My only disappointment is that the meta is heavy in seasons one and two, but there’s not much for season three (which is proving to be my favorite so far). I’m finding from a character development standpoint that season three is taking the brothers into exciting new places, so I hope to see more analysis done in the long summers months ahead. Maybe I’ll even give it a crack. There was one particular writer I found who does outstanding and very detailed breakdowns of episodes, especially season three, as well as other fascinating topics. Bardicvoice posts in various places, but I found the best sites to see her collection of work is on her TV Guide blog or her Livejournal site.
The other section on Supernaturalwiki had the page I should have started with when this whole exploring-the-online-fandom experiment began. It provides a listing of all the Supernatural-related communities on LiveJournal. So far the list is up to over 270 communities, with the list broken down by categories. I’m working on them slowly. For daily updates of all new content on these LiveJournal sites, including news, fanfic, fanart, icons, screencaps/picspams, songvids, meta, multimedia, and miscellaneous, check out the Supernatural Newsletter community. I’m getting a kick out of the international sites myself. Seeing fanvids in Russian is pretty cool, even though I have no idea what I’m reading and hearing.
Speaking of international sites, the campaign to get Supernatural shown in Bulgaria is progressing. I got an email from RoseRed after my last article letting me know that there were over 80 people who signed the petition and anyone can sign, not just people in Bulgaria. They need our help. She’s also on the team of admins for the Supernatural BG Fans site. This well done fan site allows fellow Bulgarians a chance to share fanfiction, fan art, and talk in forums, and the site admins even go through the trouble of translating articles from English to Bulgarian (I was tickled to see one of my own there). Granted, I’m a little rusty on my Bulgarian, so I can’t give a full critical review of all the content this site has to offer, but from what I could make out, it’s pretty impressive. So, if you have a few minutes, take time to sign the petition for the Bulgarian fans, since their dedication should be rewarded.
As for the rest of the world, it seems that England and Australia are now caught up with the US and eagerly waiting for new episodes. Welcome to the “new episode angst” pool, the water’s warm! If there are any other great international sites that deserve a mention, especially those that aren’t in English, please share. I’d love to see them, and I have a babelfish translator handy to help.
Fans In Action
It’s great when fans can channel their love for a particular show into something extraordinary. Fan activism is rampant in this fandom. The Supernatural Underground and Team Winchester are dedicated to promotion. The Supernatural Underground runs fan campaigns and promotes site links designed to spread the word about the show. Team Winchester is trying a creative “street team” approach to promotion, which is what many fans do these days to support their favorite musical acts (since record company promotion budgets are practically nil these days, just like the CW). There are various teams throughout the US, all designed to get the word out in their little part of the planet. Judging by the small list though, Phoenix, San Francisco and surrounding bay areas, Wichita, Columbus (my hometown!), and Miami all need many more volunteers.
Article comments
1 - Andi
I enjoyed your article very much, especially since you put the spotlight on a couple of my favorites: Plastic!Winchester Theatre and Bardicvoice's deeply thoughtful meta. For another approach to episode reviews, you might want to check out kroki_refur's Reviews of Doom and picspam on her livejournal. They are wonderfully entertaining.
You are doing a fabulous job capturing the flavor of this amazing fandom. I look forward to your next article!
2 - LindsayW
Be sure to also check out www.SupportSupernatural.com. :)
3 - MCM
I've been so busy avoiding spoilers that somehow I managed to miss this post. Well done, thank you!
4 - Mary (Bardicvoice)
Oh, my - thank you, Alice! I'm delighted and humbled that you not only enjoyed my work, but recommended it to others. I bow to you!
I've been enjoying your clear-eyed column for a while (even though I clearly miss it sometimes, as I somehow did this one!), ever since it started popping up on my regular Google alert. Thank you for helping to spread the "Supernatural" word across the Internet!
And thank you for making me blush ...