and I will always love you...

[orangerful]

So this thing has been bubbling in me all day. See, I was babbling about my fandoms, specifically star wars. Going on and on about my lightsaber, random toys, and things like that. Someone asked "so you're still a fan, even though it's all fake?" That made my brain rush for hours with things I wanted to say, trying to figure out how to explain what Star Wars does for me. Because, when it comes to my fandoms, my brain works overtime.



This article is true (thanks to cj_rss for the link) Star Wars fans have many MANY issues with their fandom. It's not utter and blind devotion. No one can rip into a galaxy far far away like a star wars fan can. We're a bitter people. We wank on Lucas and his prequel changes (don't get us started on the OT DVDs). We roll our eyes at the mention of the 'Holiday Special' (to prove yourself a true fan you must survive one viewing). And Jar Jar and the Ewoks have no where to hide if you get a fan in the right mood (though there was a lot more wrong with TPM than Jar Jar).

But we love Star Wars. We love the idea of it. For a lot of us, Star Wars defined our childhood. We grew up with the marketing machine that Lucas created. We had VHS and beta (stop laughing at me) copies of the movies that we watched over and over. Star Wars was our introduction to science fiction, to the western, to the hero myth. It was the fandom to which all other future fandoms would have to complete. And it's hard to compete with something that you fell in love with when you were a kid because somehow it gets this free ride card that keeps it from becoming tainted. As we've gotten older, we've learned that it wasn't a perfect film, it wasn't great acting - but it's part of us.

Star Wars isn't just six movies for me. It's memories. It's me reaching into my christmas stocking back in 1984 and pulling out a Leia in Bousch disguise. It's my notebook from 7th grade that is covered with the cast listing for the first 3 films. It's the bits of paper that I scribbled "illustrations" on after listening to the radio drama all summer long. It's the anticipation of Episode I. It's camping outside the Senator theater, playing star wars trivial pursuit while waiting to get tickets. It's coming home and getting a lightsaber for your 25th birthday. It's about keeping that inner child alive! And entertained! It's a way to meet new people of all shapes and sizes, whether it's a friending meme or a local collecting club. It's a way of connecting. When I see little kids looking for star wars books at the library and I admit to being a fan (something I tell everyone now) the look of admiration in their eyes, the look of "wow, a grown up can like star wars?" is just beautiful.

I love Star Wars. I love it unconditionally. It's had some back luck - turns out it's father is slightly abusive, telling it how much better it could have been when really it was perfect all along. It keeps trying to change for him but he's never satisfied. But it's okay Star Wars, you can come over here and cuddle with me and I'll make it all better. You were always beautiful in my eyes.



Thinking today, I realized that all of my friends have at least one fandom that they are very very passionate about. I think it's part of what brings us together. We might not get each others fandoms, but we get the passion and the emotion that these fandoms bring forth. And when we do hit upon a shared fandom, oh it is GLORIOUS!

So, do me a favor, if you have the time, comment here or post in your own lj about a fandom and why you love it. Even if it's as intangible as my Star Wars love, I want to hear you gush a little bit. Makes me feel a little less crazy. :)

Comments

[gypsyjr.livejournal.com]

We might not get each others fandoms, but we get the passion and the emotion that these fandoms bring forth. And when we do hit upon a shared fandom, oh it is GLORIOUS!

Big ol' Word sandwich on Word bread with a side order of Word.

Will do the fandom post later, when my brain's not turning to mush. :)

[orangerful.livejournal.com]

mmmmm...word sandwich...

I look forward to reading your post! (though honestly I think some of your best entries happen are when your brain is mushy hehe)

[jellibean.livejournal.com]

I love Star Wars because my dad raised me on it, and it's given me so many memories. In Kindergarten, I checked out the ROTJ picture book. I loved the Ewoks and thought Princess Leia was awesome--and she really is. I hated ESB because it was so scary, but I did like Yoda. To me, knowing that Darth was Luke's father and that Luke and Leia were siblings was 2nd nature... that information was never a discovery for me. Star Tours was one of my favorite rides at Disney--and one of the few I would actually do (I was 5.) I got my picture with Wicket in front of the Ewok village. When the Special Edition OT came out, I dressed up my American Girl doll like Princess Leia.. she had the hair buns, a blaster, and even a Rebel Alliance pin (my dad gave it to me after he had been away on a business trip.)

