#and be obsessed with how people consume and identify with fiction/celebrities

[translationandbetrayals]

“Otaku": insult or a pride identity?

The Japanese word "otaku" (お宅) literally means "your house" or "their house." In the early 1980s, this term started being used among anime and manga fans who, when talking about shared interests, would use "otaku" as a polite, indirect way of addressing each other. Over time, the word took on a new meaning, referring to people deeply (even obsessively) invested in hobbies related to Japanese pop culture, such as anime, manga, and video games.

The term "otaku" took on a negative connotation in the late 1980s due to the infamous “Otaku Killer” case, a series of crimes that deeply shocked Japanese society and shaped perceptions of otakus for decades. Between 1988 and 1989, a man named Tsutomu Miyazaki committed four murders, with young girls as his victims. The brutality of these crimes horrified Japan, leading to an extensive investigation of Miyazaki. When police arrested Miyazaki, they found a massive collection of anime, manga, horror films, and pornography in his home. Sensationalist media began highlighting the connection between these materials and his crimes, labeling Miyazaki as the “Otaku Killer.” The media narrative, rather than focusing solely on his mental health issues or the context that led to his actions, heavily emphasized his obsession with anime and related content, creating the impression that this kind of hobby could drive someone to antisocial and dangerous behaviors. This case marked a turning point for otaku culture in Japan. The media and the general public began viewing otakus as socially isolated individuals with unbalanced lives due to their obsessive hobbies. For many Japanese people, "otaku" came to mean someone who detached themselves from society to consume fictional content obsessively, to what many viewed as a pathological degree. Thus, the term became laden with stigmas associated with being antisocial, strange, and even dangerous.

In the West, however, "otaku" took on a very different meaning. In the 1990s and 2000s, as anime culture became popular globally, the word "otaku" was adopted without the stigma it carried in Japan. For fans outside of Japan, "otaku" simply became a way to identify with Japanese culture, expressing a shared interest and passion. Without the negative context, being an "otaku" in the West meant nothing more than being a fan of anime and manga. In this new context, the term came to represent something positive—a group identity that connected people across cultures. The otaku community outside of Japan grew quickly, organizing conventions, creating fan art and fanfiction, and celebrating a genuine love for anime and other aspects of Japanese culture. Thus, "otaku" was redefined as a term of pride and cultural connection.

Today, the term "otaku" remains ambiguous. In Japan, it still carries a certain negative charge, especially among older generations who remember the Tsutomu Miyazaki case and associate the word with obsession and social isolation. However, for many young people in Japan and a global community of fans, being an "otaku" represents dedication, love for pop culture, and a shared identity that defies its original stigma. The redefinition of the term "otaku" demonstrates how words can transform based on cultural contexts and historical events. Today, "otaku" doesn’t just identify an anime or manga lover; it represents someone who has found a space for self-expression, creativity, and freedom within this community. Rather than feeling ashamed of the term, many otakus see it as an affirmation of their passion and authenticity.

— Jonatan C. Arévalo

[sailorsenshishitposter]

Until it finds my dreams have disappeared

I've been debating about whether or not to post this for a while. Mostly because I use my tumblr to post dumb stuff or act as a distraction from stress. I'm getting kind of tired with people though. This isn't something exclusive to the Metal Gear franchise (far from it) but it's something I've noticed happening quite frequently. Metal Gear has many characters with horrible backgrounds that suffer from PTSD/CPTSD and many mental health issues. I can't help but notice that there's a trend in the younger crowd (isn't mgs exclusive) that whenever there's a heavily traumatized character (I've only seen it happen with male characters but I assume the opposite does happen) that they considere attractive, they will simp for them and post things unironically.

It's like they see someone who they think is attractive and start actually going "NO I CAN FIX THEM! THEY'RE JUST SAD LITTLE MEOW MEOWS". Like it's fine to make jokes but when you see posts that resemble those weird celebrity fan pages bordering on obsession I think it's time to take a step back. I get some people identify with characters which is fine but they'll completely ignore said characters actions and be like "sure they killed all those people but I'd totally let them cut me up if I had the chance to smash" when the person in question isn't even real. Or there will be a character that's traumatized so badly that they think that if you just cuddle a person like that and baby them then you can fix them. I guess I'm mostly just mad because I feel like usually these are young kids who still have a chance for a good life but they're very ignorant about how people affected by trauma can be.

It's not some cute, quirky thing. It changes your whole world and your beliefs, especially when it starts in childhood. You can technically put this for any character that meets the criteria but personally for me I would have to choose Monsoon from Metal Gear Rising. He grew up with no choice but to kill to survive and witnessed the Cambodian genocide along with working for the mafia and nearly dying from that. I don't really care if someone has a crush on a fictional character, personally that's none of my business. What I'm tired of is seeing frequent posts that range from "uwu my soft cinnamon roll baby" to all the graphic smut on here depicting tortue.

I can't speak for everyone but personally I find it demeaning when being coddled by others. Yes, I went through things but please don't treat me like a child. It feels insulting. I also have no problems with BDSM but I can only take seeing so many posts that basically allude to someone drawing a character about to be raped for their own personal enjoyment. It's especially bad when people make stuff of that for characters who have already been held hostage or enslaved (I'm looking at Vergil x Mundus shippers specifically).

Trauma is not something that you can help someone overcome. It consumes them and becomes your entire world regardless of how it came to be. In fact trauma is often passed down through genes. Though you may not have someone else's memories you will have the same reactions to traumatic situations that those before you did or your body will adapt to that kind of environment. Hypervigilance can be passed down through epigenic changes in DNA.

This is where things get personal for me. Though I've never met them, I know I come down from genocide survivors. I'm either third or fourth generation. I'm not exactly sure what they saw but from what I've read it was common to see various forms of torture. One method was to stick babies in the sand and then trample over their heads with horses... Based on the family I could find and knowing their location, they must have survived the death marches and I'm unsure if they were at the final killing fields or not. That's not even mentioning everything they had being taken away from them and seeing everyone they knew suffer horrible fates. To this day bone fragments will still rise from the ground, the bodies of the dead never having been put properly to rest.

I'm unable to travel there but if I could, I couldn't help but feel like I'm being swallowed by death. Why am I here but so many perished. Then on to my father. I don't know much about him and he passed away when I was a child. All I really know about his background was that he came from a wealthy family. It was common for his friends families to have guards outside their children's bedroom doors. We lived in a western country where it was "safe" (he wasnt originally from where I Iive) but I remember he wouldn't sleep at night and would seem like he was looking for something during the day. Sometimes he just stared like he was waiting for something to happen but nothing ever came. I don't want to say that he was an intentionally cruel person, just that I don't think he had the capabilities to act like a normal human being. I was raised with a mindset of being better than others. That is to say that I wasn't supposed to have weakness. It makes sense looking back. He survived having his body messed up and I was told he survived assisnation attemps (corruption is huge down there so it's not like police could do anything). Nothing was said after so I assumed he killed whoever was after him before they could kill him. Pretty much a kill or be killed mindset.

Growing up I realized he was hard on us not to hurt us but because he thought it would make things easier for us in the future. I know it must have been even worse for him if he thought that this was being kind. Anyway he passed away when I was a child and long story short but for whatever reason my family couldn't get in contact with us so I never received my inheritance but that's for the best. I don't know how well I would have handled it at nine if I knew there was a possibility of being kidnapped or killed for the money or because someone had a grudge against my father.

I guess I always knew I was different but his death really solidified that. I was used to having to be tougher but it seems like my older sister and mother couldn't handle it. They already cried one time when we couldn't see him (which was often) and once the news broke I just remember everyone sobbing and screaming in agony. I didn't feel anything though. I realize now that it was dissociation but no tears would fall and I understood what was happening but it felt like I couldn't emotionally process it. At some point I have no memories up until a certain point. Whenever I have some sort of traumatic situation happen I suffer from dissociative amnesia. I'm not sure for how long, I just know that there are large gaps in my memory.

Right before my memories vanished I can remember not wanting to exist anymore. The day after I was surrounded by all the sobbing and knew that I couldn't let myself die. If I did I would just be trying to escape from my pain and would place it on my family. So for the last two decades I haven't really had a dream or anything to look forward to. I've just had a goal of trying not to die. There are many more traumatic things that followed which I won't get into but I dislike telling people my life story since they just give me looks of pity or seem like they want to ask how I haven't killed myself yet.

Unfortunately the kill or be killed mindset has been passed on. While I've never harmed anyone, I have recovered memories involving someone I trusted keeping me against my will and unspeakable things happening many times. I've had frequent nightmares since then and didn't know that my situation wasn't normal. By the time I was a teenager I found out that I didnt have to live my life in fear and allow abuse to keep happening. I've decided since then that I'll do whatever I can should I be faced with a similar situation in the future. I can only fight back to stop such a thing from happening again. It will most likely never occur again but it still affects my life everyday. I can't go out in public without someone I trust and even then I still scan the whole area and look for an escape route. I shouldn't have to feel like everyone around me is a possible threat to my safety and freedom.

I don't think people realize just how calming the rain can actually be. Not just the light stuff but heavy rain. It acts as a soothing white noise that drowns out your thoughts and feeling it hit your body also distracts you. I won't say when since it could reveal my location but within the last few years I was outside during a very bad storm that had frequent wet microbursts. It destroyed all the trees in the area and I almost died but I felt oddly calm. It was one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen. There was so much wind and rain that it resembled blowing snow and there was so much water hitting the ground that it would form waves that would zoom so fast and then crash only to repeat the process over and over.

I guess what I'm trying to say is I'm annoyed by all the sexualization of people with mental health issues. With the way some people act towards characters that don't exist, it worries me how they could treat real people going through similar situations. And on the other hand please see trauma survivors as real people. Many of us had to survive on our own and you thinking someone being terrified is just a shy/cute trait that makes them adorable is infuriating. I can't tell you how much I hate the latter. I'm so sick of people thinking that I need someone to spoil me with affection and protect me to the point where I feel like I'm being treated as a baby. It just makes me feel more weak and pathetic.

[echoes-lighthouse]

Proship vs. Anti (A Personal Manifesto)

I define the difference between ‘proship’ and ‘anti’ as basically being whether you can judge a person’s future actions by their taste in fiction, and I strongly believe that’s not true. 

Antis believe that consuming problematic media makes you more likely to do problematic things in the future (ie. incest fics will lead to irl incest, etc), whereas proshippers believe that most people can separate fiction/fantasy and reality, and understand that enjoying dark fiction doesn’t mean those things are ok in real life. 

I believe that kinks and fiction are all a matter of playacting, and are not an indicator of deeper desire. Participating in BDSM doesn’t make someone abusive if all parties are consenting. Selfshipping with an underage character doesn’t make someone attracted to real minors. 

So here’s the short version of my views on fictional limits! 

I support people shipping themselves with villains, including “irredeemable” ones

I support people shipping themselves with characters out of their age range, although I’m personally more comfortable with aging up or down the character or self-insert if there’s a minor/adult gap

I genuinely don’t care what fanfiction people write, but I am usually uncomfortable with bloggers who identify themselves as particularly attached to problematic tropes (ie. specifically seeking out incest ships over other ships)

I do support open conversation about problematic elements in media, but I don’t typically support the outright banning of fandoms (I’m more conflicted about problematic actors, artists, or youtubers with large followings, but it’s complicated)

I think it’s quite cute when people selfship with celebrities in their own head/notebooks (I know a lot of people have married celebrities in their daydreams), but I have more complicated feelings about posting publicly about selfships with real people, and I haven’t settled on one side or the other

I have strict limits on content that involves real people (videos of assault, explicit content of minors, and posts that encourage harm or provide ‘how to’ guides for sexual assault) and I WILL report any of that, because it is different from fictional content and causes active harm

I am deeply unsettled by positivity posts for problematic fancontent that actively paints it as ‘cute’ or ‘desirable’ but I also understand it comes from a place of reacting to fandom negativity? I’m conflicted on this. 

If you have questions about any of these, feel free to send an ask or a message: I’m very open to discussions in good faith and will do my best to explain myself! 

--

Why Am I Proship?

I grew up selfshipping with a lot of villains, and in those daydreams, our age gaps were often a large feature of my writing and fantasies. I was selfshipping with villains by age six, including creating self-insert fanfiction, but when I was eleven I gravitated towards Nolan’s Joker and really settled in. At the time, I didn’t know about online fandoms: I was an isolated autistic nerd who very much identified as a freak for my interests and the intensity of my obsessions.

I discovered fanfiction two years later, and was overjoyed.

I felt like I wasn’t so weird, and I wasn’t alone, and that there was a space for freaks like me.

In high school, my friends and I had friendly competitions to find the weirdest fics online: cannibalism and unusual kinks and intentionally shocking fics like ‘the [insert noun] fic’ were some of our standard fare, as we competed in teenaged fashion to weird each other out. When we didn’t have weird fics for niche fandoms, we would challenge each other to write them.

Shipping and fandom has never been about my real-life desires, to me: it’s escapism at its finest, into a multiverse of headcanons and fanfictions where nothing affects even the fictional characters for long, with everything shifting from one fanfiction to another. Major character deaths make me cry, and then they come back to life again: relationships build to marriage and then start again from scratch. A ship can be domestic perfection in one story, and a horrific game of manipulation in the next one.

There’s a multitude of reasons why someone might enjoy fanfiction that is triggering to someone else. In my own life, I take comfort in some very strange tropes, including kidnapping (how nice to not have to make any decisions anymore) to omegaverse (what a lovely world where biology makes other people so sensitive to my needs), which I’m aware are NOT real-life desires for myself.

It is genuinely appalling to me that people judge each other so harshly based on their taste in fanfiction and fandom content. I remember being in shipping wars as a teenager: yes, the Wincest shippers were freaks, but they were damn better than the squares who weren’t in fandom at all, and would make fun of all of us for reading fanfiction. And when my friends shipped Wincest, I teased them for being weird and then let them tease me about Hannigram a few years later.

Although I don’t identify 100% with the label proship (I am very concerned about the way that fiction reflects and reinforces our society’s shortcomings, especially with the way it reveals current misogyny, racism, ableism, and tendencies towards oversexualizing teenagers, among other things), I tend to be much more forgiving in fandom, which is mostly created by single people and their fantasies, rather than books and shows that are produced by companies, funded by companies, and designed for mass consumption.

