The PotC Effect

[dwgm]

Jo of Black Pearl Sails, best known around here for keeping us informed of PotC2 updates at various websites, has started a spin-off Yahoo Group, POTCFreedom, which is devoted to meta discussion. There are some marvelously chatty and intelligent members, and Jo herself is not only a PotC devotee but is well-versed in mythology and folklore and how these effect individuals and the community. As she said in one of her first posts, A story can be "just a story" and it can also be much more and it can be something very different to different people and it can have a universal theme.

So it is with Pirates of the Caribbean. This movie has effected the lives of nearly everyone on my flist to varying degrees. I, myself, saw it the night it came into theaters in July '03, and it captured my attention to such an extent that it was no less than a saving grace, helping me get through one of the darkest periods of my life with my sanity (such as it is) intact. When things settled down a little, in October or November of that year, I was inspired to look on the internet for links and, possibly, stories, and, well, the rest is history. I've read countless stories, communicated with authors and other fandom members all over the world that seem to be true soulmates, and taken up writing again, after a thirty year hiatus, in an effort to give shape to my own piratical thoughts, dreams, and fantasies. It's been an amazing experience, and it seems to just get better and better.

In a post this morning, a new member of PotCFreedom who is recently come to the fandom, said she doesn't understand how a movie like PotC has had such an impact on so many people. She proceeded to delineate experiences somewhat similar to mine, and mentioned that she was about my age, and that she sometimes wondered if she was quite sane, having such an obsession. Jo replied, I think that in many ways, POTC is a very mythic movie that touches people at a level they don't really see but they feel...It has allowed you to meet great people and much more...[You] speak of things that I would categorize as mythic living, community, and reality issues.

You asked why is Jack so hypnotizing? Why would you and other older women (and others) be so fascinated with Jack? I think it has to do with mythic living. Our culture, as I mentioned in another post, is craving for myth. Mythic living is looking at your life, seeing behind and seeing ahead, not just you but all of the others around you (people, animals, environment), and really asking what your role is - what myth are you living and what myth are you supposed to live. I'm not saying to go find a myth and say, "Ah-ha. That one." LOL But myths have so many facets to them that we can look at them and see how they connect to our lives and guide our lives. In the old days, living mythically was easy because living was hard. But at the same time, it was fulfilling, it was accomplishing real and important things or at least being prepared to. But today, we don't have that. We do in certain areas and in certain people's lives, but not for the most part. So many things have become so hollow. People want to "go into" movies and video games and simulation games on the Internet to find some meaning, some purpose, some fulfillment. They want to live mythically, to feel it. I have read so many things about people being empowered by Jack. Looking at their lives anew. Trying things they always wanted to, but were to afraid to try. That is a part of mythic living.

The meeting-people aspect I think speaks to another thing we're missing - community. And some of the communities that come together out of movies such as POTC - the ones I think people get the most out of - are those where people are banding together around that mythic calling. They are supporting each other in those journeys, which include everything from "yes, go back to school," to "I'm here if you need me," to "please do something to make me laugh today because I really need it," and everywhere in between and outside and up and down.

And the third thing you spoke of is about realilty. You know, Western culture is so tied up in what is "real" and "not real" and "crazy" and "sane." I have a psychology degree, and I look at these issues much differently now than I did back when I got that degree. In other cultures, in many Indigenous cultures, for example, people who Western people would call crazy were held to be holy people. They walked a path that didn't include just this world. They had visions and knew things and heard things and those things could help the community (once again, a focus that we lack, generally speaking, today). Within that and other similar worldviews, the question wouldn't be "Is Jack (or any other character) real?" It would be, "What are you learning from him? What is he teaching you?"

Now, all this got me to thinking that, besides my own, I've heard (or heard rumor of) quite a few incredible stories of the positive effects of the movie and the fandom. So, I'm conducting a little poll, and inviting anyone involved in the fandom to take it, and perhaps comment on their experiences. I'd appreciate it if any and all would pimp this in their journals, so we get as wide a sampling as possible.


[Poll #497921]

Comments

Ahoy!

[erinrua.livejournal.com]

First of all ~

I really hope people will check out Jo's new group and enjoy juicy meta conversation. The only reason I'm not over there is that I've too many irons in my own fires lately to distract myself further, so ... *sighhh*. I have to begin abstinance somewhere. (i.e.: I'm still working on Original Fiction and my brain only plays so many tracks at once! *G*)

Secondly - fun poll, GM! :-D If your first question had a "no, it's one of two" option, I would have checked that. PoTC and LOTR are the only places I hang out, fandom wise - and of course I followed the lovely Mr. Bloom over here only to be captivated by a certain bullion'd grin. ;-)

As for Favorite Character, I've gone against the tide a bit to say Will Turner. Why? One, because he's often sort of the underdog in fan fiction. Jack Sparrow is SUCH a scene stealer, such a peacock of a personality, flamboyant, showy, hard to miss, that sometimes poor Will comes off a weak second fiddle - and I don't see that at all. I think we're going to see some new steel in that boy in the next two movies, and the hints that he might become a bit "darker" do not really surprise me. He thinks in straight lines, in black and white rather than the shades of grey Jack sees, and that can make a dangerous man. If Will Turner thinks he's doing the Right Thing, I think he could even be a bit ruthless about it - especially if he thinks he's saving someone else, such as Elizabeth or his father.

