Volume 122 • Issue 2 • March 2015

FEAR NO EVIL

FEAR ITSELF

4 Fellatia Geisha: An Interview with Lena NWCiara Forristal

7 The Politics of PowerlessnessKillian O’Sullivan

9 Figuring It OutKatie Cogan

11 The Next StepEavan Gaffney

STAGE FRIGHT

13 Feature: Trinity Come DancingÁine O’Connell and Alison Bryan

GEEK OUT

19 Marvel: A Critical LookAlison Bryan

21 Fanfiction: An ExpositionJennifer Duffy

22 Auntie Loveshank

EDITORSAisling Ní Mhaoláin

Louise Lamb

DEPUTY EDITORSKillian O’Dwyer

Ciara Forristal

GEEK OUT EDITORAlison Bryan

LAYOUT EDITORTaylor Smariga

ILLUSTRATIONS EDITOREve Ní Caoilte

ILLUSTRATIONS AND ARTWORKThibaut Loiez

Sarah CoatesSofiya KuriloLouise Lamb

Taylor Smariga

ADVERTISING, PR AND EVENTS Conor Parle

WEBSITEwww.trinitymisc.com

EMAILtrinitymisc@gmail.com

FACEBOOKwww.facebook.com/trinitymisc

CONTENTS

COVER ARTWORK

Sofiya Kurilo

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A Note from the EditorsWelcome to the latest issue of Miscellany. This time around, we’re looking at Fear. It’s a subject relevant

to everyone’s lives, be it in the day-to-day stress of college or the broader threat of political terror. Chairperson of Trinity Labour, Killian O’Sullivan, talks us through some of the struggles and chal-

lenges inherent to democracy. He discusses how fear operates everywhere, from the most mundane of political climates to times of extremism. Speaking on a matter that’s foremost in political conversations at the moment, Katie Cogan writes about her experiences of discovering sexuality and coming out. For many, university offers the first chance to fully explore and identify their sexual identity, and this highly personal piece gives insight into one individual’s experience. On the topic of university life, outgoing fourth year Eavan Gaffney shares her anxieties about the upcoming transition into the workforce – something even the younger among us are con-stantly aware of. Ciara Forristal’s interview with Lena NW rounds out the Fear Itself section by addressing a woman unafraid to push boundaries and speak her mind.

Our feature, Stage Fright, focuses on RAG week’s Trinity Come Dancing. Following our coverage of the event last year, we wanted to once again bring you insights into the world of performance, with all its rewards and trials. This issue’s Geek Out includes a throwback to our gender issue, with Alison Bryan’s article on the under representation of women in recent graphic-novel adaptations. Jenny Duffy guides us through the world of fan fiction, an increasingly popular online phenomenon that still remains on the fringe of creative writing.

We hope you enjoy the issue,

Louise and Aisling

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“Nobody really knows what happened….I’m still reacting to the action that

wasn’t takenI don’t know who’s faking

It’s just the status of gender relations of this generation.”

The lyrics are that of Florida Universi-ty student Lena NW, under her alter-ego Fellatia Geisha. Her provocative take on rape culture within an American college environment coincides with the ever-in-creasing rhetoric and activism of students speaking out against the inherent misogyny and laissez-faire attitude to sexual miscon-duct on college campuses throughout the United States. The lyrics in question, from her song “Garnet & Gold”, highlight athlet-ic privilege and the deification of football following the rape allegation made against Florida State University’s star quarterback

Jameis Winston, a charge many believed was mishandled by the university. De-signed to mimic the chants of cheerleaders, the song and its accompanying music video paint a clear picture of Lena’s work,which aims to tackle the hyper-sexualized role of women and gendered double standards, particularly on college campuses which she sees as a place where of the issues affecting young women truly come to a head. Una-bashed to include images of menstruation, castration, bestiality and indeed the sub-version of rape narratives through female revenge, Lena advocates the use of shock tactics to get her message across, saying “I only feel like my projects are successful if I really really upset some people.” The controversial nature of her work has lead to claims of insensitivity and of man-hating, something which Lena at-tempts to dispel in her lyrics through the exploration of sexual behaviours and pat-terns enacted beyond the confines of tra-ditional gender constructs. Her use of the medium of rap itself has come under fire from detractors with claims of cultural mis-

Fellatia Geisha: An Interview with Lena NW

by Ciara Forristal

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appropriation levelled against her. Howev-er, Lena is quick to point out that hip-hop and rap music is the most widely consumed genre of music by the millennial generation and thus the obvious choice for an attack against the prevailing trope of dominant men and submissive women within the rap industry. Cautious to avoid duplicating misogyny, a trap many female rappers are prone to fall into by contextualizing their self worth in terms of a man or putting oth-er women down, Lena engages in a “writ-ing back” process against the traditional misogynist lyrics that are part and parcel of the rap industry. In “Boi Wash My Dish-es,” she interrogates and subverts the rape narrative disseminated frequently in Tyler the Creator’s work, particularly his song “Transylvania,” in which he plays the role of Dracula,raping and murdering women and suggesting that his victims should be relegated to the domestic sphere, “cooking, cleaning, washing dishes.” Whilst her rap music career as Fellatia Gei-sha has earned her much attention on so-

