Fandom and Ethnography by Lisa Richards

 

‘Searing Idolatry: The Legion of Nerdy Doom’. Website created May 2002, by Melony McGinn.

 

In every generation there is a chosen one. She alone will stand against the vampires, the demons, and the forces of darkness. She is the Slayer. (Whedon 1997)

 

Since its emergence on television in 1997, the following for Joss Whedon’s Buffy the Vampire Slayer has been a very important part of the series. A series targeting teenagers combining jokes, monsters, love and death week by week, the title neatly covers all aspects of the series in four words. A simple synopsis is enough to see why it achieved its cult status: Buffy Summers - a former cheerleader - is the chosen one, chosen to fight the vampires and the demons, and save the world again and again, while maintaining her homework and a social life. Appealing to children, teenagers, arrested adolescents and academics alike, Buffy slays her demons with a postmodern twist and inspires hundreds of us to take up her tale.  Though some fans are more extreme than others, the dedication to the series is immense. The fans of the series become devoted to the most trivial of characters, and base their entire fan activities on that one character. This emphasised fascination of fans by the smaller characters that make up the background of the Buffy series shows that the series exists for the fans far beyond the superficial. The characters in the background are just as important as the leads, and deserve just as much attention. This interest of fans led me to several questions:

 

1.  What is it that attracts groups within the wider Buffy audience to specific minor characters?

 

2.  Is this group separate from mainstream Buffy fans?

 

3.  Are locations – websites, fanzines - dedicated to these characters designed to keep out mainstream ‘intruders’?

 

4.  Are the numbers of the self-proclaimed “geek” community on the increase?

 

What is the attraction of minor characters?

The site that I am analysing -‘The Legion of Nerdy Doom’- celebrates the three characters that make up the Troika, the mischievous villains of Season 6, and was created predominantly as an archive for fan fiction and wallpaper centring on these three. The Troika are Warren Mears, Andrew Wells, and Jonathan Levinson, three overtly geeky characters who dream of becoming “super-villains”. The site itself revels in its own status as a place for “freaks and geeks”, and combines this with a sophisticated layout design. This confirmation of the creator’s pride in her own geekdom appears to declare the community behind the site, and those that contribute to it. The terms “freaks and geeks”, usually reserved for scorn and insult, are empowered and inviting. The major and minor characters have almost all been labelled thusly in the series itself and the fans of these characters are being included in this community. The glorified term of “freak” or “geek” has been reclaimed by their former victims. As with other communities, for example the reclaiming of the word “queer” by the gay community, this act of reclaiming is a strengthening device, bonding a new community together of those previously considered outcasts.

 

The site was created in May of 2002, almost immediately after the Troika group was introduced into Buffy, and is one of several websites created under the name of Searing Idolatry, real name Melony McGinn. As with her other sites the emphasis is on fan fiction and images of the characters. Another of these sites, ‘Vamp Willow’s House of Fun’, re-enforces a strong preference for the darker characters Buffy has to offer, characters considered to be far more entertaining than the clean-cut heroes of the series. I conducted an interview with Mel to ask her about her site, her experiences of Buffy fandom, and her role as a contributor. As someone who has created several sites around her relationship with the Buffy series she felt confident in her answers and was enthusiastic about being a part of my research. She explained her reasons for creating this specific Troika site:

 

Mel McGinn:  They deserve a website because they are the fans. They’re geeks. They’re nerds. They watch the shows that we watch, and we identify with them. I mean, it’s like the writers from Buffy have admitted that they are the Troika. Things that they’ve said in meetings end up in the script. Conversations they’ve had just appear suddenly in there, they love writing the Troika. Joss [Whedon] adores the Troika because he is the Troika.

