INTRODUCTION:

In the Modern world, with the growth of the internet and worldwide fandoms, Fan groups and
practices have come to the forefront of the Public eye, and with shows such as The Big Bang Theory
celebrating what it means to be a nerd, to be a fan, being an open fan has become more widely
acceptable in the mainstream media. With the release of the Television show, Star Trek, and its
legion of fans, known as Trekkies, popularizing and defining the concept of Fandom and Fan

interaction, bringing it into the public eye, Fandom is certainly not a new thing. But with the
progression of media and the internet, Fandoms have taken over the world, as people create
worldwide fandoms. With the domination of Fandom in popular society, it comes as a surprise that
societys view of fans and fandoms can at times be highly negative. As Jenkins puts it in his book,
Textual Poachers, Media fans are brainless consumers who will buy anything associated with the
programme or its cast. While, for certain fans and areas of Fandom, this quote holds true, it is an
unfair generalised assumption about the stereotypical fans. In reality, many fans many fans show their
dedication and appreciation for a show in several different ways, through different fan practices.
These practices are the creation of Fan Fiction, Cosplay, Fan Art, Conventions, acts which focus on
the community around a certain show, rather than the consumption of the product. However, Fans are
not limited to these practice, and since Fandoms came to the public forefront, shows and movies have
been successfully crowd funded by hordes of avid fans, allowing fans to take on the role of producer,
even giving their own creative input through fan sites and blogs. These acts, the practices which a
majority of fans uses to express their adoration for a show, story, or characters, shows that, contrary
to Jenkins belief, media fans are members of an active community rather than brainless consumers.
FAN FICTION:
Arguably one of the most well-known fan practices, Fan Fiction, or Fanfic, is, As Jenkins himself puts
it, an unauthorized expansion of these media franchises into new directions which reflect the reader's
desire to fill in the gaps they have discovered in the commercially produced material. Each story
typically focuses on a certain show/s or character/s, and is basically inserted by the author into the
already pre-existing story, expanding it, and with the popularity of Fanfics such as 50 Shades of
Gray, originally a Twilight fan-fiction, Fanfic has more recently returned to the publics attention.

Although, in many eyes, Fan Fiction has been deemed socially inappropriate, a habit only pursued by
those who idolised characters in unsavoury ways, that is far from the complete truth. Fan Fiction can
be broken up into the traditional media genres, such as Action, Romance, and Science Fiction, but
there are also four specific terms reserved just for the relationships displayed within Fanfic; Slash,
refers to Same-Sex Male, Femslash, refers to Same-sex female, Het, is short for Heterosexual, and
Gen, or General. This breakdown of romantic pairings may be the cause for the somewhat unsavoury
view of Fanfics, but like all media, a small subset does not represent the entirety of its creative
material.
Fan Fiction itself, like many other fan practices, is not pursued for financial gain, but is written as an
expression of the fans appreciation for the media text, a habit that is by no means new. The very first
fan-fictions can even be traced back to classical writings, such as the works of Jane Austen, and the
Sherlock Holmes stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. After Doyle stopped writing Sherlock Holmes, as
the character retired in His Last Bow, many devoted fans took it upon themselves to continue
Sherlocks adventures, writing and sharing their own stories, expanding on the mysterious past and
future for the beloved characters.
With the popularization of Trekkies and the rise of Fandom culture in the 1960s, Fan Fiction also
enjoyed a resurgence. Interestingly enough, while other areas of Fandom and Fan practices are
either male-dominated, or equally shared, Fan Fiction is dominated by females. Francesca Coppa, a
Professor at Muhlenberg College, states in her book, A Brief History of Media Fandom, 83% of Star
Trek fan fiction authors were female by 1970, and 90% by 1973. Fan Fiction has only continued to
grow in popularity and breadth in the past 40 years as the Internet developed, allowing people the
world over to publish and share their stories. According to Bill Tancer, author of a 2008 book on web
statistics, Fan Fiction makes up 33 percent of all content revolving around books on the web
The sheer magnitude of people reading allows Fanfic writers to beta test their works, letting their
fandom peers read and critique their work. This ease of access has not only increased the fan
community and the quality of the work being produced, but, by giving fans the ability to connect with
each other relatively easy, has led to many of the many modern fan sites and blogs we can see, the
likes of Tumblr and fanfiction.net. In the same vain, the materials related to Fan Fiction have only
grown, moving past the confines of Star Trek and Sci-Fi Fandoms, and spilling into every other

