In the last couple issues of Turbo-Apa (to which Georgie belongs) mention was made of last WorldCon's opening ceremonies which staged a gathering of the Clans of Fandom. The initial report only mentioned the Tartan Cthulhu by name, but the note led Georgie to speculate on other fannish/clannish groups, including "The McAssholes, who, as was once true of the Gregora, may be legally killed on sight? (or at least flamed!) Or maybe the military unit of the 7th Highlander Highlanders . . . . It has awful possiblities." (Schnobrich, G., "Occam's Whiskers" in Turbo Charged Party Animal APA 0113, November 1995).
Well, having often spoken with Ross Pavlac among others about the Worldcon being the "gathering of the clans of fandom" (and never being one to let an unused awful possibility Iie) I though I'd supply some of my ideas on the subject.
Of course, the most ancient and honorable clans of Fandom are the Clan McConn, and the Clan MacAzine. Clan McConn is the orginal "gathering" clan. It's slogan is "Where's the party?" and the sett of the tartan varies widely, but these days it is usually a black design on various colors of astrobright. Clan MacAzine (motto: "Pub thy ish!") on the other hand, has a very sombre and ancient appearing tartan, being a sett of black and pale violet bled into a rough, buff twiltone. Both clans, of course, are riven by religious differences, with camps being about equally divided between "sercon" and "Faanish" allegiances. Clan MacQuerade is a major sept of McConn (motto: "Clothes make the being.") since you really need a con to show off your handiwork. If the sett is not an authentic someone else's, it probably incorporates sequins, beads, and electric lights. McMedia is the greatest of the modern clans, but is an unusually fractious and divisive group, and the members are usually designated by the particular septs to which they declare allegiance. MacRoddenberry is the biggest and oldest of the McMedia septs. Motto: "To boldly go where no man--er, one--has gone before". The sett is a varying design of gold, red and a space black background. The Klan MakKIingon is a vigorous offshoot of this sept.
If there is a contender with the MacRoddenberrys for precedence in the McMedia clan, it would be the MacLucas clan. Its motto is: "Use the Force to phone home." The design of its tartan is somewhat nebulous, but is unique being a two-sided sett--light on one side, dark on the other.
There are numerous other, less influential MeMedia septs; these include:
Clan MeGallifrey:. This clan's 15 to 21 colored sett is the second most obnoxious. Motto: "Have a jelly baby?"
Clan MacTunnel: Sett: Anything crudely homemade looking. Motto: "Touch not the Cat."
Clan McV: Sett: red and black. Badge: A lizard rampant. Motto: "To serve Man."
Clan Galactica: Sett: Purple and Orange. Motto: "Which way do we go from here?"
Clan MacAdams : Sett: Any old bathrobe will do. Badge: A white mouse, couchant, gardant. Motto: "I stand by my wimsey--(oops, wrong author). Motto: "Mostly harmless."
The X-Clan: Sett: Black on black. Badge: FBI; Alternate, a document bearing the legend "secret", erased. Motto: "The truth is out there," of course.
Of the other major modern clans, the gamers' clan, the McDungeons, continues to be active but amorphous. In general however, the clan colors continue to be a bright red (called "blood") laid over a darker red (called "gore"). The ancient slogan "How many hit points do you have left?" has been largely altered to "How much life do you have left?" much to the disgust of older members.
Probably the most widely growing allied clan to the Fans is the Clan MacHack. With at least 256 colors at 700 DPI resolution, its modern tartan is by far the most obnoxious to produce, which is why the Ancient MacHack tartans of green or amber on black are more frequenly worn.