One of my favorite parts of my odd, whimsical, sanity deficient life is my ability to allow my imagination to roam through the wonderful worlds created by all my different fandoms. Now, I'm a tolerant person, but if you don't know what a fandom is...well, I'm just a bit worried, that's all. You may wish to look it up in the dictionary. But really, all a fandom is is a fictional world - be it a result of a television program, a book series, or a motion picture - that you are a fan of. I've realized lately that I've had many fandoms, though only a few have been hard-core and lasting. While it's true that I'm taking computer programming at the moment, I've always fancied myself to be a bit of a writer, and I hope that some day I'll be recognizable enough in something that I do (preferably writing) that some people in the world will care about what I think. ...Did that made sense? It did in my head. So anyway, on a whim (and, really, just to pass a sunny summer day at college between exams where I fear going outside and worsening my sunburn), I've written this...well, essay, I suppose, on my personal history of fandoms. What're yours?
Fandom the first (and the unceasing)
Star Trek, the Original Series
My longest standing fandom to date is Star Trek, The Original Series (TOS), which I became completely obsessed with at age eleven and a half. And how could I not become obsessed? Granted, the special effects often left much to be desired, but Gene Roddenberry had a vision! These shows had some real moral and ethical issues, especially for the time period they were produced in! They also had some great science fiction! They were well written! The characters were marvelously developed! Kirk was hot! ...But I digress. (Also, please accept my apologies for using so many exclamation marks in so many consecutive sentences. I just feel very strongly about TOS. Kirk was hot!)
By my twelfth birthday, I'd seen nearly every episode of TOS at least once (some twice), and I'd read nearly forty of the books in my father's huge Star Trek book collection (to date I've not counted them, but I own them all now, and while I started with something like 200 or 250 books, that number has probably increased by 50 as a result of my own acquisitions. Of those, most are TOS.) I've known these characters backwards and forwards since that time, often being used by friends or relatives as a TOS encyclopedia. I recall once after class, when I was in grade eight, one of my teachers doubted that I had that much knowledge about such an old show, and asked me to tell him everything I knew about Captain Kirk. Now, as anyone who knows me will tell you, I talk extremely fast. I'm not joking here, people - I can put an auctioneer to shame without even trying. For as far back as I can remember I've had people telling me I A) talk too much, and B) talk too fast. But I knew this was one instance where it would come to my advantage. I spoke for nearly five straight minutes about James Kirk, hardly taking time to breathe, and getting out as much information as a normal person could get out in about twenty minutes. I spoke of what the T in his name stood for; I spoke of his brother; I spoke of his career, the awards he'd earned, and all the ships he served on. As my unrehearsed Kirk SpeechTM continued uninterrupted, my teacher stood in awe with his eyes popping out of his head and his mouth dangling open somewhere around his knees. Sadly, he cut me off after five minutes, chuckling nervously and saying that he had complete confidence in my TOS knowledge. He also suggested that, with a little polishing up and slowing down, I should take up a career in public speaking (which, if you know me, is a complete joke these days.)
I am now the proud owner of every one of the original episodes (not including The Cage), every one of the Star Trek movies, hundreds of Star Trek books, and the title "Trekker".
The forgotten fandom
Anne of Green Gables
While trying to remember all the serious fandoms I've had (not including the ones from my much younger days - many apologies to all those Power Rangers fans), I almost completely forgot about Anne! Goodness, what would my Mum say? Well, I'll probably know shortly, if she gets a chance to read this.
For my twelfth birthday (a most somber occasion which I've spent the last six and a half years trying to forget, to no avail) I received from my Mum the boxed set of all the Anne of Green Gables books written by Lucy Maud Montgomery. Now, I haven't got them here with me in my sad little college room, so I don't know for certain, but I believe there was something like eight or ten of them. It took me a while longer to read them than it did for me to read, say, a Star Trek book, because the language was older style, and not something I was accustomed to. However, reading them slowly helped me savor all the stories and imagery therein, and to this day I still cherish these books, though I've not read them through since the first go 'round. I always felt that Anne Shirley was, as she would put it, a "kindred spirit" of sorts. Anne and I were both very imaginative, to the point where people would sometimes question our sanity. We both spoke a bit too much. And we both seemed to be a bit of the odd one out in our peer groups. In true Anne romantic thought style, I've always secretly hoped that I too could have the happily ever after Anne had - a beautiful home, a loving husband, and oodles and oodles of children.
