Newbie Question for The Veteran Browncoats of 2002

POSTED BY: Nellie
UPDATED: Friday, February 24, 2006 16:17
VIEWED: 9823
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NELLIE

Tuesday, February 21, 2006 2:27 PM

As a newbie of only a few months, I discovered that if you click on "profile", you find that some people are the original Veteran Browncoats of 2002, and I was just wondering about their views on some of the changes and trends they have seen in the past 4 years. If anyone should be handing out browncoats to new recruits, surely it should be them. Any veteran views out there?

FOLLOWMAL

Tuesday, February 21, 2006 3:14 PM

I'm not a veteran, Nellie, even though I do hand out 'coats... and I kinda felt funny about taking on that job, and expressed so in a thread. A fellow 'coat who was a veteran wrote me back and asked me for a 'coat, saying they hadn't gotten one when they arrived, made me feel so much better about what I was doin'. We have a lot of fun here... and sometimes we get carried away with the wacky fun... along with your question, perhaps I should add that if any veteran 'coats don't like what we're doin' to please say so.

I wouldn't want to offend.

I am very proud to be a Browncoat.. count it as a life changing thing. And I have the utmost respect for the folks who started this and braved their way thru so much time to get the movie and to be where we all are today.

I'd be interested in what they think about all the changes too.

" You hold. Hold til I get back." Mal

MSCKAREN

Tuesday, February 21, 2006 4:29 PM

I can only speak for myself. As a veteran, I've had some real highs and lows but mostly highs.

I really love all the enthusiasm from the "new blood"! I've been here a long time and get a little tired some times - even have taken "breaks" from the fandom once and a while.

It's great to come back and see new ideas and fired up fans. Very grateful for the reinforcements!

From what I've seen over the years at the various boards, veterans will let you know when/if you cross a line. My hot button is criticism of Joss for "not doing more". Those of us who've been here in the trenches know he's done EVERYTHING to keep the verse going. We've supported him and he's appreciative. End of story as far as I'm concerned.

So anyway keep handing out those browncoats, creating new frontiers (radio stations and such), and recruiting! I'm happy to pass the torch for a while...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Appears they've cancelled the show and we're still here. What does that make us?"
"Big damn junkies, Sir!"
"Ain't we just."
http://karenallover.blogspot.com/

DONCOAT

Tuesday, February 21, 2006 5:14 PM

What Karen said.

I've been a Browncoat (though I didn't know that word then) since the show first aired on Fox. I didn't join the online community until the runup to Serenity's release, but I've been doing my recruiting duty all along. And I too love the enthusiasm and sense of community that folks like FollowMal are keeping alive here.

So keep on goin' as long as you're enjoying it, and don't forget to reorder more 'coats when the stocks run low.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I don't disagree on any particular point.

CAUSAL

Tuesday, February 21, 2006 5:22 PM

Not a veteran of the boards that long, but did watch on TV during the orignal run. Been on the boards about two years. What I've noticed is the new vitality that's been evident around here as the converted make their way to FFF.net. Things were getting a mite stagnant, seemed like everything had been discussed. Having new folks around breathes a little life into the place.

________________________________________________________________________
I wish I had a magical wish-granting plank.

MOOSE

Tuesday, February 21, 2006 6:06 PM

Very well put, MSCKAREN.

I feel pretty much the same way.

It doesn't really matter how long someones been here, it only matters that they ARE here.

FOLLOWMAL

Tuesday, February 21, 2006 6:38 PM

Speaking for myself, I look up to all you folks who have been here a long time. I think everyone who falls in love with the 'verse falls hard, and becomes devoted instantly. And from what I've seen, stays that way.

We new recruits are excitable and I hope we continue to hold the line with pride and the same courage you guys have had.

Thanks DonCoat, I ordered more this a.m., because I believe....

" You hold. Hold til I get back." Mal

NOSADSEVEN

Tuesday, February 21, 2006 6:51 PM

I'm not a 2002 veteran, though I caught everything aired on FOX (except for the first ten minutes of TTJ - (felt like I'd missed the first two hours, imagine that...)). I didn't join the online community then, I just accepted the cancellation as the unfair way of the world and complained about it to everyone who would listen (though, none of them had ever seen the show - hence the cancellation...). Anyway, I was ecstatic to learn the DVDs were coming out (from a little blurb in TV Guide), bought them, watched them over and over and over again, then ventured online to help cope with the craving for more. I actually lurked for months before I ever even registered or posted.

Anyway, to your question...

I just find it very interesting to see the changes and trends over time. The community changes, while the subject stays the same. I joined up at a time when basically everyone online was well versed in the 'verse, if you will, because you'd only know to be here if you had the DVDs and therefore access to the commentaries and extras. Everyone was coming from the same starting point, with a shared base of Firefly experience. It's been an exciting (albeit sometimes exhausting) adjustment to get used to the mix of folks who've only managed to catch a few eps on Sci-Fi, or who've only seen the movie. But the influx of fresh enthusiasm and determination to get more from this 'verse warms the heart, and makes up for any changes in the 'community' aspect of the boards.

And of course, I do love to hear people's stories of how they found the 'verse, what their initial impressions were, when they fell in love, etc... That's never gettin' old.

I think any old-timers recognize that the "handing out browncoats to new recruits" is just a way of extending a welcome. We're Browncoats whether we were 'handed' one or brought our own.

~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ain't. We. Just.

KAELE

Tuesday, February 21, 2006 7:00 PM

I must say, even though I've really only been a fan for a little over the past month, this place really just sucks you in and there's no escaping.

It's just so depressing. No one loves you, but you come back for the abuse anyway.

Oh, wait. Wrong board. :)

I felt kinda funny too, just jumping in, greeting the new folks, and having some plain wacky fun. But no one said anything, not even a grumble about FollowMal and others just jumping in and joining in the long campaign.

This is what new recruits are for. They swell the line, bring in new blood, and sometimes even challenge the veterans to regain their enthusiasm.

There's something we can never do.

We can never repay the original Browncoats for their hardwork. We can never thank them enough for keeping up the fight, for continuing our 'verse, and making it known enough that all of us could enjoy it just as much as they.

The only way I can think of to repay their hard work in some small part is to follow in their footsteps. We spread the signal, we recruit. We put our money where the companies can SEE it. And we keep places like this alive and jumping and fun to be in. We have a community of very bright avid fans that work hard at doing all we really CAN do: hope and fight.

"Love. You can know all the math in the 'Verse, but take a boat in the air you don't love, she'll shake you off just as sure as the turning of worlds. Love keeps her in the air when she oughta fall down, tells ya she's hurtin' 'fore she keens. Makes her home."

We're home.

Kaele
AIM - Dewlanna
YID - jedi_kaele

MAL4PREZ

Tuesday, February 21, 2006 8:13 PM

Hi - newish person here, but I'll lay claim to one annoyance... that's when people get all grumpy and despair-y.

I understand feeling that way, I did too for a while. But then I heard about you people who watched the original episodes in 2002, and how you kept things going. I like sci-fi and love JW, but I never heard a thing about FF until the week before the BDM opened. I never would have if the vets didn't believe hard during the Dark Years. (da-da-da daaaaa) (uh, that was the Dark Years music)

to the vets! We newbies have it easy, I can't believe anyone would lose faith now!

m4p

Ask Dr. Science ... he knows more than you do.
"I have a Master's degree ... in science!"

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