Poetry pharmacies showcase the healing power of poetry

Photos of Sigma Tau Delta's Alpha Pi Epsilon chapter poetry pharmacy.

Poetry is all about putting the best words in the best order to rhythmically convey imagery in a way that elicits an emotional response. Likewise, those emotional responses can have a therapeutic effect. So why not prescribe poems to people who need to hear them?

That's where William Sieghart's idea to host poetry pharmacies comes into play.

A few years ago, William Sieghart hosted a TED Talk explaining how he became a poetry pharmacist. He said he realized that poetry had healing power after he recommended relevant poems to people based on how they were feeling.

Sieghart's work has also inspired others. For instance, the Alpha Pi Epsilon chapter of international English honor society Sigma Tau Delta hosts a traveling poetry pharmacy on Utah Tech University's campus, and they've been working to expand into the local community as well.

Likewise, the chapter had a roundtable presentation at the honor society's annual convention this year, and they gave a demonstration at a chapter display table identical to the one seen below.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Autumn Nuzman (@autumn_nuzman)

I've run Alpha Pi Epsilon's poetry pharmacy several times myself, and the results are always positive.

In one instance, an entire class came to experience the pharmacy after their professor saw my social media post with that day's location.

Likewise, on days when I've hosted the pharmacy outside the exercise-focused Human Performance Center, athletic-looking people have asked for poems about body image.

And on other days, students who are on their way to take tests have asked for poems addressing anxiety, and those who have experienced a breakup asked for poems addressing heartbreak, among other experiences.

One of my peers also said that a student asked for a poem from the "Hope" category, and after my peer offered Tupac Shakur's poem "The Rose That Grew from Concrete," the student confided that they'd been considering suicide and the poem made them reconsider.

Poetry's healing power has so much potential, and poetry pharmacies are a wonderful way to make that power accessible to communities at large.

Songs 'inspired' by poetry: Shrews, Hughes, and Blues

 10 Things I Hate About You

Officially, Leah Kate says that her song "10 Things I Hate About You" wasn't inspired by the 1999 movie of the same name or its corresponding poem, just a loser ex.

But I feel like there has to be some subconscious connection given the nearly identical themes between the song and the movie—which was itself inspired by Shakespeare's "The Taming of the Shrew."

Regardless, the song is a punchy tune that will make you want to watch the movie again, or at least the scene with the poem.

The Dream Keeper

"The Dream Keeper" by Langston Hughes is a lovely little poem that was turned into an equally lovely choral tune.

I learned the song for choir, and it quickly became one of my favorites. Likewise, the song was a big help for when I later had an assignment that required me to memorize a poem.

Killing Me Softly

The 1973 song "Killing Me Softly" by Roberta Flack, also popularly covered by Fugees, was inspired by Lori Lieberman's poem-turned-song of the same name.

Also, the famous line "Killing me softly with his song" was apparently originally "Killing me softly with his blues," something that changed when Lieberman didn't like the effect of the original line.

I think the changed lyric was definitely to the song's advantage with that sweet sense of alliteration.

A few of my favorite poems

Poems that tell stories or have a cathartic value, whether through imagery or a rhythmic flow, really speak to me. To best illustrate this, let's take a look at a few of my favorite poems.

The Raven

Edgar Allan Poe's "The Raven" is a classic narrative poem that continues to remain popular. The rendition in the video above is narrated by Sir Christopher Lee, which is perfect for the ominous vibe the poem gives.

Beyond Poe's talent for imagery and storytelling, the rhythmic flow of the poem has a wonderful effect, especially since most renditions feverishly speed up during the narrator's desperate pleas with the titular raven.

Reading or listening to a rendition of "The Raven" is one thing I'll never say "Nevermore" to.

I Give You Back

Joy Harjo has a number of great poems, especially in her book "She Had Some Horses." One of my favorite poems by the former poet laureate is "I Give You Back," also called "A Poem to Get Rid of Fear."

The video above shows the rendition that most resonates with me, but I also suggest watching one of her live performances of the poem. "I Give You Back" does feature some heavy topics, but those topics and the way Harjo delivers the poem are what makes the poem so cathartic.

Harjo has a way of presenting and preserving the culture of the indigenous nations she belongs to, which made her a fascinating poet to study in my multicultural literature class.

We Real Cool

One of my favorite poems that I learned in college is Gwendolyn Brooks' "We Real Cool," heard in the video above. The poem's meter has a rhythmic flow that can be deciphered when reading it, but hearing Brooks recite it is a real treat. Likewise, Morgan Freeman does a pretty good rendition.

"We Real Cool" is a jazz poem with a lot of great metaphors and imagery, as well as a solid narrative quality. Brooks' poem continues to serve as inspiration in poetry classes to this day.

"We Real Cool" stuck with me so much that I even created my own poem as an homage to it, though I haven't managed to get my poem published, which is unfortunate since it's the poem I feel the most confident about.

Nevermore Academy from 'Wednesday' is a love letter to Edgar Allan Poe

Edgar Allan Poe is a small but integral part of the first season of Netflix's "Wednesday."

The school where the majority of the plot takes place, Nevermore Academy, is a clear reference to Poe's popular poem "The Raven" and the callbacks don't stop there.

The school's tournament involving canoeing to Raven Island and capturing the flag is known as the Poe Cup, and each of the teams is representative of one of Poe's poems or short stories: the Black Cats, the Amontillado, the Pit and the Pendulum, and the Gold Bugs.

