Meme responses -- February Edition!
Feb. 1st, 2014 12:56 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ladyofleithianFandoms and when you came into them (or if that's too vague anything about Firefly/LOTR is fine :) )
Oh boy, where do I start? I've gotten into a lot of fandoms over the years, so tracking them is going to be a bit difficult. But I'll try.
Harry Potter: First got into the fandom through the movies, from which I started reading the books. While the movies are great, I think, in some ways the books are better because there are some aspects of the books that don't make it into the movies thanks to the matter of the limits of adaptation. What works great on paper doesn't always work on screen. And vice versa, there are some instances where the movies are better than the books, such as the matter of Order of the Phoenix thanks to certain very moving sequences, and Deathly Hallows part two which took out the Cruciatus Curse scene from the book (which, I get that it's to show how dark Harry can get -- that and the Carrows were kind of wangholes, if you pardon my language -- but it actually did unsettle me a bit first reading about it. I guess I can just get really weird sometimes). Though I have my issues with the books, they'll always have a special place in my heart as part of my childhood. Warm, witty, great characters, great stories -- I think they'll live on for a long time in terms of great storytelling.
Lord of the Rings -- Picked them up in middle school just out of sheer boredom (to give you a good image of my middle school, it was all on one floor, there was a fireplace in there as well as a sofa, which was awesome, so I could read them before class started and such) and fell in love with them -- the characters, the heart, the poetic language, the humor, etc. I even read the other books, like the UNFINISHED TALES and whatnot because I wanted more of that world (also, I have a lot of Tolkien books on my shelves as well). Then, one day, again out of boredom, I watched the movies (which my parents had; they were the Extended Editions) and also fell in love, if only because of how well they brought the land of Middle Earth to life on screen. Moved out of the fandom briefly thanks to a lot of Fan Dumb on fanfiction.net with people randomly accusing fans of not being true fans thanks to just writing stories that were the least bit out of place in Tolkien, arguments about slash (I think I recall a bit of wank with someone threatening to kill people who wrote Fingon/Maedhros. I mean, seriously, I don't care if you don't like a pairing; you don't threaten to kill someone), rounding up stories that were even remotely not written well and sorting them into Worst of the Worst...some were good and had webpages that gave advice on stuff like Tolkien dialogue -- very helpful because Tolkien dialogue is a bitch to write. I mean, oh my Lord -- and whatnot, but others...mother of God. That said, I have fond memories even in between the bad, and I still love these books and movies. And with the HOBBIT movies now being released, I've definitely reentered Tolkien fandom.
Eragon -- Yeah, I know, don't look at me like that. XD I mostly got into it because I was borrowing books from my younger brother -- I did that a lot as a kid because he had a lot of interesting books and such -- and yeah, it was derivative in some areas like Lord of the Rings and such, but it was a lot of fun, and I have fond memories of reading the books. I remember I actually tried making a fansite at one point, from Notepad, using HTML (because I was also really into HTML when I was in middle school. I even tried JavaScript, though I can't say I was the best at it) although I can't say that I ever published it to the Web. That and I wrote a lot of prequels that covered Galbatorix's backstory because of how curious I was about him. Even sort of ripping off Opifex's "The Storm Dragons" before I stopped. (For those who have no idea what it was, it was like Wicked with a pinch of Rob Zombie's Halloween and a pinch of Star Wars for the Eragon fandom) And some of my rip-offs got ridiculous, like Galbatorix actually being Eragon's uncle (don't ask me how that works), which my brother was very amused by. I never really published any of it; it was mostly in the privacy of my own computer, but should I find it...maybe I'll put it through a few edits and show you. But yeah, it was a fun fandom. The books were flawed, yes, but they were good reads, and I have a lot of fond memories of them.
Twilight -- Again, stop staring at me like that. XD It was one of those series that took a while to grow on me. Yeah, the books have their faults, they really do, but that said, I have a lot of fond memories of reading them and writing bits of fanfic based on them and stuff like that.
Star Wars -- Another thing I got into when I was in middle school. (It's amazing how many fandoms I got into mostly in middle school and whatnot) Watched the original movies with my family once when I was a little kid, but I couldn't stand them, mostly for their scary imagery (the wampa, for instance). Then I read the PT novelizations and fell in love, mostly for Anakin's story and whatnot. Also played KOTOR II, which I fell in love with just because of its amazing characters, complex themes, etc. I know that both the PT and KOTOR II have been heavy influences on my writing.
