Showing posts with label fandom. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fandom. Show all posts
Monday, June 23, 2014
The Five(ish) Fangirls Podcast, Episode 3 - Don't Feed the Trolls
Episode 3 of the Five(ish) Fangirls is out! We battle issues ranging from scheduling to spotty Internet connections to bring a discussion of the current state of fandom - namely When Fans Go Bad.
It's one thing to disagree on what we like and dislike in fandom, but what happens when those disagreements turn nasty? And what about when fans drag creators of our favorite media into the Ship and Flame Wars? Can't we all just get along? Can fandom ever have nice things?
Also - news of the week and your feedback!
Show notes, news links, and download of the podcast MP3 can be found here: http://thefiveishfangirlspodcast.blogspot.com/2014/06/check-out-these-youtube-channels-for.html
Friday, May 2, 2014
The Fun Police
This comes from a combination of too many fellow fans whining online and... nope, that's all it was. Too many fellow fans whining online made this thing happen. I got ticked off (moreso that usual) and this song is the result.
A little background - every year, my mom's family plan a big reunion. And nearly every year, one (or more) of the relatives has to bring up some insignificant issue that the ENTIRE WORLD must hear about. Ad nauseum. This carping and complaining leads to precisely NO ONE having any fun and often ruins a perfectly good family outing. After the first two or three instances of this happening, my dad starting calling these family members "The Fun Police" because no matter how hard most of us tried to have fun, one of these individuals would swoop in and make sure that fun was very short lived (we eventually stopped inviting them to things and we enjoy ourselves more now). Dad even went so far as to try to rewrite the lyrics to Cheap Trick's "The Dream Police" (it was a half-hearted attempt at an inside joke, but still quite funny).
With this, I'm taking a page out of my dear old dad's book and writing a tribute (of sorts) to the malcontents of fandom - from the grief they give fellow fans to the utter pains-in-the-ass they are even to those who create the media that they supposedly love. Granted my lyrics are a little clunky in places and it likely won't change anything or do any good, but in the words of Captain Jack Sparrow when he tried shooting the undead monkey, it does me.
The Fun Police
(to the tune of "The Dream Police" by Cheap Trick)
The Fun Police whine on Twitter all night
The Fun Police tell the fans what to like
The Fun Police are coming to nitpick you, oh no
You know their talk is cheap
And their complaints annoy me
If I say what I like
They'll hate it just to be contrary, contrary
'Cause they'll pick it apart
They'll trash it to bits
No fandom is safe
They love to call me crazy
And all showrunners lazy
The Fun Police climb upon soapboxes
The Fun Police mark all the right boxes
The Fun Police, make your show say what they want, oh yes
I won't tell you lies
Better give what they ask for
And if you don't
They'll call you mean names on Tumblr, Tumblr
'Cause they're waiting for you
They're looking for you
To screw everything up
They must really love this show
Only real fans hate on it so
I watch a show, I read a book, they won't let me alone
I love a story, like an actor, they won't let me alone
Until all my fun's gone and dead, they won't let me alone
For all fandom, they're the judge and jury all in one
'Cause they're waiting for me
They're looking for me
To just have some fun
They love to ruin ev'rything
Take out the fun fandom brings
The Fun Police tell us how we're all wrong
The Fun Police order creators around
The Fun Police they're coming to arrest us
The Fun Police (repeat a lot)
(if you actually laughed at this, you know what kind of fan you are)
A little background - every year, my mom's family plan a big reunion. And nearly every year, one (or more) of the relatives has to bring up some insignificant issue that the ENTIRE WORLD must hear about. Ad nauseum. This carping and complaining leads to precisely NO ONE having any fun and often ruins a perfectly good family outing. After the first two or three instances of this happening, my dad starting calling these family members "The Fun Police" because no matter how hard most of us tried to have fun, one of these individuals would swoop in and make sure that fun was very short lived (we eventually stopped inviting them to things and we enjoy ourselves more now). Dad even went so far as to try to rewrite the lyrics to Cheap Trick's "The Dream Police" (it was a half-hearted attempt at an inside joke, but still quite funny).
