Sunday, 26 February 2012

Free Topic: Fandom

     The word "fandom" is defined as "the fans of a sport or famous person." I initially discovered this word from one site, and only one: Tumblr. Before Tumblr, I thought I was the only girl overly-obsessed with a celebrity. After Tumblr, I became well aware that I wasn't the only person who could  be such a maniac over someone I've never met and probably never will meet. I've also learned to "ship" imaginary couples (mostly from television shows and movies). For example: From Doctor Who, the two characters I would ship would be the Doctor and the Master. Both equally sexy men in their own ways. Can't choose one? Make them a couple. It always makes a fangirl's day to see two of her favorite sexy characters in love with each other. Fandom fangirls also give names to their couples like "TenSimm" (David Tennant and John Simm). It's like Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt: "Brangelina" Photo example of a "ship" (AKA inappropriate/ extreme fan art):




aikainkauna:

Unexpected rescue! Sam can swim, of course, but when you’re rescued from a watery grave by a dripping wet Dave errant, would you tell him that? Thought not.




From above, the two last ones are called "crossover GIFs." Crossover GIFs are two separate GIFs from different movies containing each of the people in the couple. They literally crossover the two GIFs using Photoshop. Its amazing what fans can do.


I found a little something on my dash on Tumblr. Proper credit goes to hesychasm



“Fandom is focus. Fandom is obsession. Fandom is insatiable consumption. Fandom is sitting for hours in front of a TV screen a movie screen a computer screen with a comic book a novel on your lap. Fandom is eyestrain and carpal tunnel syndrome and not enough exercise and staying up way, way past your bedtime. 


Fandom is people you don’t tell your mother you’re meeting. Fandom is people in the closet, people out and proud, people in costumes, people in T-shirts with slogans only fifty others would understand. Fandom is a loud dinner conversation scaring the waiter and every table nearby. 


Fandom is you in Germany and me in the US and him in Australia and her in Japan. Fandom is a sofabed in New York, a roadtrip to Oxnard, a friend behind a face in London. Fandom talks past timezones and accents and backgrounds. Fandom is conversation. Communication. Contact. 


Fandom is drama. Fandom is melodrama. Fandom is high school. Fandom is Snacky’s law and Godwin’s law and Murphy’s law. Fandom is smarter than you. Fandom is stupider than you. Fandom is five arguments over and over and over again. Fandom is the first time you’ve ever had them. 


Fandom is female. Fandom is male. Fandom lets female play at being male. Fandom bends gender, straight, gay, prude, promiscuous. Fandom is fantasy. Fandom doesn’t care about norms or taboos or boundaries. Fandom cares too much about norms and taboos and boundaries. Fandom is not real life. Fandom is closer than real life. Fandom knows what you’re really like in the bedroom. Fandom is how you would never, could never be in the bedroom. 


Fandom is shipping, never shipping, het, slash, gen, none of the above, more than the above. Fandom is love for characters you didn’t create. Fandom is recreating the characters you didn’t create. Fandom is appropriation, subversion, dissention. Fandom is adoration, extrapolation, imitation. Fandom is dissection, criticism, interpretation. Fandom is changing, experimenting, attempting. 


Fandom is creating. Fandom is drawing, painting, vidding: nine seasons in four minutes of love. Fandom is words, language, authoring. Fandom is essays, stories, betas, parodies, filks, zines, usenet posts, blog posts, message board posts, emails, chats, petitions, wank, concrit, feedback, recs. Fandom is writing for the first time since you were twelve. Fandom is finally calling yourself a writer. 


Fandom is signal and response. Fandom is a stranger moving you to tears, anger, laughter. Fandom is you moving a stranger to speak. 


Fandom is distraction. Fandom is endangering your job, your grades, your relationships, your bank account. Fandom gets no work done. Fandom is too much work. Fandom was/is just a phase. Fandom could never be just a phase. Fandom is where you found a friend, a sister, a kindred spirit. Fandom is where you found a talent, a love, a reason. 


Fandom is where you found yourself.”

I think it's a pretty accurate description, don't you think?

           
I don't own the photos on this post. They come from the following sites: k-onwhoaikainkaunathisisgallifrey

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