Could Hunger Games be Our Future?!

Let me start by putting it out there, I don't read. Books have never been enticing to me no matter how
amazing someone claims the story is. So I just wait for the movie to come out. One series that has caught my attention has been the Hunger Game series, which depicts a future that could be our own if we do not start to shape up our government and way of life.

Because I don't read so I didn't know this: Panem, the country in which the Hunger Games takes place is America. That blew my mind when I found out. We are living in an exciting time where we will experience rapid change in technology and social engineering. The baby boomers are dying out and it will soon be up to generations X and Y to reshape our future.

Scientist have concluded that there are 4 possible futures for the human race: Collapse, Creative Response, Techno-Stability, and Techno-Explosion.

The Collapse: is essentially the apocalypse. Nothing lives, everything we have work towards dies out and in another billion years there will begin a new era. 

Creative Response: is the most likely of our options. We will use up everything and continue to ignore our problems until our way of life is drastically altered. The planet is severely ruined but small pockets of civilization will survive. Most will be poor but there will be a small group of power holders who will hold power. This outcome is the most similar to Panem in Hunger Games. 

Techno-Stability: we face our problems head on and throw out the thought of "well I wont be here when it goes to shit". We start making real sacrifices and find solutions to our problems that work with the environment to have a relatively comfortable standard of living in the future. This future will also include the modern elite to be stemmed, spreading the wealth and power.

Techno-Explosion: is when new technological revolutions are created that vastly change our dependency on natural materials. We fix all of our problems and do away with the concept of scarcity. we make a new world where everyone has the ability to pursue their own dreams and individual interest and are encouraged to live to their fullest potential. This is the best possible outcome we can hope for.

Currently the outcome most fitting to our problems is Creative Response. Solving the energy crisis is not going to be easily solved with new technology, it is tied to countless other problems we are facing around the world and will not be fixed without serious change. We will need leaders who are not fallible, but that is the very nature of government, there will always be men who have power over other men. 

Author of Children of Dune, Frank Herbert wrote "Governments, if they endure, always then increasingly toward aristocratic forms. No government in history has been known to evade this pattern. And as the aristocracy develops, government tends more and more to act exclusively in the interest of the ruling class..."

Beep Baseball

For one of my culture credits I chose to attend a fellow capstoners event. Haley Green, a soon to be graduate, threw an event recognising degenerative eyes diseases. This particular event hit close to home with Haley as one of her neighbors, a girl who just turned 15, is slowly losing her sight over time. Haley stated "By the time she is 18 she will have lost her sight completely."

Over the summer Haley attended the Hagerstown Suns Beep Ball event, where the suns played with
kids who had or were in the process of losing their sight. Beep Baseball is a physical therapy used to help with listening and coordination skills. This is where Haley learned that one of the children participating is her neighbor. This girls parents were the coordinators of the event and are looking for ways to spread the word about their daughters disease, while raising money to pay for their daughters medical bills.

When Haley contacted the parents they were more than eager to help Haley with her capstone. After recruiting the shepherd baseball team and putting in some practice time she was ready for her event.

The night of Haley's event attracted over 80 shepherd students, a very successful number! All proceeds went to the family of Haley's neighbor to help with their daughters medical bills. But this event was not just successful because of the turn out or amount of money raised, it was successful because it enlightened the students and staff about a medical issues that we feel invincible to. When asked Haley stated "Think of how awful it is to come into this world, knowing what it looks like then to have that taken away." I could not imagine the horrible feeling it must be when you know you have forgotten your parents face.

I am very glad I attended Haleys event, it enlightened us while reminding us to be thankful for everything we have and to help brighten others who do not have the luxuries we do.

Baltimore Comic-Con AKA 'Sad-Con'

I was super excited for Baltimore Comic-Con when I discovered I could go. I knew George Perez, my favorite comic book artist, would be there and it was my first Comic-Con! As we drove up to the convention centr my eyes began to sparkle with joy as I saw my favorite comic book characters in cosplay gather for photos outside the convention center doors.

As we enter the Gaylord BCC, a convention center I know all too well, a rush of confusion slowly
grew over me. Being familiar with the convention center I knew where they would hold their panels, dealers room, and where attendees would congregate to mingle. The confusion came from why the convention was not laid out that way and where everything was.

