it's about love
May. 9th, 2006 07:32 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
themeletorso, you know, there seems to have been a brewing... thingy .:: flaps hand ::. between the "Sparrington" and "Gillington" fans. or some of them. what? no, really. and now I'm gonna voice my opinion (or some of it), because it's early and I am not yet aware today of when to shut up.
specifically, on "real navy fans":
I came into the concept of fandom through AoS. And I personally (though biased) cannot believe there is a better way to do it :) But recently I've had to ask myself the hard question: am I a real navy fan? What is that, even? True Confessions: I first watched Pirates, on December 26, 2003, solely because I thought Orlando Bloom was pretty. I steered away from the movie in theaters because it did not look like "my thing". I have a vivid memory, in fact, of sitting in a movie theater with my ex-boyfriend (we'd gone to see Matchstick Men), watching the trailer for Master and Commander, and thinking/saying to him, "What is up with all this boat stuff? People don't want to watch that!" It takes a certain amount of pre-coffee madness to wrap my brain fully around this now, so much has it changed since that winter evening, but honestly, before PotC? I Had No Interest In Ships. At All. And even after watching PotC? I could care less about those big things in the water. And I really, totally, absolutely did not like Norrington. He was boring. He was not a pirate. My precise thoughts? "God, what a stick-in-the-mud," and, "I wonder if he wouldn't look half decent without that stupid wig." It was only when I began to write Norrington, with![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
mme_of_achilles (see my_ladys_desire), that I really fell in love with him.
Did you know that until May or June, 2004, I had no idea where the helm of a ship was? I'm not joking. It's true. Like I said, after watching Pirates I was completely hooked -- I immediately started the movie right through again, because I did not want it to be over -- but really did not care about the ships. However, on a school picnic day in May my friends dragged me whining and bitching to watch Master and Commander, and for as long as the DVD took to spin up I remember sitting there in the physics room (where we had a computer projector and screen) glaring daggers at Julia, because my vote had been for PotC and how DARE she go against my wishes? I read those white titles over the opening shot and I was so bored. Slumping back in my chair and just generally hating the world, and especially stupid, stupid Julia and her stupid boring movies.
Then I heard that first bell-ring, watched Killick with the chickens (and no pants!), the tracking shot through the gundecks, the shout, "Beat to quarters!" -- and I climbed up over the tables to get to the front of the room as fast as I could. For the rest of the movie I sat on top of the front-row table, hands on my knees, leaning as far forward as I could without falling on my face and watching in complete rapture. I was so lost. You know that beautiful shot of the Surprise in full sail? The "obligatory boatgasm glamour shot"? I whipped my head around and beamed like a complete idiot at Julia, who just smiled knowingly and directed my attention back to the screen before I could miss anything.
The next thing I did was to beg my mother shamelessly and mercilessly to get me the two-disc special edition DVD set for Master and Commander. In the end, she bought it just to shut me up about the whole thing. I went straight down to my bedroom with it, watched the movie and all special features right in a row, and fell asleep to the title screen without having eaten dinner. My bedroom soundtrack was the closing credits on repeat, constantly (unless I was watching the movie of course), until Julia gave me the actual movie soundtrack, and then that was constantly playing. I remember one night of pure terror when my DVD player went on the fritz, and we thought we'd have to trash it -- I could care less about that, but was in a PANIC because MY M&C DVD WAS STUCK INSIDE!
From there it was an easy (though dangerous) step to the library, and since this is now far away from my original intent I'll save that trip down Memory Lane for another time -- suffice to say "the rest, as they say, is history."
Of course then I got into Batman and BoP and haven't been truly active in PotC fandom for almost a year. Does that make me a bad fan? An untrue fan? I look around my dorm room, at all the research books (and the boxes, and the hugely massive mess), and I want to say that no, it doesn't. None of what I've just written makes me a "good" fan, a "bad" fan, a "real" fan, or not a "real" fan. Because what I am is just one thing -- a fan. As I said once in conversation with__dtrain, "hi. fangirls exist. we are not always rational; you may not always agree with us; we may ship completely opposing things for equivalently insane reasons. but the only thing that means is ONE SIDE IS NO BETTER THAN THE OTHER. we are all crazy squeeheads. just share the love, and put the hate in a box in the attic, thanks."
Or, in other words,
ZOMBIE MONKEY.
I love you all, be awesome to each other, and it's time for me to get some coffee.
-Mel
specifically, on "real navy fans":
I came into the concept of fandom through AoS. And I personally (though biased) cannot believe there is a better way to do it :) But recently I've had to ask myself the hard question: am I a real navy fan? What is that, even? True Confessions: I first watched Pirates, on December 26, 2003, solely because I thought Orlando Bloom was pretty. I steered away from the movie in theaters because it did not look like "my thing". I have a vivid memory, in fact, of sitting in a movie theater with my ex-boyfriend (we'd gone to see Matchstick Men), watching the trailer for Master and Commander, and thinking/saying to him, "What is up with all this boat stuff? People don't want to watch that!" It takes a certain amount of pre-coffee madness to wrap my brain fully around this now, so much has it changed since that winter evening, but honestly, before PotC? I Had No Interest In Ships. At All. And even after watching PotC? I could care less about those big things in the water. And I really, totally, absolutely did not like Norrington. He was boring. He was not a pirate. My precise thoughts? "God, what a stick-in-the-mud," and, "I wonder if he wouldn't look half decent without that stupid wig." It was only when I began to write Norrington, with
mme_of_achilles (see my_ladys_desire), that I really fell in love with him.Did you know that until May or June, 2004, I had no idea where the helm of a ship was? I'm not joking. It's true. Like I said, after watching Pirates I was completely hooked -- I immediately started the movie right through again, because I did not want it to be over -- but really did not care about the ships. However, on a school picnic day in May my friends dragged me whining and bitching to watch Master and Commander, and for as long as the DVD took to spin up I remember sitting there in the physics room (where we had a computer projector and screen) glaring daggers at Julia, because my vote had been for PotC and how DARE she go against my wishes? I read those white titles over the opening shot and I was so bored. Slumping back in my chair and just generally hating the world, and especially stupid, stupid Julia and her stupid boring movies.
