Fandom Snowflake Challenge 2016 - Day 02

[pronker]

Day 2

In your own space, create a list of at least three fannish things you'd love to receive, something you've wanted but were afraid to ask for - a fannish wish-list of sorts.


1. A saola icon suitable for LJ or DW. The saola is an endangered species of antelope, incredibly rare and beautiful, and only discovered by us Western types in the Laos/Vietnam Annamites in 1992. There are a few photos out there to Photoshop with.

2. Any good Penguins of Madagascar fics to share? I'm gaga since seeing the feature film 2 weeks ago. I do feel rather silly in the fandom and of course the TV show is clever and fun with great slapstick and in-jokes, but still ... Well. Any good stories will be gratefully squeed over.

3. Hey, fans of Star Wars, it would be fantastic to hear of the first time you heard of the saga. I'll start: in 1977, we attended a Day on the Green with the Eagles in concert, and a plane circled the arena trailing a banner proclaiming "Star Wars Is Coming!" Naturally, we attendees wondered what it all meant. It was a moment of Zen.

Comments

[radondoran]

in 1977, we attended a Day on the Green with the Eagles in concert, and a plane circled the arena trailing a banner proclaiming "Star Wars Is Coming!" Naturally, we attendees wondered what it all meant. It was a moment of Zen.

That is a strange and beautiful story and I really like it--I never really thought about what it would have been like to come across the two words "Star Wars" without already having the context of Star Wars. Thank you for sharing!

(Me, I think the '97 rerelease of A New Hope might've been the first movie I saw in a theatre, so... I am too young to remember not being aware of Star Wars, ^^;;;.)

[pronker]

You are welcome - and the two words were co-opted by the Defense Department in a *sort of* tribute to the ubiquitousness of the movie. It seems like 24 was the number of times that I saw it that first summer. *blushes*

Yeah, seeing ANH in a theater would be great for a memory, lucky you. It must have been fun to have Star Wars bed linens and stuff like that for littles to enjoy so innocently.

[glitteryv]

I was about a year old when A New Hope premiered so my first actual memory of SW was going to a late show with my parents when The Empire Strikes Back premiered. Oh, and seeing Luke in the Muppet Show. *throws hands in the air*

Yours sounds pretty cool!

[pronker]

More coffee cannot be anything but good, the same with the Muppets.

Yup, ESB was a trip and so much darker than the first movie. I remember being taken aback by the harsher, it seemed, treatment that Han gave to Chewie. But then, the mood of the film just was different. I still liked it, and naturally the romance made me smug that I predicted Han would be the object of Leia's love over Luke. The brother thing was in the future, ha.

[twinsarein]

I remember seeing Luke in The Muppet Show! With his twin brother, right? I loved that episode. So much fun.

Our memories are actually pretty similar. I'm a little older than you, but was too young to see ANH in the theaters. My first one was The Empire Strikes Back, too. I had an awful migraine during it, and didn't enjoy it much.

[sharpiefan]

I don't remember not knowing about Star Wars! I was born the year that Empire came out in the cinemas, and I remember sitting in someone's living room watching the first film (I don't know whether it was a video or being shown on the telly). Most of it was beyond me, but I do remember playing in the GFFA with my friends when I was nine or ten.

[pronker]

That's really something - it must have been fun to progress from being little little and just looking at the colors, explosions, and Chewie to progressing to role play in it. Fast food franchises would be a hoot for little kids, too, with all the toys.

[mizface]

I remember finding out about Star Wars verrrrry clearly. I was 9 and folks told my brother and I we were going to see it. I was all, "NO! I don't like war movies!" (hey, I was 9, what did I know?) and they pretty much had to drag me into the theater. And then drag me OUT of it, because my mind was blown.

Got to see it in theaters 6 times, which meant lots of good behavior and puppy-dog eyes, but totally worth it.

[pronker]

"War" movies, oh noes! And then the attraction canceled out everything else. Six times is a good foundation for a little fan. :) Thanks for replying!

[independence1776]

I honestly don't know when I heard of Star Wars: I know I was around eight or nine when I first saw A New Hope. Whether I heard of it before then is probable, but I simply can't remember.

What I do remember is that it (along with The Lion King, which came out around the time I first saw ANH) dominated my imagination for quite a while, in part thanks to the Expanded Universe, the Special Editions, and then the Prequels. I only stopped wearing a Padawan braid in my hair a few years ago; I'd worn one fairly continuously since AotC came out.

Thanks for replying!

[pronker]

That is a wonderful tale of devotion re the braid and yes, the comics and so forth in the EU fueled the fire, so to speak. Eight-ish is perfectly for not being too afraid of things like the sarlaac, though those skeletons of poor Beru and Owen sure must have lingered in the mind.

Re: Thanks for replying!