Anyroad, I like Will also because he's a character with room to grow. Jack is Jack will be Jack and that's Jack. He's not going to change much. We may find new layers of him, or glimpse hitherto hidden facets, but he is what he is. Will Turner, however, is very much a work in progress and probably capable of surprising even himself. That to me is fun and interesting in a character. Don't get me wrong, Jack is marvelously, outragously unpredictable, which is the magic of his character, but he is crazy like a fox. He always has an angle or a scheme or a plan. Will, though, is a wild card. Stuff just sort of happens with him. And that interests me. :-)

As for how strongly PoTC has affected my life, I'd say not as profoundly as LOTR, but it has very much enhanced and added to the community and creativity that LOTR sparked. I mean, heck, here I am owner of an incredible Yahoo PoTC fan fiction group that has taken off with a life of its own - and I've never run a Yahoo group before this! From out there in the ether have come some of the most gifted writers I've ever seen, and they came to a place I built. That's like cobbling together a stage in my garage and having Pavarotti come sing there! (I love ya, mates!)

I also wrote and completed the first novel-length story of my life, when I wrote "PoTC: The African Star." Before that, I didn't know I could pull off writing a novel. That is a HUGE step for me, one of the most important writing achievements I've ever done. I hope to one day be a published novelist out in the Real World, but it took this fandom to teach me that I can really accomplish that large a task.

So really, PoTC as fandom has broadened my creative community and taught me even more about the process of writing and storytelling. It has taught me to think outside my usual creative box, as it were, and it has exposed me to even more and different styles of writing. There are different modes of storytelling that appear in PoTC than LOTR, perhaps because PoTC leaves us SO much blank canvas - and LOTR we're sort of writing between known places. In a way I think writers may tend to create more original-type fiction in PoTC than LOTR, just because there's more room for them to wriggle in, and actual historical frameworks they can work with. Or so it seems to me.

ANYwho ... the PoTC fandom has been a fascinating ride so far, and I'm very curious to see how/where it goes as the next two movies come out! :-)

Thanks for the poll and discussion, GM! :-)
Cheers ~

Erin

Re: Ahoy!

[veronica-rich.livejournal.com]

Will Turner, however, is very much a work in progress and probably capable of surprising even himself.

I must say, I'm rather looking forward to how OB handles Will's development in the sequels, given his acting has come a long way since LOTR (as demonstrated just recently in KoH). The challenge is, he's going to have to revisit a character he hasn't played in three years and has done several things since then - but at the same time, he's going to have to make Will grow and adapt within Will's own parameters.

Re: Ahoy!

[geekmama.livejournal.com]

The only reason I'm not over there is that I've too many irons in my own fires lately to distract myself further

The conversation is wonderfully intricate and interesting over there. Long involved posts, too. I haven't contributed very much, though I've read everything.

I like Will also because he's a character with room to grow. Jack is Jack will be Jack and that's Jack.

As I was saying to someone else who commented here, I think it's wise of the writers to make Will the focus of the action in the next movie(s), simply because he is a "work-in-progress". I think Will, Jack, Norrington, and Elizabeth have a marvelous combination of characteristics that compliment each other, and yet provide endless material for plot development.

here I am owner of an incredible Yahoo PoTC fan fiction group that has taken off with a life of its own

I think your captainly expertise has gone a long, long way toward making the group what it is. It may have a life of its own, but your hand is on the helm of that 'ship' when it needs to be, and, as you know, I am all admiration at your ability to guide it through rough waters.

PoTC as fandom has broadened my creative community and taught me even more about the process of writing and storytelling.

The quality of your African Star gives clear evidence of this. I am hoping we will have the opportunity to read the original story you are working on in the not-too-distant future.

I haven't read much fanfiction besides PotC, as you know, but it seems to me there are writers of truly amazing ability in this fandom. Some of the stuff is better than most published fiction, and I have read a lot of that!

This poll and discussion has been really interesting, hasn't it? It's something I'd been thinking of doing for a while, and I'm very glad I finally did: as I knew/suspected, there are a great many interesting personal anecdotes and trains of thoughts among the members of this fandom.

Re: Ahoy!

[hendercats.livejournal.com]

I haven't read much fanfiction besides PotC, as you know, but it seems to me there are writers of truly amazing ability in this fandom. Some of the stuff is better than most published fiction, and I have read a lot of that!

You are so very right! Dove into a couple books by a long-time favorite author over the weekend, one whose writing I had always appreciated because I felt it flows so very smoothly. Well. After the really good POTC fic I've read (since joining BPS and being introduced to LJ actually!) (and honestly, I'm not just talking about Impverse), I kept hitting snags: sentences that could have been worded much better, unusual words repeated within a few paragraphs and the like.

This is a great poll. I've been rather stuck today deciding how to respond...

Re: Ahoy!

[geekmama.livejournal.com]

Re: Your recent experience with favorite author - you know, it's been ages since I read much besides pirate!fic--my spare time has been devoted almost exclusively to writing, and reading and editing others' work. I do have a giant stack of books waiting to be read (and Quicksilver is one of the first on the agenda), and I'm wondering how the reading experience will have changed for me once I get back into it.

It did turn out to be a great poll, didn't it? So many interesting stories attached to peoples' experiences of this movie. Quite amazing.