RA’s Diary — Pondering Fan Love

RA’s Diary

Entry — sometime during the filming of Strike Back.

It is so hot here in South Africa! I could use a drink — especially after that snake scare. Thankfully, I got another box of insect repellent from a fan. It’s been helpful. I don’t get enough practical gifts, but the fans make some really lovely gestures. It’s humbling. I just wish they would give to people who need more than I do.

If they’re determined to send me something, they need to take note — I like vodka and not underwear! Plus, Mum doesn’t need to see those things.

Hmmm. If they send me enough vodka perhaps I’ll start liking their underwear. There was that one beach picture… maybe vodka isn’t a good idea.

note from RA Addict: YES, this is a fake entry dictated by my control freak, who is not satisfied speaking for myself; it must speak for others too. ;-)

Disclaimer:

At no time in the writing of this entry did I imagine I was really speaking for Richard Armitage nor did I deceive myself into thinking I really know his thoughts. Therefore, there is no need to involve his agent or publicist in what is supposed to be humorous. Of course I realize tone on the net is not always properly conveyed, and hey, I’m not a writer (I just have lots of crap I want to say), so I’m not taking the chance of being misconstrued. You do know this is supposed to be humorous? LOL! If not or if you are action fans RA picked up during the Strike Back airing, I put in LOL to make that clear.

Have a nice day. :D

Additional note:

I would say I’m inspired by the realfiction from the German fans, but I had already written this fake diary entry and several others before I discovered that wonderful place. As it is, I have to depend on someone to translate for me. Thank you, Servetus. But I just want to say to those German fans, I LOVE YOU! and we are so on the same page.

June 19, 2010
Categories: Fandom . Tags: , , , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 9 Comments

Welcome to My World

Oh, Servetus, perhaps blogging is not an antidote for RA addiction, which isn’t really a problem in my opinion, but it is a lot of fun. Especially when I can say whatever the hell I want and don’t have to worry about sentences that uh, really aren’t sentences. I wonder if RA has an anonymous blog. If not, he might enjoy one too. My words in real life (as if this isn’t real! LOL!) are weighed so heavily most of the time (yeah, can you believe there are people who actually hang on the words of someone like me? what a joke) that it’s a relief not to be taken seriously, and I’m sure that what I’ve experienced is not a scintilla of the scrutiny Richard Armitage has endured. Poor guy. Okay, maybe I’m feeling a little convicted about this. LOL! Here he has all these people of which some are nuts, and damn, I’m probably chief among those, poring over his every word and move. Sheesh.

Rich,

I hope you can disappear but good when you’re not being filmed. Oh, and if you ever need someone to help you with an anonymous blog, let me know. But don’t make the mistake I have of talking about some of your issues as the real you. For instance, don’t go on and on about orange trousers you bought but never wore or about underwear with your picture on them or about that time in the tent when you were 17. Well, I think you get the idea.

Sincerely,
One of your crazy fans

Man, I never know when those fake fan letters are going to strike.

June 17, 2010
Categories: Fandom . Tags: , , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 41 Comments

Top Ten Fanvids

Okay, I should say these are MY top ten fanvids.

For anyone who’s been following this blog, you already know I lamented the difficulty of making this post and mainly because there are so many RA videos out there. But I had such a good time trying to watch as many as I could to be fair. These things are almost like my children. I didn’t realize I had it in me to love so many. All the more to make it difficult to highlight only ten. But what a great problem to have! And I scrapped my in-depth criteria. The post would have been too long, and it may be already! Quite simply the ones selected are the videos I find myself going back to again and again.

I put them in an order, but hey, this order could change tomorrow or maybe later today. LOL!

I’ve embedded all of them below which shouldn’t be a problem, but if enough people experience problems, I may change how I’ve configured this post.

#10 — the ethereal quality of the song and the editing make me accept this AU (Alternate Universe) story as canon! Very soothing on a lot of levels. LOL!

#9 — considering it’s Thornton’s longing we mostly see in North and South, I love this take on Margaret pining.

edit: this video is no longer on YouTube, so the creator of the video, ATFrancis, has given me permission to upload here, and if you would like your own copy, you can download at FoolishPassion, one of Elvira’s sites.

