7 Marches With You

March 12, 2021February 23, 2021 Stitch1 Comment

This marks my 7^th March of having Stitch’s Media Mix be a thing.

Holy shit.

7 years of functionally doing the same thing – for someone who has 2 of their three degrees in different things and the attention span of a hard boiled egg – is incredible. And of course, it hasn’t been easy. A lot of people in fandom hate me. Which fandom? All fandoms!

(Seriously, I don’t even watch 99% of modern anime series that blow up or talk about them/their fandoms and yet so many weebs hate me because they think I care about their latest lolic0n fixation? Meanwhile the weebiest thing I’ve done recently is call Megan Thee Stallion one!)

But I’m still here!

Ships ‘n Shit: 13×5

March 9, 2021March 7, 2021 Stitch

Images taken from the Gundam Wiki pages for Treize and Wufei.

Gundam Wing pairings were all about the numbers. For much of the fandom that I witnessed as a youngun in fandom, Wufei and Treize (signaled by their numerical designations in pairings as 5 and 13 respectively) were a small but still very popular pairing in the heyday of the series.

Stitch @ Teen Vogue: Meghan Markle’s Critics Are Using Internet Troll Tactics to Perpetuate Misogynoir

March 7, 2021 Stitch

However, nothing about this is new or shocking to Black women anywhere, especially in Britain where misogynoir is a major problem. This behavior — escalating harassment, people accusing us of being bullies when we’re firm, lies that blame us for harm done against other people — is part of the online troll ecosystem’s historical approach to Black women with even a single ounce of power or visibility. What’s happening to Meghan Markle is targeted racist harassment and trolling that uses misogynoir to try and shape public perception of Black women.

I’ve been a Meghan Markle fan from the Suits days and she’s the only reason I even remotely cared about Prince Harry.

Watching the British press, public, and the royal family go after her from the moment that she and Harry announced their relationship has been horrible. It is also unsurprising because this is the reality for Black women (and queer femmes who don’t ID as women). We get slandered, harassed, mistreated, lied on, and blamed for genuinely awful things that we didn’t actually do.

It’s racist harassment, but it’s also trolling. The people doing this don’t see themselves as racists, villains, or even bullies. They’re having fun harming Meghan and they have fun harming other Black people. But because none of them lay hands on the people they’re harming – and some of them have convinced themselves that they’re doing a necessary duty by harassing Black people for years.

No idea what tonight’s interview will bring Meghan and Harry or the viewing audience, but I hope it’s juicy.

I've been following Meghan from the Suits days (and I can't believe I thought THAT fandom was bad) and so I've been clocking misogynoir aimed at her for that long.

On top of that: I have experienced misogynoir on a smaller (but no less damaging) scale for years.
— stitch (@stitchmediamix) March 7, 2021

Stitch in Polygon: The torpedo of stan Twitter hurts everyone

March 6, 2021 Stitch

I’ve come across people spamming the comments of her social media posts, telling Gentry to “respect Taylor Swift.” People are accusing Gentry directly of misogyny and telling others not to watch Ginny & Georgia.A few have made overtly racist tweets. Even though Gentry isn’t credited as a writer, hundreds of people are demanding that she take responsibility for the single “joke” on the show that they disagree with. Fueled by Taylor Swift’s public annoyance, these fans — and trolls pretending to be fans — feel empowered to act aggressively in order to protect Swift’s reputation. This is a normal day on stan Twitter, where anything goes to protect the object of fans’ parasocial relationships.

I’m in Polygon for the first – but hopefully not the last – time!

Building off of how many of Taylor Swift’s fans leapt onto Ginny & Georgia star Antonia Thomas to defend Swift from a joke made on the show at her expense, I look at how Stan Twitter encourages aggression as a form of defense and love. I even touch on “report accounts”, a phenomenon I find fascinating for how often the fans running and working with them… turn on other fans who aren’t doing anything wrong.

I live on Stan Twitter and so at times have had to pull back from the urge the spaces instill to support my celebrity favorites however I can. (And believe me, that means having to go “no, I do not need to dunk on a younger adult with a bad opinion about “my” group” and walking away from my computer or at least taking the whining into the nearest group chat.)

The behaviors that these fandoms urge as part of the parasocial relationship (which I find positive a lot of the time actually) can be great. We can get incredible amounts of social justice charity work, widening understandings of the world around us, and communities that help us be ourselves, but better.

But we can also wind up whipped into a maenad-esque frenzy in the name of our beloved celebrity and that’s not great. So let’s talk about that!

Since I’m still locked on main because the harassment won’t stop until I cease to exist, please feel free to share the Polygon link with anyone you think may be interested!