"Those books are for little kids!"
Harry Potter
Aha! We've arrived at last. It's actually a bit of a long story how I came to be interested in these books. My brother made me read them.
Well, perhaps not that long a story, now that I think of it. But I'll explain a little.
It all happened in the summer between grades eight and nine, when I was thirteen years old. My brother, Ryan, who is two years older than me, was fifteen at the time. Though I can't clearly recall how he got into them, I know that he owned all existing Harry Potter books at the time - the Philosopher's Stone, the Chamber of Secrets, the Prisoner of Azkaban, and the Goblet of Fire. I'd heard about them, and I'd seen some kids at school reading them. But I couldn't for the life of me understand why my intelligent, soon-to-be grade elevener brother was reading some stupid little kids books! And I told him as much! He just scowled at me and said, "Well, have you actually read them?" I scoffed. Of course I hadn't read them! I was going to make a fool out of myself where people could see - and the books I read were, at the time, the most visible part of me. Now, my parents have always encouraged me and my brother to be open-minded, and we were. But I would not bring myself down to the level of reading books for young children - I may as well bring "Hop on Pop" in to English class to read!
Now, if you've read the Harry Potter books, you'll know that I was 100% WRONG. If you haven't, allow me to explain (and look down upon you). While indeed, Harry Potter is classified as a "Children's" book at the library, or the bookstore, it certainly is not only a children's book. The plots are in depth. The characters are so well developed that you get the feeling that the author is the Harry Potter universe's God, and knows all about everyone, revealing only what's necessary to the plot. And this is essentially true - Jo Rowling knows all the details about all her characters. There's obviously more going on than what you see, plot-wise and character-wise.
Anyway, my point? My friend, who just spent the last four years at university, loves them. My father, a forty two year old army captain, loves them. And, inevitably, I would love them. My brother went on about them for so long that finally my curiosity won out and I read the Philosopher's Stone. I loved it. I adored it. I holed up in my room that weekend and read the next three books (and if you've seen the Goblet of Fire, it's not a small book). I adored them. When I found out they were going to make them into movies a year later, I nearly messed myself. Well, that may be going a bit far, but I was very, very excited. The majority of the fan fiction I write is Harry Potter. The majority of the fan fiction I read, for that matter, is Harry Potter. The first summer I babysat, when I was fourteen, I spent my first hundred dollars on a set of the first four books. When the Order of the Phoenix came out, I read from 8 am until 3 am the next morning (I had to sleep), then from something like 8am until 3 pm that day, on the bus. I cannot read in vehicles without becoming violently motion sick. However, I couldn't control myself. I had to finish this book. I finished the book on the bus at 3 pm, went to the bathroom at the back of the bus, and was violently ill. But damn, was it worth it.
I've even already made reservations at a bookstore to attend a midnight Harry Potter release party for Half-Blood Prince. ...Would anyone care to join me?
To the journey
Star Trek: Voyager
Now, unlike most of my other fandoms, I haven't really got a clue how I became interested in Voyager. I know it was before grade nine, so that leads me to believe that it may have been back when Space channel would air the Monster-Trek-o-Thon every Saturday morning, playing Star Trek TOS, The Next Generation (TNG), Deep Space Nine (DS9), and Voyager back-to-back. They'd also play TOS and Voyager every weekday evening on Space, at 3pm and 4pm, respectively.