With this, I'm taking a page out of my dear old dad's book and writing a tribute (of sorts) to the malcontents of fandom - from the grief they give fellow fans to the utter pains-in-the-ass they are even to those who create the media that they supposedly love. Granted my lyrics are a little clunky in places and it likely won't change anything or do any good, but in the words of Captain Jack Sparrow when he tried shooting the undead monkey, it does me.
The Fun Police
(to the tune of "The Dream Police" by Cheap Trick)
The Fun Police whine on Twitter all night
The Fun Police tell the fans what to like
The Fun Police are coming to nitpick you, oh no
You know their talk is cheap
And their complaints annoy me
If I say what I like
They'll hate it just to be contrary, contrary
'Cause they'll pick it apart
They'll trash it to bits
No fandom is safe
They love to call me crazy
And all showrunners lazy
The Fun Police climb upon soapboxes
The Fun Police mark all the right boxes
The Fun Police, make your show say what they want, oh yes
I won't tell you lies
Better give what they ask for
And if you don't
They'll call you mean names on Tumblr, Tumblr
'Cause they're waiting for you
They're looking for you
To screw everything up
They must really love this show
Only real fans hate on it so
I watch a show, I read a book, they won't let me alone
I love a story, like an actor, they won't let me alone
Until all my fun's gone and dead, they won't let me alone
For all fandom, they're the judge and jury all in one
'Cause they're waiting for me
They're looking for me
To just have some fun
They love to ruin ev'rything
Take out the fun fandom brings
The Fun Police tell us how we're all wrong
The Fun Police order creators around
The Fun Police they're coming to arrest us
The Fun Police (repeat a lot)
(if you actually laughed at this, you know what kind of fan you are)
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Geek Mama Grizzlies - UNITE!
I know I've posted a boatload of stuff today, but I have to post about this because - well, just because.
First, read this blog post. Or, if you're too lazy - Katie is a first grader who took a Star Wars water bottle to school - because it matched her Star Wars lunchbox and Star Wars backpack. A group of obnoxious littlemaggots boys teased the poor girl because (ahem) Star Wars is only for boys.
Take a minute to let that sink in. Then go beat the stuffing out of your nearest convenient pillow. I'll wait.
This story is similar to something that happened to me in kindergarten. When I was a kid, I LOVED the Ninja Turtles! I watched the cartoon every time it was on and my mom would rent the videos for me to watch. I had some of the comic books and Leonardo was my favorite - I thought the swords were cool (yes, I know they were katana - but four-year-olds don't quibble about details like that). Now, living on a farm outside of town, I didn't get much interaction with kids my own age. Oh, I knew kids in my Primary class and from preschool, but we didn't get too much into things like favorite cartoons and stuff like that.
When I got into kindergarten, however, there were more kids that I didn't know, but I didn't think much of it. I proudly proclaimed that I was a Ninja Turtle fangirl (in not so many words, but yeah). I distinctly remember a group of girls sneering at me for it. Like "Ew - Ninja Turtles are for boys!" And the boys weren't much better - they'd rather eat dirt than let a girl play with them (which, they probably ate dirt anyway, but that's not the point).
It made me feel terrible - like there was something very, very wrong with me because I liked the Ninja Turtles. I kind of starting backpedaling, like "Ha ha, just kidding - I don't really like the Turtles," but that didn't work. If anything, it caused me more heartache because the girls I played with weren't the kind of girls I should have been friends with (boys may like to beat each other up, but girls are just cruel and catty and that's 100 times worse than getting punched in the nose, in my opinion). I eventually learned my lesson, returning to my roots and telling those mean girls to bug off. That was the beginning of my "weird" reputation - a badge of honor I proudly wear to this day. Over the years, the same girls (and boys) that teased me for my odd choice in TV softened in their outward attitudes, but they found other means of tormenting me - the girls especially.
There comes a point where you realize that you don't need to deal with that sort of crap. So what if I'm a cute little five-year-old whose favorite cartoon hero is a giant turtle? So what if Katie is a stinking adorable little girl with a Star Wars lunchbox? This new generation of geek girls is lucky in that the internet has made it possible to know that we are not alone. Dude, there's an entire blog of dedicated geek girls who are into this stuff! Even so, it's tough when no one in your immediate circle of acquaintances shares the same interests as you. It's even worse when they belittle you for it (especially when it's snot-nosed twerps doing it. I've said it before - kids are among the cruelest beasts in the universe).
