August 6 2023 Dr
August 6, 2023
# 1618
A photo from PAX East, Boston’s largest video game centric convention
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Cover Story - Fandom
By Tucker Johnson
Are you a fan of anything? Sounds like a silly question, doesn’t it? Of course, you are. But what? A sports team? A band? A film or TV series? Probably all of the above right? Have you ever been to a convention to celebrate your fandom? Probably not. But maybe you just didn’t know it. Ever been to Fenway? Ever go to the movies? A concert? Perhaps these aren’t conventions but they’re certainly gatherings built upon the idea that most of the people there are fans of the event. I’ve been to every type of event I just listed above. I’ve also been to conventions in the more traditional sense. That’s what I’m here to tell you about this week. I just wanted to make sure you were thinking about them the right way before I got started.
Apart from the few examples I gave above, fandoms somewhat exist on the fringes of what people deem to be socially “cool”. Until recently things like Marvel and The Walking Dead were for nerds. I don’t use that term negatively. I’m a card-carrying nerd and I’m proud to be one. Marvel started as a comic book company as I’m sure most of you know. The Walking Dead was a graphic novel. It’s only been since these works were adapted for the big and small screen that they’ve become socially relevant to the wider masses. Social relevance is the key to a lot of fandoms gaining wider popularity. People need to be able to talk about things with their friends and families. I would argue that a lot of why the concept of “binge watching” became so prevalent is in part due to the fact that people wanted to be caught up before talking to others about a show. They didn’t want things spoiled of course but they also didn’t want to be out of the loop.
The idea of being “in the know” about something is the lynchpin for how most people would describe typical fandoms. It’s also the entry point of the idea of a “nerd”. Nerds typically are smart, right? Good students? Maybe but that’s not the point. Nerds know A LOT about what they’re interested in. That knowledge IS their social currency. You may not care about someone’s depth of knowledge when it comes to Spider-Man or Elvis but what about all the people on ESPN that talk sports stats all day long? They’re not nerds. They’re not even remotely thought of as such. But they are. That’s my point. Nerds know their shit and to the right community of people that makes them impressive.
That leads me to my most important point about the idea of fandoms. They are communities. They are places where people can go and be understood. Where their tastes are supported and praised. Fandoms are lovely things to be a part of. That’s why they have conventions. Conventions allow fans of all kinds to gather in a safe environment and practice their chosen fandom however that takes form. Most modern conventions feature a number of those forms. Celebrities are there to meet their fans and talk about projects. Cosplay, a shortened form of “costume play” is almost always a part of conventions. As many people go to dress up as go to photograph or meet their favorite cosplay artists. Comic books, anime, manga (comics/graphics novels that originate from Japan), and gaming (both video and tabletop) are almost always present at conventions. Depending on the focus of the convention these are given more or less focus but no matter what they can always be found. There’s also always a lot of space dedicated to merchandise which is often being sold by small vendors many of whom create what they’re selling themselves. Much of what you find at conventions is tough to find elsewhere even in the age of the internet so these items are hotly sought after. The last group of things you’ll find are panels and workshops. Many of these sessions focus on learning about how films or tv series are made or actually teaching aspiring artists how to draw, use digital tools, or even write scripts or stories.
Cosplayers doing what they do best
Fan conventions are very nurturing environments. Within the confines of the event center, you were pretty safe to practice whatever level of fandom you chose. I spent many years working in the mall in Boston’s Prudential Center and the Hynes Convention Center hosts Anime Boston every April. I would love standing in my store’s entry way and watching as fans in all levels of cosplay would drift out into the mall looking to explore. My coworkers were impressed by some but mocked most of them. I asked the ones being particularly cruel if they own sports memorabilia. If they’ve ever worn a foam finger or a team mascot costume of any kind. Many had. I asked them what they thought the difference was. I also challenged many of these same people because I know how much many of them like the shows and comics these people took their cosplay inspiration from. They agreed they were fans but didn’t believe in the idea of going so far as to dress up like a favorite character. It sort of turned into a game of psycho analysis when I asked if they truly believed the costumes were silly or if they just lacked the self confidence to wear one in public.
