Fandom is likely to be one thing folks take part in throughout their spare time, possibly within the privateness of on-line communities or conference halls, but it surely undoubtedly has an affect on the broader world. Up to now few years, the varieties of methods deployed by politicians and people main social actions have more and more began to appear to be these utilized in fandom. That is significantly true of techniques pioneered throughout the digital and bodily fan areas with the intention to enhance visibility and affect. All of the whereas, fandom itself is constant to alter and evolve.
Powered by ardour, followers make issues occur. Typically these accomplishments are solely essential inside every particular person fandom — producing a zine, making a personality or superstar pattern, beginning a brand new meme. However different instances they attain additional than anticipated, outdoors fan areas, and make issues actually transfer.
Having a look on the accomplishments of fandom communities this yr is an effective strategy to get a chook’s-eye view of what precisely fandom is, at a time when extra folks interact in fandom than ever. In 2023, followers confirmed up and made their voices heard. They launched tasks, saved reveals, supported strikes, and even rescued historic figures from obscurity. Listed here are just some of fandom’s most spectacular accomplishments from this yr.
Followers on strike
When the Writers Guild of America introduced that its members could be occurring strike in Might of this yr, followers took the information in stride. After all, it was disappointing to listen to that manufacturing on many fan-favorite reveals, like Stranger Issues, could be pausing because of the strike motion. However it was extra essential that followers supported the actions of the WGA, and later SAG-AFTRA, which had been needed for writers and actors to earn protections and honest wages of their business.
Although some troll posts led folks to consider that followers had been in opposition to the strike, that couldn’t have been extra unfaithful. It was exactly the other: Followers labored onerous to unfold details about how greatest to assist the putting writers and actors. Unbiased, fan-run blogs like sagwgastrikeupdates and fans4wga persistently communicated the newest information on the strikes and answered questions on how greatest to keep away from crossing the picket line with fan exercise.
And whereas some followers had been unhappy that reveals that got here out in the course of the strike, like fan favorites Good Omens and Our Flag Means Dying, by no means acquired conventional actor- and writer-centric press excursions that followers might obsess over alongside the brand new episodes, followers put their emotions apart in assist of equity. OFMD followers confirmed up in particular person to picket traces and had been rewarded, when the strike ended, with a deluge of behind-the-scenes content material that stars like Vico Ortiz and Leslie Jones shared on TikTok.
A plaque for Hester Leggatt
West Finish comedy musical Operation Mincemeat has fostered a fandom of Mincefluencers ever since its off-West Finish days at Riverside Studios. It’s an oddball present, which, very like the Broadway hit Six, was written and developed by an organization of Fringe Competition stalwarts. And like Six it was additionally impressed by actual historical past. Just like the Colin Firth movie of the identical title (which it in any other case shares no reference to) Operation Mincemeat was impressed by actual occasions throughout World Warfare II, when a gaggle of MI5 operatives efficiently diverted the Nazis by planting false info on a corpse.
The musical’s essential characters are primarily based on actual historic figures, together with Hester Leggatt, a secretary at MI5. She contributed to the wartime operation by serving to create the false identification of the corpse, writing love letters to “Invoice Martin” that had been planted on the physique. Within the musical this work is immortalized within the tearjerker music “Expensive Invoice.” Within the music “Helpful,” Hester thinks that as a substitute of a statue she may prefer to be acknowledged by “only a small plaque / One thing tasteful and small.”
One thing particular is occurring, of us!!!
On Monday eleventh Dec, a plaque in Hester Leggatt’s honour will likely be unveiled following the devoted analysis of some unimaginable followers!
You can view the plaque unveiling from the doorway to the theatre. pic.twitter.com/6SPWsWoRLb
— Operation Mincemeat (@mincemeatlive) November 24, 2023
In contrast to the male protagonists of the story, about whom biographical particulars abound, little was identified about the actual Hester Leggatt — simply sufficient to create her character within the musical. However followers went a lot, a lot additional, digging up biographical information on the Nationwide Archives and London’s Imperial Warfare Museum with the intention to illuminate particulars of Leggatt’s life. Followers discovered census information, examination outcomes, and handwriting samples that matched the actual letter to “Invoice.”