There is a good side to this story. If you didn't notice, Katie's mom asked for other females who like somewhat-geeky things to share their stories. I added my two cents, but I was amazed by the sheer volume of comments she was getting! And this blog requires you to have an account to leave a comment! (Here's a different blog that doesn't require an account to comment - and the similarity between her title and my title is purely coincidental, I swear!)
And the other good thing - the kind of treatment I received from these kids actually spurred me on to enjoy other geeky things (sort of a "Take That!" to the established idea of what little white Mormon girls in Utah should like). I learned that the more people tell me I should/should not do something and it's something I actually want to do (that last one is the key here), the more I'm motivated to participate in it. So, in a way, those little snotwipes I had to deal with in elementary school did me a favor. Nowadays, I chalk it up to a character-building exercise. Maybe I should thank them.
First, read this blog post. Or, if you're too lazy - Katie is a first grader who took a Star Wars water bottle to school - because it matched her Star Wars lunchbox and Star Wars backpack. A group of obnoxious little
Take a minute to let that sink in. Then go beat the stuffing out of your nearest convenient pillow. I'll wait.
This story is similar to something that happened to me in kindergarten. When I was a kid, I LOVED the Ninja Turtles! I watched the cartoon every time it was on and my mom would rent the videos for me to watch. I had some of the comic books and Leonardo was my favorite - I thought the swords were cool (yes, I know they were katana - but four-year-olds don't quibble about details like that). Now, living on a farm outside of town, I didn't get much interaction with kids my own age. Oh, I knew kids in my Primary class and from preschool, but we didn't get too much into things like favorite cartoons and stuff like that.
When I got into kindergarten, however, there were more kids that I didn't know, but I didn't think much of it. I proudly proclaimed that I was a Ninja Turtle fangirl (in not so many words, but yeah). I distinctly remember a group of girls sneering at me for it. Like "Ew - Ninja Turtles are for boys!" And the boys weren't much better - they'd rather eat dirt than let a girl play with them (which, they probably ate dirt anyway, but that's not the point).
It made me feel terrible - like there was something very, very wrong with me because I liked the Ninja Turtles. I kind of starting backpedaling, like "Ha ha, just kidding - I don't really like the Turtles," but that didn't work. If anything, it caused me more heartache because the girls I played with weren't the kind of girls I should have been friends with (boys may like to beat each other up, but girls are just cruel and catty and that's 100 times worse than getting punched in the nose, in my opinion). I eventually learned my lesson, returning to my roots and telling those mean girls to bug off. That was the beginning of my "weird" reputation - a badge of honor I proudly wear to this day. Over the years, the same girls (and boys) that teased me for my odd choice in TV softened in their outward attitudes, but they found other means of tormenting me - the girls especially.
There comes a point where you realize that you don't need to deal with that sort of crap. So what if I'm a cute little five-year-old whose favorite cartoon hero is a giant turtle? So what if Katie is a stinking adorable little girl with a Star Wars lunchbox? This new generation of geek girls is lucky in that the internet has made it possible to know that we are not alone. Dude, there's an entire blog of dedicated geek girls who are into this stuff! Even so, it's tough when no one in your immediate circle of acquaintances shares the same interests as you. It's even worse when they belittle you for it (especially when it's snot-nosed twerps doing it. I've said it before - kids are among the cruelest beasts in the universe).
There is a good side to this story. If you didn't notice, Katie's mom asked for other females who like somewhat-geeky things to share their stories. I added my two cents, but I was amazed by the sheer volume of comments she was getting! And this blog requires you to have an account to leave a comment! (Here's a different blog that doesn't require an account to comment - and the similarity between her title and my title is purely coincidental, I swear!)
And the other good thing - the kind of treatment I received from these kids actually spurred me on to enjoy other geeky things (sort of a "Take That!" to the established idea of what little white Mormon girls in Utah should like). I learned that the more people tell me I should/should not do something and it's something I actually want to do (that last one is the key here), the more I'm motivated to participate in it. So, in a way, those little snotwipes I had to deal with in elementary school did me a favor. Nowadays, I chalk it up to a character-building exercise. Maybe I should thank them.
