Legen - Wait for it...

The anticipation. That's what made Harry Potter so amazing for me. I love so many things about HP - the characters, the way the story progresses, the symbolism, the fandom, and so on, but it was the anticipation between each book that made me love that series.

Anticipation is a funny thing - you love and hate it. Waiting for something you love is such a frustrating feeling;   you wait and wait and wait for this thing to happen and then it does. And all of a sudden you aren't anticipating anymore - the excitement and the nervousness and the wondering is gone. And most of the time, the anticipation is not worth it - more often than not, what we so desperately waited for doesn't live up to the hype.

Waiting for Harry - totally not like this. The anticipation factor (waiting to be disappointed) doesn't apply to Harry because the books live up the hype. You start reading with such excitement and joy and that feeling stays with you until the last word. You put down a Harry Potter book and you have a feeling of completion; the year came to a satisfying conclusion, the mystery has been solved, and Harry is safe for the time being. (John Granger (amazing, amazing, amazing Harry Potter critic) describes this as the "ring composition." He wrote a whole book on the topic and yes, of course I own it. A signed copy.)

But ever so slowly, you get that anticipation feeling - the next book is coming, there is more to the story. And while you wait, you grow and you change. And the amazing thing is - the next book meets you there. The story has grown up and changed to meet you, the reader.

I've read the books so many times and that feeling of joy when I pick up a Harry Potter book is always there, but it's never quite like the first time I cracked open that book a little after midnight. I remember those moments vividly.

Reading Sorcerer's Stone babysitting and needing to read more, becoming addicted with Chamber of Secrets by the fireplace at Christmas, finishing Prisoner the night I forced my parents to buy it for me, cracking open Goblet of Fire in the car on the way home from camp because I'd already waited a week, begging my eyes to stay open past Chapter 7 of Order of the Phoenix and staying in my pajamas the next day until I was done, bemoaning the lack of electricity at camp when I was forced to stop reading Half Blood Prince, and literally staying up all night to finish Deathly Hallows.

It is a connection you feel with the characters and the story that J.K. Rowling has so beautifully written - even though it might take years to get the next book, the characters are the same flawed, familiar human beings and the story becomes more heart-wrenching and yet satisfying.

Anticipation for Harry is something I am so happy to have been a part of - others won't truly experience waiting the way we did for the next installment of Harry's adventure.

And just because I can't leave everyone hanging... I hope you're not lactose intolerate, dary.

DFTBA!
Jana

K's TV Fandoms in Progress

I am terrible at watching television as it airs because I’m so impatient.  Most things I’m working my way through have been on (or off) the air quite a while, and I have some serious catching up to do. Here’s a look at what’s currently being watched on my television.

Jana and I watched the Battlestar Galactica premiere yesterday.  I watched it once a couple of years ago, so this was my second run at it.  I knew it was brilliant the first time I watched it (I shed tears, and I DON'T willingly shed tears), and it was confirmed for me with this rewatch.  The reason I haven’t made it past the premiere is because it’s so intense.  I get seriously into things, and if I get that stressed out there needs to be some happy pay off.  Watching BSG makes me want to watch Firefly episodes, because then I can cry and follow it immediately with laughing out loud.  I get the feeling I could get that if I stuck with BSG because of it's awesome characters, but I need some encouragement to dive in. 

I’m currently at the beginning of the third season of Supernatural on Netflix.  I work very hard to avoid spoilers for shows I am watching or believe that I’ll watch, but I know people seem to love Castiel, so I’m excited to make it to him.  I love Supernatural because it can be intense,  but I haven't walked away from many episodes traumatized.  Majority of it is episodic and resolved at the end of the day (in the first couple of seasons, at least).  And the boys are pretty. 

Slowly but surely I’m trying to catch up on Fringe.  It recently became streaming on Amazon Prime, and that will help a lot.  I’m towards the end of Season 2.   I know where the current storyline is, and I just want to jump ahead, but I know you don't skip ahead in Fringe if you want to have any idea what's going on.  We’ll see if I make it all the way through.

Of course, I’m also watching Season 7 of Doctor Who on BBC America.  I've enjoyed the episodes, but I’m kind of ready to see the Ponds leave.  Eleven hasn’t regularly had any other companions, while Ten went through three in three years.  It's fun to see the different dynamics.  Granted, Eleven has three different relationships with Amy, Rory, and of course his complicated one with River.  Speaking of, when is her existence going to be acknowledged this season?  I miss River!

That’s my current status in the universe of television fandom.  I'll keep you posted as I get further along.  So Jana, what are you considering starting, or working your way through?

Stay Shiny!

Kristin

J's Fandoms OR How poking with a stick becomes a life long obsession...

Picking your top three fandoms is not the easiest thing to do. Some, of course, seem obvious, but then you start to second guess yourself. Should they be the things you have loved the longest? The shows/movies/books with the most impact on your life? The stuff you will talk about longer than anything else? Besides these stipulations, I get way too excited about things. I truly believe that I'm a fan of fandoms - any book/movie/show/etc that people care enough about to become a "community" has some value and then I must investigate. You could say I want to poke it with a stick like the Doctor. 

But, alas, I will limit my discussion to the top three! 

1. Without a doubt MY fandom is Harry Potter. J.K. Rowling is a freakin' genius. I first discovered Harry in '99. From then on it was a flurry of going to Walmart at midnight and reading through the new book in one sitting, and then in the long wait for book 5, I discovered the fandom. There were other nerds, like me, that theorized about how everything would happen, people had written fanfic about the couples, and there were big name fans that got interviews with Rowling herself. I started checking mugglenet daily and realized I'd gone off the deep end. Go to Mugglenet - it's amazing! 


2. Kristin and I share our #2 fandom. The one that has convinced me that I am indeed a con goer and that British television truly does hold a special place in my heart, is Doctor Who. For years, my brother, HP friends, and others told me to watch the Doctor. I tried - I did! Season 1 just wasn't doing it for me. Finally, Kristin stuck it out and told me where to really start - and the rest is history. I am a Whovian and I now own more Tardis jewelry than I thought possible. 

3. This was hard - I have many things I love (Musicals, Disney, Ren. Faire etc), but to me a huge part of being part of a fandom is the community of fans that are built around the thing that you love. That's why I decided that my 3rd favorite fandom is Nerdfighteria. I will admit the first Nerdfighter video I watched was Harry Potter related (Accio Deathly Hallows) and I did pass John Green in a pizza shirt at my hotel and had no idea who he was. Oh, how silly I once was. Nerdfighters are amazing. Check out the Vlogbrothers on Youtube. Here's the link to my personal favorite video: Armoursome Video. I love the Green brothers and all that they do to decrease world suck.

So there you go, my favorite fandoms! 

DFTBA!
Jana