This leads me to the idea of Toxic Fandom, a term only coined a few years ago. Toxicity within a fandom really just boils down to the idea that fans of a thing have VERY specific opinions and anyone that doesn’t share those opinions becomes the target of ridicule, bullying, and worse. This aggression can even extend outward and begin to impact actors that portray characters in a fandom’s chose focus. When Disney rebooted Star Wars in The Force Awakens in 2015 the film’s main characters were a white woman and black man. Both because the targets of racist and sexist remarks simply because toxic fans didn’t like that they were now a part of something they cared about. The saddest thing about toxic fans is that they typically attack the very people they should be closest to. They are the antithesis of fandom but thankfully like most openly negative people, they are a vocal minority.
Prince Leia, Luke Skywalker, and Han Solo answering fan’s questions at San Diego Comic Con
For most that engage in any way with organized fandom they present the idea of found family especially because many that find their way to these ideas are socially marginalized from the masses. Fandoms are meant to bring people together and often lead to or help support long lasting friendships. In a world where more and more takes place in digital spaces it’s lovely to picture people still gathering simply to talk about their shared interests. During the pandemic when people were locked away from their friends and loved ones to stay safe and healthy, I was able to maintain most of my friendships through online gaming. We’d agree on a time to play, hop on a shared server so we could all hear one another, and apart from sharing a physical room we conversed the way we all always had. As restrictions lifted and vaccines became available, we started meeting at each other’s homes, still masked, but able to play Dungeons & Dragons together in person. After years of feeling like the world had changed forever things were nearly back to normal. We could talk, joke, and above all nerd out with each other the way we always used to.
Boston is fortunate enough to be a small city that still gets a fair amount of attention where fancons are concerned. Fan Expo is happening August 4th – 6th at the Boston Convention Center in Seaport. Early next year we’ll host PAX (penny arcade expo) East and Anime Boston in March. Anime Boston saw about 30,000 attendees last year. PAX sees over 100,000 attendees. Ever get lonely? Well buy yourself a day pass and go meet some new friends. They’ll be so excited to have you.
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Commentary
Congrats to the movie studios that brought on the summer’s big showdown: Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie” and Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer.” Reminds one of the big showdown pitting Warner Bros. “The Dark Knight” against Universal Pictures’ “Mamma Mia!”
Barbie defeated Oppie at the box office but the clash generated a thrilling moment of heated debates and rivalries, as fans and critics rallied behind their favorite films. At $155 million and $80 million respectively, there was plenty of loot to go around.
This is a poster for the 2008 superhero film The Dark Knight. The poster art copyright is believed to belong to Warner Bros./DC Comics.
This is a poster for Mamma Mia!. The poster art copyright is believed to belong to Universal Pictures.
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Kat’s Gen Z Corner
Tomatoes, tomatoes everywhere
Delicous
Tomato Season
I never truly appreciated the importance of finding fruit and veggies in their right season until we became frequent customers of our local farmers market. In case you were wondering, we’re in tomato season now.
- Farmer’s market on 77th and Columbus
- Beautiful tomato shades
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- Crispy gnocchi with tomato and onion salad close up. Recipe here:
- Dinner for three. Delighted we finally have the space for a dining table!
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Brayden’s Gen Z Corner
A Cut Scene From My Musical, Toothy's Treasure
When creating a new musical, most of the writing process is actually re-writing. We've staged Toothy's Treasure 3 times now, and each time we've made major cuts and revisions. Below is a scene that took place in Act 2, where the first mate (who recently broke up with his girlfriend, The Sea) started experiencing stressful romantic hallucinations while stranded on an island.
The scene is funny and the audience absolutely loved it – in fact it was a fan favorite! So why did we cut it? Because it didn't do much to move forward the plot. We got feedback that the show was running too long, and we had to take a serious look at what could be cut from the show. It can be hard to cut a scene so beloved, but it's for the greater good of the musical. The audience is here to see the main storyline unfold (in hopefully under 2 hours– the shorter the better!) Too many side plots can slow down the momentum of the show and/or confuse the audience.
Since this scene won't be included in future versions of the show, here it is for you to enjoy!
ACT TWO, SCENE TWO
(SQUID LIPS, the first mate, is stranded alone on an island. He’s starting to lose his mind. He looks up at the sky admiringly. A person dressed as The MOON stands and poses on a platform.)
SQUID LIPS
Wow. The moon looks beautiful tonight.
(A person dressed as The SUN enters, furious. Blinding SQUID LIPS.)
SUN
HEY- Don't talk about my wife like that. Don't think I can't hear you from around the corner there.
SQUID LIPS
Geez. I'm sorry. I didn't know–
MOON
Cool it, hun. He’s just minding his own business.
