An Ender fan survey
Despite the enthusiasm of the fans I've talked to online and in the real world, Ender fan participation on the internet seems surprisingly lacking, given the breadth of the universe and the complexity of the characters. Considering the active nature of other fandoms, even obscure ones, I was surprised at the lack of organized discussion and fan-
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Will you be sharing the information that you find? I'm curious about this all as well. ^^;
Age: 22
Gender: F
Approximate location: Connecticut, USA
How old were you when you first read Ender's Game?
14
Have you read Speaker and the other Ender novels?
Yes
Did you read Speaker for the Dead and the other Ender novels immediately after Ender's Game?
Tried to, but it took me a while to get through the Shadow series
If no, how old were you when you read Speaker?
Have you read Ender's Shadow?
Yes
If so, how old were you when you read Ender's Shadow?
14
Do you consider yourself part of the Ender fandom?
Not really. I take part in very little discussions on the books, though I do lurk Hatrack
Do you consider yourself a part of any other book, movie, comic, television series, or videogame fandoms? If so, please list them.
Pokémon
The Sims 2
Kingdom Hearts
Digimon
Is the Ender fan community your primary fan community? If not, which is?
I mostly go to a Pokémon forum, which also has general discussions on other fandoms
At what age did you begin using the internet?
17
How would you describe your general internet usage? How many hours a day or week do you spend online?
I'm on anywhere from five hours to an hour a day
How much of this time is devoted to fan-related discussion?
Pretty much all of my time online is doing something in a fandom. But I don't really join in with a lot of discussions
How much of this time is devoted to Ender-related fan discussion?
None
At what age did you become involved in fan-related internet activity?
19
At what age did you become in Ender-related internet activity?
I'm still not really involved in anything related to the Enderverse series online. I do tend to mention the books often in conversations with my friends online, but I'm not involved in the actual fandom
How would you describe your participation in the Ender fan community (Avid, moderate, silent)? Please elaborate.
Silent. There's not a lot for me to discuss about with other fans because my opinions clash with the rest of the fandom
How would you describe your participation in your other fandoms?
Very active in the Pokémon fandom. I'm a moderator on one of the largest forums for that fandom. I tend to lurk in other fandoms, but I am going to become more active
Where does the Ender series rank in your list of fandoms?
It's my favorite thing to discuss, but since I'm not really active, I don't rank it that high
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Yes
Do you write fanfiction or create fanart?
Yes
Do you read fanfiction or view fanart for the Ender series?
I try to, whenever I find it.
Do you write fanfiction or create fanart for the Ender series?
Even though it goes against Card's wishes, I do
Do you actively support certain pairings/relationships in the Ender series? If so, please list them.
I have a cross-over ship between a character from Digimon and a character from the Enderverse series, so I do ship in this fandom somewhat
Do you actively support certain pairings/relationships in any of your other fandoms? If so, please list them.
Not really
Describe your offline fan activities, if any. This includes real-life discussions of books, movies, comics, videogames; participation in conventions; cosplay; and reading, watching or playing the original material of your fandom(s).
To answer, I'll just say that everyone I know in real life can identify me because I always have an OSC book in my pocket. For my other fandoms, I play the video game of the Sims 2 nightly, and rarely play the video games of my other fandoms. I do watch the Digimon anime when I can
How much of your offline fan activity is devoted to the Ender series?
A lot of it. I'm always flipping through the books to learn the canon material. I also read the books often
How much of your internet fan activity leaks into your real-life fan activity? Do you talk to your real-life friends about your fandoms and your activity in them?
Not at all
What drew you to the Ender books?
A friend of mine in high school allowed me to borrow his copy of Ender's Game. I enjoyed the books because of the character of Andrew Wiggin
What drew you to seek out fellow Ender fans on the internet?
There wasn't anyone in real life that I could discuss the books with, so I figured that the Internet would give me a few options. Since my main participation in fandoms is fan-creation works, I wouldn't be able to be too active, since Card is against fanfiction.
How, in your opinion, does the Ender fan community differ from the fan communities for other books, comics, movies or video games?
Not as active as the other fandoms I'm in. The books don't get discussed as often and as in-depth as the canon of the games or shows of the other fandoms. There's the asking how the books are, and the occasional question if there's a confusing plot point in the books, but once the question is answered, that's it for discussions
Do you have any thoughts on the Ender fan community in general?
None really. I'm not active enough to form an opinion, and I doubt that I'll join at any point in the future due to the fact that I don't really belong in this fandom, with the fact that I like discussing everything in a lot of depth and the fact that I write/read fanfiction.
But that's why you won't find a lot of fan-created literature or art, because Card's against it. His exact words were:
"I'm flattered; and then, if they try to publish it (including on the net) except in very restricted circumstances, I will sue, because if I do NOT act vigorously to protect my copyright, I will lose that copyright -- and that is the only inheritance I have to leave my family. So fan fiction, while flattering, is also an attack on my means of livelihood. It is also a poor substitute for the writers' inventing their own characters and situations. It does not help them as writers; it can easily harm me; and those who care about my stories and characters know that what I write is "real" and has authority, and what fans write is not and does not. So it's all pointless. I'd prefer simply to ignore it when it happens, but the way copyright law functions, I am told that I cannot ignore it. So there it is."
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