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In a previous piece, The Daily Fandom reviewed five fiction books about fandom and how these tales reveal the nuances of geek culture. Now with five more books, we are taking a deeper dive into bands, webcomics, and other fandoms that don’t always see the spotlight. By looking at these fictional characters and their fandoms, we get a sense of all the ways someone can be a fan.
Grace And The Fever By Zan Romanoff
While taking a walk one night, Grace finds herself caught between Jes (lead singer of her favorite band Fever Dream) and the paparazzi. In order to cool any rumors about the two of them, Jes invites Grace into the private world of Fever Dream. However, as Grace is intrigued by the fame and the intensity of her own fan-identity, her ideas of public and private information become blurred.
While it’s every teenager’s dream to meet a member of their favorite band, Grace and The Fever highlights the potential dangers of idolizing real people. Grace’s interactions with the band seem harmless from her perspective, her actions are revealed to be rooted in obsession and selfishness. The novel serves as a reminder that musical groups are still composed of real people who do not exist solely for the enjoyment of their fans.
Grace and The Fever also draws attention to the double-edged sword that is Real-Person-Fiction (RPF), a genre of fanfiction in which writers use real people as characters in a fictional story. Grace is invested in a relationship she imagined between bandmates Solly and Land, so much so that she projects her fantasies and desires onto them. While Grace’s initial interest in the band members’ potential relationship starts off as harmless, once she meets the band in real life her fantasies are no longer contained by the vastness and anonymity of the internet – allowing them to cause real harm.
Eliza And Her Monsters By Francesca Zappia
Eliza has a secret. She is the creator of the wildly popular webcomic, Monstrous Sea. While she initially is able to keep this secret under wraps (even from her friend and Monstrous Sea mega-fan, Wallace), the truth is accidentally revealed. Once her identity as the creator is known, Eliza’s world is shattered. No longer protected by her online anonymity, Eliza’s relationships with her family, friends, and fans are put to the test.
Eliza and Her Monsters highlights an often-forgotten area of fandom– webcomics. Unlike major corporate productions, webcomics are typically made by average folks in the spare moments of their day. They aren’t afforded the legal or personal protections of a studio deal or traditional publication, which reveals challenges when trying to create appropriate boundaries with a fan base. When her true identity is accidentally leaked by her mom to her school, her privacy is violated and the information ends up online.
The novel expresses the troubles of the para-social relationship fans and creators form. As Eliza grows uncomfortable with her new role in the spotlight, her mental health deteriorates. Without her anonymity to protect her, Eliza struggles through interactions with her friends, classmates, and even a teacher. While her status as a webcomic creator is revered by those around her, her so-called fans pay little attention to how her self-image and sense of security are deeply harmed.
The Pros Of Cons By Alison Cherry, Lindsay Ribar, And Michelle Schusterman
Three girls all find themselves at the same convention hall. Phoebe (a drummer), Vanessa (a fanfiction writer), and Callie (an apprentice taxidermist) find their lives suddenly intertwined in the hotel lobby. While they have all been brought there under different circumstances, their lives are inevitably intertwined. Vanessa wants to meet her internet girlfriend, Callie wants to form a stronger bond with her father, and Phoebe is desperate to shine in her drum solo.
Despite their differences, the girls band together to help each other succeed — and even learn they are fans of the same interview-style podcast in the process. The Pros of Cons highlights an important aspect of fandom culture, not all fandoms are about media. Fandom is a difficult term to define ((Stitch. “How Do We Define Fandom? Moving Beyond The Transformative vs. Curative Binary.” Teen Vogue. 2021.)), but most generally refers to a community of people who all enjoy the same thing.
While we are often compelled to think of fandom in relation to large media franchises, such as Supernatural or Marvel, a fandom can form around anything — even percussion instruments or taxidermy. The three lead characters all being equally supportive of the others’ passions and desires demonstrate how fan communities are more than just a single group of like-minded people. Fandom, rather, is influenced and supported by all communities of people. The story also highlights the authentic relationships girls have with each other.