SUN
I'm sorry. I just– I love you.
MOON
I love you too. Now get back to work. Australia needs you.
(The SUN exits, reluctantly.)
SQUID LIPS
What was that about?
MOON
He can be a little overprotective.
SQUID LIPS
I understand. I was that way with my ex.
MOON
Oh? So you're single?
SQUID LIPS
Yup, single and ready to-
(The SUN enters again.)
SUN
What the hell is going on here?! You're making moves now? Like real moves?
SQUID LIPS
No, no, no, I-
MOON
Honey, it's fine. We're just making conversation.
SUN
How come you never make conversation with me?
MOON
We work opposite schedules! It's not easy to get time off-
SUN
Well you just sit around all day at work. You could at least text me. Let me know you're thinking about me.
SQUID LIPS
I can just go, I'm sorry-
MOON
No. Stay.
(a brave pause)
Honey. I think we should see other celestial bodies.
SUN
AGGGGHHHHH!!!
(Quick blackout.)
(The lights back up on SQUID LIPS under the covers with the MOON.)
MOON
That was amazing.
SQUID LIPS
What?
MOON
I gotta get going. I have a Tinder date with Venus, and then I’m going on a blind date with someone who calls themself “the endless black void of the distant universe.”
SQUID LIPS
Alrighty, bye then.
(MOON exits. We hear her from offstage.)
MOON (O.S.)
Hummuna hummuna! You really are the hottest planet!
SUN
CURSE YOU, JACKIE!!!
(Blackout.)
Photos from our Off-Broadway Production of Toothy's Treasure at The Theater Center.
Featuring Cait Winston as Squid Lips, Chloe Gardner as The Moon, and Jonathan Haidl as The Sun.
To continue following the development of Toothy's Treasure, visit ToothysTreasure.com or follow @seehumans on Instagram!
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Tucker’s film review
I took a break from unpacking and searing in the July heat to take my daughters to see a film they were dying to see. I was expecting a fun couple of hours. I wasn’t expecting to see what I think will be one of my favorites this year. This is Barbie.
Barbie - Directed by Greta Gerwig
In 1959, Mattel released Barbie upon the world. The doll was created by Mattel’s co-founder Ruth Handler, pulling inspiration from a German doll named Bild Lilli, as a way to empower girls like her daughter Barbara (Barbie’s namesake) to create limitless world’s where they can be and do anything they want. This was a big bang moment in the way little girls played as it was one of the first times that a popular toy offered more to young women than the idea of playacting motherhood and domesticity. Yet at the same time Barbie became a double-edged sword with some seeing her representing an unattainable physical perfection and the doll became a lightning rod for feminist critique.
In the subsequent years Barbie stuck around (nevertheless, she persisted) and developed with our changing world. Mattel diversified her size and skin tone to try and make a more inclusive toy. Greta Gerwig, the film’s director and cowriter, clearly has a love for Barbie because she includes so much of Barbie’s history in the film. Gerwig and her collaborators not only grant Barbie a sparkling personality, and a gorgeously hokey pop art land to live in but also create some genuinely meaningful sentiments around the complexities of modern gender politics.
Stereotypical Barbie (Margot Robbie) has the perfect day every day. She wakes to music, eats perfect meals, wears beautiful clothes, and spends all her time with her fellow Barbies and Kens. In the plastic fantastic Malibu-meets-Miami looking Barbieland all jobs are held by women while men exist to frolic on the beach and the dance floor. Life is perfect. That is, until Barbie begins having an existential crisis which manifests itself by rocking her perfect world. Her showers are cold, her breath is bad, and she can’t stop thinking about dying. She’s advised to go to the real world to find the person playing with her in doll form and cheer them up so that life can be normal again. But when Barbie and a stowaway Ken (Ryan Gosling) arrive in southern California they discover a patriarchal world brimming with human dysfunctionality, loss of adolescence and the disillusion that comes with adulthood.
Gerwig and her cowriter Noah Baumbach know that Barbie has been in every kind of woman’s life over the last six decades and they make sure to include plenty of supporting storylines to widen Barbie’s impact. The film’s story is rounded out by a mother daughter story between a tweenager (Ariana Greenblatt) and her mother (America Ferrera) that’s touching and empowering. There’s some great material about artistic creation examined though Barbie’s relationship with her creator Ruth Handler (Rhea Perlman). At the film’s beginning all the other Barbies are defined by their professions but Gerwig gives them all the time and space to grow and acquire a richer sense of internality.