#8 — this was one of my first Guy videos, and it captures his angst over Marian perfectly. At one point it disappeared from YouTube, but then it came back. Yea! I’ve never gotten tired of watching it. I love the editing, and it was my introduction to Shinedown.

#7 — too much to write about why I love this one; maybe it should move up. No, I’ve got to stop somewhere. Thank you, DB for editing MJ’s song. It was way too long. Your timing is perfect.

#6 — this is a masterpiece and probably should be #1. It’s the shortest video on the list, but the impact of it is enormous. I’ll stop there or this post will be so long it won’t load.

#5 — the quality of this video is stunning. Please, please, please if you like it, download it in the 1080 format. It’s RA like you’ve never seen him. Oh, and it’s Shinedown again. Love it!

#4 — whatever “it” is, Nat has it. I’ll sum up this video in a word: brilliant. Also, great thanks to Heather for her wonderful inspiration!

#3 — this is one slick video. DB just gets better and better and she’s already great. Oh, I would love to go back and completely rewrite the post I did on this one!

#2 — it’s scary how many times I’ve watched this and not just at the normal speed but slowed down as well. I notice something new every time, so I can’t seem to stop analyzing it. The video is a feast.

#1 This video may be a 10.

Most of these are available for download. Check their YouTube descriptions to find out how.

June 14, 2010
Categories: Fandom, Fanvids, North and South, PHWOAR!, Robin Hood, Spoilers, Spooks, Strike Back . Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 27 Comments

Crossing Over

And fanvids are just a part of it. More good stuff about being an RA fan coming up. See how far my public service extends. ;-)

If you are new to the RA fandom (gee I think I’ve said that a time or two, but really I don’t know if anyone new would be reading this blog), and you have not heard of crinkles, or if you have heard of them but haven’t had the unction to find out what they’re really about, you are so missing out.

There is a sort of magical place on the web called C19: The Crinkle Zone:

1) You must unlock the power of the Zone with the key of your imagination.

2) Beyond the entrance is another dimension. A dimension of sight. A dimension of mind.

3) It’s a land of both shadow and substance, of things and ideas.

One more thing before you cross over into the Crinkle Zone:

It’s not okay to drink (alcohol or anything) while you’re in there — not if you want your computer’s keyboard to survive. Drink before you get there. Or better yet, just get high while you’re in there. :D If you’re blue or hacked or just about anything negative you can be, head there immediately.

Oh, and be sure to read “The Joy of Crinkles” thread before you really begin, and there’s a “Part Deux” thread as well. No, they’re not necessary, but they’re more than worth the price of admission (your time) and will help you understand. What exactly I’m not sure. That’s up to you. But remember no drinking!

Note: you must become a member of C19 to get in on this good thing!

And to get you started, one of the more famous crinkles:

Be sure to check out Nat’s blog, and the Cute Crinkles she has over there. That was the catalyst for this entry by the way. I just couldn’t help myself. :D

edit: If you do make your way over to the Crinkle Zone, be sure to say hello to Manda, who is the “high priestess” of the Fankles and head of The Cult of the Crinkle.

second edit: below is the interview from which the screencap was taken.

Screencap courtesy of the “Quaddy Waddy Do Da” thread, and before that probably courtesy of RichardArmitageNet.com or TheArmitageArmy.co.uk.

I’m pretty sure I also got the video clip from RichardArmitageNet.com, but if I’m wrong about that, someone please correct me.

June 11, 2010
Categories: Fandom, Interviews . Tags: , , , , , , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 20 Comments

This is Hard

What was I saying about not wanting to wait to get at the writing? Well, I hit a bit of a wall. Not a huge one, but enough to slow me down and say to myself, “Hmmm, maybe that storage room downstairs really does need a thorough cleaning.” I’m staying on the job for all of you. See how good I am to you? Remember it’s my nutty behavior that makes a lot of the rest of you look sane. You know in case RA or any of “his people” happen to see our little enclaves of discussion, they can conclude, “Thank God most of those people aren’t like that RAFrenzy nut.” So again, this is really a public service. ;-)

All of that aside, I’m trying to draft this post about my top ten videos. Is it too late to make it my top 20 or 50? Phew! I had no idea this was going to be so difficult or that I would actually feel pressure. Yes, I read the notes from those of you who want me to post my list. Most of these posts I write by the seat of my pants, as it were of course, but this time I couldn’t. Ironically, I figured this would be nothing but fun since I love the videos, and for the most part it is fun. But as SO reminds me sometimes, I tend to make things much harder than they should be. I’m really trying not to do that.

