Fandoms

I just saw the newest Star Wars film, The Last Jedi, with my husband this weekend. We went Saturday morning at 9:00am. I'm not sure I've ever had to set an alarm to go to a movie before, but my husband was pretty much chomping at the bit.

My thoughts on the movie? Overall, I liked it. Now, I realize that is not a glowing recommendation but that's all I've got. I'm not going to review the movie or really provide my thoughts on it, so you'll just have to get over that.

I'm just not a huge Star Wars fan. I've seen all the movies and I enjoy a good portion of them. I understand why so many people LOVE THEM but they just don't have that profound of an effect on me. I know very little about them and would probably be awful at Star Wars trivia.

Now, that being said, anytime I have seen a Star Wars movie and the score starts up in tandem with the floating yellow script... I get actual goosebumps. I'm not even a big fan! I think there is just something magical about the familiarity of something so loved and sitting in a room filled with the excitement of reverent fans. There is a palpable energy in the theater before and after the movie. It's like we've all been on a roller coaster together, and whether good or bad we've made it to the end of the ride.

As I was watching the words "In a galaxy far, far away.." float by, I was thinking of other popular fandoms and the hold they have on our society. My big fandoms are Harry Potter, Doctor Who, Mass Effect, Supernatural, Disney/Pixar and Studio Ghibli. I'm sure I can come up with more if you want me to.

Having a fandom that you follow makes you feel like you are part of a community. It's a wonderful  and weird community with inside jokes, costumes, merchandise, strong feelings of grandeur and more. Fandoms allow you to share an instant connection with a stranger. For example, I have a Doctor Who cup that I often use while I am at work in the library. I will have patrons come up to me to talk about Doctor Who and they often want to know who my favorite Doctor is (To which I reply with the correct answer, #10 David Tennant of course).

A few weeks ago, the library held a Harry Potter themed event and it was so much fun to see kids and adults share their love of that story and world. People who may never have met before were asking each other "What house are you in?" and working cooperatively to locating missing magical creatures in a scavenger hunt. 

But what is it that raises these stories to fandom status? They all have a special, unspecified quality to them that I am sure many authors, directors, producers and game developers chase after. Do you think they know when they have it? Do they look at their finished products and feel that energy that we feel? 

What makes something have that kind of impact? I mean, you are talking about creative works that have dedicated fan bases and conventions, loads of fanfiction, mountains of merchandise and a seemingly never-ending stream of spin-offs and sequels. Many popular fandoms have spread decades and seem to have no end in sight. 

However, with great power comes great responsibility, and the fans are the lifeblood of these works. They can be a story's biggest allies and it's harshest critics. As we have seen with The Last Jedi, the die hard fans can be difficult to please and will call you out on any of your mistakes or shortcomings. 

I hope everyone has at least one fandom in their life. Whether it's as common as Marvel or as obscure as Tommy Wiseau's The Room, I hope you find that thing that makes you tick. I hope you find something that works itself into your daily wardrobe or onto your desk and that a friendly chat with a stranger ensues. May you all find something and let your geek flag fly!

Just know...the Supernatural fandom has the best GIFs and we have them for EVERYTHING.