All I know is that while I'm oblivious to the transition, I'm well aware of the obsession. I adored Voyager. Kathryn Janeway was short, strong, intelligent - and Captain. She was fighting for the lives of her crew every week, trying desperately to get home. My brother also had a small flirtation with this fandom at the same time I did, and we would write joint fan fiction from time to time. I recall the first fan fiction I wrote was in grade nine, when I was thirteen. I asked my old teacher friend (who received the Kirk SpeechTM) to edit it as I went, and he gave it to a friend of his to edit as well, a friend who was more Star Trek savvy. The other gentleman was surprised when my teacher friend told him my age, assuming it had been written by a college student. I was over the moon. A friend of mine from the UK even posted it on her website for me. At the time, I was oblivious to fan fiction dot net, and so the fact that it was "published" (and I use the term very loosely) online at all was a joy. It was a story about how Voyager encountered a Klingon ship in the Delta Quadrant that had been traveling for nearly one hundred years...does this sound familiar? Nearly a year after I'd originally had my fiction posted online, an episode aired along that premise. I was heartbroken, knowing that everyone would think I had knocked off the episode, and ceased writing fan fiction for many years.
This did not stop my devotion to the show, however. In grade eleven I met a girl named Rian, who was equally obsessed with Voyager as I was. We were friends right from the off - both a little odd, both a little Trekkish. We used to debate with a boy in grade nine over Captain Janeway's superiority to Jean-Luc Picard, the captain from TNG. My fondest Voyager memory will be the time we covered his locker with printed pictures of Janeway, and quotes like "Janeway or no way!", "Do it!", and "Coffe, black!"
...Maybe it's not the destination that matters. Maybe it's the journey. Whoops, sorry, I'm getting off track.
Grr! Argh!
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Ah, Buffy - my brother's biggest fandom. We got into this one together, though he got far more in to it than I ever did, and remains that way to this day. I'm a bit foggy over the beginning of this one as well, but I think we may have gotten into it by watching the movie. Which, if you've ever seen the movie, is a complete joke (my apologies to creator Joss Whedon. But it's not like he's denying it or anything). We even managed to drag our Mum into the Buffyverse for a while, and to this day the three of us can comfortably spend an afternoon in silence watching my brother's Buffy DVDs.
I think the two things that really appealed to us about the show were the characters, and the supernatural element to it. I mean, Buffy was just a girl in high school, who just so happened (as they always do) to have super-human strength, and be the one girl in all the world chosen to slay the demons and vampires. Buffy, Xander, and Willow were all outcasts, but didn't care. They thrived off of inside jokes and demon ass-kicking. They were fun, they were funny, and we loved them. As the show went on, they got older, and their situations became darker. The issues dealt with hit close to home for anyone - homosexuality, the sudden death of a loved one, being blown off after a one-night stand, falling in love with someone you hated...it was great because it was just like real life!
Except for the demons.
Watch your six
JAG
I once again must admit to being unclear as to how I properly came into this fandom. It's one of my more recent ones, and another one I got into as a result of my Dad. He would watch it all the time, and tape it at home. Sometimes when I'd go and visit him I'd watch it to, and it was always enjoyable. I've never been much into any of those policey, lawyery, csi-ey shows, but this one was one that I could appreciate. Why? Beats me. Maybe it was because the show would focus on character development, not just situational development. Maybe it was because of the diversity in those characters. Or maybe it was just because David James Elliot is hot. But, regardless, I came to love this show.
I used to watch it every evening on the History channel, back when I actually watched television. I would skip dinner with my Mum and step-Dad, and would balance my plate precariously on my knees while I sat in bed and watched JAG in my room. I did this every night for about a year, and I always managed to find something to appreciate in an episode. It seemed like the writers never ran out of legitimate ideas!
It's ended now, after a ten year run, but it will always be near and dear to my heart. And it, unlike some other shows, ended on a happy note - the two main characters engaged to be married! Congratulations, Harm and Mac! JAG will certainly be one to add to my DVD collection.
It's been a long road
Star Trek: Enterprise
Yay! Enterprise! Oh, how I loved that show. I think one of the darkest days of the past year was when Enterprise was cancelled. Enterprise was the most recent incarnation of the Star Trek franchise, though unlike all the pervious series, which had been consecutive, this one was a prequel taking place a hundred years before TOS. It stared Scott Bakula, who I used to enjoy watching in Space reruns of Quantum Leap.