One thing that’s made it so hard is trying to find out how many RA vids there are on YouTube or getting a pretty good idea and then watching the ones I’d missed or trying to watch as many as I could. Oh my gosh! Forget it. There are too many. Can I just tell you that there are loads of them? That you probably will never run out of something to watch? Yes, this is a good problem unless you have an anal streak. Suffice to say I’ve watched quite a few the last couple of weeks that have been on YT for a while, but I had never seen them. This is coming from someone who watches lots of videos. Should I admit I’m that addicted? I’ve already admitted this RA addiction, what’s another one?

As if the sheer number is not daunting enough, I’ve come up with a criteria to explain my selections, which I had never thought about let alone articulated since I just go with my gut most of the time. However, articulating a criteria is a must in the pursuit of not looking like I play favorites and not hurting anyone’s feelings. But hey, I’m not going to get around that anyway. What makes that laughable is who am I to hurt anyone’s feelings with my choices? I’m just one person, and for all anyone knows, I have really lousy taste. In fact, for those vidders I don’t acknowledge, please consider me to have lousy taste. It will not hurt my feelings. Wow. Who knew there was this much passion about fan videos?

So why this post before the post? I guess I really want to be understood. This whole blog is a big digression into being understood even if you and I will never meet. I’ve got a fixation on being understood. Oh yeah, it’s a blessing and a curse, and it bores the dog out of me but hopefully, it won’t bore you. At least not today.

Yes, I really do have a post on the videos. I’m just not ready to post it but felt like I had to post something, and I guess I need to remember that tired old adage (maybe it’s not really tired) that if it’s worth doing, it’s probably going to be hard (or something to that effect). So you hear that, Elvira, I realize that videos take some work to be done right, i.e., at the very least be willing to read a tutorial, and for the rest of you, writing about them takes some work too — if it’s to be done right.

I’m not only going to throw in a gratuitous pic but a video as well. This was a video I had never seen. Shocked me I tell you. That I had never seen it I mean, and yes, I like it or it wouldn’t be embedded here. See what I mean about being understood. Why do you think I haven’t written much until now — I can’t stop. LOL!

Love the expressions Elvira captured.

And the pic:

Screencap courtesy of RichardArmitageNet.com

Top ten post hopefully coming up next week. Then after that I’ll get my top ten fan fics posted. Already started on it. LOL!

June 11, 2010
Categories: Fandom, Fanvids, SO, Spooks . Tags: , , , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 8 Comments

Two Months of Insanity?

I have a confession to make. This blog was my bright idea to burn myself out on all things RA. I wanted to have fun while I was doing that and hoped all of you would have fun as well. But I was pretty sure I wouldn’t want to do this after a few weeks and figured when I got into my third month, it would begin to lose its appeal. Usually things begin to bore me pretty quickly, and I detest being bored. I refuse to be bored. But there’s no sign of that for me. That’s one of the things that’s fascinating about RA. He has never bored me. But then he’s not all there is to this.

Thankfully, all of you, the fans, come with him, and you also keep me plugged into this wonderful madness. I know we’ve had fun fangurling for a few days, and hopefully, we’ll all do that again sometime. But if that’s all we ever did, I would have been gone a long time ago, and I sure as hell wouldn’t have started a blog. Maybe all fandoms (hate that word by the way; can we come up with another one?) are as interesting as this one. I’m having a hard time believing that. Do I sound proud?

