Things Lord of the Rings Fans Think Twilight Fans Ought to Know

Things Lord of the Rings Fans Think Twilight Fans Ought to Know
written by Sarah Wofford, a supporter of fandom diversity

In light of the recent cultural explosion of the Twilight Fandom, I thought that one of us already in the overly-enthusiastic –fan arena ought to fire up the welcome wagon and greet the newcomers. Unfortunately many of them seem to think that they are only ones around. Being a second-generation Tolkien fan, I felt that the Twilighters needed to be made aware of a few things. It’s all in good fun, of course. I’m sure in a few decades fans of Meyer’s work will be teaching the next batch of new kids a thing or two! But for now, here are a few things that we Lord of the Rings fans think Twilight fans ought to know.

 You may think you’re a fan. You may think you’re a fanatic. You may even think you’re obsessed. You have no idea.
 I call a truce. If you stop laughing at our elf costumes, we’ll stop laughing at the body glitter you made your boyfriend wear. If you *don’t* stop laughing at out elf costumes, one of us is liable to shoot you with an arrow.
 Be warned, our arrows tend to be handcrafted. And sharp.
 There is something inherently beautiful about a good death scene. We’re sorry that you’ll never get to experience it. That’s not because your characters are immortal. It’s because your author is kind of a wimp.
 In case you ever indulge in any form of cosplay or roleplaying with a Rings fan, be careful. There is a very good reason no member of the fellowship was described as being a “klutz.” Klutzes tend to die quite quickly when met with a blade.
 I can’t say that any of us feel sympathetic when people make fun of your fandom. We’ve been putting up with it for around 70 years. Suck it up and get used to it. Of course no one else understands. That’s what makes it a fandom.
 Elrond could see the future. The elves lived forever. Aragorn and Arwen were star-crossed lovers. Sound familiar? But that’s not the point. You may not see why but what keeps us coming back is that our hero, Frodo, was unremarkable. Unless of course you count the eventual missing finger.
 Be careful before you try testing our patience. We’re the people who have sat through 12 hours of Extended Edition DVDs. Often in one sitting.
 He may not look like much but we’re pretty certain that Samwise Gamgee could kill a vampire whilst armed with nothing but a cooking pot, relying just on the strength of his heart.
 I know you thought we were weird at the time but we were right about the magic of books, weren’t we?

Are You A Fangirl? A Quiz!

This is a cool quiz I found! Tell me what your score was!

http://www.alayadawnjohnson.com/fangirls_quiz.htm

(this is primarily a TV related quiz - just warning you)

What is a *fangirl*? - Meet Elizabeth (Part II)

"Why are you wearing a beanie? It's not cold at all outside," asked John as he and Elizabeth waited outside of the school. The bell was due to ring any minute.

"Um, I kinda did something that I've wanted to do for a while. I just don't know when I'm going to show you."

Knowing full well how long it would take Elizabeth to make up her mind, John reached over and yanked the cap off of her head.

"Oh, my gosh." John didn't know what else to say.

"I tried to warn you." Elizabeth fiddled with the chunk of her hair that had just recently been bleached white-blonde. "What do you think?"

"Rogue? You died your hair to look like Rogue? As in from X-Men?"

"Yup." Elizabeth smiled broadly.

"Seriously?"

"Yep."

"Wow. Is it permanent?"

"Yes."

"Huh. You do realize that the movie doesn't come out for another two weeks, right? And in the previews Rogue doesn't even have the stripe *in* her hair."

"John. Please. This isn't about a movie. We're talking about Rogue. The Rogue."

"Sure, sure. Whatever you say."

What is a *fangirl*? - Meet Elizabeth

"Yeah. I mean, it was a good movie. Kinda long, but it was alright."

"Are you kidding me? It was the most awesome... most epic... Wow. That was way beyond just a "movie." That was an experience. Whoa." Elizabeth was in her usual post-Fellowship of the Ring-viewing exuberance, her adrenaline pumping and feeling like she could take on an army of orcs single-handed. She had just seen it in theaters for the fourth time and on this occasion she had somehow talked one of her less-enthusiastic friends to come along with her.

"I'm just not sure what the big deal is. It was a good movie and some of the actors were really hot, but..."

"But nothing. It's the single greatest, most epic story told since...creation. It's amazing."

Ah. The line is drawn again. That hard line between fan - and fangirl. While some still clung to the thought that the term fangirl only applied to pig-tail-wearing teeny-boppers, Elizabeth was fighting everyday to change the stigma. She wasn't just a fan. She was a fangirl. And proud of it.

"Although, I admit," said Elizabeth's friend, "now that I've seen it I think I understand you a lot better."

Exactly.

Squee : A Fangirl's Guide to Life

My name is Sarah, and I'm a fangirl. I'm a hopeless case, really. Ask anyone I know.

I'm a fangirl from way back. It probably started when I was about six or seven and my affections were funneled towards that group of bad-guy fighting teenagers known as the Power Rangers. I'm older now. My tastes are a little (although sometimes not much) more refined. I see now that a new generation of fangirls is on the rise and I want to be able to help in any way that I can. My geekdom is multi-faceted. I'm into comics, books, sci-fi, Trek, fantasy, movies, television, computers, etc. So, instead of letting all of this knowledge and experience go to waste, I decided that I would share it with the world.

I now present to you Squee: A Fangirl's Guide to Life. I will be updating this blog a time or two a week, giving you advice as well as letting you in on some of the moments in my life where my fangirl-ness has shown through at it's brightest.

I've changed the names to protect the innocent, but all of the stories that will be mentioned on this blog are based on actual events.

Enjoy!
Sarah, your fangirl guide