Everything was hidden in BFE nowheresville in the back of the convention center but the entrance to the dealers room was an exit underneath the convention. It was all overwhelmingly confusing, unorganized, and small. I was almost mad that I had spent $60 on tickets for here when there was nothing to do. Basically it turned into a glorified shopping trip where i bought nothing.

Fortunately I came with the plan to film, unfortunately I didn't come in cosplay because I would have been one of the best ones there. I got some decent footage and there were some nice cosplays, but there was an overwhelming lack of cosplay and happiness. I also never got to see George Perez because the line for him began on the opposite side of the 1/2 mile long room. and it wrapped around the room.

I don't have very much to say about this convention. It was my first american comic book convention so I now get to see the differences between anime and comic conventions, which has made me appreciate how friendly and open everyone is at anime conventions. And although I got some footage from the con it was not $60 worth. I should have cosplayed and they should rename the con Sad-Con.

Final Draft of 'I've Gotta Sew' Lyrics a Domino Parody

I look sexy and kawaii
everyone’s attention on me
flash of camera everywhere
Bunny ears in my hair

Dressing up around conventions like there’s nobody there
Taking pictures of otaku, making everyone stare
Do you sew? That costume’s out of control

Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh
we can cosplay all night
Damn this costume is tight
sewin’ it on
Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh
Im starting to feel numb
keep ricking my thumb                                     
Otaku, come on!
Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh

There’s no time for sleeping tonight
costume’s not ready to be shown
nothing seems to be going right
with this cosplay, now I’ve gotta sew

Every hem needs to be sew tight
When I’m done I will let you know
there will be no sleeping tonight
Can’t stop now because I’ve gotta sew

Fabric spread everywhere
I’m in need of a prayer
Why won’t this piece just stay
costume’s in total dismay

Styling my wig, its not working, I think I need hairspray
new anime distracting me from my own cosplay
I should sew, procrastination

Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh (Its out of control)
We can cosplay all night
Damn this costume is tight
Sewing it on
Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh
Im starting to feel numb
keep pricking my thumb                                     
Otaku, come on!
Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh

Pre-reg badge pick up is tonight
guess ill wait in the line tomorrow
nothing seems to be going right
with this cosplay, now ive gotta sew

Forget thread, I’m losing this fight
Cant deal with the stitches anymore
Heat the glue gun, this isn’t right
We’ll just hope that no one will know

Ooh, got my tickets to the con
Ooh, I’ll be there with my costume on
Ooh, I cant get contacts in right
Ooh, the corset makes my head light
Ooh, body paint is starting to crack
Ooh, times is rushing I’m losing track
Ooh, let’s get dressed up tonight
Ooh-taku-taku

Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh
Let’s get dressed in cosplay tonight
Make this one the best I’ve ever sewn
We’ll be dancing in the rave lights
Make it worth the time I’ve had to sew

Every hem seems to be sewn (glued?)  tight
We wont stop until they make us go
There will be no sleeping tonight
Gotta start new cosplay, I’ve gotta sew

Adventures at Anime USA

In 1999, a group of anime fans came together and started Anime USA, a three-day convention celebrating Japanese animation, art, culture, history, and fashion. In 2004, Anime USA formed a non-profit educational organization to host the convention. Anime USA’s mission is to promote, as well as educate the public about Japanese arts and popular culture. Anime USA is a nonprofit managed solely by a staff of volunteers. Anime USA is a convention of Otaku, run by Otaku, for Otaku.

The term Otaku originates from Japan. The term is used to describe people with obsessive interests, usually surrounding the anime and manga fandom. This term has both a negative and positive association with it. In Japan it holds a more negative connotation because of the stereotypes and media reporting on “The Otaku Murder” in 1989. The stereotypes that usually go along with an Otaku are: social outcast, unattractive, apathetic, and spend most of their time tending to their fandom. Similar to the American gamer stereotype we hold. Over the years the term has grown in popularity and positivity. This can be especially shown in the United States. Many American anime and manga fans now identify themselves as Otaku.

