Fangirl Dilemma
December 8, 2013 § Leave a comment
Jessica writes, Help fanfiction rules my life and I can’t go a day without it! What am I supposed to do?
Jessica, I feel your pain. I’m 28 years old, but I still get motion sickness from reading fic on my iPhone on the subway. My goodreads book challenge for 2013 is 62 books behind schedule because of fic. I missed a dentist’s appointment last month because I stayed up until 2am reading a 38 chapter AU of my OTP. Fanfiction is a gigantic inconvenience, but it’s also a precious distraction from the day to day grumbles of life.
The problem with coping mechanisms is that they sometimes work too well. We start out using fic to distract ourselves from the worries that bounce around in our heads at night, and we end up using it as an excuse not to face the challenges that come our way. The goal isn’t to stop reading fic or perhaps even to decrease how much we read, but to examine what exactly is the distraction we’re trying to escape.
Over the next week pay attention to the times when you are tempted to read fanfiction or think about it. Writing a story in your head as you walk home at the end of the day is different than reading one to put off updating your resume or completing a big project. The more you use it as a distraction from opportunity, the less satisfying it will become over time. If you can figure out how to use fic as a reward for a good day of BAMFing, then you’ll be able to savor the squees like they were meant to be enjoyed.
For more fic related exercises check out chapter three in my book.
Have your own fangirl dilemma? Let me know!
Diagnosis of the Day 8
November 25, 2013 § Leave a comment
Filmography Syndrome – When a fangirl develops a celebrity crush and proceeds to marathon their entire filmography. Behavior is dystonic when daily activities and responsibilities are inhibited and fangirl’s tolerance of horrible Lifetime movies increases significantly. FS can progress out of other disorders and can be listed as a specifier (i.e. Death Stan Disorder with FS features).
Diagnosis of the Day 7
November 22, 2013 § Leave a comment
Spontaneous Missionary Syndrome (SMS)
When a fangirl responds to strongly to a new tv show, movie, book, etc. that she has an immediate, uncontrollable urge to convert other people to the interest. She argues more frequently, directing all conversation to the positives of the interests. And if the interest is a TV show, she will often resort to holding friends and family members hostage until they have marathoned an inordinate number of episodes with her. Friends who are converted under this coercion may be diagnosed with Spontaneous Missionary Stockholm Syndrome (SMSS).
Diagnosis of the Day 6
November 21, 2013 § Leave a comment
BMW Syndrome
When a fangirl becomes disoriented regarding a female celebrity and/or fictional character, not certain whether she wants the female to be her best friend, mother, or wife. Ability to complete daily activities and work or school responsibilities is impaired with this syndrome. Milder version is the BMW Crush, which is not dystonic.
Diagnosis of the Day 5
November 20, 2013 § Leave a comment
Girl Crush Projection Disorder
When a real life BAMF reminds a fangirl of a fictional character, the fangirl proceeds to obsess over the woman, imitating her appearance and actions, rather than seeking to build a healthy friendship or mentorship. Lines between fiction and reality blur more significantly than normal.
Diagnosis of the Day 4
November 19, 2013 § Leave a comment
Obsessive Imagination Disorder
When a fangirl is constantly imagining scenarios regarding her OTP throughout the day, in so that it inhibits the accomplishment of life responsibilities, including hygiene and basic social functioning. Subtypes include OID with Domestic Scenario, OID with Smut Scenario, OID with Musical Accompaniment, and OID with Mixed Features.
Do you suffer from OID? Get help today.
Diagnosis of the Day 3
November 18, 2013 § Leave a comment
Canon Conduct Disorder
Type 1: When a canonshipper frequently becomes visibly enraged at crackshippers within the same fandom. Symptoms include tumblr tag bashing, leaving inappropriate and aggressive fanfiction reviews, and frequent whiny tweets.
Type 2: When a crackshipper frequently becomes visibly enraged at canonshippers within the same fandom. Symptoms same as Type 1. Exceptions include Rizzles shippers, who have a God-given right to be furious.
Which type have you had in the past?
Diagnosis of the Day 2
November 15, 2013 § Leave a comment
Passive Aggressive Possession Syndrome (PAPS)
When a fangirl becomes so hyper-focused on a character that she begins to act like she owns a character(s) and belittles others who make interpretations of character development that contradict her own. She engages in frequent, non-directive ambiguous complaints on various social media outlets.
Do you suffer from PAPS? Get the help you need today.
Diagnosis of the Day 1
November 14, 2013 § Leave a comment
I’ll be adding a diagnosis to the site every day until the book is published. Let me know if you have something I haven’t included.
Diagnosis of the day:
Death Stan Disorder
When a fangirl’s favorite character dies on a TV show, and she continues to watch only to make angry comments on social media about how the show was so much better with her favorite character. She is unable to ship any remaining characters and/or participate in other squee-related behavior. Behavior is only diagnosable and dystonic if it lasts for more than one season after the character dies. Also can apply to characters who leave rather than die.
Exceptions include: any Walking Dead character for purposes of the author’s own disillusionment and denial.
NaNoWriMo in progress!
November 5, 2013 § Leave a comment
This site will be up later this month after I have finished writing the book. If you have any questions, comments, or would like to contribute, follow the twitter @fangirltherapy or our facebook page. You can email me at fangirltherapist@gmail.com Thanks!
Kathleen
Fangirl Therapy 