Here's a roundup of stories on images of fans that might be of interest to fans:

• Fans have become accustomed over time to inaccurate or sometimes simply unpleasant portrayals in the media. For example, when a recent Saturday Night Live skit focused on manga fans, many of them were upset at the humor even though they felt it was a fairly accurate portrayal of the community. The reason? "For some fans, being cast into the limelight means many now feel judged for indulging in their hobby so enthusiastically."
• While manga fans felt that their behavior was being judged, a portrayal of Comic-Con cosplayers in Men's Fitness instead judged fans' physiques. However one fan took a deeper look at the incident to note not only why sexism hurts men too but how the media profits from it. "Men’s Fitness literally has the power to change these stereotypes and male beauty myths. But they aren’t, because they make money off telling men (and women) that their bodies are not perfect enough. Why would you buy Men’s Fitness unless you somehow felt bad about your body?"
• A post at the Good Men Project initiated a contentious discussion of sexism by pointing out how there may be more room for the "female nerd" in fandoms these days, but only if her opinions and behavior are convenient. "It’s definitely hot when a girl wants to play Halo or Gears of War or any other formulaic testosterone-fuelled first-person shooter, but it’s kind of a turn-off when she wishes that videogame developers take a more unisex approach to design and marketing. Time and time again, I have seen women run into brick walls of male privilege when they raise important issues about gender and equality within their chosen nerdy field. "
• Furries are a fandom that often feels judged, even by other fans. This experience means "members of the furry community are hesitant to talk to reporters and afraid of readers taking things out of context". The silence tends to encourage negative portrayals by outsiders, even as participants consider "the fandom to be an art form, with members drawing, designing costumes, performing and writing or composing music." As multifandom favorite actor Mark Sheppard noted in a recent interview, "I think the people who dress up and show their allegiance and their fandom and passion are incredibly brave... And truly exceptional as a group. You never see 'Gang of sci-fi fans rob 7-11' [in the news] do you?"

If you cosplay, are a furry are part of manga fandom, or have indeed robbed a 7-11 with your fandom gang, why not contribute to Fanlore? Additions are welcome from all fans.

We want your suggestions! If you know of an essay, video, article, event, or link you think we should know about, comment on the most recent Links Roundup — on transformativeworks.org, LJ, or DW — or give @OTW_News a shoutout on Twitter. Links are welcome in all languages!

Submitting a link doesn't guarantee that it will be included in a roundup post, and inclusion of a link doesn't mean that it is endorsed by the OTW.

Here's a roundup of stories on fandom and creator interactions that might be of interest to fans:

• A video column on Interactive TV Today featured an interview discussing fan fiction and fan communities with Scott Walker, co-founder of Brain Candy LLC. They discussed slash fiction (with some misunderstandings), crossovers (confused with AUs), how the TV series Supernatural incorporated fan ideas in the series, fan fiction as a training ground for writers, BNFs, Fair Use, commercializing fan fiction versus crowd-sourced storytelling, and establishing a "path to canonicity" for fan writing.
• By contrast, a piece in The Observer suggested that there is already too much commercialization involved when it comes to our favorite fannish texts. "As with junk food, so with books, films and TV, the current trend is to give people what they think they want, rather than to leave them wanting more." Citing various texts such as Inspector Morse and Star Wars, the author notes how disappointing a concrete explanation for things can be. "It's like with a magic trick: you're desperate to know how it's done but, when you find out, the mundane truth usually disappoints and undermines your enjoyment of the illusion."
• A reverse example of going "behind the curtain" is the new documentary Comic-Con Episode Four: A Fan's Hope, which was reviewed as part of the coverage on Fantastic Fest in Austin, Texas. This documentary, directed by Morgan Spurlock and produced by Harry Knowles. Stan Lee and Joss Whedon, follows five fans in their particular quests at Comic Con San Diego, such as becoming an illustrator or creating costumes for the con's Masquerade. The documentary has not yet been released for sale.

If you're a fan fiction writer or a con-goer why not contribute your perspectives to Fanlore? Contributions are welcome from all fans.

We want your suggestions! If you know of an essay, video, article, event, or link you think we should know about, comment on the most recent Links Roundup — on transformativeworks.org, LJ, or DW — or give @OTW_News a shoutout on Twitter. Links are welcome in all languages!

Submitting a link doesn't guarantee that it will be included in a roundup post, and inclusion of a link doesn't mean that it is endorsed by the OTW.

Here's a roundup of stories on universal fandom that might be of interest to fans:

• To be filed under "fans are still fans, regardless of gender", at the FIFA Master Conference in Neuchâtel, Switzerland a multinational group of researchers presented a study on female fans of male dominated sports. Among their findings were that women "want to be included in regular fan culture without necessarily having to adopt aspects of the language and behavior that prevails within it" and that they "want acceptance in the same way it is afforded to men. They want to be accepted within fan communities on their own terms as legitimate and authentic fans."
• To be filed under "fans are still fans, regardless of their fandom", a media fan who attended her first sports convention, Caps Con, discovered that fans are alike under the cosplay outfits. "I’m a geek. I’ve hit the cons, walked the walk, and I talk the talk. The amazing thing about Saturday was just how much of fandom has apparently become universal in the last ten years. Whether it’s NHL hockey, comic books, or a television series, every convention has its consistencies."
• To be filed under "fans are everywhere", Star Wars fans' recently staged "a huge lightsaber battle" in a New York City park with over 1000 participants. The Fandom Post story included video from the event and also from July 2010, when a group staged a scene of Darth Vader arresting Princess Leia in the NY subway, much to the delight of surprised bystanders.

If you're part of a sports fandom, if you LARP or are a con-goer why not contribute your perspectives to Fanlore? Contributions are welcome from all fans.

We want your suggestions! If you know of an essay, video, article, event, or link you think we should know about, comment on the most recent Links Roundup — on transformativeworks.org, LJ, or DW — or give @OTW_News a shoutout on Twitter. Links are welcome in all languages!

Submitting a link doesn't guarantee that it will be included in a roundup post, and inclusion of a link doesn't mean that it is endorsed by the OTW.

Here's a roundup of stories that contrast FIJAGH and FIAWOL that may be of interest to fans:

• Writing from the FIJAGH perspective, University of Virginia student paper writer Matt Diton suggests that fannishness has a shelf life, with its peak years being the high school and college time. "I’ve come to the conclusion that each person has the capacity to act on only so much pure emotion, and for someone like me — without a family or a true career — sports can fill that entire hole. However, when the more important things in life come around, sports get pushed to the background. It’s not that the passion isn’t there, that it leaves as you age, it’s just that the active portion of it gets smaller and smaller."
• Not all fans follow his trajectory however. In this feature on gamer wedding proposals, considerable time and ingenuity has been devoted by fans to make one of their life's special moments one that also celebrates their fannishness. In addition to fannish spouses, for some fandom is a family affair. Cons are one place where this multigenerational fannishness can be quite visible, and according to recent reports "[t]hough teams have been slow to adopt them, fan conventions are on the rise in the sports world."

If you're part of gaming or sports fandoms why not contribute your experiences to Fanlore? Additions to the site are welcome from all fans.

We want your suggestions! If you know of an essay, video, article, event, or link you think we should know about, comment on the most recent Links Roundup — on transformativeworks.org, LJ, or DW — or give @OTW_News a shoutout on Twitter. Links are welcome in all languages!

Submitting a link doesn't guarantee that it will be included in a roundup post, and inclusion of a link doesn't mean that it is endorsed by the OTW.