fandomstudieswilliams

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The Slytherin Aesthetic (Fanwork 4)

For this fanwork, I focused on Harry Potter - specifically the Slytherin house - and visual analysis, with a little work on dramatistic/narrative analysis.

For the media itself, the Slytherin house is portrayed as the house where the majority of evil characters originate in Harry Potter. The comes into conflict with the characters because Harry is constantly questioning Draco Malfoy's motives and allegiance as Draco is the biggest student character we see from the Slytherin house. A few of the images I selected show Draco in the bathroom before Harry attacks him, struggling with the weight of the Dark Mark and the implications of being a Death Eater and then in another image when he finally reveals the Dark Mark to Dumbledore right before he tries to kill the Headmaster.

In those images, the lighting is very dark, going along with the tone of the scenes where a fight is occurring and the internal struggle that Draco is facing. In the bathroom scene, the camera is angle is from Harry's perspective as the audience is viewing everything from Harry's eye, just as the books, but also we can interpret not being able to see Draco's face as he unable to face himself and his actions/what he must do in order to save his family (ie: kill Dumbledore).

For the fandom, the fans have taken images from the media itself and non-media images to describe what it might be like to be apart of the wizarding world of Harry Potter and, more specifically, the Slytherin house. These images usually are saturated in the color green because that's Slytherin's house color or feature a muted-scale more black color palette. The images usually fit the aesthetic of dark academia. A lot of images use the symbol of the snake because that is the Slytherin house animal but also represent the sentiment of what Slytherins are: snakes who cannot be trusted. This comes from the overall sentiment from the canon text feeling of the Slytherin house that they produce "bad" or "evil" wizards like Voldemort.

A lot of images that pop up when searching Slytherin also feature the Dark Mark because lots of Death Eaters come from the Slytherin house, or lots of parents of Slytherin students are Death Eaters. Fans use this when creating moodboards for the Slytherin house in general or for specific OCs when wanting to reference parentage.

Overall, the visual sentiment for the Slytherin house between media and fandom is clouded in green and black with a muted color palette. The symbols include snakes and skulls, references to death and the weight of the political climate during the Golden Era of Harry Potter where no one's lives are certain.

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Fan Autoethnography

Reflection

To start off, the two fandoms I'm going to be talking in depth today are Batman and Harry Potter. I'm choosing these two because Harry Potter has been a fandom that I've been apart of for many years and I've been deeply involved in the community and Batman is a fandom that I've been shallowly apart of for years but have obsessively fallen into lately and reflects a recent desire to analyze media that I engage with.

I own a few pieces of fan merch, mostly Harry Potter or MCU. I have official HP merch from Universal like a Deathly Hallows crop top and a Slytherin pendant necklace and scrunchie. I also have non-official merch like a tumbler with HP plants or various MCU stickers that I got from my friend's business. I don't own anything Batman related.

Recently, I have gotten into analyzing the movies/TV shows that I watch and while I don't go back and rewatch them, I do look them up online to see the cinematography choices, themes, and other relevant information which I've done with various Batman media. I've also just deep-dived into how Batman has been portrayed in animated movies, TV shows, and live actions like the Burton movies, Nolan, and latest R-Pat revival because it's an interest of mine.

I've definitely been involved in fandom communities. I engage with fanfiction for both communities respectively, right now Batman but I have engaged with Harry Potter fanfic in the past and probably will again in the future. I've also created fanworks - like, really long fanfictions for Harry Potter and other fandoms, including Batman - and in doing that I've engaged in discussions with other people in those fandoms. I've also been apart of groupchats with people and started friendships online over mutual interests.

I've definitely followed actors from media that I engaged with in the past, but I no longer do that because I don't want to follow celebrities. I fan a finsta for my fanfic writing and all I follow are other fandom members on there.

I've only engaged with rewatch podcasts slightly. My only experience was watching the pilot episode of the Lost Girl rewatch podcast because they just aren't what I enjoy. I'd rather just listen to music. I'm much more interested in watching videos about fandom on YouTube, whether it be discussing the media itself or the fandom. It doesn't matter if I'm apart of the fandom the video is about, I just like learning about fandom so I'm inclined to watch the video if I like the creator, like Strange Aeons.

