Talking about fandom this week, I could think of a huge amount of different tv shows and movies that have a cult-like following from people who generally enjoy it to those completely obsessed, and whom to me seem completely psychotic. I’ve never really understood obsessive fandom, but maybe that’s because I’ve never really been THAT interested in any sort of tv show, movie or media.
Fandom, now, rather than just meaning being a fan of someone or something, is now being part of a community or even a subculture of people with similar interests. These communities consist of fan fiction writers, cosplayers, message boards, real life activities and even, for example, Harry Potter based porn. It’s no surprise that the rise of technology and the internet have allowed people to engage with media in a really deep way even to the point of obsession. Despite my own personal views on hardcore fans of films such as Star Wars being a little mislead (My grandfather does truly believe in the power of Yoda), there is a nice sense of community to it that brings people together.
My favourite fandom (though it’s typically a children’s show) is Adventure Time. Shows like this were designed to have large following as the amount of information and detail put into the entire series is so specific and under the surface, is very adult. Fans seem to be working alongside the actual writers for the show in unraveling the connections between past events and different characters. Adventure time’s lore and entire history of the universe in the show is extremely comprehensive. It raises lots of complex ideas such as the very nature of magic and reality, and the outcomes of different prehistoric eras, war and time travel.
Here’s just a small example of one of the complexities of Adventure Time’s story line; the idea of “The Multiverse”
“Third Orb (Earth) does not exist,” said the Sage.
“Why?” asked the Student.
“Because the Multiverse,” said the Sage, “within which Third Orb exists, does not exist. The Multiverse is a Consensus Reality shared by the Minds of all Sentient Beings. If they were to Die, the Multiverse, as such, would suddenly blink out of existence, vanish, be no more.”
“Why?” asked the Student.
“Because,” said the Sage, “there would be no one to perceive it.”
These aspects of the show develop alongside the growing Adventure Time fandom, and the creators respond to fan fictions and theories by continuously creating new episodes that reflect different unanswered questions about the history of the Adventure Time universe.