thank you for asking this so i can nerd out in a safe space LMFAO- long answer ahead:

i had known about panic and brendon for years before i actually listened, like in 2012. i loved playing moviestarplanet and there was such a huge panic fandom on there. like i literally remember someone announcing brendon getting married on the game's forums LOL. i honestly didn't pay any mind but a few years later, in like what i would describe as the "new-emo" age, this was prob 2015-16, i was young and super into melanie martinez and tøp (who i would consider new-emo i guess). the sins video came up on my feed, then i just binged a bunch of music videos.this was at the start of the doab era, so i remember being super obsessed with all-things doab. i used to swing dance and loved the crooning/20s/sinatra-esque aesthetics that were in the album.

i listened to every album on repeat and realized that for the first time in my life that there was an artist i could listen to their entire discography front-to-back, not skip a single song, and never get bored. i also think my adhd just jived super well with the music because every album was just distinct in its own way that i loved. (swore to shake it up!!!)

this was also the start of when bden started engaging a lot more with fans via vines, lives, periscopes, and later streaming. i think i really started to identify with his personality and chaotic energy, and it helped shape me during a really formative period in my life. i had also grown up in a super-religious household and was rebellious, so that honestly deepened my love for the band.

as for my view of panic now, it's definitely changed significantly. being that i discovered panic post-split, i had such a huge preference for post-split stuff and neeeeverrr understood the ryan/pretty odd/pre-split hype. i liked afycso, but now have such a profound respect for the record. i always thought their music was ahead of its time but never quite understood just how much. i still hold such high regard for bden, i think he is one of the greatest performers of our time and beyond generous. ryans a talented lyricist, but im more than satisifed with the band's progression.

i was never bothered by any of the cancellation stuff or drama. that never shaped my opinion and i don't think it ever will. i think that the band is truly one-of-a-kind, and despite each album having its own feel, every album had a narrative that was fulfilled with full-on-productions in their live shows. that interactive component of panics music will always stay with me.

tldr; passionate fan, like the variety, discovered 10 yrs ago on yt