Anime USA is one of the smaller conventions I’ve attended, but that does not mean it is small on the cosplay. Nearly every attendee who did not have a professional camera in hand was in costume. There was a wide variety of cosplay from the American “Where’s Waldo” and “How to train your dragon” to the Japanese “Attack on Titan” and “Kill la Kill”. The percentage of cosplayers to normal otaku attendees was so large that the professional photographers spent all their time in the outdoor garden photographing the cosplayers.

With the rise of Tumblr, an artistic sharing website, has come a rise in cross-plays. Cross-play is a term used to describe the merging of two characters or two universes together into one costume. An example of this is seen in the wisely popular Sailor Princesses. Artist have taken the Disney Princesses and the Sailor Scouts from Sailor Moon to create Sailor Scout outfits for the princesses based off of their original design. 

A small convention also does not mean small on entertainment. One thing Anime USA had that I have never seen at a convention before was the Maid café. A Maid café is a subcategory of cosplay themed restaurants found in Japan. Waitresses dress up as cute maids, based off of the French maid style, and act as servants, treating the customers as masters and mistresses in a private home. Upon entering many Maid café’s the maids will greet the customer with “Welcome home, Master”. 

Originally the Maid cafés were designed to appeal to the stereotypical male Otaku. The maid image has been popularized and fetishized in many anime and manga. Most maids are “moe” characters, meaning they are young, submissive, innocent looking female characters. To further their “moe-ness” or cutesy-ness the maid will typically decorate a customer’s order with syrup or ketchup at the table. 

This was a very successful convention. Anime USA was very successful with providing an educational experience about popular Japanese culture while bringing a community together. As an attendee you really felt the love from the community for their fellow cosplayers and their fandom. The convention left me with overwhelming excitement to attend the next Anime USA. 

The Secret Boyfriend

So let’s get a little into PR and cosplay. You’d think ‘Oh this is just a hobby, surly no one can take this seriously enough to take drastic PR tactics to improve their image.’  Well then you’d be wrong. Now let start by stating not all cosplayers are this way, most treat it as a hobby, but there are many cosplayers out there who use their cosplay as a business or present their cosplay as a public figure. We call these pseudo-celebrities and most of them the average person has never heard of.

Most cosplayers will use a fake name for their cosplay pages or create an alter ego for their cosplay self. One of the most drastic PR tactics some cosplayers will use is the ‘Secret Boyfriend’ tactic. This is when a cosplayer has a boyfriend in their real life but does not disclose so when relating to their cosplay life. Many will have their real life boyfriend attend conventions with them but when time comes to chat with a fan they pretend they are single and the real life boyfriend disappears for a bit.

An Anonymous Takopop Contributor from ‘KOTAKU” published an article disclosing the relationship of a ‘secret boyfriend’. In his article Anon states “Let's be honest folks, celebrities don't date fans. Cosplayers don't date fanboys. I could go into some deep rant 'Barney Stinson style' about the rules of the universe, but that is just the way it is. A guy going to a cosplayer's Facebook page and commenting about how sexy she is and oogling at her boobs is the same as going to a strip club and throwing money on the stage. It is just an illusion. If that stripper revealed she has a boyfriend or a husband and five kids, would she still be attractive? ”

Spot the Bag Boy

Even if these cosplayers are pseudo-celebrities they still have to deal with fan boy problems. No matter your level of fame there will always be those people who play into the illusion, believing its reality. So if they believe that the best way to deal with this is through social suppression of their relationship, or they believe that suppression is key to their feed their fame, then that is their choice to make. 

How Cosplayers Truly Perceive Their 'Heroes'

The most well-known cosplayers are those who star in SyFy’s Heroes of Cosplay. The show gives those who are not a part of the cosplay community, but are into fandom, a window into what the world of cosplay looks like. The show has greatly increased awareness of cosplay and debunked some of the myths people believed about the immaturity of the practice and revealed the talent and craftsmanship that go into some of the costumes. Which is great for the community!

However, as lovely and friendshipy the show portrays the world of cosplay to an outsider, many of the cosplayers within the community see through the ‘BS’ of the show and have experience  the negative repercussions the show has caused. The primary issue being the elitist attitude. All negative issues within the cosplay community that derived from the Heros of Cosplay airing relate to the Elitist Attitude that has been growing for years. Whether the cosplayers on that show specifically portray an elitist attitude, like Monica Minx, or they attempt to portray an inclusive attitude, like YaYa Han, the truth of favoritism and elitist nature emerge.

