#kylestephenson
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March For Meta: Minor Character
Without a doubt, Arturo is one of my favorite characters on the show, even including major characters. There are a few reasons why I view him so highly. First of all, Arturo is the embodiment of the American Dream. He’s an immigrant who works hard to provide for his family and ultimately has built success through the Crashdown Café. I hold a pretty optimistic (even to the point that some may consider it naïve) belief that America was founded to give everyone an opportunity and Arturo took his and ran with it. Another aspect I enjoy about Arturo is that he’s genuine. It’s obvious that Arturo loves his daughters more than anything and that he’ll do everything in his power to bring out the best in them. While he may have been frustrated with Rosa, tough love can be the right thing for some people. Not to mention that even if tough love didn’t motivate Rosa, he felt he was responsible for her mistakes, showing that he truly cared. Arturo’s character, alongside his role in America, is pretty awesome and as the grandson of a few immigrants, I can’t help but love him!
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Fan Vids
Michael and Isobel: Bi Bi Bi
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L_8WBKkdh5k&list=PL84K8hWIlEzC4qNVFGec4qux8yXlbUgC2&index=27&ab_channel=ladycharlotte
I liked that this video used Nsync’s Bye, Bye, Bye in two ways at once. It focuses on the toxicity in Michael’s relationship that makes him say “bye” to Maria and Alex, as well as the toxicity in Noah and Isobel’s relationship. That in conjunction with the fact that both are talking about their feelings for both men and women makes for a nice play on words. Finally, the bluish purple lighting is a cool touch, since it shares the same colors as the bisexual flag.
Home: RNM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7kWblcZzBwY&list=PL84K8hWIlEzC4qNVFGec4qux8yXlbUgC2&index=15&ab_channel=katie
I was a fan of this video because I’m a big believer in the idea that people make home rather than places. It was nice to see a compilation a lot of the support that the characters give each other throughout the show. Often in TV, we focus on the dramatic parts where the main characters are split instead of the heart warming moments that come with friends and family. While I think of Roswell as full of grudges and tears, it’s nice to see that regardless of what happens, the characters make the town home for each other.
Max/Michael/Isobel: Us
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KXvXFzfzQ5Y&list=PL84K8hWIlEzC4qNVFGec4qux8yXlbUgC2&index=44&ab_channel=C.M_Bonds
This was a nice tribute to the relationship the three aliens have with each other. Family is awesome for when you succeed, but you need family the most when you feel down in the dumps. It was nice to see this video highlight that idea, showing almost exclusively the three caring for each other after events that negatively changed their lives. Life’s full of ups and downs and respecting the downs that we have in life is very important.
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TS/IS: Introduction, 12, 14
“Trying to bundle two or more claims into one comment can result in neither getting the attention it deserves” (p166)
I felt like this quote was very insightful because despite how fundamentally important it is, I feel like I’ve missed it in previous work. In a lot of my previous essays, I usually combined points so I could dedicate a singular paragraph to a counter-argument, which I may have deemed to be more important than any specific point. However, this quote shows that I should be more cognizant of when I create new paragraphs. It will allow my reader to digest a point that I can develop (as the book suggests on p166) rather than listing reasons for the sake of quantity.
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Fan Fiction Reactions
https://archiveofourown.org/works/30882911
The Family that Stays Together
I liked this one because it encapsulates the mannerisms that the characters seem to use. The speech patterns seemed natural and topic of conversation seemed to be on point also. The concept of the story was interesting and added to the mood of the story, which was a bit different than any mood that the episodes offered. Overall, the use of both a new mood and old characters made the story enjoyable to read.
Manes Man
https://archiveofourown.org/works/30746417/chapters/75885212
This was a creative idea of an incident that definitely could’ve happened in the show. Without spoiling, it shows the pain that Jesse Manes can inflict, but also the idea that he has no remorse for his actions. Creative idea and well-written.
A Fool’s Day Surprise
https://archiveofourown.org/works/30597176
The idea for this story was pretty creative. While it was a little bit far-fetched of a prank, it certainly was one that showed the author’s knowledge of Michael and how seriously he took his alien studies and secrecy. At the end, the story proved to have a happy ending too, which is always nice.