TGWTG -- Got into it in middle school, again, mostly via the Nostalgia Critic's review of NORTH. Let's say I saw the review linked on the NORTH TV Tropes page, watched it, loved it, and from there, sought out more episodes. I can't say I got to all the reviewers mostly because (a) it's a large site, and (b) let's say they covered many different things, some of which I wasn't exactly familiar with. (Which I think is the great thing about TGWTG. It's very much tailored to different things that the audience might be interested in) It became my sanctuary a lot when I was really stressed out, and while it's been going through a lot of difficulties over the years, it will always have a special place in my heart.
Star Trek -- My mom took me to see the 2009 movie in the theaters, when it first came out, which I just loved (hell, I think it kind of converted me into being a Trekkie) and while killing some time before INTO DARKNESS came out, I watched some of the original movies (and some of DS9) and fell in love if only for the characters, the epicness, the amazing emotional moments, and much more.
Nightmare on Elm Street -- First got into it via Dena's review of the original because the remake was first coming out, and I just loved it. It was well-made, well-acted, with great tension, scares, kills, likable characters, and much more. I like a lot of the films, but I think the original Elm Street (that ending aside), Dream Warriors, Dream Master, New Nightmare, and the remake (yeah, it's flawed, but it really tried to do something new with the mythos, which was awesome). Also, I think Elm Street might have been one of my first horror films (I first saw it in middle school because when I was little, my mom would never have let me watch a horror film. She hates horror movies. My dad's not fond of them either -- except for stuff like Alfred Hitchcock -- and my brother finds them too easy to make fun of), and another major influence on me, whole-series-wise.
Avatar the Last Airbender -- I think it was high school when I got into it. Mostly through Season Three because I'm very much an anachronic order person. Needless to say, it's a great show. Great characters, great humor, great everything, really. Legend of Korra is pretty good too; haven't seen much of it, but from what I have seen, it's pretty good.
Doctor Who -- A show I got into in 2012, really, mostly via stuff I heard on TV Tropes (mostly out of order, with "A Good Man Goes To War" coming first before I got into the other episodes). Needless to say, I loved it. Great characters, great stories, great humor, amazing emotional moments, a hell of a lot of heart, fantastic acting, great morals without being Anvilicous, and it helped me a lot through the rougher periods of 2013 when my mom, my brother and I started watching it. It's also one of those shows that has impacted my writing tremendously, and shaped a lot of my moral landscape. There are those shows that leave a heavy impact on you, and Doctor Who is one of them. Also a show where for me, I can't hate any episode. I can have my problems with the episode, but I can never hate it, because no matter what the episode, there's always a lot of heart in it, in and out of universe, and I think that's what matters most.
Farscape -- A series I actually got into in 2013, mostly thanks to stuff I'd heard about it. Seriously, I love this show. Great characters, great humor, great everything. I actually used to have some episodes on to help me go to sleep, which, I tell you, was a lot of fun.
Big Bang Theory -- It's more of a casual fandom for me, but I like it. Does it have its problems? Of course. Nonetheless, I love the hell of that show. Great characters, great humor (seriously, it always manages to cheer me up whenever I'm really down), even some lovely emotional moments...it's just fantastic. It's something I've come to watch with my parents a lot. Like with Doctor Who, it's become sort of a family tradition.
