#also low key promoting the drawn to life fandom like...

[bregee13]

It feels weird that the drawn to life fandom feels more active than the don't hug me I'm scared fandom. 

As much as I'm pretty sure it's because I'm actually involved with the DtL community (and that the dhmis fandom is actually a billion times more active no matter what), It's still weird. Like, dhmis has one of the tumblr sexymen of the apocalypse. And! They're getting actual new content. 

??? 

H- 

how???

[fibula-rasa]

The Vamps — Part Two: Theda Bara and the Star Image

Theda Bara was born in the shadow of the Egyptian pyramids–the daughter of a French actress and an Italian sculptor. Her betrothed is a skeleton.

Theodosia Goodman was born to a middle-class family in Cincinnati, Ohio. She was the daughter of a Jewish haberdasher.

In the early years of the film industry, there were no stars. Film producers knew that allowing for name recognition would empower their performers to make demands–like greater pay. So, the performers in films were routinely uncredited. Around 1910, that began to change. When The Biograph Girl, as she was known, moved to a different studio, her name was finally made known to the public: Florence Lawrence.

An aside: If this seems wild to you, think about modern television commercials. Before he jumped to a different company, how many people repeated the phrase “Can you hear me now?” without knowing the actor (Paul Marcarelli) from the Verizon commercials? Nowadays, what with google and social media, this isn’t quite as common but, still, How many people know the names of those Sonic guys (who are clearly in purgatory btw) but know their gags well? (Their names are T.J. Jagodowski and Peter Grosz.)

Once Florence Lawrence became The First Movie Star, it didn’t take long at all for the trappings of the star image’s constructed reality to develop. Movie fan press began covering the “private lives” and habits of performers. Studio employees built biographies for film performers that better matched their on-screen personas than their actual background. The performers themselves were variably complicit in the smoke and mirrors act. That’s not to suggest that everyone accepted these tales as the gospel truth. Much of the gossip press and movie fans simply had fun with it. That’s right, smarks are as old as kayfabe.

Theda Bara’s burst onto the screen in 1914 was an immediate draw. As the concept of film stars was crystalizing the film star’s image was intentionally muddled with the characters that they interpreted for the screen. In Bara’s case, Fox studios started fleshing out Bara’s Vamp pedigree. The Vamp archetype itself had taken form over the past decade [see Part 1], but Bara would give life to the paradigm. That first biography above is what was reported to the fan press by Fox’s press agents. The skeleton boyfriend was suggested by the copy to accompany a promotional photo shoot where a scantily clad Bara drapes herself beside a prone skeleton. The ties to Spiritualism are clear. Death was by no means a finality to Bara’s romance.

Bara swiftly became one of the biggest stars of film in the teens–alongside Charlie Chaplin and Mary Pickford–The Vamp, The Tramp, and The Sweetheart. As movie fandom grew and the Los Angeles colony of filmmakers coalesced, concerns arose about the real, unconstructed lives of the performers. For Vamp types in particular, the question of their IRL morality was important to address in order to maintain their popularity. If anyone actually believed Bara was a sex-crazed goth, that could spell trouble for her career as the public began to care about film-star morality. In a May 1918 issue of Photoplay, Bara was asked about her morality to which she responded:

‘People write me letters,’ she said smilingly; ‘and they ask me if I am as wicked as I seem on the screen. I look at my little canary and I say “Dicky, am I so wicked?” And Dicky says, “Tweet, tweet.” That may mean “yes, yes,” or “no, no,” may it not?’

Coy and quirky answers aside, Bara continued to be a popular draw for Fox. In 1917, she took on the ultimate Vamp role, Cleopatra. The film is now believed lost, but at the time, it was her biggest hit. As her contract with Fox was running down, Bara began to campaign for non-Vamp roles. After that contract expired, that’s what she tried to pursue. It didn’t really work out and she eventually opted to retire from acting in 1926.

Bara made forty films in her roughly twelve-year-long film career. Unfortunately, only a handful of her films are still extant. So, how has Bara’s image persisted so strongly more than a century after her debut when there’s so little of her work for admires to engage with? Well, there’s a lot of potential answers to that question.

For one, the character of Theda Bara, the film star, was very well-limned and much of that promotional material has survived. The photographs and accompanying promotional copy paint a vivid picture that people still respond to today. I can tell to you that, as a teen, when I was encountering Bara’s photographs in a book I was immediately dedicated to seeing her films. The heartbreak that came with discovering how few of them exist and were readily available to watch in the late 1990s was real. It’s a story that’s still repeated today.

