Meta: "Why We Need Fanifestos" Part 2a: What Is a Fanifesto? intro & canon guide

[ysabetwordsmith]

This is a new meta entry for marchmetamatterschallenge 2025. See my tracking post here. Also, the first writing prompt is to write a fanifesto.

Meta: "Why We Need Fanifestos" Part 1: The Importance of Fanifestos
Meta: "Why We Need Fanifestos" Part 2a: What Is a Fanifesto? intro & canon guide
Meta: "Why We Need Fanifestos" Part 2b: What Is a Fanifesto? cast list & character study
Meta: "Why We Need Fanifestos" Part 2c: What Is a Fanifesto? ship manifesto & milieu study
Meta: "Why We Need Fanifestos" Part 2d: What Is a Fanifesto? plot analysis & crossovers
Meta: "Why We Need Fanifestos" Part 2e: What Is a Fanifesto? trope manifesto & format guide
Meta: "Why We Need Fanifestos" Part 2f: What Is a Fanifesto? personal manifesto & others
Meta: "Why We Need Fanifestos" Part 3: Benefits of Fanifestos
Meta: "Why We Need Fanifestos" Part 4: Drawbacks of Fanifestos
Meta: "Why We Need Fanifestos" Part 5a: Contents of a Fanifesto statement to tropes
Meta: "Why We Need Fanifestos" Part 5b: fanon to other aspects
Meta: "Why We Need Fanifestos" Part 6: How to Write a Fanifesto
Meta: "Why We Need Fanifestos" Part 7a: Where to Find Fanifestos location types & communities
Meta: "Why We Need Fanifestos" Part 7b: fanifestos A-E
Meta: "Why We Need Fanifestos" Part 7c: fanifestos F-I
Meta: "Why We Need Fanifestos" Part 7d: fanifestos J-R
Meta: "Why We Need Fanifestos" Part 7e: fanifestos S-Z
Meta: "Why We Need Fanifestos" Part 8: My Fanifestos


Part 2: What Is a Fanifesto?

A fanifesto is a concise set of information and opinions that provide an introduction to a given ship or a whole canon. It gives the creator a way to express their love of a favorite fandom, and other people a way to find new fandoms they will love. It is typically written, but may include canon images, fanart, video clips, or other kinds of content. Fanifestos that focus primarily on visual content may be essentially photo-essays, as in "Fushiita - OTP Manifesto." They can also be done as podcasts, videos, or other formats. This type of meta is also known as a fan manifesto, ship manifesto, canon guide, primer, or various other terms.

Fanifestos come in many types. Of these, the canon guides and ship manifestos are probably the most common. Character studies and trope manifestos are also pretty popular. There are also cast lists, mileu studies, plot analyses, crossover manifestos, trope manifestos, and various other options. You can write a fanifesto about any canon, set of canons, motif, or other aspect of entertainment that amuses you. It's all about expressing and sharing the joy that brings us to fandom in the first place, whatever shape that may take.


Canon Guide -- A canon guide is an overall introduction to a fandom based on its source materials. This is often the biggest kind of fanifesto because it can contain any of the others as well. Often it is broken down into sections to cover different aspects such as an overview, episode guide, important places, main characters, and popular ships. Some creators add to theirs over time as the fandom develops.
After reading a canon guide, a new fan should know the general premise of the canon, its key characters, where to find the canon, and where to find its fandom. It gives them a starting point to explore further. For examples, see "Find Your Fandom: Doctor Who" and "Wednesday TV Series (The Addams Family) Overview."

Comments

[daryl_wor]

Groovy! Thank you for spelling it out (I'm just browsing my reading page and hit the link for this. Also I think I agree because introductions can be frightful sometimes. Sounds s little like a zine but collections of sites that have the information, like from multiple players or fans.

Thank you!

[ysabetwordsmith]

>> Groovy! <<

Far out! :D

>> Thank you for spelling it out (I'm just browsing my reading page and hit the link for this.<<

I'm happy I could help.

>> Also I think I agree because introductions can be frightful sometimes. <<

Agreed. Some kind of "start here" information can make all the difference.

>> Sounds s little like a zine but collections of sites that have the information, like from multiple players or fans.<<

Some people have done fanifesto collections in zine format, or introductions to a fandom.