conceivable form of media, as, according to a survey in 2008, the Top 2 Fanfic searches were Harry
Potter, and the Backstreet Boys. This explosion of content has cemented Fan Fiction as a central
form of fan practice.
While Fan Fiction is typically written by fans looking to answer their what-if questions, letting their
imagination run wild, while sharing their thoughts and stories with the wider fan community, Cosplay
provides a different outlet for Fans; the ability to be whichever character they choose.
COSPLAY:
While Actors are fortunate enough to make a living out of dressing up as amazing characters, most
fans are not as lucky. However, for certain fans, this presents little-to-no obstacle, and leads to the
next well-known fan practice, Cosplay. Cosplay, or Costume Play, is a practice in which fans, or
Cosplayers, wear costumes and accessories, either handmade or bought, in order to represent a
specific character. Often times, Cosplayers will gather, and role play based on their costumes, almost
like a stage show, except with the world as their stage. These characters can be from any media, but
most often appear from anime, comic books, films, video games, or television shows.
According to Dr. John L. Flynn, in his article Costume Fandom: All Dressed Up with Some Place to
Go!, the very first Cosplay occurred at the First World Science Fiction Convention in New York, 1939,
as a 22 year old Forrest J Ackerman and his friend Myrtle R. Jones appeared in the first SF (Science
Fiction) costumes among the 185 attendees. Although Cosplay, dressing up as your favourite
characters, has been occurring since 1939, our modern view of Cosplay spung up in Japan, as
readers and fans adapted a practice that had traditionally only featured science fiction, to encapsulate
manga and anime. This Japanese resurgence didnt hit the United States until the 1990s, with the
resurgence of manga and anime in North America, allowing Cosplay to take off, and making the
practice a significant aspect of pop culture. While it is not unusual to see character genders switched,
known as Crossplay, committed Cosplayers still try to remain as close to the character as possible,
albeit with some slight tweaks for realism. As such, the art of Cosplay is quite similar to Fanfic, as fans
strive to remain true to the character while presenting their own personal spin. This can be seen in the
fact that, while some purchase parts, or all, of their costume from outside sources, the majority hand
make or, if not physically able to sew themselves, tailor costumes and pieces specific to their
Cosplay, while crowdsourcing for authenticity and templates. These labours of love dont just sit

unused either, as when not at the latest convention, meeting up with like-minded fans, and showing
their handiwork, Cosplayers also participate in Role-playing, effectively acting as the character they
are portraying, or photo-shoots. A great example of this can be found on superherocreations.com, a
site set up by photographer and producer Adam Jay, who, through staging fight scenes and photo
shoots, not only collects some fantastic Cosplayers from around the world, but also helps bring these
fictional characters into reality.

1 Cosplay: Spider-Man, Cosplayed by Wickedm6, photo by E Photography

These staged shoots not only tie into the what-if mentality embraced by Fanfiction, but also provide
fans with a new way to show their love for the media; through visual art.
FAN ART:
While Fanfiction allows Fans to display their love through literature, and Cosplay allows Fans to
become their beloved characters, Fan Art appeals to a different aspect of fandom; that of purely visual
art. Although Cosplay allows fans to act as whoever they choose, Fanfiction and Fan Art allow Fans
to not only pay tribute to their favourite shows, but also bring their own personal visions into creation
and share them with the world.

Fan Art, like other fan practices, is artwork, such as paintings, photos, or drawings, based on a preexisting television show, novel, cartoon, or film. In the Western world, our modern sense of Fan Art
dates back to the 60s, as the boom of the Star Trek Fandom and its legion of Trekkies took Science
Fiction by storm. While Fan Art was usually featured in print zines or sold at fan conventions, the
advent of the internet brought about major changes, as Fandom moved from exclusively hand-made
works, into an almost computer-generated form of Fan Fiction. This lead to many classical fans
despairing over the perceived loss of personality in Fan Art. As Nancy Kippax writes on her fandom
blog, Reminisce with me, As fandom has moved away from the print zines and onto the Internet,
artwork has taken a much less important place. It's one of those things that I most deplore about
posting a story online. You never get to see an artist's rendition of your scenes. As a self-proclaimed
Fandom dinosaur, while her opinion may be valid, her views are somewhat outdated, for with the
development of Web 2.0 in the past few decades, the ability to interact with other fans has only
increased. This ability to share and create communally has only increased the amount of Fan Art
available online, and with the improved level of interaction, along with the growth of computer art,
Fans are increasingly able to see their own personal vision realized. With sites such as deviantart,
tumblr, and pinterest allowing people to not only connect with like-minded fans, but to share their Fan
Art with the world, Fan Art has become one of the most visible and easily accessible fan practice,
alongside Fan Fiction. Since Fan art came to be, several fandoms, specifically Star Trek, Star Wars,
Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, and Disney, have become known for the sheer amount of Fan Art
associated with the material, with artists producing numerous spin offs and twists of many beloved
characters. A great example of this comes from DjeDjeHutis deviantArt site, on which he created a
mash-up of Game of Thrones and Disney Characters.