Bara’s acting style probably contributes to her persistent popularity as well. She was part of an acting tradition that involved the repetition of specific expressions and gestures to interpret a characters’ emotions. This style translates beautifully into still photographs. It’s not a stretch to suggest that it’s easier with Bara than many other lost film stars to extrapolate what their films and performances were like.

Also, Bara herself lived on, continuing to play with her image–even parodying herself in her final film appearance in 1926.

Additionally, by chance, one of Bara’s most popular surviving films is A Fool There Was (1914), the film that officially solidified the Vamp archetype. From the material we have, film fans and scholars can use Bara handily to build narratives about the emergence of the star system and fan interaction. So, Theda Bara, The Vamp, has lived on regardless of the dearth of surviving film. Feels pretty Spiritualist in itself, eh?

Learn How to Get the Look BELOW THE JUMP

The Costume

To build yourself a Theda Bara costume, this are the key elements I would focus on:

The Makeup

Bara did her own makeup and costuming for many of her films. It was common practice at the time. So, like later-Cleo Elizabeth Taylor, Bara’s makeup is pretty consistent across her films. Authenticity be damned though, because you are making a costume for fun in 2018, not to be photographed on orthographic film in 1918. I chose maroon-red for my eyeshadow because I thought it would be more striking and, in black and white, would photograph darker than a cooler shade.

The key shape is curvy, elongated eyeshadow in a single color, well blended into a dark liner shade. Bara has pretty round eyes, so you’ll likely want to line your waterline with a lighter shade–white if you wanna be really striking, a nude lighter than your skin tone if you wanna play it low key. Your eyebrows should be straight and drawn out as long as the eye makeup.

The lip shape is small, but not a pucker-pout. Focus on the sharpness of the cupid’s bow. I chose a color in harmony with the eyeshadow, but any deep red or pink would do.

Blush and contour? Skip it. First because you need to cherish the gothy pallor. Second because it would look incongruous with this makeup style. Film stars of the era didn’t typically wear rouge because, on film, it would come off as a deep shadow. The gaunt look wasn’t very fashionable.

The Hair

You have lots of freedom here. Bara had long, thick, and curly hair but as bobs became more fashionable, she often pinned it up into a messy faux-bob. The latter is what I went with. I brushed and pinned the hair on the crown of my head forward to make an era-appropriate pouf.

Head gear is a good choice. I actually pinned a necklace into my hair but if you have any art-nouveau or ancient-Egypt inspired pieces, you’re set. It might sound a little wild, but a dead flower crown would be so on brand.

The Clothes

Scanty. The most important skin to flaunt is around your neck and collar bones. For dress/skirt length, you should go close to floor-length if possible. The fabric should ideally be drapey and/or gauzy. Now, if it’s cold where you are around Halloween, an extra-large scarf would be a good call.

Read Part One

Part Three: Pola Negri & Exoticism coming Thursday!

[carnelianwings]

sorey and rose for the character ask

(For this ask meme! Already answered: Mikleo, Magilou, Judas, Jude, Estelle, Eleanor, Hubert, Rutee, Lenneth Valkyrie, MCU!Wanda, Laphicet, Lailah, Rondoline, Milla, Asbel)

Also, in case it needs to be said, I’ll be doing both of these for game/manga-canon.

For Rose:

How I feel about this character: I went into Zestiria knowing absolutely nothing about her - no, for real, I actually kind of ignored a lot of Zestiria’s promotional material (just wait until you get to my answer for Sorey, anon, you guys are going to laugh so hard at me  XD).  So I didn’t know anything about Alisha leaving the party, I didn’t know anything about the fandom reaction (although I’d heard it got a lot of negative reviews, but I’m very much a “I’ll withhold my judgment until I’ve actually seen/read/played the thing myself” type).  So my initial reaction to her?  Damn, she’s an awesome assassin.  I wanna play her.  And as I got to know her better, and got to know her history and the world lore for Zestiria, she made more and more sense to me.  I also love that she wasn’t set up to be Sorey’s Love Interest either (that role was very very very definitely taken by the water seraph in the party, much to my shock and surprise, lol) and she was shown as a successful businesswoman and assassin, and honestly, I love her.  She wants to make the world a better place, and she’s not afraid to go all the way and do what she feels is right.

All the people I ship romantically with this character: Alisha, low-key, not really a major ship, but if it’s written well, or drawn well, I’ll read/reblog it.

My non-romantic OTP for this character: Sorey.  I love their dynamic, I love that she recognizes Sorey’s shortcomings and his reluctance to take a life, and I love that she’s willing to cover his weaknesses with her strength.

My unpopular opinion about this character: I didn’t find it all that puzzling that she didn’t generate malevolence as an assassin, especially after taking Berseria’s story and lore into account.  What generates malevolence isn’t so much the action, but the emotion behind it.  What sets Rose apart is that she has no doubts as to what she does.  She believes in what she does and her mission and that it’s the best way to make the world a better place.

