Where does fandom end?

Episode 13 • July 17, 2020 • 00:25:25
Where does fandom end?
Fanthropological
Where does fandom end?
/

Show Notes

What happens 30 years after a TV show finishes? Is the fandom … over? What is the relationship between a series ending and a fandom ending? And what happens if the creator turns out to be an _awful_ person. This week it’s all over as we talk about the role and effect of endings in fandom… and in life? In particular, we talk about: * How the peak of a fandom may have already passed by the time you get there * How fandoms connect people through time, even when they do end * How endings… really any discontinuity… is hard for humans. * ...Honestly, a lot about Twin Peaks, Lost, and Harry Potter. And more! All in under thirty minutes. ## Episode Outline **Topics:** Distinction between media franchise and fandom; media is always “new to you”; fandom “peaks”; twin peaks; fandoms connecting across time; how poor endings can decimate fandoms; the allure of avoiding the ending; zombie fandoms. ## 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) ## What is the “Race Against Time”? The Race Against Time is an annual charity livestreaming marathon run by [the Nickscast](https://thenickscast.com) where we beat Chrono Trigger _thirteen times_ to raise money for charity; this year that charity is [Trans Lifeline](https://www.translifeline.org/)! Tune in on August 8 and 9th from noon until midnight each day. We hope to outdo all of our previous records and raise $2300 USD. For more details on the event, you can check out the main website at [raceagainsttime.io](https://raceagainsttime.io), [our Twitch page](https://twitch.tv/theraceagainsttime) where we host the stream, or you can follow us on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/raceagainstio) or [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/raceagainsttimeio) for news about guests, giveaways, and other special surprises! Heck, you can even [donate right now](https://tiltify.com/@theraceagainsttime/chrono-trigger-vi/donate)! ## What is Fanthropological? Every week, our podcast, Fanthropological, delivers about an hour of fandom-related "fanalysis" covering a different fandom every week and giving you hard data, history, special guests, and, of course, speculation! We cover topics spanning the gamut of anime, manga, comics, video games, comics, movies, books, television, and, in general, geek culture. ## Who are you? We are the Nickscast! Three products of late-80s / early-90s pop culture who love exploring fandom and everything geek … who also happen to have been best buddies since high school, and all happen to be named Nick. We started the Nickscast as a labour of love, and as a place to entertain and to discuss our love of fans and fandom. We want to help others learn more about different fandoms, and to create empathy with other fans. If you want to learn more about us, you can follow us on most social media @thenickscast ([Facebook](https://facebook.com/thenickscast), [Twitter](https://twitter.com/thenickscast), [Instagram](https://instagram.com/thenickscast)), see all of our projects on [thenickscast.com](https://thenickscast.com), or [email us](mailto:[email protected]). ## Credits * [Rhodes to the Past](https://ocremix.org/remix/OCR01226) by [Fatty Acid](https://ocremix.org/artist/4630/fatty-acid) from [http://ocremix.org](http://ocremix.org) used under [ocremix.org content policy](http://ocremix.org/info/Content_Policy#If_you.27re_using_our_content_elsewhere_.28.22Terms_of_Use.22.29%E2%80%A6) * All other music and sound for this week's episode were provided by Nick Green!
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Episode 9

December 07, 2018 • 01:12:33
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Earthbound - Definitely Not A Cult!

How does such a small franchise maintain a strong fanbase almost thirty* years later? And just what is it about fuzzy pickles and odometers that reel people into the games in the first place? ## Episode Outline ### Fandom Facts **History and Origins:** > The Mother series ... consists of three role-playing video games: the 1989 Mother for the Famicom, the 1994 Mother 2, known as EarthBound outside of Japan, for the Super NES, and the 2006 Mother 3 for the Game Boy Advance. Written by Shigesato Itoi and published by Nintendo, and featuring game mechanics modeled on the Dragon Quest series, the Mother series is known for its sense of humor, originality, and parody. The player uses weapons and psychic powers to fight hostile, everyday objects, aliens and brainwashed people. Signature elements of the series include the lighthearted plots, the battle sequences with psychedelic backgrounds, and the "rolling HP meter": as player health ticks down like an odometer (damage doesn't instantly subtract HP), players can outrun the meter to heal before dying. While the franchise is popular in Japan, in the United States, it is best associated with the cult following behind EarthBound. > — [Wikipedia - EarthBound](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mother_(video_game_series)) **Names** Sometimes fandoms have a definitive name (e.g. "Whovians") other fandoms... struggle. Here are some of the names that [the community has come up with](https://earthboundcentral.com/2012/03/what-are-earthbound-fans/): - Starmen - Motherheads - Momma's Boys - Mother Lovers - EarthBounders - Boundies - Eagleandians **Search Data:** In a surprise twist, unlike most of the fandoms that we have covered on the show, [EarthBound fandom has been almost constant](https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?date=all&q=%2Fm%2F01282w,%2Fm%2F01s7_9) (it's only decreased a little bit since 2004). The most notable spike in interest occured in October 2008, which likely coincides with the release of the unofficial English fan translation ...

