give me arms to pray with instead of ones that hold too tightly;

Challenge #3: Guess Who's Coming to Dinner

In your own space, tell us who, from one of your fandoms, would you most want to have dinner with (or tea, or a random afternoon visit), And why? This could be a creator, an actor, a costumer, a set designer, a director, a character, a composer, anybody! What would you talk about? What are you dying to know?


So I had to think on this one a bit. I have several writers I would love to have over - the ones who I have subscribed to, whose works I've read over and over again, just so we can chat about writing and fandom and our stories and you know, just hang. I would like to be able to hang with my writing group again at some point, when it's safe to do so.

But the big one, I think, would be Carrie Fisher.

She was supposed to attend Rhode Island Comic Con a few years before her death and she ended up having to cancel. I remember telling my partner that it would be so hard to wait in line with both him and our son (who was a toddler at the time), but I would do it for Carrie Fisher. As she didn't attend, at the time I always thought there would be another chance to meet her.

And then she passed away.

I'm sure everyone has a story about Princess Leia and what she meant to them as a character. For me, I remember being eight years old and watching The Empire Strikes Back on VHS (taped from TV, so part of the Hoth scenes is missing). There was this woman, not much bigger than me, standing in front of these pilots and taking charge and telling them what to do. She didn't have to listen to anyone. She led the rebellion and even when things went south, she still took charge.

And then, as I got older, the way Carrie spoke of her mental illness resonated with me. As someone who's struggled with anxiety all my life, I was determined to accept that this is just "the way I am" and there wasn't anything I could do about it. I was wrong. Carrie helped me see that. She also helped me see that it was okay to be just as I am, flaws and all, and to be proud of what made me unique.

I'm not going to say that I'm ever going to manage my anxiety 100 percent. I do know that I'll never get the chance to tell Carrie thank you face to face, but I like to think she knew the impact she had on the world. So, thanks Space Mom, the General. You inspired my generation and the ones who come after me, too. ♥