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon: I do wish they’d been a little clearer in terms of what actually happened that day with the prince, Rose, Dezel, and Symonne, because that is, to me one of the weakest parts of Zestiria’s otherwise excellent writing.

For Sorey:

How I feel about this character: Sweet cinnamon roll, just wants to see all the ruins in the world with his basically-immortal boyfriend, just wants everyone to get along, human and seraphim alike.  Oh, and did I mention whenever he smiles it’s like the sun’s come out?  No, really, that’s Sorey right there.  He’s also super determined, loves ruins, and adores Mikleo.  He might be a bit rash at times, charging headlong into things, but he always keeps his friends’ safety in mind, always thanking them when they help him out of a tight spot or just to show his appreciation for them coming along in the first place.  Especially Mikleo, since he gushes about him all the time, even when there should be other priorities.  Like, say, getting away from a hellionized Cardinal Forton, lol.  I also just love how he manages to have this ideal, this heavily romanticized notion of what it means to be a Shepherd, actually becomes the Shepherd, and then sees the world and how it responds to him, but never once starts resenting the world or hating the mantle of Shepherd - if anything, all these hurdles he faces only makes him more determined to do what he can to make the world a better place.

EDIT: I can’t believe I forgot to mention this, but, I initially didn’t much care for Sorey with the initial promo material release.  I thought he was going to be another Lloyd, or Stahn - really idealistic, book dumb, sleeps all the time.  Then I actually played the game and actually got to know him, and man did my opinion do a 180, lol.  Basically over the course of my first playthrough I went from “shrug Not a bias, he looks like he’s going to be another typical nice guy Tales lead” to “He’s a sweet nice guy with a massive crush on his Childhood Best Friend, and I must stan and protect him at every turn”.  What can I say?  Actually playing the game and getting to know him made a huge difference, lol.

All the people I ship romantically with this character: In case it wasn’t obvious between my above answer and my url and my answer for Mikleo, Mikleo.  XD

My non-romantic OTP for this character: Rose and Alisha.  I just love the dynamic he has with both girls, which are entirely platonic, in my opinion.

My unpopular opinion about this character: He’s not bland, he’s not boring, he’s not dumb - Sorey’s actually really book smart and grows a lot as a character.  It’s not obvious or fed to you on a plate, but it’s there if you stop and take a moment to think about it and do all the side quests.  He starts off very idealistic, and he really does remain that way all game, but he also learns about the world and how much he’d have to sacrifice to save it and possibly change it.  And in the end, he really does give up everything - Zenrus, the only parental figure he’s ever had in his life; the rest of his life as a human, in exchange for purifying Maotelus; his human friends, since he knows it’s going to be centuries before he awakens again; and Mikleo, in a way, because even if they reunite in the end, that’s still centuries of time Mikleo experienced and grew without him.  And honestly, tell me this - how many characters can go through everything, see everything, and still kill the man who made them kill their father figure without harboring some sense of anger or revenge?  Sorey’s strength of character shines through in that one moment, because he kills Heldalf in the end, not out of a sense of revenge or anger, but to free him from his suffering as a Mercy Kill.

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon.  Y’know, I’m pretty happy with his story, but I would have loved a Big Damned Kiss with Mikleo, complete with the romantic strings and camera pans, lol.  After everything both boys have been through, they’ve earned that happily ever after in that second epilogue.

[goingknowherewastaken]

Crescendo

Title: Crescendo 

Fandom: Star Trek

Relationship: Bones x Reader

Prompt: (from @kaitymccoy123) ‘Okie you get the colour orange* and the prompt “I never believed in soulmates until I met you.”’

*Orange - enthusiasm, fascination, deceit, creativity, a cold popsicle on a hot day (I interpreted this one as ‘not standing a chance’), success, jumping-up-and-down-in-your-chair-excitement, shifty eyes

Warnings: vulgarities, mentions of sex, Bones made a very stupid decision, a poor hotel room got wrecked, it got a little angsty

A/N: This is for @kaitymccoy123 ‘s The Spring Has Sprung Challenge (if for some crazy reason you still aren’t following her, go follow her! you won’t regret it!)! I already knew that I wanted to write for Bones, but when got my color and prompt I whooped because how can I have that assignment and not write a Soulmate fic??????? Soulmate fic’s are my weakness!!

In this Soulmate!AU, you receive a small, black, capsule-like Pill on your eighteenth birthday. Once it’s ingested, your Mark will appear within 24 hours and it will be your primary way of finding your Soulmate. Although, it’s not the only way you can find them. Skin-on-skin contact with your SM will result in a Bond snapping into place. The Bond will allow not only a sharing of emotions, but also a sharing of thoughts. It’s next to impossible to ignore the Bond once it’s been started.

