*A WARM SHOUT OUT TO THOSE WHO HELPED as I know I didn't fit in all your stuff in cuz i was trying to get as many people as possible, AND THOSE THAT DIDN'T MAKE IT IN:TARDIS-Granger

The screaming crowds. The hours spent online, spreading pictures and information. All these people coming together. Let me introduce 你 to a fandom.
Fandom is a term that sounds like what is is—it refers to all the combined 粉丝 of something. It can be a sport, hobby, 或者 book. It can be very specific, down to one show; 或者 wide, encompassing all shows in a genre. The 粉丝 are closely connected 由 shared interest. Fandoms have been around for some time, but have recently become mainstream. Are 你 ready to enter their world?
“People sometimes look at fandoms from the outside and wonder why [they] spend so much time on these people they don't know personally, but once 你 step inside the world 你 can start to understand it...fandoms are just one of the many ways that we gain and spread ideas, information and wisdom from all over the world,” 说 Haley, a high school junior, in her 文章 Fangirling Dissected.
Now fandoms can take their interest online. Many websites are built 由 dedicated 粉丝 of everything from Harry Potter to My Little Pony. 粉丝 from all over can collect information, have conversations, post original artwork and stories, and write on forums. It’s easy for every member of the fandom around the world to connect, even if they never meet in real life.
There’s a difference between 粉丝 and fandom. Only the most devoted 粉丝 are included in the fandom. youtobe user danisnotonfire explains the difference between a “casual” 粉丝 and an “internet” 粉丝 that would be in a fandom.
“Let me explain: firstly the person discovers and enjoys the thing. Then the person goes onto the internet and has fun learning 更多 about it and people who feel the same way. The person then suddenly becomes aware of their [the object of interest] overwhelming perfection and it becomes the 粉丝 main reason for being alive.”
Being overcome 由 emotion when something in the fandom happens 或者 the person sees 或者 hears anything related to their fandom (They see a picture, hear the name, etc) is called “feels”.
“Now whenever anything happens, they are overcome 由 so many emotions [feels] that they can't function and it’s basically destroyed their life. Basically fandoms are like drugs, 你 just need that little bit to get 你 hooked, and then a tiny bit 更多 here and there, when BAM, suddenly your life is a train wreck.”
That’s where many disagreed. As 潮流粉丝俱乐部 用户名 x-Yumi-x pointed out, being a 粉丝 may take up a lot of time, but that’s because it’s all stuff they 爱情 doing; stuff they’d rather be doing than other things.
“To be honest, being in a fandom really enriched my life and 给 me a sense of belonging,” 说 潮流粉丝俱乐部 用户名 Cerudays.
“Being in a fandom has brought a lot of good times into my life that I wouldn't have had otherwise. I honestly don’t know what I’d be doing if it weren’t for this,” added 潮流粉丝俱乐部 用户名 Panisepic.
Members of a fandom tend to be very interested in all of the details of their object of interest. They will absorb any accessible knowledge about it, and it often makes them very educated about it. For example, 粉丝 of Doctor Who could 列表 all the actors, talk about who made the best companion, 或者 argue avidly that David Tennant was the better doctor. Often, members connect 由 organizing things like conventions, games, 或者 conferences. 粉丝 fiction (fictional stories about the object of interest written 由 fans) and art are also common among fandoms. These are just 更多 signs as to how much 粉丝 爱情 their hobbies.
One example is a story of how much one girl wanted to get a poster and see a new movie. “I had been waiting for the new 电影院 to come out for half a year, and they were being shown…near my town. If 你 attended in cosplay [dress up like a character from show, book, 或者 video game, especially ones from Japanese genre of 日本漫画 and anime], 你 could get a free poster— and I really, really wanted a poster! I went with a friend, but there were maybe 40 people also in costume there, and the theater wasn’t open yet! So all 40 something of us stood outside in cold weather wearing ridiculous costumes, watching as people stared when they drove by. It was hilarious!” exclaimed Cerudays, telling of a story she happily remembers. “I met a lot of cool people, got the poster I wanted, and enjoyed watching an 日本动漫 movie in a theater full of people who shared my interest. It was so cool!”
Many people can misunderstand these fans. Panisepic thinks the biggest challenge would definitely be other people’s view of fandoms, and having the reputation of being nerds.
“I know there’s a lot of stereotyping that goes on...I really think we would prove them wrong. We wear shirts with characters on them, 你 wear a football jersey. We talk about last night’s episode, 你 talk about last night’s game. We have 最喜爱的 characters, 你 have 最喜爱的 players. 你 think it’s weird we listen to something in another language we can’t understand, all your plays, scores, player names, and teams are just as must gibberish to me as 日本动漫 is to you.”
Sometimes the stereotyping of fandoms goes beyond just points of views. Sometimes people take it as far as bullying.
This was the case with 潮流粉丝俱乐部 用户名 Animegurl235.
“The only thing I basically have an interest in is anime… I was actually depressed for a period of time in middle school for being bullied so much for loving anime. I’m totally fine now though, and have made 日本动漫 loving friends!”
So, now that 你 know about fandoms, are 你 curious about the most 流行的 ones? Here’s a compiled list, not in any specific order. Doctor Who with 粉丝 called Whovians, Sherlock Holmes with 粉丝 called Sherlockians, Breaking Bad, 日本动漫 (Japanese animation) with 粉丝 called Otakus, Hunger Games with 粉丝 called Tributes, Game of Thrones, and Supernatural.
Now, when most people think of the beginning of fandoms, they think of Spock. But it came even before 星, 星级 Trek. In 1900’s, it was used to describe sports fans. The earliest known record of fandom is actually when Arthur Conan Doyle began his stories of mystery novels about Sherlock Holmes when a passionate 粉丝 base popped up. These early Sherlockians weren’t happy with just 阅读 the books; they wanted to live them. Since gaming systems were a while off, they settled for the 下一个 best thing: 写作 stories. Except they didn't use the term fanfiction, they called them “parodies” and “pastiches”. “Fanfiction” didn't get used until the mid 60’s around the publication of the earliest fanfiction journal, the 星, 星级 Trek themed Spockanalia.
So a fandom is close community of people with shared interest. These people can laugh, cry, and make memories together.
“I 爱情 knowing that there are people all across the world that shares your interests! Even if they live on the other side of the ocean, even if they don't speak your language...just knowing that thousands of people are 链接 in a community dedicated to one universal thing with inside jokes, art, and 音乐 is pretty awesome. We’re like one big family!”explains Cerudays. It’s a little 更多 understandable why they like being a part of that, isn’t it?