Warning: Tentacles

Someone on my flist said that they did not think it would have much of an impact, because most of fandom had moved on. And I thought, well, really, that's most of fandom you joined with. What about the new people? The people who will watch all the films after the last one comes out? The kids who have just discovered the books? That 12-year-old who has a budgie named Hedwig, but feels dissatisfied about all the loose ends and has an inkling there could be a few subversive romances hiding in there?

When I was 10 Star Wars came out, and we used to play games of it where I would insist on either being Han Solo or a MUCH LESS CRAP Princess Leia (I was the only girl in my group of friends). By the time The Return of the Jedi came out, we were all 'Yeah, it was OK, and some of it was cool, but Ewoks are feeble.' If you had asked me at any point after 1985 about Star Wars fans, I would have said they were all hard core geeks who could not let go.

Add new content, add new generations, and even overlooking the travesty that is the set of prequels, it's a thriving world that you can see at any SF or Fandom gathering. And Star Wars is inferior source material to both Potter and the grandparent of all fandoms, Star Trek.

I'm just immensely relieved that I need never fear Jo would unleash something like Jar Jar Binks. Roll on Pottermore!

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YES!!! YES!!!!

I had this exact conversation yesterday and I used Star Wars as my example, as a matter of fact.

While I'm not going to argue the quality of the Star Wars prequels, I will go further to say, it didn't end even there. My kids are JUST GETTING INTO STAR WARS. Their focus is not even on the movies. They love Star Wars: The Clone Wars, the TV series (http://www.starwars.com/theclonewars/). It's an entire universe based on what happened between Episode 2 and 3.

It's fabulous, with depth and storyline and characters that are really interesting. And THEY ARE MAKING NEW EPISODES STILL.

My kids want Clone Wars Lego - and then they want to watch something called: A New Hope. LOL

anyway... my point is two fold.

a) just because the ship has sailed for you, does not mean it has for everyone else, including JKR - why are you complaining that people want to keep playing in a sandbox that you no longer find interesting? Why does that upset you?

b) The simple fact that this has got people talking is a good thing for fandom. Even if Pottermore ends up being nothing much really [Insert big yawn here] Then so what? We'll decide that when the time comes. and we'll all make posts about how boring it truly turned out to be and maybe make a fest about it. :P regardless it's still getting us talking and that's not a bad thing.

Edited Date: 2011-06-24 01:57 pm (UTC)

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Yes! I had no idea The Clone Wars even existed until about six months ago when I heard kids talking about it on the train, and they were SO EXCITED -- it was like listening to my friends in 1977 :-)

And I have hope. Even if they just have loads of that beautiful cut-out animation that the announcement was full of, I could look at that all day :-) Like everything that is JKR-but-not-in-books, I will add it to my canon-ish mental headspace (ranked ahead of movies and fanon, but behind books), but there will be so many things to have fun with -- I mean, can I possibly still be the only one who occasionally cackles 'Elvendork! It's unisex!'?

I am with you, Miss Maggie! Though you are not to let me enter any fests, ever. It just makes mods look at their calendars sadly!

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The Clone Wars series is ACE. Excellent FEMALE characters that get storylines are main characters and get to kick ass and be right and stuff. I approve.

I loved that cut-out animation... honestly, it's all just a gift. Let's us sit a while long in a wonderful universe that we aren't ready to leave. I have lots of 'head-spaces' too. There is canon(minus the epilogue) canon(with epilogue), post-canon interviews, movies and fanon.

I pull from which ever I want to find my inspiration. :)
I'm happy to add a new draw. (there's lots of empty space up there)

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ineffably-roma.livejournal.com

Cannot agree more. I'm excited that My kids are excited, well the youngest one is, the older one rolled his eyes at me but I know he'll be there with me in October. Hmmmm wondering what houses they'll be put in... LOL

What surprised me about some of the reactions was the idea that JKR was just doing this for more money...... The ebooks will be on sale but everything else is free and there is no priority given on who gets to see what first. I'm thinking most people would not be giving away there writing, or game playing for free....Oh wait...that's us. Ha ha ha

For those of us who write, some see this as a further restriction on what can be written about and others see it as more plot bunnies.

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I'm excited that My kids are excited,
AWE!!! Isn't that fabulous. :D My kids are just a bit too young yet - but I want them to still be excited and interested when they are old enough for me to start reading them the books.

I'm thinking most people would not be giving away there writing, or game playing for free....Oh wait...that's us.

HEE!!!! WE ARE SO GIVING.

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Ha. We can make a Pottermore Fest!! :) You have the best ideas ever, Maggie!

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Enabler. :P

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It could be something like: write the one (specific) headcanon idea that you JK had incorporated into Pottermore. Or something ... ;)

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nice!

maybe - we can do that as one of our comment fic fests during fanfair??

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We tbink so very much alike. :) Yes!
The Pottermore Comment Fest!

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SOLD.

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We could do it the weekend Oct 1 and 2, as the ending of our Fun Fairs, hoping that Pottermore does in fact open Oct 1. Or even if it doesn't, it seems like good week-end for it. :D

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faithwood.livejournal.com

b) The simple fact that this has got people talking is a good thing for fandom. Even if Pottermore ends up being nothing much really [Insert big yawn here] Then so what? We'll decide that when the time comes. and we'll all make posts about how boring it truly turned out to be and maybe make a fest about it. :P regardless it's still getting us talking and that's not a bad thing.

All I know is, I woke up today, checked my flist and saw: POTTER POTTER POTTER POTTER POTTER POTTER POTTER POTTER MORE!

OH YES, FANDOM! YES! YES! KEEP IT COMING!!!!!!!!!

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yes!

POTTER POTTER POTTER POTTER POTTER POTTER POTTER POTTER MORE!

Fandom, she lives!!!

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potteresque_ire

....Weasley, Weasley.
Snape! Snape ... it's~a~Snape...

(reply from suspended user)

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I got here a week or two before Book 7 ;-)

And YES!

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I got here a week or two after Book 7

(and fwiw - I think you were the first HP fen to friend me without me friending them first!)

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I have famously excellent taste!

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prplhez8.livejournal.com

No lie, I got very verklempt when I saw her face yesterday morning as the video switched over from the owls to her announcement. HP is my first fandom love and will ALWAYS have a special place in my heart...and I will take whatever she wants to share.

♥

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YAY! Me too. I'm not sure what I do with the info but I WANT to be inspired by her words, even if the new stuff she gives us just makes me want to read the book again. that's cool too.

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