Hope you enjoy!! :D

Crescendo

“Are you fucking kidding me?” You hissed. The eyes of your fellow medical personal could be felt staring at you from all over the hospital floor you were on, but you only focused on the pair before you. Beneath your skin, your body was thrumming from the Bond, telling you to go to him.

Hug him.

Love him.

All your mind wanted you to do was punch him.

Or worse.

“[Y/F/N],” Leo pleaded, his hands held up in front of you as if you were a startled animal. “[Y/F/N], let me explain.”

“NO!” You roared. “You - You knew - YOU KNEW! YOU FUCKING BASTARD!”

That had him wincing, but it didn’t quell the hurt in your body. Your heart. “I - Yes, [Y/F/N], I did, but you have to -”

“How long.” You cut him off, clenching your fists to hide the shaking. A movement of red by the door in your peripheral alerted you that someone called security, but you didn’t care right now. Besides, from the looks of it, they too wanted to see what was happening.

Leo gave you a pleading look. “[Y/F/N]...”

“How. Long,” you demanded.

Defeat crossed his face, and he sighed. “Since the academy.”

When the words left his mouth, you went rigid, setting your jaw and tried to blink back the tears forming in your eyes. Without another word, you whipped around and marched on out of the Yorktown Medical Center.

You didn’t stop until you were back in your hotel room and, once the door closed, you lost it.

Crash!

The tulip filled vase hit the wall.

Crack!

Your Padd smacked the bathroom door.

Thud!

The coffee table was flipped onto its top.

On and on the destruction went. Boom! Bang! Snap! Rip! It wasn’t until the entire room was in shambles that you collapsed against the wall, sliding down to curl up on the floor, cheeks soaked from your torrent of tears.

Ever since you were little, you dreamed of finding your Soulmate. 

Of finding that person who was your predestined other half and having the Bond snap into place at first touch. Your parents were Matches; their twin snowflake-like marks located on their arms. You had front-row seats to their beautiful romance, proof of the strong soulmate Bond, and you ached to have your own. So when the Pill arrived on your eighteenth birthday, you downed it without hesitating and locked yourself in your room, completely undressing, before pacing around your room in anticipation.

And when it finally happened, you nearly mistook the itch on the back of your neck as a bug bite. It was a sweep of your hand - revealing no lump - that had you hastily scrambling for a mirror. When you didn’t find one, you settled for snapping a photo with your Padd and prayed it was in frame and focused.

There weren’t rules for displaying Marks. Some people covered them, using clothes, high-grade makeup and or the special patches. Those that did were usually traditionalists - who believed that only your Soulmate was privy to your Mark - or were in law enforcement. You, though? You bared it all for the universe to see - those beautiful lines that swooped, curved, and flicked in just the right way to remind you of a soaring phoenix. Neck-exposing hairstyles became your staple and there was hardly a single piece in your wardrobe that inched up your neck.

In fact, Starfleet was difficult to adjust to. The red uniform felt like a noose around your neck and your friends were always telling you to stop pulling at the collar. The day you were cleared to begin training at the hospital, and getting to wear low-collared scrubs, was a relief.

Until you met Leonard - Leo. He was a year ahead of you - well, years ahead of you - and the moment you met his hazel eyes across the floor you knew you were fucked.

Everything about him - his sharp facial features and soft brunet hair, his broad shoulders and lean torso, his long legs and built up muscle mass - had you itching to touch him.

But you shoved it down. You had a soulmate and he, as you soon found out, an ex-wife. 

It felt wrong to want him.

So you banked on the whispers of his less-than-pleasurable personality to nip the attraction in the butt, but the months passed and the two of you grew closer - a doctor-nurse duo that ruled the ‘Fleet hospital.

More time passed.

Nero happened and Leonard got promoted, leaving you behind. You hoped the old phrase was a lie, but - alas - it wasn’t.

Each vidcall, each Comm, each message, had your heart aching more and more. Quick hookups didn’t help. Not in the least. So you did the only thing you could do; you pushed your feelings into a tiny box and threw away the key.

Then the Enterprise received new orders and he came back, but Khan’s attack fucked over your plans to meetup.

And after, between the confidential meetings and caring for Kirk, you barely saw a hair of him.

The documents declaring your posting to the Enterprise for her five year mission - to work under Leo - had you sobbing with joy.

It was then that you knew that there was no way you could ever be with your soulmate. Not after knowing Leo.