The world building in Barbie is exceptional. Production designer Sarah Greenwood and set designer Katie Spencer created a candy-colored dream world for Barbieland. Everything is covered in pink paint, molded plastics, and even some great tactile backdrops (as opposed to greenscreen) that harken back to classic Hollywood. There’s also a perfect juxtaposition of how the film’s score is used in Barbieland vs the real world. Everything comes together perfectly in the technical sense.
Margot Robbie plays Barbie perfectly, handling the comedic timing of Gerwig and Baumbach’s dialogue with the same skill she applies to the grounded sequences allowing their nuance and vulnerability to really come across. Ryan Gosling threatens to steal the film from Robbie’s mighty performance with his own work as Ken. He plays him as a jealous meathead and Gosling is just so damn funny he nails every joke he’s handed. All the supporting Barbies and Kens do wonderful work as well and make all their sequences a blast to watch and enjoy.
Apart from the internet tidal wave that came out of the marketing strategy of “Barbenheimer” it was difficult to imagine that the Barbie movie would amount to much more than summer fluff. I’m happy to report that the exact opposite is true. Barbie speaks truth about the pressures of living up to an impossible feminine ideal, but it does so while injecting every spare moment with fun. It’s also clearly made by people who respect the medium they’re working in. The first trailer for Barbie played on an infamous scene from 2001: A Space Odyssey not to mention the film’s nods at classics like A Matter Of Life and Death and even more recent greats like The Truman Show. Put all of that together and you wind up with a film you’ll want to pick up and play with again and again.
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Dylan’s Gen Z Corner
Love Faulkner
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August 6, 2023: MONTHLY HEALTH REPORT CARD:
Dom Capossela, an 81-year-old male.
Natural Physiological Change
So my hearing deteriorated a bit during this last year.
But the eagerness with which the entire team nudged me to select a hearing aid from one to three thousand dollars turned me off. I decided to live without it for a while.
My grade: a C.
Weight-lifting
July was a fair month for me.
I was at the club twice weekly, down one visit per week..
My energy level is high and I happily anticipate my visits.
Grade: A-
Walking
Like May and June, July was a good month for walking.
As a matter of course, in the nice weather, I walk about five miles a day and I did that this month.
I usually find some reason to make my walk a destination walk, even if it’s only to buy an apple.
My speed and endurance have improved since the cold months have passed. I walk twice as often in the warmer weather because the cold weather makes it so laborious to get out of the apartment.
Grade: A+
Illness
My Actinic keratosis was treated with liquid nitrogen cryotherapy. After the resulting scab fell off, my skin looked good. To a layman. I made an appointment for Sept 15 for a follow-up appointment.
But recently Tufts health let me know that my appointment was cancelled and I had to find my own dermatologist from a list they supplied.
What a pain in the rear.
Grade: B
Injury
None.
Grade A+
Weight
I have stayed on my diet for most of the month.
Amazingly, I dropped the weight I’ve been unsuccessfully trying to lose for the last ten years and I am returned to a good weight for myself.
Grade A+
Oral Health
No teeth or gum issues. I brush and floss regularly.
Grade A+
Substance Abuse
I can no longer drink 12oz of coffee in the morning. After 10oz, my body no longer welcomes the taste. From experience, I have learned to trust my body. I continue my Italian coffee in the afternoon. I have some form of alcoholic drink at dinnertime. But only at dinnertime.
Grade: B+
Stress Management
Being retired and living alone I am deprived of the joys of gainful employment and daily social intercourse. But, on the other hand, I avoid the attendant stressful situations that result from both of those endeavors.
For the last two months, I have led a project to write a book called “Do You Believe in Magic?” I have worked on it seven days a week, long hours each day. It’s been a labor of love. The great thing about the project was working with a great partner, Victor Passacantilli, and near thirty other contributors to the book. I will talk more about it as soon as we get firm dates for its publication and release.
Grade: A-
Sleep
Last month I wrote:
”As I struggle with my sleep, I have devolved upon a solution that works and is appealing to me. Although I haven’t passed that solution by my PCP yet. He might warn me off.
I have no trouble falling asleep but I invariably awaken an hour later and have a difficult time getting back to sleep.
