Transformative Works and Cultures - TWC (Organization for Transformative Works)
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852 research outputs found
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Using Riveter to map gendered power dynamics in Hades/Persephone fan fiction
No full textI examine the affordances and limitations of Riveter, an NLP-pipeline, for analyzing dynamics of power and agency in fan fiction. Riveter detects entities in a text, links together references to the same entity, parses grammatical relationship between entities, and assigns entities lexicon-based scores reflecting their levels of power and agency. I take the gendered dynamics of the Hades/Persephone relationship from Greek mythology fandom as a case study, using a corpus of fan fiction from Archive of Our Own. I also use Riveter to assign aggregate power and agency scores to all entities referred to with the same gendered pronouns in fan fiction. I evaluate Riveter's performance by manually annotating a single fan fiction text. The tool overlooks some of the implicit ways characters negotiate power and misses many of the ways power and agency are represented, reconfigured, and negotiated. However, because of its ease and transparency of use and its capacity to examine textual relations at a large scale, Riveter is useful for mapping (gendered) character dynamics in fan fiction, especially when combined with more fine-grained methods such as selected close readings
"I wish my life was like this": Queer identity work in BL fandom
No full textThe genre of homoerotica called BL (also known as yaoi) was created and rose to popularity among Japanese women but has since amassed an increasingly diversified audience. To understand the sociological significance of BL/yaoi in the lives of queer men living in North America and Europe, I conducted a virtual ethnography within a BL/yaoi-centric Discord server I refer to as the Yaoi Association and held interviews with individual server members. Drawing upon feminist theory, I analyze how queer men make meaning of the genre and the digital fan communities they inhabit. Interviewees often connected their experiences in BL/yaoi fandom to their journey of sexual self-discovery, as the media provided a sense of escapism and freedom, especially for those who were not open about their queer identities in their offline lives. BL/yaoi media symbolically represented a challenge to the confinements of hegemonic masculinity, depicting an alternative masculinity that is queer and emotionally vulnerable. The fan server exists not only as a place to share BL/yaoi content but as a platform for members to find an accepting community and explore their identities
"Sartorial fandom: Fashion, beauty culture, and identity," edited by Elizabeth Affuso and Suzanne Scott
No full textElizabeth Affuso and Suzanne Scott, editors. Sartorial fandom: Fashion, beauty culture, and identity. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 2023, paperback, $29.95 (294 p) ISBN 978-0472056040
Fans and AI: Transformations in fandom and fan studies
No full textAI, and especially generative AI, has intersected with fandom in specific ways as fans adopt new practices, scholars have access to additional research methods, and AI tech companies challenge existing concepts of open data, privacy, ownership, fairness, and exploitation. We identify potential areas of disruption to contemporary fandom and fan studies arising from the various uses of AI and suggest what the consequences might be for our understanding of ownership, legality, the fannish gift economy, and even creativity itself. These debates form the backdrop to the four articles and two symposium pieces in this special section, which each interrogate one aspect of the potential transformations that AI is bringing about in fandom and fan studies. We finish with an overview of the individual submissions, demonstrating the value of their contributions to fan studies and their relevance to wider discussions around the relationships between humans, technology, and creativity
Fanception on ice!!!: Cycles of choreographic adaptation and fandom in figure skating:
No full textI examine the cyclical nature of love and fandom when Yuri!!! On Ice's figure skating routines are (re)performed in fictional and real competitions, which creates a sense of haunting palimpsest as embodied practice is translated from medium to medium. I highlight how adapting repertoire and donning cosplay can be a means for athletes and fans to produce profoundly generative and explicitly citational performances of embodied and passionate love for both form and fandom
The historical marginalization of Black fans at Major League Baseball games
No full textThere are many explanations of the decline in Black American baseball players and some explanations of the decline of Black American fans at Major League Baseball (MLB) games, but few of those explanations analyze the role of the historical fan experience at MLB games. When examined, it becomes clear that the persistent, but adaptable, historical marginalization of Black fans at MLB games—from describing them differently to treating them differently to segregating them to building new ballparks far removed from Black communities to not marketing to Black audiences to making it difficult for Black fans to reach games—is a major contributing factor to the disproportionately low number of Black American fans at MLB games today
"A queer way of feeling: Girl fans and personal archives of early Hollywood," by Diana W. Anselmo
No full textDiana W. Anselmo, A queer way of feeling: Girl fans and personal archives of early Hollywood. Oakland: University of California Press, 2023, paperback, 29.95, ISBN: 978-0-5209-7129-5
Beyond the "fandom as religion" comparison: Measuring the sacred dimensions of Comic-Con fan devotion
No full textWhy do people become devoted fans of popular culture, such that it becomes a central and meaningful part of their lives? This is a fundamental question of fan studies research. We approach it from a sociological perspective, building on the "fandom as religion" comparison but clarifying the terms of this debate and gathering systematic data to explore it more fully. We begin by discussing some lingering issues of this comparison and suggest an alternative approach that conceptualizes fan devotion as a sacred experience rather than a religious one. Next, to test this approach, we describe our study that utilizes a survey and in-depth interviews, both of which measure different dimensions of the sacred and gather a variety of information from fans at comic book conventions in the mid-Atlantic region of the United States. Our analysis of 508 survey responses and fifteen in-depth interviews reveals new information about fan demographics, what proportion experience their interests as sacred along different dimensions, and what these dimensions mean in the context of Comic-Con culture. We conclude by discussing how these results add significant depth to our understanding of fan devotion
Character.AI and the quest for immersion in fan fiction practices
No full textThe digital age has transformed methods of fan engagement, enabling increasingly immersive, interactive, and personalized exchanges with media that blur the boundaries between fiction and reality. The evolution from self-insert fan fiction to generative AI (artificial intelligence)–driven websites and digital applications like Character.AI represents a shift toward a desire for real-time interaction with fictional characters and fan objects, offering new dimensions of emotive and transformative engagement. While self-insert fan fiction has long served as a medium for fans to explore alternative narratives and representations within the worlds of beloved fan objects, Character.AI allows users to converse with AI-generated character chatbots from their preferred fan objects, deepening emotional engagement and opportunities for individualized interaction by the fan-as-author and fan-as-character. I raise questions regarding ethical engagement with generative AI chatbots and the potential for harmful repercussions as a result of their usage, as well as examine the evolution of these transformative fan practices and their intended result of emotional resonance and ontological security within contemporary fandoms
Otaku and AI: Reconsidering human, machine, and animal
No full textReferring to Japanese scholar Hiroki Azuma's database theory, this discourse analysis of otaku users' experiences with Waifu Labs, an artificial intelligence (AI) anime portrait generator, suggests an alternative perspective on the relationships between human and AI. The perspective challenges traditional definitions of human and humanity and encourages a reconsideration of our knowledge construction for the discussion of controversial issues surrounding AI applications