind and gentle to me recently sort of helped push back the weasels of despair that have been threatening to overwhelm me, which has created the space in my life that I couldn’t make myself to accept and embrace the love of my wife and kids.
So thank you, people who don’t know me and have nothing to gain by being kind to me, for your kindness, whether you are offline or online.
And please consider this: you have choices all day long about how you treat people. Every interaction can be kind, or it can be cruel, and the choice you make will have an effect on people you’ll never meet. Make a choice that you’ll feel good about.
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You’re one of the good ones, Wil. We’re all lucky to have you on the planet with us.
I’ve been reading your blog since long before Twitter, and I’m sure I’m not alone in that, so believe me – if you did just disappear completely from public life, it would certainly be noticed and cared about by many.
Live long and prosper.
This is a hug, available whenever you need it, from someone who really appreciates you.
Your honesty, openness, and vulnerability mean you reach a LOT of people who need to hear what you have to say, and you do it in a way that they can understand.
Thank you for being you.
Hi Wil, thanks for sharing this. I’m sorry things are hard for you right now. I really appreciate you and Anne for being both positive and truthful. I have my days where I just want to yell at anyone who says “positivity” because it feels like a rebuke to my struggles or a hollow joke from people who’ve got easy lives. That I know says more about me then them. To see you working your way toward gratitude and kindness-loved your good news thing on tumblr-means so much to me. So I’m glad people have returned your kindness in a way you can hear. You’ve grown in really wonderful ways since I started following you. So thank you
Wil,
You’re a good person, you make good things, and those things help the rest of us feel better every day.
Never stop being you. In short, you’re my hero, man.
Wil great insights. Thanks for promoting civility. I try to treat everyone with respect and friendship.
You are an intrinsically kind person and you try, I know that you try very hard to be kind and put more awesome into the world. I’m glad some of that awesome kindness has come back to you lately. You are a good person who matters. You make good things that matter. You put good back into the world. At least 25% of all my nerd friendships are directly due to interaction with you and your worK. You matter, a great deal, to many people. I know the film/tv industry has been dick-y to you lately (except the folks at TBBT, of course 🙂 ) but you are a phenomenal actor. And even if that’s something that falls to the wayside, you are also a phenomenal writer whose new book I cannot WAIT to read. And a phenomenal person whose personal kindness to me has made Los Angeles seem less lonely and less far from home.
I hope this little message makes you smile a bit and drives the Giant Meerkat of Depression back to its… burrow? meerhole? manor? insert correct meerkat habitat term here and lets you breathe easily for a least a little while longer. Take care of yourself, friend.
I just want you to know that I have enjoyed reading your posts, and you are not alone in feeling the way you do.
I have enjoyed your blog and support your amazing effort to discuss depression. I admire your honesty and need to add it has helped me personally. But not only that I have loved your narrations in the audio books I have listened to. Please do more and please narrate your own book. I look forward to hearing and reading more !
You are awesome, do awesome things and the world needs more people like you. Thanks for sharing your experience with anxiety and depression as I can relate and it is helpful to know I am not alone and it can cause pain and grief for someone who “has it all”. Trolls are gonna troll man, I know its a million times worse for a celeb but know that the good you’re doing is 10 million times more important than their nonsense ever can be, ever. Hope your private life pain gets better.
Dear Wil:
I’m glad you wrote this and I’m glad that you’ve had some positive experiences lately. Having your work accessible to multitudes is a double edged sword. You have countless opportunities for positive feedback and countless opportunities for negative feedback. That’s a lot of feedback — I would think it’s overwhelming, really! Ugh. For a lot of us our potential positive feedback opportunities are quite limited, but so are our negative ones.
I try to look at things from a place of gratitude also, but it’s not always possible when you have a brain disorder. I can be in the exact same situation, I mean exact, and when I’m well the thought that comes to mind is abc. When I am not well the thought that comes to my mind is xyz. For instance, when I’m well and I walk by the furnace in the garage with a cigarette I quickly move away from it. When I’m not well I hardly notice the furnace and if I do I stay on my path and think ‘whatever.’ Not that I’ve ever had a plan or anything like that, thank goodness, I just don’t have the concentration, motivation, or forethought to consider or care about the ramifications when I’m depressed.
