fandomhigh | Entries tagged with subcultures

The classroom was set up much the same as last week, with chairs clustered around tables heaped with crafting supplies and assorted musical instruments.

"Hey," Didi greeted, looking up from a scarf she was knitting. "This is the second week to work on your personal subculture projects. If you could write something up to let me know what you're doing before you leave, that would be great. If you want help focusing your idea, I'm here. Projects will be due next week."

living_endless

The classroom was set up for creativity today. The chairs had been arranged around a large table piled with all kinds of magazines, scrapbooking materials and other art supplies and iPads ready to use, and a mix of music they'd talked about in class -- from Bowie to New Kids on the Block -- played in the background.

"We've talked about a lot of subcultures the last couple months, which gives you guys a good foundation for your final assignment," she said. "Over the next few weeks, you're each going to make up your own subculture. Think about something that you feel could unite people the way the subcultures we've discussed does, and create a culture around that. You want to look at what people in the subculture would wear and listen to and do for fun, what their ideals would be, even what they'd fight about.

"You can explain the culture however you want -- an essay, a class presentation, a collage, whatever makes the most sense to you. It doesn't have to be a culture that could exist on earth, either. The stuff on the table today is just to get you started. And if you find yourself doing the same kind of thing as somebody else in class, feel free to pair up and do something twice as good. Does anybody have any questions before we get started?"

living_endless

"Welcome back," Didi said easily, once the students were gathered. She was dressed in her usual black tank top and matching jeans, but the makeup under her eye was more exaggerated than the norm. "I'm glad Atton could cover last week. I had a family thing to take care of."

"I know he talked about heavy metal, and I want to kind of stay with that. Even though the band we're going to talk about isn't one most people would call metal. And that band is KISS. The band is best known for its members' comic book-style costumes and makeup -- which were influenced by their personal histories -- as well as stage shows that featured fire breathing, blood-spitting, smoking guitars, shooting rockets, levitating drum kits, and pyrotechnics. Their most fervent fans are known as the KISS army."

She went on for a bit, reviewing the band's discography and musical style. "But basically," she finished, "this was a rock band that made its fans -- some of whom were kids -- feel like a literal army. And to drive home the point that this was for young people, the band did things like appearing on a cartoon Halloween special. That's what we're going to watch today."

And with that, she hit play on a cartoon in which KISS worked with a gang of meddling kids to solve a mystery, rocking out along the way. It was terrible on every objective level but also somehow great.

suitably_heroic

"Your teacher can't be here today," Atton said, stepping up to the front of the class.

He'd brought a stack of CDs. In fact, one was playing already, filling the air with roaring guitars. "So I don't actually know much about most Earth subcultures," he shared. "But one thing I do know: Metallica. Born out of the 80s heavy metal scene, their take on metal - along with their contemporaries, Anthrax, Megadeth and Slayer - combined punk influences with the operatic stuff of what had come before them to create thrash metal, a ridiculously aggressive style of rock."

Yes, Atton was hijacking this class to talk about his favorite band. Deal with it.

He nodded along to the music. "It was also a reaction to glam metal, which was all about make-up and trying to sound poppy or whatever." Try and keep your opinions out of it, Atton, please. "Metallica produced nine albums, they're still plugging. They also used to have the greatest bassist your planet has ever produced, Cliff Burton."

He sighed. "I mean, Kirk Hammett's okay, but nobody matches up to Burton-- anyway. "They streamlined their music to be more poppy over the years, leading eventually to the album St. Anger, which is stupid and if you see it in stores I need you to buy it and then burn it. 'I'm madly in anger with you'? What does that even mean?" ... Focus. "But before that time, they produced many classic albums, such as Master of Puppets, ...And Justice For All, and the Black Album. They were aggressive, they were in your face, they... kinda picked a few stupid battles with file sharers in the early 00s, but who cares?"

He reached behind the desk and pulled out a thing that looked like a plastic guitar. "Today, you're going to play either One or Enter Sandman on this thing. The computer will rate you."

And by 'computer' he meant 'the PlayStation connected to that screen over there'. "You can do it solo, or you can recruit your classmates to fill up a full band, I don't really care."

living_endless

Class met at the causeway today, and Didi was dressed in an ankle-length Victorian dress complete with bustle and a matching feathered hat with a tiny veil. The perfect lady, she carried a parasol.

"Hello," she said. "Today we're going to the circus - Victorian style. Carnival Diablo is a sideshow that's been traveling Canada for almost 25 years. You'll see feats of strength, fire-eaters and someone who dresses up like a demon and eats bugs - but in a cool way. The reason we're going is I want you to look at the way it blends the Victorian aesthetic, horror and supernatural fandom, goth fashion, and a little punk rock twist."

She smiled and took a break, twirling her parasol. "If this is absolutely not your thing, don't worry about it. Go online, watch a Cure video or three, and call it good. The rest of you, we have a portal to catch."

living_endless

Posted on Didi's classroom door today:

No class this week! Use the time to talk to somebody in a subculture you don't know much about. Figure out what you have in common. - D

[OOC: Sorry, writing class slipped my mind. I fail.]

living_endless

"Welcome back," Didi said, from her desktop perch. "I hope everybody enjoyed the break and the 21st century's not too much of a culture shock after Cyseal."

