Are you new to fandom spaces?

So, I think everyone has seen an increase of people entering fandom spaces online, which I think is great! After seeing some discourse about fandom etiquette I've decided to make a series of blog entries that go over fandom basics. I think I will break it into these multiple parts of fandom(feel free to comment if you think I should add anything):

• the basic basics - today's entry
• cosplay
• fanworks: ex. fanficiton & fanart
• theories/discussions
• cons
• merchandise
• and perhaps more:)

The basic basics of fandom

I think anyone who has ever been online has come across fandom culture, and recently a lot of people have taken an interest in joining fandoms and being active in them. It can be overwhelming so I want to assure you that it's alright to not engage with everything all the time or at all. We've all been newbies at some point, and for me the first couple of years I just consumed media. I was pretty young and didn't know english that well yet so I wouldn't even comment or anything. However I do highly encourage you to engage in the community! Trust me it is so much fun and you can meet so many great people. The community is the way you make it:)

A brief history of fandom

Fandom culture can be even traced back to the 19th century(!), where fans of Jane Austen would call themselves Janeites(source). Fandom culture later picked up traction around the 1940s with sci-fi becoming popular. Thanks to the sci-fi fandom we now have conventions, fanspeak, fan art and fan fiction. Later around the 70s/80s other fandoms such as the anime and manga fandom and even furries evolved from sci-fi. Now there's a plethora of topics that have their own fandom.

Common phrases/slang you might come across

Slang does vary from fandom to fandom

• Canon: the original plot from the source material (ex. "I know this happened in the canon but this is my theory..." "It is canon that he loves her").
• Headcanon: plot points that a fan came up with and implemented into their version of the story
• Fanon: Basically headcanons that are widely accepted. They might not be explicitly said in the canon but are seen as true by most fans
• Ship: (noun); a relationship between two or more characters. You don't have to think the characters are made for each other to ship them. (verb); to actively support a relationship between two or more characters (ex. "These two are so cute! I totally ship it."). A ship doesn't have to be canon!
• OTP: meaning one true pairing. A pair that a fan loves above any other. In the kpop scene you can also come across OT9, OT5, etc. meaning how many idols in a group you stan. 
• Lore: the backstory/story of a franchise. Fans typically theorise about the lore of everything.
• Anon: anonymous poster/creator
• AU: "alternate universe" usually created by fans so they can write about their favourite characters in different situations.

The 10 commandments of fandom

There are 10 unspoken fandom rules, while some people go around breaking them all the time, I do highly encourage you to follow them. Especially if you are new to fandom, you can avoid unwanted arguments.

1.Honor the creator's wishes

This mostly applies if it's an individual and respectful about it. Some creators express that they for example don't want people to go and write fanfiction about them/their characters. Now, if a big corporation were to say this about a franchise, it's to be expected that the fans will not listen and will continue to create fanworks. I will talk about this and for example RPF more in the fanworks entry. If you do see someone breaking this rule, DO NOT send the work to the creator. Even though the person has broken this rule, they are probably trying to hide it from the creator and so sending it to them could make the creator uncomfortable and the person who made the fanwork very mad at you.
Similarly, when it comes to creators of fanworks, if they don't ask for constructive criticism, don't give it to them. Keep feedback positive unless they explicitly ask for it. Simply: if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all. 

2.Always give credit where credit is due

People will create fanart, fanfiction, cosplays, etc. of their favorite characters and worlds. It's just important to mention that it is fanart, usually people do that through hashtags. Fans create this type of art not for money or hype, but, the sheer love for the base material. Likewise if someone creates fanart of fanart (a fanartception) it's expected that they will first ask the original artist and then @ them as well. If you want to reblog a fanart you really like, it's important to also @ the original artist:) This doesn't just apply to fanart of course, it applies to basically anything original. 

3.Ship and let ship

This is a rule that more fans need to follow because it is actively breaking communities apart. I will go over this more in depth (and over RPF; real person fiction) in my blog entry about fanworks – specifically fanfiction. It's just important to remember that it's not that deep. People sometimes ship characters not because they think that they are perfect for each other (although that can be a reason), sometimes they just think it's an interesting pairing.

4.What happens in fandom, stays in fandom

Some people send actors/creators links to fanfiction and stuff like that which is mostly frowned upon in fandom spaces because it can make the actor/creator uncomfortable and then it's ruined for everyone. Some people do find out about it themselves and then play along with it but please don't force it. There are some instances of creators being truly weirded out by what the fandom was doing and then it just makes everyone in the fandom look like a creep and we do not want that. You as a fan should not want this to happen.

