Back in the day, if you really loved a movie franchise or a television series, you'd have to attend fan conventions to meet others who feel like you do. Nowadays you can meet them online. There are many blogs specifically for fans of a particular thing and these are a great place to share your ideas. You may even create a blog for fandoms and allow other fans to comment.
There is a fandom for almost everything under the sun. You'll find ones for specific sports teams, for bands, for movies and TV shows and even for books. Fans of a certain author will have their own fandom and there are also ones for specific genres, for instance Japanese manga. A fandom can be quite organized, with its own fanzine, website and events. You'll also find that some fans take their passion very seriously, to the point of obsession.
A great example of how devoted fans can be is the phenomenon known as Trekkies. These are fans of 'Star Trek', the television series from the Sixties which led to follow-up series and films. Trekkies have their own salute and often come together at large conventions where they can meet their favorite stars from the series. The most devoted Trekkies can speak Klingon fluently, which is quite a feat, considering that it is an invented language.
Another science fiction series that has gathered a devoted fan base is the 'Star Wars' films. Like Trekkies, fans of the 'Star Wars' franchise are very serious about their passion. Many are willing to pay thousands of dollars for original figurines of characters such as Darth Vader, Han Solo, Princess Leia or Chewbacca. This is also the fandom to belong to if you've always wanted to wield a light saber.
Both 'Star Trek' and 'Star Wars' have been around for several decades, always gaining more fans. However, 'Firefly' showed that even a series of only a dozen episodes can earn a devoted following. The space Western's fans call themselves Browncoats and among their number are the fictional characters from the popular sitcom 'The Big Bang Theory'. Browncoats tend to be socially responsible and have raised thousands of dollars for charity. One of their must-haves is a so-called Jayne hat.
Fantasy has earned quite some devoted fandoms too. Among these are the devoted 'Game of Thrones' fans who can draw you a map of the fictional Westeros, tell you which character belongs to which house and name each house's symbol. They may even say a few phrases in Dothraki, a language that George R. R. Martin invented when he wrote the books.
Fans that normally have their tongue lodged firmly in their cheek are those of Terry Pratchett's series of 'Discworld' novels. After all, Pratchett's world is populated by vampires who drink cocoa instead of blood, fairies who are evil and witches who have to kick-start their broomsticks. 'Discworld' fans have even embellished on a song that Pratchett only mentioned in his books.
If you're a devoted fan of something, find blogs about it and share your thoughts in the comments sections. Otherwise, create a blog of your own. You may even opt for something very specific, such as recipes for foods mentioned in a series or instructions for making costumes.
There is a fandom for almost everything under the sun. You'll find ones for specific sports teams, for bands, for movies and TV shows and even for books. Fans of a certain author will have their own fandom and there are also ones for specific genres, for instance Japanese manga. A fandom can be quite organized, with its own fanzine, website and events. You'll also find that some fans take their passion very seriously, to the point of obsession.
A great example of how devoted fans can be is the phenomenon known as Trekkies. These are fans of 'Star Trek', the television series from the Sixties which led to follow-up series and films. Trekkies have their own salute and often come together at large conventions where they can meet their favorite stars from the series. The most devoted Trekkies can speak Klingon fluently, which is quite a feat, considering that it is an invented language.
Another science fiction series that has gathered a devoted fan base is the 'Star Wars' films. Like Trekkies, fans of the 'Star Wars' franchise are very serious about their passion. Many are willing to pay thousands of dollars for original figurines of characters such as Darth Vader, Han Solo, Princess Leia or Chewbacca. This is also the fandom to belong to if you've always wanted to wield a light saber.
Both 'Star Trek' and 'Star Wars' have been around for several decades, always gaining more fans. However, 'Firefly' showed that even a series of only a dozen episodes can earn a devoted following. The space Western's fans call themselves Browncoats and among their number are the fictional characters from the popular sitcom 'The Big Bang Theory'. Browncoats tend to be socially responsible and have raised thousands of dollars for charity. One of their must-haves is a so-called Jayne hat.
Fantasy has earned quite some devoted fandoms too. Among these are the devoted 'Game of Thrones' fans who can draw you a map of the fictional Westeros, tell you which character belongs to which house and name each house's symbol. They may even say a few phrases in Dothraki, a language that George R. R. Martin invented when he wrote the books.
Fans that normally have their tongue lodged firmly in their cheek are those of Terry Pratchett's series of 'Discworld' novels. After all, Pratchett's world is populated by vampires who drink cocoa instead of blood, fairies who are evil and witches who have to kick-start their broomsticks. 'Discworld' fans have even embellished on a song that Pratchett only mentioned in his books.
If you're a devoted fan of something, find blogs about it and share your thoughts in the comments sections. Otherwise, create a blog of your own. You may even opt for something very specific, such as recipes for foods mentioned in a series or instructions for making costumes.
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