Dept. of Questions, We Got Questions

[kaffy_r]

So ....

What do you call a 60-year-old who watches fanvids unironically, wonders about Transuranic Elements, has a favorite Doctor, a couple of OT3s, writes fic, has an unfinished WIP o'doom, too many action figures, an evening entertainment menu that includes 2-4 anime a night, who rereads favorite SF and fantasy books repeatedly (but who, in all truth, hasn't read much new fiction in the past 10 years - a little, not enough), who occasionally misses going to cons, and who understands everything that she just wrote despite acknowledging that some of it doesn't appear to be quite English?

Poll #17352 Let's Name this Creature

Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 17

View Respondents

What Am I?

View Answers

fan
8 (47.1%)

fangirl
0 (0.0%)

faan
0 (0.0%)

old faan
0 (0.0%)

otaku
1 (5.9%)

age-inappropriate
1 (5.9%)

weird
0 (0.0%)

crazy cat lady (because hey, CATS!)
2 (11.8%)

Other
5 (29.4%)

Comments

[owlboy]

I hope I'm that awesome when I'm 60 tbh

[kaffy_r]

Given your level of awesomeness at this point, I suspect you'll surpass a lot of awesome records well before you hit 60. But thanks. I was saying over on LJ that the post was not quite a fishing for compliments thing, but more of a hoping I'm not alone in this state sort of thing. I woke up yesterday feeling somewhat less than self-confident, so I tried to use the poll, and a certain amount of humor, to combat the feeling.

[elisi]

Fandom Elder?

[kaffy_r]

Oooo, I like that one. It even lends an only quasi-spurious sense of gravitas to my identity! Heh.

[st_aurafina]

AWESOME. You forgot AWESOME.

[kaffy_r]

Thanks - I am, upon occasion, something approaching awesome, at least for short spans of time. And then I usually step on a rake and break my nose. Sigh.

[bibliofile]

YES.

[kerravonsen]

I'm sure there's a particular word or phrase to describe an old fan, I know I have used it to describe myself, but right now I can't remember what it is.

[kaffy_r]

This might help you find it. I remembering reading "oldfan" in some old 'zines, but that was a long ago.

I would like to complain about this poll

[bibliofile]

What you really needed were checkboxes.

Re: I would like to complain about this poll

[kaffy_r]

Yeah, I wondered if that would be the right way to go, and ultimately went with the buttons. Perhaps because I was thinking in a particularly binary way that day? Hmmmm.

[shanghaied]

~waves~ Just dropping by to say you might want to give Legends of Tomorrow another chance. Yes, it's frothy froth, but it feels like a direct descendant of the EE Smith/Buck Rogers glory days. Also, it has incredibly dark moral greyness, normalised samesex, genuine murderousness, and some utterly unexpected twists. I suspect it won't last for these very reasons, but in our house we're getting far too much enjoyment out of it while it's here :-)

[kaffy_r]

*waves back* Good to see you as you flash by - you were on my mind only yesterday, and I was hoping that the bad health gremlins weren't gnawing at your newel posts.

Well, I did only see the first episode, and I suppose that wasn't completely fair of me. I can always give Epis 2 & 3 a try. If it catches me in any way, perhaps I can binge watch it and catch up with it before its inevitable cancellation.

Take care!

[thisbluespirit]

I clicked 'Other' because I think you're you and kaffyr and rl names are fine and you just like what you like. It's not as if age or anything else is actually all that relevant to genres and hobbies you prefer.

Besides, it's perfectly natural to wonder about Transuranic (and other) Elements!

[kaffy_r]

You are very sweet, you know that? Today has been one of those days when I completely lack self-confidence, and I'm trying to approach it with a certain amount of humor (as old-fashioned SF fans used to refer to The Shield of Umor), via the poll. It's not quite fishing for compliments; it's more like I'm hoping that I'm not alone in this.

[wendymr.livejournal.com]

Can't complete the poll because you've posted it somewhere I do not have and do not wish to have an account...

[kaffy_r]

Hmmm - yes, that's odd, that the poll doesn't come through. I may have to edit the LJ side of this post, so that it does. (Mind you, you could probably play in the poll without having an actual Dreamwidth account, it should allow for that.)

Let me see what I can do....

[lydy.livejournal.com]

I'm voting for fan. Possibly even faan, if you want to be.

[kaffy_r]

Fan is a comfortable thing, and I hope I never stop being one. I think I'm aiming too high when I try for faan. Certainly I can't even aspire to trufaan. Heh.