The most talked about two episodes are the last two of season 1 at Wizard World New Orleans. These episodes were split over two days at the convention, seeing as there were two different contests on different days. OR SO WE THOUGHT.

In the episodes, which we are told are over the course of two days, the judges who are judging the different contest change clothes(which takes them over 1 hour), the cosplay “heroes” also change clothes seeing as some of them are in both competitions. Mind you the audience is still in their seats throughout the whole contest of 6 + hours. The at home audience is completely convinced this is a two day event. It wasn’t until shortly after Wizard World that we discovered attendee testimonials describing the horrible experiences they had at the convention, particularly at the contest. The contest was during one day and having an original time slot of 2 hours (normal) but ended up lasting 6 + hours.

The testimonials and personal experiences of the Wizard World New Orleans cosplayers are too long and in depth for the sake of this blog but I encourage everyone to read them.

At the end of the competition the heroes won all but one of the prizes and the ‘Judges’, who were some of the heroes themselves, conveniently created a new award on the spot for a group of heroes. Basically this is a deliberate act of favoritism. Yes, I understand these heroes are good, but there was a lot of costumes which were clearly better crafted, yet the ‘heroes’ still took all the prizes.

All in all the show has opened the general public’s eyes to the true fun-loving nature of cosplay, but it has also created a seed of hate which has bloomed and separated a part of the community. 

Escape into Cosplay

Why is cosplay so appealing? Why do so many humans find it so freeing to take on another persona for a short period of time? One explanation for its appeal can be attributed to escapism; the tendency to seek distraction and relief from unpleasant realities, especially by seeking entertainment or engaging in fantasy.

Now this does not mean that all cosplayers are unhappy with their lives or constantly feel that they are oppressed within their realities. This could not be farther from the truth. Cosplayers, like every other human being, have the urge to try new adventures in another persons shoes, they have just found their release from reality by dressing as fictional characters.  

We can see a parallel of escapism in cosplay through Gordon Calleja's Digital Games and Escapism. 

Calleja discusses the nature of escapism and how it plays a role in our everyday lives. As humans we look for temporary relief from the mundane tasks. Many find this relief in video games or sports as explained in Calleja's article. 

In an interview with cosplayers Zinny Cat and Amanda about some misconceptions of cosplay they express their opinions as to why cosplay is so vastly popular.

Cosplay gives someone the chance to escape their day to day lives and live in a world where a persons fandom becomes reality and is shared across countless other fans supporting their love and craft. Cosplay creates cross country and international friendships that would otherwise not manifest. 

The Power of Fangirls

Fan culture can cause amazing movements within the pop culture industry. If it were not for their dedication and involvement with spreading their personal favorite shows, characters, and other fandoms many media would not become as well known and widely mainstream as they are today.

Henry Jenkins explains in his book Spreadable Media “Spreadable Media examines the nature of audience engagement, the environment of participation, the way appraisal creates value, and the transnational flows at the heart of these phenomena. It delineates the elements that make content more spreadable and highlights emerging media business models built for a world of participatory circulation.”

Free! or ‘swimming anime’ started out as a one minute commercial during Anime Mirai, a film festival in Japan that showcases recently graduated students and new workers in different anime studios. The participants are to create a short film to showcase their animation and artistic skills.

One particular animation by a worker at Kyoto Animation and Animation Do resonated with all the little Yaoi fangirls of Tumblr. Fans wanted to see more from this animation so much that they started a petition on Tumblr to have this short film become a full animated series. Once the petition proved to be growing in success fans started to create character profiles for the characters of the short film, giving them names, personalities, even defining some relationships between the characters. The following for these textual poachers became so large that the writers of what was soon to be known as Free! took some of these character profiles and implemented them into the animation.

Henry Jenkins explains the success of media, like Free!, on its spreadability. Spreadability is defined as the ways content can travel through social media. Spreadability does not just apply to t.v. shows and fandoms, it can be utilized for understanding how people spread their ideas and the implications these activities have for business, politics and everyday life.