cial media, Lena also pursues this feminist line of inquiry in her academic career, with many of her projects funded by Florida State University. A product of the millenni-al generation, Lena utilizes and elaborates upon the hyper-connected world of mod-ern technology which not only exposes the murkier sides of society but awakens a con-sciousness towards things previously un-known. One such academic project was the creation of a webcomic Maybe She Likes It which explores rape culture, gendered dou-ble standards, drug use, and body image, utilizing the internet as both a platform for its distribution and as an integral compo-nent in the negotiation and interrogation of such aspects in modern society. Not con-tent to merely create a comic beyond the confines of the traditional print medium, Lena created the comic in the Japanese style of Shojo Manga, which is created by wom-en for women and is considered by many a rebellious form as it disregards both de-sign and readability to focus upon creating a more emotive and evocative layout. The various nuanced layers corresponds to the

numerous topics covered in the comic, some of which are displayed through the lens of humour, while others are intended to provide discomfort, notably those de-picting elements of sexual behaviour deter-mined by many to be on the more obscene side of the sexual spectrum. However, the comic is primarily meant to highlight the internet as a tool for people of various in-terests, sexual or otherwise, to connect, free from the preconditioned judgements as propagated by the mainstream media. Another such academic project was the creation and coding of a flash game called Fuck Everything, a dating simulation game. The dating simulator, as a genre, continues to privilege the male heterosexual perspec-tive and its sexual fantasies. However, Lena subverts this classic narrative by randomly designating each user a gender, be it male, female, male animal or female animal, with the intention of simulating reality as one does not get to choose their own gender. Despite the randomly selected gender, the

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user protocol and dialogue are the same. This destabilises gender categories, high-lighting their social construction, as dating and sex remain the same regardless. The game also contains subtle references to the University of Santa Barbara shooter Elliot Rodgers, whose online posts on Youtube prior to the shootings were quickly dis-missed by police as being solely a perso-na. Indeed, within days of Elliot Rodgers’ shooting and killing of female students on Santa Barbara’s campus, Lena posted a re-sponse “retribution” video shot in the same style as Elliot’s, whereby she appropriated his words and phrases to focus on rape cul-ture, street harassment, male privilege and double standards. The fraternity system is at times her primary target, along with the inherent collusion of college authorities, enabling what Lena calls the “institutional manifestation of gender inequality.” Whilst her work is indeed controversial and fans the flames of the now age-old debate regarding whethershock-value and hyper-sexualized imagery is a form of female em-powerment or the unconscious reaffirma-tion of patriarchal exploitation, Lena NW is at the forefront of a new type of activism, unapologetic in its all-encompassing pres-ence in both a virtual and physical setting.

Images Courtesy of universehacktress.com

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The Politics of PowerlessnessBy Killian O’Sullivan

Photo Credit Louise Lamb

alienation is still carries as much power as ever:

“It is the cry of men who feel themselves the victims of blind economic forces beyond their control. It’s the frustration of ordinary people excluded from the processes of decision-making. The feeling of despair and hopelessness that pervades people who feel with justification that they have no real say in shaping or determining their own

destinies.”

Reading it today, this seems not just powerful; it seems resonant. What Reid attacked – the powerlessness of ordinary people over so much determining their lives – has scarcely diminished. Fear still pervades politics. Think of the fear of unemployment – hardly surprising in an Ireland with over ten per cent out of work. There’s the fear of sickness too – again, hardly surprising in an Ireland of overcrowded Accident and Emergency wards and consistently long health service waiting lists. You cannot possibly be unaware of poverty in modern Ireland – the rise of homelessness in recent years is evidence right before our eyes. In

short, the security of a decent, dignified everyday life is not guaranteed, something years of austerity and the rise of inequality only exacerbate. From this springs powerlessness, because if you cannot secure the basics of life then you can hardly feel you have power over very much.

Powerlessness, it should be stressed, is not something that should be considered natural. After all, democracies ought to be all about giving power to the people. Nor is a lack of security an unalterable fact of history – institutions like healthcare systems and welfare states were built in Europe specifically to tackle it, many of them now recklessly undermined by the

Fear in politics is something you might be tempted to associate with extraordinary times. Extremism, terrorism, ‘Troubles’, ‘Years of Lead’ – examples aren’t exactly hard to come by if you look back through modern history. However, I would argue that our modern politics and society is pervaded by another affliction – the fear and alienation that comes not from overt violence but from the slow, grinding effect of unemployment, marginalisation, uncertainty, and powerlessness.

The great Glaswegian trade unionist Jimmy Reid spoke of alienation in 1972 in one of the most celebrated pieces of modern Scottish oratory. For him, it was the defining problem of the day. His description of what

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pursuit of austerity and neoliberalism. But I believe alienation to be perverse and insidious most of all when it affects the very structures and institutions that are supposed to give people power – the democratic ones.

There can be little doubt that our formal democratic institutions are in practice less popular (in all senses of the word) and responsive than they once were. The political scientist Peter Mair charted what he called the ‘hollowing of Western democracy’ in his book “Ruling the Void”; according to him, popular participation in politics over the past thirty years has fallen significantly. Electoral turnouts are down (less than 43% of Europeans voted in the most recent elections to the European Parliament) and citizens are generally disengaged from everyday politics. Meanwhile, party memberships have plummeted (the Tory Party in Britain had nearly 3 million members at one point in the 1950s; now, it has less than 140,000). Forces like globalisation, the increasing power of global markets and the delegation

of power to multilateral bodies like the European Union have lessened the scope for what mainstream politicians can or want to achieve. Finally, ideological differences between parties have lessened over the last 30 years – in this sense, politicians really have become more homogenous, and certainly more technocratic. This also limits what a vote for a particular major party can really change.

