So, Apparently I'm a Randall Fan

[usernamesareadrag]

Hello, everyone.  Well, I'm not quite sure what to say or where to begin, but here goes nothing.  I've never really considered myself a Randall fan- there wasn't some instant adoration when I saw Monsters Inc or a sudden obsession.  I liked him, though, partially because he shared my father's name and was voiced by the ever-talented Steve Buscemi and because he was interesting.  At the same time, however, it wasn't really something that I ever thought about.  He was Randall, he was pretty terrifying(Lord knows I wouldn't want him crawling out of my closet), and he was one of the film's villains.  Not the worst one, by far- he had a lot more going for him in my mind than Waternoose, but he was a villain.

  Well, a few years down the line, I watched the film again and again.  Each subsequent time, I was able to really think about the characters more.  Sully was my favorite as a kid because he was big and blue and fluffy, but with each viewing I saw more to the characters I'd written off as "not cute" as a kid.  It really hit me this week, however, on Wednesday when I caught it again on television, how much I liked Randall (and Mike, but I suppose I shouldn't wax poetic about him given some of the posts that I've read on this forum before signing up to join.  XD).  Then, of course, I watched Monster University yesterday.  And, hoo boy, it really clicked then.

  I could see myself in Randall- the socially awkward person, wanting ever-so-much to be included, ready to jump at the first glimmer of acceptance.  And then I felt bad for him because I saw ROR interact with him and realized he wasn't exactly comfortable with them(or, really, like at all) but it wasn't like he could just leave for multiple reasons, not the least being he'd be making an enemy of the big monsters on campus.

  So, yes, that's why I'm here.  I adore Randall, even if I've just now realized it, and, after running around tumblr checking out some Monsters University fanart of him(and Mike) I decided that I should go ahead and sign up here because I've got some Randall Boggs feels that I just can't contain and my friends are sick of hearing about them.

[pitbulllady]

Jun 23, 2013 19:47:00 GMT -5 usernamesareadrag said:

Hello, everyone.  Well, I'm not quite sure what to say or where to begin, but here goes nothing.  I've never really considered myself a Randall fan- there wasn't some instant adoration when I saw Monsters Inc or a sudden obsession.  I liked him, though, partially because he shared my father's name and was voiced by the ever-talented Steve Buscemi and because he was interesting.  At the same time, however, it wasn't really something that I ever thought about.  He was Randall, he was pretty terrifying(Lord knows I wouldn't want him crawling out of my closet), and he was one of the film's villains.  Not the worst one, by far- he had a lot more going for him in my mind than Waternoose, but he was a villain.

  Well, a few years down the line, I watched the film again and again.  Each subsequent time, I was able to really think about the characters more.  Sully was my favorite as a kid because he was big and blue and fluffy, but with each viewing I saw more to the characters I'd written off as "not cute" as a kid.  It really hit me this week, however, on Wednesday when I caught it again on television, how much I liked Randall (and Mike, but I suppose I shouldn't wax poetic about him given some of the posts that I've read on this forum before signing up to join.  XD).  Then, of course, I watched Monster University yesterday.  And, hoo boy, it really clicked then.

  I could see myself in Randall- the socially awkward person, wanting ever-so-much to be included, ready to jump at the first glimmer of acceptance.  And then I felt bad for him because I saw ROR interact with him and realized he wasn't exactly comfortable with them(or, really, like at all) but it wasn't like he could just leave for multiple reasons, not the least being he'd be making an enemy of the big monsters on campus.

  So, yes, that's why I'm here.  I adore Randall, even if I've just now realized it, and, after running around tumblr checking out some Monsters University fanart of him(and Mike) I decided that I should go ahead and sign up here because I've got some Randall Boggs feels that I just can't contain and my friends are sick of hearing about them.

To quote Professor Higgins from My Fair Lady: "by George, I think she's GOT it"!
I believe you hit upon why so many of us relate to Randall, and why others don't, and can't see his pain or why made that decision to join ROR in MU. Randall appeals to the socially-awkward, the ones who "want ever-so-much to be included, ready to jump at the first glimmer of acceptance." The people who already HAVE that acceptance have difficulty seeing through his eyes so to them he is just a social climber only wanting to "win" and be the most popular monster on campus who dumped poor Mike to be a big-shot. They're kinda like Marie Antoinette who, when told that the peasants had no bread to eat, said, "Well, let them eat CAKE" because she simply could not relate to or empathize with their plight at all.

pitbulllady

[Subliminal Scrutinizer]

This here is a good introduction. I apologize in advance for this, but I'm posting late here simply to compliment the narrative depth of this here expository assortment of paragraphs. I could follow the journey with exceptional ease because of the superb use of language here. The quality makes me wish there were more fictional works written in first-person on par with usernamesareadrag's performance here.

By the by, I see what you did there with that username.

Hopefully my introduction, when I get around to it, will be decent enough.

[lizardgirl]

I think that's a common thing, needing multiple viewings of MI to really get the subtle nuances and to pick up the other things that are really appealing about Randall. And, of course, MU certainly helps make him more relatable! Welcome to the boards, sounds like you'll have a lot to contribute here.