Analysis

I do think there is an "us" vs. "them" binary because of the way fans are viewed but those who don't see themselves as participating in a fandom. I also see it in myself when discussing fandoms that I'm not apart of because I'm an outsider of a community. In my fandoms, I'm an insider. For Harry Potter, I think I'm expert who is accomplished and has spent several years writing and has a good amount of followers. For Batman, I think I'm newer and still learning about the media so that I can feel like an expert. But for mainstream, I think bleeding feels uncomfortable, because for me growing up there was such strict separation to where now when I try to blend the lines I feel such push back internally because of the many years I tried to repress this part of myself.

I think anonymity affects online fandoms by making people feel more comfortable. When I was younger and making my way into fandom, if I had to use my legal name and add a picture, I would've run the other way, but instead I had the freedom to choose a name that I liked more than my legal one and the ability to be whoever I wanted. My pseudonym allowed me to write what I wanted and gain control over my thoughts and feelings and in turn meet people online that I never would've had the chance to in real life. Anonymity makes people feel free, which is good, but I do see the downsides because I saw firsthand the bullying that comes when people don't see the repercussions for their actions. When I was creating my podcast, it helped me because I already had the experience of existing in a fandom space and knowing about Harry Potter and the queer community but also felt the freedom of speaking into my phone mic under the guise of not giving my name.

I think fandom has acted as both a site for me to built autonomy and intimacy but I did use it for psychological compensation. I went looking for something when I went online; I wanted to engage more with a media I loved, and then I wanted to continue the story. I did have a parasocial relationship - or perhaps a hyperfixation on certain medias - where I just need to cling onto a media and continue the story either through reading about it continuously or writing about it. However, through fandom I also found community and people. People I could talk to about my day, people who gave me advice, people who become my friends. I also became more confident in my writing and my abilities in simple graphic design, the latter which I wouldn't have engaged with if I hadn't been apart of fandom.

Language that associates me with my fandom outside of fandom spaces is asking "what house are you?" and saying in response "Slytherin." Harry Potter has become so large that the use of the four Hogwarts houses or just asking someone for their house outside of a fandom space immediately cues someone in that you're talking about the series. It automatically lets the other person know that you're apart of the fandom, or at least a little bit enough of a fan to associate with a house or have taken the quiz. I don't really use it outside of fandom spaces. The only time I have is after I had taken an in-depth fan made house quiz and I loved it and thought it was completely thorough and wanted to share it with them but we weren't talking about the fandom, but otherwise I wouldn't bring it up.

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The Loss of Innocence Playlist (Fanwork 3)

For fanwork 3, I explored the ramifications of war and the loss of innocence in children/teenagers in the Harry Potter and PJO fandoms using psychoanalytic theory. I did this looking at songs that focused on themes of childhood, sacrifice, dying, and guilt. I looked at those themes because of the relationships these children forged with each other and how they grew and changed, and perhaps the ones they lost.

For reference, in Frank Ocean's "Ivy", he said "we'll never be those kids again", and I used that in context to this assignment because at the start of each series the characters were much more carefree and innocent, not having endured bloodshed, death, and violence but after reaching sixteen and seventeen respectively the characters have changed to battle and kill their major antagonist and can no longer go back to the state they were at the beginning of the series.

A lot of these songs also confront the Reality Principle, with confronting a desire the artist wish exists before coming to the conclusion that it can't which I can also apply these child characters in these fandoms who have just had to become child soldiers and are now left to pick up the pieces, left with desires they wish they could enact but ultimately confront with a new reality that is unforgiving.

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Owl House Season 2 Opener

We can see culture-centered analysis in Owl House through Luz with Hispanic culture and human-culture. Luz communicates to her mother in Spanish at the beginning of season 2 when she tries to record a video and is the only human in the series causing her to have a unique perspective from the rest of the characters but more aligned with the audience. Gender theory comes into play because most of the main cast is comprised of women so they are the heroes of the story, subverting the "damsel in distress" narrative that usually plays out - they do not "lack" in the narrative but drive it. It does play into the woman hero, man villain trope with the emperor and Golden Guard being the main villains being introduced in season two.