So life continued. The days blending together the deeper into The Black the ship traveled. Each moment falling more and more, your secret locked up tight inside you. Your body physically aching for anything more, but never trusting yourself with skin to skin contact.

Before you knew it, the Enterprise was docking at Yorktown just shy of her third year in space, but soon she was warping off again for an urgent rescue mission.

And then the ‘bees’ came, stealing your pod only seconds after it deployed, your captors herding everyone into holding cells once on planet. You should have been more focused on your captured crewmembers around you, but your body moved on autopilot as you checked each one over. Your thoughts had been consumed by What if?’s that you couldn’t control, each one worse than the one before it.

Then the air filled with shouts and the sound of phaser fire. You had stumbled when the crew around you pushed back to avoid being hit with metal when the lock was blasted off.

God! You wanted nothing more than to throw your arms around him right then, but everyone was too frantic to get transported away.

The Franklin’s Medbay didn’t give you your chance either. Just a few hurried looks before Leo was called away, not to return as you, Christine, and M’Benga tried to keep everyone calm during the onslaught.

When the ancient ship gave it’s final shuddering crash, everyone was in motion again. It felt like hours before you finally collapsed onto the mobile biobed in Yorktown’s hospital, physically and emotionally beat. There was something in your gut that had you picking up your head and glancing down the hectic corridor just in time to see him burst out of the turbolift, all scratched up and in a panic.

Then Leo’s eyes met yours, his shoulders dropped, and your heart lodged itself in your throat at the sight of him shoving his way to you. And, standing before you, his hand brushed briefly against your face...

Your body trembled again from the new Bond and another sob ripped its way out of your throat.

He knew! God dammit, he knew!

He knew the entire time and he never told you.

All these years - wasted - believing that you could never have him...

A rattling breath was drawn into your lungs, distracting you enough that you missed the knocking at your door. You did, however, hear the voice that filtered through it.

“[Y/F/N]? [Y/F/N], open up!”

You sucked in another breath, the Bond buzzing with the close proximity of Leo, and yelled, “Go away!”

“[Y/F/N]!” A soft thump echoed through the door. “Please let me explain,” he begged.

“No!” Your heart squeezed.

“Darlin’, please!” Your head tipped back against the wall, a new wave of tears running down your cheeks as the Bond reacted to the pain lacing his voice.

Shit! 

It was several more seconds before you weakly projected, “Okay.”

The door open, but you kept your eyes shut. You felt his shock even before he spoke. “Good God, [Y/F/N]!” When he finally spied you, a cocktail of concern and guilt wracked over you as he picked his way through the destruction. “[Y/F/N]...,” he trailed off.

A sudden spark jolted up your arm and through your body. Tugging it closer to your chest, your eyes snapped open in time to see a distraught Leo retract his hand. “Don’t,” you spat out. “Don’t touch me.”

Hurt flashed through you.

“Darlin’...,” he sat down before you, his legs folded only inches from your own. You had to grip your arms tightly around your legs to keep yourself from touching him. “I’m sorry.” You took in a measure breath, trying to keep your turmoil at bay as he continued. “I - I shouldn’t have kept this from you.”

At least he had the decency to look ashamed. 

“Why,” you ground out the word, not sure if it sounded like a question or a demand.

Leo reached down, grabbing a stray tulip and began picking at the purple petals. “It...It was too soon. The damage from the divorce was still too fresh.” 

Your jaw ticked. “You still could have told me; I would have understood.”

He sighed. “I know, but ya gotta understand - Joce and I...we were stupid.” A low chuckled rumbled from him. “Young and stupid. We met in high school - first loves and all that - thought we knew everything. Thought we’d be soulmates. She sat with me after I took my Pill.” Leo dropped a petal, moving his hand to sit above his heart and you tipped your head with faint intrigue. He never went into detail about his marriage; just called it one of his biggest mistakes. “We were both in awe of the Mark when it appeared and she started counting down the days until her birthday. God, we should have known.” Regret. “We knew people who were together with mis-matching Marks -”

“- And you thought you could be one of them,” you finished. Leo met your eyes and nodded. They were stupid, but you didn’t say that out loud. The only time people with mis-matching Marks were together was if one had lost their Mate or if they were passing the time until they met theirs. 

“She found her Mate a few years into our marriage. I didn’t know it then; I was working too much.” Anger. Frustration. “Only found out ‘cause I got off shift early and found ‘em fuckin’ in our bed -” he sucked in a breath, glancing back up to you as affection flooded your veins, causing you to draw in your own shaky breath from the intensity. It took a few seconds to realize why. Having moved on it’s own accord, your hand now sat upon his wrist; boosting the emotional transference by tenfold. You wondered silently how long it would be until actual thoughts would be shared. Leo seemed to be waiting for you to remove it, but - when you didn’t - he slowly lowered his other hand to cover your own. He watched as his thumb circled around your skin. “I was a broken man, [Y/F/N],” he continued. 