Likewise, Wednesday Addams gains entry to a secret room by performing the iconic double snap in front of a statue of Poe, the school dance is called the Rave'N, and the entire school has ravens incorporated into its design.

Not to mention all the other references to ravens throughout the show that aren't explicitly related to the school itself. And those are just the references I caught while watching. I don't know which showrunner has a love of the famous poet, but I tip my hat to them for all the references and how natural they feel.

I enjoy Edgar Allan Poe as well, particularly in regard to "The Raven," and I feel that Poe's vibe matches Wednesday's quite well, so this was a great pairing. I look forward to seeing if the references continue in the next season, whenever that may be.

'O Me! O Life!' scene in 'Dead Poets Society' is underrated

When you think of characters reciting Walt Whitman's poetry in "Dead Poets Society," you probably think of the scene where the students stand on their desks repeating "O Captain! My Captain!" near the end of the film, seen in the video below.

But another underrated Whitman poem partially recited in the film is "O Me! O Life!" John Keating (Robin Williams) recites the poem as he's telling his students about the importance of poetry.

He says, "Medicine, law, engineering, these are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life. But poetry, beauty, romance, love, these are what we stay alive for."

Then he goes on to quote the poem, which features a particularly poignant line about how "the powerful play goes on, and you may contribute a verse," and he asks the students what their verse will be, as shown in the video below.

This is an excellent illustration of the power of poetry and it's also a great example of how to get students interested in a subject they might otherwise overlook.

Granted, not every teacher has the charisma of Robin Williams, and even those who do might come across a little eccentric, but being passionate about a subject and drawing connections to students' other interests is a skill all teachers should strive for.

I've been teaching college English composition classes for nearly a year and a half, and I've found that some of my best lectures are the ones where I ask students to draw on their interests, and where I share how I've applied essay-writing skills to my own interests.

When Williams' character acknowledges the students' other interests such as medical school and business school and then tries to connect them back to the poetry, he employs a useful teaching skill and emphasizes poetry's importance.

The scene tends to take a backseat to others, particularly the "O Captain! My Captain!" theme that runs throughout the movie, but "O Me! O Life!" and its use in this scene deserves to be given props.

My favorite clothing brands

My Facebook Avatar (Facebook).

Being plus sized, it can be hard to find things that are both cute and comfortable in my size. And if I'm honest, I hate shopping any longer than necessary even when I'm with other people, so knowing where to find things in my size is crucial.

Most people who know me know I tend to wear T-shirts and basketball shorts. That tends to be the easiest fashion choice for me both personality-wise and for comfortable sizing, and I don't necessarily keep track of the brands my T-shirts come from.

But I do have to pay attention to specific brands when it comes to buying professional clothes.

Fortunately, I've mostly found my niche when it comes to specific brands to buy. To be clear, I don't have any deals or sponsorships, so anything I share is literally just based on my honest opinion here. With that said, let's take a look at some of my favorite clothing brands.

Walmart Brands

The two brands I've had the best luck with have been Terra & Sky and Time and Tru, both of which are Walmart brands. I stick mostly with Terra & Sky now, but a few of my clothes are still Time and Tru.

Both brands provide low-cost, comfortable plus-sized clothes I can wear both professionally and at home. My favorite shirt that I wear in most of my professional photos is from Terra & Sky.

AND1 Shorts

Despite my general lack of interest in sports, I'm a big fan of wearing basketball shorts. AND1 shorts in particular always have a fun variety of options in my size. I'm open to buying other brands, but AND1 shorts haven't failed me yet.

Shoes

Since I wear size 11-12 shoes, which not many stores seem to carry in person for women, I tend to settle for anything that fits, and I frequently buy shoes in the men's section. Likewise, most of my shoes have been tennis shoes because there seems to be slightly less size variation between brands.

Regardless, the brands I most frequently wore as a teenager were DC, Airwalk, and Converse. More recently, I've had good luck with Skechers and Under Armour. I can usually find something to suit my needs if I spend enough time in stores like Payless, Skechers, and Shoe Carnival.

Name-dropping fashion brands in music

Name-dropping fashion brands has been a staple of rap music ever since English rapper Slick Rick mentioned the fashion brands Gucci, Bally, and Polo in his and Doug E. Fresh's 1985 song "La Di Da Di."

In more recent decades, the trend of name-dropping fashion brands has spread into pretty much all genres of music, often as part of a mutually beneficial advertisement of whichever brands are mentioned.

Here are a few of my recent favorite songs that reference fashion brands.

Victoria's Secret

"Victoria's Secret" by Jax is more of a playful jab at the titular brand's influence on body image than an advertisement, but it's a fun song that does name-drop a popular brand. Spoiler alert: Victoria's secret is that "she was made up by a dude," specifically, "an old man who lives in Ohio."

Unholy

"Unholy" by Sam Smith and Kim Petras manages to drop pretty many of the most popular names in the fashion industry, from Fendi to Balenciaga to Prada and beyond. And the song is just generally very catchy.

Clickbait

The video above is a clip from the song "Clickbait" by Daz Black, The Midnight Beast, and Soheila. The video includes references to Versace, but it mostly seems to be a play on the popularity of name-dropping in rap and not an actual advertisement or endorsement. This shows how popular the trend is.

The impact of Anna Wintour on Vogue, pop culture

Anna Wintour at the 2005 New York Fall Fashion Week (Karin Bar).

Anna Wintour has been the editor-in-chief of Vogue since 1988. She's been a constant in a world of passing trends, so much that her influence goes beyond the magazine itself.

