There is (was?) an artist named Frederick S. Fudala, somewhere in upstate New York, who (a long time ago) was on deviantart and created this drawing which I “embedded” into “‘Tami Smithers Was Here’” on the writingsofleviticus site. It’s called “Druuna’s Ascent”, a tribute to the graphic novel character created by Paolo Serpieri. As I recall Mr. Fudala’s original comment was: “I picture Druuna, having been stripped by a gang of thugs, escaping by scaling this cliff, only to find herself thrust into yet another peril which she will have to deal with while naked.” It fits in with Tami’s plight in general, and in particular her scaling the cliff to get away from teenage toughs at the end of Part 29 of “‘Tami Smithers Was Here’”. Fred, I’ve been trying to find you for years, please contact me!
Internet Legend Tami Smithers
Caught by campus police on a sorority streaking dare her first week away at college -- brought in to the Dean -- the college is very strict about such things and the penalty is explusion -- she impulsively cooks up the excuse that nudity is her “religion” -- the Dean consults with the college lawyer -- doesn’t want to risk a lawsuit for religious discrimination -- so the Dean lets her go -- but says adherence to her “religion” will be strictly monitored --
How should you read about this remarkable young woman?
“The Unintentional Nudist” saga (the original series): takes Tami from Thanksgiving break of her freshman year to Fall semester of her sophomore year. Parts III through XIII (the conclusion) are posted here.
“Tami Saves Mei-lin” and “Tami, the Naked Freshman” fit somewhere between V and VII.
“Tami Beethoven” looks in on Tami during her senior year.
“Interview with the Professor” has her at age 33, a college professor.
“The Other Side of the Gym” takes her up in middle age and provides closure, at least chronologically.
For photos, drawings and other visual creations of Tami -- >
The Tami Smithers universe is not copyrighted and anyone can contribute, as a number of others already have. The character and initial “predicament” were introduced to the world in 1999 by TrackJim. Note the other works (still searchable on the web) by Jack Straw, Mr. Flip, and (especially) katie (a/k/a Katie Lynch, katie slave), along with some others who escape my mind at the moment.
If I can make rules they are:
1. Of course, no incest, underage sex, homophobia or racial stereotyping.
2. Full nudity (no shoes either). Tami is the only one naked.
3. Respect the integrity of this much-loved character. Make sure the reader is always on her side.