Then he met your gaze - joy. attraction. joy. love. love. love. - and you were barely able to hold back a sob at what you felt. Hazel eyes glistened with tears and a tender smile grew on his face. “And then I saw you; God, I’d never seen anyone as beautiful as you, [Y/F/N] - like an angel glowin’ under the lights. And when you turned around and I saw your Mark - I thought my heart was going to burst. I was so thrilled and so - so scared. How could anyone as beautiful as you be with someone as old and broken as me?”

You wanted to open your mouth, to disagree, to counteract his thoughts, but you couldn’t form the words. 

“I - I tried to stay away from you, but you were everywhere - on the same shift, at the same bar, in the same class - and I couldn’t help myself. Darlin’, I had to get to know you.” Leo glanced down for a moment and you took the opportunity to wipe the tears from you face. He gave your hand a small squeeze. “[Y/F/N], after the divorce, I never believed in soulmates until I met you. It was so hard to be with you and not be able to touch you, but our time apart was the most grueling time of my life and I couldn’t stand the thought of being separated any longer. I fought to get you on the ship with me - had Jim back me up. 

So - so many times I just wanted to spill everything and - I just - [Y/F/N], I’m so sor-ry,” He voice broke with his final apology and every single feeling you had locked away over the years burst forth. With a cry as your only warning, you surged forward to wrap your arms around his shoulders, burying your head into his neck. The Bond soared when his arm wrapped themselves snugly around your body, drawing you in closer.

“Oh, you stupid - stupid man,” you jabbered, swatting the back of his shoulder. “You had no fucking right to keep this from me and we -” you pulled back and grasped his teary, hopeful face “- we will be discussing your stupidity later because right now I have to kiss you because I have been denied that for way too fucking long.” And with that, you tugged his head forward to smash your lips against his. The kiss - a bruising one of desperation - had the two of you lost in a whirlwind of emotions as the Bond - ignored for so long - swelled up in your hearts like a beautiful crescendo. 

It would be hours before the two of you finally left your quarters and weeks before he was left off the hook, but never again did the two of you allow your crescendo to break. 

Let me know if you wish to be added to my taglist in general! :)

Permanent Tags: @wonders-of-the-enterprise @igiveupicantthinkofausername

[prettymysticfalls]

SKAM: When Ordinary Becomes Extraordinary

SKAM, the hit Norwegian web TV series, didn’t only become a massive success in Norway, but it also became insanely popular worldwide. How did I discover the show though? Well, almost half of my dashboard was filled with SKAM gifs. At first, I didn’t feel like checking it out because I thought, it was being overrated. “Why would I, a young adult in mid 20s, bother with a teen drama?”, I said to myself. A few days/weeks later, almost my entire dasboard was filled with SKAM gifs. However, the more I saw it on my dash, the more I felt intrigued. Seeings gifs of wide variety of characters [interacting with and getting along all together] such as feminist, Muslim and LGBT characters made me rethink of my decision and made me feel myself drawn to the show. I couldn’t help my curiosity any longer. Hence, I ended up giving it a shot. I watched the first episode and then the second episode. I wasn’t able to help myself but keep watching the show ‘till late in night. Although the series’ language is Norwegian, I still enjoyed watching the series with English subtitles. The characters speaking Norwegian sounded cute and appealing to me, -since I’m someone who is interested in languages, especially Germanic languages, such as English, German, Dutch and I’m also curious about Swedish, Norwegian and Danish because they sound similar to those Germanic languages-. [Do I have to mention that I started learning Norwegian after Skam? Meanwhile, I’m also learning Swedish and Danish besides Norwegian after realizing how easily Scandinavian people could understand the show’s language. I also found out Skam means shame in all those 3 languages. Anyway, let’s go back to the topic.] Somehow, the show managed to get me hooked. As a result, I binge-watched it. What was it that got me addicted to the show? It was how real the characters felt. The characters are like someone from daily life. They are like us. Their stories aren’t so different from ours. They are real people. 

