A Song of Ice and Fire fandom
{{short description|Informal community for A Song of Ice and Fire, and Game of Thrones}}
{{DISPLAYTITLE:A Song of Ice and Fire fandom}}
File:WonderCon 2012 - Khal Drogo and Daenerys Targaryen from Game of Thrones.jpg is a popular activity at fan conventions.]]
The A Song of Ice and Fire fandom is an international and informal community of people drawn together by George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire book series, the HBO television series Game of Thrones, and the related merchandise.
History
During his years in television, Martin's novels slowly earned him a reputation in fiction circles, although he said to only receive a few fans letters a year in the pre-internet days. The publication of A Game of Thrones caused Martin's following to grow, with fan sites springing up and a Trekkie-like society of followers evolving that meet regularly. By 2005, Martin received tons of fan e-mails and was about 2000 letters behind that may go unanswered for years.
== Ice and Fire Con ==
Ice and Fire Con (also known as A Con of Ice and Fire and A Convention of Ice and Fire) is a North American convention held annually in Mount Sterling, Ohio that celebrates George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire fantasy book series, as well as HBO's Game of Thrones television adaptation.
===Programming and traditions===
The convention's programming has included a Tourney of Champions since 2013, featuring "LARP"-based duels, melees, jousts, and archery contests. Other annual activities include a weekend-long live action Assassin-style game themed after the series' Faceless Men characters, a board game tournament, and a "Flea Bottom Fete" dance party, among others. A mock election has been held each year since 2013 allowing attendees to campaign for and vote for characters from A Song of Ice and Fire. A donation-based voting format was incorporated beginning in 2017, with all proceeds going to Santa Fe's Wild Spirit Wolf Sanctuary, a favorite charity of Martin.{{cite web|title=Wild Spirit Wolf Sanctuary: Westeros Pack|url=http://wildspiritwolfsanctuary.org/westeros-pack/|website= wildspiritwolfsanctuary.org |access-date=5 July 2018}}{{cite web|title=Mock Election Ice and Fire Con 2017 Style!|url=http://www.iceandfirecon.com/mock-election-ice-and-fire-con-2017-style//|website= iceandfirecon.com|access-date=5 July 2018}}
=Awards and honors=
In 2016, FanSided named Ice and Fire Con as one of the top ten nerdiest vacation destinations.{{cite web|title=Game of Thrones Fans: Ice and Fire Con is Coming April 22nd -24th|url=https://winteriscoming.net/2016/03/17/game-of-thrones-fans-ice-fire-con-is-coming-april-22nd-24th/|website= winteriscoming.net |access-date=31 July 2018}}
In 2017, NowThis News praised Ice and Fire Con in its "Game of Thrones - A Community of Ice and Fire" coverage for the event's "more intimate gathering that's more party than press conference", favorably comparing the Ice and Fire Con to the fan conventions Martin himself attended in the 1970s and 1980s as a fan and built the friendships that served him throughout his career.{{cite web|title=Game of Thrones - A Community of Ice and Fire|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X37siDTncxs|website= youtube.com |access-date=31 July 2018}}
==Westeros.org==
File:The World of Ice and Fire.JPG
Sweden-based fans Elio M. García Jr. and Linda Antonsson run one of the main Ice and Fire fansites, Westeros.org, which they established in 1999. The site had about 17 thousand registered members in 2012. Martin himself has checked with García (whom The New Yorker dubbed a "superfan" with encyclopedic knowledge of Martin's works) to confirm details of his own series, and has referred HBO researchers to García as well.{{cite interview |last=Martin |first=George R. R. |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vcy-EhkHXnE#t=117 |title=George R. R. Martin: The World of Ice and Fire (Video) |interviewer=Laura Miller |date=October 27, 2014 |access-date=November 9, 2014 |location=New York}}
The very first fan website and messageboard (as recounted by García, Antonsson, and Martin) was a site called "Dragonstone", which only lasted for about one year between the release of the first novel in 1996, and the site crashed in 1997, never to be rebuilt. The creator of "Dragonstone" moved on; however, several of the earliest online fans who had met on the site (Elio García among them) coalesced again to create Westeros.org.[http://asoiaf.westeros.org/index.php?/topic/26421-the-history-of-the-board/ History of the Board], Westeros.org, posted February 2008.