Economic theory is being introduced because now at season 2 the Owl House gang lack culture capital amongst the Isles whereas in season 1 Eda was culturally important/relevant. Queer theory is seen with Amity and Luz because Amity clearly has had a crush on Luz since season 1 can be seen blushing when interacting with her and now you can see Luz mirroring those same cues.

Visual Theory -

How does the colors each character wears visually link them with different covens and fans understanding of who that character is?

At the end of episode one, the audience sees that the Emperor is rebuilding the door to the human world but the Owl House gang doesn't see that. Why was that visual included for the audience? What does that imply and why does the Emperor have an interest in the human world?

In the title cards, Lilith and the Golden Guard are set together and and turn around. One side of Lilith is her in season 1, the flipped around version is her in season 2. What does this imply for the Golden Guard?

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Harry Potter and the Queer Retellings (Fan Work 1)

Episode 1: What's Canon and Why is Lycanthropy AIDS-Coded?

In this episode, we dissect the canon representation in the Harry Potter series and JK Rowling's attempt to connect lycanthropy to blood-borne illnesses (aka AIDS).

Episode 2: The Disaster That is JK Rowling's Twitter

In this episode, we take a lot at the queerbaiting monstrosity that is JK Rowling herself. First with background relationships that she hinted at making canon, to Dumbledore himself - who she confirmed the sexuality of but did not visually show in any capacity.

Episode 3: F--k It, We'll Do It Ourselves

This episode looks at fanfiction and fans' desire to represent themselves, but mostly only in mlm relationships. We examine how femslash relationships get sidelined and ask why, if women are the ones primarily writing these stories, are they not representing themselves?

Episode 4: When a Door Opens, So Does a Window

Building off looking at fanfiction, this episode highlights how Harry Potter fanfiction is working with primarily underage subjects, but those reading and writing them are not underage themselves. It also looks at fetishization and the ways in which writers can reduce characters to their sexuality for their own gain.

Full Logo:

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Fan Labor

Labor or work is something that you pour time and effort into. Specifically for Harry Potter, this could be fan art, fanfics, cataloging every spell and breaking down what they mean, making fan vids, researching into horcruxes, and so much more. Labor can be works of love in creative works or it can be an analysis of texts because you're still interacting with what's already there and you're still pouring in time and effort into your work.

In terms of my first fan work, I would classify this as labor and fan labor. I am examining this as a fan of Harry Potter and I'm putting in time and effort to make it a good product. I'm researching into queer history, fan history, and interpreting it with my own lenses. My favorite part is probably learning more about how JK Rowling has interjected queerness into her series so poorly because she's done it more than once and it's always backfired. My least favorite part is probably trying to create a logo for the podcast or just trying to find the right words to describe what I'm trying to say while trying to be objective and interesting.

I think I'll keep in mind other ways of interpreting Harry Potter after this because there are lots of other frameworks that can be applied, but queer theory was just the one I wanted to start off with because it's so prevalent within the fandom.

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Owl House Week 3 Frameworks

AO3 tags - "Amity Blight Needs a Hug" "Lesbian Disaster Amity Blight" "Good Parent Eda Clawthorne" -- these tags stand out because they signify characters who are usually depressed (need a hug), struggle with their sexuality, or aren't what you would consider good parents and are used across fandoms

You can apply culture-centered analysis with the characters of Owl House because they all come from a different culture. Luz herself comes from a human culture where everyone around her is a witch, but also is Afro-Latine. The majority of her friend group is diverse with Gus being Black and Willow being coded as Asian so you can read the show as highlighting minorities. Economic analysis can be applied with Gus and Willow being more magically wealthy than Luz because they are able to go to magic school while she was banned, creating an divide in the wealth of knowledge that she's allowed to obtain in her pursuit to become a witch. Gender analysis can be applied in the fact that everyone with magic is called a witch even though that's a term that historically has been used for women with magic rather than men, but also the fact that men still hold the power as emperors, deans of schools, and leaders of the guards. Queer analysis can be applied because, although we haven't gotten to it yet in class, Luz and Amity do get together in the show and perhaps "Luz being the only human in a witch world" could also be a representation of her feelings of being not straight in a predominantly straight world.