Earlier I read a comment about aversion therapy on Servetus’ blog and had to chuckle. What started out as a little aversion therapy for me has turned into immersion therapy. How could it be aversion therapy? I was the kid at school who would have rather been beaten with a big stick than write something. Give me a page of math problems any day over writing even a couple of paragraphs. Once I started writing the blog, I knew I would have to keep it up a bit, which of course meant writing. I figured that alone would turn me off. But now I look forward to writing. I can’t wait to get at it, and the ideas just won’t stop. Don’t worry. I’m not going to bore you with everything I’ve written or plan to write. But this exercise has served to really get me writing, which SO has literally begged me to do for years and may come to regret. LOL!

For now I’ve decided this blog is one of the sanest things I’ve ever done.

Richard Armitage attends the Philips British Academy Television Awards (BAFTA) at London Palladium on June 6, 2010 in London, England.

Yeah, I sort of know how you feel, Rich.

Candid shot courtesy of RichardArmitageNet.com

June 8, 2010
Categories: Fandom, SO . Tags: , , , , , , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 7 Comments

Ohcheemama!

For the uninitiated, that’s translated, “If I were single and within the vicinity of Richard Armitage, I might not be responsible for my actions.” If you look at this picture below, it becomes understandable. That is my idea of handsome!

That look trumps 2007 and 2009 combined! This is definitely a PHWOAR! post. Where’s SO?! LOL!

I’m rethinking this James Bond thing. Is that James Bond above or what?

Also, RA was without a co-presenter. YEA! I don’t know if the BAFTA people finally wised up or if RA was ready to reign in solitary splendor. LOL! Whatever the case, I love that he was alone:

Who got the award? I don’t think I even remember.

Yeah, I hope you have one of those too one day, Richard:

I’ll bet the Crinkle Zone is having a field day with this:

Once again I’m indebted to the ladies at RichardArmitageNet.com and to JJ (not sure who you are, but I could kiss you. :D). The top screencap is from the BAFTA 2010 page there, and I made the other screencaps from a clip so graciously linked on that page. It was clip #3 if anyone is curious.

Ahhh, that bit of fangurling felt good. When I get done drooling over these pictures, I’ll have to find out how Spooks fared.

I hope all of you are having a wonderful day!

edit: I see Spooks didn’t win. Have to look at those pictures again to cheer me up. ;-)

June 6, 2010
Categories: Fandom, Interviews, PHWOAR! . Tags: , , , , , , , , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 28 Comments

Being Richard

June 3, 2010

My friend Servetus recently made a post that is of such interest to me. I’m anxious to hear the rest of her thoughts on the subject of identity and how it’s derived by us or others who observe us. And yes, I’ll revisit Diderot. Actually, I should probably just consult SO, since that’s his bailiwick — having majored in philosophy and psychology and being a writer. Yes, someone actually majors in that stuff and isn’t a basket case and goes onto make a decent living. Usually doing other things. LOL!

But back to Servetus’ subject. Really, aren’t we all fascinated with this subject of identity? Whether we step outside of it to try to examine it objectively, we’re all caught up in identity. One thing that drives RA’s fans, in my not so humble opinion, is how his various performances either confirm who we are, challenge us to become someone else or pique us to investigate all these other identities he’s created in order to understand something about people. It was never more apparent than in this need of his most ardent fans to find more meaning in John Porter than him being an action hero, and RA understood this too.

Ultimately, all of this leads us to wonder about the person playing all of these identities. Or maybe not. Maybe Servetus and I and a handful of others are the only ones who come to that conclusion. The rest of you are just along for RA’s performances, and then you go on about your business. Pardon me while I snort in doubt over that. LOL! You’re reading my blog aren’t you. ;-)

If these points are sounding like the reaction you have to books, well, there’s a little insight into one of the secrets of RA’s attraction. More on that in a later post. And if I’m not entirely clear, trust me, I’ll be happy to elaborate in another post.

I feel the urge to share what I’m listening to: Voodoo by Spice Girls. And my mood: flippant of course.

Maybe actors discuss this issue a lot. I’m no expert on actors or the acting profession, so I don’t know. I would love to know if they do. Identities seem to be their currency. It would seem if they are intelligent at all they would come to this subject often. I know on this piddly blog I sometimes wonder how some of my statements make you think about yourself.

Phew, after all of that, I need a picture.