[rockislandadultreads]

Libby Spotlight: Newly-Added Comic & Graphic Books

Black Panther by Ta-Nehisi Coates & Brian Stelfreeze

A new era begins for the Black Panther! MacArthur Genius and National Book Award-winning writer Ta-Nehisi Coates (Between the World and Me) takes the helm, confronting T'Challa with a dramatic upheaval in Wakanda that will make leading the African nation tougher than ever before. When a superhuman terrorist group calling itself The People sparks a violent uprising, the land famed for its incredible technology and proud warrior traditions will be thrown into turmoil. As suicide bombers terrorize the population, T'Challa struggles to unite his citizens, and a familiar villain steps out of the shadows. If Wakanda is to survive, it must adapt — but can its monarch, one in a long line of Black Panthers, survive the necessary change? Heavy lies the head that wears the cowl!

Collects Black Panther (2016) #1-4, Fantastic Four (1961) #52.

Fine by Rhea Ewing

As graphic artist Rhea Ewing neared college graduation in 2012, they became consumed by the question: What is gender? This obsession sparked a quest in which they eagerly approached both friends and strangers in their quiet Midwest town for interviews to turn into comics. A decade later, this project exploded into a sweeping portrait of the intricacies of gender expression with interviewees from all over the country. Questions such as "How do you Identify" produced fiercely honest stories of dealing with adolescence, taking hormones, changing pronouns—and how these experiences can differ, often drastically, depending on culture, race, and religion.

Amidst beautifully rendered scenes emerges Ewing's own story of growing up in rural Kentucky, grappling with their identity as a teenager, and ultimately finding themself through art—and by creating something this very fine. Tender and wise, inclusive and inviting, Fine is an indispensable account for anyone eager to define gender in their own terms.

Kindred by Octavia E. Butler & John Jennings

More than 35 years after its release, Kindred continues to draw in new readers with its deep exploration of the violence and loss of humanity caused by slavery in the United States, and its complex and lasting impact on the present day. Adapted by celebrated academics and comics artists Damian Duffy and John Jennings, this graphic novel powerfully renders Butlerâs mysterious and moving story, which spans racial and gender divides in the antebellum South through the 20th century.

Butlerâs most celebrated, critically acclaimed work tells the story of Dana, a young black woman who is suddenly and inexplicably transported from her home in 1970s California to the pre-Civil War South. As she time-travels between worlds, one in which she is a free woman and one where she is part of her own complicated familial history on a southern plantation, she becomes frighteningly entangled in the lives of Rufus, a conflicted white slaveholder and one of Danaâs own ancestors, and the many people who are enslaved by him.

Held up as an essential work in feminist, science-fiction, and fantasy genres, and a cornerstone of the Afrofuturism movement, there are over 500,000 copies of Kindred in print. The intersectionality of race, history, and the treatment of women addressed within the original work remain critical topics in contemporary dialogue, both in the classroom and in the public sphere.

The Life-Changing Manga of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo & Yuko Uramoto

Marie Kondo presents the fictional story of Chiaki, a young woman in Tokyo who struggles with a cluttered apartment, messy love life, and lack of direction. After receiving a complaint from her attractive next-door neighbor about the sad state of her balcony, Chiaki gets Kondo to take her on as a client. Through a series of entertaining and insightful lessons, Kondo helps Chiaki get her home—and life—in order. This insightful, illustrated case study is perfect for people looking for a fun introduction to the KonMari Method of tidying up, as well as tried-and-true fans of Marie Kondo eager for a new way to think about what sparks joy. Featuring illustrations by award-winning manga artist Yuko Uramoto, this book also makes a great read for manga and graphic novel lovers of all ages.

[loki-zen]

as a somewhat older millennial - of an age to have been a baby feminist before I’d ever heard of trans people - I feel like I really can’t emphasise enough what a rhetorical own goal it is to make it halfway plausible for somebody to claim “the transes are trying to take Mulan from you.”

[asteracaea]

i'm just gonna contemplate some hypotheticals here.

let's say you're a very young woman with startling talent as a songwriter and a performer, and you are dedicated to your dream of becoming a huge star. the particular genre your music has found its voice in (thus far) is country.

during the years you grow up, it's not really socially acceptable for a girl to not be interested in boys. and queerness in any form is even less supported, discussed, or accepted than it is today. so you talk about boys with your friends, convince yourself that you like them (and hey, maybe you really do!) but there's also something appealing to you about girls and you like them a LOT. maybe you haven't identified what it is exactly. you probably don't have the language or knowledge to understand what you're feeling. your culture doesn't provide you with that. but because girls are allowed to be very close and even physically intimate with their best friends, you are free to joke and play and explore your feelings without them being labeled as something unacceptable.

you work unbelievably hard and you finally get your big break as a musician. maybe your managers can tell something about you, maybe you've already figured it out about yourself, or maybe this is still unknown or un acknowledged by everyone in your circle. either way, your team starts to build the media narrative of the precocious american princess dreaming of love.

maybe originating from your pr team, or maybe starting organically in your fans, people start to love the idea that your songs are "confessional," like diary entries. they love the idea of knowing your innermost feelings. because this clearly leads to more sales and more revenue, you and your team decide to go along with this. you encourage it and play along. when you see the major interest that comes from revealing (or at least intimating) who a song is about, you use that as a marketing strategy and it works.

yes, your songs are actually brilliant and they are what keep people around, but the marketing strategies are what get most of them to bite the hook in the first place. the public has a massive fascination with the love lives and relationships of celebrities. you know this and exploit this and it works. maybe the guys you date are all pr set-ups, maybe you were encouraged to try dating them for real because it would benefit both of your upcoming projects, maybe you really did meet somewhere and sparks flew. but maybe there were other people who stirred your heart who your publicist told you "would not be a good idea." maybe you had to hide those feelings (or relationships!) but you could still write about those experiences by changing a gender pronoun here and inserting a male name there.

your strategy is working. you are quickly becoming one of the biggest country stars in the world, and then one of the biggest stars period. you expand into the more-widely consumed genre of pop. but more attention unfortunately also means more criticism and scrutiny. because people are obsessed with celebrity relationships, yours (real or not) become the only topic of conversation. not your music itself. this is heartbreaking for you. not only that, the strategy which once worked so well in your favor is now starting to tear you down. people slut shame you, call you a "serial dater," say that guys shouldn't date you because they'll "just get a song written about them." no one (except your fans) is actually paying attention to the beautiful art you are creating at a level of quality (and quantity) that is astonishing for anyone, let alone someone of your young years.

maybe around this time you meet someone who could very well be your soul mate. it's pretty much love at first sight. because you are both girls, you can let the world see how close you are, how you spend all your time together, even hold hands, and people can just call you "pals." maybe for a while that is what it is. but maybe one day you go from friends to this. maybe your behavior in public becomes a little too much to write off as "just pals." you both have careers as international superstars and it is very likely that a relationship of this nature would jeopardize them. the careers you love, that you spent your whole lives working toward, that other people's livelihoods depend on. so what are you to do?

your summer of the apocalypse comes. the world turns on you and you are sent into exile. you are devastated and what you thought was your reality has shattered and crashed. but you still have music, and you still have your great love. you step back from it all and reassess, rearrange, regroup. you find that you are happy, stable, grounded. but the only way to preserve that is by never again allowing the public so deep into your life. people loved you for your openness, how much of yourself that you shared. but then they used that to hurt you and you won't let it happen again. so you come up with a new strategy.

you want to write songs about a deep, intimate, long-lasting love, but your past "relationships" have only spanned a few months at most. you also want people to stop scrutinizing your actions, particularly your dating life; stop talking about it, speculating about it, criticizing you for it. you find a tall, blond, blue-eyed british boy. he will be part of the story you tell the world. he will be long-term, stable, happy. he will also be boring. no one will have anything to gossip about, and no one will go prying for anything under the surface. you take full control of your public image, to the smallest detail. eventually, your music will be heard for what it is, instead of as gossip-y tell-alls. you expand your creativity and meld "fact" with fiction to 1) throw everyone off the scent and 2) to create stunning art that you wouldn't have been able to when you felt limited to only write as the character of your public persona.

and behind the scenes, you can do whatever you want. are you still with your muse of 8 years? we don't know! are you dating other women, other people of any gender? we don't know! but you have your music and your privacy and you are at peace.

[surveys-at-your-service]

Survey #274

“now i can hear the marching feet / they’re moving into the street”