Wintour was a real up and comer on various publications prior to joining the US edition of Vogue, and she was eventually used to take over and radically change Condé Nast magazines such as House & Garden and the UK edition of Vogue.

Even before working at Condé Nast, when previous Vogue editor Grace Mirabella asked Wintour what her dream job was during an interview, Wintour reportedly said, "Yours."

After her time at House & Garden, Wintour fulfilled that dream and succeeded Mirabella as Vogue's editor.

Wintour revamped the magazine by using less well-known models, mixing inexpensive clothes with high fashion, and changing the cover style from tight headshots taken indoors to outdoor shots that showed more of the body.

The best example of this change is seen in the first issue she published in November 1988, seen below. The cover shows 19-year-old model Michaela Bercu in a $50 pair of jeans and a $10,000 designer jacket.

Cover of the November 1988 issue of Vogue (Style).

Likewise, Wintour has inspired a variety of other aspects of pop culture. Namely, she is reportedly the inspiration for Miranda Priestly in "The Devil Wears Prada," Edna Mode in "The Incredibles," Fey Sommers in "Ugly Betty," and even Willy Wonka in 2005's "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory."

One way or another, Anna Wintour is synonymous with Vogue and the high fashion industry.

'Ugly Betty' is a staple of '00s TV

Betty Suarez on the left and her actress America Ferrera on the right (Walt Disney Television/Getty Images).

"Ugly Betty" is a wonderfully whacky comedy series about the not-so-stylish Betty Suarez (America Ferrera) navigating the high fashion industry as the assistant to Mode magazine's editor-in-chief Daniel Meade (Eric Mabius).

The show tends to have the tone of a telenovela when it comes to drama, likely because it's based on the Colombian series "Yo soy Betty, la fea." This tends to work in the show's favor, as every instance of absurdity leaves me in stitches.

The show has everything from catty fashion quips to soft family moments, romance, murder plots, faked deaths, and LGBTQ+ and immigration narratives. The show really caters to all audiences, sometimes in the most unexpected ways.

Ironically, I think the one thing that bothers me about "Ugly Betty" is the idea that Betty is ugly. While her fashion choices are certainly unique, they tend to align with her personality and aren't even that bad most times. Likewise, beyond the style, Betty herself just isn't ugly.

You can't convince me that America Ferrera is ugly no matter how you style her clothes, hair, or braces. In the above scene in particular, she looks great and would probably be "model perfect" if she took her glasses off and smiled without showing her braces.

And of course, some jokes probably wouldn't fly if the show was airing today. Namely, some of the jokes about Alexis Meade's (Rebecca Romijn) trans identity and the below scenes where it's implied that Wilhelmina Slater (Vanessa Williams) was "ugly Willie" when she had her original nose, hair, and skin tone.

Granted, this is all done with a satirical tone that addresses the same real-life issues, and there are plenty of scenes that call out bigotry and body shaming, so I feel like the show balances itself out in that regard even if the payoff takes a while.

There are also a number of interesting references to the real-life fashion industry, such as Fey Sommers seeming to be the show's equivalent of Vogue editor Anna Wintour, an episode addressing the use of fur in the fashion industry, and cameos from people such as model Naomi Campbell.

If you need a good laugh, I highly recommend this comedy staple.

'The Devil Wears Prada' cerulean sweater speech still lives in my head rent free

When I decided to have a fashion-themed week and write about "The Devil Wears Prada," the first thing that came to mind was Miranda Priestly's (Meryl Streep) iconic cerulean sweater speech, shown in the video above.

Even 17 years after the release of "The Devil Wears Prada," the scene sticks out to me. And I'm not alone in my interest: the speech has its own dedicated section on the movie's Wikipedia page with a range of article references from both journalists and people within the fashion industry.

While the movie's reference to specific collections that popularized the use of cerulean are entirely fictional, the concept stands: in some cases, there's a trickle-down effect in regard to high fashion eventually making its way to everyday fashion.

For example, The New York Times' chief fashion critic Vanessa Friedman cited the speech and pointed out that "what might appear on a runway in the Musée Rodin (where Dior holds its shows) in July will affect what H&M does in August."

There are cases where the reverse is true, like designers being inspired by streetwear and the "trickle-up" effect of small brands becoming so popular they're no longer affordable for their original customer base.

Even still, the scene is so memorable because it's an epic takedown that forces Andy (Anne Hathaway) to rethink her perspective on fashion and why the industry is so particular in its choices. And let's be honest, we all love a good dragging every now and then.

It's also fun for the sake of character development to watch prickly characters having scenes like the cerulean sweater speech contrasted with their softer scenes.

Watching Miranda go from the cerulean sweater scene to her more vulnerable scene describing her divorce and then seeing the final scene where she smiles to herself after seeing Andy showcases different sides to the character.

One way or another, the cerulean sweater scene lives rent-free in my mind to this day.

Fanfiction stories worth reading

Screenshot of reviews on the "Questioning" fanfiction story.

There tends to be a stereotype that fanfiction is low quality writing. In some cases, that may be true, but there are also a number of well-crafted, well-written stories.

Fanfiction takes quite a bit of creativity, regardless of whether the writer is trying to navigate within the confines of the original author's world or creating their own expansions and twists to the narrative. It takes even more effort to ensure that their fanfiction is properly edited, especially if they don't have beta readers.

The following stories are all of reasonably good quality. Two of them are stories I've read, and two of them are stories I wrote as a teenager.

Stories I've Read

I feel a bit vulnerable sharing the fanfiction stories I used to read in high school, but I can't deny the quality of writing for either of these stories.

