BNFs

[estirose]

I was reading the anon meme in LJ's Fandom Secrets comm, and some of the discussion made me think.


Sometimes I wonder if I fall under the "BNF" (Big Name Fan) in any of my fandoms. I don't think so (most people wouldn't know who in the hell I was), but I'm never sure of that.

So, what is a BNF? What makes a person one?

How well known do they have to be? Do they get known by their participation, by the fic they write, by what they draw?

Are they friends with the actors/artists/seiyuu/voice actors? Have tons of followers? Are their fics recced everywhere, and when people think of fandom, they think of them?

Is it a certain personality type, or just luck? Hard work, or just being there at the right time?

I can't make any profound statements about this, because I'm not sure. I have fans, and I'm a decent writer, but go to, say, Henshin Justice and chances are that someone's never heard of me. And yet, I can write under other names (and have!) and have people not recognize my work. At all. So, my name means something. People associate my name with "person who writes good fic".

I really don't know. I'd like to know, but I don't. And maybe that's the most profound thing of all.

Comments

[megaptera]

Meh... some people reserve the title for people who act like bigshots, and you don't do that.

Other people use it to refer to everyone they're jealous of, who gets more attention and does good work. It's a nasty, catty style of psychological bullying that is usually found in cliques of schoolgirls.

[arionhunter.livejournal.com]

I tend to think of BNFs a bit like being an officer in the anime club (which admittedly, I am). It basically means you can win the popularity contest and have your opinion listened to because you learned the social ins-and-outs of convincing people to like you by virtue of being a likable person.