fandom

Fandoms require a great deal of devotion and energy. There may come a point where you just aren't into one anymore. I had a family member ask about what mangas are good for middle schoolers. I drew a blank. I responded with One Piece. I felt that was a Read More

Part of being a fan is ruining things. You can't very well let this intellectual property that's given you hours of joy get off without knowing how it's failed you. No, we must punish the things we love, usually by suggesting how they could totally be Read More

An oft-quoted proverb is “Only three things in life are certain: birth, death, and change.” This cycle is also true of social cultures. New ones are being born. Established ones are changing. Older and rigid ones are dying, especially if they are closed Read More

Fan fiction is basically fiction written by fans about their favorite shows, books, movies, etc. It goes beyond being a simple viewer. Fan fiction writers ask “what if?” They want to know what happened between the episodes, about things that were just Read More

Although mainstream media and pop culture view geek/nerd society as male-dominated, there’s a long history of female involvement in fandom. Women have played an original or integral part in significant scientific and technology related discoveries and Read More

In Western culture, certain traits and skills are associated with those categorized as geeks/nerds: high IQ, excellence at math and sciences, devotion to and skill with technology, passion bordering on obsession for certain types of pop culture — comic Read More

Over the past couple of years, a certain portion of the geek/nerd community has decided the culture has been invaded. These invaders, like space aliens with malicious intent, are able to blend into the realm of geekdom and pose as ordinary geeks/nerds. Read More

The popularity of conventions in the nerd/geek community is due in large part to the freedom participants feel to express their particular fandom with enthusiasm and devotion in an atmosphere that is comfortable and safe. For cosplayers, that safety has Read More

Cosplay is a way for people to express their fandom by costuming and performing as their favorite characters. This process requires dedicated research to a character’s background and the details of their appearance and mannerisms. Cosplayers spend many Read More

Spandex-clad superheroes, armored Stormtroopers, uniformed Star Fleet officers, sonic screwdriver-armed Doctors, mail bikini-sporting Leias, blaster-toting Captain Mals and hat-wearing Jaynes, shield-bearing Links and Zeldas, plus a host of other Read More

So, I am getting married shortly. Like many nerds and geeks, I wanted a theme wedding. One of the fandoms my fiancé and I both like is Doctor Who — thus, we had our theme. We are close to our wedding and I have learned a few things about planning a Read More

Whether you like it or not, styling oneself as a geek/nerd has gone mainstream. Add “geek” to your hobby, and you’ve got yourself a new fandom — Sports Geek, Film Geek, Photography Geek, Computer Geek, Knitting Geek, Gardening Geek, Barbie Geek — the Read More