A lot of people didn't like this series as much, saying that it was too raw. Of course, then there's the people who went into it not liking it, and used the theme song as a reason to not watch it (Enterprise was the first Star Trek series to feature a theme song with actual lyrics). I, however, found it quite enjoyable, for one simple reason: Star Trek finally took the time to do some serious, in-depth character interaction. I mean, it's something Star Trek had always had, but not to this extent. They really took advantage of the innocent, new-to-the-galaxy mentality. It was a great thing to see, and the actor's really brought a lot to it.
I have to say that the last season was probably the best (isn't that always the way?), because it had a series of story lines that tied into events from TOS. Sadly, they waited too late to bring out these story lines. One of my biggest beefs with this show was the finale. Why did Trip die?! Bloody Brannon Braga and Rick Berman trying to be dramatic, and failing miserably. I bet that poor Gene Roddenberry is spinning in his grave!
But despite all that, I do like Enterprise very much, and felt close to the characters like I haven't since TOS. Despite all its flaws, I truly enjoyed this show. Live long, and prosper.
42
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
It's March of 2005. I walk into a bookstore, searching the science fiction shelves. I am, for once, not searching for a Star Trek book. I am searching for The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, by the late Douglas Adams (cool frood that he was). They've got the omnibus edition for $30...uh, no. I'm a college student - I'm poor. They've got the second, third, and forth books in the series. But not just the first book! I'm nearly ripping my hair out at this point, and the girl behind the counter has noticed, so she comes and asks if I need any help. I explain to her what I need, and she says that they've sold out because everyone's been wanting to read it before the movie comes out. Movie?
"Oh. I just need to read it because I'm in a class full of geeks who look down at me because I haven't read it."
And that's how I first became interested in it. Then, this Easter, the "Easter Bunny" brought me the omnibus edition with the first four in it. I was hooked right from the start. These books are just so...odd...and since I am, too, we were a perfect match for each other. My folks took me to see the movie when it came out, and while it deviated from the book, it was still enjoyable. However, I'll give you all fair warning if you want to read the books (or see the movie) based on one thing my Mum said when we got out of the theatre:
"That was good, Kaytlyn, but I think I would've gotten it more if I'd been high on LSD."
Also, make sure you know where your towel is.
A little fandom here, a little fandom there
The Sound of Music, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Constantine
Then, of course, there are those sporadic movie fandoms that seem to just jump on me from time to time, for no apparent reason. I'll just be inexplicably drawn to a movie. There are a few like this.
The hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiills are aliiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiive...with The Sound of Music. My mother got me into this movie, and I love it. Love love love it! It's one of my girly indulgences. I love Julie Andrews. I love the music. I just...alright, I won't say it again. But to this day, if I'm sick and in bed, I'll take an afternoon and watch this movie.
Who doesn't love Johnny Depp? Honestly. Pirates of the Caribbean is a great movie, if only because it has Johnny Depp in eyeliner and dreadlocks. But it's also great for so many more reasons! Like the story. And the great costume and set design. And Johnny! ...I already said that, didn't I?
One movie that I saw recently (and by recently, I mean in the past six months) was Constantine, starring Keanu Reeves and, uh, that girl from The Mummy. I have no idea why I loved this movie so much, but I was so drawn to it. I saw it three times in theatres, and recommended it to everyone. I think it must be some of the Buffy-esque elements of it, but I just really, really enjoyed it. I even started to write a Constantine fan fiction, if I recall correctly, though I never did do anything with it.
The end
Yep, that's it. I know, I know - you're heartbroken. I mean, who doesn't want to read a 3,500 word essay - written by moi, no less - about fandoms? Really, now, don't deny it. They'll be lining up around the block trying to get their hands on a copy of this.
...What do you mean, who're "they"? They! You know - the same "they" who always say stuff. You know what they say! Like that.
So what are some of your fandoms? How long have you been into them? What draws you to them? I want to know! So tell me. C'mon, you know you want to. It's what all the cool kids are doing.