Halloween -- Another franchise I got into via film reviews. It's actually a franchise I didn't expect to love, but let's say that in August of 2013, just to get through a drag of a semester and drama in another fandom, I watched the first film and fell in love with it if only for its amazing characters, incredible score, and great stretching of tension. I know it also unsettled me quite a bit, if only for the climactic chase, the opening kill, Loomis' speech about Michael (seriously, chilling on so many levels), etc. (And a bit of a funny story: I was watching it with my dog one time, and during the really tense scene with Michael dressing up as a ghost to trick Lynda, he started licking my feet, and I ended up giggling instead. That was a great moment. XD. Also, watching the TV cut way before that -- I saw the TV cut first, which I think actually enhances the experience because you see a lot of neat character-centered scenes -- and texting my brother, who made some great comments on what I was telling him, such as snarking about selling the house where a murder took place *. Let's say my brother's comments did a great job in diffusing the tension.) Then I watched the 1981 Halloween II, loved it, saw Halloween III and didn't like it much, not because it didn't feature Michael (I mean, I saw that coming) but just because of how weird it was (it was really on rewatch I appreciated it more), skipped Halloween 4 thanks to a certain scene I heard about where the main character, Jamie, is tormented at school for being an orphan and having her uncle be Michael Myers (yeah, saying "poor kid" is a gross understatement) -- let's say that that shit breaks my heart. (Then again, Jamie is a really sad character. I've seen STAR WARS and DOCTOR WHO, and I don't think I've seen anything more depressing than poor Jamie) I watched Halloween 5 instead, and while I liked it (*ducks*), I was really just depressed over some of the stuff Jamie went through -- being rendered mute thanks to the traumatic events of the previous film, has most of the people she loves killed, and is used as a pawn by Dr. Loomis to lure her uncle out thanks to a psychic connection she has with him (yeah, just go with it) -- which...yeah, you know Thorin Oakenshield in DESOLATION OF SMAUG? That's kind of how Loomis is in Halloween 5, only without a Balin to snap him out of it. I think he even scared me at times more than Michael in that film. I mean, it's one thing to have a killing machine made out of pure evil, but to have a doctor so intent on thwarting that monster that he'll even break a few of his own rules to do so? That's scarier for me. At least with the killing machine, you know what to expect. (Also, I just hate how Loomis treated Jamie. It was disgusting) I still liked the film; it was a decent film, with great scares, great characters and even some great emotional moments, but Loomis bugged me.
Also tried to watch Rob Zombie's Halloween, couldn't mostly thanks to the character of Ronnie White (he was just incredibly annoying), watched Rob Zombie's Halloween 2, which was pretty decent (too much swearing and violence, yeah, but when it got things right -- such as Annie's death -- it got them really right) if extremely emotionally taxing. Film watching is on hold for the moment, but I'm looking forward to catching up when Halloween comes around this year!
* I mean, seriously, that's just a terrible idea on so many levels.
Oh boy, where do I start? I've gotten into a lot of fandoms over the years, so tracking them is going to be a bit difficult. But I'll try.
Harry Potter: First got into the fandom through the movies, from which I started reading the books. While the movies are great, I think, in some ways the books are better because there are some aspects of the books that don't make it into the movies thanks to the matter of the limits of adaptation. What works great on paper doesn't always work on screen. And vice versa, there are some instances where the movies are better than the books, such as the matter of Order of the Phoenix thanks to certain very moving sequences, and Deathly Hallows part two which took out the Cruciatus Curse scene from the book (which, I get that it's to show how dark Harry can get -- that and the Carrows were kind of wangholes, if you pardon my language -- but it actually did unsettle me a bit first reading about it. I guess I can just get really weird sometimes). Though I have my issues with the books, they'll always have a special place in my heart as part of my childhood. Warm, witty, great characters, great stories -- I think they'll live on for a long time in terms of great storytelling.
Lord of the Rings -- Picked them up in middle school just out of sheer boredom (to give you a good image of my middle school, it was all on one floor, there was a fireplace in there as well as a sofa, which was awesome, so I could read them before class started and such) and fell in love with them -- the characters, the heart, the poetic language, the humor, etc. I even read the other books, like the UNFINISHED TALES and whatnot because I wanted more of that world (also, I have a lot of Tolkien books on my shelves as well). Then, one day, again out of boredom, I watched the movies (which my parents had; they were the Extended Editions) and also fell in love, if only because of how well they brought the land of Middle Earth to life on screen. Moved out of the fandom briefly thanks to a lot of Fan Dumb on fanfiction.net with people randomly accusing fans of not being true fans thanks to just writing stories that were the least bit out of place in Tolkien, arguments about slash (I think I recall a bit of wank with someone threatening to kill people who wrote Fingon/Maedhros. I mean, seriously, I don't care if you don't like a pairing; you don't threaten to kill someone), rounding up stories that were even remotely not written well and sorting them into Worst of the Worst...some were good and had webpages that gave advice on stuff like Tolkien dialogue -- very helpful because Tolkien dialogue is a bitch to write. I mean, oh my Lord -- and whatnot, but others...mother of God. That said, I have fond memories even in between the bad, and I still love these books and movies. And with the HOBBIT movies now being released, I've definitely reentered Tolkien fandom.