 

A certain amount of affinity is felt with these characters because they are fans themselves. Their secret lair is a basement filled with action figures, and futuristic furniture similar to that found in Star Trek and the like. In one episode they are successfully threatened into compliance not by physical violence, but by the threat of decapitating a 1979 vintage Boba Fett figurine. They are blatant geeks. Even the money earned from their criminal activities goes towards DVD box-sets. The fan base for villainous characters has always been apparent. It is easy to enjoy watching the bad boys at play. In Buffy the fans of characters such as Spike and Drusilla have always made themselves heard. If it was not for this support, Spike would possibly not be such a prominent figure five seasons after his initial appearance. However, as villains the Troika are hardly legendary. Within the show, they are a nuisance; they will never cause an apocalypse but they are capable of some damage. Both Warren and Jonathan are characters who have appeared in Buffy previously, Warren in Season 5 (ep. 15), and Jonathan intermittently since the pilot episode, featuring in fourteen episodes before being given his own episode in Season 4 (ep. 17) where he got to be the Mary Sue-style superstar. Andrew was created specifically for the Troika in the place of his brother Tucker (another geek who set hell hounds on Sunnydale High during the Prom at the end of Season 3) when the actor playing Tucker could not return to reprise his role. 

 

The attraction of fans to the villainous characters in Buffy rather than the heroes has always been a factor in the production of the series. Since the first episode the villains have always had their fair share of the limelight. They are always given superior dialogue, and witty putdowns to compete with Buffy’s sass. In a series where each character is given a dark side, and that side is always explored, the split in the fandom would be inevitable. Mel McGinn’s other site ‘Vamp Willow’s House of Fun’ is dedicated to the character Willow’s vampiric side as explored in Season 3 (episodes 9 and 16). Many fans prefer Angelus to Angel and the actively evil Spike to the now dormant one. As Mel put it “there’s something naughty in liking the bad guy”. Beyond simply liking the bad guy best, some fans are immediately drawn to the minor characters. There has been much fan fiction written involving the character of Devon – lead singer of college band Dingoes Ate My Baby, and friend to the more prominent character Oz. Mel told me of an on-line friend who was drawn to Warren immediately, and before the emergence of the Troika. Characters like that of Jonathan have been kept in the background of the Buffy universe as continuity.  Their roles may not be prominent or dialogue-heavy, but as the series was set at first in a high school, and then more generally around a small Californian town, it is logical that the same people would appear over and over. The constant appearances of these characters have been noted by members of the audience, and have gathered their own fans as the seasons go by. The lead characters of Buffy are in each episode essentially fulfilling the same role week by week; after some time it is not necessary to concentrate on them while still following the pattern of the episode. This allows the audience member to pick out other characters to watch. It is possible to enjoy watching heroes being heroic, yet still find their characters boring. They may develop as people, they may find new interests, but their functions within each episode remain the same. The unfamiliar characters have less predictability, this makes them attractive. Traditionally their roles are fleeting; this allows the fan to make up their own narratives to explain the characters, their motivations, their private thoughts. The weekly villains are malleable to the fan’s mind. They can be transformed and defined. The heroes are fully formed, we are told their thoughts and fears, and they give the fan less room to explore them through their own creativity.

 

The feeling of identification with these characters, the idea that essentially they are the same as us, implies a feeling of community. “They watch the shows that we watch”. The fans see themselves in the characters own sense of fandom –I admit to feeling a small thrill of excitement when Andrew at one point declared himself a fan of cult British science-fiction sitcom Red Dwarf (Season 6, ep. 9). If the writers of Buffy are writing these three from their own ideas and experiences of fandom, then these characters are the fans, by the fans, and for the fans. The writers are declaring themselves the same as their audience. They are just the same as us, and they declare it in their scripts just as other fans do in websites or zines. That affinity between the production team and those who imbibe the product and the knowledge of that affinity creates a strong bond between the two camps. They are part of the geek community along with the rest of us.

 

Geeks vs. the mainstream Buffy fans.

The “geek community” may be separate from the mainstream Buffy fans, but they are still part of the same audience. They are all fans of the series, but the geek appears to have a different attitude. The fandom is more extreme. The geek is a collector, of merchandise, images, episode spoilers, downloaded episodes, and so on. An average fan may not need to know each plot strand ahead of the episode being broadcast. I myself own videos, books, printed images, drink my tea from a Buffy mug, and try to watch each episode I can week by week, but I do not enjoy finding out narrative developments early. I enjoy being surprised by each episode and watching each story as it unfolds. Knowing each twist a season early does not appeal. In a conversation with another fan of the series, she told me that she had stopped reading the spoilers for the new season as she didn’t like the way the plot was developing. Whereas an average viewer may get annoyed with a ridiculous plot development or bad dialogue, the more extreme fan tends to act upon this feeling.

