Fun with Fandom

I saw this over on Marjorie M Liu's blog and totally had to try it.
List twelve characters from any fandom (which I am interpeting as from any sci/fantasy/paranormal movie/book/TV), and then answer the following questions.

1. Kira (The Dark Crystal)
2. Sarah (The Labrinth)
3. Luke Skywalker (Star Wars)
4. Neo (Matrix)
5. Joe (Eureka)
6. Buffy
7. Kim Possible
8. Noah (Kay Hooper's SCU series)
9. Miranda (Kay Hooper's SCU series)
10. Wesley (The Princess Bride)
11. Helo (Battlestar Galactica)
12. Starbuck (Battlestar Galactica)


1. Who would make a better college prof, 6 or 11?
Helo, because he has infinite patience. Buffy likes leading and teaching, but ultimately I think Helo would do better.

2. Do you think 2 is hot? How hot?
Well, Jennifer Connelly was something like fourteen when she played the character, but sure.

3. 12 sends 8 out on a mission. What is it? Does it succeed?

I'm not so sure Starbuck buys into the woo-woo powers that SCU deal with so she would totally set him up to fail. But Noah would, of course, succeed which would really impress Starbuck.

4. What is or would be 9's favorite book?
Something fun, but well written. Maybe she'd like Christine Feehan or something.

5. Would it make more sense for 2 to swear fealty to 6, or the other way around?

These are not fealty people, but Sarah would bend to that faster than Buffy.

6. For some reason, 5 is looking for a roommate. Should (s)he share a studio apartment with 9 or 10?
Joe's pretty laid back, but I think he would enjoy hanging with Miranda a little more.

7. 2, 7, and 12 have dinner together. Where do they go, and what do they discuss?
Oh my God, I totally want to join them! Well, Kim eats a lot of junk food and Starbuck eats a lot of the world ended food, so I think Sarah's picking the restaurant, somewhere nice, but not too dressy where they can get some really food food.

8. 3 challenges 10 to a duel. What happens?
Poor Luke, he's really good with the force and all that, but Wesley is more determined. But hopefully, they would go to first blood or something.

9. If 1 stole 8's most precious possession, how would she/he get it back?

Well, 8's most precious thing is probably Miranda, but assuming we are talking about an item and not a person, wings will only help Kira so much. But I also think she's feel really bad and give it back.

10. Suggest a title for a story in which 7 and 12 both attain what they most desire.

The Defeat of Drakken and the Cylons.

11. What kind of plot device would you use if you wanted 4 and 1 to work together?

Well, Neo and Kira are both questy folks, so definitely some sort of quest/save the world type deal.

12. If 7 visited you for the weekend, how would you get along?

Oh, we shop and gossip, it'd be great.

13. If you could command 3 to perform any one task or service for you, what would it be?

Mind blank. No idea.

14. Does anyone on your friends list write or draw 11?

Don't know.

15. If 2 had to choose sides between 4 and 5, which would it be?

I think Sara's sense of drama would have her choosing Neo.

16. What might 10 shout while charging into battle?

Charge! (Not original, I know.)

17. If you chose a song to represent 8, which song would you choose?

I got nothing. And I love songs. But - nothing.

18. 1, 6, and 12 are having dim sum at a Chinese restaurant. There is only one scallion pancake left, and they all reach for it at the same time. Who gets to eat it?
Starbuck. She's so over that I'll be polite. She's been eating algae, okay.

19. What might be a good pick-up line for 2 to use on 10?

Could I see you sword? (Okay, I didn't mean that to sound quite as dirty as it does.)

20. What would 5 most likely be arrested for?

Playing with the time/space continuum - again.

21. What is 6's secret?

That she's a slayer.

22. If 11 and 9 were racing to a destination, who would get there first?

I think Helo is faster, but Miranda's sneaky. I'd bet on Helo though.

23. If you had to walk home through a bad neighborhood late at night, would you feel safer in the company of 7 or 8?

While Noah can hold his own, Kim would be faster with the kick-ass. Although Noah might be more forbidding looking.