Even with them being stories that I probably wouldn't take the time to read today, and I certainly haven't read them in full since high school, "The Mating Games" and "Kissing Quinn Fabray" are two of the most memorable and well-edited stories I've read in the realm of fanfiction.

The Mating Games

"The Mating Games" is essentially "The Hunger Games," but with... well, aged up characters and sexual content.

The story centers around the idea that the Capitol requires all individuals 18 and older to immediately get married and start having children to repopulate after the devastating loss of life in the previous war.

Anyone who doesn't pair off has to participate in the Mating Games, which is a televised event where contestants pair up with each other by any means necessary.

The story is a bit odd and pornographic, but the plot is creative in its efforts to reimagine the original story. Likewise, the story is very well edited and easy to read if erotic content happens to be your cup of tea. If not, just skip it.

Kissing Quinn Fabray

"Kissing Quinn Fabray" is a fanfiction story based on the TV series "Glee," specifically about Rachel Berry (Lea Michele) and Quinn Fabray (Dianna Agron) becoming a couple.

It's a soft romance story between the two characters and is exceptionally well written, so much that I wouldn't be surprised to discover that the author pursued a creative writing career. The story was also one of the first LGBTQ+ fanfics I ever read.

The story is a fluffy foray into the wildly popular Faberry relationship and adds its own interesting content to the mix.

There's a story within the story about "Chuck Bunny and Daisy Bunny" that I still find both hilarious and adorable, and I have to remind myself that it doesn't exist outside the context of this fanfic, which means I can't just go around quoting it.

My Fanfiction Stories

It feels a bit discomforting to share my fanfiction, especially with how far I've come as a writer since then, but both stories are something I was proud of at the time they were written and they're an integral part of my evolution as a writer. They're also two of the longest stories I wrote in the vein of fanfiction.

Awakening

"Awakening" is a fanfic that takes place during and after the events of Richelle Mead's "Blood Promise," which is the fourth book in the "Vampire Academy" series.

The story diverges from the canon narrative by having Dimitri Belikov turn Rose Hathaway into a Strigoi, whereas the canon plot sees Rose escape before he has the chance. Despite the divergence and the introduction of new plot points, the plot does continue to interact with the real series' plot.

"Awakening" spans 38 chapters and, while not as polished as my current writing, is still easier to read than many of the other fanfics I've had to wade through since I obsessively self-edit even as I'm writing a story, a quality that was particularly noticeable during my fanfiction era.

Questioning

"Questioning" takes place after the events of Richelle Mead's "Silver Shadows," the fifth book in the "Vampire Academy" spin-off series "Bloodlines."

"Silver Shadows" ended on a cliffhanger and the next book in the series wasn't due to be published for another month, so I wrote "Questioning" to keep myself and others entertained.

The plot initially focused on characters questioning the authenticity of Sydney Sage and Adrian Ivashkov's marriage, but it evolved into an even bigger story spanning 17 chapters. One reviewer even said they liked my story more than "The Ruby Circle," which was the real sixth book in the series.

Fan edits: The musical form of fanfiction

Photos from "Wednesday," "Legacies," and "Codename: Kids Next Door."

If you frequent places like Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube, you've most likely seen a fan edit in some form. Long or short, scenes from shows and movies are set to music as a way of highlighting a narrative.

Sometimes, that narrative didn't even happen in the show or movie the clips are from, and scenes might even be taken from multiple shows or movies to make a certain narrative work. That's basically just musical fanfiction.

#wednesdaynetflix enid sinclair wednesday addams wenclair edit fancam fc #wenclair death by a thousand cuts taylor swift wlw sapphic lesbian pic.twitter.com/syv4Duxeq9

— @shaunacore (@maikotaras) November 24, 2022

This fan edit that sets scenes from the popular Netflix series "Wednesday" to the tune of Taylor Swift's "Death by a Thousand Cuts" is a prime example of Wenclair fanfiction. That is, fanfiction that highlights the friendship and potential romance of Wednesday Addams (Jenna Ortega) and her roommate Enid Sinclair (Emma Myers).

Even beyond the caption, the edit features specific scenes that showcase the two characters' chemistry and forms a narrative that isn't directly seen in the context of the show—though the cast does ship it and the showrunners said they're open to exploring the relationship in a future season.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Noelle ♔ TVD | TO | LGC (@thewickerybridge)

Another interesting example is the style of fan edit that frequently tends to be found on Instagram. The way these are edited tends to feel almost like an acid trip with the way the visuals and instrumental are cut together to showcase the feeling the editor wants to invoke.

The video above is an edit of Hope Mikaelson (Danielle Rose Russell) and Lizzie Saltzman (Jenny Boyd) from "The Vampire Diaries" spinoff series "Legacies," set to an unspecified song.

While the scenes are all from "Legacies," some of the context may be skewed, namely the fact that the scene with Lizzie saying she loves Hope might also be interpreted as sisterly for those who have watched the whole series.

Likewise, the line stating, "A vampire only bonds to her sire when she has feelings for her, before she turns. Human feelings! Vampirism only heightens those emotions," is actually an edited version of a quote said in "The Vampire Diaries."

The original quote is, "A vampire only bonds to her sire when she has feelings for her sire before she turns. Vampirism only heightens those emotions."

The quote is said in reference to Damon Salvatore (Ian Somerhalder) and Elena Gilbert (Nina Dobrev). Sire bonds also form automatically with hybrids and heretics regardless of romantic feelings, and Lizzie is a heretic.