😀

[Thread Collection] Your Priorities … Seem Seuss Skewed

March 5, 2021 Stitch

Still locked on main thanks to people who believe boundaries and fandom are a thing they get, but not me, but if you’re following me, you can see the original thread here.

if your talking point for why the biggest fic archive ever can’t (or ~shouldn’t~) do anything about dehumanizing racist fanworks or the racists posting them on the site sounds IDENTICAL to the weirdos screeching about Dr. Seuss’s most racist works being removed from HIS archives you have a deep RACIST problem and you should work on it

the first amendment protects freedom of speech, true. but if you’re using that to be adamant in protecting overtly racist fanworks along the lines of racists moaning about racist “children’s” books from decades ago…

holy fuck are your priorities scary (seriously, using the 1st amendment in fandom discourse is weird no matter what, but it becomes a PROBLEM if you’re using it to defend racists and NOT people of color who talk about racism here) and i hope you step on something very sharp!

😀

(also the 1st amendment protects freedom of speech from THE GOVERNMENT/CONGRESS making laws, not a TOS: referencing it to wield it against BIPOC in fandom talking about the racism here/in fanworks – who have no power in or out of fandom – is super fucking racist & needs to stop)

Series Squee: Mobile Suit Gundam Wing

March 5, 2021February 16, 2021 Stitch3 Comments

Mobile Suit Gundam Wing is probably the most important Gundam Series in my life – yes, even though I was very invested in the off-the-wall wackiness of G Gundam and would absolutely sacrifice myself so that Tieria and Neil Dylandy (the first Lockon Strators) could live happily ever after together. Gundam Wing was a series I was obsessed with as a teenager… and as a young adult… and now in my thirties.

Who worked on this series?

I don’t wanna be like “who didn’t work on this series”, but Mobile Suit Gundam Wing has huge crew behind it. Produced by Sunriase and Directed by Masashi Ikeda and Shinji Takamatsu, this series’ script and story were written by Katsuyuki Sumizawa while the iconic character designs were done by Shukou Murase. If you’re a long time fan of mecha anime, you probably already knew that the best Gundams in the history of the franchise – and all the other mech and tech – were designed by Hajime Katoki, Junya Ishigaki, and Kunio Okawara!

These dudes pretty much built out the Gundams we can’t stop thinking about – and one day I will get a good Deathscythe model kit and put that bad boy together while drunk!

Music Video Anatomy #9 – Bermuda Triangle

March 2, 2021March 4, 2021 Stitch

Title: Bermuda Triangle

Artist: Zico featuring Crush and Dean

Setting:

I don’t know that I get any particular vibes from the settings used in “Bermuda Triangle”? The video opens with a wasteland shot in black and white, swings to a neon-lit alley where the trio play at being gangsters for Zico’s first verse and part of Crush’s, the second verse is set in… maybe an outdoor restaurant… Then there’s the hotel room – very luxe even before the introduction of the money all over the bed and the hot tub surrounded by expensive alsochol bottles- and the church – because Zico’s Catholic faith is so important to him that it was actually maybe one of the first things I knew about him?

There are things about “Bermuda Triangle”’s different settings that I can… squint and see as nods to hip hop culture and other artists’ videos? Shots – like Zico in the hot tub – that give me “Godfather” energy and I wouldn’t be surprised if that was on purpose because of how hip hop artists worldwide reach for that film to signal at how hood and hardcore they are.

Here We Are In March

March 1, 2021February 28, 2021 Stitch

February was… a lot. 0/10 do not recommend.

While the harassment I’ve been detailing for months continues to escalate (now strangers are claiming I’ve done the, direct harm and that “PickMe” truly is a racist/misogynistic slur while coming for my writing gig in the name of fandom), I also got… a lot done?

Like anxiety spiraling as creeps on the internet try to destroy your life over shipping really does make you get shit done. Who would’ve thought the sleepless nights were good for something!)

Stitch in Teen Vogue: Netflix’s “Ginny & Georgia” Plays Oppression Olympics — But Nobody Wins

February 26, 2021 Stitch

Netflix’s Ginny & Georgia is a messy show with a first half that’s packed full to the brim with racist microaggressions — and that wouldn’t be a bad thing if the show actually engaged with most of them.

What Ginny & Georgia gets right: the mother-daughter relationship, dealing with trauma (poorly, as a person), how tough it is to be the new girl in town, the MYSTERIES.

What Ginny & Georgia gets wrong: the racism. It literally does not know how to handle the thing it manages to build most of its series around.

If you saw the video of Hunter and Ginny’s exchange going across Twitter and were uncomfortable with the nonsense on display, check out my article to see how this is just part of a pattern across the series.

And then come shout with me.

I’m done with netflix pic.twitter.com/UxdknaPbw9
— s. (@saescentric) February 25, 2021

Fandom Racism 101: Basic Body Politics

February 26, 2021February 26, 2021 Stitch3 Comments

I love a tol and a smol and if you’re in fandom… chances are that you do too.

There’s something supremely thrilling about size differences in a pairing. I know people who’ve gotten into their ship of choice specifically because of the huge height difference between the pairings. Hell, I got into Devilish Joy specifically because the lead pairing has almost a foot difference in height between them when she’s not in heels. Even before you get into macro/micro content, a lot of fandoms and different internet subcultures are pretty positive towards size differences and body differences.