What color was the last swimsuit you wore? I only have a black one. Is your dream job attainable? I mean define “dream job.” I’d ideally be a meerkat biologist if I was willing to live in Africa and could handle even mild heat, but I can’t/won’t do either of those, so it’s not obtainable to me. I’d also love to be a paleontologist if I could travel and handle heat once more, but again, I can’t. My only *attainable* dream job is being a photographer, which I am aiming for. I’d LIKE to focus on nature/wildlife photography, but that’s unlikely to be able to support me, so. Do you have to go to school or work tomorrow? N/A Have you slept for longer than usual today? Yes, but only because of my nightmares. I tend to take at least two (though sometimes one) hour-long naps during the day because if I wake up once during the night, as I usually do, I’m fucked because I’m very likely to have an intense nightmare. It seems like the medicine I’m on wears off with consciousness, I guess. I only allow myself to sleep an hour at daytime because my mother has noticed if I have a nightmare, it’s usually no earlier than one hour into sleep. Even then I still have them occasionally. Have you ever taken classes for a musical instrument? Recorder in elementary school was necessary for whatever stupid reason, and then I played the flute for years. Out of school, I took guitar lessons for a while. I got semi-decent (at best I could do the intro to “Crazy Train” at normal speed, I think), but it didn’t last because it was annoying/time-consuming to build up the calluses that make playing painless, I was really bad at overthinking where my fingers were, and I just wasn’t invested quite enough. I’ll tell you, it gave me mad respect for guitarists, that shit isn’t easy by any means. Have you ever been on vacation with someone other than your family? Yes, though it was brief. I was a kid (okay, pre-teen, w/e) still in my separation anxiety from Mom phase and it was literally because of me we had to go home. I still feel shitty about it, though no one seemed upset at me. How old do you think you’ll be when you move out on your own? Who the fuck even knows anymore. Do you have a job? If so, where do you work? If not, do you want one? No; N/A; yes ultimately but no at the current moment because I have to keep watch over Mom. If you wear make-up, which brand of foundation/powder do you use? N/A Would you call yourself a “people” person? Nope. What is one change you need to make in your life this month? Just one??? What’s been tugging on your heart lately? My PTSD plus self-image has been very, very bad. What is the last thing you did that made you feel guilty? Mom had to clean up my cat’s projectile vomit even though she’s supposed to stay away from this kinda stuff through chemo. I literally cannot fucking touch vomit, never mind what came out of him that night. I felt like absolute fucking shit and I still do because WOW I’m a great adult right!! Do you have any physical traits that are bothering you lately? Like, everything. What kind of dog is your favorite? I’m biased to beagles. What was the last thing you received in the mail? A book. What is the last thing you wrote? Like, physically? My signature at the doctor’s office. Do you still care about the person you first kissed? Way fucking more than I should. Do you require a lot of private time? Definitely more than most people. Do you have any songs currently stuck in your head? I haven’t listened to it in forever for ~reasons~, yet “The Mortician’s Daughter” is stuck in my head badly and really needs to fuck off. What was the last song you downloaded? I dunno, I went on a download binge a while back. Have you ever read a really funny book? I remember at least one. “Bite Me” by IDR-Who. Some vampire satire. Have you ever done something humiliating while drunk? Never reached the point of being drunk. How would you react if your celebrity crush came to your door? fuckin YIKES I am NOT attractive rn go away Has your mom/dad ever walked in on you kissing or anything more with someone? HAHA my mom has always had the decency to knock, not so much his mom a;lwkejrewoei but the answer’s still no. What electronics are in your room? (DVD player, CD player, etc) This laptop, my phone, a Nintendo DS, my iPod… Do you have a box anywhere with special items you'll to keep forever in it? Yes, actually. Grew up calling them “treasure boxes.” Do you have any pictures of yourself on your bedroom walls? Lol no, I’d definitely prefer to not see myself as much as I can. That sounds melodramatic, but I’m being serious. It either depresses me or makes me angry. Does your dad collect anything? The Cleveland Browns’ football team stuff, for one. Maybe Carolina Hurricane stuff, too? Idk. I don’t live with him and don’t go in his “man cave” at his house often ha ha. What's better, a desktop or laptop? Explain. A laptop. Portable; that’s all the explanation ya really need. Do your parents still hide chocolate eggs around on Easter for you? Nah. What do you typically do on Easter Day? We go to my sister’s house to watch the kids do their egg hunting and open their gifts, then we usually go to Ashley’s in-laws’ for dinner. Is there anyone you literally need to exist? Apparently not. Thought so. Never let yourself into that state of mind. What would you prefer to get from a guy/girl: flowers, a hand-written poem, a picture he drew of you or a nice night out? Oh, a hand-written poem would wreck me, yeesh. Or a drawing. But any would be very sweet. Do you remember why you made the last mistake you did? I don’t know the most recent mistake, but probably because I’m just in general a terrified person who second-guesses or overanalyzes everything. Did you check how many calories the last thing you ate had? Yes. I’m back on my calorie-counting obsession again. Are your nails long or short? Short, always. I can’t keep them long. What is your favorite kind of cookie? Just the ordinary chocolate chip is fine. What was the last compliment you received? I don’t know. Who will be the next person you kiss? I normally delete this question because the answer should be so obvious, but I feel like just pointing it out that no one fucking knows who they’re gonna kiss next. It’s a dangerous mindset. Don’t make assumptions about what you’ll have even tomorrow. Have you ever made your own icon? Yeah, on many sites. They’re just about always just edits, though, not truly original work. What color is your computer mouse? It’s black. Have you ever been sung to on your birthday in a restaurant? Yes. Do you like black olives? I don’t like olives period. Do you actually think there will be a zombie apocolypse? Personally, no. I do think it’s scientifically possible, we already see this in insects, but I just don’t imagine it happening to humans before we’re our own downfall. Do you like the person you’ve become over the past years? Fuck no. Have you ever gone to church just to get a significant other? … No…? Have you ever punched a wall out of complete anger? No, that shit is terrifying. Are you really ticklish? YES don’t fucking touch me. How do you decide what you're going to eat each day? I just follow what I’m craving that day. How are you similar to your siblings? Different? Compared to Ashley and Nicole at least, I can’t think of any real similarities off the top of my head. They’re intelligent, motivated, outgoing, successful, yada yada, then there’s me. What's your favorite type of non-fiction literature? Autobiographies by people I’m actually interested in. Do you believe in souls? Soulmates? Souls, absolutely. Soulmates, no. It’s fairytale ideation to think your soul has a perfect match with another, hate to break it to ya. Favorite soundtrack? BITCH don’t make me choose between Shadow of the Colossus and Silent Hill 2. Fucking masterpieces. Pianos or guitars? *shrugs* Depends on the music and my mood. Did an animal ever bite you? Never seriously. How many languages do you speak? Only English fluently. I’m poor at German by now. Wiggly worms or bumble bees? Worms gross me out, bees are Good Boys. Religion? I don’t really identify with any. I just believe there’s some form of ultimate intelligence and essences beyond just the body, and that’s all I even pretend to know. Fog, thunder, or rain? Fog gives me that Silent Hill Vibe *Italian kiss* What regret keeps coming back to haunt you daily? The way I treated Jason after the breakup. If you could cure yourself of one allergy, what would it be? Damn pollen. Do you know anyone else with your name? Yeah. What would you be most afraid of happening if you were to visit Africa? Viruses or botflies. Where are you tempted to move to sometimes? I very legitimately want to live in Canada by now, but I won’t because I’m not moving that far from family. Who seems like they have the perfect life? I try not to make that assumption of anyone. Do you ever take pictures of negative moments? Does taking pictures of roadkill count???? lmao probably Do you think it would be a good idea to post photos of negative moments as well as positive? Well… I guess it depends. Like ngl, the pictures some people share of them having panic attacks to just show how fucking real they are definitely touch you, as do those depicting poverty, etc., BUT I really do think there are limits and also differences in motivations. What time zone are you in? EST. Would you ever post a picture of yourself crying on social media? Wow, speaking of. No. ^Why or why not? I am an UGLY cry-er, my man. But I also just don’t want people to see that, and it’s definitely not on my mind to take a picture during a breakdown. What was the last thing you cried about? My life. Have you ever held a newborn baby? Yes. Do you know anyone who has twins? Yes. Where do you buy calendars from? I don’t. Do you shop at the dollar store often? Not *often*, but we’ll stop by for a snack or something sometimes. Are you following in the career path of any family members? No. Do you feel you missed out on a lot as a kid? I guess in some ways. Who was that best friend you ever had? Sara. What color is your laptop? Black. What are five careers you think you’d be good at? My work history has shown I can’t do shit right. Are you thriving in your life right now? lmao no one is in 2020. Who do you have moral support from? My family, doctor, and a few friends. Who encourages you to go after your dreams? The same as above. Do you have people in your family who want you dead? Wow, I hope not. Do you have a walk-in closet? No, but my room at the new house will. :’) Not that I need one, it’s just pretty cool. How do you feel about people like Elon Musk, Bill Gates, and Jeff Bezos having so much power and control in the world? Do you believe that any one person should have so much power? Let’s be real, in our current world, money is power, and no one should have that much control of the world, especially if your intentions are bad. NOW I don’t know jack shit about any of those are far as morals go, but just saying. It’s dangerous. Has your anxiety alone ever prevented you from doing something you wanted to do? This is ACTUALLY the story of my fucking life. Do you enjoy reading stories and novels that are heavily stylistic, poetic, or unconventional or do you prefer your prose to follow a familiar grammatical structure? Okay, I LOVE those, like Johnny Got His Gun and The Handmaid’s Tale that’s kinda like, run-on writing. Just letting a train of thought go. Those are two of the most powerful books I’ve ever read and they’re both written in a unique fashion. Have you ever fallen for any sort of Internet-based hoax? (e.g., fake celeb death, satire news article…) I’m sure at some point, especially as a kid. Do you tend to read reviews before you watch a movie or read a book? What do you hope to get out of doing so? NO. I don’t wanna have any precognition. When you go to a concert, how far must you travel for the most usual venues you visit? Most are on the other end of the state, and NC is long, so. We’re lucky if they come to Raleigh. Do you rent movies frequently? I never do, really. What is your favorite thing to do outside? Take pictures or swim. What’s your favorite meal to cook? I don’t cook. What movie has been taken WAY too far, as far as sequels go? Oh, I’m sure there are some, but none immediately come to mind. I’m not that into movies. Do you refuse to eat certain foods because of what they look like? Yes. I am VERY poor at getting past how a food looks. What are you listening to? NSP’s cover of “Don’t Fear The Reaper.” It’s fuckin gorgeous. How much homework do you have tonight? N/A Are you wearing any bracelets? Yes; one that Sara got me as well as an ovarian cancer awareness one. What's physically wrong with you right now? JINKIES I just feel really lethargic like always. Do you take any medications daily? Ha ha thanks for actually reminding me I need to now. When was the last time you moved to a new house? Two years ago, and now we’ll be moving to a much better place by the end of this month/early September, finally. When it comes to relationships, are you the jealous type? Nah. Which gift cards do you have in your wallet? Idk actually. It’s not like I use it a lot. Can you remember the last time you felt ill? What was wrong with you? A few nights ago. I was extremely hot, dizzy, and pretty nauseated. I was fine, though. If you wear make-up, do you take it with you, to reapply throughout the day? Does your make-up stay for a long time after you first apply it, or do you find that you need to reapply often? Are you wearing any make-up atm? I pretty much never wear makeup so have never really had a reason to reapply it. I’m definitely not wearing any now. Does your kitchen have a theme? No. Do you like ice cream sandwiches? GIRL yes. Do you prefer earbuds or headphones? Earbuds. They’re more comfortable imo but more importantly block out exterior noise very well. Are you a fan of any independent films? ngl, I don’t know exactly what that is and I don’t feel like looking it up. Could you possibly write a successful novel? I very genuinely think some of the RP stories I’ve taken part in are novel-worthy, yes. I wanted to make them books when I was younger, but now I no longer do mainly because there are areas that are just way too fucking dark that I don’t wanna put out there but play massive parts in the stories, so like… Do you regularly watch the news? I never do. Facebook is my “news” source lmao. Who was the last person you video-chatted with? I don’t remember for sure, maybe some doctor? What do you want the theme of your wedding to be? I don’t really think about this, seeing as my mind has changed enough, and it also depends on what my partner wants, too. Have you ever been caught passing a note in class? Noooo, I absolutely hated passing notes because I was genuinely a good student. I only did so very, very rarely if another friend started it. Have you ever had dandruff? I have dandruff AND a dry scalp. It’s a wonderful mix. Have you ever gone through a phase of crushing on EVERYONE? Definitely not. Do you have any clothes with spikes/studs on them? I have a spiked choker, and I might still have gloves with studs? Can you remember what you last clapped for? My mom’s birthday! :’) Have you ever given a pet to someone else? Yes, with cats; we had to do that quite often when I was a kid because we had so many cats, none which we could afford to fix. Then we’ve done it with two dogs we just couldn’t handle. Oh yeah, I gave my iguana away too because he was too high maintenance for me, but also because he DESPERATELY needed a much bigger terrarium, which we couldn’t afford. I absolutely could not watch him in that tiny tank. I miss him a LOT, but he went to a wonderful home! The lady who adopted him sent me pictures upon pictures months after taking him in. Do you know anyone named Walter? No. What's your least favorite ice-cream flavor? Strawberry is fucking disgusting. And that’s coming from someone whose favorite fruit is strawberries. What's your least favorite song by your favorite artist? I’m not sure. There’s a handful that just don’t grab my attention that I don’t even remember them. What was the last good news you heard? I can FINALLY talk to my psychiatrist tomorrow. Who’s your favorite singer of all time? Probably Freddie Mercury. What airline do you fly most? Idk, I don’t really pay attention. I haven’t flown very often though anyway. Do you have a dog that is destructive? I don’t have a dog. What’s one TV series you’ve seen every episode of? Meerkat Manor is the most obvious, ha ha. Maaaaany times. Assuming you have Facebook, who last left you a wallpost? Probably my friend Sammi. Assuming you have hair, how are you wearing it today? It’s too short for me to “wear” it any particular way. It’s just… there lmao. Assuming you're not homeless, what kind of living arrangements do you have? I live with my mom in a house she’s renting. Have you or have you ever considered messing around with the same sex? I’m bisexual so you can guess I’m not opposed to it. Are you particular about any brands of food you will or will not eat? Are there any restaurants you refuse to go to? Brands, no. I don’t eat Chick-fil-a because they’re run by fucking homophobic bigots that monetarily support conversion therapy and other anti-LGBT projects. I’m not giving you any fucking money. What was the most current dream you can remember about? Do you generally dream every night, or hardly at all? It was actually last night, when I dreamed about accidentally running into Jason where I last knew he worked, and he was really hostile. If I don’t take my medicine, I always have nightmares when I sleep.

[itsclydebitches]

So growing up I had a friend and knew of others who were very much the hardcore fangirl with certain VA and actors. I'm talking would read and write smut. Fantasize over people like Crispin Freeman, Vic Mignogna, and other VA's in anime. Plus huge Supernatural fan, really into Jared and Jensen. All this while she was 16. Would unironically fuck them if given the chance. She's in her 20's now and is probably not as a rapid fangirl, but I haven't seen her in forever.

It’s admittedly a complicated topic (aren’t they all?) but on the whole I think that interest is healthy going one way, but not the other. Meaning, it’s natural for young people, particularly teens, to fantasize about celebrities, especially celebrities that are older than them. Because they’re at a time in their life when they’re trying to figure out how to be adults themselves and there, in all that glory, is a perfect adult. Look how handsome or beautiful they are. Look how talented. Look how perfect and put together. I’m admittedly speaking from my own memories of being a teen, but for me it was a potent combination of wanting to be with them—or rather, with this persona they’ve developed in public places that isn’t really them—and wanting to be them. The “rabid fangirl” stereotype is a mix of a whole slew of different emotions. When someone latches onto a “pairing” like Jared and Jensen it’s “Wouldn’t it be amazing if I were loved and adored like they are?” and “It must be so great to have someone care for you in the way he does for him,” and “Isn’t it fun to do something a bit taboo like imagining these real people together?” and “It’s so much more comforting to explore complicated things like my own sexuality with people that are removed from my own body and troubles,” and “I draw great support from this fandom community who just happens to ship them so why wouldn’t I join in?” and “My adoration for this fictional show needs to spill over somehow” and yes, also “I honestly just think they’re hot.” RPF is its own complicated and morally fought thing, but I believe that the initial emotions that stem from it—fan adoring actors, often actors who are older then them—is normal. Teens want to imagine being with someone who is hotter than all their current choices (out of puberty), who is charming (more mature), and who thinks that they’re something special (you’re not like those other 16yos). They want to model themselves off of the people they see on TV—other “teenagers” who are really 25+ year-olds in perfect makeup, lighting, wardrobes—and to be validated. Imagining someone as amazing as Jensen or Jared falling for you, the 16yo “nobody” is a powerful fantasy.

But it is just that: a fantasy. A comfort and an enjoyment that, for the most part, stays within private and semi-private spaces: your own thoughts or fan communities (which is just ONE of the reasons why people are upset when other fans foster smut fic off on actors. It’s highly inappropriate towards both them and the community; an extreme form of fandom-ing that threatens everyone else’s more innocent fun). And eventually teens outgrow that. Not that you outgrow fandom, but you come to more easily identify the fantasy as a fantasy; something you enjoy with caveats and in moderation. It’s why we don’t necessarily discourage those fantasies, but we teach young people howto recognize how dangerous they’d be if you were given the chance to make them real. Yeah, it might seem like that 50yo thinks you’re so mature for your age… but he doesn’t. He’s preying on you. Stick to writing fic about the character he plays and don’t go near him if given the chance. So you (hopefully) end up with less “rabid fangirl” and more professional women laughing with her friends about how this show is banking on us thinking the actors are hot as hell and oh, honey.. it worked.

The problem is when that interest is reversed. When the actors in question start praying on that naivety and enjoyment. You’re quite right, anon: there is a power dynamic and it cannot be ignored. Any celebrity has a responsibility to acknowledge that they cannot, under any circumstances, take advantage of their position. A 16yo claiming she’s in love with you does not give you the right to sleep with her. A young fan who wants your autograph hasn’t agreed for you to touch him with unwanted hugs, kisses, etc. People like Mignogna are predators who have used their status horrifically. Adults everywhere have the responsibility of maintaining appropriate boundaries because minors cannot do that themselves. Fans are interacting with a plucked and shined and generally unrealistic persona that has been deliberately given to the public for them to consume and adore. They express that adoration in numerous ways, often semi-private ways, and are using these celebrities as a kind of emotional outlet. Heading to a sleepover and talking about which actor you’d straight up die for is a pretty normal part of growing up. But just because young fans are doing both what comes naturally to people and what companies encourage them to (more obsession with actors means more interaction, which means more money…) doesn’t mean the adults involved get to betray that dynamic and use it as an excuse to harm them.

[cucamonga-springs]

Death of a Dystopian: The life and legacy of J.G. Ballard - by Joanne McNeil

On the third week of April in 2009, the news included stories about celebrity obsession, empty foreclosed properties, a young medical student who murdered prostitutes, and the death of the man who forecast this media landscape years ago. James Graham Ballard died of advanced prostate cancer on April 19 at the age of 78.

Apart from maybe Samuel Beckett, no other modern writer saw his ideas proliferate across so many platforms. Ballard influenced filmmakers from David Cronenberg to Mary Harron. The French philosopher Jean Baudrillard and the American critic Susan Sontag were fans. Ed Ruscha quotes Ballard in one of his paintings. Joy Division, Hawkwind, and even Madonna have alluded to his work in their lyrics. There was an art show in Barcelona last year entirely devoted to his life and ideas.

J.G. Ballard is best known for Empire of the Sun (1984), a largely autobiographical coming-of-age novel based on his upbringing in Shanghai, where his father was a businessman, and his internment in a World War II prison camp during the Japanese invasion. For those with darker tastes, there is the cult classic Crash, a wild, transgressive 1973 novel about a community of car-crash fetishists that was eventually made into a Cronenberg film. His writing is obsessed with the territories where the organic meets the inorganic; it is absurdist, bleak, vivid, and awake to the psychological effects of media and manmade landscapes. In the words of the novelist Martin Amis, “Ballard is quite unlike anyone else; indeed, he seems to address a different—a disused—part of the reader’s brain.”