This means the control of which media takes off is within the hands of the fans rather than the marketing team. If a fandom can gain enough proactive fans that spread their fandom across social media then it is more likely to gain a larger following, thus becoming more main stream. Without media spreading to other potential fans it cannot grow in popularity.

Just remember "If it doesn't spread, it's dead".

Fan Fiction and Art

Textual Poachers, by Henry Jenkins, discusses the alternative world of media fandom. People who identify with a fandom tend to create fiction, artwork, and other forms of expression. "Jenkins addresses a number of fannish phenomena, including fan fiction and fan-produced music videos."(Textual Poachers) We tend to stereotype members of fandom as out of touch obsessive nerds, but in reality they are proactive members of this underground culture. 

A popular gathering for fan based artwork and fiction is held on Tumblr. There fans can upload SHIP and cannon artwork depicting their favorite characters, sometimes even two or more characters from different shows. "He offers the most plausible academic explanation yet for the popularity of homoerotic fan fiction. Unlike earlier theorists who viewed this fiction as pornography, he analyzes it as a holistic narrative structure which includes--but is not limited to--depictions of sexual activity." (Textual Poachers) Many popular fanfictions written within the culture are erotic, and they come in all forms; straight, gay, lesbian, beast, if you can think of it, it exists. 

Fan fiction is one of the few traditional forms of fan creativity that allows fans to use the copyrighted characters and universe without the fear of receiving a Cease and Desist letter. FanFiction.com is a safe place for fans to post their literature that contains the use of preexisting characters.

One subculture that can be found within any fandom and is recently highly popular on Tumblr is the Yaoi fandom. Recently there has been an increase in Yaoi/friendship themed anime that has been highly popular with the female fans. As a result the internet has been flooded with more Yaoi themed artwork and fanfiction. There has even been a large increase in genderbend cosplay, dressing as the character but as the opposite sex, and transgender cosplay, dressing up as the character even though they are the opposite sex.

First Draft of 'I've Gotta Sew' Lyrics

This is what I have been working on throughout the week. It is my first draft lyrics for my parody 'I've Gotta Sew' of 'Domino'. I also discovered that I am not that good of a singer and am now searching for a vocalist who can perform my parody for me. The video is the instrumental version of the song with lyrics to parallel the lyrics I've written.

I look sexy and kawaii
everyone’s attention on me
flash of camera everywhere
Cat ears in my hair

Dressing up around conventions like there’s nobody there
Taking pictures of otaku, making everyone stare
Do you sew? That costume’s out of control

Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh
we can cosplay all night
Damn this costume is tight
sewin’ it on
Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh
I'm starting to feel numb
keep ricking my thumb                                     
Otaku, come on!
Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh

There’s no time for sleeping tonight
costume’s not ready to be shown
nothing seems to be going right
with this cosplay, now I’ve gotta sew

Every hem needs to be sew tight
When I’m done I will let you know
there will be no sleeping tonight
Can’t stop now because I’ve gotta sew

Fabric spread everywhere
I’m in need of a prayer
Why won’t this piece just stay
costume’s in total dismay

Styling my wig, its not working, I think I need hairspray
new anime distracting me from my own cosplay
I should sew, procrastination

Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh (Its out of control)
We can cosplay all night
Damn this costume is tight
Sewing it on
Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh
I'm starting to feel numb
keep pricking my thumb                                     
Otaku, come on!
Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh

Pre-reg badge pick up is tonight
guess ill wait in the line tomorrow
nothing seems to be going right
with this cosplay, now I've gotta sew

Forget thread, I’m losing this fight
Cant deal with the stitches anymore
Heat the glue gun, this isn't right
We’ll just hope that no one will know

Ooh, got my tickets to the con
Ooh, I’ll be there with my costume on
Ooh, I cant get contacts in right
Ooh, the corset makes my head light
Ooh, body paint is starting to crack
Ooh, times is rushing I’m losing track
Ooh, let’s get dressed up tonight
Ooh-taku-taku

Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh
Let’s get dressed in cosplay tonight
Make this one the best I’ve ever sewn
We’ll be dancing in the rave lights
Make it worth the time I’ve had to sew

Every hem seems to be sewn (glued?)  tight
We wont stop until they make us go
There will be no sleeping tonight
Gotta start new cosplay, I’ve gotta sew

Media Dependency Theory and the Cosplay Culture

The cosplay community and otaku fan culture in America is still considered a relatively new subculture. Japanese anime has only been in the states for about 40 years. The massive social following and created subculture has only been known of in the last 15 years. One theory that ties into my Capstone project is the Media Dependency Theory.