[cathica.livejournal.com]

I'd name the creature Catherine. 8)

[kaffy_r]

Heh. Point taken. Or Kathryn, as is the case with me. So ... Catherine and Kathryn ... we are remarkable creatures, are we not?

[beccadg.livejournal.com]

I would have voted "otaku, fangirl, crazy cat lady" if the poll had allowed you to vote for more than one. I picked otaku because a) you didn't specifically mention any cats outside of the poll itself, b) you didn't specifically mention squeeing as an activity you partake in, and c) you did specifically mention watching 2-4 anime a night. I figure the labels have exactly as much power as you choose to give them, and you were comfortable enough with them to include them as poll options. ;)

[kaffy_r]

Oh, yes - "otaku, fangirl, crazy cat lady" would be extremely close to reality. We have three cats here. And your powers of both induction and deduction are excellent!

[eve11]

I too would vote for "completely normal". :)

[kaffy_r]

It feels good to have people tell me that I'm completely normal. As I mentioned up-thread, I haven't felt very normal lately.

I hope you're doing better, by the way.

[sallymn.livejournal.com]

There should have been a box for "Amazingly like Sally..." give or take a couple of things :)

Me, I don't care if some folk think it's inappropriate - collecting beer mats or football souvenirs make some folk happy, doing fannish things makes me the same way.

[kaffy_r]

Oh, your icon is an excellent reminder to me that I shouldn't get so bent out of shape - especially that I shouldn't get bent out of shape at myself.

Thanks for the words of extremely practical observational wisdom!

[beamjockey.livejournal.com]

I don't suppose we say "femmefan" much any more. But you have a legitimate claim to use it, if it pleases you.

I guess "male fan" is no longer the "unmarked state," if I am using that term correctly. We've come a long way, baby, even if we have a long way yet to go.

[kaffy_r]

Oh, femmefan makes me nostalgic; I'm a relatively young old fan, having gotten into fandom only since 1977, but it's still the foundation upon which all my fannish activities since have been built.

And yes, in reality, the unmarked state is no longer male. We have come a long way!

(The long way to go is marked by the assumptions of those who believe that fandom still defaults to male, preferably white male.)

[liadt]

Not bored:)

[kaffy_r]

...aaaand the prize for best one-liner answer goes to liadtbunny!!!!

[sarren.livejournal.com]

I ticked fan because it is completely normal to be a fan. I have had so many people look at me sideways over the years and I'm like, yes and how many hours of your life have you invested in watching your sports team play? That is literally watching men throw/kick a ball around, and I"m not saying your interest isn't a valid way to spend your time (I say 'men' because it's always men I have this conversation with and I personally don't know any males who follow women's sports).

Ha, when I first read your question, my very first thought was 'life goals'.

[kaffy_r]

You're the second person to mention the idea that people, especially men, can remain obsessed with sports as long as they live, and no one seems to think it's odd. That's something good for me to remember. And you know, I think my life is at least as interesting as that of a sports fanatic, so the analogy's a correct one.

Ha, when I first read your question, my very first thought was 'life goals'.

I think I can safely say that although becoming a fan wasn't a life goal, it's certainly enriched my life. Heh.

[a-phoenixdragon.livejournal.com]

Other. Because you didn't have awesome-fan-who-is-marvelous-warm-wise-and-on-the-ball. Because this whole entry made me squeal with delight. Because the mere label 'fan' just doesn't apply here.

*HUGS*

[kaffy_r]

*grin* Flatterer *grin*

I have learned, over the years, that sometimes outside opinions of my worth should be paid attention to, much as my Baptist upbringing warns me against such a frivolous bit of puffed-up egotism. So, I'll accept that I can occasionally-to-intermittently be a pretty darned good human being.

All my love, my dear!

[heatherbelles.livejournal.com]

My friend.

THat's what I call you.

Because all those other things? Are aspects to the great person that I've had the privilege to know for the last few years. Must be nigh-on a decade now, I think Mama-K!

[kaffy_r]

Your answer brought tears to my eyes, my dear. Thank you so much.

(And yes, it's been almost exactly 10 years. I believe I started posting in the TARDIS MM over on TWoP in March of 2006. And reading Mama-K brought back so many memories!)

[flowsoffire.livejournal.com]

A smashing person! :D

[kaffy_r]

*blushes*

Thanks!