Do I even need to explain what Blaugust is? I imagine the Venn diagram of the people who read my blog and aren’t already well aware of Blaugust would be an empty circle. But I do love Venn diagrams. Here’s one.
The question of the day is, “What would I change about one of my core fandoms?”. Another Venn diagram:
I have a lot of interests, but nothing I’m really fanatical about. I mean, I used to be a fan. I used to be a fan of a lot of things. Back in California, I used to go to a lot of conventions — BayCon, SiliCon, Fanime — so I guess that I was a fan back then.
If I were in a fandom, I’d want to be in a really big fandom. I just searched for the world’s top fandoms, as suggested by Google.
#1: Marvel
Wow, this is the world’s largest fandom? I’ve seen a lot of the movies, but not all of them. I liked “Spiderman: Into the Spiderverse” a lot. So, how would I change that core fandom? Well, to be honest, I like DC comics more. I’m not part of that fandom. This is the first fandom that is owned by Disney on this list.
#2: Los Angeles Lakers
I don’t know anything about them. The Golden State Warriors were my local team in California; I guess the Celtics are the local team here in New England. Don’t know anything about them. Probably owned by Disney.
#3: Star Wars
I’ve seen most of the movies. Haven’t seen the TV show. Or read the comics, or the books, or know anything about the Expanded Universe. I don’t think being part of Disney is a good thing for them, and that makes me judgmental about something in which I have no stake at all, so I guess that’s indicative of fandom.
#8: Los Angeles Clippers
Who?
Being in LA, there’s a good chance Disney owns them.
#9: Game of Thrones
Disney ownership: Unknown, but I’m just sitting here laughing at the Westeros section of Disneyland. I went to Disneyland a couple of times, when the kids were little. It was really expensive, but the kids really enjoyed it. We went on Star Tours a lot, so that feeds into #3, and also Disney.
I read the books and watched the TV show, but I don’t think George R. R. Martin should be chained to his typewriter until he finishes Winds of Winter. I’ve seen some excerpts, and they look pretty crappy, focusing on characters nobody cares about. See, I’m being judgmental, like a fan.
#10: Serena Williams
Tennis player, right?
This news article says she went on a ride at Disneyland.
#4: Beyoncé
Sorry, the list I’m reading from is confusing, and I skipped some numbers. Beyoncé is someone I know, though the only song I know of hers is Single Ladies because I saw it on Glee. Her new album, “Black is King”, is now on Disney Plus. Like Beyoncé, I subscribe to Disney Plus.
#5: Patrick Mahones
I don’t know who this is.
Okay, googling shows that he is a football player, and he went to Disney World in February. And then the pandemic happened. I don’t think that’s a coincidence because really, how could it be?
#6: USWNT
If I had to try to pronounce this, I think I’d go with “us wint”. This is the US Women’s National (soccer) Team. Star footballer Alex Morgan got tossed out of a bar in Epcot.
#7: Zion Williamson
A quick search shows that this person plays basketball, and the team he plays for apparently is based… in Disney World!
So I guess my problem with core fandom is that it’s apparently been bought up and controlled by the Disney Corporation, and everything the world likes just sends money to the Mouse.
I am confused about your list and the jumbled up numbers! 😀
Uh, I feel like “liking something” is the definition of “being a fan” while “being a fanatical fan” would be the definition of “being a stan”… but I agree with you there. I, too, am not really part of any fandoms. I am a fan of lots of things but I’m not in touch with any other fans of the same thing, really, so naturally, I’m not in any fandom.
Overall, very entertaining and amusing post. 🙂 I’d press “like” if there was a “like” button.
I struggled with what is meant by “being a fan”… it’s such a commitment. There are some things of which I would consider myself a fan, like Star Trek or the films of Akira Kurosawa, but they weren’t on the list I found. Which is here –> https://fansided.com/fansided250/
I think anyone would get confused.
“stan” is pretty new and I don’t hear people use that outside of Twitter. When I think “fan”, I think of people painting themselves in team colors to go see basketball. Or knowing what some celebrity is doing. But in the context of the prompt, it was “fandom”, which I think goes beyond simply liking something. It means someone who has found a community that likes this same specific thing, and interacts with that community in such a degree that other people would recognize they were part of that community. And, I can’t imagine I could manage that level of enthusiasm for any Disney-manufactured entertainment experience.