What is the result of this? With politics and decisions about society increasingly being made by technocratic politicians with less connection through mass organisations to society, politics has lost its ability to connect with voters’ aspirations. This might help explain why politicians in conditions of austerity don’t find it harder to inflict pain on their own voters while congratulating themselves at their ability to take “hard choices”. As the historian Tony Judt wrote, if tough choices were about enduring pain rather than dispassionately inflicting it on others “we should perhaps think twice before so callously valuing efficiency over compassion.” That politicians don’t is not simply a sign of the dominance of the supremely neoliberal mantra that ‘there is no alternative’ (though that’s important too), it is also a sign of a failure to really

connect with their communities.

There are in fact examples of movements in Europe which are counter-acting the alienating tendency of modern politics. In Spain, the new Podemos party, growing from social movements protesting against austerity and a scandal-ridden government, is in many ways rethinking European politics far more fundamentally than any other major party, particularly with its emphasis on direct democracy and accountability. In Scotland, the independence referendum galvanised huge numbers of people into debating the future of their country and engaging in politics. In fact, the referendum proved to be one of the most striking democratic episodes of recent years, not only reaching every community but giving voters huge direct power over their country’s future, even if only temporarily.

This gets at what is really the key to overcoming powerlessness and alienation, which is to democratise. Tony Benn repeatedly said that democracy is the most revolutionary idea, because it means giving power to the powerless, and allowing people to stand up for themselves. Replacing despair in modern politics and society ought to be the first priority of politics today – this is what the most innovative radical movements in Europe are proposing, and they’re proposing to do it by truly extending democracy throughout the economy and society.

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Figuring It OutBy Katie Cogan

Facebook. I believe it is magnificent in the way it contributes to our perception of our-selves, both in what has gone into the mak-ing of our present and what we have made in the past. Our history is being captured on social media, and I think you really just have to make the most of it. There’s always going to be that cringe-worthy picture of you from your teen years waiting to surface from the depths of the past. As an inevita-ble byproduct of this, we realise how we all change. Similarly, as a byproduct of chang-ing my profile picture to the Yes Equality 2015 Twibbon, I was reminded of both why I feel so strongly about this campaign and of how I have gotten over my own fear. I know a little bit more about who I am now than I did in the days of 2009, and for me, a major part of my growth was discovering my sexuality, which I would describe as flu-id. My attraction to others is based on the person they are, rather than their gender.

Along this journey I felt fear. The fear of the unknown, the fear of rejection, of in-experience, of finding out something about myself that I never knew (or—let me be honest—something that I never wanted to know about myself) and the fear that this desire was only to be experienced once. For her. The woman I am discussing has the most unique presence of anyone I’ve ever met, an enigma that captivates me. In her presence, I would watch her, fascinated, because I wanted to see what she would do next. I didn’t know what it would be, but I knew that I would love it.

Based on the fact that her face had been in-delibly printed in my mind since an anon-ymous encounter on Bedford Avenue, BK and then brought to life in Trinity, I knew that there was clearly something more than a touch of memorability to it. Science would call it random. I’d say there was a meaning behind it, but the reality is that it was nothing more than great timing that led to an experience that had an eye-open-ing outcome. Widely acknowledged as one of the most magnetic spirits to haunt Trin-ity, she possessed an energy that resonated so deeply within me that I have to say that it changed me, in more than ways than I can understand. When I finally faced what I was feeling, I had to accept that this wasn’t something I had experienced before—I wanted something more than just being her friend.

This is where the first strike of fear hit, as

well as touch of amusement at the whole thing. The shallow reassurance of my ado-lescence—the knowledge that I was precise-ly the person everyone thought I was—was destroyed. We were beyond the time when our intelligence defined by those Leaving Cert points, and our actions were based on what those around us were doing. Finally in college, a place when what we did was actu-ally what we wanted to do, I was beyond the time when my sexuality was so constricted by environment that no one even admitted to becoming awakened in any sense. Con-sidering we believed we were supposed to have arrived to our ripest sexual maturity by the tender age of 16, to know how to do “it” and in what order “it” was supposed to be done, this was a big step. I had complete-ly forgotten the practice of discovering of how we liked it and who we liked doing it with, and I was catching up.

The initial relief of being able to articulate what I was feeling was swiftly shot through by fear. The fear that I had changed irrevo-cably, that I was no longer the person that my friends had chosen to be friends with, the child that my parents had always want-ed to have. I had lost the vaguely coalescing outline of who I thought I was, an identi-ty I occasionally clung to during the less confident years of my teens. With a fresh, although more defined, impression of my self, I could no longer connect wholly to the image I once had of myself.

imagine that- I had been given an oppor-tunity that few have ever encountered. For comparison, try to imagine the first per-son you ever truly wanted to be with - I had found that in someone I had never imagined feeling that towards. It was in-credibly exciting, and it was happening at a stage when I feel I had a few more skills than my original introduction to the art of seduction—which consisted of practising at Wezz by shifting the lad who had been suggested to you by his mate. Out of respect for my own ability to attract others and the standard of character I was trying to lure in, high expectations were in place.