In 7th grade, me and five of my friends piled into my music teacher's tiny car to go see TPM... I had the Amidala face make-up, and we made a Padawan braid for my friend Nathan.. which I wore all summer and which I still have at home. In the Bahamas, I only got five braids behind my left ear so I could have my own "real" Padawan braid if I wanted (I pulled the others back into my ponytail.) In 10th Grade my dad got Sneak Peek passes to AOTC and I got my picture with an amazing looking Darth Maul.. but last year you couldn't pay us to get out of line and see it before midnight. Really--someone had passes they were trying to give away, to no avail!

I've met so many sweet, crazy, amazing people because of Star Wars and had more fun than any one person should. I went to Wal-Mart twice in 12 hours for the toy release. I've been shot in the eye with a Clone Trooper Attacktix, and my mom and I spent an entire Christmas season kicking the Yoda Furby box and giggling when he started talking. And through it all, I still have something I can share with my dad. We can talk costumes and toys and watch the movies over and over together. I can tease him because he won't share his lightsabers with me and go on mad searches for Spudtroopers in the Playskool section of Toys R Us.

Star Wars is so much more than a movie... I mean, George made damn sure of that. ;) For many, it's a way of life and a means to serve others. It's all-encompassing, and it's a part of our Pop Culture that's never going to go away. It's fun.. and it brings people together all over the world.

And that's only a few reasons why I love it. ;D

[orangerful.livejournal.com]

do you have photos of you in the amidala makeup or the padawan braids? because I bet you were adorable!

see, you totally get it! that's why we are such buddies! I sorta feel bad for people who don't have this sort of random passion in their lives.

[jellibean.livejournal.com]

I had a picture of the make-up SOMEWHERE... I didn't do the white face paint, just the weird lipstick and the dots. I bet I looked odd. ;)

[demonqueen666.livejournal.com]

It's had some back luck - turns out it's father is slightly abusive, telling it how much better it could have been when really it was perfect all along. It keeps trying to change for him but he's never satisfied.

I love you.

I'd talk about my fandoms but really, I'm in love with too many to get into it.

[orangerful.livejournal.com]

that metaphor fit so well it was scary.

what was your first big fandom? the one that got you into this rollercoaster life of fan-fic etc.?

[bittertwee.livejournal.com]

"even though it's all fake"? What does that have to do with anything? Was that even up for debate? I mean, it's not like you were talking about professional wrestling. Weird.

You should have responded with "Do you go to church?"- heh.

Seriously, though, I think a fandom can be like a religion in many (positive) ways. It gives us stories with universal truths, and characters to look up to or at least relate to. It gives fans a context in which to put the events of their own lives, and possibly some sort of identity, even a community. There's probably more than one reason that the backstory of a fandom is often called the mythology. But at least we fans aren't going to war with other fandoms (yet), so that's where the whole "fake" thing comes in handy.

I think there does have to be a certain amount of "reality" to someone's fandom, though. I was thinking about the article you linked to about how Star Wars fans actually hate Star Wars, or rather what Lucas did to it, and how XF fans bitched endlessly about Chris Carter messing up the story or the characters. The only way you can make that accusation is if there's some sort of external Story or Character which exists independently of what actually gets put on the screen. So when people (like me) would get upset after a particular XF because we felt that "Scully would never do that", it made no sense, because Scully is a character on a TV show and she DID just do whatever the thing was on the show. The only way for this comment to make sense is if there is a "real" Scully against which you can judge each show. So the fascinating thing is that it sounds like the Star Wars crowd has a very rich "real" Star Wars universe which has almost nothing to do at this point with what this random Lucas guy does with it. And the real fans are the ones who "get" that universe, Lucas apparently not being one of these people.

Of course, Hogwarts is in fact real. Just thought I'd clear that up, in case anyone was wondering..

[orangerful.livejournal.com]

oh yes, Hogwarts is very real, you'll notice it's listed among my schools in my user info! Livejournal would never lie!

I, after buffy, I really REALLY agree with the fandom and religion comment. Because it was buffy that showed me that I could be spiritual without being religious and it got me thinking again. But I'll save that for another post. Star Wars is my kid fandom, the one that makes me want to play with toys and be giddy - Buffy is my adult fandom, the one that makes me think too hard and pick apart everything...and also play with toys...toys are pretty much a must in all my fandoms haha

[orangerful.livejournal.com]

really really weird shit. hahahhahaha. I mean, LOOK at your DVD collection. and your ability to watch really really bad movies...and kung fu movies.

you have a fandom, do not deny it! the first step is acceptance.