Ballard presents particularly gruesome details of his early years in Miracles of Life, a 2008 autobiography, without any sentimental navel gazing or bitterness. While interned, with his father’s encouragement, the boy ate weevils around his plate of mushy rice “for protein.” Ballard accepted the situation as it was and even looked back at the experience with some fondness. “The most important consequence of internment was that for the first time in my life I was extremely close to my parents,” he writes. “I slept, ate, read, dressed, and undressed within a few feet of them in the same small room, in many ways like the poorer Chinese families for whom I had felt so sorry in Shanghai.”

Ballard considered this childhood ordinary. “People who read Empire of the Sun have often said to me, ‘What a strange life, how unusual,’” he told the BBC World Service in 2002. “And I say to them, actually, the life I led in Shanghai before and during the Second World War was not strange; it wasn’t unusual. The majority of the people on this planet today and for most of this century and previous centuries have always lived lives much closer to the way I lived than to, say, the comfortable suburbs of Western Europe and North America. It is here where I live today that is very strange by the world’s standards. Civil war, famine, flood, drought, poverty, disease are the norms of human experience.” Shanghai is an enormous city, but Ballard was isolated there. At the time it had only a small community of Westerners. He never learned a word of Chinese, and he had his first Chinese meal in Britain, long after he left Asia. But it was England, his home for the rest of his life, that bewildered him. In Shanghai fear and hunger and violence were right in front of him; there were dead bodies lying in the streets where he bicycled. As an adult in the comfortable London suburb of Shepperton, by contrast, Ballard had to look under the surface to find the darkest parts of the human psyche.

A characteristic Ballardian situation is the set-up to his 1974 novel Concrete Island. The protagonist has crashed off the highway and onto the triangle of land beside it. The motorists, when they even notice, mistake him for a homeless person and are unwilling to assist. He is left stranded on the concrete island, and he depends on the totaled car for survival—even drinking from the windshield-wiper water reservoir. He thinks about the son he was supposed to pick up from school. “Ironically,” Ballard writes, “in this warm spring weather the line of crippled war veterans would be sitting in the wheel chairs by the park gates as if exhibiting to the boy the variety of injuries which his father might have suffered.”

Ballard emerged as a writer in the 1960s, when he became a part of the “new wave” movement within science fiction; his early novels focused on disaster scenarios created by wind storms, floods, and drought. His finest work from this period is The Drowned World (1962). The title is pretty self-explanatory, but it plays out with a sensitivity to the natural world typically absent in science fiction. When the city of London is finally drained, the characters aren’t pleased. In fact, they’re horrified. They can’t believe people actually lived in these structures and streets so far removed from nature. The “limpid beauty” of London underwater becomes a “jungle of cubist blocks [like] a drained and festering sewer.”

As Ballard’s writing matured, his unique sensibility took shape. He was fascinated with everyday architecture—industrial parks, high ways, billboards, drained swimming pools, tract housing developments, airports—and he described these places as culturally indistinguishable interruptions of the natural landscape. His stories evinced a distrust of both technology and human nature, along with an intuitive understanding of how architecture, especially in its most banal forms, affects our emotions. In the 1970s, he produced a series of experimental novels heavily influenced by the Beat writer William Burroughs: Crash, 1970’s The Atrocity Exhibition, and 1975’s High Rise, perhaps his best novel, about the chaos that emerges among the tenants of a luxury apartment complex who form tribes and refuse to leave the building.

Ballard identified himself as a libertarian. “I’m all for free sex, alcohol and would liberalize the drug laws if some way could be found to protect adolescents,” he once told The Independent. He supported both Margaret Thatcher and Tony Blair, but generally avoided economic issues in his writing. Unlike most American libertarians, he considered himself an anti-consumerist. In his last published novel, Kingdom Come (2006), he drew a parallel between a comfortable mall-going society and a fascist one, with a character declaring that consumerism has “drawn the blueprint for the fascist states of the future. [It] creates an appetite that can only be satisfied by fascism. Some kind of insanity is the last way forward.” He criticized the other sort of “consumerism” too, and for similar reasons. In a 1971 essay, he asked whether Ralph Nader could ever become “the first dictator of the United States,” insisting that the question “isn’t entirely frivolous.…Inevitably, I suppose, the consumer society must produce its own unique demagogue, but this sort of dictator may well be difficult to recognize and unseat.”

In Ballard’s slapstick satire Millennium People (2003), the bourgeois residents of a gated community commit terrorist acts. They riot, clash with police, and bomb upper-middle-class establishments such as the Royal Albert Hall and the Victoria and Albert Museum. What are they protesting? “Double yellow lines, school fees, maintenance charges…cheap holidays, over-priced housing, educations that no longer buy security.” They are rebelling against, in one character’s words, “the barriers set out by the system. Try getting drunk at a school speech day, or making a mildly racist joke at a charity dinner. Try letting your garden grow and not painting your house for a few weeks.”

Like most of Ballard’s fiction from the last 20 years, Millennium People uses the framework of a middlebrow English novel as a way to parody the reader. For Ballard, as he explained to Salon in 1997, the novel is “the greatest enemy of truth and honesty that was ever invented. It’s a vast, sentimentalizing structure that reassures the reader and at every point offers the comfort of secure moral frameworks and recognizable characters. This whole notion was advanced by Mary McCarthy and many others years ago, that the main function of the novel was to carry out a kind of moral criticism of life. But the writer has no business making moral judgments or trying to set himself up as a one-man or one-woman magistrate’s court. I think it’s far better, as Burroughs did and I’ve tried to do in my small way, to tell the truth.”

[highlydissfunctional]

Fandom & fan activism: Truly toxic or considerably constructive?

How many of us have firsthand or secondhand experience of the conversation below?

X: What music do you like?

Y: I’m a fan of One Direction’s stuff!

X: Oh, you’re one of them [scorns]

And by them, X probably meant:

We sort of understand what warranted X’s negative reaction when it was discovered that Y was part of the One Direction – or Directioner – fandom. But before we dive into why one would rather get maced in the face than to admit to being part of a fandom, and whether it’s really all that bad, let’s first begin by answering the most basic question: What is a fandom?

The term fandom is popularly used by the younger generation as means of identifying oneself with a social group that is a fan base of any entertainment content in the form of TV shows, films, novels, music, games or even celebrities. Thus, to be part of a fandom of something, one must first be a fan. But in today’s world populated with people who are quick to judge, fans have become marginalized and are used to being mocked by the media. To be a fan now, is to be shadowed by social stigma that paints you (if you’re a fan) as brainless and borderline crazy; something to be avoided like a plague.

However! Digital Communities MDA20009 and I are here to present fans and fandom to you in a new and more positive light; to show the other side of fan culture that usually goes unnoticed or blatantly ignored – the side of it that views these media consumers as proactive, critically engaged and creative instead of over-the-top, obsessive and people-who-have-too-much-time-on-their-hands.

To understand this, we must first look into the participatory culture present in fan-fictions, fandom web forums and when game companies give public access to their design tools to source for programmers (Jenkins 2006). Members of this culture is defined by Jenkins (2006) as someone who’s comfortable with artistic expressions and civic engagement; supportive of the creation and sharing of one’s creations with others; has experienced some kind of informal mentorship whereby knowledge from those most experienced are shared with novices; believe the significance in their contributions; and feel a degree of social connection with other members. It should also be noted that contributions do not have to be provided by every member, but they should believe that they are welcomed to contribute when ready and that their contributions will be valued and appreciated. 

Based on this fundamental fandom concept, it would seem that the roots of fandom are pretty wholesome and inclusive. 

Yet, people still view fandom as the black hole that created a participation culture practiced by problematic people who attract other problematic people into the picture. They forget that participation is an action that has existed long before computers or the internet was created, and that their creation merely enabled people to take this action across the physical plane onto the virtual plane to be developed into fandom’s current participatory culture. Moreover, instead of focusing so religiously on how fandom is stupefying the next generation, more attention should be directed at how its participatory culture are opening doors for the same generation to forge their creativity, develop certain skills and knowledge and boost their self-confidence – all of which would benefit these youngsters in the future as working adults. 

And to those who have doubts about how fandom actually affords all these benefits, Henry Jenkins got you covered. 

In his blog about the participatory culture, he highlighted that people part of a fandom are already in this self-enrichment process through affiliations in online communities, expressions from producing new creative content, collaborative problem-solving with others to complete tasks and develop new knowledge, and circulations which shape the flow of media (such as blogging).

Besides, who’s to say that fandom’s contribution to a fan’s growth as an individual stops there? Who’s to say that fans can’t achieve higher levels of self- and societal awareness and become activists themselves?

And thus on the 12th day of Christmas, God gave us fan activism.

Based on its definition by Jenkins, fan activism can be understood as a form of civic engagement and political participation emanated from fan culture and are basically fan-driven efforts to engage and address civic, social and political issues. Using superheroes or fictional elements from novels for activism is a classic example of fan activism whereby people looking to promote social change are utilizing the emotional and imaginative properties of popular culture to connect more intensely with their supporters (Jenkin & Shrestovva 2012). 

And because popular culture – especially blockbuster franchises – are known and favored by many, it can serve as a common reference point for both protesters and casual observers and be used as an effective community-bridging tool for organizing collective movements (Jenkin & Shrestovva 2012). Additionally, this would make activism work more appealing and approachable to the younger generation who are usually excluded from traditional, ‘adults-only’ campaigns especially since social media is heavily used for for this new kind of social campaign.

But fans don’t usually wake up one morning and think, “I’m going to fight sex trafficking today.” What links fans with actual social or political activism and motivates them to be part of an activist group is the subject matter of each fandom aka the singers, the actors, the celebrities.

Some examples of celebrity-inspired fan activism for social causes include Alyssa Milano’s constant encouragement of fans to embrace female power and to stand up against sexual harassment; how Mark Ruffalo has never stopped being vocal on issues like sexual harassment and fracking in hopes to inspire fans to fight for the same causes; and BTS’ collaboration with UNICEF for an anti-violence campaign to raise funds and awareness among fans towards creating a safer, violence-free world for children.

Although there have been murmurs of discontent from fans who resist the idea of mixing something as serious as activism into simple, care-free fan activities, it is hard to forgo the beneficial elements of fandom in paving a path to social activism and influencing fans to use it for analysis, networking, mobilization and communication related to campaigns for social causes, which is ultimately a big plus for societies in general.

Hence, my verdict on the topic: 

Fandom and fan activism are constructive when it is viewed and understood from an objective, unbiased perspective. Moreover, I personally think that fandom comes very close to being the perfect instrument in facilitating fights for social causes because as mentioned in my previous blog about social media’s role in the activism world, individuals with fame written in their résumé aka celebrities tend to make good symbols of movements because of their widely established identity.

These famous faces – the subject of fandom – who are already admired, respected and idolized by many make good leaders in uniting people among a socially diverse constituency to come together for a cause. They can easily serve as the guitar pick used to struck the emotional chord of their fans, the face of movements that activists have spent most of their life fighting for, and the key to reaching millions and millions of people that can be made aware of the rising social issues that they otherwise would remain ignorant about....that is, if these celebrities are willing to stand in the limelight and establish themselves as a true blue activist, just like good ol’ Mark Ruffalo.

So, to all famed people out there: stay informed, stay aware, be a Mark Ruffalo (minus the anger issues).

References

Jenkins, H 2006, ‘Convergence culture: Where old and new media collide’, NYU Press.

Jenkins, H & Shrestova, S 2012, ‘Up, up and away! The potential of fan activism’, Transformative Works and Cultures, Vol 10.

Jenkins, H 2006, ‘Introduction: Confessions of an Aca-Fan’, Fans, Bloggers and Gamers: Exploring Participatory Culture, NYU Press, New York, pp. 1-6. 

[walgie]

Generation Wealth, Lauren Greenfield, 2018

I consume contemporary culture in selected bites; perhaps if I were younger and more immersed, I would be less struck by the images that this film focuses on. In the opening credits, there is an excerpt from an interview with Eden Wood age 5 yrs (apparently), who as a toddler became notorious for her Vegas showgirl outfit. I dearly hope that her “money, money, money” chant was part of an act. Then, a porn shoot with an apparently teenage girl. And then a strip club, bare butts wiggling at the bottom of the screen, while the women's faces are outside the frame: depersonalized. The quick glimpses of a variety of shocking scenes garishly foreshadow the horrors to follow.

Greenfield revisits the privileged kids who were the subjects of her 1997 book project "Fast Forward". Juxtaposing archive footage of the teens then with the middle aged adults that they became, the message seems to be that the rich people she encountered failed at parenting. [Note: Greenfield has clips of interviews with her own parents throughout the film, and her mother in particular comes off looking like a bad parent. At first it was a bit discomfiting to have the film maker’s own experiences and family interspersed with the other subjects of the film. But then I realised: she is confessing - accusing herself, perhaps - of being part of this culture, this generation.] How did the rich kids turn out? Eddie still acts like an adolescent towards women. Paris and Mijanou are critical of their experiences as privileged teens.

Throughout the film, analysis is provided mostly by clips of and interview with Chris Hedges and by Greenfield's voice over. But some of the characters who appear in the film perform dual roles, both as a subject of the film and as a commentator. Notorious fraudster and fugitive Florian Holm is one. Between Holm and Hedges, we hear an origin story of the current culture. No new insight: the abandonment of the gold standard (1971), aggressive expansionary monetary policy, and debt-fueled government spending to maintain lifestyle and empire. Reagan-era pivot towards supply side economics and consumption. Suzanne, a hedge fund manager, claims that the unlimited pursuit of wealth is enshrined in the Federalist Papers, but I doubt it. Perhaps she is thinking of the ‘pursuit of happiness’ in the Declaration of Independence?

Corollaries to financial wealth are the experience of luxury and the appearance of wealth. Wealth is restricted to the so-called one percent and the achieving it - absent inheritance - is somewhat obscure and usually involves difficulty. On the other hand, the latter two are easy to portray in the media and easy to offer for sale. In the past, many aspired to the level of wealth of their neighbors, and there really were some opportunities to realize the American dream to “move up in the world”. Now the American dream is dead, and many aspire to the level of luxury and the glitzy appearance of the celebrities who appear on television. Time-share mogul David Siegel explains "Everyone wants to be rich. If they can’t be rich, the next best thing is to feel rich." The rapper named Stunt provides an example: “Poor people are the ones who spend the most money on the 700 dollar shoes, the ones who don’t have it.“

Hedges analyzes the situation bluntly: “things are getting worse... when there is no social mobility, the only social mobility you have is fictitious. The presentation that you give to the rest of the world denies your own reality. I've come to look at mass culture and in particular television  as a form of violence. Because 24 hours a day this ficticious lifestyle - which we’re all told that we can have - fuels this sense of inadequacy.”