 

Mel McGinn: I had a site some years ago which I quickly closed. It was ‘Buffy Schmuffy: The Anti-Buffy the Vampire Slayer site’. It was directed at the character Buffy because in Season 4 and Season 5, I didn’t like the way the character was going. I made it quite clear I had no problem with Sarah Michelle Gellar, she’s a very talented actress, but I didn’t like the way she was being written at the moment. I made it also quite clear that it was a fun site; it wasn’t meant to hurt anybody.

 

This light hearted act of criticism towards the series writers, expressing one fans opinion was responded to with a less light hearted act of criticism by other fans.

 

Mel McGinn: I got some very vivid feedback on that. Some e-mail death threats…from Buffy fans, people supporting Sarah Michelle Gellar and the character Buffy…really did take it a bit too seriously, just because you don’t like a character as much. So, that one closed after a few months.

 

Each character has their fan base, and each fan is incredibly protective of that character. Even the most minimal amount of criticism can cause an unstoppable backlash. Mel’s own faux pas in mocking the writing of Buffy at a certain time – not even the character as a whole, or the actress playing her – caused her to receive death threats. This could understandably be considered an over reaction, but a devoted fan is devoted, and will stand up to defend the honour of their character. The fact also that Mel received hate mail or criticism only from the fan community for Buffy the character and not from other fans, suggests that there is a defined split in the community, and that fans of different characters are separate and have formed sub-groups within the larger community.

 

In contemporary Western society… people in one neighbourhood know their own area well but are likely to be ignorant of the area occupied by a neighbouring group. Both groups, however, probably share a common store of hazy knowledge (myths) concerning a far larger field – the region or nation – in which their own local areas are embedded. (Tuan 1977, 88) [1]

 

If the neighbourhoods referred to by Tuan represent each individual website, and the myths of a larger field represents the Buffy universe as a whole, how would these areas relate to each other? Mel herself has made many friends across the world through her websites and through conversations on-line. Some have their own Buffy related sites, but few are specifically Troika fans. Many connections were made through discussion boards which discuss all aspects of Buffy.

 

Mel McGinn: The website evolved from a live journal.com topic. You have different boards for many, many, many different things, and one was for Troika fans, so we could all post to it, look at each others comments and I met them through there, I found the fiction through there, but I wanted to make a place based on the conversation of this board.

 

Through this discussion board, interested fans could meet in a specific location separate from other fans discussing other aspects of the series. A fan’s specific interest in the series places them in an isolated group away from other fans. The general discussion of Buffy the Vampire Slayer may be the common interest, “the larger field” in which the fans exist, but their specific interests place them in more localised groups, in a smaller “neighbourhood”. The co-existence of these neighbourhoods is harder to analyse. Having only interviewed one website creator, her experience of her “neighbouring groups” is the only one I can fully discuss. Mel’s experience of hate mail after creating ‘Buffy-Schmuffy’ may imply that there is hostility between different groups. However her friendship with other fans, with their own sites, not as interested in the Troika implies the opposite.

 

Mel McGinn: Most fans of different characters and ships [relationships between characters] get along fine. However some can get quite aggravated and 'flame wars' can erupt in which each side [i.e. Buffy/Angel and Buffy/Spike] argues against the others ship.  These flame wars are normally a result of too many 12 years old on the boards and seasoned fans generally stay well away.  This problem is not limited to the Buffy fandom, flame wars can erupt in any fandom. [2]

 

The idea that an aggravated “flame war” is the behaviour of the young and immature and not the behaviour of a “seasoned” fan implies that most fans find arguing amongst themselves a waste of time. Those involved with fan sites on a dedicated level know that there are many different groups in the fandom as a whole, and everyone is there to support the series and not to argue amongst themselves. The term “ship” again strengthens the idea of groups of fans isolated from each other. As with the idea of different neighbourhoods, existing within the same nation, so with ships in a fleet, the separate groups are working with the same goal.

 

Are locations designed to keep out the mainstream intruders?