She nodded to the projector screen at the front of the room. "Anyhow, it feels like a movie day to me, and we're watching a documentary about the Hells Angels biker gang. This is probably the most famous motorcycle club in the world. They started around 60 years ago in San Francisco, and they say they now have a hundred or so chapters over 29 countries. Their image is that of outlaws; they actually block anybody who's even applied to be a police officer from membership.

"There's a fair amount of violence and criminal activity in this particular subculture, and I think the documentary sensationalizes that. But for the most part, bikers are like punks or teenyboppers or any of the other subcultures we've talked about -- they're just people trying to find a place where they fit in the world. And you can't deny the call of the open road, even if you don't want to get on a Harley and ride off into the sunset yourself."

And with that, she hit play.

living_endless

Class met in the Danger Shop today, and it had been programmed to look, sound and smell like a Grateful Dead concert in 1980. Didi hit a button to mute the music and crowd noise as she spoke.

"Hey, today we're talking about Deadheads," she said. "These were people who spent months or years on the road, following a psychedelic rock band called the Grateful Dead. Some of the most hardcore fans sold food, taped shows or t-shirts to other fans so they could afford to stay with the band indefinitely. For them, it wasn't about music -- it was about community, and about what a lot of them perceived as an almost religious connection to the music and to each other."

"What I want you to do today is enjoy the concert. Listen to the music, get a veggie burrito, talk to the people. See what about this band was so special for so long. And then tell me what you found out."

living_endless

It was a movie day. You could tell by the way beanbags and cushions were arranged facing a screen, and by the scent of popcorn wafting off a snack table.

"Hey," Didi said once the students were assembled. "One of the things I've been trying to get across is the way subcultures can make outsiders feel like they have a place to belong, and maybe no subculture did that more than punk. Punk is huge -- so huge that I could talk about it for the whole class period and barely look at the most basic history. So instead of boring you guys with all that, I'm showing a movie about three teen girls in Stockholm, Sweden, in 1982. They're all unhappy for one reason or another. And yet somehow, when they start a punk band, it all makes sense. This is the essence of punk -- loads of teenagers in garages across the world making a lot of noise. Maybe it's the essence of this whole subculture concept. Anyhow, this is We Are the Best!"

And with that she hit play.

living_endless

"Hey," Didi said, from her usual perch. Her dark hair was bunched in ponytails today, and she'd paired her black jeans with jelly bracelets and a vintage NKOTB t-shirt. "Today we're talking about one of the more maligned subcultures, teenyboppers. Teenyboppers are young girls -- usually 15 and younger -- who follow adolescent trends in music and fashion. Marketers started using the term back in the '50s, but it didn't really become popular until the '70s."

"The big thing about being a teenybopper is, it's a relatively easy subculture to get into. You don't need to be old enough to go to clubs alone, or rich enough to buy a whole new wardrobe. Get some CDs, a few posters and t-shirts and you're ready to impress your friends. It's a safe space for young girls to think about boys and independence and sexuality at a time when those things can be pretty scary."

"Musicians associated with teenyboppers change about as fast as the girls in the subculture do. Justin Bieber and One Direction are big recent teenybopper icons; others have been Britney Spears, Jonas Brothers, 'N Sync, David Cassidy and Bay City Rollers. There's a premium on cute, nonthreatening boys and relatable girls."

"I have a teenybopper soundtrack to back up our discussion. I'd like to hear what being a teenybopper means to you, and whether you ever identified with the term. If you didn't, what does it make you think of?"

She hit play on the music and nodded to someone to start the discussion.

Fandom High RPG

About the Game

---       Master Game Index
---       IC Community Tags
---       Thinking of Joining?
---       Application Information
---       Existing Character Directory

In-Character Comms

School and Grounds
---       Fandom High School
---       Staff Lounge
---       TA Lounge
---       Student Dorms

Around the Island
---       Fandom Town
---       Fandom Clinic

Communications
---       Radio News Recaps
---       Student Newspaper
---       IC Social Media Posts

Off-Island Travel
---       FH Trips

Once Upon a Time...
---       FH Wishverse AU

Out-of-Character Comms

---       Main OOC Comm
---       Plot Development
---       OOC-but-IC Fun

⚙

Disclaimer

Fandom High is a not-for-profit text-based game/group writing exercise, featuring fictional characters and settings from a variety of creators, used without permission but for entertainment purposes only.

Navigation

Fandom High School

Entries tagged with subcultures

Subcultures 101, Tuesday, Period 3

Subcultures 101, Tuesday, Period 3

Subcultures 101, Tuesday, Period

Subcultures 101, Tuesday

Subcultures 101, Tuesday, Period 3

Subcultures 101, Tuesday, Period 3

Subcultures 101, Tuesday, Period 3

Subcultures 101, Tuesday, Period 3

Subcultures 101, Tuesday, Period 3

Subcultures 101, Tuesday, Period 3

Fandom High RPG

Tags