<p>For the purposes of this project, I’m leaning on two working definitions, one for ‘fandom’ and one for ‘subculture’.</p>
<p>Fandoms are groups of people focused on consuming media from a particular canon and, in this case, producing content related to that canon. This can take the form of art, music, costuming, or fanfiction, with the last being the natural choice for workshopping in a writing context.</p>
<p>Subcultures, on the other hand, are groups of individuals focused on consuming media from no one, single canon, yet sharing an interest related to some aspect of media, culture, or identity. This can be anything from anime to LGBTQIA+ identities to furries. Without a central canon, there is no concept of fanfiction, and yet they can still serve in the role of a meta-genre, informing the style and content of the creations associated with the subculture, regardless of the core genre of the work itself.</p>
<p>Both of these serve an important role in building community in a playful way. Association with fandom and subculture is often seen as frivolous, silly, or in many ways ‘not real’, despite the fact that members may make a very real living off their creations.</p>
<p>Still, it’s that very playfulness that allows a set of styles and tropes to arise within these areas. When the works created aren’t necessarily beholden to popular tastes, fandom and subculture creators have a lot of freedom to explore.</p>