Lastly, their analysis culminated in a letter from MI5 confirming Legatt’s employment, which had been labeled info up till then. A plaque honoring Leggatt is about to be unveiled outdoors the Fortune Theater, the place Operation Mincemeat is taking part in, on Dec. 11. Hester Leggatt is lastly getting the popularity she lengthy deserved, because of followers’ onerous work uncovering her story.
Save the sapphic present
Fan campaigns aren’t new, however their persistence yr after yr is an illustration not solely of followers’ means to self-organize and persevere, however the continued divergence of studios, networks, and streaming platform priorities from the wishes of passionate fan communities. In 2023, the reveals that followers rallied behind included animated present Star Trek: Prodigy and the CW’s Supernatural prequel The Winchesters. However essentially the most notable fan campaigns have been behind the canceled reveals A League of Their Personal and Warrior Nun.
Passionate followers hungry for queer illustration have helped rescue reveals like Sense8; followers have additionally banded collectively to marketing campaign for The 100 to alter sure plotlines. A League of Their Personal was renewed solely to be un-renewed by Amazon in August of this yr, and followers instantly began organizing, seeing that it was well worth the effort to push again in opposition to this cavalier therapy. Fan campaigners behind accounts like @ALOTOHomeRun have saved the present trending, hoping for a second season that can proceed to discover the queer and Black characters that made the present a robust adaptation of the unique 1992 movie. They’ve saved the present trending on X (previously Twitter), and in return the showrunners have promised that they’re nonetheless looking for a approach ahead for the present.
Followers’ spectacular present of assist for Warrior Nun started late final yr, when Netflix confirmed the beloved drama about an ass-kicking nun (performed by Alba Baptista) wouldn’t return for a 3rd season. After making a Discord server known as Sapphics in Ache, the followers started to prepare — and didn’t cease. Effectively into 2023, they had been spending hours of volunteer labor on professional-level analytics analysis papers and strategic evaluation, aiming to show conclusively to community stakeholders that their beloved present was effectively value selecting up for a brand new season. Their onerous work was rewarded when govt producer Dean English introduced the sequence would return as a trilogy of function movies — although, due to the dearth of involvement of the unique sequence’ writers, it’s a cautious victory for the hardworking followers.
Swifties united
Picture: Daniel Knighton/Getty Photos
Because of the kickoff of the ever present Eras Tour, and the regular (re)releases of Taylor’s Model albums, Swifties consolidated their energy and emerged as an unshakeable and unstoppable bloc in 2023. Swifties are behind traits like buying and selling friendship bracelets and sporting glittery boots, however there’s extra to it than aesthetics — the massive group of Taylor Swift’s die-hard followers have additionally used their affect to try to create seen change and transfer the needle on points which are essential to them.
In early November, Swifties in Argentina spoke out in opposition to the right-wing political candidate Javier Milei, forming a gaggle known as “Swifties Towards Freedom Advances” to try to persuade different followers to not vote for him. Nevertheless, ultimately it wasn’t sufficient to maneuver the needle, and he ended up profitable.
Different Swifty fan efforts in South America are ongoing. A fan, Ana Clara Benevides Machado, died at one in every of Swift’s Brazilian reveals throughout an excessive warmth wave. Fan outcry after this occasion was widespread, however American-language media was gradual to report on the incident past Swift’s preliminary assertion concerning the tragedy. Followers rose to the event with the intention to translate Brazilian information tales relating to the timeline of occasions and venue points, and even raised cash for the household of the fan who handed. This culminated in Swift paying for the household to return from their rural house to see her live performance, the place they posed for an image along with her sporting shirts with Ana’s face on them.