The cover page is clear in stating the sites intentions. On a black background the words SEARING IDOLATRY are seen in blue neon, above an image of the Troika members, positioned in alphabetical order left to right with the words LEGION OF NERDY DOOM superimposed over them in neon blue and purple. The sense of style and cool, crisp design of the site itself is seen by Mel herself as a character trait, “I think that’s the techno-geek in me”. The name of the creator is above and of equal size to the image of the characters, not only providing symmetry, but also implying that the fan/creator is of equal importance to the subject of the idolatry. Having created other sites under the identity of Searing Idolatry, if the visitor is familiar with Mel’s other work the prominence of her identity on the page allows the visitor to guess the possible content of the site, and to know that an established member of the community is responsible for this location. Beneath the image is other information and links for entry:

 

ie |freaks and geeks| kiddies close your eyes| born May 2002| affiliates| click to enter (L.O.N.D, 2002)

 

Beyond the implication of the name of the site and the images presented, this declaration of information gives an immediate message to anyone entering. The idea of community implied by “freaks and geeks” would not necessarily draw in the mainstream Buffy fan, beyond idle curiosity. To those passing the site idly there is barely any implication that it is connected to Buffy at all. None of the series’ lead characters are featured in the image provided, and the series itself is not named. A casual viewer of Buffy would probably not detect this site as anything to do with the series. Anyone whose interest in the series is less than devoted would probably pass the site by in the same manner. Whether this is intentional or not, a large element of internet users and the Buffy audience is being kept out of the site simply by a lack of recognition. They are not part of the community; they are not in the loop. Beyond the curiosity caused by the name of the site and the appealing design, the site makes no attempt to draw in anyone apart from the Troika fans. It has marked out its territorial boundaries quite clearly, and does not invite anyone to cross them. All animals:

 

Have a sense of territory and place. Spaces are marked off and defended against intruders. (Tuan 1977, 4) [3]

 

While this act of defence against intruders may not be intentional, the lack of identifiable markers on the sites opening page seems to suggest that certain possible visitors are being kept out. The site exists almost outside the world of Buffy. The characters spend most of their time in the series away from the main action. Their world is very self-contained, and even within the site the references to Buffy are kept very minimal. The site’s menu page leaves very little trace of connection to the series that spawned the characters. After the menu, there is a brief summary of the site’s content:

 

Welcome to Searing Idolatry- The Legion of Nerdy Doom (L.O.N.D) This is primarily a fan fiction and wallpaper archive for the three members of BTVS’s ‘Troika’. (L.O.N.D, 2002)

 

Despite actually referring to Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the reference is made by reducing the title to its initials. It is taken for granted that the visitor knows the origin of the characters, and this is another opportunity for the accidental tourist to leave the site. The refusal to grant Buffy even its title within the virtual walls of the site is another way of implying that the characters stand alone. There are enough sites dedicated to the series, therefore is there any need to continually refer to the title character on every site? This is a site for the fans of the Troika, and if the fans believe that the Troika can stand alone, it makes sense that the site reflects that belief. The site does however use the traditional disclaimer at the bottom of the page, to prove that the characters do not stand without their creator:

 

Disclaimer- If I owned them, I wouldn’t have any free time to make this site! All belongs to LGJ (Lord God Joss). (L.O.N.D, 2002)

 

All sites that do not wish to be closed down exhibit similar disclaimers, many of them referring to Joss Whedon as “God”. The abbreviating “LGJ” is often found in the disclaimers on various sites, and “used as a light way of saying 'it's not mine, please don't sue me' and flattering the creator” [4] . Each disclaimer is respectful in tone and happily kisses Whedon’s proverbial ass. Many also are written in a style similar to that of Whedon himself in the authorship of Buffy, a friendly and comic style.

 

Whedon is referred to in the most affectionate terms (frequently as ‘God’, but clearly a god with a sense of humour). (Saxey 2002, 208) [5]

 

These disclaimers continue to appear on the fan fiction featured on the site:

 

Immicolia: All characters within belong to LGJ (Lord God Joss) and Co. I just enjoy playing with them. And boy do I ever! I think I’ve more than proven that ^_~.