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Cowabunga!
My little cousin came over yesterday looking to watch a video on out VCR. And not just any video - it was the first "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" movie!
Oh, be still my little fangirl heart! I haven't seen that sucker in YEARS! When I was in preschool and kindergarten, I was nuts about the Ninja Turtles! I watched the show every time it was on TV and begged my parents to take me to see the movie (Mom almost didn't take me because it looked to scary). I had a serious crush on Leonardo - I don't know why... I think it was because I liked swords (and yes, I realize that they're actually katana. Give me a break - I was five).
Honestly, I'm grateful that my parents didn't object to my watching Ninja Turtles every Saturday morning. They even bought the videos for me and (eventually, after I pestered enough) took me to see the movie. This came into play when I started going to school and all the kids told me that girls couldn't like Ninja Turtles and that was a boys' TV show. As far as I'm concerned, that was the beginning of my flipping the proverbial bird to social convention.
Back to me and my cousin - well, we didn't watch it at our house because our VCR doesn't work (I'm sure this movie is out on DVD somewhere - IT HAS TO BE!), so we had to wait while the other kiddles finished watching their show. And then, joy of joys, it was our turn!
First of all - I find it ironic that the VHS has an ad for Pizza Hut before the movie (it didn't have "trailers" per se - ), but in the movie, the Turtles have Dominos deliver (I suppose this was before product placement became such a big deal in movies, etc.)
Also, now that I'm older I realize how poorly this story was told. True, it's an origin story and there's a lot that has to be covered - April as a TV reporter, her relationship with her boss, where Casey Jones comes in to all this. If they were to do this movie today, it'd probably be longer and not have so many lines to go through (though I somehow remember it being a lot longer when I was a kid).
As with most movies you watched when you were little and then you go back and re-watch them year later, there were some jokes that went over my head back then that I get now (I had no clue that Michelangelo and Donatello went to the kitchen while Leonardo and Raphael were arguing in April's apartment. That whole "Pork rind? Pork rind" exchange is now 10-times funnier than it used to be). And the Turtles kick butt. Massively and without question. And they're still cool.
I love the Turtles, I love Master Splinter (his "I made a funny" moment at the end remains my favorite) - I even had Michelangelo and Donatello's rendition of "Tequila" stuck in my head as late as this morning ^_^
Here's a toast to the show that got all my geekery started - at the tender age of four (maybe even three?)
Oh, be still my little fangirl heart! I haven't seen that sucker in YEARS! When I was in preschool and kindergarten, I was nuts about the Ninja Turtles! I watched the show every time it was on TV and begged my parents to take me to see the movie (Mom almost didn't take me because it looked to scary). I had a serious crush on Leonardo - I don't know why... I think it was because I liked swords (and yes, I realize that they're actually katana. Give me a break - I was five).
Honestly, I'm grateful that my parents didn't object to my watching Ninja Turtles every Saturday morning. They even bought the videos for me and (eventually, after I pestered enough) took me to see the movie. This came into play when I started going to school and all the kids told me that girls couldn't like Ninja Turtles and that was a boys' TV show. As far as I'm concerned, that was the beginning of my flipping the proverbial bird to social convention.
Back to me and my cousin - well, we didn't watch it at our house because our VCR doesn't work (I'm sure this movie is out on DVD somewhere - IT HAS TO BE!), so we had to wait while the other kiddles finished watching their show. And then, joy of joys, it was our turn!
First of all - I find it ironic that the VHS has an ad for Pizza Hut before the movie (it didn't have "trailers" per se - ), but in the movie, the Turtles have Dominos deliver (I suppose this was before product placement became such a big deal in movies, etc.)
Also, now that I'm older I realize how poorly this story was told. True, it's an origin story and there's a lot that has to be covered - April as a TV reporter, her relationship with her boss, where Casey Jones comes in to all this. If they were to do this movie today, it'd probably be longer and not have so many lines to go through (though I somehow remember it being a lot longer when I was a kid).