I’m fascinated by how people with mental health issues recover from episodes and continue on being productive and successful (maybe you could write a book!). There’s the episode, then you get better, and then realize what went awry and just how non-functioning you were which then creates a different episode. It’s the post-episode episode — the ptsd of the episode itself.
In the 90s I had my dream job with an up-and-coming software company. I was treated for thyroid disease and started having panic attacks, generalized anxiety, agoraphobia, and major depression — all of which remain periodically today except the agoraphobia thank God! I left my job because of it and was sick for a year. And then it took another year to recover from the disappointment, guilt, and shame of the episode. I kept having flashbacks of me laying in the same spot as the sun came up and then went down every day (that’s is what I remember anyway); not bathing or changing clothes; not answering the phone or emails; not following through on commitments; not going to my son’s baseball game; not going to functions with my husband; not eating at the dinner table; not working; not finishing college. Life went on around me but without me. I felt I let myself and a lot of others down. And then I couldn’t re-engage when I got better because I was afraid I would make commitments and not be able to keep them. That same scenario has played out 3 more times since then. I’ve pretty much given up on a productive, satisfying, successful career. Recently, a charity asked me to teach disadvantaged women software skills, which is right up my alley, but I declined because I’m afraid I won’t be able to see it through.
Have you resigned positions, missed deadlines, had to decline work, or weren’t capable of fulfilling obligations while you’ve been sick? Are you able to jump right back in after an episode? How have you managed to stay on track and be productive?
On the gratitude side, which is what I should have led with, I have had a hard time in some ways for sure but I am honestly very blessed. My husband of 24 years is awesome, no joke! He has been supportive in every way all these years. He is a cute nerd engineer with a personality and recently got a well deserved promotion!! And our son turned out great in spite of my illnesses. He’s a golf pro (club pro) and married to a really smart, beautiful girl. But he’s not a nerd I’m sorry to say. He’s never agreed to go to DragonCon with us which we would gladly finance! I don’t know where we went wrong there. 😁
After a year of deep grieving after my father died I had pretty much lost my ability to laugh which has always been an important part of who I am. Then I discovered Jenny Lawson and you and the whole Brandlink fiasco. Her post made me laugh out loud. My husband came running to find out what had finally made me laugh. By that point I had back tracked to find the beginning of the story and read your posts. I was laughing so hard I couldn’t breath. My husband and I ended up curled up together while I attempted to read your post to him. He just grinned at me as I struggled to say “douche canoe” without falling helplessly into laughter again. It took years for me to function normally again after losing my Dad. But that was the turning point and I don’t know if I would have found my way back without finding the two of you. I have gratefully and eagerly purchased and read all of your books and read all of your blogs since then. You are important to me. Thank you for what you do.
P.S. If I am having a bad day I watch Table Top or Skunk Tower Defense. They always cheer me up.
Hey Wil. Sorry you’re having a tough time and I’m glad you’re able to appreciate the good things. My partner and I just finished the Head On audiobook and loved your narration. We are quite picky with narrators, too.
Just wondering: When your book comes out will you narrate it yourself or ask John Scalzi to repay the favour?
Glad to see you posting, Wil. My son is dealing with anxiety and physical pain and it helps me that you vocalize what you are going through so I can understand from the adult view and be a better dad for him. Don’t sweat the daily grind–look back over your year and you’ve still done a lot.
Welcome back to the inter tubes! My Wheaton dosage was dangerously low. Thanks for topping me off and all the work you do for us and your fam.
Believe me, you are appreciated and would be missed if you stopped being a public presence. I go through a lot of the same things you talked about here, emotionally, but I’m just a grain of sand among countless others. I stopped using Facebook, and only 2 out of 100 people followed me away from there, with a third still emailing with me, and that’s it. The two that followed me over here to WordPress don’t stop by here hardly ever. Everyone’s busy living their own lives. Facebook was a place of convenience, and that’s all those many “friendships” got relegated to because of it: convenience-only. That’s so pathetic, really. But I’ve learned what I needed to about how fickle people can be. And I’ve learned to take pride in what I do just for the sake of being proud of it, regardless of whether anyone else cared or not. Ultimately, I’ve had to learn to just value myself and know that I matter and I do good things, and I have my own life to live away from Facebook or here at WordPress or whatever anyway, so it’s fine. It did take me a few weeks to wrap my head around how so many people can be so fake though. I’m grateful for it when I have real friends who take time out of their busy lives to say a quick “Hi” or stop by my blog though. It’s not many, but those friends are gold. I’m glad you have people in your life who take the time and don’t just have convenience-only friendships with you! Also, your book will be awesome, just as the others have all been. You’ve a very gifted writer and speaker! Will there be an audio book, or will it be text-only?
