So...Tutorial #2

Well technically happened yesterday. It was the last Friday of the holidays and Miss set up two days to helps us out with our writing and see how our PIPs wer getting along. Of course I did some semblance of research and work these holidays but nothing that set me off or got me into it. So after my first one on one with the teacher, I was left with a drab thesis and procrastinating time to mull over what I was really doing.

Later on I got fed up and just thought to myself, 'You know what? Screw it" and asked to have a chat with teacher.

I had this thing in my head for a while. On Thursday I watched Battleship with a couple of friends (mixed feelings about that film...) and afterwards we killed time by looking around JB HI FI.

We got to the TV section.

Now, this section is pretty broad. It's categorised by the television network and/or by genre. I noticed that for every single section we got to, we all had something to say for about at least 3 different shows. I mentioned the show Merlin and was surprised that at least one other friend followed that series and was obsessed with the same aspects as I did. We got into Doctor Who, Mad Men, True Blood, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Game of Thrones, Sherlock and that wa just he tip of the iceberg. We watched A LOT of tv. Out of all this, I noticed how much passion we had for certain franchises as well, not just tv shows but films and literature as well.

I brought this up with teacher and got into this idea that had been nagging me for a little while. Fandoms. Now, I know when it come to TV shows, I tend to get geeky and obsessive. What I love is that not only can I share this with my friends who are also avid viewers, but I could also share this with the global community. I check certain tumblrs hourly, when I can, to see the latest gif photoset based on Sherlock or Hunger Games or Buffy the Vampire Slayer. They seem to know exactly how I feel about certain aspects of the franchise.

One of my guilty pleasures since Year 7 or 8 is fanfiction. I read fanfiction almost daily. Mainly Sailor Moon, Buffy and yes, even Twilight fanfiction. I realized that through my obsessons with these films, tv shows and books, that I go to great and almost ridiculous lengths to keep this obsession alive and healthy and that I'm certainly not alone.

This quickly became a topic of interest once I tried to explain this to teacher. I began my research and found a couple of really good thesis' already. I'm not going to get into that on this post though.

I bottom line is, I've changed topic. As much as I love the dark, tall, handsome and brutally gorgeous brooding men, I want to go in this direction (early rough question):

How does fandom move individuals beyond the realm of popular culture and what influences do fandom communities have on the personal identity of fans?

Taking a franchise out of the realm of fantasy and fiction and manifesting it into reality through active participation in fandoms (cyber and physical communities) and how it effects the personal identity.