The Fandom Social Contract

Summary: What is the nature of the presumed social contract fans share? What is the affect of fandom personality, size and pan-fandom influence on that presumed social contract in regards to wank/splits/flounces? In this essay I take a lens to these issues by reflecting on the behavior of fans in several different online, fanfic-centric fandoms (LoM, HF, SPN, SGA, dS) in the face of adversity and stress, and how their history, size, and pan-fandom influence affects those community reactions and whether the presumed social contract plays any roll in longevity or robustness.