[// Pregenerate link to episode ahead of time: - clicktotweet.com- sharelinkgenerator.com]: # This week, are we getting Rick-ity wrecked in order to learn about Rick and Morty fandom? Not exactly, but I guess that's the waaaaaaaay the news goes. We ARE chatting with Tyler Marchant (host of the [Cynical Cartoons Podcast](http://www.futurehorsepod.com/)) to learn more about the fandom and the appeal of Rick and Morty! Next week, we'll be visiting the Ministry of Silly Walks to learn more about fans of Monty Python! ## Where can I learn more about Tyler Marchant? The best way to learn more about Tyler are to check out his podcasts, [Cynical Cartoons](http://www.futurehorsepod.com/category/cynical-cartoons/) or [Tynami](http://www.futurehorsepod.com/category/tynami/). You can also [support him on Patreon](https://www.patreon.com/Futurehorse)! ## Episode outline ### Fandom Facts **History and Origins:** > Rick and Morty is an American adult animated science-fiction sitcom created by Justin Roiland and Dan Harmon for Cartoon Network's late-night programming block Adult Swim. The series follows the misadventures of cynical mad scientist Rick Sanchez and his fretful, easily influenced grandson Morty Smith, who split their time between domestic life and interdimensional adventures. The series premiered on December 2, 2013, and the third season concluded on October 1, 2017. A fourth season has been mentioned, first by Harmon in a September 2017 interview, and later in the post-credits scene of the third season's finale. > > — [Wikipedia - Rick and Morty](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rick_and_Morty) **Search Data:** [Interest in Rick and Morty is definitely on the rise](https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?date=today%205-y&q=%2Fm%2F0z6p24j), overall (though is in a recent period of decline). It has had some huge spikes in interest, namely at the beginning of October 2015 (airing of season two premiere) and much more dramatically April 1, 2017 (Secret season three premiere) and during July to October 2017 (the remainder of ...
Can you hear, our heart beat? No? Well, turn up the volume to hear us (and special guest, Nikola, of [YOI Wednesdays](https://twitter.com/yoiwednesdays)) talk about fans of Yuri!! on ICE! Next week, we'll be talking with a guy who literally wrote the book (well, _a_ book) on Chrono Trigger, Michael P. Williams, to talk about fans of Chrono Trigger! ## Where can I learn more about YOI Wednesdays? Would you like to learn more about Nikola and YOI Wednesdays? You're in luck! - Nikola's Twitter: [@notgneissatall](http://twitter.com/notgneissatall) - YOI Wednesday Twitter: [@yoiwednesdays](https://twitter.com/yoiwednesdays) - YOI Wednesday Podcast: [soundcloud.com/yoiwednesdayspod](https://soundcloud.com/yoiwednesdayspod) ## Episode outline ### Fandom Facts **History and Origins:** > Yuri!!! on Ice is a 12-episode anime series following Katsuki Yuuri in his competitive figure skating career. The series is produced by MAPPA, directed by Yamamoto Sayo [_Michiko and Hatchin_, _The Woman Called Fujiko Mine_, some episodes of _Samurai Champloo_ and _Space Dandy_] and written by Kubo Mitsurou. > — [Fanlore - Yuri!!! on Ice](https://fanlore.org/wiki/Yuri!!!_on_Ice) **Search Data / Growth:** _Yuri on Ice_ had a huge spike in interest between [October 2016 and December 2016](https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?date=2016-07-01%202018-07-31&q=%2Fg%2F11cmg5bxns) (which coincides with the release of, at the time, the only season of the anime). Interest in the show has been pretty consistent since then, though not nearly as popular as during that period. The top 10 countries for _Yuri on Ice_, by search volume, are as follows: Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Philippines, Chile, Singapore, Russia, Mexico, Puerto Rico, and Hungary (Canada is 16th, United States is 18th, and Australia is 22nd). Looking at [redditmetrics for the YOI subreddit](http://redditmetrics.com/r/YOI), the subreddit reached 5000 subscribers in under a month, but growth has been pretty flat since then. **Fan Demographics:** - [From a fan survey run by KykyElric](https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeo89_0mbccjeTrVoP2HYSvRfWGIyhTgec4YeEHcw4LjEF-Pw/viewanalytics), we do have some data about some of the over ...
Should we get emotionally attached to fictional characters? Of course we do, intentionally or not… but _should_ we? No guarantees that we get anywhere near addressing that, but we definitely dig into how and why people get attached to characters (for good reasons… and for reasons)! In particular, we talk about: * The (non-)distinction between fictional and real characters… and real people? * How writing has gotten better, and how people can relate to even villains * How people can exert agency over fictional character in fanworks and how that promotes attachment And more! All in under thirty minutes. ## Episode Outline **Topics:** We do get attached, fictional vs real characters, beyond the emotional journey of a story, uncritical character love, villains and relatability, queer coding villains, characters as proxies, rewriting characters’ destinies, beyond physical attraction, reinforcement learning in a nutshell, the randomness of initial selections, a bad sports fan fandom analogy, cosplay and fictional characters. ## Where can I get updates? If you want to follow us on social media, we’ve got you covered: * Facebook: [facebook.com/fanthropological](https://facebook.com/fanthropological) * Twitter: [@fanthropologic](https://twitter.com/fanthropologic) And of course, we can be found where all fine podcasts are found (e.g. [Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/show/2IVp8MBIUyCqlKyZn79iHn), [Apple Podcasts](https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/fanthropological/id1163621210?mt=2), [Google Podcasts](https://www.google.com/podcasts?feed=aHR0cDovL2ZlZWRzLnBvZGlhbnQuY28vZmFudGhyb3BvbG9naWNhbC9yc3MueG1s)). Oh, and here at [fanthropological.com](https://fanthropological.com) ## Special Announcement: Livestream for the Cure 4 The 4th Annual Livestream for the Cure (or the Livestream 4 the Cure?) has been scheduled for FORTY-EIGHT HOURS from May 28th thru the 31st, with a small four hour kick-off event scheduled for the evening before to do final tests (and hopefully wrangle in some amazing guests). This year we’ll be pushing to raise $10,000 for the Cancer Research Institute, and if all of that gets doubled, we stand ...