Though his work at Westeros.org is voluntary, García has been a paid consultant for licensed tie-in merchandise. García and Antonsson are Martin's coauthors of a companion book to the series, The World of Ice & Fire (2014).{{cite web |url=http://www.tor.com/blogs/2014/10/the-world-of-ice-and-fire-george-rr-martin-book-review |title=19 Strange Things Hiding in The World of Ice and Fire |first=Chris |last=Lough |date=October 29, 2014 |publisher=Tor Books |access-date=October 31, 2014}}{{cite web |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/tv/news/george-rr-martin-admits-dragons-couldnt-beat-tolkiens-smaug-fight-20141028 |title=George R.R. Martin Admits His Dragons Couldn't Beat Tolkien's Smaug in a Fight |first=Jon |last=Blistein |work=Rolling Stone |date=October 28, 2014 |access-date=November 1, 2014}}{{cite web |url=http://www.tor.com/blogs/2014/10/the-world-of-ice-and-fire-book-art |title=Check Out Dragonstone and Other Art Pieces From The World of Ice & Fire |date=October 30, 2014 |publisher=Tor Books |access-date=October 31, 2014}}{{cite web |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/tv/features/10-craziest-things-we-learned-from-world-of-ice-and-fire-20141103 |title=10 Craziest Things We Learned From World of Ice & Fire |first=Sean T. |last=Collins |date=November 3, 2014 |work=Rolling Stone|access-date=November 7, 2014}}{{cite web |url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/27/westeros-george-rr-martin_n_6056720.html |title=Here's What Westeros Really Looks Like, According To George R.R. Martin |work=The Huffington Post |first=Bill |last=Bradley |date=October 27, 2014 |access-date=November 1, 2014}}{{cite web |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/george-r-r-martin-writes-a-big-ice-and-fire-footnote-1414679391 |title=George R.R. Martin Writes a Big Ice and Fire History |work=The Wall Street Journal |first=Christopher John |last=Farley |date=October 30, 2014 |access-date=November 1, 2014}} Martin had approached the pair about the project in 2008.
Brotherhood Without Banners
''Game of Thrones''
Since the creation of the television series in 2011 there has been a proliferation in the number of fansites dedicated to the show and novel series.{{cite news|title=The 25 Most Devoted Fan Bases|url=https://www.vulture.com/2012/10/25-most-devoted-fans.html?mid=nymag_press#photo=25x00014|access-date=October 17, 2012|newspaper=Vulture|date=October 15, 2012}} These include 'ToweroftheHand.com', which organizes communal readings of the novels, and 'Fleabottom.net', an online discussion forum. In addition to these there is further discussion on more general sites, such as Reddit, and tumblr, where there are many fan-created blogs. Race for the Iron Throne was a blog by policy historian and author Steven Attewell that did chapter-by-chapter analysis of A Song of Ice and Fire and episode-by-episode analysis of Game of Thrones.{{Cite web |last=Blake |first=John |date=2014-05-24 |title=How ‘Game of Thrones’ is like America |url=https://www.cnn.com/2014/05/24/showbiz/game-of-thrones-america/index.html |access-date=2025-02-08 |website=CNN |language=en}}
Moreover, there are also many podcasts covering the series.{{cite news|last=Nguyen|first=Nicole|title=In the Game of Thrones, These Podcasts Play to Win|url=http://www.geeksugar.com/Game-Thrones-Podcasts-30228595|access-date=May 4, 2013|newspaper=Geeksugar|date=May 3, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140623114614/http://www.geeksugar.com/Game-Thrones-Podcasts-30228595|archive-date=June 23, 2014|url-status=dead}} These podcasts, such as 'Game of Owns', and 'A Podcast of Ice and Fire' provide discussions of each book chapters, and each episode in the television series, as well as discussing the current theories in the fandom.