The film makes an inevitable segue from wealth and appearance to bodies and sex. Our culture objectifies the body, and fuels our obsession with a "desirable body type". Images originally from pornography are now mainstream. Greenfield shows us some of the effects. A model self-mutilates to “damage the property”. Greenfield’s 17 yr old son Noah: “guys want what’s really demeaning for women.. and to match guys’ expectation I think a lot of women try to replicate it.” A 15 yr old girl construes topless dancing in words that you might expect to hear from someone who training for a marathon or climbing a mountain. “I want to be a dancer- topless dancing showgirl. I think it would be fun - dancing with my tits showing off. If I could accomplish being that, then I could accomplish anything.”

Two stories felt the most devastating. The porn actress Kacey Jordan gained notoriety as Charlie Sheen’s $30K date but her subsequent life sounds like a hellish descent into misery and poverty. Cathy the bus driver embraces the notion that “what really mattered in life was to be in the best body that I could" and so she goes into debt for her cosmetic surgery. And her daughter carves DEAD on her forehead and commits suicide. The film does not explicitly make a connection between the mother’s obsession with physical appearance and the daughter’s suicide, perhaps because it would be too painful. But the connection is implied.

The film ends with some hope. We see some of the teens who were scarred in the 90s and now are parents with healthier priorities: Paris, Mijanou, and Cliff the former rap artist G Mo. Greenfield seems portray Cliff as the happiest person in the film. His daughter has received a full ride scholarship to Cornell. His journey is the most straightforward: from gaudy rapper to his ethos now: “success is showing my children what a strong father looks like, what work ethic looks like... real American dream”.

Contra Dorothy Woodend

I am a fan of Dorothy Woodend. She is a subtle thinker and has an aesthetic that I identify with. But her review of this film, while cleverly written, is far off the mark.

First - a couple of fact checks. She refers to "Kacey Jordan, former girlfriend of Charlie Sheen, who parlayed her brief stint of infamy into a porn career". Actually the starlet started her porn career in 2007 at age 19. By the time of the infamous episode with Charlie Sheen, four years later, she already had a long filmography.

there is Susanne, a hard-faced hedge fund trader who spends the better part of her life building a career, only to decide a child would give her life meaning.

But actually, Suzanne says in an interview that she “always wanted a family”, contrary to how Woodend casts it as a late “decision”.

Aside: another example of lack of basic journalism skills in another article

here

- she can’t even get the spelling of Suchsland straight.

Woodend stoops to spiteful insults; she describes Greenfield’s voice as “Valley girl croak“. The flutes in the soundtrack are “stupid”.

Perhaps Woodend, rather than trying to understand what the film is trying to do, is criticising it for not being the film that she would have made, if she were the film maker. For example, she notes that “there is too much stuff in here”, but also complains that “there is never any discussion about how much it actually costs to attend this prestigious institution [Harvard]”. I agree, the film covers “too much”. And apparently it is not the stuff that Woodend wants to see.

She objects to the sentimentality aroused by the soundtrack.

there is something, even more insidious at work here, and that is sentiment, the cheapest and easiest of emotion to invoke...

All you have to do to figure this out is to pay attention to the musical cues.

The film is literally coated in music, a sticky bukkake of swelling strings, mournful flutes and tinkling pianos. At any point in the narrative, you can close your eyes and understand not only what is being shown, but how you are supposed to feel about it.

But I would say that the film maker intends that the viewer should feel sentiment, and intends that the soundtrack reinforce the scenes unfolding on screen. I would also say that the soundtrack is effective at doing this, and I think this is not a bad thing. Subtle, no; but this is a documentary, not Hitchcock. Perhaps Woodend would have preferred something along the lines of 60 Minutes, dry “investigative journalism”? The film maker is not trying to do that.

Woodend claims that “the film fails in positing even one original thought.“ It’s not clear what she means by “original” in this context; there is certainly a variety of ways that something can be said to be “original”. Perhaps she is using hyperbole; would it really make a difference if there were “one original thought”? Let it be that the analyses that are given in the film have appeared elsewhere. Let it be too that the images that appear on the screen are not substantially different from images that have appeared elsewhere. But as a gestalt, the film displays real creativity and originality.

More criticism from Woodend:

But none of the subjects have much to offer in the way of a larger analysis.

Any more complex understanding of the issues in question is swept away.

The film never digs deeper to look at why the fires of appetite and ambition are stoked to such a white heat, it only records the outcome of these forces.

These comments are accurate, but again seem to miss the point of the film. I don’t the film maker wanted to achieve any of these things, and I doubt that it could be argued that the film has a responsibility to address these issues.

Finally, Woodend raises an excellent question, but oddly refrains from taking a firm stand:

is Greenfield much different from the purveyors of sex tapes...

Chris Hedges... describes the fictional version of social mobility captured in television and other forms of mass media as a form of violence that “fuels a sense of inadequacy.”

I am tempted to include Greenfield’s film in this category, a work that claims to present reality but is in fact another form of fiction

Woodend has not been shy about passing judgement on other aspects of the film, but here she merely admits to being “tempted” to categorize it.

Woodend finishes her review with a misreading of the end of the film

For all its verbiage about separating reality from entertainment, global capitalism destroying culture and the darker future ahead, the film retreats into boneheaded Hallmark card sentiment about parenthood and love as the answer.

The film ends by juxtaposing images of other ideas of success against the preceding plethora of images. “Boneheaded Hallmark card sentiment” might be accurate, but that is something that really exists, so perhaps the question is whether the film is better for showing it. But at least we can say that the film doesn’t try to give the “answer” that Woodend objects to. The final scenes are hardly intended to be an answer; rather, just a bit of hope. Perhaps Woodend expected a tidy ending with an “answer”  akin to the moral at the end of one of Aesop’s fables, but I think both the film and the viewer are better off without one.

[mandibierly]

‘Black Mirror,’ ‘Westworld,’ and 13 Other Genre Shows That Are Tackling Issues Well

Netflix’s ‘Black Mirror’

Leading up to the 20th anniversary of the March 10, 1997 premiere of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Yahoo TV is celebrating “Why Genre Shows Matter” and the history of how these shows have tackled universal themes (e.g. how much high school sucks) and broader social issues.

Name a current show you think is tackling an issue well. It’s another question we posed to more than 30 executive producers of current sci-fi/fantasy series who agreed to take part in our Why Genre Shows Matter survey over the last month, either by email or phone.

Not surprisingly, the top response was the Charlie Brooker-created anthology series Black Mirror (streaming on Netlifx), with many paying it a similar compliment…

Eric Kripke (NBC’s Timeless) I’m obsessed with Black Mirror. It’s exploration of modern anxieties and technologies, pushed to their sometimes logical, sometimes metaphorical end, makes it the first worthy successor to Twilight Zone I’ve seen.

Drew Goddard (NBC’s The Good Place) Black Mirror. Even the title of the show is a mission statement. Not since The Twilight Zone has a show managed to confront the issues of its time with such violent brilliance.

Nick Antosca (Syfy’s Channel Zero) How could I say anything but Black Mirror? No show since Twilight Zone has done a better job of identifying disturbing tendencies in society and taking them to their most horrifying but utterly logical extremes.

Michelle Lovretta (Syfy’s Killjoys) Black Mirror is a bit bleak for my personal sanity, but Lord is it endlessly clever. I really admire its merciless examination of the ways technology is changing what it means to be human and how we connect (and disconnect) with one another.

Adam Horowitz and Edward Kitsis (ABC’s Once Upon a Time) Black Mirror. Its warnings to us about the dangers of technology we find deeply resonant. While it has brought so much good to the world, this show deftly and dramatically continues to warn us of the dangers of being consumed by our “screens” and “gadgets” — and these cautionary tales, told so entertainingly and sometimes terrifyingly — at the end remind us of the importance of preserving and celebrating real human connection.

Emily Andras (Syfy’s Wynonna Earp) I love the way Black Mirror is examining our increasingly complex relationship with technology. That show always surprises me and feels daring and fresh.

Robert Cooper (BBC America’s Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency) Black Mirror is so exciting not just because it is so consistently well done, but because of the way it explores how technology is changing our lives — something we don’t seem to be as aware of as we really, really should be.

Ryan Condal (USA’s Colony) I can’t think of a better current show than Black Mirror. Charlie Brooker puts on a writing-to-theme clinic in every episode he makes. If I had to pick just one, it would be the episode called “Nosedive,” which brilliantly dramatizes and satirizes our sycophantic addiction to social media and obsession with being ‘liked’ by digital avatars whom we’ve never met.

Bryce Dallas Howard in the “Nosedive” episode of ‘Black Mirror’ (Credit: Netflix)

The second most popular pick: HBO’s Westworld.

HBO’s ‘Westworld’ (Credit: HBO)

Ronald D. Moore (Starz’s Outlander) I think Westworld is exploring a lot of really interesting territory in terms of the nature of consciousness and what it means to be human.

Jeff Davis (MTV’s Teen Wolf) I’m pretty enamored of Westworld. The way in which they explored what it means to be human, to be objectified, to wonder about what it means to have a soul or to be truly alive is what I think made it more than just good science fiction, but thoughtful even philosophical drama.

Albert Kim (Fox’s Sleepy Hollow) I think Westworld has done a great job of exploring the question of what makes us human, and explores the boundaries of where our humanity begins and ends. It gets into a lot of the same issues that Ex Machina did: If an entity looks like a human, acts like a human, and has emotions like a human, shouldn’t we consider it human? These kinds of existential questions are on people’s minds a lot more lately, given how science and technology have been changing our everyday experiences. After all, am I my Twitter feed, or am I no better than a bot?

Ken Woodruff (Fox’s Gotham) I thought Westworld tackled some intriguing issues that affect us today, and will continue to do so in the future. For example, the pace of technological process is so fast, we’re never afforded the time to stop and question whether or not the advancements we’re making are in our best interests… or even safe.

Other shows singled out…

Netflix’s ‘Jessica Jones’ (Credit: Netflix)

J. Michael Straczynski (Netflix’s Sense8) I think Jessica Jones has done a great job of bringing the topic of PTSD into the general conversation, and opening up the genre to lead characters who are broken in unconventional ways. Certainly it’s started a conversation that has led to a lot of people who suffer from this condition talking openly about their problems.

Related: Why Genre Shows Matter: A Conversation With Melissa Rosenberg and Sera Gamble, EPs of ‘Jessica Jones’ and ‘The Magicians’

Netflix’s ‘The OA’ (Credit: Netflix)

Melissa Rosenberg (Netflix’s Jessica Jones) [SPOILER ALERT! ]The OA is completely original. All the sort of conventions of storytelling that you’re not supposed to do, they do them and they work! It’s really breaking barriers and telling very unusual stories. She’s essentially been kidnapped and kept imprisoned for 7 years. There is quite the metaphor in just her being captured in this cell with other people with whom she can’t have physical contact, but there’s this emotional connection that happens. They’re taking on all sorts [of issues], so it’s not about any one of them. It’s about where true power comes from. It’s just beautiful, beautiful storytelling, beautiful character exploration, and it’s utterly unique.

Netflix’s ‘Luke Cage’ (Credit: Netflix)

Marco Ramirez (Netflix’s Daredevil) I think the way my man Cheo Coker put Luke Cage in a hoodie as a tribute to Trayvon Martin was pretty exceptional.

HBO’s ‘Game of Thrones’ (Credit: HBO)

Cheo Hodari Coker (Netflix’s Luke Cage) One of my favorite scenes [of Game of Thrones] is when [Tywin Lannister] is explaining why he did the Red Wedding and essentially what he’s saying is, ‘Is it better that I kill people at a dinner party, or do you want me to send everybody to war and risk our entire army?’ And yes, he’s talking about what’s happening in terms of that world, in terms of Westeros and all that stuff, but really, the metaphor is drone warfare. So the fact that you can have a fantasy show that at the same time is talking very topically about what has been happening in real world events — I mean, that’s amazing!”

Related: why Genre Shows Matter: ‘Luke Cage’ Showrunner Cheo Hodari Coker on Embracing Exploitationj

HBO’s ‘The Leftovers’ (Credit: HBO)

Julie Plec (The CW’s The Vampire Diaries and The Originals) I love themes of loss and grief and a sense of “What does life mean?” and “Where are we all going?” — and The Leftovers does that times 1,000. They handle that so magnificently and so intelligently.

USA’s ‘Mr. Robot’ and FX’s ‘Legion’ (Credit: USA, FX)

Damon Lindelof (HBO’s The Leftovers) I think both Mr. Robot and Legion do a great job of tackling mental illness by Trojan-Horsing that theme inside a different genre entirely.

Bryan Fuller (Starz’s American Gods) Legion knocked my socks off.
 I love that its tackling mental illness with a superhero metaphor.

Brian Minchin (BBC America’s Doctor Who) Mr. Robot! The show is genius. I absolutely love how it captures the loneliness of our digital age. I’m mesmerized by those brilliant characters, so connected, yet so alone.

BBC America’s ‘Orphan Black’ (Credit: BBC America)

Terry Matalas (BBC America’s 12 Monkeys) Orphan Black for its wonderful LGBT relationships. Stellar cast and characters.

‘Les Revenants’ (Credit: Music Box Films)

Dana Gould (IFC’s Stan Against Evil) The French series Les Revenants (Netflix) is, in my opinion, the best series of its kind since Twin Peaks. As technology divides our culture into smaller and smaller groups, Les Revenants paints a picture of an isolated village in France divided into the living and the dead. It’s no accident that the more estranged these groups become, the more the village literally submerges.

SundanceTV’s ‘Top of the Lake’ (Credit: SundanceTV)

Mark Fergus (Syfy’s The Expanse) “I was really blown away by Top of the Lake. It’s one of the most unusual and beautiful thrillers I’ve ever seen. It allowed Jane Campion’s voice to come through as a storyteller so strongly via a very strong framework of a conventional cop story. I think that was a really impressive way to tell her view of the world, which is like nobody else’s.”

NBC’s ‘The Good Place’ (Photo by: Vivian Zink/NBC)

Joe Henderson (Fox’s Lucifer) The Good Place is a genre show sort of, right? I feel like they’re playing in a similar world as us — the ideas of redemption, defining good and bad, and turning both those ideas on their heads — but in such a different, amazingly funny way. The humor hides the depths of morality they explore and subvert.

