The "What Made You Smile Today?" thread

Hearing my fave Kermit song (This Frog) on the latest episode of "I Still Get Demented"

I almost forgot that today is Star Wars day (May the Fourth)

Ugh! I had to see these STUPID Big Bang promos today where they're like, "Ohmigawd, today is May the Fourth, we've been waiting all year long to say, 'May the Fourth be with you!'!"

*foreheadsmack* So that's why people have been calling today Star Wars Day. I didn't get it until just now.

I hate puns

Yea, so does my sister. So do I at times. But I like Star Wars so I can put up with thisone.

Never seen star wars, really have no desire to. The fan base scares me.

I have seen one of the movies, I can't remember which one, but I agree with Sarge... not just Star Wars, but there's a LOT of fanbases that scare me... these anime freaks and chronic cosplayers? Those conventions might as well double for psych wards; though I do TRY to keep an open mind about people like that, because my favorite person falls into that category, I've lost count of how many conventions and characters she's cosplayed as in the four years I've known her.

Interestingly enough, someone explained their theory to me as to why it seems like cosplayers seem crazy and deranged: because the act of doing so, and going to conventions, is a release for them to escape reality. That may be, but a recent blog on deviantART on how cosplaying has seem to have become a way of life sort of emphasizes my fears of just how scary cosplayers can be when they spend more time trying to become fictional characters, rather than be themselves. Talk about identity crisi.

Yeah every fanbase has its layers, from casual fans to the hardcore weirdos that scare people, hehe.

Just as a brief sequel to this, hehe, I find the really hardcore fans of any franchise are the ones that seem to have sacrificed their sense of humor for their fandom. Not only do they freak out if you gently tease their idol, but they just outright don't even know you're joking and start lecturing you on continuity, lol.

I used to work in a comic shop in the height of the Pokemon craze. Now, I'm a pretty avid anime fan myself but I do have to say.....there are some very scary fans out there. Oh yes.

I remember the news stories about Avatar fans suffering from depression because Pandora wasn't real. Now I'm sure that's been hyped up quite a bit, but I can believe some fans reacted that way. I've had very brief flashes of that kind of feeling (not about Avatar, lol) but thankfully knew how to shake it off, lol.

Oh I remember that! Yes. I heard similar things said about Harry Potter too. I think its good to have a sense of wonder and to still believe in the impossible. As we get older, we get too jaded. We stop embracing the things we once imagined. Having said that....there is a line in which imagining becomes schizophrenia and you probably don't want to cross it.

Hm. Is it wrong that your story about people pining for Pandora made me smile today?

Lol, no it's OK, it is rather amusing. And a shame to waste all that longing on a mediocre effects movie, hehe.

How true that is. Movies like that should inspire you in your own life. Not inspire you to run away from life.

Exactly. Go ahead! Watch a good movie. Escape reality. Just make sure it isn't permanent.

On the flip side here, I sort of find it delightfully creepy how easily human beings can become obsessed with a fictional world or characters. I guess it is kind of like a drug fix.

I will admit I'm one of those people. Trust me I wish I wasn't at times because it gets weird after a while.

There's nothing wrong with cosplaying or being a dedicated fan of something as a means of escape, because a lot of people have tough lives or are stuck in less than ideal circumstances, and they need a refuge. I'll admit I've fallen into this category at times, but like people said earlier, it's good to take things from the things you're a fan of, and incorporate those values or ideals into your own everyday life.

Oh trust me I understand, having OCD does not always mix well with fandom. You can easily start worrying about the strangest things, lol.