GRRuMblers
{{Quote box | quote="After all, as some of you like to point out in your emails, I am sixty years old and fat, and you don't want me to 'pull a Robert Jordan' on you and deny you your book. Okay, I've got the message. You don't want me doing anything except A Song of Ice and Fire. Ever. (Well, maybe it's okay if I take a leak once in a while?)| source =—George R. R. Martin on his blog in 2009 | width =250px | align =right}}
While Martin calls the majority of his fans "great", and enjoys interacting with them, some of them turned against him due to the six years it took to release A Dance with Dragons. A movement of disaffected fans called GRRuMblers formed in 2009, creating sites such as Finish the Book, George and Is Winter Coming?. It is not uncommon for Martin to be mobbed at book signings either. The New Yorker called this "an astonishing amount of effort to devote to denouncing the author of books one professes to love. Few contemporary authors can claim to have inspired such passion."
When fans' vocal impatience for A Dance with Dragons peaked in 2009, Martin issued an angry statement called "To My Detractors" on his blog to stem a rising tide of anger. Author Neil Gaiman backed Martin on his own blog, replying to a fan's inquiry about Martin's tardiness that "George R. R. Martin is not your bitch." Martin sees it a right to withdraw anytime and enjoy his leisure times as he chooses. Martin believes of himself as being bound by an informal contract with his readers; he feels that he owes them his best work. He does not, however, believe that this gives them the right to dictate the particulars of his creative process or to complain about how he manages his time. As far as the detractors are concerned, Martin's contract with them was for a story, their engagement with it offered on the understanding that he would provide them with a satisfying conclusion.
Interaction with the author
Martin is committed to nurturing his audience, no matter how vast it gets. Starting out as a fan himself, he visited his first convention in 1971 after selling his first story. Since there are different types of conventions nowadays, Martin tends to go to three or four science-fiction conventions a year simply to go back to his roots and meet friends, such as the Brotherhood Without Banners. His fan mail occasionally includes photos of children and pets named after his characters, which Martin displays on his website. He also administers a lively blog with the assistance of Ty Franck.
Martin does not read message boards anymore, so as not influence his writing by fans foreseeing twists and interpreting characters differently from how he intended.
Celebrity fans
The series has a devoted global following of people from a range of backgrounds.
Celebrity fans include former U.S. president Barack Obama,{{cite news|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160821120407/http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/30/us/obamas-tv-picks-anything-edgy-with-hints-of-reality.html |archive-date=August 21, 2016|last=Shear|first=Michael|title=Obama's TV Picks|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/30/us/obamas-tv-picks-anything-edgy-with-hints-of-reality.html|access-date=December 29, 2013|newspaper=The New York Times|date=December 29, 2013|url-status=live}}{{cite news|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140105010138/http://www.complex.com/pop-culture/2013/12/obama-favorite-tv-shows-game-of-thrones|archive-date=January 5, 2014|last=Ghahremani|first=Tanya|title=President Obama 'Really Likes' Game of Thrones, In Case You Were Wondering|url=http://www.complex.com/pop-culture/2013/12/obama-favorite-tv-shows-game-of-thrones|access-date=December 30, 2013|work=Complex|date=December 30, 2013|url-status=live |df=mdy-all}} former UK prime minister David Cameron,{{cite web|title=David Cameron admits he is a 'Throney' and 'huge fan' on Game of Thrones studio tour|url=http://www.express.co.uk/news/politics/568919/David-Cameron-Game-of-Thrones-General-Election-2015|work=Daily Express|first=Victoria|last=Armstrong|date=April 7, 2015|access-date=April 10, 2015}} former Australian prime minister Julia Gillard{{cite news|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130716014754/http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/may/26/julia-gillard-game-of-thrones |archive-date=July 16, 2013 |last=Taylor|first=Lenore|title=Julia Gillard reveals Game of Thrones addiction|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/may/26/julia-gillard-game-of-thrones|access-date=May 30, 2013|newspaper=The Guardian|date=May 30, 2013|location=London|url-status=live}}{{cite news|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160426145920/http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2014/apr/07/game-of-thrones-parallels-prime-minister?CMP=twt_gu |archive-date=April 26, 2016|last=Gillard|first=Julia|title=Game of Thrones has parallels with my time as Australian prime minister|url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2014/apr/07/game-of-thrones-parallels-prime-minister?CMP=twt_gu|access-date=April 7, 2014|newspaper=The Guardian|date=April 7, 2014|url-status=live}} and Dutch foreign minister Frans Timmermans, who framed European politics in quotes from Martin's novels in a 2013 speech.{{cite news|last=Luoma|first=Sarah|title=Dutch foreign minister uses 'Game of Thrones' as political analogy|url=http://www.digitalspy.com/fun/game-of-thrones/news/a486020/dutch-foreign-minister-uses-game-of-thrones-as-political-analogy/|access-date=November 2, 2016|publisher=Digital Spy|date=May 31, 2013}} Other fans includes singer Zara Larsson, Adam Lambert, and Scott Ian from the metal band Anthrax, with the later one having read books, stated that he likes the show better, saying that it's very rarely that a TV show or a movie is better than the source material.{{cite news|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160821120407/http://www.nme.com/photos/game-season-why-these-famous-fans-love-game-of-thrones-1404103|archive-date=August 21, 2016|title=Game Season: Why These Famous Fans Love ‘Game Of Thrones’|url=https://www.nme.com/photos/game-season-why-these-famous-fans-love-game-of-thrones-1404103|access-date=May 9, 2017|publisher=NME|date=April 22, 2016|url-status=live}}
Other celebrity fans include actors Laurence Fishburne, Richard Dreyfuss, June Squibb, Amanda Peet, Zach Braff, Patton Oswalt, Elijah Wood, Mindy Kaling, Dax Shepard, Kristen Bell, Elizabeth Banks, Anna Kendrick, Kerry Washington, Dylan McDermott and Jennifer Lawrence.{{cite news|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160821120407/http://www.accesshollywood.com/videos/game-of-thrones-cast-reveals-biggest-celebrity-fans-44647/|archive-date=August 21, 2016|title=‘Game Of Thrones’ Cast Reveals Biggest Celebrity Fans|url=http://www.accesshollywood.com/videos/game-of-thrones-cast-reveals-biggest-celebrity-fans-44647/|access-date=May 9, 2017|publisher=Access Hollywood|date=March 19, 2014|url-status=live}}{{cite news|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160821120407/http://www.businessinsider.com/game-of-thrones-celebrity-fans-2016-4/?r=US&IR=T&IR=T%2F|archive-date=August 21, 2016|title=15 celebrities who are obsessed with 'Game of Thrones'|first=Kim |last=Renfro|url=http://www.businessinsider.com/game-of-thrones-celebrity-fans-2016-4/?r=US&IR=T&IR=T/#st-but-not-least-youtube-star-lilly-singh-couldnt-wait-for-the-new-season-of-game-of-thrones-to-air-14|access-date=May 9, 2017|publisher=Business Insider|date=April 29, 2016|url-status=live}}{{cite news|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160821120407/http://www.fuse.tv/2016/04/famous-game-of-thrones-fans#1|archive-date=August 21, 2016|title=25 Famous 'Game of Thrones' Fans: Madonna, Obama, Snoop Dogg & More|first=Zach|last=Dionne|url=http://www.fuse.tv/2016/04/famous-game-of-thrones-fans#1|access-date=May 9, 2017|publisher=Fuse|date=September 20, 2016|url-status=live}} Singers T-Pain, Kelly Clarkson, Snoop Dogg, Ed Sheeran, Madonna and Joe Jonas (who was married to Sophie Turner, who played Sansa Stark on the show), and comedians Kevin Smith, Seth Rogen, Aziz Ansari. Ryan Reynolds and his wife Blake Lively are also both fans of the show.{{cite news|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160821120407/http://www.eonline.com/news/645983/ryan-reynolds-obsessed-with-game-of-thrones-caused-tough-time-in-our-marriage-jokes-blake-lively|archive-date=August 21, 2016|title=Ryan Reynolds Obsessed With Game of Thrones: It Caused Tough Time In Our Marriage, Jokes Blake Lively|first=Marc|last=Malkin|url=http://www.eonline.com/news/645983/ryan-reynolds-obsessed-with-game-of-thrones-caused-tough-time-in-our-marriage-jokes-blake-lively|access-date=May 9, 2017|publisher=E!|date=April 14, 2015|url-status=live}}