Without the safety net of tried and test-ed experience to reassure me, a wealth of questions that I had no clear answers to suddenly posed themselves. How should I make my intentions clear, and subtle, since these intentions were perhaps not expected of me? How did I say I wanted this? Say that I was sure of what I was doing, although I’d never done it before? I wanted to attract her—to catch her attention to even a frac-

tion of the degree to which she had caught mine. How to reassure myself throughout this that I could even attract her? Neverthe-less, I was hopeful. During an interaction at a society ball one night shortly after identi-fying my feelings, I slipped in that she was my “girl crush.” She looked at me and asked, “What do you think of two girls being with each other?” As she leaned in to hear my reply above the music, we were interrupted. I was never able to tell her my answer.

I say I always knew that I was attracted to women as well as men, but it was honestly for the best that I only had to confront this truth in my second year of Trinity when I met her. Not only did I desire her, but I was inspired by her. I had never met a female so comfortable, in control, and humble of her own power and ability. She had a con-fidence in herself that was so breathtaking that, when I finally caught my breath, it contained the all confidence and self-assur-ance to seize this for everything it could be. I was determined to finally tell her the an-swer to her question.

Now is the time I will tell you that that this conquest of mine has yet to occur. Six months of gentle but steady pursuit was lost amongst the unreadable Facebook chat his-tory that resulted from High Society 2014. Words spoken by a newly found and sym-pathetic companion of the night brought to light another fear: fear that she would be the only one I would ever feel this for, that this feeling was as unique as she is and would never be found again. I could never deny that as a human she will always have this unique position in my history, yet I am happy to say to you that my first interest of this nature will not be my last. I delight in the fact that my first romantic connection with a girl was with a person who was more elegant, intelligent and beautiful than I had dared to imagine. The possibility of this type of connection was very much a reality. In finding this potential in other people, I also overcame my fears of whether I would be good enough. I answered the question of whether I was able to attract the kind of person who attracted me, whether I could relearn my definition of what it is to be inti-mate and to be attracted someone. In what feels like overcoming the deepest roots of my fear, I carry on.

I believe that we are capable of creating any opportunity we dedicate enough thought and energy to, and I still aim to answer her original question of what I think of two girls being together. Although I can’t yet say that I have had the privilege of being with her, I would say to her that, because of what she has shown me about who I am, a part of me has will always be with her. Because of her, I am no longer afraid.

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The Next Step By Eavan GaffneyIllustration by Thibaut Loiez

Ah, the Trinity Careers Advisory Ser-vice website. A helpful tool for mak-

ing your first post-college move. And the locus of all my fears and anxieties. Not that I’ve been on it much of late. Twice, in total, in the past academic year and that was way back at the start of Michaelmas term, when I could still pre-tend that college is forever and the future is just an illusion that losers buy into. If you’re a fellow final year student, you’ll probably know which fear I’m talking about. If you’re a fellow final year arts student, you’ll definitely know which fear I’m talking about. Yes, the sum of all fears: the fear of the graduation. I don’t think I’m being dramatic by de-claring it the sum of all fears, either. Not if you call it by its real name, that is, the fear of the future. Think about it, all of the chief anxiety points in our society are bound up in the fear of the future. The things that we are taught from a young age to abhor and to treat with unease; for example ageing, failure, inactivity, lack of direction, they are all coming to the surface as threats as we prepare to leave college. Full-time education has for the most part protected us from them – sure, you can fail, but there’s a custom-built way back in for you if you do - but not for much longer. As is generally the case with issues of fear, protection from them usually serves to feed them, and nothing has fed our fear of the future more than education. Espe-cially here at Trinity. Here, competition is insidious, it seeps into everything. It’s not just about making the most impressive or insightful remark in a tutorial, or even getting the highest grade in your class on an assessment; though these areas are important, they are just the beginning. It’s about making the wittiest comment in a group of acquaintances, or rather, on Twitter. It’s about dressing the best, having the coolest plans for the summer, having the most interesting stories from previous summers (or dare I say it, gap years). It’s about appearing to be involved in everything, from societies to publica-tions, while holding down a part-time job, getting a 2.1, never sleeping for more than four hours at a time and managing to bake brownies for all of the endless bake sales. It’s about barely having time

for a shower, but always looking great. It’s about being enigmatic, yet approachable. Being very busy all the time, but never actually letting anyone down. It’s not re-ally about what you do, it’s about who you are, or rather, who people think you are. It’s about how many people know ‘who you are’, even though they don’t know you. It’s about appearing in other people’s Facebook photos. It’s about hav-ing comments on the photos directed at you. It’s about your cult of personality. This isn’t meant to be a rant about the narcissism and self-indulgence of college life, far from it. We don’t behave this way out of vanity or because we think we’re great. It’s because we fear we’re not. This is how education has taught us to deal with that fear. We don’t say no to oppor-tunities (why did I say yes to writing this article? I really don’t have the time, but I guess I couldn’t resist seeing my name in print one last time). (There, now you all know how busy I am. And how I man-age to write articles even though I don’t have the time). We’ll do anything that will look good on our CVs, and on Face-book. We objectify ourselves, worrying about how we appear on paper or online, rather than how we are in real life. We do it all out of fear, the fear that we are unexceptional and that it’s only a matter of time before somebody figures that out and tells everyone else. The fear that we are the runt of the litter, the dud of the friend group, destined to be the failure of the family. The fear that in the real world, ultimately we are our CVs, and our CVs aren’t that great. Scratch that, you are so much more than your CV. There’s your Facebook page, containing all of your many friends, and all the interesting things you do together every day, complete with photographic evidence. There’s your Twitter presence, a platform for your dry wit and clever/zany observations on your extraordinary ordinary life. There’s your LinkedIn page plus headshot, where (having proved elsewhere on the internet that you are a cool, social hip person) you present your professionalism, and your many years of experience in a variety of areas. But social media isn’t where the fear re-ally comes from, it’s merely the vehicle for it. The fear comes from stories of law