2.Fan Art: The Wonderful World of Westeros, DjeDjehuti

Together, Fan Fiction, Cosplay, and Fan Art, the Trifecta of Fan Practices, not only allow allow fans to
create and express their appreciation for a text, but are pursued for creative rather than monetary
gain, letting fans and fandoms grow closer through their shared expression and passion, preferring
the community created, and the creation of their own media, than the consumption of the media
product and products associated. This expansive community can be most clearly seen through the
popularity of Fan Conventions such as The World Science Fiction Convention and Comic-con.
FAN CONVENTIONS:
A Fan Convention or Con is an event in which fans of either a particular film, series, comic, or even an
entire genre, such as science fiction, congregate in order to hold events, meet experts and featured
personalities, and even purchase featured materials. These events are either planned and run by fans
on a not for profit basis, or presented by a commercial company for Fans in order to garner profit.
Often, convention will feature performers and panels, whose appearance cost is usually covered by
the fee required to get in. However, although Modern Conventions have become commercial
nightmares, as companies, studios, and artists try to sell their wares, traditional science-fiction
conventions are aimed more towards the traditional fan practices; Cosplay, Fan Fiction, and Fan Art,
rather than featured personalities.
While conventions such as Comic-Con and Wonder-Con may seem to play into Jenkins hypothesis
that, fans are brainless consumers, the sheer magnitude of these conventions not only draws in fans

from around the world, giving them a chance to share common fan experiences, but also gives fans
the ability to interact with the creators and personalities involved with their favourite fandoms, through
panel boards and autograph signings. These conventions tend to bring out the most passionate fans,
allowing attendees to not only meet celebrities and see merchandise, but it also gives them to chance
to truly let go, and immerse themselves in geek and popular culture, making friends that could last a
lifetime.
These events show how important fans, fan practices, and fan service is to many media outlets, as
they aim to attract a worldwide audience, as their input is crucial to geek culture, and future
commercial success.
FANS AS PRODUCERS RATHER THAN CONSUMERS: Spider-Man Character Venom was created
by a fan, and bought by marvel for little under $200.
In a world dominated by the media, Fan convention and the sheer amount of Fan creations available
online hint at the true power behind the fandom; the power to create and expand their favourite
universes. While many shows, films, and authors have their own creative teams, ideas, and practices,
it is all too common to hit a block, and as money and sales have become increasingly important in
todays day and age, creators have the ability to fall back on a network of people who not only know
and love their product, but have fresh ideas to bring to the table. This can be seen as early as the first
Trekkies, as, upon hearing fragments of an alien language, Klingon, in the popular television show,
Star Trek, took it upon themselves to create and fully realise the language, even translating famous
works as Shakespeare into Klingon. However, the fans amazing ability to take what they love and run
with it doesnt end there, as these creations, if picked up by producers, can be turned into official
canonical works. A notable example of this can be found in the Spider-Man comic book series,
originally created by Stan Lee, as writers, looking for a change, asked Fans for costume ideas. This
ability to crowdsource led to the creation of Spider-Mans Black Symbiote Suit, and the Iconic AntiHero Venom, which Marvel purchased of reader Randy Schueller for a simple $220. The fact that a
simple sketch and fan creation has become such an iconic villain speaks volumes as to the
importance of fans and fandoms to the creative process.
Henry Jenkins argues that Media fans are brainless consumers who will buy anything associated
with the programme or its cast, an idea which, while true for certain fans, does not hold true when

compared to fandoms as whole. The core fan practices; Fan Fiction, Cosplay, and Fan Art, are not
based on consumption of media products, but instead allow fans to stretch their creative limits, putting
forward their What-if questions, and sharing their own love and passion for the show with like-minded
fans. Although, in looking at conventions, it is far too easy to agree with Jenkins, as they have
become swallowed by commercial interests, that is not the main draw for fans. Conventions, and
indeed the core fan practices, draw in fans from around the globe, allowing them to meet with, not
only their fandom icons, but numerous other fans, creating a global fandom, a factor which has only
been improved by the development of the internet, and the ability for fans to share their works on sites
such as Tumblr, Pinterest, Fanfiction.net, deviantArt, and personal fandom blogs.
These practices; the creation of Fan Fiction, Cosplay, and Fan Art, along with the fans ability to create
and commercially share their ideas directly disputes Jenkins argument, as Fans are not brainless
consumers, but are instead passionate artists, seeking worldwide communities to share with.

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Carolina: McFarland & Company. pp. 4159.
Flynn, John L. Costume Fandom: All Dressed Up with Some Place to go! Costuming. 205. Web. 1
May 2014
Nancy Kippax. ARS GRATIA ARTIS:: The Lost Art of Illoing. 20 July 2008 (accessed 1 May 2014)
DjeDjeHuti. "The Wonderful World Of Westeros." Deviant Art. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 May 2014.
http://djedjehuti.deviantart.com/art/Disney-Princesses-as-Game-of-Thrones-435049052
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