 

Vixen: JOSS IS GOD, AND THESE TWISTED CHARACTERS ARE PRODUCTS OF HIS TWISTED MIND.

 

Amanda: I sadly do not own them. Joss and everyone over at UPN still get to have their fun – for now!

 

The Seer: Not mine, all belongs to Joss & Co.

                                                                         (L.O.N.D, 2002)

 

Whedon is always referred to by his first name. It is as though he is a personal friend to each fan, and really does not mind if they come over to his home and mess around with his stuff. The connection of fans to Whedon personally is very strong. There is a sense of gratitude to the man for creating these characters, and bringing them to the public. He is ruler of the Buffy-verse and we the fans are lucky to be allowed to contribute to it. The on-line activity of Whedon and the team behind Buffy has been actively noted in many academic writings. Their participation in on-line discussions and active acceptance of fan writings has been compulsively noted. Mel’s on-line interaction with the cast in a Troika interview set up on the BBC website gave her great excitement:

 

Mel McGinn: It thrilled me. I jumped up and down and then bragged that my question came before one of my friends on-line, so I was obviously more important.

 

The acknowledgement of the fans by the creators is very important. The knowledge that the collective fan voice is being heard and accepted means approval. With the tendency of many television corporations to close down fan sites if their activities do not meet with approval, for the Buffy production team to actively encourage fan activities is exceptional.

 

It has been suggested by some in the posting board community that Whedon intended for a kind of author-audience interface to develop. (Zweerink and Gaston 2002, 240-241) [6]

 

That the creator of a popular series is willing and eager to discuss ideas for his creation with the audience personally – at least on-line – is a surprising concept. Whedon and his collaborators understand the importance of not disappointing his audience, something that a lot of production teams forget. Incorporating the audience’s fantasies for the characters into actual episodes not only keeps the fans watching, but also encourages them to keep on creating.

 

The menu on ‘The Legion of Nerdy Doom’ site is set out thusly:

 

FAN FICTION :: TROIKA :: LINKS :: AFFILIATES :: WALLPAPER :: LJ ICONS :: WEBRINGS & QUIZZES :: GUESTBOOK    (L.O.N.D, 2002)

 

As the site is an archive for fan fiction and wallpaper, and the fiction is the dominant of these elements, it is first on the menu. By following the link to fan fiction, the visitor arrives at a warning page. Not wanting to be blamed by anyone for corrupting young minds, Mel gives an opportunity at each step to turn away from any offensive material:

 

WARNING: The fan fiction included in the site varies in rating from G to NC-17. The fics archived here may include antics of a violent or sexual nature and same sex relationships may also be described in lurid detail. (L.O.N.D, 2002)

 

If the visitor continues to the fiction beyond this warning page to the menu of the stories, each title is labelled by category, be it slash, platonic or het (heterosexual), thereby informing the reader of the possible content of the story. Along with the implication of adult content on the sites cover page, there are three full warnings to any visitors who do not want to see anything they could find offensive. The construction and content of the site is therefore reminding any curious visitor step by step that this is a place that they may not want to be, while also encouraging the purposeful visitor by directing them to precisely where they want to be. Even the graphic language used in the warning quoted above would simultaneously be repellent or inviting, depending on the intention of the visitor reading it. The labelling of each story – thereby categorising the story as slash or not – can encourage the visitors to read the stories that appeal to them personally. Should someone be interested in the writings of fans, but not in graphic depictions of sexual activity, they can be safely guided to stories of platonic friendships and simple adventures. Showing the choice available can be seen as inviting in new readers of fan fiction, while showing that many of the stories do not involve sex. This simple act of labelling could bring in the more mainstream fans, and show them the extent of fan activities, and not put them off, by bringing them into the community slowly.

 

The other items on the menu lead to links to other sites dedicated to the Troika. Some are official sites for the three actors and others are fan sites. By clicking on “Troika” or “Wallpaper” the visitor is lead to images of their idols, some are stills from episodes, while others can be downloaded as wallpaper for the individual fan’s personal computer. There is also a connection to the “Troika Geeks Webring”, which gives the fan an opportunity to submit their personal Troika specific site. Finally there is the “Guestbook” which allows the visitor to sing in or simply read previous comments on the site and its content.

