#knights of fandom

[renardtrickster]

I feel like 2012 Tumblr had an AMAZING idea with Knights of Fandom and if there was ever an era for them to exist, now would be it.

[ladynorbert]

Just a reminder...

The Knights of Fandom (@knightsoffandom) will be repping at @saikoucon this Saturday, August 27th, at 6 pm in the Lehigh Room at Split Rock Resort in Lake Harmony, PA. Come hang out!

[ladynorbert]

So after a great deal of contemplation (and a little encouragement from Lord Norbert and my deputies), I’ve decided to apply to present the Knights of Fandom panel at SaikouCon, which is held in the Pocono Mountains at the end of August. It’s certainly doable as a day trip, or perhaps we can stay there. I’ve never attended this con, but I hear good things.

Here we go again. ;)

[ladynorbert]

Okay, so I did the thing...

...and people apparently want to know about it so I’m finally settling down to tell you all about it. (Let me know if the readmore doesn’t work; I know Tumblr’s been having issues with that lately.)

The thing in question, for those who were confused by yesterday's sleep-deprived screaming, was the Knights of Fandom panel regarding bullying in fandom, which I conducted at Zenkaikon yesterday afternoon. It's important to know two things about me during this panel.

1. I was nervous as hell.

2. A nasty combination of anxiety and weather-induced insomnia caused me to get very little sleep on Friday night, so I was also exhausted.

I'm assuming that it's for these two reasons that I have practically no memory of what happened. I do know that @auroraborealia was with me, that she helped me answer a lot of the questions. I also do know a lot of what was said, now, because @tk31085 filmed it for me (though we lost a bit when my iPad's memory filled up and she had to switch to her phone) and we listened to the audio of it while driving back. But of the event itself, my memory is pretty much a blur.

People actually laughed at my jokes, which was nice.

I can honestly say I couldn't have asked for a better audience. They were interested in the topic, receptive to what I had to say, and asked a lot of great questions. They also interacted with each other incredibly well. I offered free hugs to anyone who needed one after the panel (having explained my role as Adoptive Mother of the Internet), and a number of people took me up on that. I also had a lot of people coming up to me, including one of my college buddies who was as surprised to see me running the panel as I was to see him attending it. One guy very kindly told me that he was shocked to learn this was my first time running a panel because I conducted myself so professionally, and he particularly praised my use of the microphone. A sweet twelve-year-old showed me her artwork, and I gushed over it a bit; according to her dad, she gets bullied at school for it so Aurora and I both encouraged her to keep at it. Speaking of artwork, there was a Deadpool cosplayer in my audience who drew a picture for me while I was speaking - that kind of made my day, a personalized drawing from Deadpool. It was on his whiteboard so I couldn't keep it, but Aurora took a picture of it for me and I'll post it later.

Apparently I have to actually get around to making the Facebook page for the Knights because a lot of the potential new members aren't on Tumblr. But several of those who are have already joined!

I will put all the fragmented bits of film together into a mostly cohesive video so you can all point and laugh. I know I said some dumb things. Also, I REALLY hate the sound of my own voice, which is unfortunate because I do love to talk. The PowerPoint was great, though; I sent it to my friend Emma and she very kindly punched it up with some images and made it look a lot better than what I had originally done. So I'll probably post that if I can figure out how. And yes, I'll do this again; I'm already working on how I can make it better, but for a first run, it wasn't too bad. As I said to the audience, it was our very first panel, "so we're still working out the bugs - and the biggest bug is me."

There is one bit of which I am truthfully quite proud, though. I added a slide to the PowerPoint at almost the last minute, containing a quote from the liner notes of a Trans-Siberian Orchestra CD. It came to me during my brief slumber and I knew I had to include it. "For compassion to be real, it requires one to act." And I spoke about how just feeling sorry that something happens isn't really doing much of anything; by actively helping to stop bullying from pervading fandom, they could essentially choose to be heroes. "Compassion requires action." I actually managed to be eloquent for a minute.

But yes. I did the thing. And I'll do it again, and I'll do it better next time.

[ladynorbert]

Messages that open by addressing me as “Knight-Commander” make me ridiculously happy.

[knightsoffandom]

Convention panel!

Having gotten a bit more sleep and recharged a little, I’ve decided to go ahead and apply to have a Knights of Fandom panel at @zenkaikon next spring. It would be a discussion of matters pertaining to online bullying and harassment. I feel this is particularly timely in light of the SXSW con canceling their planned panels on these very topics - these issues need to be addressed.

If there are any Knights in the Philadelphia/Lancaster area (or even farther away) who are planning to attend the con, and would be interested in assisting me with this panel, please get in touch with me as soon as possible!

[ladynorbert]

THE NOSTALGIA CRITIC AND HIS BROTHER LIKE THE KNIGHTS OF FANDOM.

They admired our standard and congratulated me on leading a difficult but worthwhile mission. My day is made.