How much of a passion is Moonlight to you still

[AussieJo]

francis. so well said!
I will follow and hopefully enjoy Alex in all that he does, but his portrayal of Mick will always have a place in my heart.

[greenleaf9]

Moonlight will always have a special place in my heart. I regularly become an obsessed fan of many tv shows, but never has my passion for a show reached quite so high a level as it did for Moonlight. Moonlight got me writing fanfic again for the first time since high school--I couldn't wait for the new episode every friday night, and I fell in love with Mick and then Josef, and I'll always love them.

The community of fans is so amazing. I had never experienced a fandom so close and kind and passionate and friendly. This is what keeps me coming back to the forums now--it's really the fans of the show, more than the show itself. I have a set of the DVD's--but it's been a while since I last watched an episode. I read very few fanfics these days, and I've retired from writing them. Without new episodes, for me, the inspiration kinda died.

For me, the level of passionate, roaring, all consuming fire I once had for the show has kind of died down to a glowing ember, that I fondly turn over every now and then.

[cassysj]

I've been a member of many fandoms and when Moonlight came along I had been without a favorite show for almost two years since Angel went off the air. In twenty five years of fandom Moonlight is the only one that inspired me to write create artwork etc....

I didn't find the online community until around the time the show was being cancelled. I missed out on live episode discussions etc.

While Moonlight is definitely a passion I have not seen the episodes very often. I doubt I've seen each one ten times which is unusual for me. I can quote episodes of Star Trek or Kung Fu The Legend Continues almost from memory but Moonlight is still fresh and new to me. I guess that's the spark that keeps me writing. The universe is wide open to me. I was not a big fan of Beth when the series was on but I've grown to love her over time.

I come to the boards every day for the people that are here. It's one of the most peaceful fandoms I've ever been involved in (even with previous upheavals it's a cake walk compared to some flame wars I've witnessed)

It's not the same as when it was on but it still holds a dear place in my heart and I don't see that changing any time soon.

[Phoenix]

Moonlight is still a passion. And it probably always will be.

The "problem" is RL, and various obligations - in addition to [positive] challenges & opportunities - that have been keeping me away from the board in recent months. That being said, my love of Moonlight hasn't waned at all ... even if the obsession has cooled from white-hot to a more manageable temperature.

When I think of Moonlight now, the love I feel naturally extends to the world-wide community we have built over the past three years. For me, the show and the community are entwined.

And I wouldn't want it any other way...

[Catmoon]

Well, obviously my muse isn't as active as it once was unfortunately. I did so much writing at one point that's all I was doing in my free time. Echoing what Francis said, I was living and breathing Moonlight to an unhealthy degree if I want to be honest. Neglecting other things. Also at that point in my life I was living in one small room and suffering with chronic back pain -- so I had few chores and in too much pain to do anything besides hang out on the computer. I have to say, ML was there just when I needed it. These days: I have a whole apartment to take care of, I'm not much pain right now so I'm able to do more, and I'm working 10-12 hr. days. I just never seem to have the time to sit down and read or write much.

There are two things that keep me here. 1. the wonderful community I love being a part of. Even if I'm not around much, I still consider this home. 2. Josef. The Josef-muse has given me so much inspiration, I've done my best writing in ML. That kind of muse is rare and unique and I love working with it.

Just FYI: my fandom passion has a history of lasting about ten years per show, before my attention starts wandering/looking for something new. So I've got quite a few ML years left in me! I've been taking a bit of a sabbatical, but I have a feeling the muse and I will be back again before long.

[Emerald]

Wow, there are some great responses. I'm finding myself nodding along in agreement with a lot of them. Like I mentioned over at the VampSister's boards, I had been feeling a tad disheartened seeing how much the Fandom had slowed down lately in terms of activity, especially juxtaposed alongside how much the H-50 Fandom is exploding at the moment. It reminds me of the early days for us with Moonlight, and I guess I miss that in a way, although I think what we have now is a more abiding, deeper love for the show overall, which is a good thing also. Ok, I'm rambling. One thing I have realised thinking about this, is that I get hooked on shows for the characters, anything else is superfluous to me. I fell in love with Moonlight because of Mick St John, and the rest of the characters, not because of any one particular actor. In contrast, although I'm thoroughly enjoying it, I find myself watching H-50 primarily for Alex's performance as Steve McGarret, therefore I just can't see myself really becoming hooked on the show like I did with Moonlight, simply because it's not enough of a character focused passion for me.

[jen]

Emerald

Totally agree about so many things.

One - the continuous loop recording I have in my head as a writer that goes something along the line of, 'you suck, don't embarrass yourself by posting the drivel' and that is the nice part of the monologue. When I read some of your words it was like you had a script for that tape!

Two - Moonlight was and continues to be very, very special. There was just so much magic here and a show that captures the imagination and heart of the audience is character driven. If you don't care about the characters, what is the point (and most network TV stubbornly refuses to see the forest for he trees). Sad. That right there is the most important piece of any show. If the audience falls in love with the characters, other problems will be accepted much more kindly. Just my opinion.

Jenna

[aolver]

I never post here anymore for reasons I won't delve into, but I still lurk and read fic here. Had to break my self imposed posting ban and reply to this subject. I haven't lost my love for Moonlight, even though I am an ardent fan of Alex and H5-0. If I live to be 80 I will love ML as much then as I do now. I was looking at my iTunes list and reading how many times I've watched various episodes in whole or in part. I have watched Sonata in some form or another 115 times, with BC, NSTAV, and FTP running right behind. This doesn't include the times I've watched the TV marathons and the epis on my portable DVD player on airplanes when I travel. I never tire of the episodes. And yes, it is the characters also which we love. I think that's why NCIS is suddenly so popular. The characters make it that way. Well, it feels good to declare my love for ML without worry I will be told that Alex has moved on, and I should do the same. I have moved on. I just took ML with me!

