Thank You
I posted something on the Power Rangers Facebook page a few minutes ago. It's something I've been thinking about over the past few days. I'm a little afraid they'll take it down though since it's not ... well, it doesn't exactly fit the image they project over there. Unfortunately I couldn't think of anywhere else to send it, and it was something I really wanted to do.
But just in case, I'm posting it here as well.
I'm not sure if this is an appropriate place to put this, so if it's not, I sincerely apologize. But it's something I felt the need to say, and I hope it will be passed along to those meant to read it.
When you work in the entertainment business, it's easy to forget sometimes exactly what you offer to the world with the shows you make. Power Rangers is a TV series meant to appeal to kids, with good guys who save the day peppered with lessons about teamwork and perseverance. The purpose of the show is meant to be entertainment and merchandising.
But the truth is that it's worth so much more than that.
I am one of the kids who grew up watching the original Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, and have never lost my love for the series throughout its many seasons, incarnations, and owners. Other kids outgrew it as they became 'too old' to enjoy such a silly show, but I never have. And I was lucky enough to find other people who felt the same.
The Power Rangers fandom community is a group of people brought together by a common interest. We span the globe, and most of us have never met one another in person. Some of us never will. Some go to Power Morphicon conventions and greet each other as old friends for the very first time. We are united by our love of this show, of the characters we have watched grow through trials and experience, of the plotholes we question, of the stories we tell of what a character thought or felt at some point, or what could have happened if something had been done differently.
A member of our community died recently.
What has struck me most about this is the fact that we're all mourning this loss *together*. People have exchanged phone numbers, e-mails, and IM screen names to offer comfort and support to those who were close to her. There are teary phone calls to people who have never spoken before and 'cyber hugs' to anyone who makes a statement about her. Even those who didn't know her have given love and support to those who did. In one way or another, we are *all* grieving for her.
I wanted to thank you for that.
To all the actors, directors, producers, writers, stuntmen, and various assistants, thank you. Thank you for the show I love. Thank you for the characters I idolized, and the things they have taught me about friendship, forgiveness, and what it means to never give up on something. Thank you for the fandom that reviews my stories, listens to my whining, and cheers me on every day. Thank you for the virtual family you have connected.
I would never have known her, or any of them, without this show. Thank you for the woman that was such a bright light for all of us. Thank you for giving me a friend who is worth crying for, and friends who are willing to cry for her with me.
Thank you for giving us Kim.
Also, I don't know if anyone else has seen this, but
rosabelle found this article, and
starlit_purple linked it to me. It's written by one of the people who knew
psyco_chick32 personally, talking about her life and who she was. It's beautiful. ♥
In Memoriam
But just in case, I'm posting it here as well.
I'm not sure if this is an appropriate place to put this, so if it's not, I sincerely apologize. But it's something I felt the need to say, and I hope it will be passed along to those meant to read it.
When you work in the entertainment business, it's easy to forget sometimes exactly what you offer to the world with the shows you make. Power Rangers is a TV series meant to appeal to kids, with good guys who save the day peppered with lessons about teamwork and perseverance. The purpose of the show is meant to be entertainment and merchandising.
But the truth is that it's worth so much more than that.
I am one of the kids who grew up watching the original Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, and have never lost my love for the series throughout its many seasons, incarnations, and owners. Other kids outgrew it as they became 'too old' to enjoy such a silly show, but I never have. And I was lucky enough to find other people who felt the same.
The Power Rangers fandom community is a group of people brought together by a common interest. We span the globe, and most of us have never met one another in person. Some of us never will. Some go to Power Morphicon conventions and greet each other as old friends for the very first time. We are united by our love of this show, of the characters we have watched grow through trials and experience, of the plotholes we question, of the stories we tell of what a character thought or felt at some point, or what could have happened if something had been done differently.
A member of our community died recently.
What has struck me most about this is the fact that we're all mourning this loss *together*. People have exchanged phone numbers, e-mails, and IM screen names to offer comfort and support to those who were close to her. There are teary phone calls to people who have never spoken before and 'cyber hugs' to anyone who makes a statement about her. Even those who didn't know her have given love and support to those who did. In one way or another, we are *all* grieving for her.
I wanted to thank you for that.
To all the actors, directors, producers, writers, stuntmen, and various assistants, thank you. Thank you for the show I love. Thank you for the characters I idolized, and the things they have taught me about friendship, forgiveness, and what it means to never give up on something. Thank you for the fandom that reviews my stories, listens to my whining, and cheers me on every day. Thank you for the virtual family you have connected.
I would never have known her, or any of them, without this show. Thank you for the woman that was such a bright light for all of us. Thank you for giving me a friend who is worth crying for, and friends who are willing to cry for her with me.
Thank you for giving us Kim.
Also, I don't know if anyone else has seen this, but
rosabelle found this article, and
starlit_purple linked it to me. It's written by one of the people who knew
psyco_chick32 personally, talking about her life and who she was. It's beautiful. ♥
In Memoriam