Eragon -- Yeah, I know, don't look at me like that. XD I mostly got into it because I was borrowing books from my younger brother -- I did that a lot as a kid because he had a lot of interesting books and such -- and yeah, it was derivative in some areas like Lord of the Rings and such, but it was a lot of fun, and I have fond memories of reading the books. I remember I actually tried making a fansite at one point, from Notepad, using HTML (because I was also really into HTML when I was in middle school. I even tried JavaScript, though I can't say I was the best at it) although I can't say that I ever published it to the Web. That and I wrote a lot of prequels that covered Galbatorix's backstory because of how curious I was about him. Even sort of ripping off Opifex's "The Storm Dragons" before I stopped. (For those who have no idea what it was, it was like Wicked with a pinch of Rob Zombie's Halloween and a pinch of Star Wars for the Eragon fandom) And some of my rip-offs got ridiculous, like Galbatorix actually being Eragon's uncle (don't ask me how that works), which my brother was very amused by. I never really published any of it; it was mostly in the privacy of my own computer, but should I find it...maybe I'll put it through a few edits and show you. But yeah, it was a fun fandom. The books were flawed, yes, but they were good reads, and I have a lot of fond memories of them.
Twilight -- Again, stop staring at me like that. XD It was one of those series that took a while to grow on me. Yeah, the books have their faults, they really do, but that said, I have a lot of fond memories of reading them and writing bits of fanfic based on them and stuff like that.
Star Wars -- Another thing I got into when I was in middle school. (It's amazing how many fandoms I got into mostly in middle school and whatnot) Watched the original movies with my family once when I was a little kid, but I couldn't stand them, mostly for their scary imagery (the wampa, for instance). Then I read the PT novelizations and fell in love, mostly for Anakin's story and whatnot. Also played KOTOR II, which I fell in love with just because of its amazing characters, complex themes, etc. I know that both the PT and KOTOR II have been heavy influences on my writing.
TGWTG -- Got into it in middle school, again, mostly via the Nostalgia Critic's review of NORTH. Let's say I saw the review linked on the NORTH TV Tropes page, watched it, loved it, and from there, sought out more episodes. I can't say I got to all the reviewers mostly because (a) it's a large site, and (b) let's say they covered many different things, some of which I wasn't exactly familiar with. (Which I think is the great thing about TGWTG. It's very much tailored to different things that the audience might be interested in) It became my sanctuary a lot when I was really stressed out, and while it's been going through a lot of difficulties over the years, it will always have a special place in my heart.
Star Trek -- My mom took me to see the 2009 movie in the theaters, when it first came out, which I just loved (hell, I think it kind of converted me into being a Trekkie) and while killing some time before INTO DARKNESS came out, I watched some of the original movies (and some of DS9) and fell in love if only for the characters, the epicness, the amazing emotional moments, and much more.
Nightmare on Elm Street -- First got into it via Dena's review of the original because the remake was first coming out, and I just loved it. It was well-made, well-acted, with great tension, scares, kills, likable characters, and much more. I like a lot of the films, but I think the original Elm Street (that ending aside), Dream Warriors, Dream Master, New Nightmare, and the remake (yeah, it's flawed, but it really tried to do something new with the mythos, which was awesome). Also, I think Elm Street might have been one of my first horror films (I first saw it in middle school because when I was little, my mom would never have let me watch a horror film. She hates horror movies. My dad's not fond of them either -- except for stuff like Alfred Hitchcock -- and my brother finds them too easy to make fun of), and another major influence on me, whole-series-wise.
Avatar the Last Airbender -- I think it was high school when I got into it. Mostly through Season Three because I'm very much an anachronic order person. Needless to say, it's a great show. Great characters, great humor, great everything, really. Legend of Korra is pretty good too; haven't seen much of it, but from what I have seen, it's pretty good.
