Category Archives: about me

Just Wild About Harry? The Fan Fiction Phenomenon

December 20, 2001 Deirdre Straughan Leave a comment

I’ve long been an avid reader of fantasy, and even at the tender age of 39 I don’t hesitate to read books classified as for children or “young adults” (I’ll recommend a few at the end of this article). But I didn’t rush to read the Harry Potter books when they came out, and don’t consider myself a rabid Potter fan. Still, the books were fun, and I figured the movie would be, too.

Then I heard that Alan Rickman was in the film, and seeing it suddenly became imperative. In case you don’t remember, Rickman, as the evil Sheriff, upstaged Kevin Costner in Robin Hood, Prince of Thieves, and later upstaged the cute younger guy in Sense & Sensibility (if the younger sister had had any sense, she’d have preferred Rickman from the start; but the story was mostly about her lack of sense).

Rickman has a luscious baritone voice that it’s a crime to dub over, so I didn’t want to see “Harry Potter” until I could see it in English. To my delight, one cinema in Milan decided to show it in English for the first week of its run. (They were hardly committing commercial suicide: it’s a multiplex cinema, and the Italian version was showing on its deluxe big screen, while we English-speakers were relegated to a 126-seat hall in the basement.)

Rickman, as Harry Potter’s nemesis of a teacher, Severus Snape, didn’t get much screentime, but he made every second count… and I think I’ll stop there lest I begin to gush. Suffice to say that the critics – and Rickman’s legions of female fans – seem to agree with me.

The great thing about the Internet is that, no matter what you’re obsessed with, you can easily find thousands of other people similarly obsessed (well, sometimes that’s a bad thing). So, when I decided that a picture or two of Alan Rickman would be a fine addition to my Windows desktop, it wasn’t hard to find several very nice ones, both in and out of his Snape guise (er, waitaminute… nope, sorry, didn’t find any naked pictures).

While I was hunting for Snape pictures, I was surprised to also find a lot of fan fiction dedicated to this particular character. “Fanfic,” a phenomenon familiar from my exposure to Star Trek and Star Wars fandom, is what you get when fans make up their own stories set in the fictional universes they love, involving at least some of the original characters, often in situations that their original creators might find surprising. Fanfic runs the gamut from well to appallingly written, from humorous to depressing, and from G-rated to XXX.

Of course it’s the X stuff that gets people, ahem, exercised, especially “slash” fiction, so-called because it’s about relationships, “somebody / [slash] somebody”. Specifically, both somebodies are male. The classic example is “Kirk/Spock” fiction, which postulated that the heroes of the original Star Trek series were a good deal closer than Starfleet duties demanded.

Years ago, Richard Pini (of the husband-and-wife team that create and publish Elfquest) said in an editorial that he was aware of such stories circulating about their own two main male characters and, while not at all offended by homosexuality, he felt that it simply wasn’t appropriate for those two characters (and he felt the same about Kirk/Spock).

I wrote to him that I felt the stories were a compliment, proving the richness of what the Pinis had created: their universe had enough depth that people could picture themselves within it, and use their imaginations to help work out their own feelings and lives. This was over 15 years ago, when there weren’t many positive homosexual role models available in popular culture, so I thought it might be a psychological survival strategy for young gays: create your own gay role models, based on heroes you already love and admire.

At the time I had not actually read any slash fanfic, and was only guessing as to who was writing it. But a quote I just found online seems to bear out my thesis: “As a gay man, I don’t get to see any characters representing my experiences or viewpoint, so I co-opt one of the existing ones… and fill in their background. [The show doesn’t] seem to think my kind exist, so I have to make the themes relevant to myself.”

It appears, however, that most of the Snape fanfic, even the slash, is written by women. On one of the sites I found a link to an amusing article (“Severus Snape, Love God“), which linked to a further article (“The Trouble with Harry,” by Christopher Noxon, San Francisco Chronicle), about Harry Potter fanfic, and the predictable reaction of AOL Time Warner, guardians of the multi-billion dollar licensing property that Harry has become.

Says Noxon: “According to Henry Jenkins, a Massachusetts Institute of Technology scholar who has tracked it since its appearance in photocopied ‘zines circulated at fan conventions, slash porn appeals to young women because it lets them experience romantic bonds in a mythological universe far removed from the more familiar (and far scarier) world of boyfriends, dating and sex.”

Given the real risks sometimes associated with boyfriends, dating, and sex (such as date rape drugs), I don’t blame these young women for preferring to work out their feelings about sex in imaginary situations as far as possible from their own reality.

Jenkins’ theory also agrees with something I read years ago, in a book about Japanese comics (manga): In Japan there are entire genres of comics aimed at adolescent girls and young women, about – you guessed it – romantic relationships between androgynous young men. That author similarly believed that these fantasies were a way for girls to indulge romantic feelings, at a comfortable remove from their own realities.