Sometimes fans will even make an entire music video on YouTube. For instance, I explicitly remember that when I first started watching YouTube, I stumbled upon heaps of fan made music videos for the Cartoon Network show "Codename: Kids Next Door."

There was one music video set to Lou Bega's "Mambo No. 5" that paired Numbuh 1 (Benjamin Diskin) with every female character under the sun. Another was set to t.A.T.u.'s "Loves Me Not" and paired Numbuh 362 (Rachael MacFarlane) with Numbuh 86 (Jennifer Hale). Unfortunately, I couldn't find either of those.

I did find the above example that makes the odd choice of using Martina McBride's "Concrete Angel" to represent Numbuh 5's (Cree Summer) quote about how "We work hard every year but no matter what we're going to turn into a teenager."

For reference, the show is centered around children's conflict with adults and teenagers, with the Kids Next Door's goal being to fight "adult tyranny."

Regardless, it feels a bit odd to pair that with a song about child abuse, but sometimes the logic of these fan edits centers more around how a song feels than what it's actually about.

'Fangirl' by Rainbow Rowell is an interesting look at fanfiction culture

The book cover for "Fangirl" by Rainbow Rowell.

"Fangirl" by Rainbow Rowell is a novel about a fanfiction writer named Cath who's trying to adapt to life in college while dealing with social anxiety and growing apart from her twin sister.

Cath also makes some friends, most notably her roommate Reagan and her love interest Levi, both of whom frequently try to get Cath to come out of her shell. So essentially, it's a classic college coming-of-age story.

Likewise, there's somewhat of a story within the story since readers get to see snippets of the fanfiction that Cath is working on, which is slash fiction based on the fictional "Simon Snow" series. The "Simon Snow" series seems reminiscent of "Harry Potter" and the fanfiction Cath writes feels similar to a Drarry fic.

"Fangirl" is widely acclaimed for its accurate representation of fan culture, so much so that Tumblr chose the novel as its inaugural book club selection. And indeed, I felt like I could relate to aspects of the story, especially as someone who wrote fanfiction as a teenager.

Sometimes "Fangirl" even embodies the connotation of its name a little too well and fills me with twinges of cringe.

When Cath submits some of her fanfiction for a creative writing assignment, Professor Piper won't accept it because the purpose is to write something original. Cath then starts to argue that it is original because she's the one who wrote what she turned in, but that argument really doesn't work in this context.

While I've written many a fanfiction, I'd never submit any for a creative writing assignment. Why? Because while fanfiction is a great form of writing exercise, you didn't build the world or characters, so unless you know how to creatively repackage it à la "Fifty Shades," "The Mortal Instruments," or "After," it doesn't fulfill the point of the assignment.

Fanfiction can be a great outlet for people who like writing; if part of an existing story isn't finished or doesn't go the way you want, you can write what you want into existence, and it gives the opportunity to practice creative writing.

But it's just one form of creative writing, and usually college is meant to help you expand into other genres, so if your professor wants you to practice world building through original fiction or encourages you to write in other genres such as nonfiction and poetry, you shouldn't shoehorn your fanfiction into it.

Regardless of that aspect, "Fangirl" is very enjoyable because it provides an interesting look at fanfiction culture that's appealing to readers of all ages. Plus, the popularity of the novel spawned the creation of two spin-off novels based on Cath's fanfiction, "Carry On" and "Wayward Son."

If you want some insight into fanfiction culture and a feel-good, romantic coming-of-age story, I highly suggest reading "Fangirl."

'Supernatural' episodes that delightfully address fanfiction

In season four of "Supernatural," episode 18, also called "The Monster at the End of This Book," has a fun literary premise: Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Dean's (Jensen Ackles) adventures from the last several years have been turned into a series of novels with a small cult following.

Sam and Dean discover this when a comic book store owner mistakes them for cosplayers larping as the characters. They then buy as many copies as possible and start reading about themselves.

Sam also does online research that introduces them to fanfiction, including "Sam girls" and "Dean girls" and even slash fans who ship Wincest. I sympathize with the disgust when Dean says, "They do know we're brothers, right?"

And the fanfiction references don't stop in that episode. As the series goes on, Chuck Shurley (Rob Benedict) continues to write stories about Sam and Dean's adventures. And with more books comes more fans with even more of the world to explore.

For instance, in season five, episode nine, also titled "The Real Ghostbusters," Sam and Dean are lured to a "Supernatural" convention by their superfan Becky Rosen (Emily Perkins), with a bunch of other people dressed up as them hunting fake ghosts while they have to hunt a real ghost.

Likewise, in season 10, episode five, also known as "Fan Fiction," Sam and Dean investigate strange disappearances at a high school that's putting on a musical performance of the "Supernatural" books, and this leads to the director of the musical telling Dean about Destiel, which is a gay shipping of Dean and Castiel (Misha Collins).

Dean is yet again annoyed by the gay slash fiction while Sam finds the whole thing entertaining.

There are other, more subtle references to fanfiction throughout the series, most notably episode titles such as "Slash Fiction" and "Meta Fiction," which aren't necessarily about fanfiction, but they do play on the idea of it.

The way the show includes and playfully pokes fun at the concept of fanfiction and fan culture as a whole is delightfully entertaining. While I've never been a die-hard fan of the show, I've always had an appreciation for the world building and creativity.

I especially love episodes that hint at things in the real world, such as these fanfiction episodes and "The French Mistake," which brings Sam and Dean into the real world and references things that have happened in their real lives.

I highly recommend all of the episodes listed here, most of which can likely be watched with minimal context thanks to the anthological way most episodes are crafted.