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Episode 9

October 06, 2017 • 01:02:36
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#45 - Hatsune Miku Fans

Our fandom journey this season takes us all the way to Japan to talk about fans of the world's most famous _virtual_ pop idol: Hatsune Miku! How did such a relatively niche thing become a global phenomenon? And who is pulling the strings?? Next week, we're off to Mexico to talk about fans of that exciting sport: Lucha Libre! ## Episode outline ### Fandom Facts **Origins:** Hatsune Miku is a VOCALOID. What is a VOCALOID? A VOCALOID is a singing synthesizer application developed by YAMAHA. It was an international effort to create a synthesizer to act as a replacement singer. The original VOCALOID engine was release in 2004. Hatsune Miku was the second VOCALOID released as part of the VOCALOID2 engine and the first member of the Character Vocal Series created by Crypton Future Media Inc. Her name literally means "the first sound from the future." She is also a humanoid persona: a 16-year-old girl with long turquoise twintails and her voice is modelled after Saki Fujita. In September of 2007, Amazon.co.jp reported over 57 million yen (Over a half-million USD) in sales for the Hatsune Miku software, and she has recorded over 100 000 songs. She has since been portrayed in many different media, and is also a Japanese pop idol, among other things. [// A SPREAD IN JAPANESE PLAYBOY??? ]: # **Size of Fandom:** The vocaloid subreddit has over 15000 subscribers, and the Hatsune Miku subreddit has over 2600. The actual number of fans is probably somewhere in the low hundreds of thousands though: > She’s beautiful, she’s talented, she’s immensely popular…and she’s not real. Hatsune Miku the virtual popstar creation of Crypton Future Media in Japan, has sold out another concert. Her much anticipated second ...

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Episode 9

March 23, 2018 • 01:20:53
Episode Cover

Fad Foods - Reconstituted from Meat Flakes and Delivered in a Cheeto-Dusted Dorito Burrito

For a limited time only\*, you can check out this week's episode IN SMELL-O-VISION as we talk about fans of fad foods! Plus, we've got a special guest: Nick H of the Epic Film Guys and RestauRant podcast! Next week, we're closing out the season with a callback to the first episode. We'll be getting our D-4 classification to learn about the world of the SCP Foundation! \* Only at participating locations ## Where can I learn more about EFG Nick and the Epic Film Guys? > **Epic Film Guy Nick** has been in love with film and filming for as long as he can remember. When he’s not listening to Justin’s lisp, he is focused on his two sons, fiancee, and working on his own screenplays. Other interests include beer and playing music. > > — [Epic Film Guys - About Us](https://epicfilmguys.wordpress.com/about-us/) To find out more, check out: - The [Epic Film Guys podcast](http://www.epicfilmguys.com/) - The [RestauRant podcast](http://restaurantpod.podbean.com/) - The Epic Film Guys on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/epicfilmguys) and [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/epicfilmguys) - Nick H on Twitter: [@thedraylives](http://www.twitter.com/theredraylives) ## Episode outline ### Fandom Facts **Search Data:** We had no idea how to even broach this topic; what is the search term for fad food? What we learned is that [interest in the McRib](https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?date=all&q=hipster%20food,fad%20food,mcrib), for example, dwarfs interest in search terms like 'fad food' or 'hipster food'. If you remove that, there is a noted increase in interest in 'hipster food' and decrease in interest in 'fad food' since 2004 (though overall, fad food is the more popular search). The vast majority of results come from countries like the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. ### [Last Episode's](http://fanthropological.com/e/breakfast-cereals-part-of-a-fanss-complete-breakfast/) Famous Last Words **Z** Is there a fad food fan out there who collects wrappers (or similar)? **G** What was the first fast food restaurant ...

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