Line #32 Blog/KnightsOfFandom


1	[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/crest_0.png]]
2	[[caption-width-right:250:Quarterly argent and azure, in the second quarter a fan gules, in the third quarter a crown or]]
3	The [[http://knightsoffandom.tumblr.com Knights of Fandom]] are part of the landscape of Website/{{Tumblr}} and, more recently, Website/{{Facebook}} and Website/{{Twitter}}.
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5	They started as essentially an AscendedMeme; it's all the fault of @/LadyNorbert's Tumblr followers. In autumn 2012, a group of them decided to call her the "[[InsistentTerminology Empress of Fandom]]." She jokingly responded by drafting the Knights' code of conduct, which went unexpectedly viral; it stopped being a joke and became an actual online movement when she realized there was a need for such a thing. Now boasting over 200 active members, they espouse the joint purposes of getting excited about things they love and stopping cyberbullies in their tracks.
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7	Because Tumblr permits anonymous messaging between parties, there has been something of an epidemic of people hiding behind this anonymity to send hate-filled messages to others. The Knights of Fandom not only pledge to never do this to anyone themselves, they also consider it their duty to reduce the suffering caused by those who do. Sometimes they involve themselves, as they see fit, in related crusades both on and off of Tumblr, harnessing the power of their own creativity to make the world a better place.
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9	As of April 2016, the Knighthood has officially begun to mobilize offline as well as on, and conduct anti-bullying panels at conventions. The momentum is gathering slowly, but the reception by con-goers has been very positive.
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11	Although the Knighthood is based on Tumblr and considers that website their 'official' home, membership is open to anyone with an internet presence. Tumblr users are able to join simply by following the account and/or reblogging the membership pledge; Facebook users can just like and follow the [[https://facebook.com/KnightsOfFandom Facebook page]], and Twitter users can do likewise on the [[https://twitter.com/knightsoffandom Twitter account]]. Others need only contact the account to find out how to proceed with joining.
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14	!!The Knights of Fandom exhibit the following:
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16	* AuthorityInNameOnly: The Knight-Commander technically has no authority. She's just another schlub on the internet, albeit one with extremely good intentions. Anyone who follows her most likely does so out of either affection and/or agreement with the cause.
17	* AwakeningTheSleepingGiant: While the Knighthood did have the somewhat silly origins described above, the large majority of its members joined ''later'', out of a genuine desire to do something about the rampant anon hate.
18	* BewareTheNiceOnes[=/=]BewareTheSillyOnes: In the same vein as GoodIsNotSoft.
19	* TheChampion: The group's membership pledge calls each one of them "a champion of the internet."
20	* ColorMotif: The Knighthood's representative colors are blue and white.
21	* ForHappiness: They just want everyone to be able to go online and have fun without having to put up with anon hate.
22	* GoodFeelsGood: The only reward they ever seek.
23	* GoodIsNotSoft: These are nice people. But they will stand up for what they believe.
24	* TheGreatestStoryNeverTold: When they send uplifting messages to victims of anon hate, the Knights often keep their own identities anonymous as well, rather than seek the gratitude of the people they're helping.
25	* HeroicVow: To do their best to make sure no one feels alone. Also to be silly. The full text of the pledge is [[http://ladynorbert.tumblr.com/post/33757600696/quarterly-azure-and-argent-in-the-second-quarter here]].
26	* HopeBringer: What they ultimately hope to accomplish. They're out to save the world using fandom as their primary vehicle, to bring hope and happiness to those who need it.
27	* InsistentTerminology: The anons who spread hate are called "Grey Faces" by the Knights. This refers to the fact that anonymous messages used to be accompanied by greyish silhouettes in place of an actual user icon. Anonymous messages are now instead accompanied by images of a greyish sphere wearing sunglasses, but the term "Grey Faces" remains.
28	* JustIgnoreIt: In a way. At a minimum, Knights of Fandom are asked to ''do nothing at all.'' The only outright rule for being a Knight is that anyone who goes by that title shall not hurt others. To quote from the introductory tweet:
29	-->''All we ask of anyone who wants to be a part of this movement is that you don't use the power of the internet to spread hatred, especially anonymous hatred. There's enough of that. You don't have to help make things better; just please don't make them worse.''
30	* KnightInShiningArmor: The idea behind the way they organized.
31	* TheKnightsWhoSaySquee: They call themselves exactly this, since in between looking out for other people they also indulge their passions for art, literature, film, and other fandoms.
32	* {{Leitmotif}}: "Brave" by Josh Groban (specifically, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6V-YInpmMG0 the version performed by rostered Knight Peter Hollens]]) is the group's theme song. Lady Norbert says that the continued valor of her Knights is what gives her a reason to be brave when she needs it.
33	* MamaBear: They literally got started because Lady Norbert - who is known as "[[AffectionateNickname the Adoptive Mother of the Internet]]" ''for a reason'' - got fed up with seeing her "kids" on the receiving end of anonymous bullying and decided it was time to do something about it.
34	* NiceGuy: They're meant to be an entire unit of these.
35	* NiceToTheWaiter: They encourage this as part of their modus operandi - the idea is to treat everyone with, at the very least, basic decency and respect, regardless of their station in life.
36	* ThePowerOfFriendship: They try to combat cyberbullying with this. Some of the bullied have turned around and joined the group, so in a way, it does work.
37	* RagtagBunchOfMisfits: After a fashion.
38	* RousingSpeech: These are periodically thrown out to remind the Knights how much their efforts are appreciated.
39	* SelfProclaimedKnight: Well, technically just one, who then proclaimed all the others.
40	* SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism: Struggling to maintain the ideal in the face of a cynical internet.
41	* SmallStepsHero: The Knights are encouraged to reach out on their own to people who need help - not just with bullying, but with all manner of problems - with the idea being that 'if each of us does a little, we can do a lot.'
42	* TeamMom[=/=][[AFatherToHisMen A Mother to Her People]]: Lady Norbert, as Knight-Commander, holds this position. Several of the Knights refer to her as Mom, Empress-Mother, or occasionally [[Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire Mhysa]].
43	* TrueCompanions: In the spirit of a medieval knighthood.
44	* VisualPun: The Knighthood's coat of arms is a shield divided into blue and white quadrants. One of the white quadrants houses a red hand-held fan, meant to represent ''fandom''.
45	* WeHelpTheHelpless: There's a dose of this in their ''raison d'etre'', as many of the more relentlessly tormented souls they approach feel quite helpless (occasionally even suicidal).
46	* WhatYouAreInTheDark: Because of the allowance of anonymity on the site, there is no way to confirm that the Knights keep their promise never to send anon hate. The membership pledge is wholly unenforcable; it falls to the individual Knights themselves to uphold their vows.

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