The thing, I love about Skam, is how ordinary the characters are and how compelling they are even though they are not extraordinary. The show also feels relatable because it’s like anything from daily life. I mean, the characters use social media just like us, they dress up and go to school and parties like us without being oversexualized. For instance, the actors don’t wear tons of make-up. They don’t bother covering zits on the actors’ face. Their foundations don’t look cakey. Their make-up doesn’t look professional. Their pores and pimples are visible. They don’t try to perfect their imperfections which makes them look perfect because they are real human beings. They wear the same clothes over and over. They combine their clothes with the ones they have. They don’t go to high school wearing high heels. Their hair isn’t styled all the time. They are like one of us. They do look natural. They do look normal. The real life topics are also mentioned and explained well such as first time, birth control, sexual orientation, sexual harrasment, mental disorders, feminism, religion, refugee, etc. They don’t actually fantasize subjects, they just play them out. I think, that’s really important and that does bring awareness. It’s good that there’s finally a show that is not a cliché, doesn’t doll up females glamorously, doesn’t make females and males look perfect or look like a covergirl or a coverboy featured in magazines, and doesn’t sexualize females and males by focusing on making body parts looking uber attractive. The characters use social media like do we. They imessage each other. They befriend each other on Facebook. They communicate with the ones whom they don’t have mobile numbers of through Facebook messenger. They check out Instagram, post pics there and like their friends’ pictures. They deal with real life struggles. They have their insecurities about the way they look, the way they fit in, etc. They make mistakes and they learn from their mistakes. They don’t judge each other. They defend and support each other. They help each other improve themselves. They make sure to bring out the best in each other. They bring down the barriers regarding Islamophobia and homophobia. They wipe away mental health stigma and discrimination.

The way the teenagers live on their own and take care of themselves might be the only thing which can feel sort of unrealistic. However, it’s not something very uncommon in Norway. As far as I know, parents travel a lot because of their work and some students live away from their parents to be closer to school and to get a better education. So, the teenagers learn to be independent at early age. Also, the writers of Skam mainly wanted to focus on the teenage characters, they didn’t consider including their parents in each episode.   

The cinematography and the lightning are actually amazing, even though the low budget of Skam. The slow motion is also so soft. The length of a certain scene doesn’t bore you, even though they make it too long because it feels like it’s one of moments that you’re living. They also have an excellent taste in music. The songs featured are like a key to a specific scene. They carry hidden meanings about storyline.

I really love how they wrote, portrayed and shot ‘love’, ‘make-out’ & ‘sex’ scenes on SKAM. Those scenes look so real and natural. It doesn’t look forced and fake at all. It doesn’t look like characters were only driven by lust and desire. It looks like characters were actually driven by love, romance and passion. The way characters interact with each other in those scenes also look so beautiful. The characters don’t only kiss and have sex, but they also stroke each other’s cheeks and hair gently, give each other an eskimo kiss, stare at each other so nicely and smile with their eyes. It all looks so pure, so soft and so genuine. 

The actors & actresses are actually young. They are at their 15s-20s. Their real ages match so well with their characters’ ages which makes the show credible. So, the casting is well done. You don’t get surprised by actors’ real age and you don’t get confused and distracted with the question “how a 30-year-old can play a 15-year-old?”. 

The cast isn’t experienced but they all act so successfully. Their acting skills are actually mindblowing. They really live the moment. They experience all those emotions. They are all so talented. There’s not a single character that makes you think “this one can not act”. The cast didn’t do anything to publicize the show. Most of them weren’t even popular or well known before the show aired. Some of them have day jobs such as telemarketer and barista, besides acting. So, their recognition couldn’t have been used for promoting the show. The crew also didn’t jump in marketing. They stayed away from advertisement. They kind of kept the show and the actors private from the press and media. They only used social media. They didn’t even consider airing the show with English subtitles because they had no idea how big the show was going to be. They thought it would only be watched in Norway and in Scandinavian countries such as Sweden and Denmark. After the show became popular all over the world, they still couldn’t air the show with english subtitles because of copyright issues with music. So this is where Skam fans united together and helped each other watch the show by translating and uploading it. Skam fandom is so nice and helpful and continue to grow more and more each day.

To cut a long story short, SKAM is a honest show with raw and pure characters dealing with personal and social problems living in a real world. It ain’t like any high school series that aired or you watched before. It focuses on the characters’ struggles, attractions, interactions and friendships. It is quite relatable. No wonder, it’s what made the show so compelling and so promising.

[lifeinthedigitalworld-blog]

Fandom

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The concept of fandom is multifaceted as it involves lot of different, yet detailed characters, from different backgrounds accompanied with diverse interpretations when it comes to the digital media. This blog post will deal with the cultural life theme, by looking specifically at fandom (both male and female) and illustrating how and why digital media influences people’s ideas about it.

The term ‘fan’ is derived from the word fanatic, which Jenkins (1996) refers to as “people of or belonging to a temple, or a temple servant or a devotee” (Jenkins, 1996: 12). In more simpler terms, the word ‘fan’ may be used to describe an admirer of a specific popular culture feature, which may be a soccer team(soccer fans) a particular music genre(music fans) or a precise icon (Beyonc�� fans).

