As is probably evident by now, I am a huge Richard Armitage fan. This week, to keep us all amused, Guylty issued a fandom challenge of 31 questions probing our RA fandom engagement. Here are my answers to the first 7 questions:

#1 First Encounter with RA:

I think it was probably around 2011, because it was definitely before The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey came out. I was looking for something to watch and came upon North and South on Netflix. I thought I would give this period drama a try, and I found the story interesting with the conflicts between Northern ways and Southern ways, between workers and masters, and between rich and poor. The acting was really good and I really liked the interaction between John Thornton and his mother. The first time watching, I didn’t really notice or maybe pay attention to the romance and thought that the “falling in love” by Thornton came pretty suddenly. I enjoyed watching RA, but I wasn’t really blown away by him the first time. And yet, it must have been percolating in my brain, because I went back and watched it again.

#2 The Moment I Fell in Love with RA:

Image from richardarmitagenet.com/

The second time watching North and South, I noticed the slow build of the romance which was conveyed through subtle gestures, facial expressions, the brush of a hand, etc. I was drawn to this strong, upright character who fell in love with Margaret. But the moment that did it for me was the last line in the movie: “You’re coming home with me?!” The humility of the man and the portrayal of such absolute awe that such a woman could finally actually want him was what drew me in completely. Yes, I know that this was the character of John Thornton, but some part of me hoped that this might be some reflection of RA himself. And so (after watching the final scene over and over again), I searched up some early interviews and in fact did find a man who seemed to be humble and kind, a reader of books, and with a sense of humour and a twinkle in his eye.

#3 Favourite Piece of Fan Art:

I really love Guylty’s RAPS (Richard Armitage Pocket Shrines). I don’t have a favourite — they are all really cool.

Oh! And then today via Guylty I came across this RA 2017 Calendar by Totally Radioactive, with a really nice collection of related pictures for each month.

#4 Something I Did Because of RA:

Well, I started blogging! It started with reading and watching RA interviews, then reading blogs, then commenting, and finally starting my own blog in December. I’ve always wanted to write but I somehow never found the time. Because of RA, I have now started writing on my blog twice a week.

#5 Favourite/Least Favourite Romance:

My favourite romance is definitely John Thornton and Margaret Hale in North and South. (See #1 and #2 above!)

My least favourite romance is Lucas North and Sarah Caulfield in Spooks (MI-5). I just didn’t find it believable. And her terrible American accent was such a distraction!

#6 Least Favourite Character:

I haven’t seen them all yet. In fact I don’t think I can watch Hannibal. I suspect that Francis Dolarhyde would have to be my least favourite, given that I can’t even bring myself to watch the show!

Paul Andrews in Between the Sheets may have been the least likable of the characters I’ve seen, but I thought the show was so good and RA’s acting was good too. (Not to mention, the “costume”!)

#7 Something I Bought Because of RA:

After getting North and South as an e-book, I bought the fanfic continuation, Margaret of the North, which was quite good. And let’s see… On iTunes, I’ve bought 6 audiobooks narrated by RA, 1 movie (Into the Storm), 2 TV series (Strike Back Origins, Berlin Station), and through Digital Theatre I purchased The Crucible. I watched Spooks (MI-5) by borrowing it from my local library and a few others on YouTube. And I’ve received a few DVDs as gifts (The Elizabeth Gaskell Collection, The Vicar of Dibley, Robin Hood). 

Hmm, my birthday is coming up… maybe the Shakespeare Retold?

…to be continued next week!