This week I just want you guys to share your experiences on the subject of being a fan.
Do you consider yourself a fan of any particular film, series or comic and if so how big a fan? Have you ever gone to a convention? Do you cosplay? What is the most memorable moment from a convention that you've been to? Do you collect memorabilia and if so, what and is there any dream purchase you wish you could make?
I’m a member of two fandoms: Warriors, and Pokemon. I’m slowly losing interest in the former and slowly gaining interest in the latter. I’ve never been a huge fanatic of anything except Legend of Zelda, and that I have never regained much interest in since my sister became obsessed with it.
Even though I’ve never been to a convention, I’ve known of at least one right in my city that I was going to go to with my best friend, but I got sick.
I cosplay, but only as my own characters. I usually do it on the last day of school, though, so I’m not sure it counts.
I was such a huge fan of The Salute of the Jugger that I wanted to actually start a league based on “The Game.” In the US, the movie was released as The Blood of Heroes. I used to go to conventions. Mostly for the epic miniature battles (even Warhammer 40k). No cosplay, though I was always Green Lantern for Halloween.
Most memorable moment from a convention… well, two… one was when cosplay finally made it to my town. The second and better was this Dungeons & Dragons mass combat. The entire convention hall floor was covered with awesome miniatures, sprawling forest, huge castle, mountains… the battle waged for the entire convention 24-hours a day for six days straight! Lost a lot of sleep watching it.
Memorabilia… does Ryan Reynold’s head on a pike count? Maybe Scully’s badge from The X-Files. Office Aryn Sun’s Peacekeeper armor or Prowler Flighsuit from Farscape. The first comic appearance of Judge Dredd. I believe that was in 2000 AD before he had his own title. Any model of any vehicle used in Aliens. Linda Carter’s Wonder Woman costume… Okay, I’ll stop being creepy. ;p
Though I’ve occasionally made/repaired/framed etc. collectables, I’ve never had any genuine urge to keep them myself. I’ve even had trouble keeping any form of a portfolio of my own work.
I’ve had the same problem with my fandom. I have trouble immersing myself in anything but the work itself, by audience-level absorption or the production/performance of the work FOR the audience. Obviously I crave things that are much more transient than material. I’ve actually been to two conventions, but discovering that someone I knew had been embezzling from them somehow took away what enthusiasm I had. This may be the best I’ve ever been able to explain it?
I’m a Browncoat (Firefly/Serenity Fan), and I grew up loving Star Wars and Star Trek. I’ve built my own lightsaber, I’ve got Malcolm Reynold’s pistol, and various ID Badges from various things.
Just hit up my second Comic Convention this past weekend, and the LARP group I run with had a few events that I worked on. I’ve met Jewel Staite, and Adam Baldwin (He’s scary tall!). Leonard Nimoy and Walter Koening. Colin Ferguson (He’s so tiny!) and Brandon Routh. Tim Russ and Stephen Stanton.
I love conventions and living the Nerd Life.