Judging from some other quotes I found online, Jenkins has very interesting things to say in his 1992 book on fanfic, Textual Poachers : Television Fans & Participatory Culture (Studies in Culture and Communication). (AmazonÂ UK | US) I have a few more thoughts on the phenomenon myself, but I’ll read the book before I carry on with this topic.

Oh, and the movie? It was fun.

More on Fanfic

Good article

In case you are wondering: Yes, I’m tempted to write fanfic. No, I’m not going to tell you when/if I do. <grin>

The End of an Era

July 13, 2001 Deirdre Straughan 1 Comment

Yesterday I said goodbye to the subscribers of the Roxio newsletters. And the email came pouring in. Sure, I’ve heard from people about the newsletters before. I always knew I was doing something right there. But (in spite of my considerable ego) I didn’t expect the warmth and kindness of some of the messages I received. Nor had I realized the extent to which I seem to have touched some people personally. Would I do this again? Yes, absolutely!

I don’t really know you, but I have the impression to know you from this tiny link. You’ve been a valued, *trusted* voice on many fronts.

I have found your writing to be “my kind of style”, very informal, sounding like it’s coming from a real living, breathing human instead of some corporate stuffed shirt in some cube somewhere.

In the short time I’ve been reading your Roxio newsletters, I’ve seen that you usually put some personal [HUMAN] touch in your work. So folks feel like there’s someone there, not just machines and programs. I like that.

Now you’re leaving Roxio and you’ve done something I’ve never seen anyone in the business sector do. You said goodbye. You didn’t just disappear. You’ve bid farewell. Lady, I appreciate that level of consideration you have extended to others. In today’s full-streaming online world, that is truly a nice little gift to receive! And I thank you for your gift.

You don’t know me, but you really has been a mentor in my World. I always thought you were some sort of gimmick to the company and that you were not real!

Like many others who have written you, I feel that your Adaptec/Roxio newsletters were much more than the typical “corporate communication”. I felt very strongly that there was a person who cared about the people on the mailing list — someone who wanted to empower them through Toast (and related technologies) to be the best that they could be. While sometimes the content was largely written by someone else, it was always useful, relevant, and clear — the hallmarks of a good editor. They were always a pleasure to receive… Not just for the information content, but because of the human face that accompanied them.

It was always good to find your newsletter in the intray – just like hearing from a old friend, who had some helpful tips to pass on. I will miss your warm and personal newsletters.

You have a very good writing style and it is this style that has kept me subscribed to the newsletters. Sorry to see you go.

Thanks for being a great support person who answered my questions perhaps before I even thought of them.

Your Adaptec/Roxio articles are among the MOST INFORMATIVE and accessible stuff I’ve read on CD-R Topics. …wonderfully chatty and friendly newsletters…

A really innovative, imaginative and charming person came through every time. I always enjoyed your e-mails and they made me a loyal customer of Adaptec/Roxio.

Your column was innovative, helpful and unique. I’ll miss your enjoyable, informative, and gracious reports. “You’re a Hard Habit to Break”

I’ve also appreciated the caring tone of your newsletters. I will miss not only your expert advice, but your clear, witty and superb writing style.

I have come to depend on your newsletters for hints, tips and a lot of humor. It’s been delightful having you as our hostess at Roxio.

Thanks to you, I went from a babbling idiot to master of all things CDR / CDRW. It was always a pleasure to read your newsletters, your personal touch made them so much more enjoyable. It made them standout and made the corporation seem a more friendly one even if it had an identity problem.

I feel as if you are a personal friend who always took time to help us discover new things with our computer-related hobby.

…it’s like losing a sister …feel obliged to you for much excellent advice, a great sense of forthright humour and a very human face, indeed.

You did something few can do on the net – you came through as a person, and friendly too.

We have enjoyed your help and friendliness. [Our workplace] won’t be the same after you are gone, it’s as though you were right here with us. We just want to say thanks for all the help and tech support. I know you don’t know us, but we all feel as though we know you.

Though we have never met, I looked forward to you regular e-mail as much as those from friends and family. I will personally miss the one on one feeling that I felt from you. You had the knack of putting a human and articulate side to the inanimate and often faceless e-mail.

I’ve enjoyed your e-mails … have had a sense of you as a ‘friend’ … Keep up your style and tone … it works.

How could you do such a thing I have only just got used to receiving e-mails from you being a new customer.

thanks for your wisdom – perky sense of humour – unflappability – and ever sincere honesty.

Thanks for being a human person that listens to the people.

Somehow Deirdre, you made friends whom you very seldom heard from. This newsletter of yours became so much part of my regular post, that maybe I’ll unsubscribe now.

I always looked forward to your news letters. I never really viewed them as Adaptec/Roxios letters but called them “Deirdre Grams”.

