#fandom gatekeeping

Seriously, who started gatekeeping writing and reading fanfiction based on age?

No one in my real life knows I read fics on AO3, and honestly, that’s because I don’t have the energy to explain why it’s perfectly fine to enjoy them in my 30s.(I ironically myself started reading fics when I turned 30) There’s still this assumption that fanfiction is only for teenagers or maybe people in their twenties, and somehow being 30+ and finding comfort in your favorite characters or the theme of a story becomes something to be judged or mocked.

But here’s the thing: most of the best fics out there are written by older adults, people in their 30s and beyond. You can feel it in the work: the thematic depth, the complexity of the plot, the command of language. That kind of emotional nuance, layered storytelling and thoughtful exploration of psychology and philosophy, that delicious smut, that deeply introspective character study, hurt/comfort, angst and fluff..etc all of which definitely come from lived experiences (or atleast closely witnessed experiences), shaped by going through life. Decades of it.

In fact, that makes me think about who’s behind those stories: a housewife or househusband juggling a chaotic household, a tired teacher switching between lesson plans and fic drafts.., just people carving out little moments of creativity in the middle of real life and sharing it with others. There’s something incredibly special about that.

Btw, please know that I am not attacking younger writers or downplaying their writing skills. Of course, surely there are absolutely talented younger/teenager writers too who create amazing, meaningful work that resonates with different generations. And hey even if some aren't as good (yet), everybody starts somewhere and thats completely fine, it goes like this: suck at first and get better with TIME, as you age up and experience life, it shows in one's writing too.

I am sure I read some fics written by people a decade younger than me and loved their work so much.

Anyways, I thought this would be a known fact, but I guess there is no harm in gentle reminders: age doesn’t define passion, creativity, or joy. It SHOULDN’T LIMIT what we read, what we write, what we draw or what brings us comfort. Also, let’s not forget, many canon authors themselves are well into their 40s and beyond. That alone should say enough.

Also because fandoms and communities have become a sort of competition where one wins or loses and that’s not the point. The point of a community is to have fun and have friends and acquaintances.

For example, I saw someone on Facebook share a screenshot of a 1981 fanzine called Against The Sith, which was edited by fangirls, and it provides clear evidence that women and girls were an active part of the fandom in its early days. However, this completely goes against the Fandom Menace claim that once upon a time, the fandom was a boy's club until Disney made it 'woke'.

What are you supposed to do when you have clear, in-your-face evidence disproving your narrative? You make shit up.

So, this Fandom Menace troll kept leaving a bunch of long comments insisting that the screenshot had to be fake, claiming that the word Sith wasn't around back then, and that woke people were trying to rewrite history. Then, a bunch of people, including OG Star Wars fans, corrected him and said, 'Actually, the word Sith absolutely was around back then because fans were reading the novelisations.' Then the troll replied, 'Well, maybe the reprints of these novelisations had the word Sith in it, but not the originals,' to which the OG fans replied, 'No, I actually have a vintage first edition copy of the novelisation and I am telling you, the word Sith absolutely was around back then and Star Wars fans would've known this.' Every time they corrected this guy, he kept doubling down. Why?

Because the point of fandom gatekeeping isn't to be right; it's to piss people off and waste their time.

You see, these people don't care about making themselves look nice and reasonable to outsiders. They actually like their horrible reputation, because if the Star Wars fandom becomes associated with them, it means newcomers will be hesitant to join, and it also means longtime fans will either leave entirely or stop talking about Star Wars on the internet.

(Obviously, I do think more needs to be done about the Fandom Menace than simply refusing to engage with them, and I could write a separate post on that, but my overall point here is to remind people of the difference between ignorance and malice)

ngl I dream of the day when fanfic communities realize that they cut off an arm because of a few fics written by some 13-year-olds in 2005

Original Characters are not only legitimate and reasonable to use, but in some cases optimal.

But instead they're relegated to this weird pigeonhole where they're only slightly valid if

dating canon characters

sibling/child/goldfish to canon characters

following canon characters around

And if they're not any of the above...

....apparently they're somehow less valid than 'Harry Potter got raised by scientists and is basically in Ravenclaw but I swear it's still Harry Potter guys'.

Some fandom worlds are big and have corners that could be explored. Sometimes even better by original faces than retrofitted canon ones. Perhaps.

Star Wars EU predates fanfiction.net. So I guess original characters to expand canon are fine when corporate does it?

Expanding universes with OCs could be a whole subgenre.

As 2024 wraps up, we're highlighting the incredible reporting and commentary we've been able to publish this year thanks to your continued financial support. (If you'd like to help us publish more in 2025, click that link! Even $1 a month helps.)

Today we're re-sharing Laura Wheatman Hill's piece on Broadway fandom from July. As social media has democratized access to theater regardless of income and geography, fandom gatekeeping has shot up in turn:

To some, it’s fannish passion; to others, it’s gatekeeping, and it affects professionals and fellow fans alike. Why are theatre fans like this? As the industry struggles to survive amidst economic changes over the last few years, a huge online fandom not limited by physical proximity should be a boon. But are theatre fans actually destroying the thing they love from the inside?