‘Crazyhead’ (Credit: Netflix)

Sera Gamble (Syfy’s The Magicians) This is probably a premature recommendation, but I was just surfing Netflix, browsing around, looking for something the other day, and I watched the first episode of a British show called Crazyhead. It feels very much a direct descendant of Buffy in a way that was kind of delicious, and so I plan to keep watching that one. It’s supernatural and it’s funny, but it is also about these two girls that don’t fit in and think they are crazy.

Adult Swim’s ‘Rick and Morty’ (Credit: Adult Swim)

David Benioff and D.B. Weiss (HBO’s Game of Thrones) Rick and Morty does a great job examining the difficulties of boy/robot love.

Read more from Yahoo TV’s “Why Genre Shows Matter”: Genre Show Producers Name 15 Series That Helped Shape TV Today

‘BSG,’ ‘Buffy,’ and Other Series That Genre Show EPs Believe Deserved More Emmy Love

‘Farscape’ Star Claudia Black Revisits Aeryn Sun’s On- and Off-Screen Feminist Journey

‘Battlestar Galactica’ EP David Eick Revisits 5 Episodes That Remain Relevant

‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ 20th Anniversary: Joss Whedon Looks Back — And Forward

‘The Expanse’ Co-Creator: If You Have Something to Say, ‘Invite Them In With Genre’

[showlexsite]

Dating Sites For Nerds & Geeks

Dating Sites For Nerds & Geeks

Searching For A Gal To Geek Out With? Decide To Try These Nerd-Centric Online Dating Sites

They say there’s a kink for almost any freak. When it comes down to dating, the greater amount of certain you’re in your quest, the higher outcomes reap that is you’ll. That’s why you should focus your energy and efforts on like-minded singles who share your interests if you subscribe to the community of nerds and geeks. Even though many regarding the dating that is popular and internet web sites — like Tinder, Bumble, Hinge among others — will provide an enormous pool of applicants, you’ll invest much of your time scouring through matches to get a person or two that has actually gone to Comic-Con or who are able to discuss coding.

“In this very day and chronilogical age of Comic-Cons for nerds, as well as the Star that is new wars coming down in a franchise who has lasted decades, nerds and geeks are away in full force and proud. They usually have discovered to embrace their inner nerd self, as shown by Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk, so we know from their example that nerds make great catches,” explains matchmaker Susan Trombetti. “Dating apps are for the technology savvy, nerdy 18-to-30 somethings. All things considered, nerds are in house with technology and this is just one of the areas they are doing most readily useful.”

Rather than playing a sorting game, take a typical page from the rule guide of matchmakers and coaches, whom suggest the utmost effective apps offered to your catered community:

Cuddli

You don’t have actually https://jpeoplemeet.review to consider twice if people about this app that is dating into exactly just what you’re providing since this relationship software is especially catered to geeks and people they know. Among the best in this category, registering is just a easy procedure, making dating feasible within just five full minutes. What’s useful concerning the people let me reveal you are able to miss out the talk that is small plunge to your fandoms, getting rid of the “get to understand ya” barrier that typically is sold with very first interactions. “It’s simple to utilize, and like many mobile location-based apps that are dating as Tinder or Bumble, it is possible to swipe right or kept on profiles and commence chatting straight away. What’s more fun is you can easily link at Comic-Con or a cosplay occasion along with your date in just moments,” explains online dating sites Julie that is expert Spira.

However if you’re proficient that is super computers, look at a note of caution: this app remains reasonably brand brand new, rendering it high in mishaps. The Android os variation appears to receive more powerful reviews compared to the iOS, and also the user base continues to be growing.

Geek Nerd Dating

There’s nothing quite imaginative in regards to the name — it sure does have the message and purpose across, huh? — however the software and consumer experience on this website is what you’d expect from many websites that are find-love-now the marketplace. The distinction, based on Spira, is just how targeted Geek Nerd Dating lets you be along with your choices. You can easily filter by passions — Star Wars? Coding? You identify it — and also by location. Additionally it is a victory when it comes to community that is homosexual because this service also provides matches to same-sex partners. Remember if you decide to explore further that you will have to invest your money in this site. Spira explains registering is free, however if you need to receive and send communications, you’ll be required to upgrade to reasonably limited account.

Soul Geek

Spira states this amazing site, whose tagline could be the “Cyber home for geek dating,” is a simple, one-stop destination to satisfy the possibility Lois Lane to your Clark Kent. (Or ya understand, whatever method you swing!) when you initially go out on this web site, you’ll be prompted to mention whether you’re a “fan-gal” or a ‘fan-guy’ and then you’ll animal your sex preferences. But before you also make it, you’ll likely be immediately drawn by the look with this web site, which features a lot of the characters that are beloved nerds and their buddies. Filled with blog sites, discussion boards, music and videos, this might be significantly more than a dating spot, but ways to satisfy friends and connect, too. Along with chatting on line, Soul Geek takes it move further by providing neighborhood listings of geek and nerd occasions to encourage one to get offline and satisfy individuals face-to-face.

A good amount of Geeks

You’ve likely heard of an abundance of Fish, a site that is dating’s been around for many years. Its counterpart, Plenty of Geeks, will remind you of it but has a much more concentrated member group that fits your requirements. The sign-up process is significantly you to use your email address or your Facebook to join like you’d expect for any sort of dating site, allowing. From right here, you’ll be met with countless eligibles in your town, where you are able to filter by age, sexual preference, interest along with other factors. Spira states this community happens to be expanding for 20 years, and that means you know you’re bound to get at the least a matches that are few meet your criteria. For as long as you’re able to navigate around a few ads, give it a go — especially because it’s 100 % free!

Trek Passions

Yourself as a geek or a nerd, what do you mean exactly when you categorize? If you’re far more into technology fiction than other things, it is well worth Trek that is exploring Passions. Though the internet site requires a vast improvement, as a free database, you’ll have the ability to relate solely to fans whom share your exact exact same obsession with different shows. When you register, you’ll fill down a brief questionnaire and then start checking out. What’s a little different about Trek Passions could be the multitude of individual adverts that give attention to what television show and films strike your fancy, all searching for another person to binge watch with. Whether you’re into realm of Warcraft or celebrity Trek, to locate you to definitely indulge with, look at this a solid option.

OkCupid

While the minimum nerd-focused on our list, OkCupid may not appear to be the best choice, but Trombetti begs to vary. With both a desktop and application variation, you can get in touch to a spectral range of singles, a lot of whom are going to be upfront in regards to the subjects they have a tendency to geek away on. The reason? Their burgeoning member base ups your odds, and photo that is countless supply you with the possiblity to find those who find themselves prepared to go directly to the extreme because of their obsessions, as if you are. Spira suggests ensuring your profile sticks out and clearly states your intentions. “Add pictures of you against a trekkie seminar or Comic-Con, decorate in your preferred outfit that is nerdy and place verbiage in your profile that claims, ‘Calling all nerds,’ or ‘I have a tendency to gravitate toward the nerdy part of life,’” she says.

Source: https://showlex.site/2020/03/18/dating-sites-for-nerds-geeks/

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[bipbopblogerino-blog]

#1

Hip-Hop to me is a culture of creative rebels who use poetic rhythms and heavy beats to portray their lives. Hip-Hop is shocking and provocative while simultaneously being beautiful and humble. This culture has been the voice of the unheard, the anthem of the misrepresented. The reason it is so attractive to misunderstood youth is how it allows one to provoke outsiders and sooth insiders of the culture.

The convergence of Hip-Hop and design seems to be quite natural. Hip-Hop is art, everything that goes into it is intentional. Design and Hip-Hop are both highly expressive in different niches. Where Hip-Hop is expressive of youth and counterculture, Design is somewhat more objective being concerned with its user or a client.

#2

Commonly referred to as the spokesperson for African-American cinema, Spike Lee emerged in the 80’s as a radical cultural pioneer. Although his films empower the African-American communities, his aesthetic innovations are greatly underlooked. Having such a radical approach to visual style one would think Lee would be regarded along with other American directors such as Martin Scorsese and David Lynch but rather unfortunately his name is excluded. Considering the theme of Lee’s masterpiece “Do the Right Thing” is about racial tensions and features a script heavy with masculine men screaming racial slurs at each other, instead of allowing the drama to speak for itself Lee creates anxiety through the aesthetic of the film. A prime example of this is Radio Raheem, this character is larger than life in all aspects: his physical appearance, his huge boombox, and his blaring music. Whenever this character enters a scene he brings with him a blaring soundtrack that overpowers dialogue, something that if not done properly can be detrimental to the narrative. When shooting Raheem, Lee choses to use unconventionally low angles and tilts to subconsciously show the viewer that Raheem is a powerful force in the community. Directorial choices such as this are found throughout the film. One scene where Lee breaks away from his auteur style is the climax. Just before Radio Raheem and Buggin’ Out enter the pizzeria which in turn causes mayhem, Lee employs conventional coverage the actors already in the pizzeria in order to amplify the effect of his style when he returns to it.

#3

Examples of Hip-Hop used in film soundtracks

Public enemy in Spike Lee’s “Do the Right Thing”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U35MvblI4og

In Lee’s film the use of Public Enemy’s hit song “Fight the Power” is meant to not only set the tone of the film but also to give the film a voice. Audio is an important aspect of this film and is commonly overlooked. Lee masterfully layers sounds in his films to create beautiful soundscapes that craft the world of which his narratives exist. In “Do the Right Thing” many times it’s as if the film is shouting directly at the audience, this can be attributed to his use of Public Enemy’s song. Whenever the song is played it is at the forefront of the soundscape, it is the loudest thing the audience can hear. This gives the film a rebellious tone and really pushes the audience to reflect on the song’s conceptual meaning within the narrative.

A Tribe Called Quest in Larry Clarke’s “KIDS”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-DGyZD6cPdg

Much different than Lee’s approach to soundtrack, Clarke uses Tribe Called Quest’s “Oh My God” to elaborate on the setting of the film. Employed in such a way where the audience is unsure of the soundtrack is diegetic or non-diegetic until the end when the song fades almost to silence then back to being the forefront of the soundmix. This method hooks the audience into the scene by smoothly opening into the scene and just as the dialogue become prevalent the soundtrack fades away almost unnoticed until the scene finishes.

Coolio in John Smith’s “Dangerous Minds”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbNJLymneZ8

This use of hip hop in a film is strictly for marketing to the youth consumer. By employing a celebrity voice and popular song, the film gains motion within popular culture of the time. The use of the song has nothing to do narratively with the film nor does it set the mood, it works to bring in a broader audience base in order to drive sales.

#4

Black Ratchet Imagination lens is a perspective of persons that identify as black and/or queer within the community of Hip-Hop. Invented to create a definition for black and/or queer persons that advocates for their creativity. Through the use of this lens researchers can come closer to comprehending black queer youth cultural identities.

What I learned from this article is really what the term “Ratchet” really means within its introducing community. I grew up hearing that term thrown around with a very negative association and thus I have always thought of it negatively. I now understand its cultural relevance and the “messy fluidity” which is the definition of the term.

I believe that hop-hop can be extremely influential if employed in educational environments. In middle school, the administration would play classical music over the intercom system every morning and being 12 years old no students really listened. Playing music created by oppressive societies from history does little to nothing for young African American youth struggling with their identities. One day a local hip-hop artist came into the english classes, I can’t think of any one thing that got more students involved then that. It was the talk of the school for the months after. I believe that his involvement in hip-hop and willingness to talk in a school setting really opened young black youth’s eyes to a creative outlet that they needed to discover themselves.

#5

Big Shaq - London, UK

Michael Dappaah, otherwise known as his fictional rapper name “Big Shaq”, is a British comedian best known for his hit song as Big Shaq “Man’s Not Hot”. The song tells the story of the “famous” rappers obsession with keeping his jacket on even when people ask him to take it off replying with “Man’s not hot”. In an interview with NME Big Shaq was quoted saying “I could be in the Sahara Desert but im still going to wear the jacket”. What I feel is important about Big Shaq’s overnight success is that it shows that hip-hop can still be fun/humorous and still popular. In today’s culture It is my own opinion that rappers or music makers in general have become much too serious about everything. This is not to say that the issues they speak about are irrelevant but in such a saturated environment it’s easy to get lost in the sea of songs that either about how much money you have or political drama. “Mans Not Hot” gives one a humorous breath of fresh air that is well produced and creative.

[laurapearson1-blog]

Discuss the role of affect and emotion in art, fan works and practices.

Laura Pearson          BA Fine Art Central Saint Martins        Unit 6 Essay

‘Celebrity is the religion of our consumer society. And fans are the mythical adepts of this religion who dramatize moods, fantasies and expectations we all share. You may find their intensity unusual or alarming but that is because no one has ever allowed them to express their feelings so comprehensively’ (Vermorel, 1985, p.247). This essay will discuss how affect and emotion is so obviously present throughout art and fan practices, the different forms in which this is translated into and the problems/questions raised when this emotion is fixated upon. To look comparatively between the every day fan and the extremities of certain fan practices will give an insight into how affect and emotion manifests itself within fan culture.

The affect theory is a concept introduced within the works of philosopher Baruch Spinoza. In his comprehensive analytical study of religion and spirituality, Spinoza describes affects as ‘states of mind and body related to (but not exactly synonymous with) feelings and emotion” (Spinoza, 1667). This transmitting alter conscious state passed between bodies is referenced to a physical affect, ‘affects circulate publicly or are transmitted contagiously’. (Kluchin, 2013) An example of this is saliva being produced by the mouth when shown a photograph of a chocolate cake, or a fan fainting at a concert. The transformation of the emotive to the tangible becomes a noticeable affect, influencing physical behaviour. When the affect is studied through the lens of art, the theory becomes a subconscious notion that is established within most practices. The artist is always attached to the work they make. Drawing on personal experience, the input of emotion is unavoidable for work to be truly authentic. Feeling is engrained in both the process of making and viewing art and it is understood that many works have astounding affects on the human psyche.

Conceptual art, whilst being incredibly emotive is often removed from itself. There is an invisible intellectual boundary between the work and the audience. A new modernity, the altermodern (Bourriaud, 2009) emerges within the field of contemporary art. In terms of exploration and critical thinking it is extremely progressive; the constant introduction of new ideas transgresses with the socio-normative expectations of society, creating a platform for those who naturally break away from the norm. Shia Lebouf’s stunt at the film premiere of Nymphomaniac (2013) where he wore a brown paper bag over his head reading ‘I AM NOT FAMOUS ANYMORE’, transgressed against the high-brow culture of film festivals and red carpet events. (Frey, 2016, p.24)

Fig.1: Lebouf, 2014.                       

