Through the different fandoms, we've been able to see some aspects belonging to specific ones. Nevertheless, all strong fandoms have a large number of traits in common. Fans must be passionate. Also, they are often very creative. Fan fiction has developed as a genre, with leaps and bounds in progress due to the advent of typewriters and personal computers, mostly over the last 100 years. Additionally, because of the improvement of living conditions, the fans have more leisure time. This extra time also translates into time to gather and discuss the franchise: this phenomenon is known as the convention. These traits coalesce to make a fandom what it is.
Fan fiction:
This is a variable aspect of any fandom. It can be both rewarding and dangerous. Fan fiction stems from a person's desire to play with someone else's toys. For instance, if I want Iron Man to meet Doctor Who and do battle with the entire army of Soviet-era Russia, I would write a fan fiction. Fan fiction, or fanfics for brevity's sake, have existed since literature began. However, early ones do not count as such because they were not written in the same manner. First, they differ in their authors: medieval "fan fiction" would have been written by learned scholars. Modern fanfics are written by fan girls and (not using the term offensively, honest!) nerds. The quality of both are often diametrically opposed. Nevertheless, both types have their good and bad stories.
Another reason that medieval authors wouldn't have been writing "fan fiction" as we term it is because the narratives that stories would have been based on had no official structure. What I mean by that is that the franchise did not exist. There was no "Iron Man" who was always the wealthy inventor Tony Stark, with his trusty friend Rhodey and various other acquaintances and enemies. Stories of eras before, not limited to just medieval, were based on legends and folk stories. King Arthur is a notable example. While there is some variety that occurs in franchises today, as with reboots and alternate continuities, King Arthur is far more open to drastic changes. In one story, the wicked Mordred may be a son by incest, or an evil nephew, and Merlin can range anywhere from being Arthur's protective guardian to being a feared enemy.
Conventions:
These events are where you would certainly find true fans of any given franchise. With their costumes and cast and creator appearances, conventions are a physical embodiment of the franchise itself. While some might consider dressing up as a fictional character, buying merchandise and writing stories to share at the convention weird, the activity is not as bad as all of that. As with all things, moderation is key. Many of the fans who attend can walk away from the convention and return to the rest of their lives, without being completely obsessed with the given franchise. Conventions also allow fans to meet their favorite actors, show staff, producers, animators, artists, etc... For some franchises, this allows direct feedback.
Result: Synergy
Conventions and fan fiction ultimately realize the quintessence of the fandom: synergy between fan and creator. For instance, in the movie Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, the decision was made to kill a central lead character: specifically, the Vulcan science officer, Spock. Due to great fan backlash, the next movie was crafted to bring the character back to life. Still later, many show creators and staff are internet savvy, and see the general desires and ideas of the fans. Internet memes often appear in television series and comic books. In some cases, such as Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, fans can send in their own stories to be published. From starts like these, fan writers occasionally rise to become official writers. Sometimes fan episodes of animated series can spark the interest of the show's creators and bring the artist to their attention.
Synergy is what makes a fandom what it is. Without a connection between the fans and the creators, the fandom would merely be another literature-studying group. However, the fandom rises above being only literature. It is a symbiosis of imagination.
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