Screencap courtesy of Arianne on LJ.

edit:

Oh, and any examination of Richard personally is not about his girlfriend. Now that I have this blog, I see how many searches are done on that. Actually, I put that as a tag in a post just to see what would happen. Oh my goodness.

note: if you’re looking for an interview with Richard Armitage when he was still working on Spooks and shooting Robin Hood Series 3, go here.

June 3, 2010
Categories: Fandom, SO . Tags: , , , , , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 23 Comments

I Keep Waffling on This

But this thing with RA’s interviews and the incessant questioning and teasing about the Army he receives and the thought we’ll have to hear that crap again just won’t leave me alone. I really really don’t want to hear it again, and even though I’m not big on sending him a fan letter myself, I was wondering if maybe I could steal Nat’s idea of a group fan letter. Not exactly like hers. That is unique and special, and I don’t want to duplicate it at all but merely the idea of several people sending a letter together. Really I’m not even thinking of a letter but of something like a petition in the form of military orders where we tell him we don’t want to hear about the Army again! and he’s not allowed to talk about it! LOL!

It could be from the Armitage Army (Rogue Branch), and maybe we can attach our names (real, internet, whatever name you want as long as it’s not vulgar) and have some ranks listed beside them. Maybe you could also list your country and we can make this an international order. Not sure what group I would pattern that after. But there’s only one problem for me. I don’t know what orders look or sound like. Well, now that I think of it I guess it doesn’t have to be anything really authentic looking. See that’s my anal side. Gotta nitpick stuff. I don’t want to nitpick this but rather have a good time with it. If you have any ideas, bring ’em on. Comment or send me an email. You can click on the link on the left sidebar near the bottom labeled “Contact me” if you want to email; otherwise, comment away.

Screencap courtesy of my stash. This one’s for you, Elvira. I know you love that beanie.

June 1, 2010
Categories: Fandom, Interviews . Tags: , , , , , , , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 41 Comments

See What Happens When I Stay Home from Church

I would have called this a tangent, but those pieces are supposed to be only remotely related to RA. This is firmly about RA and about “his people.”

When I think of “his people,” I don’t think of us –you know, you and me, the fans. When I think of “his people,” I think of the people working for him or advocating for him for money, i.e., agents, publicists, or whatever. He needs to give some instructions to “his people.” They need to put the word out that he will not answer any more questions about the Army. Do I need to explain what Army?

I was reading Servetus’ blog about what he should say about his fans, and it came to me like a lightning bolt. I would say epiphany, but hey, I’m only using that word once in the life of this blog. It’s too important a word to use more than once. Kind of like awesome which I’ve actually used twice on this blog. Shame on me. I won’t even go into my use of exclamation points. But yes, yes, I digress. Heck, this blog is one long digression.

Where was I? Oh, I had a revelation, no, er, a thought about what he could do about these questions on the fan thang. Just don’t entertain them, and that means saying ahead of time, “Could you please ask me all sorts of things but not about the fan thing?” Or “I will not answer questions about the fan thing. Ask me almost anything else, and I’ll cooperate, but I really don’t want to talk about the fan thing.” Now I proposed the first one because that seems to suit RA’s personality more. The second one just doesn’t seem his style at all, but then I really don’t know him. I just fancy sometimes that I do. ;-)

I think one reason he hasn’t done this (and hey, maybe he has and I’m all wet) was given in the latest interviews. He’s afraid this may all go away, so why be an ass and stonewall the press about the fan thing. Maybe that’s not his thinking, but he does seem way too compliant about this issue. Let it go, Richard. Please don’t answer any more questions about it, and if you need any other reason for doing it than it’s a pain, just know that WE ARE SICK OF HEARING IT TOO!

But if you are put on the spot again, I have the perfect comeback, which only you could pull off with that little laugh and grin you do, “Well, I’ve gotten my marching orders from the Army, and they’re sick of hearing about themselves.”

I am thankful at least the questions about the circus have gone away. Thank God.

I really should have gone to church.

edit:

Did I just write another fake fan letter? I think I did. Too bad no one who can do anything about the boring questions will read this. But oh, it felt good to say it. :D

May 30, 2010
Categories: Fandom, Interviews . Tags: , , , , , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 30 Comments

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