Fig. 2: Emin, 1995

Tracey Emin’s drawings of herself as a young girl uses a particular medium to come to terms with traumatic events in her life. Her work is an ‘uncompromising self-examination: the effort to confront all aspects of her existence,’ (Kieran, 2009). Labelled controversial due to the explicit nature of the drawings, she is directly transgressing the societal perception of young girls and sexuality in relation to abuse. Louis Althusser’s theory of interpellation details the way in which ideas are never simply our own, they are put upon us from birth and significantly shape our lives. However, we believe cultural ideals as if they were our own to the extent in which they have a never ending hold on us, (Mowitt, 2002). Transgression is directly correlative of interpellation, to not transgress would be to accept these ‘ready made’ specific roles that are already coined for us by society. In the modern day politically hostile environment these ideas become key to the artist and a necessity for the wider viewer. Contemporary artists have to correspond with and respond to current climates, yet this necessary but often burdening contextual ‘excess’ on top of the artists core passion and emotion can create a barrier between the work and the viewer. When studied comparatively in relation to fan made practices this barrier becomes very evident. The complex nature of fan culture can be significantly more black and white than that of conceptual art; there is no ‘excess’ in fan made works as the process of making is very different. An artist considers audience, context, space, time etc yet a fan is driven solely by idolisation and passion, (Halter, 2009). The unfiltered and often strongly emotional response produced from this fan driven pride is simply a manifestation of passion. Here we can begin to understand how the affect theory plays heavily into fan culture. A shared consciousness and intelligence is created and the mindset of the fandom is spoken about as a ‘collective’ rather than multiple individual voices, (Fiske, 1992).

In order to recognise this collective, creative output, we can refer to individual fan practices. In their simplest form they appear as alternate narratives to already existing works, an example of this being fan fictions and works created to prolong the story of a favourite tv show. The popular programme Sherlock Holmes has a huge cult following. Fans create memes in order to identify their ‘OTP’ (one true pairing), re-thinking and re-writing already published storylines.  

Fig. 3: MarFitzherbetFletch, (2015)

There are many examples of this kind of response within popular culture. Artists Ian Forsyth and Jayne Pollard base their entire practice around the reenactment of prevalent icons. They perform staged live recreations of David Bowie’s legendary farewell concert as Ziggy Stardust in A Rock and Roll Suicide, (Forysth, Pollard, 1998) and have the world’s longest running Kiss tribute band (see Kiss my Nauman, 2007). When the TV series comes to an end, the band retires and the film finishes, there is an empty void to be filled by the fan’s desire to materialise alternate plot lines and endings. The fan never capitalises from this work unlike the artist who comments on the very nature of fan practice; the fan is involving themselves within a ‘gift economy’, (Hellekson, 2009), where work isn’t necessarily ever purchased and consistently made for free. An amateur, or ‘lover of’, defines those attached to a particular vocation in an gratuitous manner. In terms of fan practice, one could say all fans are amateurs. In the book Passionate Amateurs, (Ridout, 2013) the word is characterised as ‘someone whose work is undertaken within capitalism, but is motivated by a love that desires something different - and can thus make us think afresh about notions of work, time, and freedom.’ No monetary value is placed upon fan work, unlike professional art practices. This presents the singular, most principal motive for production; passion. We can understand emotion and obsession as also being driving forces behind this. A fan is not a societal defined ‘expert’. He or she is an amateur in their field, gaining nothing but self satisfaction and acceptance from a particular community for their tireless dedication to an idol.

Since the early to the mid twentieth century, musicians have countlessly been bombarded by overly excited teenage girls. The Beatles ceased to play live concerts as their music could not be heard over the screams of their fans in the audience (Fandom At The Crossroads: Celebration, Shame and Fan/Producer Relationships, Zubernis and Larsen, 2012). The challenging nature of the fan is something that appears timelessly again and again throughout fan culture. The audience steps over the invisible containment of the viewer and into the realm of the idol, not necessarily always respecting the boundary between the two as the real and fictional are compromised. The role of emotion within this aspect of fan culture is not only integral but it is self-destructive and counterintuitive to the self. At the very height of the spectrum the overwhelming excitement becomes exaggerated thus leading to potentially threatening circumstances. In Heroes, Mass Murder and Suicide, Berardi (2015) suggests similar ideas in relation to capitalisms affect on mental health. He studies cases such as the Aurora ‘Joker’ killer; a mass shooting in the US in 2012 when James Holmes murdered 12 people in a cinema during a midnight screening of The Dark Knight Rises. The mass shooting gained global media attention as the event was ‘inspired’ by the Batman franchise. (Holmes’ house was filled with superhero memorabilia.) Berardi (2015) suggests that the impact of social media and the entertainment industry has paved the way for formidable transformations unto our collective pathological environment. This notion is widely represented throughout popular culture, other examples include Leave Britney Alone (2007). Chris Crocker’s YouTube video in which an over emotional teen hysterically cries to his camera, expressing his upset with the media’s handling of Britney Spears’ public meltdown - a passionate video diary turned viral internet meme. Another more dated example; Lisztomania; an intense fan frenzy toward the Hungarian composer Franz Liszt, (Lisztomania, 1975) characterised by acute hysteria from audiences at live concerts in an age where excitement surrounding musicians was not yet the norm. This visceral fixation of a celebrity figure is evident when studying fan communities and sub-cultures.

Fan frenzy in todays media-centric culture is prevalent in a younger demographic. The documentary film Crazy About One Direction (Asquith, 2013) follows multiple groups of young girls in their attempt to track down members of the pop band. It is interesting when observing the behaviour of the girls, their young age demonstrates emotional adolescence. The intense behaviour is perhaps psychologically impacting; ‘many girls practice their first kisses on posters [with their favourite band]’ (Anderson 2012), ; a situation devoid of the very real traumas of teenage sexuality. Girls fantasise of relationships with the band members, allowing the exploration of ‘interpersonal relations’ without the ‘reciprocal commitments’ (Lewis, 1992), yet often inhibits social maturity as the relationships with an idol are fabricated. (Jensen, 1992) The image of the idol is manufactured through the lens of a commercial society, the carefully constructed role of the figure; devoid of true authenticity in the media poses something different to the actual person themselves. This commercial insincerity produces a god-like, celestial figure. An unbeknown occurrence in the everyday life, fans latch onto this fake image ‘in demand for a psychotherapeutic placebo’ (Vermorel, 1985 p.7).

An interesting observation is to question the idolisation of celebrities from a gender based perspective, as fandoms are most often talked about in terms of women, (Craig, 1992). This unequal weight in the production of fan works influences their connotations. Girls aspire to be or to look like their idols. Implications towards female pathologies concerning self worth and objectification arise and we can experientially understand the mainstream media’s portrayal of women; the cultural norm is for women to be portrayed as younger, thinner and more beautiful than the majority of the demographic. Julia Wood describes femininity as passive; a stereotypical assumption that the modern entertainment industry inflicts. Women ‘may be strong and successful if and only if she also exemplifies traditional stereotypes of femininity, subservience, passivity, beauty, and an identity linked to one or more men.’ (Wood, 2009). In terms of fan practice this is heavily influential. These stereotypes effect fan output as many works convey a more female-driven passion and many idols often refuse to see the sincerity of the ‘teenage-girl fan’. (Pollard, 2016). A report by the American Psychological Association affirms how ‘insidious’ consequences of the media's exploitation of women can be damaging toward mental health and how it ‘fragments consciousness.

‘Chronic attention to physical appearance leaves fewer cognitive resources available for other mental and physical activities’. (APA, 2007) These gender idealisms are almost exclusive to women, the characterisations of males are usually unproblematic and even ‘laudatory’ comparatively to the standard of female portrayal (Craig, 1992). Fandom culture bares impact on sexual identities (Anderson, 2012; Sesek and Pusnik, 2014, cited in Mendelsohn, 2014). Members of a boy band for example, can become fixations of sexual desire, thus creating differing social understandings of sexuality. Interpreted in different ways, ‘one of the most common ways sexual expression manifests is in fan-fiction’ (Mendelsohn, 2014), these kind of practices are considered ‘juvenile’ by the wider society. This is perhaps because male sexuality is more regularly expressed therefore widely accepted in comparison to that of woman. To explain her allure to erotic fan-fiction, a member of the One Direction fandom said, “men like to watch pornography with two women, girls like to read about two handsome men” (Sesek and Pusnik, 2014, p.119 cited in Mendelsohn, 2014). A reclamation of the female sexuality in terms of fan-fiction is necessary, just as the book Starlust: The Secret Life of Fans (Vermorel, 1985) achieves, its collection of fan written accounts of intimate experiences offers a comprehensive expression of the often ‘rejected’ aspects of fan culture.

Close-knit communities of fandoms are often efforts to escape a difficult age, these implications are only amplified through advancing social media technologies. Twitter allows for fans to be updated on their idols whereabouts, actions, struggles, relationships etc. ‘#cutforzayn’ trended on Twitter in March 2015, causing significant amounts of harm and putting young people online in a dangerous position. It is concerning when the boundaries of privacy between the fan and idol are compromised, note cases such as Steven Spielberg’s stalker; 'Mr Spielberg told the court he feared stalker Jonathan Norman intended to ‘rape or maim him’ (BBC, 1998). Björk’s stalker Ricardo Lopez shot films of himself obsessing over her; ‘being in love, having an infatuation, is a euphoric feeling, and I was very happy. I had something to look forward to every day’ (ABC news, no date). Note that the blend of fandom with ‘celebrity and presumed media influence in relation to pathological behaviour’ (Lewis, 1992) is ever more common in fan culture. These occurrences, from the first recorded fan suicide of Peggy Scott in 1926, surrounded by photographs of Rudolf Valentino shortly after his death, to Mark Chapmans’ execution of John Lennon in 1980 ‘illustrates how disastrously this can sometimes end for both subject and object’ (Vermorel, 1985, p.247) and bares the compelling reality of resemblance between the growth of consumerism and the evolutions of hysteria.

‘The way the public functions in the public sphere is only possible because it is really a public of discourse. It is self-creating and self-organised, and herein lies in its power’ (Warner, 2002). The fandom is self-creating, its innovative output of speaking, writing, thinking etc engage us in a public. Warner emphasises the importance of conversation at the heart of a community as ‘text themselves do not create publics’. The constant cross-communication within and between fandoms creates an affective community where feeling is mutually understood and passed around from fan to fan. Fans establish rules, distinctions between differing levels of enthusiasm are taken seriously. ‘You’re not a real fan’ is heard often, indicating shame. Fans are heavily rejected across global societies. However shame acts performatively; generating a spreading affect throughout a community, but we have to make some distinctions between the cultural normativity of the fan and the obsessed recluse. How is the idea of fandom manifested in every day life? ‘Each fan type mobilises related assumptions about modern individuals: the obsessed loner invokes the image of the alienated, atomised ‘mass man’; the frenzied crowd member invokes the image of the vulnerable, irrational victim of mass persuasion. Alienation, atomisation, vulnerability and irrationality- are central aspects of twentieth-century beliefs about modernity.’ (Lewis, 1992) Yet in reality the fan is most similar to every other person, they simply fantasise and pursue perfection like the rest of us (Vermorel, 1985, p.7). The only difference is the way in which we express this.

Shame is a prevalent feeling within fan cultures, differing from guilt it ‘attaches to and sharpens what one is’ (Sedgwick, 2003, p. 37). It is intrinsically in fan nature to break traditional norms and the mediums in which they are conveyed; 'material re-appropriation into fan-zines, costumes, adult interaction games, slang, computer programming’ (Lorrah, cited in Jenkins, 1988 p.473, cited in Malchevski, no date). However stereotypical depictions around fandom can cause shame-related affects, the ‘individuals are simultaneously (a) put down and made to feel guilty for their interests, and (b) perceived as disrespecting their fandom community by not defending their interests (Stanfill, 2013 cited in Mendelsohn, 2014). However the inflicted feeling of shame and the need for reclamation inspires fan activities; fantasising, role-playing, archiving- the embodiment of intolerance toward the culture turns shame into a performative reclamation (Bennett, 2010). In Starlust the fan stories are expressed in likeness to shame, thus self acceptance prevails over the cultural societal perception of ‘indecency’. Oscar Wilde’s De Profundis (1897) is a letter detailing his relationship with Lord Alfred Douglas and his spiritual awakening in prison. Wilde turns his shame into something potentially productive; a response to criticism. He transforms ‘appalling denunciation’ into erotic confession’. (Bennett, 2010, p.23) ‘Pleasure seems inextricably intertwined with the sense of shame’ (Zubernis, Larsen 2012, p.11), an evident observation throughout fan practice. Velvet Goldmine (1998) presents both the transformation of and adherence to shame. Shame makes a ‘double movement,

‘Toward painful individuation, toward uncontrollable relationality,” (Zubernis, Larsen, 2012, p.25). The isolation that shame creates pushes people towards a seemingly impossible but much rewarding reality; to be more of yourself, because you can’t become anything else. This is illustrated by Slade and Wild in Velvet Goldmine (1998) by their determination to enforce their queer, glam rock and non-conventional roles within the 1970s music industry. The reclamation of shame in relation to fan practice is heavily present throughout conceptual art. The exhibition Love To Love You in Los Angeles (2013) united artists to explore ‘fandom as a unique opportunity for  shared social experience’.

Fig. 4  Shaw (2007) [from Love To Love You]

Fig. 5 WhyNot (2016)

Displaying various methods of artistic practice the exhibition aimed to transcend ‘material consumption’ in order to create a conceptual, transient ‘world of devotion’ (MoCa, 2013). Other examples include artist Lois Weaver’s alter-ego as Tammy Whynot?, an experimentation of different, performative personas intertwining her past and background with her lesbian, feminist performance artist career (Tammy WhyNot, 2016).