Movies that are based on fanfiction

Fanfiction has become increasingly popular in recent years, and sometimes it even gets converted into new, seemingly original content. Let's take a look at some movies that are based on or inspired by fanfiction.

Fifty Shades of Grey

As I'm sure everyone knows by now, "Fifty Shades of Grey" is an erotic BDSM movie trilogy based on books of the same name by E.L. James. And those books are based on "Twilight" fanfiction.

While the quality of the narrative may be questionable, Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan's performances as Anna Steele and Christian Grey, respectively, were of solid quality. So props to those two and the rest of the cast.

And yes, I actually do have a solid working knowledge of both the books and the movies. In a bizarre incident, I spotted an acquaintance of mine reading "Fifty Shades of Grey" in my middle school cafeteria. Why a girl her age was reading that, especially out in the open at a school in notoriously religious Utah, I may never know.

I was previously unaware of the series and couldn't exactly glean much from the grey tie on the cover. So I asked her what it was about, and her response was to peer her eyes over the book, wiggle her eyebrows suggestively, and say, "You'll have to read it to find out."

And now I've read all three books in the trilogy and watched all three movies. The sexual scenes don't really spark my interest, but the plot itself is wild and fun bad. Anna's inner monologue in the books, the inaccurate depiction of BDSM, figuring out which "Fifty Shades" characters correspond with which "Twilight" characters.

Also, mad respect to Anna's friend Kate (Eloise Mumford) for consistently calling Christian out and being the funniest character in the books for the right reasons. At least until "Fifty Shades Freed" when she just sort of stops questioning everything. Also props to Christian's mom (Marcia Gay Harden) for confronting Mrs. Robinson (Kim Basinger).

After

The entire "After" movie series is based in Harry Styles fanfiction. And it's not subtle, either, since the character based on Styles is named Hardin Scott and other characters based on the members of One Direction also have names starting with the same letters as their real-life counterparts.

I haven't watched any of the movies since I feel like fanfiction based on real people is a little weird, not to mention that toxic romances aren't exactly my cup of tea, but it's clearly loved by a lot of people since the fifth installment in the series, "After Everything," comes out this week.

Everything I've heard about the series sort of sounds like the dynamic in "Fifty Shades," but with less sex scenes and not as much "fun bad" value. I might just watch it anyway since it seems so popular, but I make no promises.

The Mortal Instruments

While "The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones," based on the novel of the same name by Cassandra Clare, isn't directly a fanfiction itself, it apparently does draw a lot of inspiration from Clare's days writing fanfiction stories such as "The Draco Trilogy."

I've watched the movie, and while it didn't draw me in as much as "The Hunger Games," "Divergent," "Harry Potter," or the endless list of other teen movies coming out around that time, I did think it had its moments, especially with the soundtrack. Demi Lovato's "Heart by Heart" in particular is a favorite song of mine.

The end of the movie does feel mildly disturbing if you haven't read the books though. The way Clary (Lily Collins) rides off with Jace (Jamie Campbell Bower) feels romantic, which is weird because at that point they've been falsely led to believe that they're siblings.

That isn't actually true, and they're actively doubting it, but that's what they've been told at that point, so it's a little weird.

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies

At first glance, you might not think of "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies" as fanfiction. Just a parody, or a new spin on an old classic. But that's essentially what fanfiction is.

"Pride and Prejudice and Zombies" just gets to use the actual characters and settings commercially without paying royalties because the original Jane Austen novel is in the public domain.

And while I haven't gotten to watch the movie myself yet, it's one I look forward to because of its creative AU (alternate universe) take. It's literally just "Pride and Prejudice" set in a world facing a zombie apocalypse.

Scottish poet brings an appreciation for language on social media

Photo of Len Pennie from her YouTube channel.

Len Pennie, who also goes by @miss_punnypennie on TikTok and @misspunnypennie on Instagram, is a Scottish poet who regularly posts interesting facts about the Scottish and English languages.

Specifically, Pennie features a Scots word of the day each day on her TikTok to preserve the language. She introduces a word, its definition, and says it a few times to ensure viewers understand it. See the example below for an idea of how she operates.

@miss_punnypennie The word is my top priority. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿💙 #scotslanguage ♬ original sound - Miss PunnyPennie

Pennie also addresses English words and their impact on the Scots language, including the below video about the use of "cop" as opposed to "polis" when referring to the police, something some of her viewers disparage as an "Americanism."

@miss_punnypennie Replying to @user3931440500126 ♬ original sound - Miss PunnyPennie

Another of Pennie's TikToks involves her recounting how so many Scottish people have been punished in the past for speaking Scots, with the language being devalued as an imperfect form of English.

@miss_punnypennie Replying to @alba_male48 ♬ original sound - Miss PunnyPennie

Likewise, Pennie features some of her poetry, including the below example that infuses a mixture of Scots and English into a timely message about women's bodies.

@miss_punnypennie #onthisday ♬ original sound - Miss PunnyPennie

I enjoy watching Pennie's content both because I enjoy a good Scottish accent and because it's always interesting to learn new words and their origins. I guess that's just the English major in me, especially after I took a class on the history and structure of the English language.

I also really appreciate her attempts at preserving the Scots language, especially after learning about a number of other languages that are being lost with time after their attempted eradication, namely the Navajo language.

I highly suggest checking Pennie out on her social media, and if you want, you can pre-order her poetry book "Poyums," which is scheduled to be published in February 2024.

International music everyone should check out

While there's an endless variety of great music in the United States, sometimes it's nice to dip a toe in the international pool of talent.