[independence1776]

I only stopped wearing it because it began pulling out my hair. Also because I felt odd wearing it after I reached the age I'd be knighted, so… Yet I'm still tempted to see if I can find a clip-on braid that matches my hair color because I miss wearing it.

Actually, I don't remember being bothered by them. Nothing in the movies ever really freaked me out, though a few things in the EU did.

Re: Thanks for replying!

[pronker]

It must have seemed like a part of you. Craft stores have colored swatches of hair to use in making dolls. I may or may not have purchased just such a thing for using as part of my Padawan costume 8 years ago on Halloween.

a few things in the EU Yes, definitely. I still remember how Ganner Rhysode bought it ... brrr.

Re: Thanks for replying!

[independence1776]

It did (and still does). Ooh, thank you! I'm definitely going to have check there.

I actually had to look that up; I stopped reading the post-RotJ EU after Chewie died and only read a few of the Prequel-era books. One of the things that stuck with me was the book with the bombs in the X-wings. I don't remember much about the plot, but it and some of the images unsettled me enough I only read it once or twice.

Re: Thanks for replying!

[pronker]

The New Jedi Order books came out every 2 months and were great stuff -- I, like you, stopped reading at a certain point after the series' conclusion. The prequel tie-ins were enjoyable. Don't tell anyone, but I just lost interest in that era and Luke, Leia, and Han and was ready for new folks.

[oswulf]

First I recall learning of Star Wars... I was probably about 9 and had just moved. Made a new best friend that had a bunch of Star Wars toys we played with. I began obsessing about the series and when Jedi came out in theaters I saw it several times.

[pronker]

That's the kind of friend to remember especially after moving and needing some connection - and all this time later, the franchise goes on.

[alexcat]

I have a couple PoM fics. Here is one of them:
http://archiveofourown.org/works/1866864

[pronker]

*cherishes* Thanks!!

[malurette]

(Here from snowflake_challenge, a bit late.)

Yay for PoM fic!! Thank you both, Pronker for asking for it and Alexcat for reccing some.

[pronker]

It was a most excellent fic and I'm glad you liked the rec. I must say that delving into a smaller fandom than Star Wars has been unexpectedly rewarding!

[malurette]

Yup! PoM was never a big fandom and I was afraid it was already dead: I'm glad to see it still alive and kicking!

[pronker]

It's in the Funny Animals category, you know? I'd imagine it to be um, 'cozy.' But hey, there's about 13k bits of fan art and some ficcage over on deviantArt!

[reeby10]

My first Star Wars memory is going to see Attack of the Clones in theaters with my family. I would have been about 10 at the time and I don't actually remember seeing the movie, but I have a very clear memory of being outside the theater and looking at the posters showing current and upcoming movies.

Also, I will try to do some saola icons, but it may take a couple of days! :)

[pronker]

Thanks for sharing the Star Wars memories - and all the family going along, that was neat. Some folks just aren't sci-fi or fantasy fans, but lucky us, yours and mine are/were.

Oh, if the icon comes to be, that would be great. It is such a rare and beautiful creature. :)

[reeby10]

I saw someone else made some saola icons, but here are some more anyway :)

[pronker]

Beautiful, beautiful, thanks so much. It must have been fun to work with the images of the creature and its bright markings.

[avon7]

I was in Year 5 when Star Wars and certainly didn't see it then. My big sister convinced me to go and see it three or four years later when it was on at the movies again (don't know why it was - because the second one was coming out? That seems logical but I don't think I saw the two of them close together). I fell in love with the cantina scene and Han Solo at about the same time.

[pronker]

Thanks for sharing - the saga has made amazing memories for us all. :)

[kalakirya]

hey! you asked for icons of the saola, and I was fussing around and made these

. . . . . . . .

[pronker]

Splendid work! Thanks so much! May it survive and thrive. It's just a gorgeous creature.

*late little snowflake*

[twinsarein]

I love, love, love your memory of Star Wars. What a memory to have , especially having no frame of reference at the time. I was actually a bit young for A New Hope, so my first memory is of seeing The Empire Strikes Back with relatives during a visit to NYC. The theater was awful, and I had a migraine, so didn't enjoy the experience too much. However, it didn't stop me from going to Return of the Jedi four times the year it came out. I guess a lot of people put that one down, but it's always been my favorite.

Re: *late little snowflake*

[pronker]

Hi! I'm glad to share the memory, and yes, Wiki says that either May 29 or 30 of '77 was the Day on the Green concert with the Eagles, Foreigner, and others. It was one of several concerts that I attended there, and it was like any other outdoor concert, it seems. Sort of like going to the beach, lying on blankets, random drinking and cheering of the bands. My friend was a big Peter Frampton fan at the time. She and I went to a few such concerts.

Ooh, migraines are the worst thing to have in a theater. The flashing of the screen must have been disconcertingly painful. Good for you that ROTJ remains a favorite.