Author Stephen King is also a fan of the series. Jay-Z and Beyoncé are both fans of the show, while Jay-Z once bought dragon eggs for his wife Beyoncé.{{cite news|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160821120407/http://www.harpersbazaar.com/culture/features/a10832/emilia-clarke-0615/|archive-date=August 21, 2016|title=Emilia Clarke Is BAZAAR's June/July Cover Girl|first=Laura|last=Brown|url=http://www.harpersbazaar.com/culture/features/a10832/emilia-clarke-0615/|access-date=May 9, 2017|work=Harper's Bazaar|date=May 11, 2015|url-status=live}} In 2017, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge also said that they watch the show.{{cite news|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170521120407/http://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/news/prince-william-duchess-kates-night-in-means-curry-and-game-of-thrones-w478442|archive-date=May 21, 2017|title=Prince William, Duchess Kate's Night in Means Curry and 'Game of Thrones'|first=Stephanie|last=Webber|url=http://www.harpersbazaar.com/culture/features/a10832/emilia-clarke-0615/|access-date=May 30, 2017|work=Us Weekly|date=April 24, 2017|url-status=live}}
Online media
=Podcasts=
Several podcasts are dedicated to the A Song of Ice and Fire books and Game of Thrones HBO series, including: After the Thrones, Thronecast, Game of Owns,{{cite web|url=http://gameofowns.com/episodes.php|title=Game of Owns - The Game of Thrones Podcast - All Episodes|website=gameofowns.com|access-date=25 June 2019}} Podcast of Ice and Fire,{{cite web|url=http://podcastoficeandfire.com/|title=A Podcast of Ice and Fire|access-date=25 June 2019}}Mythical Astronomy of Ice & Fire,{{cite web|url=https://lucifermeanslightbringer.com/|title=lucifermeanslightbringer|website=lucifermeanslightbringer|access-date=25 June 2019}} A Storm of Spoilers,{{cite web|url=http://fightinginthewarroom.com/category/storm-of-spoilers/|title=Fighting In The War Room — » Storm of Spoilers|access-date=25 June 2019}} and Radio Westeros.{{cite web|url=https://radiowesteros.com/|title=Radio Westeros|website=Radio Westeros|access-date=25 June 2019}} Several of these podcasts also cross-post to YouTube.
=YouTube channels=
Several YouTube channels are dedicated to the franchise as well, including Alt Shift X, {{cite web|url=https://altshiftx.com/|title=Alt Shift X|website=Alt Shift X|access-date=25 June 2019}}[https://www.youtube.com/AltShiftX Alt Shift X] on YouTube. Emergency Awesome, Red Team Review and Preston Jacobs (two separate channels that frequently cross over), and Game of Thrones Academy.{{cite web|url=https://www.wired.co.uk/article/game-of-thrones-youtube-best-videos-creators|title=Winter is coming for Game of Thrones on YouTube|website=Wired UK|access-date=18 January 2020}}
In 2019, in anticipation of the eighth and final TV season, several YouTube channels collaborated to make an anthology of essays about the show: The Thrones Effect: How HBO's Game of Thrones Conquered Pop Culture. The book was edited by Gil Kidron of Game of Thrones Academy, and included essays from other prominent YouTube fan channels such as History of Westeros, Ideas of Ice & Fire, Gray Area, Secrets of the Citadel, Smokescreen, and Civilization Ex.{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5ImYpf_ibM|title=The Game of Thrones YouTubers Collab Book Is Out|website=YouTube|access-date=18 January 2020}}
References
{{Reflist|refs=
{{cite web|last=Miller |first=Laura |url=https://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2011/04/11/110411fa_fact_miller?currentPage=all |title=Just Write It! A fantasy author and his impatient fans. |work=The New Yorker |date=April 11, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120405202509/http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2011/04/11/110411fa_fact_miller?currentPage=all |archive-date=April 5, 2012 |url-status=live |access-date=April 23, 2010 }}
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{{Fandom}}
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