graduates and qualified architects bat-tling it out for a job in McDonalds. It comes from the reality behind this, the one that we grew up in. It comes from having spent childhood in a country of opportunity and optimism, only to have it turn sour by the time we reached our mid-teens. It comes from losing siblings, friends and gradually half the home par-ish to emigration. It comes from a history of too much education, and not enough jobs. It comes from the fact that despite all this, we’re the generation who’ve sup-posedly had it the easiest. We’re the ones who’ve been invested in. We’re the ones with no excuse for failure. The jobs market taps into this. It’s like they can smell our fear; they know that we are used to competition, and that we understand that the only way to suc-ceed is to be exceptional, or at least, to convincingly appear to be exceptional. And so they expect this. Not only must we prove that we fulfil all the buzz-word requirements of the application; that we are highly motivated, ambitious, driven, have strong communication skills, work well in a team, display strong leadership qualities, are well organised and can work to a deadline, speak a second lan-guage, have at least two years’ experience in the field, and most importantly of all, that getting this job is more important to us than life itself, but we must also prove willing to work for free, indefinitely. But hey, if it’s a choice between that and a gap in the CV (signifying failure, inac-tivity and a lack of direction), they know which we’ll pick. And then what? And then we get the job and start to fear that our employers will figure out that we are not as exceptional as we’ve pretended to be?I’m afraid. I’m afraid of not measuring up to what was expected of me. I’m afraid of becoming the cliché, unemployed Eng-lish and Film graduate. I’m afraid that my entire life will amount to a gap in my CV. I’m afraid that I won’t be able to meet the eyes of people who knew me when I was in school when the route to success seemed clearer. I’m afraid that I will nev-er get a job. I’m afraid that I will give in to fear, and take a job that I hate. I’m afraid that this makes me naïve. I’m afraid of getting left behind by my friends. I’m afraid of the next time someone asks me what my plans are for next year, because I don’t have any yet. I’m afraid of mak-ing the wrong move. I’m afraid that this fear will paralyse me into not making any moves at all.

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So, I haven’t been on the CAS website lately; not because I’ve opted out of life or because I genuinely think (or ever really did) that the future is an illusion that only losers buy into, but because I’m trying to let go of fear. Two little instincts of mine help me do this: one is the knowledge that almost everyone else in my position feels the same way, to whatever degree; the other is the sneak-ing suspicion that fear is an unsustainable

model, and not one that I want to govern my decisions. I know I’m going to have to get a job. I know that the CAS website is a useful way of pursuing that, and I know that I’ll probably find myself on it in the near fu-ture. But I hope that when I do, it won’t be out of fear. Fear has led me to making bad decisions in the past, from giving too much of my time to things I didn’t care about, to neglecting the things that I did.

So I’ve decided that I don’t believe in fear, and no longer wish to act out of it. Actually following through on this is exactly as dif-ficult as it sounds. I am well aware that my aversion to the CAS website comes at least partly from the fact that I am still plainly terrified of it. However, once identified, fear is easily exposed for the debilitating illusion that it is. And that’s the first step towards conquering it.

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STAGE FRIGHT

STAGEFRIGHT

By Áine O’Connell and Alison BryanIntroduction by Aisling Ní Mhaoláin

Photos by Killian O’Dwyer and Sofiya Kurilo

Following months of rehearsals - and one or two injuries - this January, Trinity Come Dancing saw some of Trinity’s best and

brightest take to the stage for a night of glamour, elegance, and laughs. From the grace and poise of ballet to the attitude and acrobatics of breakdancing, the audience were treated in-credible performances, complete with witty judges commen-tary and stunning interval acts. We’re bringing you behind the scenes, to see the nerves and excitement that went into

making this night what it was. With first time dancers taking to the stage, putting their reputation on the line, we spoke to the student “celebrities” and professionals who trained them

in, giving you the backstage gossip and insight into the people behind the show. Stage fright, anticipation and exhilaration -

Trinity Come Dancing has it all.

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On the 21st January 2015 the Sugar Club opened its doors to one of the most eclectic selection of per-

formances one could imagine. DU Dance’s annual Trinity Come Dancing involved various students from many different walks of life attempting to dance like nobody was watching on a stage before their peers and friends. The event was presented by Katie Cogan and Joseph O’Gorman, providing the audience with insights into the couples and their journeys into the world of dance. The judges included Kate Finnegan, cur-rent Burlesque cham-pion, Lisette Krol from Tribe

dances t u d i o , who is master of the pole and gave us a phenomenal demonstration during the interval, and the Head of the CSC, Eanna Drury.