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Bi Bi Bi: Brief Analysis
As I mentioned on Tuesday, the lighting is one of the first things that jumps out at me. Using pink, purple, and blue to represent the bisexual flag is an excellent touch and offers a great allusion to how the characters feel.
But as for the actual video, the most important thing to break down is the double meaning of Nsync’s Bye Bye Bye. The first is obvious: a play on words that highlights both Isobel and Michael’s sexuality. The lighting guides us in the right direction and we’re shown highlights of the show, which includes Michael’s romance with both Alex and Maria, and Isobel’s romance with Noah, but also the idea that she was becoming romantic with Rosa. The captions are a nice size and nice font. They’re very convenient but don’t distract from the content.
The other side is actually “Bye Bye Bye.” As anyone who watches Roswell knows, it’s definitely a dramatic show. This video highlights that not every relationship is great. There are some moments where the lighting shifts to a darker black and white to signify dark times in the relationship. Of course, the characters are often seen sad as well. It conflicts with the music a bit, which gives more of an “I don’t care that we’re breaking up” vibe. Regardless, the video still goes about establishing romantic conflict in a good way.
Overall, the video is well-made. Lighting matches the parts of the video correctly and it’s a fun watch. My only gripe is with the music choice, but even then, it could be just my personal preference. I wouldn’t say this video is persuasive necessarily, but it is certainly charismatic. As cheesy as it is, Bye Bye Bye is a great song and gets the viewer to enjoy watching more. The editing matches that style well and makes the video work.
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The One Crazy After All (Video)
I thought this video was important but it also was dependent on the viewer’s knowledge of the show. In your article on the video, a lot of good information is given and it helps someone outside of the fandom understand the video. However, this has made me consider the audience of slash and other fandom in the first place. Is it supposed to be for everyone or is it almost an “inside joke” for viewers. While I want to believe fan fiction is created for all, I do think that it’s the best when the reader understands the little things about characters that make the fan fiction seem so attainable.
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The One Crazy After All
“As I’ve said, getting the clips just right for the “for all the pain I’ve caused you” was the most important and trickiest element of timing—I wanted each to hit on a word “pain” “I’ve” “caused” “you”—with an image of Miles grieving/in shock for each of the “you” hits. It took a lot of fiddling, and each time I adjusted something somewhere else in the timeline, I had to readjust, so figuring out the points in time they hit, down to the tenth of a second was useful.”
I found this to be insightful because it goes very into depth on how a fan video should best be constructed. It’s not just throwing clips together and proclaiming: “This is my theory.” Rather, it’s taking a close look at the little things in TV, like the effects of one character’s actions on another, and highlighting where those actions take place through music. I’m not a dramatic person, but I think it’s a safe bet to say that a well-done fan video definitely is closer to art than anything else.
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Closer (Video)
This was an interesting video because it used almost “evidence” for why Spock and Kirk could have a sexual relationship. Some of the gathered clips point towards sexual tension between the two characters since no context is given, and other completely unrelated scenes are used to add the level of emotion that Jenkins mentions in “How to Watch a Fan Vid.” This genre of video was something I never would’ve imagined watching, but it certainly serves as an important part of fandom since it offers expansion on details that other viewers may have missed, and opens the door to what the writers of the show could’ve been trying to slip in.
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How to Watch a Fan Video
“Readers and writers get off imagining the characters having sex in part because they see sex as enabling a form of intimacy between these men which is denied them on the program and denied most men within our culture.”
Not only is this an idea for fans to indulge further in their shows, I view it as a call to action to reform men’s roles in society. I know that the stereotype is that men have to be emotionless and as a result, programs that don’t prioritize men in meaningful relationships often don’t put men in these relationships at all, instead creating the concept of a tough, lone-wolf character who is undoubtedly cool, but is super unrelatable. Writing slash is important to fandom because it takes the edge off these characters. Of course, it can also be said that it’s helpful to society as well by creating a more natural idea of what a man should be.