As with most movies you watched when you were little and then you go back and re-watch them year later, there were some jokes that went over my head back then that I get now (I had no clue that Michelangelo and Donatello went to the kitchen while Leonardo and Raphael were arguing in April's apartment. That whole "Pork rind? Pork rind" exchange is now 10-times funnier than it used to be). And the Turtles kick butt. Massively and without question. And they're still cool.
I love the Turtles, I love Master Splinter (his "I made a funny" moment at the end remains my favorite) - I even had Michelangelo and Donatello's rendition of "Tequila" stuck in my head as late as this morning ^_^
Here's a toast to the show that got all my geekery started - at the tender age of four (maybe even three?)
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Why Can't We Be Friends?
I'm listening to PotterCast, playing catch-up from the 18-month hole of my fandom life. I'm to the point where Half-Blood Prince was moved to summer 2009 instead of Thanksgiving 2008, which, I was happy about because it meant I got to see the sixth movie in theaters when I got home, instead of having to settle for waiting for it on DVD. The non-mission fandom was pissed, with good reason. I would have been the same if I was home. But I wasn't and I'm selfish, so I'm glad Warner Brothers made the change. So there *blows raspberry*
But here's another thing that I'm annoyed about: they just keep ragging and ragging on Twilight! And I am very upset by it. In my view, you cannot compare Harry Potter and Twilight in terms of content and story. Harry Potter is a coming-of-age fantasy story about a kid who has to defeat evil. Twilight is a semi-clean romance/fantasy novel geared toward teenage and adult females (and their boyfriends or husbands that want to impress them) about a girl who falls in love with a vampire and they have to find a way to make their relationship work. The only thing HP and Twilight have in common is that they're fantasy. Hell, they don't even take place on the same frickin' continent! (well - "New Moon" goes to Italy for a short stint, but that's about it). I personally think they are both very well-written and geared for their audiences, which are certainly NOT the same. The only reason - and I mean the ONLY reason - they get compared is because they both gained huge fanbases so quickly (and Robert Pattinson was in the fourth Harry Potter movie). I enjoy both for different reasons and there is nothing wrong with it.
This reminds me of the idiotic "competition" between the Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings movies back in 2001-2003. It's so incredibly stupid. You are allowed to like more than one thing - it's not going to kill you. Honestly, you really don't even have to like anything, but give it a rest already! Sheesh.
I have to say this: I was initially impressed by Twilight because it was a fantasy/romance (and I am a hopeless romantic-type, so I tend to gravitate toward those things), it was a vampire novel, which I usually eschew because most vampire stories are all about sex (like, graphic, X-rated porno sex. No. Thank. You.) - but this one WASN'T. And it was good!! It also didn't hurt that Stephenie Meyer is a Mormon - REPRESENT!! I was excited because here was a member of the LDS Church that was having success in a genre related to the one that I want to pursue in my own career and I wasn't sure if I could do it and still keep to my deeply-held values and standards. But Stephenie Meyer did (at least, as far as I know) and that gives me hope in my own goals and ambitions (not saying she hasn't come into her own share of negativity, but you get that with anything).
PC isn't the only place that I've seen HP fans getting their panties in a bunch over Twilight. A well-loved HP icon maker on LiveJournal even is on this tirade (or was a few months ago - I was looking at some of her stuff). And the PotterCast I'm listening to mentioned that one of the wizard rock bands (I forget which one - everyone and their Kneazle has a wizard rock band) made a snide comment about Twilight, saying it was the Hannah Montana of fantasy (idiot - why do you say stuff like that at ComiCon?) And, as far as PotterCast is concerned, I guess it's just John Noe being John Noe (darn Slytherins).
You know, just because the media are a bunch of blowhards that can't make any kind of substantial comparison doesn't mean we fans have to be at each others' throats. Both Twilight and Harry Potter tell good stories that haven't been told before. If one isn't your cup of tea, you don't have to trash it. Until Stephenie Meyer says something snotty about Harry Potter or until JK Rowling says that Twilight is retarded, I want everyone to keep their inane opinions to themselves. If anything, just be happy for one another's success. Good grief, MuggleNet is affiliated with a fansite for Eragon (or they were last I checked) - which, Christopher Paolini isn't exactly Shakespeare. But, hey, there is plenty of fandom love to go around for everybody. I for one am willing to give anything a chance (Exhibit A: Philip Pullman - I finished the entire Golden Compass series before I decided that I didn't like it. And I haven't picked it up since. But I don't go on fansites or whatever and say "OMG U SUCK!" because that is a waste of my time and energy (and there will likely be people that do that to me if my book is ever published).