I’m glad you are doing all the self care things.
I value your work and your writing, and your willingness to talk about mental health topics has made a tangible difference in my life and the life of a few people I love. Thanks isn’t enough but it’s a good start. Thank you.
Adding my voice to the chorus. I enjoy your work – past and present (and future, I’m sure). Your blog demonstrates that you’re a fundamentally good person who is always trying to be better. The world needs more Wil Wheatons. You have tremendous value.
And while everything you produce is a gift, and you owe us absolutely nothing, I gotta say: when the blog goes dark for a period of time, I think to myself “Damn…Wil is going through some brain stuff – I hope he’s OK,” and so I’m glad to see posts here after the hiatus.
Good luck with the house and good luck with the novel!
-Brian
This may be a duplicate…just consider it a well-deserved repeat. Weird loading crapola going on for me.
I truly can’t imagine how someone could find something negative or critical to say to you – you’re awesome. That just proves it’s truly their problem and not yours. Easy to say…but not so easy to deal with. Just know this, you are appreciated and make it easier for others (like me) to deal with their stuff. Thank you!
Wil, I’m so sorry that some people have been jackasses to you and that some stuff is getting to you. However, I’m happier that others have shown you kindness and it’s helped you, as well as that you’re fighting the blue devils. No matter what you are feeling, know that so many of us appreciate your talent as a writer and actor and your great value as a human being. I’d invite you over for tea and scones any day – however, I might try to make you read my novel. Keep at it with yours!
Wil, I quoted your last paragraph on my web site, and many friends have clicked a “like” or “love.” See what you are bringing to so many people.
Dear Wil,
Please remember: for every comment posted here, there are several hundred of us who love your work, are interested in what you do, find you wise, funny, endearing, thoughtful and kind. We’re looking forward to the next creative thing you do, or just what’s going on with your life.
You are important to many, many people who don’t always feel like we’ve got something to say in the comments, but we’re here, and we’ll always be here when you feel like posting.
Never been on Twitter, so this is always where I look for your thoughts.
Take care,
L
It feels so repetitive and pointless to say it, but your work is valued, in many ways. Just a quick example, we discovered TableTop years ago in our home, we watched episodes as a family (at least those that were age appropriate for my son at the time ;)), and we purchased and played a number of those games (Pandemic, Libertalia, Stone Age, to name just a few). My son developed a love of board games that continues today. Now he’s in high school, and he spends less time with us than he used to, which is completely ok and normal… but we still have our games and game nights. Not as often as we need to, but often enough to know that he still enjoys it, and often enough for it to be one of the touchstones of our relationship with him.
In many ways, you gave that to us. You helped make that possible… you certainly gave us the means by which we maintain that connection as he’s gotten older, busier, and increasingly independent.
I’ve said it here before, but thank you.
I don’t know how to post pictures here, or even if that’s allowed (because gods, I would turn that off if I were you), but if I could post pics here, I would send you a screencap I came across recently of how I determined my Hogwart’s house (Ravenclaw, because there was math involved, and of course I documented it) in 2009 that has my browser bar up top, with WWdN bookmarked. Then I’d send you one of this screen, with the same bookmark still present. I have valued your writing ever since I found my way here from a comment on an old Star Trek message board during a conversation about Nemesis (I think it was Nemesis). So yeah. You’re valued, and I’m in your corner.
PS: In 2009, you told me “that was a lovely story, and wonderfully written,” so what goes around comes around.
I really like that last paragraph you wrote up there, and I think we should all keep that in mind. iron guard salute
A huge hug for you!!
I’m not good with well-wishing messages, so excuse me as I try:
You’re one of the few actors that I follow outside of your tv presence and I really enjoyed all the other projects that you do.
I love watching Tabletop with my fiancé, we relied on that to figure what boardgames to buy next.
It was because of your voice acting that I discovered John Scalzi and I have to thank you for doing those projects, as it introduced me to more science fiction books.
I eagerly await your next random episode of Radio Free Burrito (no pressure), because it’s like a surprising bit of whimsy that appears in my podcast app every now and then.
