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Notes on a Fandom: Spoofs, satire and freaking funny fans

Notes on a Fandom is a column dedicated to lesbian/bi fandom in its various incarnations. It also feature thoughts and comments from you, the fans. Follow @DanaPiccoli on Twitter and Tumblr to keep up with the latest topics and questions.

We kid, because we love. Fans have been poking fun and creating humorous tributes to the art they love since the dawn of time. I remember watching my first spoof, Mel BrooksSpace Balls. Its satire of Star Wars was about as subtle as a jackhammer, and I loved it. I grew up looking at the lighter side of life, and wanting to be as funny as his characters. Hell, I got my start lovingly poking fun at Pretty Little Liars in song. Luckily for me, lots of fans also like to laugh at their beloved shows. Each week, we tweet #Booradleyvancullen #Gaysharks #Shaycagofire, because there is something special about finding the funny in the things we love. It brings fans together and allows us to play a role in the creative process. Fandom can get a little too serious at times, bogged down with shipping expectations and disappointments. It’s good to remember there are lots of people out there, loving their shows and ships, who want to make you laugh. Sometimes it’s as simple as a meme or a tweet. Other times, it’s projects that involve months of prep and lots of talent and dedication. Either way, take a moment and check out these funny fandom projects. Follow them. Send them a tweet to let them know they made your day. Make your own and share it with the world.

Team Starkid,formed by a talented group of University of Michigan students, used the Internet to create a whole new way for the masses to experience theatre. Their A Very Potter Musical is one of the most popular funny fandom tributes ever created. Oh and that cutie pie playing Harry, that’s none other than Darren Criss from Glee.

Ever wonder what would have become of Edward Cullen if he had crossed paths with Buffy Summers? Spoiler alert: There wouldn’t have been a sequel.

Who loves Skins? Rophy Does! The dynamic duo of Rin and Sophy write epic recaps and musings on Skins, Glee, The Vampire Diaries and more for their site, rophydoes.com. Make sure to check out their Youtube content, and their really hilarious gifs.

The wonderfully fun Tumblr account, ahotpieceofa.tumblr.com, combines the brilliance of Mean Girls with our favorite Pretty Little Liars.

I happened upon the SIMGM spoofs a few months ago, and I was instantly bewitched. Hilarious and incredibly smart, the SIMGM team puts countless hours into creating these masterful works of video art. I had a chance to chat with The Boss, the mysterious brains behind this operation. The Boss, not only writes and directs most of the spoofs, she also composes the original songs, all the while attending college. I’m exhausted just thinking about it. FYI, The Boss is not a shipper, with the exception of “Totcedes.”

AfterEllen.com: First of all I wanted to thank you for taking the time to talk to me from your top secret SimGM cave. You and your crew are responsible for quite a few amazing spoofs, most notably Glee and Pretty Little Liars. How did you get involved in Sim spoofing in the first place?

The Boss: Ha ha! It’s my pleasure! Thank you. I’ve been playing The Sims for nearly thirteen years and I’ve always enjoyed putting together shorts or music videos with the Sims characters. The spoofing all started when Season 2 of Glee was airing. The show was about midway through its season and I was becoming increasingly disappointed with the direction that the show was going-specifically with the female characters. The Gleek in me was getting frustrated and I knew I wasn’t the only one feeling this way. I wrote out a quick script, filmed it with my Sims, coerced my siblings to voice some characters, and posted it on YouTube. The fans’ feedback was out of this world. I thought I would receive more hate-mail than anything, but it was all very positive and people enjoyed the humor of it all.

Pretty Little Liars is so chock-full of spoofage material, I couldn’t resist. We love that show.

AE: You, the Boss, voice quite a few of the characters yourself, including Rachel/Lea Michsim and Quinn/Dianna Simgron (who is my favorite!) You are a talented lady. Do you have a background in performance?

The Boss: Awww thank you! I definitely have the most fun with Simgron.

Well, my sister was a theater geek in high-school and I used to hang around some of her rehearsals. I picked up some acting tips from that experience. The voice acting is really a “learn as you go” type of thing. It’s mostly imitation and I’ve always had a knack for that growing up. The singing I had to work on, but being a musician helped a lot in that aspect. I’ve played the guitar for almost eleven years now. I also play piano and a little bit on the drums.

AE: You are currently planning to do a re-write of Season 2 Glee vs spoofing Season 4, is that correct? What sort of things would you like to have seen in Glee S2 that you will be addressing in the rewrite?

The Boss: Yep! I have big plans.

Oh, don’t even get me started. I would have loved to see story/character development, organic build up of relationships and friendships, deeper exploration of teen sexuality, an independent Quinn, storylines that don’t revolve around couples, Beth wouldn’t be invisible, less guest stars, songs that actually move the plot along, focus on the club’s lives outside of school, less misogyny, balanced screen time for the characters, no split between Dalton and McKinley time, no love triangles – I could go on. I will be addressing all of this and more in the rewrite.

AE: What do you hope will happen for Santana?

The Boss: I think it would be cool to see Santana crush on and try to woo a girl. Maybe it could even be a “cat and mouse” type of thing where Santana is chasing after someone who’s just as into her, but is playing hard to get. Something fun and exciting, you know? No more of this “ANGST ANGST” or “oh no she’s crying” or “oh no, I suddenly need a boyfriend” stuff. This needs to stop.

If any of the Glee writers happen to see this, they would probably take this idea and throw in a love triangle just to piss me off.

AE: Any plans to spoof the Quinntana scene? I bet the AE readers would love it.

The Boss: Not gonna lie, there is a lot of spoof potential there! We might do a separate video special regarding that scene. We’ll see! The idea is very tempting.

AE: Your PLL spoofs are so dead on, I actually cried with joy when I watched the first one. Can fans expect more PLL spoofs in the future?

The Boss: Definitely! We’ve got a lot in store for the PLL spoofs. Our Stalker! Paige is my favorite.

AE: What’s your favorite funny fandom tribute/meme/site/whatever?

The Boss: I always get a kick out of the “Hypocritical Finn” meme.

Follow SIMGM Productions on Twitter ©SimgmProductions and check out their YouTube and Tumblr pages.

So, dear readers, what are some of your favorite funny fandom tributes? Favorite memes or pics? Fan videos that crack you the hell up? Please share with us. And as always, flail on fangirl, flail on.

Biweekly, Notes on a Fandom will feature a different fandom-centric topic. Stay tuned to my Twitter (@danapiccoli) and Tumblr for updates. I’ll also be looking for your input to include in future columns. Tweet me your thoughts on what you’d like to see covered with the hashtag #notesfandom, and send me links to your Tumblr.

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