As I walk into the Trinity Come Dancing dressing rooms, I am engulfed in a cloud of glitter and hairspray. It’s bedlam – society and SU hacks are being transformed into beauteous dancers, and they have no time for interviews. Mercifully, most of them deign to answer my questions anyway, gen-erally while being curled and contoured to

an inch of their lives.

“I’m going to look like Beyoncé!” chirps Education-officer elect, Molly Kenny. She’s performing a hip-hop routine tonight and is one of the few I interview who doesn’t seem remotely nervous. I only chat to her brief-ly, but get the impression that she’s worked hard for this. Molly and Darren Byrne are clad in headbands and denim and close off the night with a storming routine in spite of Molly’s reported MIA status at their first rehearsal, according to their

couple video. It’s clear that absence

makes the heart (and

choreography) grow fonder as these two owned their per-formance and the stage.

Paddy Lavelle and Jessica Commane are one of the cuter couples of the night, per-forming ballet. Paddy, the TCD rugby team captain, is understandably nervous. “I think I’m alright”, he grimaces “but there were a few moves [in the choreography] that had to be left out”. With six foot Paddy defy-ing ballet stereotypes, it makes sense that the pair are going for “the entertainment

factor”. Jessica’s grace and style is played off by Paddy’s amusing brawn, particular-ly after he comes on stage, resplendent, in the tightest leotard I have ever seen after throwing his shirt off stage. Every-one agreed that it took massive (rugby) balls to get up on

Photos Left to Right:Darren Byrne and Molly Kenny prepare

backstage; Aisling Ní Mhaoláin and John Lorigan

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STAGE FRIGHT

stage.

Trinity VDP chair John Lorigan thought TCD Dancing “sounded like a great laugh…

and I’d learn how to actually dance”. He admits to not being

a dancer, pre-ferring to

“f i s t

bump in the club”. You and me both, friend. He performed swing dancing with DU Dance Secretary Aisling Ní Mhaoláin and loved the experience. He’s the first person I speak to who admits to being nervous about the night ahead. He’s super friend-ly, though, and his ease with people comes through as himself and Aisling swing and spin one another around the Sugar Club stage, leaving the audience wondering “what’s a gender binary?” as Aisling dips

John for the couple’s grand finale. The two stated that they were “looking

to be scouted and shipped”

and that routine may have

guaranteed that.

Maggie O’Donovan and Domhnall McGlacken-Byrne seem aware that every single person I interviewed can’t wait to see them perform. Maggie agrees, though that makes sense given her extensive back-ground in breakdancing. What’s cool is that after only a week of training, Domhnall is pretty good, she tells me. He had hurt his shoulder the week before, managed to surprise Maggie nonetheless. He has

a different story to tell: “My limbs were a hindrance!” he says. “Breakdancing is just like…you just flail a bit” he tells me, in a supremely confident way. Domhnall makes me laugh more than any other interviewee, and his performance with Maggie has my hands burning from clapping so hard. It’s silly and high energy. And I’ve never seen fun like it.

William Earle Ahearne and Pheobe Sun are the sauciest couple of the night by a long shot. Dancing the Rumba, a sensuous form

of Latin ballroom, that is fairly technical,

William tells me. “I

wasn’t a dancer

at all before…we had a fair few

rehearsals”. There’s a lot of hip work involved (ooh) which William mentions is kind of weird. Clad in a black suit and slicked-back hair, Phoebe and Wil-liam’s stage presence is amongst the coolest of the night bringing together the elegance of Enrique Iglesias with a Little Black Dress.

Just as cool is Andrew Murphy, the DUPA chair, and Jessica Nolan. So cool, in fact, that I never saw them backstage: I presume that they were off somewhere ethereal and hipster. The pair perform contemporary

dazzle the crowds with daring moves;Daragh Byrne dips partner Lara Connaughtan as they tango.

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dance. What is that? I haven’t a notion. The pair are black clad and intense, performing to “Every Other Freckle” by Alt-J. Do we understand what exactly they’re up to? No, but it’s hypnotising; it’s all stretches, flips and movements that don’t seem human. Their crowning glory emerges in the much requested “sausage move” in conjunction with the bunch of flowers Andrew presents Jessica with at the end of the performance.

The big controversy of the evening emerged due to the judges’ scoring of Lara Con-naughton and Daragh Byrne’s tango per-formance. Although it ended with many of the audience’s jaws on the floor due to the intense gazes and sensual movements, the judges seemed to think that the routine needed more sex and drama, in spite of the fact that there were very few dry seats after this performance. Lara said that she “doesn’t do sexy…[her] own brand of awk-wardness works.”

Susana Breslin and Odhran McLaughlin brought to the stage an Irish dancing per-formance that would have left Michael Flatley in tears. Susana’s main aim was to not fall over and Odhran said that she was much better at the complicated things. The two brought the place to life through their fusion of traditional music with some more modern stuff.

It was clear that all the performers gave the night their all whether dancing was something new to them or a part of their everyday life, but ultimately the crowns went to our Breakdancing Team, Maggie and Domhnall (as our president attempts to claim every title of authority before the end of his term). After the prizes given out and the seats were moved, the Sugar Club became host to one of the most amazing dance parties in the history of Dublin with everyone spinning and swaying togeth-er as all the technical details were ignored and forgotten and the truly terrible dance moves associated with having fun came out to play for the rest of the evening.

