FUELING A FANDOM Taking a look at students at MVHS who create content for fandoms BY SONIA VERMA Exploring culture through writing updates her fanfictions regularly, fanfiction she doesn’t interact often with other Sophomore Pratha Joshi’s first members of the fandom through fanfiction was one she wrote in middle fandom social media pages. school: a series of one-shots featuring However, she does find people Minecraft roleplay YouTuber Aphmau. within the fandom community Some of her earlier works featured interesting for their diverse takes on characters from DC, Marvel and the characters and plot points within a “Percy Jackson” book series. Joshi piece of media. Joshi also says initially wrote t h a t more short and s h e linear stories gets but gradually evolved her writing into more nuanced plotlines and valuable c h a r a c t e r feedback analysis. from fellow consider themselves to be part Joshi hadn’t of a fandom fans in the realized writing c o m m e n t *According to a survey of 140 people fanfiction was section of her a joy of hers fanfictions. until she started writing two to three Writing fanfiction, according thousand word chapters, adding to to Joshi, has also been valuable her fanfiction in daily increments. for growing her knowledge about Currently, her longest and most cultural practices around the world. popular fanfiction has 291,211 words She is currently writing fanfiction for with 171,883 views on the fanfiction “Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation,” site Archive of Our Own (AO3) and a Chinese web novel. over 310,000 views on self-publishing As someone who was not initially forum Wattpad. familiar with Not only do Chinese culture fans read her or mythology, work, but her she had to do immediate and research to extended family make specific also read her scenes within fanfiction. her fanfiction “[My parents accurate to are] proud of the culture this,” Joshi said. who are part of a fandom of the novel “They’ll brag to create fan content they’re based people. They’ll *According to a survey of 140 people on. Overall, [say], ‘Pratha’s the cultural writing a book.’ exposure Joshi And then I’ll come in and [say] ‘It’s a has gained is her most valuable fanfic,’ and then they’ll [say] ‘Whatever! takeaway from writing fanfiction. It has [a hundred thousand] views!’” “I don’t like writing half-assed Joshi’s favorite part about writing stuff — I always do research for any fanfiction is the comments she gets of my [fanfics] because it’s important from her readers. Although she to me for it to be as accurate as
47%
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45%
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EL ESTOQUE | APRIL 2022
STEPH WU | USED WITH PERMISSION
Senior Max Hu poses in his recent Vampire Miku cosplay, which he wore on Halloween 2022.