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Politics in the English Language
“Bad writers, and especially scientific, political and sociological writers, are nearly always haunted by the notion that Latin or Greek words are grander than Saxon ones, and unnecessary words like expedite, ameliorate, predict, extraneous, deracinated, clandestine, sub-aqueous and hundreds of others constantly gain ground from their Anglo-Saxon opposite numbers[1].”
Don’t get convinced that you need crazy words to get a better grade. As pointed out, that will only make the writer sound pretentious. Instead, focus on making the writing sound professional, but also “you.” I know I’ve mentioned voice many times, but I genuinely feel like if this class has reinforced any idea the most, it would be to use good voice. After all, engaging the reader is always the top goal and the best way to do that is through variety, which comes with everyone’s unique writing styles.
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On Style
“Your wordiness may derive from a problem unrelated to your writing style: uncertainty about your topic, lack of a developed argument, or lack of evidence. If you’re not sure what you want or have to say, you may have trouble saying it. As you struggle to find what you mean or play with a vague idea or concept, you may write garbled or rambling sentences.”
It's important to pay attention to when we start getting wordy in our papers. As mentioned, it either means that we’re not completely ready to write our paper, since we don’t have enough information, or we simply are trying to fill a quota. Either way, wordiness serves as a nice criticism to say “you’ve got a bit more to do.”
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Roswell S2 E12
It’s crazy to see that everyone has started to attack the same plotline now. I felt like last season, the finale was definitely worth the buildup and so far, this one seems like it’s going to be huge too! It’s also a cool hierarchal thing that it’s happening at the carnival too, since it all connects back to that picture that was taken of Louise in the 1940s or 50s. Looking forward to seeing what transpires next!
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Proofreading
“Grammar checkers can be even more problematic. These programs work with a limited number of rules, so they can’t identify every error and often make mistakes. They also fail to give thorough explanations to help you understand why a sentence should be revised. You may want to use a grammar checker to help you identify potential run-on sentences or too-frequent use of the passive voice, but you need to be able to evaluate the feedback it provides.”
This is a great point. While I have both spellcheck and Grammarly on my computer, there are times where I find their suggestions a little bit questionable. If you have a question about grammar rules, I recommend asking someone what they think, even if it’s just your roommate. I’ve done it countless times and always feel better about my sentences after his grammar check, rather than the computer’s.
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Thesis Statements
“ Before you develop an argument on any topic, you have to collect and organize evidence, look for possible relationships between known facts (such as surprising contrasts or similarities), and think about the significance of these relationships. Once you do this thinking, you will probably have a “working thesis” that presents a basic or main idea and an argument that you think you can support with evidence.”
A big problem I’ve had in the past is determining my argument before I write my paper. During our high school timed writings, I would do anything to support my argument, which included not revealing certain facts or even trying to convince readers of outrageous claims. It’s helpful to know that your working thesis develops as you write and that writing a thesis could be one of the last things I do in my draft. Not only does it allow people to change their minds while they’re writing, it’s simply much easier to make the summation of what you’re saying after you say it.
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What is Academic Writing?
“Perhaps up to now research has meant going straight to Google and Wikipedia, but college will require you to search for and find more in-depth information. You’ll need to know how to find information in the library, especially what is available from online databases which contain scholarly articles”
One of the first (and most important) things I learned when I took my first summer class here was how to use Virgo. Undoubtedly, the best points that a writer can find will be in university databases like Virgo. However, this point about Google and Wikipedia brings up an interesting point for me. Where do we draw the line between credible and incredible sources found on the web? Obviously, it’s fair to cite organizations like PEW Research Center, but what else is fair game? Wikipedia always seems to be up in the air depending on the teacher and other web pages with useful information sometimes seem to not have enough information to be credible.
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How to Cite Using MLA
This was a great refresher because it goes over all of the little things. In the past, I have completely forgotten to add my name and page number in the heading, and up until earlier this semester, I had never used an in-text citation before. This cleared up what I did know, and taught me a few things I didn’t know, like how to properly cite an in-text citation on a web page. Overall, this refresher will be important to make sure that my sources for papers are crystal clear.
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