Discussion time!

[quamquam20.livejournal.com]

To kick things off, I figured we could talk about the American Girl books and how we became interested in this pairing.

Here are my 2 cents:

A few months ago, I was trying to remember my first OTP. Not my first realization that two people were in love (thanks, Disney), but my first experience of really enjoying a pairing and wanting them to be together. And I decided that it was Felicity & Ben.

I was really, really into the books as a kid and I know they've played a huge role in my life, particularly my love of history. Part of what made them so enjoyable was Felicity herself- likable but flawed, as well as the other characters. Valerie Tripp didn't talk down to her readers and the world she created is believable.

I think that's why I still think about this pairing. I'm a sucker for friends who turn into something more, and I was always sure that Ben and Felicity would end up together.

Your turn! Feel free to share embarrassing stories about how you dig guys in ponytails because of Ben, still want to go to Colonial Williamsburg every year for your birthday, or how you had an imaginary friend that was a thinly veiled homage to said apprentice.

Or was that just me? omg

Comments

[quamquam20.livejournal.com]

my go-to early Federal America otp
I actually think that the time period is part of the appeal for me. There's something about them reuniting as the country is being established that's really exciting.

my sister and I specifically scouted out details that showed up in the illustrations from the book.
That is awesome. Isn't there a Davidson Shop or something? I remember fangirling pretty hard over that.

[quamquam20.livejournal.com]

I haven't read it, but it looks superb. And it has a gorgeous cover, which, though I wish it didn't, makes me want to read it more. I am a superficial bibliophile :(

It's definitely possible that they would end up in Richmond, but I don't think Williamsburg was abandoned after the war. The Civil War was really hard on it, though.

Re: Valerie Tripp Sez....

[quamquam20.livejournal.com]

You have no idea how happy that makes me. I feel significantly less crazy for shipping them.

Scanning & posting the letters is a fabulous idea!

Re: Valerie Tripp Sez....

[quamquam20.livejournal.com]

It's my pleasure.

I spent a while digging around deviant art and I think you've got the only Ben/Felicity stuff on there. Way to represent :)

[minefloozle.livejournal.com]

Well, I'm a bit of an oddball in fangirlisness...I never actually want to marry the guy myself, I'd just like it if real guys acted like him. But I really, really want the OTP to marry each other and I will waste valuable time inventing scenarios in which they do :)

And Felicity? One of my faves because of the time period- I'm a sucker for old-fashioned stuff, and I'm a shameless Patriot- and the story line, which is awesome. Ben/Felicity became an obsession just recently, upon re-reading the books. When I was a kid anything that only hinted at romance went Vwoop! right over my head. I'm serious. Disney's whole Pocahontas/John Smith thing passed me by right up until they kissed- then I was like, what? Huh? Where did that come from?

*ahem* Prolly shouldn't have told you that...

[quamquam20.livejournal.com]

I like to think that most fangirls want the characters to be together, rather than being in a relationship with them. But I'm pretty sure Twilight has destroyed my trust in human reason when it comes to fandom :/

When I was a kid anything that only hinted at romance went Vwoop! right over my head.
That's the brilliance of it, imo. There's the possibility of future romance, but it never gets in the way of the story or of Felicity herself. The American Girl books are really great about that and they don't make young readers uncomfortable.

As for Pocahontas, that was a rather forced pairing. I was a little confused by it as well.

[minefloozle.livejournal.com]

*whew* glad to know I'm not alone. :)

Re: Fan Interview!

[quamquam20.livejournal.com]

Those are great questions! I think they deserve their own post so it's more visible :)

[elysiastump.livejournal.com]

That only made me go 'huh?' when I watched that movie because I knew the true story about Pocahontas/John Smith. Then when they made the sequel I was wondering 'Okay, how are they going to fix this one?'

[minefloozle.livejournal.com]

*shudder* Ugh, the second one. Yeah. After taking all the time to make their ages match up and fabricating the whole romance and this and that and the other thing to futz up history, they just decided that John Smith would randomly become a jerk. *rolls eyes* Oh reeeeel nice. Not forced at all.

[likexaxdove.livejournal.com]

Well, I don't really have an exciting story to give you in terms of how long I've been shipping them, but I do remember reading the books in elementary school and thinking, "Okay yeah, this needs to happen."

I'm pretty pumped this community exists.

[quamquam20.livejournal.com]

I'm pretty pumped you exist :D lol

[princess-ostara.livejournal.com]

I was always a sucker for romance, even as a kid. I definitely remember reading the Felicity books and imagining them growing up and falling in love, eh, but what can I say? I shipped characters from The Magic School Bus too. I'm a sucker for friends turning into something more, particularly childhood friends.

Re: A Poem for Felicity and Ben

[quamquam20.livejournal.com]

That's a really lovely poem :) I'd love it if you made a post to the comm for this! (It's just like posting at your personal journal.)