Just a note of applause for the info, energy you expend, and the tone or flow of the Roxio newsletter. I find it extremely informative . . . and user-friendly.

Probably what I enjoy most is your tender and gentle and loving approach. Makes me want to read and re-read it. …a warm, friendly writing style

BABY PLEASE DON’T GO

{D: …and ‘the experts’ say that email is a poor medium for communicating emotion!]

Some comments that were less emotional but nonetheless very sweet (and flattering!):
Your emails are kind of like the National Geographic magazine, you never throw them away.

You’re such a clear writer; you remind me of J.K. Rowling.

about me

Buffy the Vampire Slayer – My Favorite Obsession

June 15, 2001 Deirdre Straughan Leave a comment

Already a Buffy Fan?

Here are a few other vampires you might enjoy.

Convention Report, June 2001

By now “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” is an international phenomenon. The show has completed its 5th season in the United States, and has generated a spin-off show, “Angel” which has been running for two years. My family have been fans for about a year and a half, thanks to my friend and former employee, Adrian Miller.

^ George Hertzberg (Adam) with Ross

It’s also thanks to Adrian that we got tickets to the big Buffy convention held near London in June. If you’ve ever been to a Star Trek convention, or seen the movie Galaxy Quest, you’ll have an idea what these conventions are like (in fact, a lot of the same people go to conventions for Star Trek, Star Wars, Xena, and other sci-fi/fantasy shows as well as Buffy). I wouldn’t do this every year, but it was definitely a cultural experience.

The main activity at a convention like this is standing in line: You stand in line to get tickets to have your picture taken with one of the star guests, then you stand in line to have the actual picture taken, then you stand in line to have the picture (and other items) autographed.

In between lines, you can attend talks by the star guests, watch episodes of the show you have missed or want to see again, and – most importantly! – buy show-related merchandise from the sales booths.

There were quite a few star guests at this year’s convention, although Buffy and Angel themselves were not present. The guests included J. August Richards (Gunn on Angel), Andy Hallett (Lorne on Angel), Robin Atkin Downes (various monsters), George Hertzberg (big bad Adam on season four of Buffy), James Marsters (Spike on Buffy), Nicholas Brendon (Xander on Buffy), the three main make-up artists from both shows (Todd McIntosh, Dayne Johnson, and David DeLeon), Chris Golden (author of several fiction and non-fiction books about Buffy), and, best of all, Joss Whedon, creator of both shows.

What impressed me most was how hard all the star guests worked throughout the weekend. While we fans were standing in line, they, too, were on their feet: having their pictures taken with hundreds of fans, giving their talks, and spending hours at the autograph tables signing everything from photographs to books to toothbrushes.

Listening to and observing the guests, it was clear that these people work extremely hard, on average 14 hours a day throughout the shooting season (which seems to be nine or 10 months a year). Because the title character is a vampire, “Angel” is shot mostly at night, so the Angel cast and crew have the added stress of always being on the night shift. All the people involved with the shows clearly take enormous pride in the quality of their work, quality which can be seen on the screen – and they’re all having tremendous fun as well.

James Marsters in particular doesn’t seem to mind all the female attention he gets. One might accuse him of a slightly swelled head, but it’s also easy to forgive him, because he is clearly having so much fun being famous – no moans about the downside of fame here! And even idols have their own idols. James raved about how he had just spent several days with Roger Daltrey, who had even given him a guitar. During a Q&A session a fan asked him why he didn’t demand more lines in a movie. “First,” he said, “you don’t walk onto a set and demand more lines. Second, if there’s any opportunity to be in a film – even for a few seconds – with Geoffrey Rush, I’m going to take it!”

There is quality in the details of Buffy as well. The three make-up artists gave a demonstration: it took two hours each to reproduce two of the demon faces from the shows, plus one simple vampire make-up and one “glamourous” make-up. They mentioned that the soft foam rubber monster masks are each used only once. This a quality choice: in order to blend the edges of the mask invisibly into the actor’s skin, those edges must be very thin. It is impossible to remove the masks without tearing the edges at least a little, so if the same mask were re-used, its edges would be more visible when reapplied. Instead, a fresh mask is made every time, and the make-up is therefore as convincing as it can be – every time.

Most of the guests who came for the convention had taken advantage of their tickets to London to do some sightseeing, several bringing relatives or “significant others” with them. But they took time out from tourism to get together and celebrate a cast member’s birthday. I felt wistfully envious of the Buffy and Angel gangs: they work long and hard together most of the year to create some of the greatest shows on television, and they all seem to like each other. It must be fun.

rear L-R: George Hertzberg, Robin Atkin Downes, Andy Hallett, J. August Richards, David deLeon, Dayne Johnson
front L-R: James Marsters, Rossella, Amber Benson, Joss Whedon, Todd McIntosh – photos (c) David Sumner