After studying the examples given throughout this essay, we can recognise that criticising of fan culture is a form of discrimination, however reclaimed by the oppressed, leading toward evermore transgressive reclamation and positive re-representation. Even though fan work is culturally criticised and often deemed controversial, it is a byproduct of our celebrity-centric culture. The output of art, writing, film etc. is influential toward not only conceptual art practices, but also toward the media, entertainment, music, film, television industries and the individual person. Perhaps the growing advancements in technology and a society developing a dependence on social media is problematic toward safe practice of fan culture. Virtual communication is prevalent so much so it is definitively intertwined with ideas of interpellation (Althusser, cited in McGee, no date), yet arguably this only creates the need for more potent transgression; a necessity within the social climate. Aside from rampant emotions and unconventional sexual desire, the true heart of the fandom is passion, driven by instinctive resistance towards the forever forced power of authority.

Bibliography

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Althusser, L. cited in McGee, C. (no date) Available at: http://www.longwood.edu/staff/mcgeecw/NotesonInterpellation.htm Accessed: 15.01.18

American Psychological Association, (2007) Report of the APA Task Force on the Sexualization of Girls. Washington: American Psychological Association.

Anderson, T. (2012). Still kissing their posters goodnight: Female fandom and the politics of popular music. Vol. 9, No. 2.

Asquith, D. (2013) Crazy About One Direction [Film] London: Channel Four.

BBC, (1998) World: Americas Spielberg stalker jailed. Available at: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/114988.stm Accessed: 12 January 2018.

Bennett, C. (2010) Flaming the Fans: Shame and Aesthetics of Queer Fandom in Todd Hayne’s Velvet Goldmine. Texas: University of Texas Press. Vol. 49, No. 2, Winter. Pp. 23.

Berardi, F. (2015) Heroes, Mass Murder and Suicide. Verso.

Bourriaud, N. (2009) Altermodern explained: Manifesto Available at: http://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-britain/exhibition/altermodern/altermodern-explain-altermodern/altermodern-explained Accessed: 31 December 2017.

Burrows, D. (2010) Performance Fictions, Mute. Available at: http://www.metamute.org/editorial/articles/performance-fictions Accessed: 3 January 2018.

Craig, S. (1992) The Effect of Television Day Part on Gender Portrayals in Television Commercials: A Content Analysis. In Sex Roles. Texas: University of North Texas.

Crocker, C. (2007) Leave Britney Alone. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WqSTXuJeTks&t=141s Accessed: 28 January 2018

Figure 2: Emin, T. (1995) If I could just go back + start again. [Monoprint]. Tracey Emin Studio. Available at: http://www.traceyeminstudio.com/artworks/1995/02/if-i-could-just-go-back-start-again-1995/ Accessed: 01.02.18

Emin, T. (2006) Strangeland. London: Sceptre.

Et Tu, Art Brute? (2017) [Exhibition] Andrew Edlin Gallery, New York. 17 November 2017- 28 January 2018.

Fiske, J. (1992) ‘The cultural economy of Fandom’ in Lewis, L. (ed.) The Adoring Audience: Fan Culture and Popular Media. New York: Routledge.

Forsyth, I., Pollard, J. (1998) A Rock and Roll Suicide. London: Trident Studios.

Forsyth, I., Pollard, J. (2007) Kiss My Nauman. London: Southbank Centre.

Frey, N. (2016) Extreme Cinema: The Transgressive Rhetoric of Today’s Art Film Culture. Rutgers University Press. Pp. 24.

Grayling, A.C. (2002) A Question of Discrimination. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/books/2002/jul/13/arts.artsfeatures Accessed: 3 January 2018.

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Kluchin, A. (2013) Visceral Theory: Affect and Embodiment. Available at: https://thebrooklyninstitute.com/items/courses/visceral-theory-affect-and-embodiment/ Accessed: 27 December 2017.

Figure 1: Lebouf, S. (2014) I Am Not Famous Anymore. Available at: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/news/shia-labeouf-wears-paper-bag-on-his-head-to-the-premiere-of-nymphomaniac-at-berlin-film-festival-9118259.html Accessed: 01.02.18

Lewis, L.A. (1992) The Adoring Audience: Fan Culture and Popular Media. New York: Routledge.

Love To Love You (2013) [Exhibition] Mass MoCa. 5 January 2014.

Malchevski, M. (no date) Textual Poaching: Strategies and Tactics to Fan Writing. Melbourne: RMIT University.

Mass MoCa (2013) Love To Love You, Exhibition Brochure. Available at: https://issuu.com/massmoca/docs/lovetoloveyou Accessed: 22 January 2018

Figure 3: MarFitzherbetFletch (2015) Sherlock Ship Meme. Available at: https://marfitzherbertfletch.deviantart.com/art/Sherlock-Ship-Meme-525667510 Accessed: 02.02.18

Mendelsohn, K. (no date) Gender in Fandom. Available at: https://steinhardt.nyu.edu/appsych/opus/issues/2014/fall/mendelsohn Accessed: 5 January 2018.

Mowitt, J. (2002) Percussion: Drumming, Beating, Striking. USA: Duke University Press.

O’Sullivan, S. (2015) Art Practice as Fictioning (or, myth-science). Available at: http://simonosullivan.net/articles/art-practice-as-fictioning-or-myth-science.pdf Accessed: 3 January 2018.

Pollard, A. (2016) Bands who bemoan their ‘teenage girl’ fans are missing the point of music. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/music/musicblog/2016/apr/15/bands-who-bemoan-their-teenage-girl-fans-are-missing-the-point-of-music Accessed: 22 January 2018

Ridout, N. (2013) Passionate Amateurs: Theatre, Communism, and Love. University of Michigan Press.

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Sedgwick, E.K. (2003) Touching Feeling. Durham: Duke University Press. Pp. 37.

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Figure 4: Shaw, J. (2007) Best Minds Part One. [Video installation]. Massachusetts: MoCa.

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Warner, M. (2002) Public and Counter Publics in Quarterly Journal of Speech. Vol. 88, No. 4.

Figure 5: WhyNot, T. (2016) Available at: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=559559947558795&set=a.304076593107133.1073741826.100005143846656&type=3&theater Accessed: 16.01.18

Wood, J.T. (1994) Gendered Media: The Influence of Media on Views of Gender. North Carolina: Department of Communication, University of North Carolina at Chapel.

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[profgandalf]

Works of Fiction by Profgandalf

 I write fantasy and science fiction and sometimes narratives that could occure in our world.  Some are aimed especially at YA readers (Young Adult–10 to 12)), but I confess I like reading material marked that way.  Sometimes a good children’s story is the best way to tell the story.  Meanwhile there are also a few because of subject and theme whose audience is intended to be a bit older (A).  I had hoped to share with readers here, but there may be other legal issues, so I am just leaving the story ideas and if anyone is interested in what I am doing they can contact me at profgandalf@yahoo.com

Short Stories–Completed

Just Another Quiet Day in Hell

Hell is really a very nice place.  The sky, seen through Dan Backle’s bedroom, is a cloudless deep blue that stretches over the shingled, sparkling roofs of bleached white houses and over green leafed branches.   Somewhere he hears a bird sing.  Meanwhile, coffee is brewing downstairs.  And none of that changes the fact that he, Dan Backle, is in never ending relentless torment. (A: Short story: 39 pages Complete)

Darkness

Ignatius P. Tuttle III (or Izzy as his house mates called him) was brilliant, wealthy and a royal pain. Now he’s obsessed with the fact that darkness is in fact the norm of the universe.  Entropy is closing in everywhere and he is not going to stand for it.  But what steps might he take when no one is there is provide some sort of anchor? (A: Short story: 10 pages Complete)

All Things Both…Flesh and Steel 

Shows like Robo-Wars have been around for a while.  Various robotic teams challenge one another as their machines fight, leading to better and better technology.  But what happens when one team realizes that the best way to have a machine fight is for it to experience pain? (A: Short story: 20 pages Complete)

Wind

Eight year old Tim Roberts has an active imagination.  That’s what his family claims anyway.  And maybe he does but as Halloween approaches he is certain that there is more in the wind which blows around the woods near his Rhode Island home than just air. (YA Short story 9 pages Complete)

The Old Man and the Rocket Ship

Old Jed Starker, life long Ohioan farmer, loving husband and Naval vet was also an early consumer Science Fiction and Tales of Wonder.   Inspired by that reading, he’d constructed a silver rocketship and placed it on a 45 degree ramp just at the end of the road leading up to his and his wife Eddy’s farm (not far from Mount Vernon).  His contemporaries called his crazy, children of the town called him “old fashioned” since what he had built was “not a ‘spacecraft’ or a ‘starship’ or a ‘celestial schooner’ or anything like that.  It was a rocket ship, sleek and silvery with three red stabilizing fins jutting out its end.“  Except for this one quirk, Crazy Jed Starker’s life was quietness personified until he drew the attention of some unlikely visitors. Illustration by the author. (YA Short story: 21 pages Complete)

Assurance or Entrapment?

Edward and Adel Rivers are on vacation high up in the ancient woods of the Northern US.   They are trying to take some time off together to heal the cracks within their marriage. at least that is Adel’s hope.  But Edward senses that there is something else going on and the thick forest branches seem more to entangle and to embrace. (A: Short story: 21 pages Complete)

The English Prof. and the Little Scriveners: 

Anyone familiar with the Grimm’s fairy tale “The Elves and the Shoemaker” will probably find some familiar ground covered here although with a more contemporary twist and with maybe a little jab at the life of composition instructors. Illustrated by the author. (A: Short story: 12 pages Complete) 

The Final Relay

The planet Eden’s name was a reflection of its Earth colonists’ hopes and expectations, but with the ever-growing demands of its population there also grew the need according to some to control what they saw as the wasteful and the superfluous.  Unknown to them, however, their machines contain a fail-safe circuit which awaits their final decision to ban the last celebrations of faith. (A: Short story: 11 pages Complete)

Fashion Sense Succubus

Professors Jane Jamison and Theodore Reinhart discuss how some students and faculty at their small college seem to lack the social instincts to present themselves on campus in sensible attire.  Jane suggests that its just the nature of people who were odd to begin with, Theodore thinks that other forces might be a work. (A: Short story: 10 pages Complete)

The Green Man

Popular icon in many gardens, doorstops, and park walkways, the Greenman represents fertility and the organic power of nature.  The trouble is that some people, like Edgar Blackstroke, are uncomfortable with such forces walking freely about. (A: Short story: 20 pages Complete)

Just Little Things

Freddie Guitner is having the worst day of his life.  He’s just discovered the love of his life dead in her apartment.  Now the police are interrogating him and neither one is believing the worst part of the whole thing.  She looks better as a corps than she did when he last saw her alive. (A: short story: 12 pages Complete)

A Voice Through the Mist

Some of our favorite Bible narratives would make pretty scary stories when they were first experienced.  Not sure how to categorize this one. (YA: Short Story 4 pages Complete)

Genie

Take a little of the Arabian Nights and then imagine a more contemporary Aladdin working in a computer lab.  This story is actually a bit dated with references to Modems and computer disks.  It was one of my first and supposedly features the voice of my younger brother, Jim, who loved computers from the time he was a tweenager. Illustrated by the author. (YA: Short story: 32 pages Complete)

the Shadow of the Brut.

What would happen if a good man found himself, his soul and awareness, in the body of an abusive violent man, who had beaten both his wife and children? What would the good man do? Especially what would he do if he found himself falling in love with the abuser's children and wife? (Adult: 26 pages Complete)

Novel–Completed

The Fey Wars: The Defeated 

The year is 1914 and France, England, its Empire and the Japanese are allies  engaged in a world wide conflict.  But this is not our World World I. The Germans and the Austrian Empire are allied with the British and French. Steam is still primarily the power of the day. The Yanks, meanwhile, are not coming– too busy trying to contain their own insurrections high in their mountains while still bleeding after a decades long Civil War.  The enemy meanwhile are drawn from as many nations as the allies are, a secret alien people upon whom all legends of Fairy and the Undead are based, the Fey.

This Steam-Punk, anti-war novella begins as Professor Michael J. Warren watches new students in his school line up for indoctrination. He does not realize that his daughter, who has searched for him for years, is one of those students.    Two decades earlier, Warren was a Major–code named “Dawn’s Spear”–within the  British Expeditionary Force fighting on the losing side of a war which devastated him mentally and emotionally.  This novella is well-researched and cites historical facts with illustrated notes, provides images, and draws on historical instances centering on the time of World War I, though it is markedly fiction. (A: Complete novel 290 pages with simplified notes)

Illustrated Notes for The Fey Wars:The Defeated

The above text for the novel is filled with footnotes since many of the people and events are drawn from actual history.  However, the intention when it is published is to have those notes illustrated.  Here they are with the images to help amplify them.

Short Stories–In Process

God Has Made Nothing in Vain

Imagine a future not too far from now when robots driven by artificial intelligence are everywhere.  They teach schools, take care of children, sell and buy all sorts of products, repair cities and wage wars.  Now imagine a devout Christian couple coming into possession of a sex droid.  What do they do with her? What role does she play in God’s plan for them?  (A: Opening chapters 52 pages)

Under the Bloody Eye of the Storm

People are sometimes possessed by evil.  Some think rooms or even houses can also be possessed, but what does one do when faced with a demon possessed storm?  Hurricane Vlad is headed for the Florida coast. (A: Opening 23 pages)

Blind Fool or “Eyes Up Here Fella!”

This lighthearted fantasy features the adventures of Matilda Manglyeong, one very gifted (endowed?) and attractive young witch who finds herself thrown (literally) into the company of a non-magical magician (he’s really good at making marbles disappear from under cups) who is himself being pursued by one of the most feared enforcers of magical orthodoxy in their world, the Sage Inquisition. However for some reason her own magic has decided to change its nature and suddenly what were once sprinkles of power coming from her fingertips are now gushers of waterfall force. (A:Opening 12 pages)

Prenuptial Agreements: the Zargathian Way

“It is a universal Zargathian axiom that a worthy set of male genes are in desperate need of a wife—although the actual welfare of the male carrying said genes is of little to no consequence.”  So begins this science fiction romp which starts with a deep bow to Jane Austin’s Pride and Prejudice. (Duly footnoted). When Captain Robert Cluster and his partner, Trevor MacFenerstein, enter into Zargathian space, they initially hope that they’ve discovered a whole new outlet for Earth commerce.  Sadly they have been beaten to the punch by one Dan Magasim, a notorious, loudmouth, exploitative entrepreneur. It is, however, not until they meet the chief negotiator of the Zargathian space port who introduces himself as Dir. “Ovar Baring Twitt” and one of his sales reps who identifies herself as “Iva Parh O’Biggons,” that the two Earth-men begin to suspect something is profoundly wrong. (A: Opening 33 pages)