 

The rise of the geek community.

That a whole community is happily gathering together under the term “geek” is a sign that those who have suffered under the name previously can be proud of being different. The reclaiming of the name and being unashamed of its connotations, binds strangers across the net into an eventually strong on-line community. The consistent use of the term “geek” implies that the community is growing. Mel’s site is receiving upwards of five hundred hits a month, and each month the figures improve. The fandom for the Troika characters for the Troika group is growing – even though the group itself keeps depleting – especially now that Andrew is a regular character in each episode during the 7^th and final season [7] . Now that the characters are moving into the foreground of episodes, their fans will become more prominent. The geek community in Buffy fandom is an undeniable feature. In the earlier seasons, many of the lead characters were geeks themselves – Willow was into science and computers, Xander was a joker with few friends who read comic books, and got bad grades. They were all outcasts from the mainstream of others in their school. They rarely conversed on-screen with those outside their group, and spent virtually all their free time in the school library. Their lack of school activities and popularity allowed them to be dismissed by the school’s mainstream as geeks. Their constant activity to save the school and the world outside it, allowed them to be heroic geeks. Audiences that have experienced similar geek status in their own schools could aspire to this status. The characters heroic actions demonstrate that the victimised can be the stronger people, and the heroes. The on-line geek community is proud. The anonymity available on the net allows individuals to announce themselves in whatever way they like. The association of the computer literate to geekdom is well known therefore calling yourself a geek on-line will not do your reputation any damage.

 

When I entered the word geek into an internet search engine [8] it displayed a selection from “about 2,250,000” matches. While browsing the sites that came up, one drew my attention ‘The Code of the Geeks v3.12’ by Robert A Hayden [9] . The site showed how to out oneself as a geek on the net using Hayden’s specific code It also showed the attitude to take should you think that you might be a geek:

 

So you think you are a geek, eh? The first step is to admit to yourself your geekiness. No matter what anyone says, geeks are people too; geeks have rights. So take a deep breath and announce to the world that you are a geek. Your courage will give you strength that will last you forever. (Hayden, 1996)

 

Whether this is the work of a student with too much free time, or a heartfelt philosophy I do not know. Many others sites market themselves specifically as geeks [10] .In the world of computers, the honesty to announce yourself as someone previously victimised for being good at computers is a marketable trait.

 

Conclusions

From what I have learnt during my research, many things become apparent no-one can predict who an audience will be attracted to. In Buffy, though the leads are all attractive in different ways, by giving a large selection of background characters there are more people to watch, more people to be interested in. The attraction to villains is obvious, an element of fantasy on the part of the audience. The villains in Buffy are always changing, be it week by week, or season by season. There is more variety and unfamiliarity than amongst the heroes. There is more room for the fans to explore their own creativity, in exploring the characters and their lives before and – if they’re lucky - after meeting Buffy Summers. In regard to the Troika, if they are there to express the innermost thoughts of the writers, it is a way of the production team putting themselves in the show. The geeky fans are separated from the mainstream fans in dedication to knowledge. While the average fan can watch an episode and be happily satisfied, their geek counterpart needs more. They are simply neighbours in the field of Buffy fandom. Neighbours divided by a difference in knowledge, and the need to know more.

 

‘The Legion of Nerdy Doom’ website may not be attempting to attract some fans more than others, however the fandom of the Troika and the symbolising of this fandom in the sites layout will be instantly repelling accidental visitors simply by its devotion to its subject. A visitor to the site looking for information on the character of Buffy and her friends will notice immediately the lack of interest in these characters and turn away. The site is strong because it may not be trying to put off the mainstream Buffy fans, but it makes no attempt to attract them either. It is a Troika site and is clearly marked as one.

 

The difference between the use of “geek” as an insult, and its use in fandom is the element of pride. An on-line geek knows their subject and is proud to tell the world. This mass self-proclamation of geekdom on the net has formed a community of fans, devoted to their fandom and the subjects of their fandom. The concept of renting a geek when you are in technical trouble, or being able to e-mail a geek when there is a fact you just have to confirm, allows each geek a moment of heroic glory.