I really enjoyed reading the interactions between you, Anne and John Scalzi on Twitter, and it’s a shame that the platform has become what it is. At the same time I am really glad to see influential people like you leaving the toxic environment and showing others that it is fine to do so too. (Btw, there’s a thing called micro.blog that you might interested in – you can just link this blog to it and microblog directly from your blog)
So even though this might be the umpteenth time someone have wrote this I guess what I’m trying to say is this: we love you and the things you do, I’m sorry things suck at the moment, and I hope our digital words could go a little way to help ward off the demons that plague you.
Uplifting post. Thank you
And…I look forward to your new book and the book tour!
You’re the best WW. Twitter sucks. Please take care of yourself and fill your cup with the happy stuff! Podcasts help. Inspirational books help. Post it notes on your mirror help. Yoga helps. Long walks, gratitude journals, mindfulness – throw everything at it and see what sticks. You’re the best.
Wil,
You have, through your honesty about your experience with depression, enabled my son to see his depression experiences in another person. Seeing yourself in someone else when you are at the bottom of the well looking up is lifesaving, Despite working with wonderful doctors and therapists, the beast of depression still roars louder than him at times. Being able to see his experience in another person’s successful life has given him hope many times. As a mom, I can tell you that your honesty, your truthful sharing of your ups and downs, has saved my son. Seeing you living successfully as an adult with depression has helped him to believe in his own dreams for his future. I am forever grateful that you are here.
I read Ready player One and liked it. then I listened to the audio book read by you and liked that. Then I watched the move, which was not terrible btw, but I definitely missed you. Keep being a book narrator if you can. Be well.
Because every voice counts (no matter how many) and because I love the work you have done, I’m adding my comment expressing love and support for you. I’m sorry to hear you’re dealing with some tough stuff, but you’ve proven resilient in the past and I know you still have it. We care and will definitely notice if you go. Xoxoxo Fiona, a proud member of your 300.
Even though its easier (and far less painful) to simply withdraw from a nasty and uncivil world, please know that our world is a better place because you do have the courage to put yourself out there, whether through your performances or your writing. Your humanity always shines through in your art, and that’s what draws me back here time and again.
Thanks so much for sharing. You are making a difference. I have the same struggle with depression.
Dear Wil,
I agree you are making a difference. You are the only blog I feature on my blog at http://WenonaLeeGardner.com for the last 9 years. I am excited each and every time I see you post. Your words and clarity brighten my day. You are gifted and talented. Many more blessings are coming your way!
Focus on Sacred Sexuality.
Blessed Be!
I Love You!
Wenona Lee Gardner
White Turtle Rainbow
Hey Wil,
Thank you so much for sharing your story. I’m a big fan of your career and my kids and I watch TableTop ever time we get a new board game. I just wanted to say, and I’m sure you know, you are not alone. I know what its like to have a good career, a great family, and still struggle every day with depression. Forget the haters, you have people all around you that care about you and support you that have never even met you, and before the negative talk starts, “yea but you don’t really know me, just my career”, know that is BS man! People can tell a good person from a jerk from just a photograph, so accept the compliment. And for what its worth, I read a great book recently called DARE, https://dareresponse.com/. Maybe you should give it a look, it has helped me. Anyway man, your not alone, your not alone, your not alone. Take care and be kind to yourself, Mike
I am very grateful for all the work you’ve done including your moving post about living depression and panic attacks. Thank you for sharing that. That could have been easy. I also struggle with depression and anxiety, and it’s diffcult for me to come out to people.
P.S. I love TableTop!
I just want to thank you for you. I’ve been reading the blog long before Twitter, have enjoyed following your career and creativity and through you have found other creatives to follow. Your openness about how you handle your depression and mental health is a huge blessing for me. My brother is currently experiencing a big depressive episode and has only just now sought help. When I read your words, I get a glimpse of some of the things he doesn’t know how to express. It helps me in such a huge way. Thank you for being who you are.
Replace your Twitter link on the right with your Instagram
Hi Wil!
Thank you for your heartfelt and vulnerable posts. They make a positive difference.
Take care!
i wrote this about going through hard times . https://ianoone.com/2018/08/07/59-seeing-death/
it seems kinda relavent
We have never met. If I see you in public (which is unlikely), I won’t say anything, because I’m really shy and uncomfortable around people and would replay all my social gaffs over and over in my head. Anyway, you matter to me. You matter to people I know. We all think not only that you are awesome but that you are a good person. I hope that you come to understand how much you matter to lots of us.
