Articles - Fansplaining (Page 2)

Photograph of Hutch and Starsky sitting together against a collection of stacked fruit crates.

Features

How Friendships Onscreen and Off Fueled Half a Century of Fandom

For the admins of the Starsky & Hutch Fiction Archive, preserving fanworks and fannish community go hand in hand.

Photograph of actors Elijah Wood, Orlando Bloom, Dominic Monaghan, and Billy Boyd with their arms over each others' shoulders, posing for a photo.

Features

The RPF Question

Amid blurry boundaries between fic, celebrity fandom, and conspiracy theories, how real person fiction evolved from forbidden to mainstream and back again.

Promotional still from Bridgerton featuring Kate in a blue Empire-waist gown standing at the base of a set of carpeted stairs, a corgi sitting on one of the stairs near her feet.

Features

Bridgerton and Period Drama Fandom’s Enduring Racism Problem

Complaints about historical accuracy and acting quality are often dog-whistles: some fans only want to see white actors—and white history—on screen.

Still from the film of Sam Wilson in his Cap uniform, cast in a reddish light.

Criticism

Sam Wilson Deserved Better Than Brave New World

Marvel wants fans to care about lore without thinking too deeply about themes and emotions—the things that brought them to this fandom in the first place.

Promotional photo of the cast, standing behind a silvery table with props.. See the caption for actors' names.

Features

The War That Almost Broke a Classic Fandom

Blake’s 7 fans and actors mixed regularly at cons and on the pages of zines—until an anonymous letter changed everything.

Illustration of a very dense galaxy of stars—appearing as mostly gold and silver—with a large black hole in the shape of a perfect black circle sitting in the middle.

Criticism

The Endless Appetite for Fanfiction

In 2024, everyone wanted a piece of fic, from AI grifters to traditional publishers to ravenous audiences. Where did that leave the people who write it?

Image of cardboard cut-outs of a dragon and a castle perched atop some books, against a black background. Image via Freepik.

Features

Bringing Fanfiction Into the Classroom

Fic does something that my traditional English classes cannot: it places the power in the hands of the student.

Fanart featuring John Lennon (done in shades of blue) and Paul McCartney (done in shades of red) against a pink and grey background.

Features

The Beatles Live!

New generations of fans are cultural archaeologists, working with the materials of the past to create the passion of the present.

Still from Scream featuring Mason Gooding, Jenna Ortega, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Devyn Nekoda, and Melissa Barrera.

Features

The Scream Fandom’s Enduring Divide

Nearly a year after star Melissa Barrera was fired for pro-Palestinian social media posts, fans remain torn over the future of the franchise.

Still from The Acolyte featuring Qimir and Osha sillouetted in the sunset gazing out at the ocean.

Criticism

The Acolyte’s Squandered Potential

The show brought a whole new set of fans to a stagnating franchise. Its cancellation suggests Star Wars is only interested in looking backwards.

Photograph of rows of red theatre seats.

Features

The Traumatized Gatekeepers of Broadway

Theatre fans measure their passion by nitpicking. Does it do the industry more harm than good?

Photograph of a tent labeled SOBER SIDE with several people sitting at tables draped in colorful cloth, with yellow balloons on the edges of the tent.

Features

The Yellow Balloon Movement

Within jam band fandoms often dominated by substance use, clean and sober fans are building their own communities.