”So here’s my solution:
”For the last four weeks, when I wake after that first hour, I have been taking four pills, at least two, but often three of them, full-dose aspirin, and two, but often one, a 5 mg dose of melatonin. The cocktail works. Not 100% of the time. I still have a day or two a week when I am awake for the day after just that first hour, sometimes two hours of sleep. Understandingly, in the hours following, I function slowly. But the cocktail mostly works and so I will continue until I am told otherwise, or until the pills don’t get me back to sleep.”
I will change this now to say I’ve been on this for eight weeks. I have settled on a medicinal cocktail of three full-dose aspirin and six mg of melatonin. It works for me so I’ve raised my grade from an A- to a straight A.
Grade A
Regularity
I seem to have found a solution to my regularity. While I’m very careful about my diet, being constantly aware of eating plant food, my particular problem seems to be solved by a change of posture: instead of sitting on the toilet bowl seat I squat above it while I go. That posture seems to make it much easier to relieve myself. I have raised my grade from a B to an A-.
Grade: A-
Memory
I do a lot to stay mentally active. One of my primary activities is my writing. I work on this magazine, and I am also working on two books.
My other major activity is meal preparation, from the planning of the menu, the shopping, the preparation, and the eating.
Yet, despite all I do, my memory loss is a nuisance: I am the subject of the 1,000 jokes about an elderly person walking into a room and forgetting why I chose to come here. This part of aging sucks.
Grade: B
Social Activity
Social interaction helps ward off depression and stress. Some weeks are better than others. The book project with thirty writers and the ezine, existentialautotrip, have brought me into constant contact with nice people. My social life is no longer an issue for me. I raised my grade from a B to and A-.
Grade A-
Overall Grade for July:
B+, a bit of an upgrade from last month.
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Chuckles and Thoughts
When someone is impatient and says, 'I haven't got all day,'
I always wonder.
How can that be?
How can you not have all day?"
by George Carlin
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Six Word Stories
Wanted change, took a leap, soared.
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Mail and other Conversation
We love getting mail, email, or texts, including links.
Send comments to domcapossela@hotmail.com
text to 617.852.7192
this from dear friend, Sally C:
Dear Dom,
I haven’t responded as often to your newsletters lately, but I still cruise through them. I like how you have so many friends and relations contributing to this space. Another writer friend of mine, who creates online content, and I have been talking lately about collaborative work – not necessarily co-authoring, but (as he puts it) “throwing thought-spaghetti against the wall” and encouraging civil conversation to explore touchy topics.
Great news about your latest book! Most exciting! I’ll be looking for it, soon to be available to the public! What I think is highly valuable in the whole, long, drawn-out process of writing and producing a book is taking the time to develop and polish it, which you clearly have done. No “write your novel in 30 days!” for me, not if you want quality content of value.
Work on my own books (manuscripts) progresses slowly, too. In the fiction department, I’m savoring how ideas come to me that flesh out the framework, bringing the characters to life. Things are even slower on the non-fiction side, but I’ve returned to conducting a day of research once a month. Some things need nurturing.
With regard to the review of “Oppenheimer,” with that film and “Barbie” running neck and neck at the box office, will Tucker be reviewing the pink lady anytime soon? Not that I give a flying fart about Barbie and the culture that has grown up around it (her?) in the past 50 or 60 years – I was not into dolls when I was a child (give me a stuffed animal!), and especially not Barbie. I could never imagine the appeal of cuddling up to a plastic figure with hard, pointy parts – boobs, hands, feet. Whatever – those of any and every age who adore Barbie are most welcome to her. It’s the American way …
Go well, my friend! And stay cool!
Sally
And this from dear daughter, Kat C:
Next time Brayden comes to New York, tell him to ask me for Broadway recommendations! I too loved Hadestown.
I would have recommended Funny Girl, although it’s very pricey at this point, as well as Parade, Wicked, The Book of Mormon, Hamilton, and I also heard great things about Kimberly Akimbo. Not Shucked.
Love
Kat
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Travel
As date of departure for Tuscany draws near, we still have one more restaurant to book. This restaurant is taking reservations through August. We are waiting for it to open up Sept 6, our last unreserved date.
*The Blog Meister selects the topics for the Lead Picture and the Short Essay and then leans heavily on Wikipedia and ChatGPT to provide the content. The Blog Meister usually edits the entries.
**Community Pictures with Captions are sent in by our followers. Feel free to send in yours to domcapossela@hotmail.com
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