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An Open Letter To Toxic Star Wars Fans
As everyone knows, part of the nerd/geek/fanboy code is that it is okay to be yourself. It’s okay to love things a little too hard, care a little too much, invest in characters a little more than other people do.
We support one another. We defend one another. We have each other’s backs.
Or so I thought. That was before I read about the treatment of Kelly Marie Tran.
If you follow her on Instagram, you’d know that the actress comes across as a down to earth, humorous, smart, positive, woman. Her character in The Last Jedi, Rose Tico, was skilled, loyal, hopeful and fierce.
And yet, thousands of so-called Star Wars ‘fans’ have hurled spite and venom at Kelly via social media. Much of this abuse has been sexist or racist or a sickening combination of both.
It seems that the barrage has finally become too much, and Kelly has deleted all the posts from her Instagram. Her bio now says ‘Afraid but doing it anyway’.
How heart breaking.
How rage inducing.
HOW DARE THEY.
BULLYING IS BULLYING NO MATTER WHO DOES IT, FANBOYS.
Not only is this woman one of the first and few, of both her gender and race, to have a lead in a Star Wars film, but she’s one of us, a fan.
Oh, and more importantly, she’s a human woman with feelings, and a family and the right to be treated with respect.
So for the first time ever, I say, maybe it’s not okay to be yourself fellow geeks/nerds/fanboys.
It’s not.
Not if you’re a racist, a sexist, or a nasty Internet troll.
Not Online, not at a Con, not at a Movie Theater, nowhere. Don't do it. Keep all that malice locked up tight in your own head if it has to exist, please and thank you.
With all this said, one of the amazing things about Star Wars is that it teaches us that courage and hope can lead to great change. Though the Internet can seem dark and full of terrors, a small group of people standing for what is right, can make a difference. So let's do.
Here at The Truffle Cottage, we want to do our small part to help bring balance back to the Force.
For the rest of June, we will be offering 20% off any product online with the code NOTATOXICFANBOY.
Want to come in store? Get 25% off by saying 'I REBEL' as you're checking out.
We will also be donating a portion of profits to the Cybersmile Foundation (https://www.cybersmile.org/), a charitable organization that works tirelessly to end online bullying, and provides support to those that experience it.
We’ll sign off with iconic words from the amazing Rose Tico …
MAY THE FORCE BE WITH YOU.
Throwback Thursday: How It All Began
Our first ever Comic Con, and how the love of nerdy chocolate began, now feels like a distant memory, but it was actually only in September of 2013. Our friend Blair (now our Marketing Director) called me and said she might be able to get us a booth for free at Salt Lake Comic Con; was I interested in making some nerdy truffles? Now Free is of course my favorite price, and I immediately said yes, then I hung up the phone and Googled Comic Con, since I had absolutely no idea what it was.
Now that may come as a surprise (I hear the cries of outrage as I type this) since we are best known for our nerdy/geeky themed chocolate, but what can I say, I’m a convert ;)
When I figured out what Comic Con was, next came a frantic rush to figure out what to make. At the time the only ‘nerdy’ thing that I knew much about was Star Wars, so I decided that was a good place to start. We had no idea what to expect, but we borrowed a fridge from a friend (thanks Rosco), made about 60 boxes of Star Wars truffles (that number seems laughable now) and showed up with a folding table and no idea what was happening.
I clearly remember thinking ‘what the heck’ when all of a sudden Blair RAN at someone while we were setting up. Poor Lou Ferrigno, probably the first time the Hulk has been afraid of a 5ft 4 Scottish girl. It was my first encounter with fandom, something that was soon to be an integral part of my life.
I can honestly say that weekend was a definitive period for The Truffle Cottage. We had no idea how well received our chocolate would be, nor did I realize how amazing the nerd community was. Thanks to the attendees at that first SLCC, we were well on our way to a new found love of geekdom, as well as a new direction for the company.
After selling out within about 3 hours, I spent most of the rest of my Con (and all night, every night) in the kitchen making truffles as quickly as possible. Every new batch that got put on the table sold out, and the hundreds of cards we printed (we now take thousands) were long gone after the first day.
That year we were fortunate enough to be directly across from the Star Wars cosplayers that raise money for charity (heeeey Rebel Legion - Rogue Base) and we had a blast getting to know them and our other vendor neighbours.
We left that first Con exhausted, surprised and with a host of new friends. We were on the news, got to go to the after party and mingle with Celeb guests, and we received strict instructions to watch something called ‘Firefly’.
We had no way to anticipate what a life changing experience it would be, but we are sure glad that we got to experience it.
We now attend Cons all over the United States (soon to add Canada to the list) and most of our products are nerdy. I never thought I’d be spending hours crafting Dragon Eggs or chocolate Baby Groots, but I’m glad I get to create something that makes people happy.
