I've been a fan of Jhonen's for years now, and I've begun to notice a few things. There are many times when a fan will do one thing in particular that will set Jhonen off, and then that one person, who may be a great person indeed, is cast into the nether-regions of "just another fan"-dom. What I have done is compiled a list suggestions of Do's and Dont's on what to do in the presence of Jhonen. This list is in no particular order, it's just the way I have them written down, and I hope they help you in any Jhonen encounter.
1) Do not wear stuff that has his series on it (No Invader Zim, JTHM, or Squee!), unless it's minimal like a button, barrett, necklace, or a earrings.
2) Do not dress excessively black clothings or make-up. (No emo or gothic looks)
3) Do not quote his stuff to him. He wrote those lines, he does not find any amusement in them anymore.
***Special note: For the sake of your un-slit throat, do not quote Gir! He is adorable and cute, but is not great for a first impression.
4) No excessive logo stuff. Don't wear all band logos or slogan t-shirts. A band t-shirt and normal jeans/pants or a normal skirt is fine, but not huge amounts of it.
5) Do not ask him questions he's been most likely asked already or a question on some miniscule detail he'll never remember. (Ex: "How'd you get into the biz?" "Why'd you write that line?" "What does this symbolize?")
6) Be intelligent, but not snobby. Hold Jhonen's interest, but don't rub little facts in his face.
7) Do not suddenly spaz, this will not help your cause at all.
8 ) Be able to spell. This is mostly if you're IMing, e-mailing or sending him.
9) If you have made the habit of saying "lol" or "brb" in an actual conversation, please refrain from doing so unless it's part of a joke.
10) Don't try and give Jhonen ideas for any of his series (esp. JTHM). It may be a great idea, but his mind says that his ideas are not his anymore if he got them from a 15 year-old.
11) Be confident. Show that you aren't scared of him, and he will hold all the more respect towards you.
12) Be respectful, but do not call him God. Try not to chase Jhonen through out the convention (or wherever it is you have managed to find him), that will only annoy/scare him.
13) Ask for his technical advice. If you have a reasonable question like, "How would you draw this expression?"/"How did you get a line to look like this?"/"How do you think this character should respond?" or another question that requires his intellect, he'll be more likely to answer you.
14) Don't ask him to introduce you to anyone. Do not use Jhonen to try and get into the biz in any sort of way, that's just manipulative and rude.
15) And finally, don't try too hard. This list is mostly for people who actually end up acting like OC's in Jhonen's series. If you manage to steer clear of that behavior, you should be in the green for your entire encounter.
The following were suggested by Liacem:
16) If it looks like he hasn't nibbled on something the whole time he's been there, spare him a dollar for a snack. Suggestions for snack foods to his liking were bagels, Chinese food, and skittles.
17) Offer him a morbidly cool knick-knack to add to his collection. If you've managed to severely injured, ask for a copy of the x-ray. This offering will certainly bring a smile.
18 ) I'm pretty sure I mentioned before to not follow Jhonen. Now I shall elaborate: Do not try and kidnap him. I know that any logical person would not try this, but I'm sure that all of us fans have at least jokingly spoken of a kidnapping plot for Mr. Jhonen. Do not actually try it!
The following was added by jthm_fan:
19) Photo-ninja skills do not need to be utilized in his presence. Please kindly remember that Jhonen is human and that if you ask him for a photo, he will not magically float away.
Feel free to add to the list. It can only help.
1) Do not wear stuff that has his series on it (No Invader Zim, JTHM, or Squee!), unless it's minimal like a button, barrett, necklace, or a earrings.
2) Do not dress excessively black clothings or make-up. (No emo or gothic looks)
3) Do not quote his stuff to him. He wrote those lines, he does not find any amusement in them anymore.
***Special note: For the sake of your un-slit throat, do not quote Gir! He is adorable and cute, but is not great for a first impression.
4) No excessive logo stuff. Don't wear all band logos or slogan t-shirts. A band t-shirt and normal jeans/pants or a normal skirt is fine, but not huge amounts of it.
5) Do not ask him questions he's been most likely asked already or a question on some miniscule detail he'll never remember. (Ex: "How'd you get into the biz?" "Why'd you write that line?" "What does this symbolize?")
6) Be intelligent, but not snobby. Hold Jhonen's interest, but don't rub little facts in his face.
7) Do not suddenly spaz, this will not help your cause at all.
8 ) Be able to spell. This is mostly if you're IMing, e-mailing or sending him.
9) If you have made the habit of saying "lol" or "brb" in an actual conversation, please refrain from doing so unless it's part of a joke.
10) Don't try and give Jhonen ideas for any of his series (esp. JTHM). It may be a great idea, but his mind says that his ideas are not his anymore if he got them from a 15 year-old.
11) Be confident. Show that you aren't scared of him, and he will hold all the more respect towards you.
12) Be respectful, but do not call him God. Try not to chase Jhonen through out the convention (or wherever it is you have managed to find him), that will only annoy/scare him.
13) Ask for his technical advice. If you have a reasonable question like, "How would you draw this expression?"/"How did you get a line to look like this?"/"How do you think this character should respond?" or another question that requires his intellect, he'll be more likely to answer you.
14) Don't ask him to introduce you to anyone. Do not use Jhonen to try and get into the biz in any sort of way, that's just manipulative and rude.
15) And finally, don't try too hard. This list is mostly for people who actually end up acting like OC's in Jhonen's series. If you manage to steer clear of that behavior, you should be in the green for your entire encounter.
The following were suggested by Liacem:
16) If it looks like he hasn't nibbled on something the whole time he's been there, spare him a dollar for a snack. Suggestions for snack foods to his liking were bagels, Chinese food, and skittles.
17) Offer him a morbidly cool knick-knack to add to his collection. If you've managed to severely injured, ask for a copy of the x-ray. This offering will certainly bring a smile.
18 ) I'm pretty sure I mentioned before to not follow Jhonen. Now I shall elaborate: Do not try and kidnap him. I know that any logical person would not try this, but I'm sure that all of us fans have at least jokingly spoken of a kidnapping plot for Mr. Jhonen. Do not actually try it!
The following was added by jthm_fan:
19) Photo-ninja skills do not need to be utilized in his presence. Please kindly remember that Jhonen is human and that if you ask him for a photo, he will not magically float away.
Feel free to add to the list. It can only help.