24. 1 and 9 reluctantly team up to save the world from the threat posed by 4's sinister secret organization. 11 volunteers to help them, but it is later discovered that s/he is actually a spy for 4. Meanwhile, 4 has kidnapped 12 in an attempt to force their surrender. Following the wise advice of 5, they seek out 3, who gives them what they need to complete their quest. What title would you give this fic?
Crystals in the Matrix.

What Kind of Author

There is discussion about whether authors need a web presence and at what level. And I think, as with everything, if as an author you hate the deadline pressure and blogging or if keeping more than a shell website or any of that would send you over a cliff, then don't do it. As a fan of analogies, I would compare it to acting. There are some actors who prefer only one medium, be it television, movies, or theater. Some don't do as well in one as they do in the other, and some really enjoy working in each of them.
And while I think everyone published should have a website, and while I prefer websites with content, be it a blog, or updated links, in the end, I don't hold it against authors who have static websites or dinky websites.
But. If an author is willing to put in the time, and enjoys it (at least a little), I think a web presence can be helpful in growing loyal readers. Look, I know that those of us who haunt author websites and hang out on boards talking book talk are a small portion of the reading population. But we are the superfans. (Not all of them, but we are there.) And I have found authors on the web, and then gone and bought their books. Blogging isn't the same as novel writing, but it gives readers a sense of your voice and your storytelling. And it makes me a little more willing to take a chance and shell out some money. So, it seems worthwhile if its something you can/will/want to do.

More Silly

Since I sharing the silly this week. I am going to confess I am inordinately pleased that the sock, you know, The Sock that Yarn Harlot is carrying about, is made of Koigu yarn that I have. I know probably lots of people own this sock yarn. But still, it makes me happy.

I Prefer the Term Super Fan

Yes, that was me. Lani Diane Rich, author, Cherry, Literary Chick and TWoPer sent out a request for a stalker. And some crazed internet defenders. I volunteered. She said she was out of applications when I saw her at the Turn the Page signing, but I'm not letting a little thing like that stop me. I have travelled across states to hang out with authors - I just had to cross one measly border. (And okay, I'm not planning on giving up my day job for this, so I'm willing to share here.) But I can be a stalker, er, super fan. I can show up where there are books being sold and signed. I can tell people how much I love what they do. Really, I've done it for people I didn't even know. In the cold. Showing up at a bookstore is a piece of cake. Well, some bookstores, but like I said I'm willing to share.

In Praise of the Superfan

As the Internet, this bundle of tubes, gets further clogged, as media changes, as the number of channels changes it seems daily, there are discussions. Discussion about many things, the fracturing of the market now that people have more than the three, four, five, six broadcast channels available to them. Discussions of the long tail theory as more people who never much liked what was on network television now have better options. Or people, like me, who thought [insert day here] was always dead have better choices even if all I want is something that doesn't annoy me chattering in the background. Yet, despite that, networks still rely on ratings to determine things like advertising costs and the success of a show.

Shows like "Veronica Mars", tend to have fairly low ratings compared to something like "Desperate Housewives". However the fans that watch are very dedicated. And I think sometimes that isn't taken into account because it's hard to measure. Studies showed that people who own DVRs tend to watch more television than those who don't. People who have fantasy sports teams watch more games than those who don't. When much loved shows such as "Arrested Development" are cancelled it is often rating that are blamed. The fact that the show was popular among the group that watched enough to make its way into the lexicon, that people planned their weeks around it is discounted. The sheer numbers were not there.

