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Introduction (01-03)
Are You Famous? (04-06)
Who, Me? (07-09)
Will You Have Sex With Me? (10)
So When Do I Get My Private Plane? (11-14)
Ares' Minions Will Never Die (15-18)
Sap Up the Wrap Up (19-20)
Colophon (21)
Biography
There are more stars in the Xenaverse than there are stars in the Fish constellation.
Introduction
[01] Xena: Warrior Princess (XWP) has evolved from a syndicated TV show into a world-wide phenomenon, heavily aided by the confluent growth of the Internet. Starting as a cluster of fans on MCA's Xena Webforum, the XWP Net presence has grown into a plethora of fan fiction stories, web sites, mailing lists, and chat rooms.[02] The people who write the fanfic, maintain the Web pages, manage the mailing lists, and oversee the chat rooms have become celebrities in their own right, whose presence at Xena Conventions can cause reactions from "You're _____?!? Wow!" to "Can I touch your computer?"
[03] The responses I reference throughout this article were gathered from a non-random survey sent to people I recognize as celebrities in the Xenaverse. I sent out 33 surveys and received 23 responses, for a response rate of 70 percent.
Are You Famous?
[04] For the purposes of this article, a person is famous when you know his/her name even though you have never met him/her. When people start to introduce themselves to you, or turn around and point at you when they hear your name, or gather in a crowd around you, you are famous.[05] The most famous Xenites are, not surprisingly, the Bards, the Xenites who share their creativity with us, help sate our need for more adventures with Xena and Gabrielle, and answer the nagging questions leftover from an episode.
[06] In addition to the Bards are the numerous "managers" in the Xenaverse, the people who house, organize, or review fanfic; create and organize space for Xenites to talk with one another; and, maintain pictures, sound bytes, articles, and interviews for everyone to access. Even the prolific members of mailing lists and chat rooms can become famous, or infamous, as the case may be.
Who, Me?
[07] There is a moment that all Net celebs will remember, when they first figure out they are celebs. For some, it is when fellow Xenites scream upon hearing their name. For others, it is when they become subjects of an impromptu photo session or become surrounded by people who want to talk to them about their work. For one celeb it was when she was contacted by a non-Xenite friend who had found her through a Web page that had been made in her honor.[08] For many, it is the growing realization, as more and more people say: "You're _____?," that complete strangers know who they are.
[09] How did these newly-donned celebs feel? Most were slightly Shocked. Some said they felt like a deer in headlights. Perplexed, embarrassed, amused, and surreal were also high on the list of reactions. After the initial adjustment though, many celebs have settled into accepting their celebrity as simply a nice way to meet fellow Xenites and make new friends.
Will You Have Sex With Me?
[10] Any interaction between two Xenites where one fan considers the other a celebrity can be strange. But some reactions are more intense than others and those can fall into the weird category. Consider this list of varied reactions that have actually befallen Net celebs:
- Homage to a laptop keyboard.
- Gushing.
- Kneeling.
- Autograph requests.
- Framed, hung photos of the celeb.
- Disbelief about the celeb's identity.
- Requests for height, weight, eye color, and hair color.
- Fans that gush, then reassure the celeb that they are not stalkers.
- Detailed analysis of how "perverse" a body of work is, that obviously came after a complete reading of each story.
- Fans falsely claiming to have met Net celebs.
- Having "The" put in front of the celeb's name.
- Propositions.
- Discussions about the list owner's gender on-list.
- Screaming.
- Bowing in supplication.
- Fire and brimstone responses to portraying Xena and Gabrielle as lovers.
- Photo ops.
So When Do I Get My Private Plane?
But you still have to make sure your tray tables are in their upright and locked positions.
[11] Most Net celebs do not or cannot differentiate between what life changes they have undergone as a result of being a Xenite vs. being famous. This could be due to the fact that their celebrity is so intertwined with their Xenite-ness that they are one and the same. Or it could be that most, although aware they have renown in the Xenaverse, have not incorporated their celebrity into their Xenite existence.[12] The most common response, from all types of celebs, about how their lives have changed due to their celebrity was that they have been able to explore and expand their creativity. This increase in creativity was often linked with increased confidence in themselves and their abilities. Some celebs have garnered new skills, from learning HTML, to working with graphics programs, to learning to type faster, to becoming less shy.
[13] A close second was meeting new people and making friends. One celeb postulates she could go anywhere in the country and find someone to have a beer with. A few Net celebs have found love; a few have left long-term relationships.
[14] Almost all of the Net celebs surveyed report that they get more e-mail now, whether it is 2-3 a day, or a flurry after they have just released a new story, or a steady flow of more than 100 a week.
Ares' Minions Will Never Die
[15] Celebrity is not all bright lights and gleaming laptops. Not that anything horrible has happened, but being well-known on the Net has made some celebs more aware of privacy and stalking issues, and shown them a sliver of what Lucy Lawless and Renee O'Connor must go through all the time.
If you think the phone calls are bad, you should see some of the faxes!
[16] In one instance, a Net fan tracked down the phone number of a Net celeb and called her out of the blue, and was puzzled by her less-than-enthusiastic response. While it is flattering to have people set up Web pages in your honor or search you out at a con, it can be unnerving, too.[17] Most times, though, the negative part of Net celebrity comes in the form of strident or harshly-worded responses to a bard's fanfic or a list-owner's decision or the content of a Web page. Those e-mails can often cut past the celeb's defenses, partly because the medium of e-mail can be so personal, and partly because some of the people sending the e-mails are acquaintances. As we all know, e-mail oftentimes offers an unnatural barrier that allows some to forget there are people at the end of an e-mail address.
[18] Sometimes it is just the amount of e-mail that pours in, good or bad, that the celeb wants to respond to, even if they are pressed for time.
Sap Up the Wrap Up
[19] In the final analysis, though, most often, the good outweighs the bad and the majority of Net celebs are happy with where they are in the Xenaverse. Whether that is because they feel that Net fame has not really affected them or because the effects they have felt have been, for the most part, positive, they would not change a thing that has happened to them through their participation in the Xenaverse.[20] As one bard said: "I'm still driving the same car, seeing the same people and sleeping with the same cat. I'm not complaining; it's a good life."
Colophon
Y'all come back now!
[21] I would like to thank all the famous Xenites who took the time to complete my survey. I would also like to thank "The" Bat Morda for entrusting me with the topic and for allowing me the space to allow my creativity to roam free (i.e., let my deadline slide a bit). Finally, I would like to thank L.N. James for bringing colophons into the Xenaverse in the first place.
Biography
Sarah Eveland
In real life, Sarah Eveland (aka Spikus) is a graphic artist at an education association in Washington, DC. Before she became involved with Xena: Warrior Princess, she was a mild-mannered lesbian who liked to drink coffee, read books, and play with her cats. Now she is the Warlord of the XenaVerse listserv, spends too much time on the Internet, and has developed a liking for swords, leather, and uulation.
Favorite episode: THE GREATER GOOD (21/121), A DAY IN THE LIFE (39/215), THE DEBT I and II (52-53/306-307)
Favorite line: Xena: "Monkey man, you bring her back!" FINS, FEMMES AND GEMS (64/318)
First episode seen: SINS OF THE PAST (01/101). But I realized I was obsessed when I rewound and rewatched DREAMWORKER (03/103) immediately after the first viewing.
Least favorite episode: GIANT KILLER (27/203), KING CON (61/315), KING OF ASSASSINS (54/308)