Media Dependency Theory according to communicationtheory.org “An internal link between media, audience and large social system. The audience learning from the real life is limited, so they can use media to get more information to fulfil their needs. An extensive use of media generates dependent relation in audience and also Media can able to creating dependence relationship with target audiences to achieve their goals by using their media power.”

There are three degrees of Media Dependency Theory:

• ·         Individual: An individual will become more dependent on media, if the medium satisfies their needs. An example of this would be an individual who identifies themselves as part of the otaku subculture but does not share that subculture with another person who is physically in their life. They would then turn to the internet for connectivity with the community or education of culture. It is also the internet that is the source of their media fix.

• ·         Social Stability: According to communicationtheory.org “The individual will reconsider their beliefs, practice and behaviors when strong social change, conflicts, riot or election which will force to re-evaluate and make new decisions. During this time the dependency is dramatically increased, because there is a strong need for information, support and advice.” This would occur when the individual has a large enough supporting group of other individuals with the common interest. The group would feed off of other individuals and the social norms within the anime to create their own social norms that are similar to those in the anime. This is typically where cosplay comes into play. The individual seeks for another way to immerse themselves, attending conventions and cosplaying is one way. Because they are comforted by their social group they also now feel the confidence to express such social norms that would otherwise be unacceptable in our culture. The individual re-evaluates how they behave and speak to suit those within the group. Because the individual gets sucked into the subculture they also tend to become more emerged and look for more information on the culture.

• ·         Active Audience: The individual decides the amount of media they depend on. They can come to the decision through factors such as economic conditions, society, and culture. If their need is fulfilled elsewhere then their dependency will decrease. If an individual only received their anime fix through one source, that being the internet, then they join an anime club they may feel fulfilled and chose not to expand into the subculture anymore. If their primary culture conflicts too much with the subculture they feel they should identify with them they will not immerse themselves into the subculture as much as other individuals. They best example of this is the difference between those who enjoy anime and those who live by it or wear it on their sleeve.

The American Otaku subculture gains all of their knowledge from the same source, Anime and manga. There are different genres and with each genre comes a new subculture and set of social norms. Although there may not be two or more people in the sub culture or otaku community physically living within a common area they can still participate online and at conventions. Over all there are similar messages and tropes being transmitted through the anime that has created the giant community. 

Capstone Proposal: Cosplay Music Video

For my senior capstone project I will be making a cosplay music video. This is something that I feel will cover specific areas of my education that I have not experienced in my academic learning. These skills are also ones that I believe will make myself more marketable to possible future employers.

Cosplay music videos are not uncommon on the internet. With the wide growth in popularity and acceptance of cosplay, and the increasing number of conventions, almost every con goer takes photos or film of cosplayers. Any photographer who has a video camera can film cosplayers and add music to make it into a cosplay music video. But few have gone so far as to customize the music added to the video.

There are few names that come to mind when one thinks of a music parody artist. Weird Al Yankovich, Instalok, and those at College Humor are some that come to my mind. But overall there are very few who chose to take on the challenge of writing lyrics to music. This is one of the challenges I will be facing during my project and one of the defining differences between my cosplay music video and others on the internet.

For this project I will be facing many challenges that require me to learn a variety of new skills. For instance, I will not only be writing my own lyrics, to the song 'Domino' by Jessica J., but I will also be performing the vocals. Since I am no Katy Perry I will have to learn how to edit audio and work with auto-tune to improve the vocals. I will also be working with a video camera for the first time and using advance editing software.

In order to produce this video I will  need to learn to direct a film in the way that will make sense to my audience, cosplayers between the ages of 13-30. The majority of my filming will take place at Japanese and Comic cultural conventions. This allows me to socially and culturally connect with a wide variety of cosplayers.

I have been looking forward to creating a cosplay music video for some time. I am very excited to get started with this project and learning the new experiences that it comes with.