Nerdy Ways of Learning to Let Go: What Fandoms & Fiction Have Taught Me

Letting go isn’t exactly my strong suit. Whether it’s overthinking, holding onto stress, or just struggling to move on from things that no longer serve me, I tend to grip onto stuff way longer than I should. But lately, I’ve realized that some of my favorite nerdy interests—comics, video games, fanfiction, and even AI—have been teaching me the art of letting go in ways I never expected.

Because if there’s one thing nerd culture does well, it’s showing us how to adapt, move forward, and embrace the unknown—even when we don’t want to.

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1. The Art of the Retcon: Letting Go of Perfection

Comics have been retconning (retroactive continuity changes) for decades, and while it can be frustrating, there’s a lesson in it: things don’t always go as planned, and that’s okay.

I used to get stuck on making things perfect—whether it was a blog post, a fanfiction chapter, or even just planning out my day. But watching major franchises rewrite their own history (looking at you, X-Men continuity) made me realize that sometimes, you just have to roll with the changes.

Not every story needs to be flawless from the start. Not every plan has to go perfectly. Sometimes, letting go of perfection means making space for something even better.

2. Respawning After a Loss: Learning from Failure

If you’ve ever played a Soulslike game (or really any video game with brutal difficulty), you know the frustration of failing over and over. But games teach us something important: failure isn’t the end—it’s just part of the process.

I used to get stuck replaying my mistakes in my head, analyzing every little thing I could have done differently. But the more I’ve played games that force you to fail before you succeed, the more I’ve learned to let go of past attempts and focus on what’s next.

Every "game over" is a chance to restart with more knowledge. And honestly? That applies to life, too.

3. Fanfiction & Headcanons: Releasing Control Over Stories

One of the biggest struggles I’ve had is accepting that I can’t control everything—especially how a story unfolds in my favorite fandoms. I’ve had my fair share of moments where I wished a show or comic had gone differently (looking at you, MCU), but at some point, I had to let go of what I wanted and just accept the story for what it was.

That’s where fanfiction and headcanons come in. Instead of being frustrated over how things played out, I can rewrite it, remix it, and make it my own. It’s a fun way to let go of what I can’t change while still embracing what I love.

And if I can do that with fictional worlds, why not in real life? Sometimes, you have to release the version of the story you had in your head and embrace the one that’s actually unfolding.

4. AI & the Joy of Imperfect Creativity

Lately, I’ve been experimenting a lot with AI for writing and art, and if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that things don’t always turn out exactly how you expect.

You can enter the most detailed prompt, but AI-generated images might still throw in extra fingers, and a fanfic outline might take a turn you didn’t plan. At first, that frustrated me, but then I started seeing the beauty in it—imperfections can lead to unexpected creativity.

Letting go of rigid expectations has actually made creating even more fun. And that’s a lesson I’m trying to apply to life, too—sometimes, things don’t go the way you planned, but that doesn’t mean they won’t turn out amazing in their own way.

Final Thoughts: Moving Forward, Nerd Style

Letting go doesn’t mean forgetting, and it doesn’t mean giving up. It just means learning to move forward with less baggage and more curiosity. Whether it’s comics teaching me to embrace change, video games helping me accept failure, or AI reminding me to let go of perfection, nerd culture has lowkey been helping me grow in ways I never expected.

So, what’s something nerdy that’s helped you learn to let go? Drop your thoughts in the comments—I’d love to hear them! 🚀🎮📖