36 | On the cover ties have only given him a better means of working his wicked ways, so to speak. But then again, the people behind Doctor Who don’t always aggravate their fans in such a fashion. Every year the BBC runs a special contest for the younger fans that allows them to design a new monster for the show. William Grantham was the first winner, and his creation was known as the Abzorbaloff, featured in the episode “Love and Monsters.” The boy was invited onto the set, introduced to the cast, and got to watch the filming of his monster’s biggest scenes. For most fans, this is a moment of pure Nirvana. And for most fans, getting to visit sets, shake their favorite actors’ hands, and catch a few glimpses of brand new material or hear a new song before it’s officially released provides enough giddy happiness to power them through a rough spot or two. But for others, fandom can literally be the best thing in their life, the thing that keeps them going when they’re struggling with terrible issues in their everyday lives. For Evanna Lynch, a well known boy wizard wasn’t simply a great story—the wizarding world of Harry Potter became her lifeline. Diagnosed with anorexia when she was only eleven, Evanna Lynch was staying at a hospital and undergoing treatments when the fifth installment, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, was released. Though she was incredibly sick, her doctors allowed her to briefly leave the hospital in order to purchase the book, as the Harry Potter series was one of the few things that helped her through her treatments. This would be a fateful decision, as the character Luna Lovegood was introduced in Order of the Phoenix—and Lynch discovered a true role model. Inspired by Luna, Lynch began writing to J.K. Rowling, explaining her situation and why
she was so enamored with Ms. Lovegood. She confessed that it had become a dream of hers to audition for the role of Luna in the future film. Rowling wrote back, and told Lynch that to play Luna she would have to be healthy—that first and foremost she would have to take care of herself. More than anything, it was Rowling’s words and the character of Luna Lovegood that gave Lynch the determination she needed to overcome her eating disorder. And in 2006, three years after the release of Order of the Phoenix and her extended stay at the hospital, Evanna Lynch won the role she had been dreaming of, beating out over 15,000 other girls to play Luna Lovegood. So, yes: fandom can be a silly, preposterous thing. It’s full of back-biting and snark, condescending remarks and drama. A group of fangirls and fanboys can get up in arms over the strangest of things, and rejoice as a collective when they earn a slight shout-out on the shows they adore. But fandom is more than this, too. Fandom can be a supportive community, a necessary outlet, and a source of inspiration or hope. As saccharine as it sounds, fandom can sometimes be a light to guide you home, as was the case for the now famous Evanna Lynch. And to those who mock fans and their ilk, beware. Because today’s fans are tomorrow’s show runners, as Steven Moffat can attest. Cross Misha Collins and you have to face the wrath of his Minions, thousands strong and every day growing. And who knows? That dorky kid on the bus entirely absorbed in their book may be the next actor to take Hollywood by storm, perhaps playing their favorite character in a blockbuster adaptation. This is the Age of the Geek, sweeties. And fandom is leading the charge. n
Fandom terminology you should know Fandom – the umbrella term used to describe the community of fans who participate in writing fan fiction, dressing up in costumes, drawing fan art, making fan videos, etc. Fandom can also be used to refer to a specific media form that a fan writes, costumes, draws, or generally creates for – for example, “My major fandoms include Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, Once Upon A Time, and Pirates of the Caribbean.” Pairing/Ship – This is a fandom-exclusive term that refers to a romantic relationship in a TV show, movie, book, etc. that a fan particularly likes. For example, someone might say, “My favorite pairing in Pride and Prejudice is Jane/Bingley,” or, “I’m writing a story focused on my favorite Star Trek ship, Kirk/Spock.” Troll – a person who deliberately tries to goad reactions out of other people on the internet. Steven Moffat, the current main writer for the British television show Doctor Who, is famous for “trolling” his fans by posting misleading information on his Twitter, and creating plot twists that mess with the fans’ perception of the show. Fanfiction.net – the major fan fiction website on the Internet, where fans from every imaginable fandom can post their stories for other fans to read. It is infamous for the many bad-quality stories that can be found there, but there are many good stories as well. You can find it at http://www.fanfiction.net. Tumblr – a website heavily populated by fans, dedicated mostly to photographs, fan art, and news about the latest TV shows, films, and actor’s projects. You can visit this website at http://www.tumblr.com. Twitter – a famous mini-blogging website where anyone can post “tweets” - 140-character updates on virtually any topic. Celebrities will post updates about their favorite projects and entertain their followers with amusing tweets meant to make fans laugh. See Misha Collins’ Twitter at https://twitter.com/#!/mishacollins. Livejournal – a blogging website, mostly text-based, with a heavy fandom population. People post fan fiction, essays about their favorite shows, rants about their favorite characters, and also post updates about their lives here; but here, there is no character limit. Entries can be as long as the writer pleases. You can find Livejournal at http://www.livejournal.com.