Friends, thank you THANK YOU for the patronage, support and encouragement, as well as occasional suggestions, patience and Diet Pepsi. You have enriched our personal lives by introducing us to wonderful shows/book/comics and you are the reason that The Truffle Cottage exists in it’s current state.
We love you all, and can’t wait for many more Cons together! Oh, and whoever recommended Firefly that one time, we thank you most of all… ;)
That One Time Princess Leia Bought All Our Chocolate
Princess, General, Mental Health Advocate and all around BA; Carrie Fisher is one of those people that burnt bright and left us too soon. As a female owned business, that currently employs several women, we have of course been talking about the part she played as a role model to all of us.
As someone who personally wanted to be Indiana Jones when they grew up (I still low-key do), and knows definitively that Han Solo is the smoothest operator in the Galaxy, I have always found it refreshing to see a Damsel-in-a-dress doing some butt kicking.
I have always been drawn to strong characters that went on epic adventures, but it was princess Leia Organa specifically that showed me I could do it in majestic white with a sleek up-do.
Off the screen, everyone’s favourite Princess was a warrior in her own right. Dealing with addiction and mental health problems, Carrie Fisher was never ashamed of who she was or the cards she had been dealt.
In 2000, she bravely stated…
“I am mentally ill. I can say that. I am not ashamed of that. I survived that, I’m still surviving it, but bring it on. Better me than you.”
What a real life example of courage.
I have no claim to meeting Ms Fisher directly, but The Truffle Cottage once had the briefest of encounters with her…
In 2015, we attend Rose City Comic Con and it was going pretty typically for us. We had done trade for our booth as we often do, meaning that in exchange for attendance we had given the Con lots of Star Wars themed chocolate and truffles, which they put in the Celebrity gift bags and hotel rooms.
This is always a fun arrangement, because it usually means that the guests/celebrities will come to our booth to let us know that they liked it or to ask if they can try something else. We absolutely love getting to meet some of our idols and favourites from various fandoms: there is nothing cooler than watching John Barrowman eat a cookies and cream Dalek or John Rhys-Davies laugh when he sees a spicy chocolate Eye of Sauron!
Anyway... at the end of the last day, we had been so busy we hadn’t had a chance to sneak away and try to see Ms Fisher. As genuine, hardcore Star Wars fans, she was of course top of our list, but anyone that has worked at The Truffle Cottage booth knows that we hardly stop to take a breath whilst the floor is open.
We were sad to miss her, but grateful as always that our products had been so well received and that people were enjoying themselves (we always have a lot of fun at Cons, thank you to everyone that comes to see us)!
Busy reorganizing the table and telling people flavors, we about fell over when The General herself suddenly appeared, and with a sweeping gesture, declared: ‘I’ll take all the Han Solos in Carbonite’. She then flashed us a smile and was off again, leaving her poor handler to find some money and balance armfuls of cookies and cream filled Han Solos.
We don’t know for sure, but we like to think that she ate them all herself… or maybe she shared with some with Gary.
In this time of sadness at her passing, we can’t but help remember that briefest of encounters with fondness and a smile. That is why we have decided that for the whole month of January, in memory of this bright, brave woman, we are going to donate a portion of all Star Wars related sales (check in our Star Wars section) to the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance.
http://www.dbsalliance.org/site/PageServer?pagename=home
It’s a small gesture but it is the best way we can think of to honour the memory of someone that wasn’t ashamed to be who she was, and taught other people it’s okay for them too.
Carrie Fisher: drowned in moonlight, strangled by her own bra… Rest In Peace Princess.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION - MONTHLY SUBSCRIPTION BOXES
Friends & Loyal Customers,
We are sharing this information with some regret, as we have very much enjoyed coming up with fun and delicious novelty chocolate to send you every month.
As of December 1st, we are no longer going to be sending out our monthly subscription boxes. This is in large part due to fulfillment/shipping issues and we are so, SO sorry for any disappointment that this may cause.
For those of you who pay by card, we will automatically cancel your payments. For those that pay with a recurring PayPal subscription, you will have to go in and delete the recurring payment in your own account.
We hope that you will continue to give us your custom, as we strive to provide the best possible chocolate, truffles and nerdy delights possible.
Thank you so much again for your loyalty and support, we couldn’t do this without you!
Sincerely,
The Truffle Cottage Team
xXx
P.S. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact us at chocolate@thetrufflecottage.com
BLACK FRIDAY DEALS
Need a Little Something Something to Get Rid of The Winter Blues? Chocolate Cures All, It's SCIENCE*!
In honor of the year's biggest shopping day (and to help you recover from a full day of being Thankful), we have decided to throw an awesome discount out to help you fight off the winter blues.
For FRIDAY - MONDAY ONLY ...