Their genuine care for each other in the face of hardship demonstrates the power of friendship, such as Callie’s strained parental relationship or Vanessa’s self-absorbed and inattentive girlfriend. Though they begin as strangers, Phoebe, Vanessa, and Callie represent a certain kind of sanctity and kindness that can only be found in the bonds between friends.
Don’t Cosplay With My Heart By Cecil Castellucci
Edan is a huge fan of Team Tomorrow, especially the character Gargantua. Her love of the comics and cosplay helps her to cope with her disastrous home life, as her father is likely going to be sent to jail. Meanwhile, her best friend is gone for the summer and her boyfriend is a major jerk. But just as her world starts to fall apart, her new friend Kirk feels just like the supporting character she needs.
Don’t Cosplay With My Heart draws attention to a lot of the struggles young girls face, both in and out of fandom. Edan faces a lot of sexism at the hands of her boyfriend, Yuri, and his friends. He speaks down to her as a fan, questioning her credibility and knowledge of Team Tomorrow. Yuri accuses Edan of being a “fake geek girl” (( Scott, Suzanne. Fake geek girls: Fandom, gender, and the convergence culture industry. New York: New York University Press, 2019. )), a term that implies women only engage in media because it makes them more attractive to men and that their geekiness is somehow inauthentic.
Yuri’s behavior in the novel is not unfamiliar to many women in fandom, who often find themselves being quizzed or straight-up sexualized by male fans when they are out in public. The novel poses a stark counterargument to the “fake geek girl” narrative – that only fake fans are unkind to other members of their community. The novel also authentically and sympathetically showcases how fandom can be essential for coping.
Edan’s life is juxtaposed to that of Gargantua and the other members of Team Tomorrow, especially as things seem bleak for her father. Her fandom provides her with constant comfort in the face of an uncertain future.
All The Feels By Danika Stone
Everyone feels sad when their favorite character is killed. But Liv is distraught at the death of Starveil character Captain Matt Spartan, and she refuses to accept his fate. She creates the #SpartanSurvived campaign, enlisting her best friend/ expert cosplayer Zander to assume the role of the now-deceased Captain in a series of promotional videos she creates. As their movement gains more traction, Liv’s grades begin to slip and her personal life falls apart. None of that really matters though, so long as she can bring Spartan back to life.
While Liv’s reaction to Spartan’s death may seem a little overdramatic to some, All The Feels taps into an element of fandom that is often overlooked. While the characters we love are fictional, we still form bonds with them as if they are real people. Para-social relationships describe the phenomena of feeling for and connected to a person or character who does not know you exist. It’s that bond that keeps us glued to our screens and rooting for the characters. When a fandom comes to its conclusion or a character is killed off, it can invoke very real feelings of grief and loss (( Gay, LaToya. “The Grieving Process: What To Do When Your Favorite Character Dies”. Substream Magazine. 2017. )) After all, it means a significant portion of our life has come to a close.
Of course, Liv is not excused from her actions. Her obsession with Spartan borders on unhealthy, as her mother points out that it is causing her grades to slip. While fandom is meaningful, it can’t replace real-life interactions or education. Liv also chooses to ignore the desires of the creative team behind Starveil, especially that of Spartan’s actor (who has insisted that he’s done with the role). However, Liv does not seem to learn a lesson about valuing the real world, and is instead rewarded with successfully bringing Spartan back to life and landing a role as a writer in the new film. The lack of consequences does not accurately reflect real-world fandom, in which responsibilities and respect for others should always be the main focus.
All The Ways To Be A Fan
While fiction books about fandom are a tool that highlight both the positives and negatives of fan cultures, they also highlight all the ways you can be a fan. For many people, fandom is at the forefront of their lives and plays a huge role in their identity. It serves as a tool to help them cope with their real-life concerns or it serves as a way to maintain connections with a larger community. But fandom can also be casual and serve as a background to our lives. Not everyone participates in fan cultures with the same die-hard intensity; and that’s okay!
Rather, the goal of these novels is to demonstrate the vastness of fandoms and the people within them. Whether you’re the number one fan of a boyband, or just a casual artist hoping to make it big, fandom is always there for you.