[Moonlightsonata]

aolver - Your comments made me think a little bit. What does it mean "to have moved on"? I'm not sure whether I have or haven't although I suspect I really haven't. For whatever dumb reason I keep expecting Hawaii-5-0 to mean more to me than it really does because Alex is in it. But I think it is because Alex is in it that I am not just letting the show be a show and I keep expecting more joy from it than I am getting. That isn't to say I don't like it a lot because I do - it just doesn't mean what Moonlight did and I guess maybe nothing again on TV ever will. At least not in my lifetime.

Yes I liked the Hawaii 5-0 scenes in bed and on the beach. Who wouldn't? But do they compare to the shower scene in "Black Crystal"? I think not. And has anything I have seen since than compare? No. So does that mean I haven't moved on? I guess so and I keep wondering what is wrong with me? I am really trying harder to be a "glass half full" kind of gal and sometimes I think I am succeeding but other times I am not. For instance "The Kin" (two brothers from Australia who had a few songs that were played on Moonlight) were in my area recently but I decided not to go because the venue is mostly frequented by twenty somethings and I would have felt ridiculous plus the number of actual seats were very limited. But the fact that I even thought about going means I probably haven't moved on.

Maybe it's time to get those meds changed? Thanks for listening to me ramble.

[jen]

Apples and oranges. Moonlight and H50 are two different things. The characters are entirely different and are presented in an entirely different way.

There was a scene in 50 on Monday night when the team was looking at suspects using some high tech displays and it felt a lot to me in that moment like 3R--showcasing the technology over the characters. Not how I would have gone, but clearly they aren't making shows for me. They decide, we watch and then they get to tell us if we like it. Viewers with opinions are just inconvenient.

This Hawaii 50 feels to me a lot like the original Jack Lord Hawaii 50 and I was upset for a while that it wasn't Moonlight. Now, I have decided that it never will be. The depth and charm of Moonlight are not there but the focus is entirely different.

Think of how we felt after we had seen the first two episodes of Moonlight, ending with that gripping scene when Mick sat on the floor of his loft, begging Beth to leave and not to look at him, his voice sounding like a frightened child with the pitch going up at the end of the sentences in a plea. Now, how many episodes of Hawaii 50 have we watched (I've watched every one) Think about how we felt about Mick and Beth and Josef at that point in the series and how we feel abut Steve, Danny, Chin Ho and Kono after many more episodes--the characters aren't really the focus as they were in Moonlight.

Will Hawaii 50 grow and its characters develop depth in time? Maybe, again that isn't the intended focus here--in my opinion.

Pluses for Hawaii 50--visually stunning. Expensively produced--you can see that they are throwing money at this show. Lots of it. I will give it time--because I have fond memories of watching that original 50 when I was a kid doing homework in front of the TV, and because Alex is just plain pretty--but Moonlight? Not even close.

I'm going to love the mystery, romance, ambiance and lots of other magical things in Moonlight for a long time to come but for now, I'd better run for cover before the produce starts flying...

Jenna

(I know someone out there is saying, come on Jenna, tell us how you really feel... )

[redwinter101]

A gentle reminder that this is a Moonlight thread - analysis and critique of H50 really belongs in one of the H50 threads, either the general thread (for general comment) or one of the episode threads for specific episode commentary.

Red

[Emerald]

'Alex has moved on'. Okay ladies, I have an announcement, just in case you haven't heard Alex has moved on, ergo you are no longer allowed to enjoy anything he was previously in. Put away your Back Up Plan and Oyster Farmer DVD's, stop watching Feed, don't even think about looking at The Incredible Journey of Mary Bryant, or anything else Alex has done, don't forget you guys 'Alex has moved on.'</hyperbole>

Does anyone else besides me see how ridiculous the 'Alex has moved on' argument is when it's taken to its logical extreme? You know remaining a fan of Moonlight, participating in the Fandom, posting on Moonlight messageboards, or other communities isn't going to cause some weird shift in the space time continuum and keep Alex himself in a state of suspended Moonlight animation. It is possible to still love Moonlight, to still be focused mainly on Moonlight, and yet have 'moved on', and allowed Alex to do the same (like he needs 'our' permission anyway). Besides all that, when it comes to Moonlight, I am first and foremost a fan of the fictional characters who don't actually exist. Alex is not Mick St John, Mick St John and Alex O'Loughlin are two separate entities as far as I'm concerned. One does not have anything to do with the other, therefore my love/enjoyment of one, or both affects neither.

So yes, as aolover so aptly said, I have moved on, I just took Moonlight with me. And no one, I don't care who, has the right to make me, or anyone else for that matter, feel bad about that choice.

/end rant.

[jen]

Emerald, you rock!!!

Exactly!

[allegrita]

And I've got to say, I can't imagine ONE of our members trying to make you feel bad for that attitude, Em. We're all right here with you in the "I don't want to be cured of my Moonlight addiction" program.

Hi, I'm Alle, and oh, man am I still a Moonlightaholic!
*adjusts new pretty red hat*

[Emerald]

Cheers guys Good to know I'm amongst likeminded company