Fandom is derived from the idea of a shared interest, or rather a common interest, consequently it is defined as “a shared identity performance” by Mediartexthack (2013) Accessed: 28 October 2017. It involves the creation of social groups, which may result in a group of people that share a similar interested and may seem as a ‘family’. An example of Fandom may be a common interest in a popular television serious such as Empire of Game of Thrones or a soccer team such as Real Madrid or Kaizer Chiefs. In this case the identity is shared among individuals who love watching the series or soccer matches and they may show this by purchasing item such as key holders or t shirts to keep as souvenirs (as observed in soccer matches, where people sell scarves, hats or t-shirts of the teams that are playing) purchasing these items shows some kind of ‘loyalty’ – which is what the concept of fandom about, some sort of devotion shared towards the team which they support.

So how does the digital media fit in with all of this? Firstly, social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter or Instagram have fan pages which are usually created by fans. An example which I discovered on Facebook is a fan page for car lovers called ‘Audi Lovers’’ which from my observation was predominantly filled with males. The page alone has around 1 million ‘likes’ and can be accessed on this link : https://www.facebook.com/AudiFanPage/ It is interesting to note that a confined space such as Facebook is able to bring together  such a large number of people, who have a common interest, being a car.

Digital platforms have also allowed for fans to communicate with each other, most often sharing information such as when the next meeting or event will be, what the dress code will be and what time the event is going to happen. Fandom can be viewed from two perspectives, one being masculine, a manly way of looking at fandom. This may include points such as that fandom is obsessive, dangerous and violent. While the second one is more of a feminine perspective, where there is a sense of being over emotional, sentimental and uncritical. Overall fandom strongly links to the idea of the female audiences, which is very bias and stereotypical as females are not the only audience that can be fans. Males are also fans, for example the majority of soccer supporters are males. There is a “conception of the fan as emotionally unstable, socially maladjusted, and dangerously out of sync with reality” (Jenkins, 1996 :13).

The digital space has also brought with it websites and blogs where fans can keep up with what or who they admire. For example there is a website specially created for Nicki Minaj fans called ‘MyPinkFriday’ and can be accessed on this link:  https://www.mypinkfriday.com/. The webisite provides information about events, news, charity, store and media about Nicki Minaj. This is proof that fandom is a complex arena which is typically underestimated.

Let’s look at Star Wars, which has a large fandom globally. It is a mainstream popular culture product , however the way it has been received  is oppositional due to the fact that the fans “find themselves arguing from a position of weakness in attempting to defend their fascination to the programme” (Jenkins, 1996: 21). Some characters in star wars are useful in some people’s identity, this identity may involve crossplay (that is dressing up in the costumes of fictional characters from television shows, movies or games.

With the help of digital media platforms, tournaments such as the ‘Cosplay Championship’ can be streamed live on YouTube from the official Star Wars page. Engaging in cross play also has some stereotypes when it comes to gender because males who indulge in it are seen as weird and geeky while females are seen as cool and interesting. This appeals to the way in which the patriarchy system views how women and men should dress and behave in society. 

There is actually an official website https://www.501st.com/ which basically promotes the interest of Star wars and to ‘facilitate costumes’. Fandoms are generally associated with low culture because they are associated with things that are not taken seriously or are not imagined to be that important and valuable in the society. The internet has elevated the status of fandom as more and more people are joining these communities online. More blogs are blogging about it, individuals are tweeting about specific fandom such as this Twitter user: @YamzInTheTrap : https://twitter.com/YamzInTheTrap/status/924418483697475585

Digital platforms have offered those who are considered to be fans of a specific celebrity, team or show just to name a few, the opportunity to express their views online. They are given the power to have cultural relations in class dynamic since they can somehow express the difference between high and low culture. A recent example can be drawn from the Migos Culture tour which happened at the TicketPro dome. Migos fans took videos at the concert and posted them on Twitter or Instagram using the hashtag #MigosSACultureTour with the hopes of creating the Fear Of Missing Out (‘FOMO’) among those who did not attend the concert. It goes to show that although the overall concert had a lot of downs, the ‘loyal fans’ remained true to their idols and cheered them on, causing them to trend on twitter.

So is fandom a good or bad thing? The good outweighs the bad when it comes to this. It is good as it intimidates power, hegemony and intersexuality. It is bad mainly because some people might view you as a lunatic for posting about your love for someone you have never met (Rihanna) or a fictional character (SpongeBob) or even worse! An item (coca cola cans, you know the ones that have names on them) But who cares? Life is too short anyway!

Sources

Jenkins, H. 1992. “Get A Life!” Fans, poachers, nomads. Textual Poachers: Television Fans and Participatory Culture. New York & London: Routledge.