After all, the United States is no stranger to British Invasions and K-pop fandoms, among other international waves. Likewise, I've been expanding my taste in international music over the last several years and there are plenty of international acts that I just don't think get enough recognition.

Let's highlight a small sample of the international music roster I've been diving into. Here's a short list of international music to check out in no particular order.

Shervin Hajipour

Iranian singer-songwriter Shervin Hajipour's "Baraye" received a Grammy for Best Song for Social Change. The category was just added this year, and it was presented by First Lady Jill Biden. Hajipour was briefly arrested for the song in 2022, and he's now on Time magazine's list of 100 most influential people in the world.

The song was inspired by a trend where Iranians posted why they were protesting after the death of Mahsa Amini, specifically with phrases starting with "for," as "Baraye" literally translates to "for" in Farsi. Tweets that inspired the lyrics are included in the music video.

Examples of lyrics translated into English include: "For feeling peace of mind / For the rise of sun after long-lasting nights / ... For man, homeland, prosperity / ... For woman, life, freedom."

Even when you can't understand the lyrics, the passion with which Hajipour sings "Baraye" is palpable, and both the vocals and instrumental are high quality. The song is worth listening to on all accounts.

Little Mix

Little Mix is a British girl group that won the eighth season of the British version of "The X Factor." While they're quite popular across the pond, the group wasn't promoted particularly well in the United States. The group consists of Perrie Edwards, Jade Thirlwall, Leigh-Anne Pinnock, and Jesy Nelson.

Little Mix is on indefinite hiatus at the moment, but the roster of music the group built up spanning its 11-year run is evergreen and showcases a fun evolution of the group's style.

Each of Little Mix's six albums has hit songs, and they've collaborated with plenty of other artists including Nicki Minaj, Jason Derulo, David Guetta, Missy Elliot, Anne-Marie, Machine Gun Kelly, Charlie Puth, and Ty Dolla Sign, among others.

Likewise, two of the girls have released solo singles. Jesy released "Boyz" with Nicki Minaj and "Bad Thing" on her own. More recently, Leigh-Anne released her debut single "Don't Say Love." I'll always recommend listening to both Little Mix and each of its members' solo careers.

Kiki Rockwell

Kiki Rockwell is a singer, songwriter, and producer raised in New Zealand. I've only listened to a handful of her songs, but they all have a unique appeal to them. Based on her Instagram bio and some of the lyrics in her songs, there's an element of German, Swedish, Irish, and Baltic influence involved.

Some of Rockwell's songs seem to be an acquired taste, but if nothing else, I suggest listening to "Burn Your Village (Same Old Energy Pt. II)," which is the video I included above, and "Cup Runneth Over."

Admittedly, "Burn Your Village" is still a bit intense and features explicit lyrics, but it's a well-written earworm with a video that's reminiscent of the witch trials from a more feminist point of view. Fitting since Rockwell identifies herself as a pagan witch.

In contrast, "Cup Runneth Over" is a much softer LGBTQ+ narrative and features a more medieval sort of setting with swords and royalty. Either way, Rockwell's music and creativity aren't something to sleep on. Everything is worth listening to once.

'The Oracle Prophecies' by Catherine Fisher is underrated

Photo of my set of "The Oracle Prophecies" trilogy by Catherine Fisher.

"The Oracle Prophecies" by Welsh author Catherine Fisher is a trilogy of children's books that seems to be inspired by Greek, Egyptian, and Mesopotamian themes and mythology.

Facing a drought in "The Oracle Betrayed," the Archon—who acts as the human incarnation of this fictional world's god—is called upon to be sacrificed according to Hermia, who acts as Speaker for the god and is the most senior of the god's nine priestesses.

However, Mirany, who acts as Bearer of the god, discovers that this is a plot by Hermia and her lover General Argelin to control the land. Mirany, with the help of the Archon's musician Oblek and ambitious scribe Seth, must find the new Archon and keep him safe from Hermia and Argelin's influence.

The two novels that follow, "The Sphere of Secrets" and "Day of the Scarab," present further adventures experienced by Mirany, Seth, Oblek, and the Archon in their pursuit of ending the drought and restoring peace.

This trilogy was one of my favorites when I started reading for pleasure in sixth grade, hence why I obtained personal copies more recently, but I can scarcely find anything about the books beyond where to buy them, some Goodreads reviews, and a Wikipedia page for the first book.

Despite being an international bestseller, "The Oracle Prophecies" trilogy is underrated and has the potential to be so much more. I'd argue that it has the same entertainment value and feel to it as the "Percy Jackson and the Olympians" series, but with a slightly more mature tone and an exploration of a different cultural landscape.

In fact, I think "The Oracle Prophecies" trilogy is perfectly poised to be adapted for a TV show or a series of movies. The trilogy has an interesting world to explore, it's just underrated enough to keep audience expectations reasonable, and it's something that hasn't been rebooted ad infinitum.

Either way, I highly recommend the trilogy, especially for middle school aged children and teens. "The Oracle Prophecies" is a solid trilogy that scratches the itch for children's fantasy novels.

'1899' is an intriguing multilingual mystery that shouldn't have been cancelled

"1899" is a 2022 Netflix sci-fi mystery that follows several groups of emigrants traveling from the United Kingdom to the United States on a steamship called the Kerberos in 1899.

Much of the mystery surrounds a young boy found aboard the abandoned Prometheus steamship, a mysterious man controlling a scarab, a small pyramid, a set of letters sent to several passengers, and a series of hallucinations.