Photos Top to Bottom:Phoebe Sun and Will O’Hearn bow for the crowds;Jessica Nolan slinks elegantly as Andrew Murphy follows along;Paddy Lavelle and Jessica Commane play around with the con-cept of ballet, Jessica with expertise and Paddy with humor

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Since the dawn of the Iron Man fran-chise in 2008 it seemed as if Marvel Studios could do no wrong when it came to superhero movies. The red logo eclipsed almost everything else within the genre, save perhaps for Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy. Since Disney’s acquisition of the studio in 2009 for $4.64 billion, the box office has proven again and again that any-thing with the Marvel logo succeeds.

Phase Two of the Marvel Cinematic Universe was where problems began to arise as the studio attempted to repeat the same errors that caused controver-sy in The Dark Knight series. Nolan de-cided to whitewash his iconic villains Bane and R’as Al Ghul. In Iron Man 3 we watched as the whitewashed villain trope returned through the depiction of the Mandarin. Nolan also had diffi-culty presenting female characters as much more than damsels and distrac-tions for the brooding protagonist, and although the Marvel heroines are much more three dimensional, it is some-what problematic that we have to wait until the recently announced Captain Marvel movie in 2018 for a superhero movie with a woman in the title role.

This is in spite of the fact that fans have been begging for a Black Widow cen-tric movie since her debut in Iron Man 2. Although Scarlett Johansson’s IMDB page confirms that one is on the hori-zon, no details or date have been set. That, in conjunction with the fact that

the upcoming Ant Man movie is ignor-ing the legendary character of Janet van Dyne who was integral to the Avengers conception, contributed to the specu-lation that Marvel may have be losing its touch. The Avengers: Age of Ultron trailer showed limited representation for female characters and those of col-our, despite the fact that these charac-ters will be in the movie. Even in the re-cent smash hit Guardians of the Galaxy all possibility for representation was hidden under CGI and intense make-up looks. And once again we had the heroic white hetero male protagonist.

Phase Three of the Marvel Cinematic Universe is where fans will find the di-versity that has been lacking in recent years and where we will hopefully see Marvel Studios redeem themselves. In their latest panel, on behalf of the stu-dio, Kevin Feige announced plans for the entirety of Phase Three. This includ-ed a full list of fan favourites as well as some new heroes who will be involved in the MCU roster. Two of the more exciting characters are Captain Mar-vel and Black Panther. Black Panther, with Chadwick Boseman in the role, will be the first black superhero who will have his own movie and Captain Marvel will be the first female superhe-ro in the MCU to have her own movie.

In comparison, DC has been consist-ent in their preparation for this stage of their individual cinematic universe. Although they plan to stick with what

Photo Credit: Taylor Smariga

Photo Credit: Taylor Smariga

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GEEK OUT

they do best – i.e. the golden era boys Batman and Superman – there has been some movement and innovation among the lower and lesser-known cast of the DC universe. A movie centred on Wonder Woman has been announced for 2017, resulting in her being the first female superhero to have her own movie in this new era of the genre. She may have had her own television show, but considering her depiction in the Lego Movie is the most big screen time she has had since her first appear-ance in All Star Comics way back when in 1941 this is definitely overdue. DC are also straying away from the typi-cal All American cookie cutter casting by choosing Israeli actress Gal Gadot to don the gauntlets and contribut-ing to the inclusion of women in the community through the rumour that a female director shall be joining the Wonder Woman team.

In addition, DC are doing all they can to make sure their superhero team is far more diverse than Marvel’s boy band, the Avengers. For the upcom-ing Justice League movie (and the stand alone movies that will follow its success) DC have chosen Ray Fisher to portray Cyborg, Jason Ma-moa for Aquaman and (it’s rumoured) Ezra Miller as the Flash. These cast-ing choices are moving away from the traditionally typical selection expect-ed for such iconic Hollywood roles.

The next few years of superhero cinema seems to be changing. Marvel is laying the groundwork for development in the MCU through both story and casting. Although they are maintaining their traditional choices they are beginning to realise the necessity of change. DC are sticking to their big guns but are

also doing their part to provide diversi-ty through their casting decisions.

Both companies seem to be beginning to make the move to

feature rare entities to Hollywood such as women, people of colour and members of the LGBT commu-nity in prominent, main, hero-ic roles over the upcoming years.

Marvel is finally listening to their fans, and perhaps DC is finally mak-ing up for the Green Lantern movie.

Photo Credit: Louise Lamb

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Why write fanfiction? It’s a question that came up in conversation recently, and it got me thinking. The fanfiction community is a thriving one – fanfiction.net sees several hundred stories being updated every day. The Harry Potter archive, the largest on the site, had over 709,000 stories at the time of writing. Fanfiction often has a bad reputation of being poorly wtritten or just plain smut. However, among these hundreds of thousands of stories there is great variety – the stories I am currently reading range from sophisticated political takeovers of the wizarding world, to cute love stories, to action-packed Quidditch matches. (If you haven’t guessed already, I am a huge Harry Potter fan). And yes, there are poorly written or edited fanfictions out there, but there are also some really excellent writers. So why aren’t they writing their own original fiction?

