Three-Day Weekend Blues
I should have spent the last 3 days packing and doing laundry in preparation for my upcoming move.
Instead? I read, I wrote, I walked, I smoked.
So now - I'm just going to bag and box everything after work during the week: to hell with order, to hell with reason. I'll have time to sort it all when I get moved in.
I've also got to remember to put down my electric deposit in the new town. I should be worried or at least nervous about moving, but really? I just can't wait to be on my own. My first roommate-less year!
Get your coffee!
Fandom is frightening. I speak as a fan. There are shows that I enjoy, and I'll even own up to having scribbled out a little bit of my own fan fiction. However, I find myself decidedly on the fringe of this strange subculture. My 'peers' in this arena can often spout odd, near useless facts regarding the characters, actors, storylines, and other show/book minutia. Their blogs, YouTube, MySpace, and other online areas spill over with clips, fan videos, remixes and debates on the merits of 'pairing' characters in non-cannon relationships.
I get it. I understand the joy of reading a book or watching a movie and taking a few minutes of fantasy to twist it up a little. It's part of the escapist nature of fiction. It's a chance to get out and get away from your normal life and concerns. Immersion is wonderful.
That wonder fades into something sad and miserable when a 'fan' begins to dip into that fantasy so much that it becomes more important to them than their actual LIFE.
What brought on this little rant? Even after my three-day sloth-fest, I found myself disgusted with a dear friend. We spoke briefly over the phone, and that friend couldn't hold a conversation without dribbling off into what I consider one of the land mines of fandom-hell: CFUD. Camp Fuck You Die community.livejournal.com/campfuckudie
I describe it as a land mine because it seems so harmless from the outside. It's a post-based roleplaying community. I love roleplaying. I find it useful, entertaining, and oddly fulfilling. This has zombies, regular play, and all manner of twists.
So what's my problem if a friend wants to describe the hilarious relationship troubles of (character I've never heard of #1) with (character I've never heard of #2)? It's not like I've never waxed the nostalgic about a certain dwarven thief who accidentally sacrificed the entire population of a port city to an evil, chaotic deity in DND (from a game I played in college).
If I can ramble about my DND exploits - why shouldn't I let my friend yammer on and on about the latest brain-sucking, gender-swapping plague to brush through "Camp?" My issue is that she doesn't seem to do anything else. Sure I can giggle about a good dungeon crawl with the best of them, but I can also talk about things I've actually DONE in the last month or so. I leave my apartment and try to have one hell of a good time while I'm at it. From idle conversation, my friend's entire life seems to be:
Wake.
Go To Work.
Get Home.
Feed Cat.
Play Camp.
Sleep.
Repeat.
I understand that kind of routine during the week. After an 8 hour day of cubicle combat, everyone just wants to unwind and have a little me-time. I do not get spending your weekends, holidays, and et cetera doing the same damn thing.
Don't run with this out of context. I'm not singling Camp Fuck You Die out as the bad guy - it's just part of the example. Other people eat, sleep, and breathe WOW (world of warcraft), GaiaOnline (Gaia), etc, etc, etc.
Close your browser. Take a walk. Have a drink. Have a cigar. Eat a cookie. Just go DO something.
Instead? I read, I wrote, I walked, I smoked.
So now - I'm just going to bag and box everything after work during the week: to hell with order, to hell with reason. I'll have time to sort it all when I get moved in.
I've also got to remember to put down my electric deposit in the new town. I should be worried or at least nervous about moving, but really? I just can't wait to be on my own. My first roommate-less year!
Get your coffee!
Fandom is frightening. I speak as a fan. There are shows that I enjoy, and I'll even own up to having scribbled out a little bit of my own fan fiction. However, I find myself decidedly on the fringe of this strange subculture. My 'peers' in this arena can often spout odd, near useless facts regarding the characters, actors, storylines, and other show/book minutia. Their blogs, YouTube, MySpace, and other online areas spill over with clips, fan videos, remixes and debates on the merits of 'pairing' characters in non-cannon relationships.
I get it. I understand the joy of reading a book or watching a movie and taking a few minutes of fantasy to twist it up a little. It's part of the escapist nature of fiction. It's a chance to get out and get away from your normal life and concerns. Immersion is wonderful.
That wonder fades into something sad and miserable when a 'fan' begins to dip into that fantasy so much that it becomes more important to them than their actual LIFE.
What brought on this little rant? Even after my three-day sloth-fest, I found myself disgusted with a dear friend. We spoke briefly over the phone, and that friend couldn't hold a conversation without dribbling off into what I consider one of the land mines of fandom-hell: CFUD. Camp Fuck You Die community.livejournal.com/campfuckudie
I describe it as a land mine because it seems so harmless from the outside. It's a post-based roleplaying community. I love roleplaying. I find it useful, entertaining, and oddly fulfilling. This has zombies, regular play, and all manner of twists.
So what's my problem if a friend wants to describe the hilarious relationship troubles of (character I've never heard of #1) with (character I've never heard of #2)? It's not like I've never waxed the nostalgic about a certain dwarven thief who accidentally sacrificed the entire population of a port city to an evil, chaotic deity in DND (from a game I played in college).
If I can ramble about my DND exploits - why shouldn't I let my friend yammer on and on about the latest brain-sucking, gender-swapping plague to brush through "Camp?" My issue is that she doesn't seem to do anything else. Sure I can giggle about a good dungeon crawl with the best of them, but I can also talk about things I've actually DONE in the last month or so. I leave my apartment and try to have one hell of a good time while I'm at it. From idle conversation, my friend's entire life seems to be:
Wake.
Go To Work.
Get Home.
Feed Cat.
Play Camp.
Sleep.
Repeat.
I understand that kind of routine during the week. After an 8 hour day of cubicle combat, everyone just wants to unwind and have a little me-time. I do not get spending your weekends, holidays, and et cetera doing the same damn thing.
Don't run with this out of context. I'm not singling Camp Fuck You Die out as the bad guy - it's just part of the example. Other people eat, sleep, and breathe WOW (world of warcraft), GaiaOnline (Gaia), etc, etc, etc.
Close your browser. Take a walk. Have a drink. Have a cigar. Eat a cookie. Just go DO something.