I would add my voice to the comments by saying, thank you for all that you do by adding wit and intelligence to the spheres you are in!
Also, bring back tabletop if at all possible, we have bought more games since we started watching then we ever had before and then we get to introduce them to other people and it makes for just better living really =).
Hello Wil, I have no idea if you remember me (I absolutely do not expect you to), but I met you at Muffy’s wedding, and later at a shower event. We talked about Linux installations, and options at that time, for what seemed like a couple of hours (in a good way). After about the first 30 seconds I totally forgot you were someone famous, and was completely submersed in the discussion on various installations and geekery. I want you to know that you made a HUGE positive impact on me. As someone who presents as female, I had alot of trouble back then getting taken seriously wrt my geek/tech skillset. I was an ethical hacker, and attended events such as DefCon, and I was mostly treated as ‘you must be someone’s gf, so I cannot talk to you’. Want I wanted was for people to treat me as if I were a human, and not as if I were ‘not male’. You treated me as an equal for the ENTIRE conversation, and honestly, how you treated me healed a piece of my soul. There wasn’t a single hint, in your behavior, that I was female. There was no awkward moments. There was nothing even REMOTELY like flirting. It was like one brain sharing with another brain, and it was the highlight of my year (not because of who you were, but bc of how you treated me). Honestly, I wish you could give lessons to other humans on how to treat people. You clearly ‘get it’ (although I suspect this is just who you are as a person, and not something that you had to figure out).
I have a huge amount of respect for you as a human being. At that time there were not alot of circles that would treat women as equals in tech. You were kind, and patient, when I asked questions, and when I had data that would help you, you were open, and non-defensive. You IN NO WAY made me feel like I needed to ‘prove myself’ for you to accept the information I was giving you. YOU ARE VERY GOOD PEOPLE.
You and I exchanged some emails after that, about tech, but we lost touch.
Since then, I have off-and-on read your blog. It sometimes gets lost in my other email. But when I do, I have such a huge respect for how much you bare your soul to the masses. It has helped me to be more open to the people around me. Your striving for kindness has set a HIGHLY POSITIVE example for me, and I appreciate it.
Yes, of course, you have D and A, but you do not let that ‘define’ who you are, and you are always striving to live beyond those weasels that try to drag you down.
On top of all of this, you are an amazing actor. I just (this past weekend) finished listening to your telling of RPO, and it was the perfect way to spend my weekend. You are an incredibly dynamic person, with an amazing skillset. You inspire me in a great many ways.
Thank you for the incredibly positive influence you have had on my life. There is literally no way I could thank you as much as I am grateful for your influence.
Sincerely,
Isabelle Hakala “Bells”
Hey Wil, I’ve pretty much always followed you and I have always loved your work since you made Martin’s voice in The Secret of Nimh (one of my favourite films as a child and ever!) I basically grew up watching your work, you made an important part of my childhood and I still follow you. So many people around the whole World probably feel similar! Be certain that you are an important part of lots of people’s lives, and not only in the US (I’m a Spanish fan writing from the UK).
Don’t trust your brain too much when it constructs those feelings and their associated thoughts. They are not true. There are TONS and TONS of people everywhere who absolutely LOVE you mate!
Big bear hug
Some day I will get up the courage to write an exhaustive list of how you have added value to my life. But for bow I will just say Thank You.
You’re very kind. Thank you.
Add me to the many, many people who value your work (and you). It’s not just that your acting and your writing have been influential/beneficial/entertaining. It’s that your kaleidoscope of creative output has had an equally broad effect on me – and my family. My brother, the ‘boy genius’ who always felt slightly out of place, related to Wesley – and secretly, I wanted to be like him too. My husband had been a TNG since it first aired (as have I). Also loved by our family are “Dancing Barefoot” and “Just a Geek”.
And my youngest child, who has GAD and MDD (Generalized Anxiety Disorder and Major Depressive Disorder) and has recently spent a lot of time in a psychiatric hospital, has on occasion looked to you for humor and insight, both in the form of your roles on The Guild and Big Bang Theory, and here, on WW.net.