There was overlap on Tumblr and AO3 with other fandoms. On Tumblr, I reblogged a post with Gravity Falls and AO3 also had a few crossover fics. Additionally, a lot of the fanart and fanfics were gay, centered around Luz and Amity.

I really liked "Once Upon a Swap" and "Hooty's Moving Castle" probably because those both heavily featured Hooty. When I say "heavily featured" I do mean like had two scenes with him, but he is my favorite character. I liked Hooty's Moving Castle because it really built the relationship between Luz, Willow, and Gus and showed the savviness of them - not only relying on magic but also human skills. Once Upon a Swap showed King in adorable outfits but also deepened the character development of King, Eda, and Luz and their appreciation of each other.

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That one Barbie meme with the Clawthorne sisters 🧍‍♀️

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first vs last appearances

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I call this one “cartoon mentors who went hard af from tv shows that disney didn’t deserve”

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Harry Potter Scavenger Hunt

Fan fiction that uses tags as part of the storytelling

(In this fic, tags are used not solely to inform readers of what the fic is about, but also to story tell in themselves. "Basically Lily is Cinderella and James is the Prince and he's kinda an idiot" is spanned across multiple tags to describe the plot. "He's the real victim in the story" is also added to describe other events along with "the magic in this is Very Convenient For The Plot")

Fan fiction that focuses on a minor part/person/idea of the media

Regulus, a small character mentioned in the fifth and sixth books, has been expanded upon in the fandom with multiple people writing fics about him and exploring what his character could be like.

Merch that is "indie"

Sweatshirt found on Etsy for a Harry Potter bookstore.

Examples of sub-cultures within the fandom

Probably the most popular subculture in Harry Potter is the Marauders, which is the era before the book series takes place. It follows Harry's dad, James, with his friends, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew.

Examples of gatekeeping

Reddit post explaining a situation where one fan calls another "not a real fan" for only reading the book series once.

Specifically to get information about subcultures, tagging, and small characters, I got that from the Marauders, so there was a lot of overlap there. The fanfic was set in the Marauders era, Regulus Black is Sirius' brother so most fics written about him are also set in that time period which feeds into it being a large subculture because there is a lot to explore there.

Everything was relatively easy to find because Harry Potter is just so widespread. I knew exactly where to look for tags and I already about subcultures and small characters. Etsy is a great place to find merch for anything you like, and I've heard of people within Harry Potter spaces calling other people "purebloods" "half-bloods" or "muggleborns" based on if they had read the books, seen the movies, or both so gatekeeping has always been a thing.

I think this says that while there's a lot of access to the Harry Potter fandom, it's very easy to find and there's so much to consume, the social hierarchy has had a lot of time to become established and greedy. There will always be people hoarding over others the amount of times they've read the books or watched the movies, or how much of fan content they've consumed as if it makes them more of fan and diminishes someone else's role as a fan in return.

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Fandom and Collecting Summary

Fan objects have cultural meaning and can symbolize economic capital. However, a lot of the time fans will hold onto valuable items rather than sell them because the personal meaning holds a greater value than the financial one. Fans will pay high dollar to be able to collect rare items to add to their collection because of the desire to own/be apart of the fandom.

There's also different types of collectors. Those who ascribe items as part of their autobiography, those who have an obsessive desire to collect everything, and those who have a system to collection.

I agree with a lot of the points made in the chapter. As someone who has seen the prices for fan items, I know how high they can get for especially rarer objects. I know from collecting my own stuff - not fandom related - that I attribute a lot of personal meaning to them and parting from them for financial gain might not be worth it at the end of the day because of the emotional side.

This is critical analysis because it takes a closer look into why fans have the desire to collect items related to their fandom, categorizing the different types of collectors and dissecting two case studies of well known collectors and how they differ from each other. It also looks at the social hierarchy of fandoms, because like all social spaces, the power dynamics differed.

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Busse Chapter 1

My main takeaways from the chapter where the implications of existing in a fandom space. You don't use your "wallet name", creating a grey space between public and private, allowing creators to make whatever they want, even if it comes to the harm of others by triggering them. It's also a grey space because nothing is protected. It's not creator's intellectual property, and many don't want their "wallet names" attached to their online identities, and the research boundaries are crossed as well. I did get confused sometimes with language, because often times textbooks don't simplify what they want to say.