The Willingness to Embrace Joy in Things.

[Reynard]

NOTE: This is going to be sort of meandering and unfocused, as I am just back from a week in Disney and still trying to collect all my thoughts on the subject.

NOTE 2: While this post was prompted by spending time at Disneyworld, I think the subject applies to many things, including TTRPGs as well as general fandom.

As stated above, I spent nearly a week at Disneyworld with my wife and two adult children. We had not been in 7 years, since our last planned trip was canceled due to Covid. Before that, we went about every 3 years. Note that I did not grow up going to Disney, but my wife did. i first went with her and her family before we got married when I was 21 or so, and fell in love with the place so much that we got married there.

What I fell in love with most was the artifice of the place: how deep the design went to convince you that your were in whatever fantastical world the ride or experience presented to you. As a lifelong TTRPGer and lover of video games, as a writer and creator, it struck me deeply that Disney was so dedicated to immersion.

This trip was the first time I had been to Disneyworld since the Star Wars Galaxy's Edge portion of the park had opened. Despite all its flaws and uneven presentation and nonsense ephemera and accoutrements, I love Star Wars. When I came around the corner and saw Galaxy's Edge for the first time, I was dumbstruck. Even for Disney, it was a level of immersion and attention to detail that shocked me. Previously, Pandora had held that status, but Galaxy's Edge was a level above in that regard.

A note about rides: Despite Galaxy's Edge being, in my opinion, more immersive than Pandora, Avatar: Flight of Passage is still far and away the most amazing virtual experience I have ever had. I like the Rise of the Resistance and Smugglers run, but I LOVE Flights of Passage. We did it 3 times this last week, even with the heat and long lines. Even my cynical son who grumbles about being in Disney the whole time loves that ride/experience. I want a version I can free fly for an hour in. Alas...

Anyway, to get to the point: it struck me at some point that what Disneyworld really was was a magic show that you are a part of. You certainly can choose to peak behind the curtain and spoil the trick for yourself, but if you don't, if you embrace the illusion and allow yourself to be amazed by it, you can find joy in the artifice of it.

And that is the larger point: you can choose to find joy in things. I tried to explain this to my son who was perpetually frustrated (except on Avatar). Whether you are walking through Galaxy's Edge or watching Star Trek or playing D&D, you can choose to release the cynicism and negativity and embrace the craft and illusion and find real joy in these fantasies and these worlds. I have grown increasingly frustrated with Star Wars and D&D of late, and it took this trip to Disney to make me realize that what I was really growing frustrated with was cynical and angry fans -- and my own cynicism and anger at times.

I am especially guilty of this with D&D, having allowed myself to become unhappy with WotC and its choices and not cultivating my own joy in D&D -- which, as much as I love Star Trek and Star Wars and super-hero comic books and films, D&D has been the single greatest source of this kind of joy in my life for 4 decades now.

tl;dr version: find joy in the books, movies, theme parks and games that you love and don't let "fandom" negativity take that from you. Embrace the illusion and artifice and dive in deeply.

 

[AnotherGuy]

Many people dislike a movie or series for the piss poor dialogue, weak story arc, glaring plot holes, uninteresting characters and in your face political messaging. Many people may dislike a game for the limited or unnecessary complex mechanics and/or its weak or broken world building...etc

It's not so much fandom negativity that ruins one's appreciation that but rather the content and the growing belief that its creators are no longer reliable and perhaps even eligible to provide quality product for you (general you) anymore.

 

[Reynard]

Many people dislike the movie or series for the piss poor dialogue, weak story arc, glaring plot holes, uninteresting characters and in your face political messaging. Many people may dislike a game for the limited or unnecessary complex mechanics and/or its weak or broken world building...etc

It's not so much fandom negativity that ruins one's appreciation that but rather the content and the growing belief that its creators are no longer reliable and perhaps even eligible to provide quality product for you (general you) anymore.

So, you don't choose joy. Got it.

 

[Scribe]

I think the message is, nobody can control how we respond to, engage with, or enjoy, a piece of media but ourselves. Ignore the noise, dont engage with social media, and just consume the media you like.

 

[AnotherGuy]

So, you don't choose joy. Got it.

Sadly a rather simplistic view.

I choose to enjoy Deep Space Nine and Next Generation because of its wonderful characters and rich storylines. I don't choose to enjoy Discovery because of its ridiculously in your face forced unlikable protagonist.

But if you're enjoying Disney Willow, Disney Star Wars and Disney anything you shouldn't let my post affect your enjoyment of that.
So we agree.

 

[BookTenTiger]

I think this is a good post and a good point Reynard. It makes me think about how my wife and I both enjoy dumb movies, but in different genres. I love dumb movies that involve monsters or really silly humor. She likes dumb movies that have romance. When we watch a romantic comedy together, I could think to myself, "I don't like this." Or I could enjoy the experience of spending time with my wife doing something she loves.

Sometimes it's fun to take a really critical eye to media. My friends and I used to watch movies and then sit around dissecting them, imagining how we'd try to make them better. Those were fun conversations.

But there are also times to step back and ask yourself if the way you are consuming media is actually making you happy. If it's just making you feel anxious or angry... maybe switching your lens can help?

In other words, sometimes instead of asking yourself "Do I like this?" you can ask "What do I like about this?"

 

[Reynard]

I think this is a good post and a good point Reynard. It makes me think about how my wife and I both enjoy dumb movies, but in different genres. I love dumb movies that involve monsters or really silly humor. She likes dumb movies that have romance. When we watch a romantic comedy together, I could think to myself, "I don't like this." Or I could enjoy the experience of spending time with my wife doing something she loves.

Sometimes it's fun to take a really critical eye to media. My friends and I used to watch movies and then sit around dissecting them, imagining how we'd try to make them better. Those were fun conversations.

But there are also times to step back and ask yourself if the way you are consuming media is actually making you happy. If it's just making you feel anxious or angry... maybe switching your lens can help?

In other words, sometimes instead of asking yourself "Do I like this?" you can ask "What do I like about this?"

Right. In the context of the park,I tried to get my son to understand that it was up to him whether to enjoy himself when mom dragged us onto Pirates of the Caribbean. He had that power himself.

 

[Reynard]

. I don't choose to enjoy Discovery because of its ridiculously in your face forced unlikable protagonist.

You're actually missing my point with statementslike this, but that's okay.

 

[AnotherGuy]

You're actually missing my point with statementslike this, but that's okay.

i think you're missing mine and what part of your post I commented on.
In your example to @BookTenTiger who represents the fandom negativity- you, your son or your wife?

 

[Reynard]

i think you're missing mine and what part of your post I commented on.
In your example to @BookTenTiger who represents the fandom negativity- you, your son or your wife?

It's not about fandom negativity except insofar as one shouldn't let other peoples' constant critiques of material affect your feelings about it.


The point about Pirates was that my son -- who loved that ride as a kid -- was grumpy because we were getting on a "kids' ride." Despite that complaint, there is still joy to be found in Pirates for him, even if it is just nostalgia.

And look, I get it, for some people tearing apart some media or game IS the way they find joy in it. Good for them. But to me focusing on the flaws is the opposite of finding joy. Especially if those flaws just boil down to that "they" changed something.