Your work is entertaining, of course it is. That’s no small thing. That’s actually really important and really fucking huge. Watching my kid laugh out loud, snorfing, carefree, even if it’s just for a few seconds, is incredibly important and healing. You do that. But you do more. You provide thought-provoking, emotionally raw and honest posts here that give people a reflection of some of the stuff they are going through.
Do you understand how important and helpful that is? I’d like to think you do. But if you don’t then let me tell you this: Seeing someone whose work you enjoy and admire talk about something that you too are going through, suffering from, and feeling crappy and isolated by – seeing your blog posts about these things is extraordinarily helpful. I speak for both my kid and myself.
You’re a writer and a damn good one. So when you write about things that the rest of us can’t find the right words for, it’s a big goddamn deal.
Dude, even when you post something like “I have no idea what to say right now, I’m so frustrated” – that is honest and raw, and relatable, ergo, helpful!
I – and my family – really appreciate your entire body of work. We look forward to your novel, your next online project, your next acting gig, your next blog post. Because what you do, and have done over the last 30-odd years, have had a massively positive – and in many cases, healing – effect on our lives.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
I (like i imagine most of the other folks here) grew up with you on Next Gen, as well as movies like December, Toy Soldiers, and of course, Stand by me…..
You were kind of a regular feature in my life as a young dude (we’re pretty much the same age) and when we were both teens etc, we kinda looked pretty similar…so I always had a soft-spot for you etc… and regardless of what some idiots may say, in my house, Wesley was the favourite character by a long shot….my older brother and I thought you fucking rocked on that show!
For the past decade or two now, I’ve been reading your posts online… and through that, gotten to know the actual human behind the characters etc, which has been nice….thanks for all that dude…. it takes a whole lot of courage to expose yourself like that online, and I for one am glad of that… you’re a fine person.
so…
on behalf of all of us, your fans…the folks that have watched you since we were kids ourselves….who watch your movies and shows now with OUR own kids (my daughter thinks you’re fucking awesome… she’s a teen, and was pretty obssesed with Stand by me) … THANK YOU DUDE!
THANKS for everything you’ve done…
the shows, the books, the blog posts, tabletop, audio books,
you, sir….are a creator….and one of the most prolific ones I’ve seen ever.
you creating things, seems as neccesary as breathing … and you haven’t been fussy about trying new realms, new vistas, new ways of doing things…
so thank you…
I’ve enjoyed the ride thus far….a lot…..
I’ve seen most of the shows you’ve done…I’ve read just about everything you’ve written etc…
I’ve watched all your movies.
I kinda hate the term fan, or fan-boy….
but admire and appreciate work for me 🙂 I admire your work tremendously, and I appreciate you and your work a lot 🙂
Thanks Wil
I’m sorry to hear that the world’s asshats are turning their attention to you. Please know that you are appreciated by this internet stranger. Be kind to yourself.
I just saw your, um, toots(?) on Mastodon about your account being suspended and I’m furious. I can’t even formulate any words beyond “I’m furious.”
I don’t follow Twitter. Not much on Facebook. I just like to write a Jesus blog and interact with people. I feel bad for what has happened to you. Today my perfect storm (little to eat, little sleep, and not enough meds) has got me feeling like you are describing that you feel. I empathize with you, it is no fun (see “extreme understatement”). I hope you don’t mind but I pray for people. Dear Jesus, please give Wil your peace and strength and help him to know you care about him with all your heart.
I don’t like social media, never did. I decided to join the FB thingie mainly to be in touch with family. I had no idea I would be reconecting with old Friends and joining cool groups (such as United Federation of Planets) or support groups (I’m an alcoholic with Chronic Depression), but what I did not expected was that free speech would come under attack from the very people that are supposed to respect you (family & friends), and because of that I began to think that acceptance, tolarance, and kindness were overrated and becoming obsolete.
The kindness never came from my contact list, but from strangers I have interacted with in the four groups I joined (United Federation of Planets, Photography Advice, Daily Stoic Recovery from Addiction, & Daily Stoic Discussion Group).
Because I’m a Photographer I reluctantly opened an Instagram account, but I do not have any other profile on any social media whatsoever.
Keep on blogging, beacause for what I have seen in the comments, you are making a difference among your loyal fanbase with your wonderful writing.
Hope you never stop expressing yourself, we need you to help us keeping the faith.
Oh one more thing: DO NOT SHUT UP, WESLEY!