Seriously, people - get over it.
I know this is old news, but I want to carp about it because I didn't get to when it first happened. And it was all over the place, but that's me and my blogging.
But here's another thing that I'm annoyed about: they just keep ragging and ragging on Twilight! And I am very upset by it. In my view, you cannot compare Harry Potter and Twilight in terms of content and story. Harry Potter is a coming-of-age fantasy story about a kid who has to defeat evil. Twilight is a semi-clean romance/fantasy novel geared toward teenage and adult females (and their boyfriends or husbands that want to impress them) about a girl who falls in love with a vampire and they have to find a way to make their relationship work. The only thing HP and Twilight have in common is that they're fantasy. Hell, they don't even take place on the same frickin' continent! (well - "New Moon" goes to Italy for a short stint, but that's about it). I personally think they are both very well-written and geared for their audiences, which are certainly NOT the same. The only reason - and I mean the ONLY reason - they get compared is because they both gained huge fanbases so quickly (and Robert Pattinson was in the fourth Harry Potter movie). I enjoy both for different reasons and there is nothing wrong with it.
This reminds me of the idiotic "competition" between the Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings movies back in 2001-2003. It's so incredibly stupid. You are allowed to like more than one thing - it's not going to kill you. Honestly, you really don't even have to like anything, but give it a rest already! Sheesh.
I have to say this: I was initially impressed by Twilight because it was a fantasy/romance (and I am a hopeless romantic-type, so I tend to gravitate toward those things), it was a vampire novel, which I usually eschew because most vampire stories are all about sex (like, graphic, X-rated porno sex. No. Thank. You.) - but this one WASN'T. And it was good!! It also didn't hurt that Stephenie Meyer is a Mormon - REPRESENT!! I was excited because here was a member of the LDS Church that was having success in a genre related to the one that I want to pursue in my own career and I wasn't sure if I could do it and still keep to my deeply-held values and standards. But Stephenie Meyer did (at least, as far as I know) and that gives me hope in my own goals and ambitions (not saying she hasn't come into her own share of negativity, but you get that with anything).
PC isn't the only place that I've seen HP fans getting their panties in a bunch over Twilight. A well-loved HP icon maker on LiveJournal even is on this tirade (or was a few months ago - I was looking at some of her stuff). And the PotterCast I'm listening to mentioned that one of the wizard rock bands (I forget which one - everyone and their Kneazle has a wizard rock band) made a snide comment about Twilight, saying it was the Hannah Montana of fantasy (idiot - why do you say stuff like that at ComiCon?) And, as far as PotterCast is concerned, I guess it's just John Noe being John Noe (darn Slytherins).
You know, just because the media are a bunch of blowhards that can't make any kind of substantial comparison doesn't mean we fans have to be at each others' throats. Both Twilight and Harry Potter tell good stories that haven't been told before. If one isn't your cup of tea, you don't have to trash it. Until Stephenie Meyer says something snotty about Harry Potter or until JK Rowling says that Twilight is retarded, I want everyone to keep their inane opinions to themselves. If anything, just be happy for one another's success. Good grief, MuggleNet is affiliated with a fansite for Eragon (or they were last I checked) - which, Christopher Paolini isn't exactly Shakespeare. But, hey, there is plenty of fandom love to go around for everybody. I for one am willing to give anything a chance (Exhibit A: Philip Pullman - I finished the entire Golden Compass series before I decided that I didn't like it. And I haven't picked it up since. But I don't go on fansites or whatever and say "OMG U SUCK!" because that is a waste of my time and energy (and there will likely be people that do that to me if my book is ever published).
Seriously, people - get over it.
I know this is old news, but I want to carp about it because I didn't get to when it first happened. And it was all over the place, but that's me and my blogging.
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