The Hobbit 30 Day Challenge - Day 23

How Do You Feel About All The New Fans Entering This Fandom?

Photo by Faboamanto

How do I feel? Maybe a bit like a dual personality, the many faces of Fabo?  

To some Tolkien and Hobbit fans I may be considered a new "fan", certainly of the book.  I'm not a "new" fan when it comes to Peter Jackson films based on Tolkien's writing, because I'm an old fan of the Lord of the Rings film trilogy. What am I then? New or Old fan? 

I am positive that many long time and committed Hobbit and Tolkien fans consider me one of those "newcomers". My feelings are that in every fandom there should be room for everyone and we should respect our differences. You don't have to like me as a "new" fan, but you should respect me. I respect the knowledge and passion of Tolkien fans. That's what I struggle to do with the fandoms I struggle to belong to. We're not always successful in controlling our emotions, but we can at least try. Maybe, just maybe, we'll all learn from each other and have fun along the way.

Some RA friends might not know that I was following the possible making of The Hobbit film, or what turned out to be three films, for a while before Richard Armitage was cast as Thorin.  I remember when Guillermo del Toro was still involved as director/writer I took part, together with hundreds of fans, in a live online Q&A with Del Toro and Peter Jackson when the film was only a gleam in both their eyes.  I think Del Toro had been working on the film just a short while by then. I remember both of the men discussing why the film was still on hold, and fans asking Del Toro his thoughts about the characters, and the the look of the characters, etc.  I love Del Toro's film, Pan's Labyrinth, and was curious if he envisioned his Hobbit along the same lines.  I don't remember the exact year of the online Q&A, but obviously before Del Toro dropped out and PJ took over as director.  During that online event PJ promised more of the same fan interaction to come as plans for the film progressed. Then everything changed, and the rest is Hobbit history.

That's my long-winded way of explaining I'm not really new to the PJ Tolkien film fandom. Thanks in part to this guy:

Sean Bean as Boromir, LOTR

I was and am primarily a lurker in the Tolkien LOTR/Hobbit fandom. Before Richard Armitage was cast as Thorin I would only dip my toes in the water once in a while to catch up on news. My knowledge of Tolkien remains rather limited and random. 

Richard Armitage

Now with Richard Armitage as the star of The Hobbit trilogy I have a new commitment and a new love for the films. 



My photo of Ziegfeld Theater in New York City, other pics from stuff.co.nz and Google Images.