The Plant

[earthling42]

Okay, so the bosspeople are in Austin for the rest of the week. This signifies a few things. First, that I didn't get into the office until 9:25 this morning (whoops), and I was still the first arrival by a good fifteen minutes. Second, that I have the following work left for the next three days: compose five 1/2-page catalogue blurbs for

Comments

[shentou]

I don't participate much in tv fandom. I participate in some edge comics fandom, but mostly in reading the artists' and writers' blogs and visiting some forums that are more about the comics industry and comic making than actual specific comics. I have read a disturbing amount about various comics and comics' creators on Wikipedia, though.

Unless I'm really bored, I avoid fanfic like the plague. On those rare occasions where I participate in genre or specific comic fandom, I like to think I'm rational.

And to hit the "fangirl" thing, at least in the comics and gaming world, "fanboy" gets equal usage, and is about as horrible, if not worse (thought that's largely a matter of perspective). Typically it means fat, slovenly geek who has spent some much time whacking it over his last issue of Supergirl that the pages no longer open, or, alternatively, that he is incredibly obsessive and generally retarded about it.*

There's a nicer usage that gets bandied about that simply means overly obsessive fan. In such usage "fanboy" is as common as "fangirl", proportional to just how likely it is that the person in question is male or female.

*When one stops to think about it, this is how sex seems to be stereotyped in gender issues--girls are squealing idiots with no control over their emotions, boys are rapists who can't help their horrible sexual impulses. Lovely world, isn't it?

*

[earthling42]

That's because sex is a gross, bad thing that should be avoided at all costs. Unless the specific intent is procreation, in which case: missionary position, done as quickly and efficiently as possible, no enjoyment whatsoever, and strictly within the bonds of most holy matrimony.

Jeez, man, what country are you living in? ;)