Take the time and read before you go off and do it...

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Title:	Take the time and read before you go off and do it...
Creator:	ladyamarra
Date(s):	September 10, 2006
Medium:
Fandom:	focus on Stargate Atlantis
Topic:
External Links:	Take the time and read before you go off and do it..., Archived version
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Take the time and read before you go off and do it... is a livejournal post by ladyamarra. It was posted to the community cultoftherodney and received 26 comments.

It was posted in reaction to the creation of Stargate Atlantis' David Hewlett's official website and forum.

It has two additions:

"EDIT: suz suggested crossposting this to other places, but I lack the ideas where, SO SPREAD THE WORD, LET FANDOM KNOW, LINK BACK HERE"

"EDIT: Seems as if the earthquake come up due to a couple of pictures and rude comments was settled by our lovely DH himself (as it was to be expected by the Mod). He posted a comment on the whole ordeal and about rules in the last hours and presented us with his own kind of damage control. I am glad he did so and hope it will work out from now on without a permanent disagreement between the two sides of fandom and those fandom is about. I still do think we should keep to the same code of behaviour as we would when meeting the man in person, but technically, that only means we should try and use our brains, doesn't it? I will put the *open Letter* with this update on the current situation under a Lj-cut now, due to it's size and the many comments (besides, we've got some rules on post sizes here too..."

Some Topics Discussed

• violating the fourth wall
• thoughts about fans behaving poorly, policing other fans, whiteknighting on behalf of celebrities, good fans vs bad fans
• people falling all over themselves stating they aren't as bad as other fans
• David Hewlett and his official website and forum

The Essay

Yeah, the time has come... I am playin reasonable grownup *shudder*

Attention people,

Most of you know by now that DH got himself a page (and no I do not post the link, because a) you know it already and b) if you really wanna be there than find it on your own.) in the net and a FORUM in which he's the mod, which alone is a unbelievable brave thing for an actor to do (in my opinion at least) because there are certainly things out here I wouldn't dare to look at without feeling seriously uncomfortable. (If I was him)

Now, we all established some sort of policy we hold to when going on cons; there are borders, not only physically but ethically as well... You don't throw yourself all over another person, no matter how much of a fan you are unless you know the other person well enough so he or she feels comfortable with it. And one thing is sure, no actor feels comfortable when a squeezing fangirl wrappes herself around his torso while over enthusiatically groping his goods.

Which brings me to the fact that no actor is happy when hormone driven fans post pictures of his ass in full screen size(I bet he off all knows how his ass looks when naked), post the love children of hormones and photoshop (and honestly nothing against porn in all colours and sizes but for Fandom's sake, DON'T DO THAT OVER THERE)or wave the latest PWP complete with throbbing members and lubbed orifices in his face. (please, that's just... not that I don't read them but think about it.. would you want to know about them if a character you play would be in it?)

I am not prude and I do enjoy fandom as much as everyone else does, but I try to be the voice of reason here.

DON'T DO SUCH THINGS

DH is great, he tries to bring his movie ("A dog's breakfast") to the places where we can see it and tries to be close to his fans, he, of all, plays the most with the slash factor on cons and in the series, and not many people do that or even try it. Many actors nurse a healthy horror of anything internet related, be glad he isn't one of them and show him, and his friends and co-actors that fandom can be grown up and responsible.

The dgeek Forum is not LJ, try to seperate the two.

We all do like DH for our own reasons, and we all want him to stay as open as he seems to be...

BE GROWN UP AND BE RESPONSIBLE, DON'T ANNOY DH WITH YOUR CHILDISH SQUEES, SQUEEING IS FINE AND YOU CAN REALLY LET HIM FEEL THE VIBE OF OUR FANISH LUV BUT PLEASE, DON'T, AND I MEAN IT, DON'T OVERDO IT! THINK OF THE BORDERS YOU WOULDN'T WANT TO BE CROSSED IF IT WAS YOU.

Those of your who are grown up (oh and you don't need to be over 18 to be grown up, I am speaking of mentally being and adult) and all know why I write this, you probably feel just as uncomfortable as I do with how Fandom is represented.

For all those others, if you want to rant at me, do so... I have no problem with it.

Yours sincerely

Ami

DH Fan

Excerpts from the Comments

[suekay 87]: hear hear I've been horrified at some posts there, so much so I don't think I'll go back... you should consider cross-posting this at other communities, cos it's going to do the whole fandom a lot of damage in the long run

[slashfictionfan]: This was a very coherent and well thought out post .... and I totally and utterly agree with you.

I haven't gone into the forums since all the embarrassing pathetic behaviour began, and I don't think I want to again, ever. (I pretty much feel the same about conventions.. )

I really hope these idiots get electrocuted by their computers and die a slow painful death (... yeh, I'm that annoyed *g*)...

[pixienymph]: This was very well put, clear and to the point. Thank you for posting it!

I was totally horrified when I saw what was going on at dGeek. I don't really immerse myself in fandoms (none of my RL friends are really into sci-fi and I don't have that much online time), so I can't wrap my mind around why people would do such a thing. I've been to cons in my life (mostly Trek) and never once have I seen this sort of behaviour... it frightens me to think about how 'those people' would act towards DH in person. Yikes.

Anyway, thanks again for posting this. Hopefully someone will listen. :) ... thank you for sticking up for us 'normals'!

People need to realize this sort of behaviour really does wreck it for everyone else. Mr Hewlett (and his co-stars, too) isn't going to want any interaction with fans at all if he constantly has to wonder if some crazy is going to show up with his ass printed on a t-shirt, or expect autographs on their manips of him doing the nasty with Joe. Or Paul. Or Jason... etc.

[joe zed pee em]: Well said! *claps* I had a quick peek but quickly clicked away from the forums and back to what DH himself had to say. I adore the man but I would never dream of asking some of those things OR posting the pictures. I just hope that the idiots dwindle and DH is patient enough to wait for the adults in fandom before shutting down his site.

yeah, it bugs me what some childish people will do for kicks! And what bugs me more is that I am noticing the childishness! Jeez! I mean when I notice things are becoming dire because I am a complete goofball!

I was at a convention where JF was asked about slash, the poor guy was sooo uncomfortable and the idiot who asked just wouldn't let it drop! It gives the rest of the fans a bad name and puts the actors in a bad situation. No fun for anyone! I would never have the nerve to ask something like that...hell I only just managed to say Hi and nod when JF asked me if I was ok!

Anyway, enough babbling! Just wanted to say I AGREE! :)

[lazigyrl]: My first reaction was to groan and roll my eyes. I really don't like posts that start with "I am playin reasonable grownup" because it means a lecture I really don't need, yet feel compelled to read. Then I remember stories I've heard from actors, like this year at TTCON when Michael Shanks mentioned a fan coming up and showing him a collection of explicit manips of Daniel and Jack... I have to ask why anyone would do something like that? Reminding me that while I (and many others) might not need the lecture, there are unfortunately some out there that do.

[bruinsfan]: Not to discourage you from making posts advocating common sense in dealing with the on-camera talent... but you do realize that the really obsessive fans who are likely to pull this sort of thing probably aren't going to be persuaded by rational arguments, right? I mean, there's a certain point in the process of videotaping an actor as one talks to him about his character's many slash adventures where it becomes obvious that boundaries and good taste are not major worries of the fan in question.

[eyesoffate]: Here via the sga_noticeboard and just wanted to say that I agree with everything you said. Made a post/letter about it in my own LJ yesterday. I just hope that some people realize what they are doing and that things calm down before those of us behaving ourselves suffer due to their ignorant actions. =\