Then I heard that first bell-ring, watched Killick with the chickens (and no pants!), the tracking shot through the gundecks, the shout, "Beat to quarters!" -- and I climbed up over the tables to get to the front of the room as fast as I could. For the rest of the movie I sat on top of the front-row table, hands on my knees, leaning as far forward as I could without falling on my face and watching in complete rapture. I was so lost. You know that beautiful shot of the Surprise in full sail? The "obligatory boatgasm glamour shot"? I whipped my head around and beamed like a complete idiot at Julia, who just smiled knowingly and directed my attention back to the screen before I could miss anything.
The next thing I did was to beg my mother shamelessly and mercilessly to get me the two-disc special edition DVD set for Master and Commander. In the end, she bought it just to shut me up about the whole thing. I went straight down to my bedroom with it, watched the movie and all special features right in a row, and fell asleep to the title screen without having eaten dinner. My bedroom soundtrack was the closing credits on repeat, constantly (unless I was watching the movie of course), until Julia gave me the actual movie soundtrack, and then that was constantly playing. I remember one night of pure terror when my DVD player went on the fritz, and we thought we'd have to trash it -- I could care less about that, but was in a PANIC because MY M&C DVD WAS STUCK INSIDE!
From there it was an easy (though dangerous) step to the library, and since this is now far away from my original intent I'll save that trip down Memory Lane for another time -- suffice to say "the rest, as they say, is history."
Of course then I got into Batman and BoP and haven't been truly active in PotC fandom for almost a year. Does that make me a bad fan? An untrue fan? I look around my dorm room, at all the research books (and the boxes, and the hugely massive mess), and I want to say that no, it doesn't. None of what I've just written makes me a "good" fan, a "bad" fan, a "real" fan, or not a "real" fan. Because what I am is just one thing -- a fan. As I said once in conversation with
__dtrain, "hi. fangirls exist. we are not always rational; you may not always agree with us; we may ship completely opposing things for equivalently insane reasons. but the only thing that means is ONE SIDE IS NO BETTER THAN THE OTHER. we are all crazy squeeheads. just share the love, and put the hate in a box in the attic, thanks."Or, in other words,
ZOMBIE MONKEY.
I love you all, be awesome to each other, and it's time for me to get some coffee.
-Mel
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
Date: 2006-05-09 04:54 am (UTC)Well, I too do not know how to call it and I'd rather avoid making thing more tragic than they are. I hope it's just a misunderstanding and things can still be mended. People do not need to agree 100%. It's enough to have a willingness to acknowledge differences of opinion.
It was very interesting read about your "navalization" *grin*. I have a very similar history, but with two noticeably differences:
1) I discovered POTC only one year ago (yes, just 12 months - unbelievable, is not it ?)
2) the first thing of POTC to impress me, from the very start, was the bewigged Mr Norrington.
All the rest is substantially similar to your story: a suddenly discovered love and growing passion for all naval/sea thing extending from POTC to the HH and M&C books. But always with Mr Norrington as the pivot.
Because what I am is just one thing -- a fan.
I think the strikingly simple beauty of such a statement deserves a reverential bow. :)
And I totally agree with with your conclusion. Hope it happens in this case, too. [going to make space in her attic]
(no subject)
Date: 2006-05-09 05:22 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-05-09 09:25 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-05-09 07:12 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-05-09 09:24 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-05-09 07:15 am (UTC)There what?!??
Damn, I hate it when that happens. So I'm glad I missed it.
And yeah, what you said. Fans good. More fans better. No fight, 'kay?
(no subject)
Date: 2006-05-09 08:50 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-05-09 10:26 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-05-09 08:09 am (UTC)That's becoming my new fangirl manifesto. 'Cause drama keeps inadvertently happening in my fandom, too, and it's bothering me. *nods head*
(no subject)
Date: 2006-05-09 08:43 am (UTC)*glomps you*
(no subject)
Date: 2006-05-09 08:46 am (UTC)THE ZOMBIE MONKEY FIGHTS FOR PEACE! with his razor-sharp teeth of undead, fluffy justice. actually, he doesn't fight. he's rather lazy. just a mascot. :p
(no subject)
Date: 2006-05-10 08:52 am (UTC)YAY FOR ZOMBIE MONKEY!!! I suppose that's the first good deed little Jack has done in ... well - at all. ;) Even if he's just a mascot. We need those.
(no subject)
Date: 2006-05-10 11:05 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-05-11 01:43 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-05-09 10:06 am (UTC)Sorry to hear there's a "thing" brewing... though I'm a pretty ardent Sparrington shipper, I've been known to read Norrington/Gillette fics and love them to pieces and cry my eyes out over them when they're sad. Does that make me a bad Sparrington fangirl? I don't think so...
(no subject)
Date: 2006-05-09 10:09 am (UTC)*nod nod* I feel terrible about that sometimes, but you're right. :)
(no subject)
Date: 2006-05-09 01:20 pm (UTC)<3
(No zombie monkey love from me though...sorry)
(no subject)
Date: 2006-05-09 05:04 pm (UTC)*passes you a bottle of rum*