It's initially difficult to tell if the show's mystery is supernatural or psychological, and although signs seem to point in the direction of one over the other by the end of the season, viewers are still left with a massive cliffhanger and several loose ends.

This would normally be a perfectly good ending to the first season of a show, but since Netflix cancelled the series, viewers may never see a resolution to the cliffhanger or loose ends we were left with. And I'm not sure I understand why Netflix cancelled the show given the overall positive reception "1899" received.

Granted, the show does feel slow-moving in some episodes, but the payoff was worth the wait, at least for me. Part of the intrigue of the show was watching the ensemble cast's stories unfold and collide while trying to figure out what was going on.

Regardless, it's certainly a unique international tale from the German duo that co-created Netflix's "Dark." The show also features eight languages spoken across the various emigrant groups. The languages are English, Spanish, French, Polish, German, Danish, Portuguese, and Cantonese.

I watched the series with English dubbing since I have a difficult time giving proper visual attention to a show while simultaneously reading subtitles, and while dubbing never quite captures the intended emotion in a scene, the dubbing in "1899" was good enough that I barely noticed it in many scenes.

If "1899" sounds interesting, I recommend watching it on Netflix. And maybe signing the petition to bring it back.

'Polite Society' is wildly entertaining

"Polite Society" is a 2023 action-comedy film about a British-Pakistani teenager, Ria Khan (Priya Kansara), who tries to stop her sister Lena (Ritu Arya) from marrying into a family with nefarious intentions, all while pursuing her dream to eventually become a stuntwoman.

Ria initially has a close relationship with Lena, who has recently dropped out of art school and spends most of her time either trying to spark her creativity or helping Ria film stunt videos.

Ria and Lena are both discouraged from pursuing their dreams by their traditional parents, and Ria also receives discouragement from both her teachers and her school bully Kovacs (Shona Babayemi). Likewise, Ria's attempts to make famous stuntwoman Eunice Huthart her mentor go unanswered.

Then Lena is set up with successful geneticist Salim (Akshay Khanna) at an Eid Mubarak celebration hosted by Salim's mother Raheela (Nimra Bucha), and Ria spends the rest of the film trying to break them up because she's worried Lena will give up on her dreams, only to discover there's an even bigger reason to break them up.

I won't ruin the plot twist, but it's wild. As are so many other parts of the movie.

Before the plot twist even occurred, one of the wildest parts of the movie for me was when Ria and Lena got into a massive fight about Ria's attempt to scope out Salim at his gym.

At that point, all Lena knew was that Ria had talked to Salim at the gym and she immediately came in hot with an angry confrontation over it, then when the argument escalated, she started an all-out fist fight with Ria. Wildly entertaining, but also completely uncalled for with the limited amount of information she had at the time.

Regardless, the wild escalations and drama in the movie made for a great time, and the movie actually ended up feeling like a somewhat grounded superhero origin story for Ria. The critical consensus on Rotten Tomatoes even calls the movie "a fun film that blends Bollywood splendor and British wryness."

I also thoroughly enjoyed Nimra Bucha's performance as antagonist Raheela, especially after previously seeing her in a similarly antagonistic role in "Ms. Marvel" last year. I hope to see her in more roles in the future.

Likewise, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention Ria's friends Clara (Seraphina Beh) and Alba (Ella Bruccoleri), who provided amazing comedic and plot-driven support throughout the movie, as well as Ria's parents Fatima (Shobu Kapoor) and Rafe (Jeff Mirza).

"Polite Society" is a strong directorial debut for writer/director Nida Manzoor. I greatly enjoyed every second of the wild ride the movie took me on. I'll definitely be looking out for her other content going forward.

If this review piques your interest in the least, I highly suggest watching "Polite Society" on Peacock or buying or renting the movie wherever else you can find it.

'The Most Popular Girls in School' season 1 still holds up

This might be a throwback for some, but season one of "The Most Popular Girls in School" (MPGiS) is still hilarious 11 years later.

For those who don't know, MPGiS is a stop-motion YouTube series that acts out high school drama with dolls, most of which are Barbies. The series has been accurately described by Variety as "'Mean Girls' meets 'South Park.'"

Right from the first episode, new girl Deandra has an argument with head cheerleader Mackenzie Zales over bathroom privileges; meanwhile, fellow cheerleader Trisha Cappelletti goes on a tangent about why Ashley Katchadourian is watching the door instead of Jenna Darabond.

The battle for bathroom privileges becomes a running theme in the feud between the cheerleaders and the Van Buren family, all of which connects back to Mackenzie's rivalry with Shay Van Buren. Likewise, Trisha's tangent about Ashley Katchadourian comes to a satisfying head in episode 11.

There's also a subplot about the least popular girls in school, Judith Dinsmore and Rachel Tice, that pays off in the 13th and final episode of the season.

My personal favorite episodes are one, three, five, and 11, but all the episodes build toward a larger story. Every episode includes at least one quotable line, usually of gut-busting comedic quality. Each of the 13 episodes also only lasts between roughly three and nine minutes each.

I only discovered the series in 2017 and recently rewatched the entire first season, and I can say with confidence that the jokes still hold up from a satirical comedy perspective. Even the offensive jokes are on point because they're intended to play into vicious high school stereotypes.

And boy do they dive into the vicious side of these characters. Characters find new and interesting ways to verbally eviscerate each other in every single episode. Sometimes with every single line. That earlier Variety quote about the show being "'Mean Girls' meets 'South Park'" is accurate, but the series especially leans into its "Mean Girls" side.

If you've never watched the series before, I'd suggest giving it a go to see what you think.