What is FanstRAvaganza 3?

In case you haven’t had enough classic FanstRAvaganza posts yet, here’s some more classic F2 from Richard Armitage Fan Blog. It’s really funny fan letters to various Armitage characters written by fans!

***

Microexpression gone wrong: one of those screencaps that makes him look just slightly crazed. If he ever feels this way, however, I can definitely identify. Richard Armitage, GMTV interview, May 4, 2010. Source: RichardArmitageNet.com

***

I know blogging’s been a little lightweight this week. For me, it’s been due to impending Spring Break (which started for me this afternoon), and the associated rush to get a bunch of stuff done before everyone disappears for ten days. I’ve been grading like a lunatic for several days. Well, not grading like a lunatic, I’m giving reasonable grades, but you know what I mean. Focused on grading to the exclusion of almost everything else. Yesterday was Purim and I had kids to go with and didn’t even go. It’s not my favorite thing, but my neuroses around it are deepening, unfortunately. Anyway, it’s done for a few days. I’m about to go home, and the first thing that will greet me will be all the clutter and dirt from the last six weeks, which always magically becomes visible the second the semester pauses. So that’s what I’ll be doing tonight — trying to create order in an apartment I’ll actually have time to live in for the next week or so.

***

The charmingosity that is Armitage: Richard Armitage at Radio 5 interview, May 4, 2010. Source: RichardArmitageNet.com

But: I suspect a lot of the other bloggers I know have been quieter than normal because they are working on their FanstRAvaganza 3 posts. We start the event at 0:01 on Monday, London time, when all over the Armitage blogosphere, posts will start to appear! So here’s some information.

What is F3?

Attempts have been in the past to explain. Nat, progenitrix of the event, along with Maria Grazia, tried to explain here; last year, Frenz asked the FanstRAvaganza version of the first Passover question (why is this week different from all other weeks), and concluded that it lies in the attempt to promote unity and diversity in the Armitage blogosphere. I don’t think this week is that different from all other weeks except: it’s much more intense — eighteen to twenty posts are scheduled to appear on the participating blogs each day — and we’re focusing in equal measure on the wonderfulness that is Richard Armitage and the wonderfulness that comes from cooperation and exchange among his fans.

The original intent of the event was to focus on fans and their creativity, but not even the first event fully fit that description, and over the three years of the event, most participants have not been interested in laying down a common theme for everyone to pursue (and some were vehemently opposed — bloggers are an independent-minded crowd). For me, three things are important:

• the creative potluck: When I was a kid, every lady brought her signature dish to a potluck dinner, so you got a little taste of her best treats. The F3 bloggers are bringing out their best work for us to sample and enjoy!
• the cooperation to bring you a great week of material: for this week, we agree in advance not to duplicate each other, so every click will bring you to a new topic, a new approach!
• the inspirational effect of Richard Armitage: many of the posts this year focus on how Armitage has inspired fan creativity!

***

Because I couldn’t resist what he does with his lips here: Richard Armitage interviewed for BBCA, June 2008. Source: RichardArmitageNet.com

***

What’s new for F3?

The main thing that’s new is an attempt to make the event as accessible as possible to every reader via publicity and language translation.

If you’ve been following the updates, you already know about the facebook page and twitter updates via @FanstRAvaganza on twitter! Please help us out by sharing and retweeting!

Like it did last year, an RSS page will provide running event updates here, and on that page you can also find buttons to translate the pages into Spanish, German, Ukrainian, and Russian! (Further languages will be added upon request; click the “contact” link on that page.)

But the big thing we’re trying out this year for the first time are tagteam chains. This tool tries to direct as much traffic around as we can and help you choose topics you’re especially interested in. Each day, the event will host five thematic chains that will be linked from the core blogs, between the different blogs participating in the chains, and from the index pages.

Here are the chains:

• The Hobbit. Click on links in this chain for topics related to Armitage’s role as Thorin Oakenshield in the upcoming movie and possible expressions of it in fandom.
• Fandom. Bloggers in this chain talk about their experiences as fans, or the lighter side of fandom.
• Fanfic. Here you’ll find interviews with fanfic authors, reflections on writing fic, review of fics that became books, and a handful of new stories and one-shots.
• King Richard Armitage. Bloggers in this chain support the petition drive for Armitage to play his beloved Richard III. You’ll find history, criticism, commentary, and humor.
• Freeform. Click here for a potpourri of all possible topics — humor, vids, art, fashion, history, media studies, fan polls!

We’ve never done this before — so bear with us as we try it out. Inevitably some links will go awry, but we plan to correct these during the event so that eventually a whole interlinked world of F3 will be available for your delectation!

***

All this attention for me? Aw, shucks. Well, actually, Richard Armitage, it’s for us! Richard Armitage on GMTV, October 2007. Source: RichardArmitageNet.com

***

What do we hope for from F3? A lot of fun for us as we share our best ideas and most creative ideas. A lot of comments for the bloggers who are participating — if you like something, don’t forget to comment! And for audience members? Enjoyment, and the possibility that you will find one or two new authors or bloggers whose work you’ll follow and enjoy!

We start at 0:01 London time, Monday, March 12th!

~ by Servetus on March 9, 2012.