Doctor Who -- A show I got into in 2012, really, mostly via stuff I heard on TV Tropes (mostly out of order, with "A Good Man Goes To War" coming first before I got into the other episodes). Needless to say, I loved it. Great characters, great stories, great humor, amazing emotional moments, a hell of a lot of heart, fantastic acting, great morals without being Anvilicous, and it helped me a lot through the rougher periods of 2013 when my mom, my brother and I started watching it. It's also one of those shows that has impacted my writing tremendously, and shaped a lot of my moral landscape. There are those shows that leave a heavy impact on you, and Doctor Who is one of them. Also a show where for me, I can't hate any episode. I can have my problems with the episode, but I can never hate it, because no matter what the episode, there's always a lot of heart in it, in and out of universe, and I think that's what matters most.
Farscape -- A series I actually got into in 2013, mostly thanks to stuff I'd heard about it. Seriously, I love this show. Great characters, great humor, great everything. I actually used to have some episodes on to help me go to sleep, which, I tell you, was a lot of fun.
Big Bang Theory -- It's more of a casual fandom for me, but I like it. Does it have its problems? Of course. Nonetheless, I love the hell of that show. Great characters, great humor (seriously, it always manages to cheer me up whenever I'm really down), even some lovely emotional moments...it's just fantastic. It's something I've come to watch with my parents a lot. Like with Doctor Who, it's become sort of a family tradition.
Halloween -- Another franchise I got into via film reviews. It's actually a franchise I didn't expect to love, but let's say that in August of 2013, just to get through a drag of a semester and drama in another fandom, I watched the first film and fell in love with it if only for its amazing characters, incredible score, and great stretching of tension. I know it also unsettled me quite a bit, if only for the climactic chase, the opening kill, Loomis' speech about Michael (seriously, chilling on so many levels), etc. (And a bit of a funny story: I was watching it with my dog one time, and during the really tense scene with Michael dressing up as a ghost to trick Lynda, he started licking my feet, and I ended up giggling instead. That was a great moment. XD. Also, watching the TV cut way before that -- I saw the TV cut first, which I think actually enhances the experience because you see a lot of neat character-centered scenes -- and texting my brother, who made some great comments on what I was telling him, such as snarking about selling the house where a murder took place *. Let's say my brother's comments did a great job in diffusing the tension.) Then I watched the 1981 Halloween II, loved it, saw Halloween III and didn't like it much, not because it didn't feature Michael (I mean, I saw that coming) but just because of how weird it was (it was really on rewatch I appreciated it more), skipped Halloween 4 thanks to a certain scene I heard about where the main character, Jamie, is tormented at school for being an orphan and having her uncle be Michael Myers (yeah, saying "poor kid" is a gross understatement) -- let's say that that shit breaks my heart. (Then again, Jamie is a really sad character. I've seen STAR WARS and DOCTOR WHO, and I don't think I've seen anything more depressing than poor Jamie) I watched Halloween 5 instead, and while I liked it (*ducks*), I was really just depressed over some of the stuff Jamie went through -- being rendered mute thanks to the traumatic events of the previous film, has most of the people she loves killed, and is used as a pawn by Dr. Loomis to lure her uncle out thanks to a psychic connection she has with him (yeah, just go with it) -- which...yeah, you know Thorin Oakenshield in DESOLATION OF SMAUG? That's kind of how Loomis is in Halloween 5, only without a Balin to snap him out of it. I think he even scared me at times more than Michael in that film. I mean, it's one thing to have a killing machine made out of pure evil, but to have a doctor so intent on thwarting that monster that he'll even break a few of his own rules to do so? That's scarier for me. At least with the killing machine, you know what to expect. (Also, I just hate how Loomis treated Jamie. It was disgusting) I still liked the film; it was a decent film, with great scares, great characters and even some great emotional moments, but Loomis bugged me.
Also tried to watch Rob Zombie's Halloween, couldn't mostly thanks to the character of Ronnie White (he was just incredibly annoying), watched Rob Zombie's Halloween 2, which was pretty decent (too much swearing and violence, yeah, but when it got things right -- such as Annie's death -- it got them really right) if extremely emotionally taxing. Film watching is on hold for the moment, but I'm looking forward to catching up when Halloween comes around this year!
* I mean, seriously, that's just a terrible idea on so many levels.