5.Do not out a fellow fan

Some people find really good friends through online fandom spaces, much so that they exchange their real life info. It is important that if someone does share this type of information with you, that you do not publish it for everyone to know. Imagine an elementary school teacher who, in their free time, likes to write NSFW fanfiction. They aren't inappropriate with kids in any way, this is just something that helps them wind down after a long day. If the information that they write that sort of stuff were to be released to their real life community, you can imagine the types of rumours that would spread about them. Keep sensitive information to yourself.

6.Always warn appropriately

It is important to think about how what you are saying might affect others. Obviously you cannot always warn everyone about everything, but there are a couple of musts:

• Spoilers

It is expected that in discussions and works you include if anything you are showing/saying might contain spoilers and for what(ex. "this post contains spoilers for season 3 episode 5). This is especially important if you are posting about an ongoing franchise, new instalment and endings of any sort. It is also nice to just include them for older things as well since new people join fandoms all the time, but, it isn't as needed.

• Triggers

Hello 2020! No, in all seriousness triggers are very important to warn people about triggering topics in your work. You have the right to include serious topics in your work, however, you need to acknowledge the fact that they can be triggering and act accordingly. Triggering topics include: any and all abuse, mental health topics, death, nonconsensual acts/acts with dubious consent and generally graphic content(fights, injuries)

• Other warnings

Basically anything "less severe" than triggers(although they can still be triggering for some). This can go all the way from foul langauge, sxxual kxnks and explicit smut to homophobia, derogatory language, etc.

e; i

7.Do not harass/send death threats/etc. to an actor or creator. EVER.

I feel like this is pretty self-explanatory, however, I still feel the need to point his statement out. There is no possible scenario where you need to harass anyone, and I mean ANYONE. No actors, original creators, fans, anyone. Even if you feel angry at somebody there is no reason to threaten them in any way(yes even if they are problematic/the problem/annoying/whatever). If somebody does something morally wrong, then you educate people around you and move on from them, there is no reason for you to give them more attention. If someone makes you angry/frustrated you scroll, just scroll.

8.Do not judge another fandom

We are the weird kids, all of us. For a community made up of people who had probably been singled out in some way, a lot of people still single other people out. Yes maybe some fandoms have more "artistic quality", yes maybe some fandoms have a less respectful fanbase that still doesn't mean you can go bully them. Maybe they think YOUR fandom is stupid, who knows? But if we just respect each other we can make fandom a less toxic space and truly a safe space for the weird kids.

9. Use cut tags. PLEASE.

This a special rule mostly for blogging websites like tumblr. Blog posts can get very long – just look at this one – and with pictures added even more so. If you do not want strongly worded comments on your blog, use cut tags. Using cut tags means that instead of having your post in full, you will have a "read more"/"see more" button so you take up less space on a reading list. If your post is worth looking at, people will look at it, don't force people into it.

10. Everyone, and I mean EVERYONE is gay

People just like to make content of queer/queercoded characters. Don't argue with it. Don't try to explain canon to them. Every character can be gay if you try hard enough, and these people are trying hard (in more ways than one;))

Where to find fandom communities?

While there are many fandom communities online, I highly encourage you to support the irl scene you have in your country/state/city. When it comes to online communities, the primary source of content is obviously going to be social media like:

• tumblr
• discord
• instagram
• tik tok
• youtube
• reddit
• spacehey
• twitter/threads
• twitch/kick

There are other networks as well, but, I would say these are the most popular and/or newcomer friendly. When it comes to real life communities the places where people meet vary depending on where you live since bigger cities have a higher probability of having more spaces. The first thing that comes to mind are conventions(cons for short) that I will have a separate entry for later. There are popular and very thought out cons like comic con, but, depending on where you live there might be smaller cons that are just as great! Now I might be biased since I work at a smaller comic book shop, but supporting local artists and businesses is super important! There are also themed cafés which you can visit, local (fan)art contests, book signings, workshops, pop ups etc. 

How to recognise and act on harassment

Sadly almost any and every fandom has a toxic part, and those people are usually very vocal. Right now I will focus on how to stay safe on the internet, since I will have a separate blog post about conventions. Obviously the classic rules of online safety apply so I don't want to repeat all of them but here's a great overview of online safety. There's a couple of points that are more important to be aware of in fandom spaces. One of which is the fact that you don't truly know who you're talking to. Even I could be a creepy old man instead of a nerd in his late teens. You can most definitely find really good friends through online fandom communities but be careful what information you are sharing with them. 
When it comes to hateful comments and dms from people you do not know in any way, the best option is to report/block them and move on. These people are often just ragebaiters and want your negative attention(yes I know it's cliche but it's true). If they for example keep creating new accounts to harass you, then I would recommend to turn to any authority whether it's moderators on the website or even just emailing the websites help centre. If the aggression is coming from these forms of authority, I would just say to leave that community. It's more likely to change you than you change the community. Have fun, but don't forget to stay safe:)