Now I understand you reach a point numbers-wise, where you have so many viewers that it matters little if some of them are casual viewers who drop in only occasionally. But there are many shows that survive without having the serious dedicated core. Where am I going with this? I am here today to point out that maybe - in some ways - the superfan or dedfan (dedicated fan) is worth more. Casual fans are great but dedfans are there - usually live. I own a DVR and yet, except when I absolutely can't plan around it I watch "Veronica Mars" live. No fast forwarding. Because I can't wait. So from an advertiser perspective, I am a bonus. Dedfans watch very carefully, as well as repeatedly, thereby increasing their exposure to the various messages displayed in the show. Even dedfans watching through a DVR see several of the commercials - as they sit in shock over the latest revelations, or because they are afraid to skip too far forward and miss a crucial second.

Dedfans follow shows through time changes, day changes and even channel changes. Dedfans show up to fan events, they blog about their favorite shows, and they tell all their friends. Dedfans risk teasing from other people who tell them they take this stuff too seriously (even if many of those same people do check out the show to see what has made this person so crazy).

Now of course the issue is how do you tell a dedfan from a casual fan? Certainly I would categorize myself as a dedfan for some shows, and casual on others. And some shows I was really committed to, have been bumped down the list if not removed altogether. Certainly networks are working on the seasonal storyline with the success of "24" and "Lost" convincing them to work towards shows with season long plots. In some ways, they are trying to encourage dedfans. Or at least fans that tune in every week.

Now there are dangers. Dedfans aren't afraid to let you know how they feel. The Veronica people have at times compared it to a wave of love tempered with papercuts, and being in a room full of ex-girlfriends. But, much like many teachers wrote on my report cards, it is because they know you can do better. Dedfans will also rent an airplane to fly over network headquarters, or start a drive to get DVDs of your show in every library. On their own!

I say this not to denigrate the casual fan. But I think, in many cases quantity is being counted over quality. And while - by its very nature - quantity is easier to, you know, quantify, quality should also be taken into consideration. Casual fans are easily distracted. (For example, the second the season starts up in full, I imagine I will no longer see any reason to torture myself watching "Vanished".) Casual fans won't worry if they miss an episode, will be drawn in by the latest trendy game show or reality show. Or they'll start watching the shows higher on their favorites list, already queued up on the DVR. And then where will you be. Reliant only on your dedfans. Do you have any?

I'm Not a Crazy Fan

I was reading the guest post by Shari Caudron over at Bookseller Chick about fans. (In the interest of disclosure, I have an entry about TV fans percolating). One of the things she said is that people - even people were at these fan events - would tell her that they weren't crazy like these other people.

Having recently finished Yarn Harlot's At Knits End (and also Knitting), I have been compiling my own list. So we have "Signs I Knit A Lot" and "Signs I'm not a Crazy Knitter and it is Totally Under Control"

A Lot because...
*Knitting is sometimes the first thing I do in the morning.
*I knit sometimes even when my hands hurt. (I'm working on this because I do know that's bad).
*I buy yarn without any idea what I am going to make with it.
*I have enough yarn to knit for the rest of the year and possibly part of next year without buying more.
*I drool when I get yarn sale announcements. (Even though I have so much yarn right now...)
*I have bought a second needle kit so I could have more projects on the needles at a time.
*I am a little sad that there are very limited selections of knitting jewelry.
*I blog about knitting.
*I have knit while on my stepper (a cheapo stairmaster-type thing.)
*I have turned someone's sweater inside out just to peek at how the knitting looked on the inside.

Under Control because...
*I have never bought seventy skeins at one store (as Yarn Harlot mentioned might have happened.) So see - I am in control.
*I have not acheived SABLE (stash aquisition beyond life expectancy).
*I don't buy new needles for every project (as one knitter I encountered said she did, to avoid having to track down the right needles each time).
*I try not to set a lot of deadlines around my knitting (eliminating the crazed knitting instead of sleeping because I decided to make everyone a sweater for the holidays issue).
*The people in the yarn store don't know my name (yet).
*I still buy knitted items.
*I have not found myself looking at items in stores and saying, "I could do that better!" (yet).
*I have established rules for the number of projects at a time and how to take breaks while knitting. And I follow them. Mostly.
*I Don't have yarn in my freezer.

So, see, it's totally reasonable and healthy. Really.