Now, what does that have to do with fandom racism?

Plenty.

Unfortunately.

A List of Things I Disliked About Infinity War and Endgame… In No Particular Order

February 25, 2021 Stitch6 Comments

As you all know, I am largely on social media hiatus. As a result, I have been making use of the Disney+ membership I got Meems so she could watch Wandavision. (Which is very good but Wanda is whitewashed – to an extent, it feels like the wrong word here but I don’t know what fits – in the casting and that’s not going away any time soon.) Anyway, in watching all of the MCU movies except the Spider-Man ones as they don’t seem to be on the platform, I have come to experience a deep loathing for Infinity War and Endgame.

So now, instead of doing literally anything else I am supposed to be doing, I bring you… a list of loathing.

Fan Service #3 – On Racebending and Seeing Yourself in Fandom

February 24, 2021 Stitch1 Comment

Fandom is all about community. We come to fandom because of things we love and connect with other people who love the things that we love for the same reasons we do. There’s a post going viral on Tumblr that says “a fandom can just be you and the ten people you haven’t blocked yet”, and while that’s definitely true and I’m a huge fan of curating your online spaces, fandom also brings together people from around the world who thought they were alone in their uniqueness. Fandom brings people together based on what made them stand out in their offline and online lives.

In my latest Fan Service column for Teen Vogue, I got downright celebratory! We’re talking about seeing yourself in fandom and how fans have made fandom a place where they can see themselves – give or take a few issues of representation that do crop up.

Please feel free to share the link with interested folks as I can’t hype it up on Twitter the way I usually would since I’m still locked on main because of harassment over the last column (and my general existence, they really don’t like that)!

Anyway: I’m looking forward to continuing to bring y’all quality commentary on media and fandom in March’s installments of Fan Service!

I hope y’all enjoy this one!

Music Video Anatomy #8 – WA$$UP (와썹)

February 23, 2021February 19, 2021 Stitch

Missed what I’ve been doing with Music Video Anatomy? For the most recent installments, I covered Jay Park’s 몸매 (MOMMAE) and Taeyang’s MA GIRL! This time though, we’re looking at a girl group that probably should’ve quit before they got started… the since disbanded WA$$UP.

Title: WA$$UP (와썹)

Artist: :WA$$UP

Setting:

The main setting of WA$$UP’s debut video is a basketball court in the middle of a city – I’m honestly still not sure if this was filmed in Korea or in the United States, actually. It’s an unsubtle callback to the origins of hip hop and teenagers coming up with rhymes while playing around in their neighborhoods. (Think of the kind of setting early in Netflix’s Roxanne Roxanne!)

There’s also a dark alley where one of the members does her own spin on ghost riding next to a very expensive car that I would be worried about crashing. I don’t think it adds anything to the music video, but it’s just… funny to me.

Why Does The MCU Do That With Their Villains?

February 20, 2021 Stitch1 Comment

(Please don’t take this too seriously. I beg of you.)

I’m watching Age of Ultron as I write today and I need y’all to understand that this movie is really just keeping me going because James Spader as Ultron is unfortunately My Thing. But what this movie makes me think of – aside from how bad Whedon’s writing is from start to finish – is how the MCU often frames the reasonable negative backlash to the Avengers and the superpowered US Military Interventionalism they represent as The Ultimate Villainy.

In Age of Ultron, there are murals and graffiti in Sokovia that are against the Avengers and US intervention on their behalf. Because Hydra (who are Nazis, not even Nazi coded or inspired like the Empire or First Order in Star Wars) are the folks spurring the backlash to the Avengers, the hatred is framed as irrational and evil –

But at the end of the day: no one wants US interventionism except those that profit from it.

What Fandom Racism Looks Like: All The Pieces of Heroes of Color

February 19, 2021March 22, 2021 Stitch2 Comments

“[…] this problem of cannibalizing a hero of color to enhance a white character isn’t new.” – tumblr user thehollowprince in response to a tumblr message received July 16, 2020 (Archive link.)

I’ve never seen folks in fandom cut up aspects of a white hero to then give those characteristics to another white character. No one’s writing stories where Bucky was always Captain America and he went on to link up with the Avengers as a fandom norm. No one’s rewriting the Skywalker saga so that Luke is actually the (totally unrelated) rogue who falls in love with Leia while Han is shot into the icy vacuum of space.

White heroes are never stripped of their backstories, motivations, and the like to boost a minor white character or villain up to heroic status. The things that make heroes like Captain America, Luke Skywalker, or even Batman relatable are never stripped from them and handed to some other white hero. (And yes, that’s two superhero franchises and Star Wars, but I get to do that.)

What I have seen are plenty of instances where a hero of color has the things that make them unique in in their media not just stripped away, but then given to white characters in their show, film or comic franchise.

Stitch's Media Mix

A critical Stitch.

Author: Stitch