Personally, I write fanfiction for many reasons. It’s fun – I enjoy engaging with the books or movies I love, imagin-ing further adventures or back stories for the characters. There is also a real sense of community. As fanfiction is published online, there is a very immediate connection with readers and other writers. Stories are read, favourited, followed and reviewed. This feedback is helpful for your writing. It is the internet so reviews can be mixed, as people defend their favourite pairings, but generally mine have been encouraging. Also there’s a lot of enthusiasm, a review of one of my recent chapters finished with: ‘Please post the next part soon or I’ll die of waiting.’ The online community offers a real sense of connectivity and support for writers, which is something you don’t get when working on original fiction.

‘There’s a time and place for everything, and I believe it’s called ‘fan fiction’.’ - Joss Whedon

This quote could not be more true. Fanfictions pay homage to the original text, but also manipulate the text and sometimes turn it upside down and inside out. Many fanfiction writers will introduce Original Characters (OCs), or write protagonists Out Of Character (OOC). There are also Alternate Universe (AU) stories, or Crossovers. The most unlikely pairings, bizarre plots, and sometimes just plain craziness ensues. If you can imagine it, there is probably a fanfic about it. Harry Potter is the fandom with the most stories on fanfiction.net, but there are fics out there for almost any book, film or tv show.

Rainbow Rowell’s popular YA novel Fangirl is an excellent exploration of fanfiction. The protagonist Cath is a young girl starting at college who writes a hugely popular fanfiction about Simon Snow and his arch nemesis Baz (think Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy, incidentally one of the most popular fanfiction pairings, given the portmanteau Drarry). For Cath, fanfiction is a refuge of sorts – a way to destress, a world in which she finds comfort when struggling with her new life at college. At one point in the novel Cath says ‘I’d rather pour myself into a world I love and understand than try to make something up out of nothing’ This is a sentiment I think would resonate with many fanfiction writers as the main motivation behind fanfiction is sheer enthusiasm for and love of a series, film or show. It is about feeling passionately about the work you are responding to, and wanting to be creative with it. Fanfiction writers know the worlds they are writing well, they know how the characters speak and think...but they also know how to play with them. Fanfiction is not merely derivative. There is a lot of creativity and originality at work in these stories. As Lev Grossman has said, ‘They’re fans, but they’re not silent, couchbound consumers of media. The culture talks to them, and they talk back to the culture in its own language.’

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Auntie LoveshankShe’s back, baby. Fresh out of the joint and the first agony aunt to be paid exclusively in cigarettes, Loveshank is back to lay the smackdown

on your troubles. She’s read your woes and is ready to shank your problems down to size, so long as it doesn’t violate her parole. Bring it.

Dear Auntie,

I think I’m in love. There’s this girl in one of my tutorials, this American student who had me smitten from day one. I’m pretty quiet though, and not like the studliest of dudes, but I’ve promised myself that this term things will change. Auntie, any suggestions on how to do this? I don’t want to make a fool out of myself but there’s only a few weeks left of college and so far all I’ve managed to do is whisper hello to her when she passed me once. I’m like that guy in Teenage Dirtbag, minus the happy ending. Please help.

#Loveless

Loveless, You’ve come to the right place. Courtship, whether in college or the Californian Women’s Institute for the Criminal-ly Insane, all starts with getting them to notice you. Years of experience and state-sponsored therapy have taught me that megaphones and Uzis aren’t the only ways of doing this, so listen up friend! Here a few simple ways to put yourself on her radar:

1. Spell out a love message in cigarettes. This is your in to establishing communication (in style!), and also a way to use of some of those cigarettes you’ve presumably been hoarding in the mattress-slit the guards never check. Plus, if she collects the cigarettes (which I’m assuming she will, those things are practically currency), she’ll think of you every time she trades them for protection or smuggled DVDs.

2. Destroy one of her enemies. Be they that dick that always cuts across you in class, or the shifty-eyed snake from cell block D that’s looking to take over your prison-gang (hah! How’d that one work out for you, Helga?), everyone has enemies. Find one of hers and take them out of the picture. Not only is this a great way to let her know someone is thinking of her, but it also shows her that you can provide safety and security.

3. Bribe the cafeteria staff to double her pudding ration. I know it’s clichéd, but it’s true what they say, double the pudding and double the love.

Good luck, Casanova!

Dear Auntie,I’ve been dating this boy for three years and not to sound like a sap but they have been the happiest three years of my life. My parents love him, my friends love him, I love him. We’re both finishing college this year and we’ve even made plans to go travelling. Yesterday we were drinking and all of a sudden he broke down, telling me he’s been sleeping with someone else for months. He says he’s sorry, that it’s meaningless and he’s been begging me not to break up with him. I feel so betrayed but I can’t imagine life without him. I don’t know what to do. A m I stupid to stay with him?

#Shouldishankhim?

Shouldishankhim, My editor has just told me that if I encourage one more shank-ing, I have violated my parole. So that’s not what I’m suggesting here. Do not shank your slimy, pathetic cheat of a boyf. Do not shank him repeatedly. Do not consult my blog on shanking and find out what shank cuts a cheat best. Do not let him cry on you and tell you how sorry he is before suddenly shank-ing him and shouting, “Sorry, are you?! I’ll bet you’re sorry now! Stay with you?! NO SHANK YOU!!” Understand? Do not do all those things. And make sure to send me a mes-sage afterwards to let me know how not doing all those things went, honey.

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