Wednesday 31 July 2013

The Odd Life of a Fangirl



Since we are essentially communicating, ignoring your lack of existence, I think you need to know certain things about me. Why?, you ask. Why, because I say so. Argument invalid.
So where was I?
Yes. Me. 
I am a fangirl. And I have no regrets.
Fangirls or fanboys, for that matter, are a breed of humans who are, for a lack of better term, awesome. For your benefit, I will explain to you what being a fangirl/boy entails.
We are nerds. And proud. We find solace in Harry Potter marathons and the fact that Arthur will return to this world once again. We scream at the sight of a weeping angel and squeal in glee when we hear or see the number 'four'.
Being a fangirl is hard. You live so many lives, you die so many times. You are engulfed in grief one second and the other you are jumping with joy. It's an emotional roller-coaster, it's wonderful.
It doesn't mean that we belong to any one fandom, it embraces fandoms of any and every kind. We are so proud of our fandoms that we proclaim enthusiastically, our fandom status.
For example, I, very proudly, state that I am a Harry Potter, Doctor Who, Sherlock, Supernatural, Divergent, Hunger Games, Glee, Merlin and Game of Thrones fan.
We are a passionate lot. We don't settle for phrases like, 'It was nice' 'Yeah, I really liked that movie', we go all out declaring our undying love for the said movie, 'IT WAS AMAZING', 'I'M GOING TO WATCH THIS MOVIE A HUNDRED MORE TIMES'.
We don't have to underplay our affection and fondness for a character or a pairing. 
And we don't just settle for reading the book or liking the character. We need a full backstory of each and every character related to the character we like. We scour Youtube for videos or interviews related to the fandom.
We are easily pleased and are more often than not, socially awkward. We often find ourselves unable to hold a normal conversation with one of the 'mundanes', without launching into an in depth discussion of how the Doctor may be real (He is.)
Having said all that, being a fangirl isn't very easy always. You are always pining for a huge, hairy giant to knock on your door and tell you that 'Yer a wizard!' or You constantly scan the skies for a blue Police Call box. 
And the unrequited love. Oh, the unrequited love. 
There is a constant hollowness in our hearts, knowing that Colin Morgan, Tom Felton, Daniel Radcliffe, Bradley James, David Tennant, Matt Smith, Benedict Cumberbatch, Jared Padalecki AND SO MANY MORE, will never be yours. Knowing that however much you love a character, they will ,in fact, remain fictional.
Then there is the constant, 'It's just a movie' or 'It's just a TV show!'. 
I have lost count of all the times I have to explain to somebody that it isn't just that to us. 
It's so much more. We get attached quickly and it's almost impossible to let go. 
My best friend has stopped thinking that it's weird that I break down crying after watching Merlin's last episode or Doctor Who. She has come to accept that it's all real to me. 
Now some might say that we don't have a sense of reality. True, we don't, but there is a fine line between a fangirl and a crazy bi***. 
What I can't explain to you, my imaginary friend, is the joy on hearing someone quote an obscure line from your fandom or see another person wear the T Shirt of your fandom.
As John Green very correctly states, Nerds win at life (It's not a direct quote). 
We are very easy going, and fun to be with. If you get used to the constant exclamation of excitement over fictional characters and exaggerated descriptions of awesomeness of a movie or book. Because we don't do subtle. 
Now I have to go and watch Doctor Who. 
Ciao
River Targaryen
(My new supermegafoxyawesome identity, based on two of the most awesome-est female characters ever)