Art by Paperhand artists.

Current life goals: 1. Finish this gd comps chapter 2. Catch up on @_alexrowland’s & @MaryRobinette’s novels. (Sff authors with knowledge of historical fashion just make me happy, ‘kay?)

I love this. My friend Alana & I used to hear some Eisley lyrics as “rose-and-mermaid-entwined shrubbery” and it felt so magical. The real lyrics are “rows of mermaid-entwined shrubbery.” Still magical, but less so.

Another misheard Eisley lyric: I thought it was “Ca-Ca-Ca-Cassandra you’ve grown up really crazy. Have I been too denying of you?” which as a Classicist, felt perfect, but it’s actually “Golly, Sandra.” Less fitting.

I haven’t listened, only skimmed the transcript, but @flourish & @elizabethminkel point out that public humanities & social sciences are behind natural sciences when it comes to science communication & hi, I’m Kimberly & if you want to hire someone to fix this, I’m interested.

[This note led to a really rich discussion on Twitter that I’m hoping will be successfully backfed into the comments here, so please be sure to take a look at the comments! I’m also working on collecting links directly to all the different offshoots on Twitter and will post those here when I can.]

Two dissertation-related things I’ve been working on simultaneously: my final chapter of comps, which I’m writing about affinity space ethnography/connective ethnography, and engaging more systematically with cosplayers. I went to Greensboro Comicon this weekend and actually interacted with cosplayers a little more than I have in the past, and now I’m exploring all the different ways cosplayers find each other.

(I’ve been a casual/closet cosplayer for many years, but never really connected with other cosplayers before.)

When I started my comps I wasn’t sure what data sources I would use to explore how cosplayers exhibit collective intelligence online, but now I’m realizing that Twitch & Discord may be where it’s at. As far as online research goes I think looking at those is fairly cutting edge stuff, and I think they’re great examples of what Lammers, Curwood, and Magnifico talk about when they say that researchers need to engage on multiple platforms if they’re going to understand the way practices move across an affinity space.

My brain’s awhirl with questions about the ethics of research on Twitch and Discord, now. Also, I’m feeling a bit reinvigorated with respect to my work, and that’s great.

At last, my leaning into the librarian stereotype is paying off!

Whoever is going around SILS convincing people who’ve never met me that I’m awesome, thanks.

The scholarly endeavor is an inherently creative endeavor. And I’m going to explore the relationship between creativity and scholarship more on my blog moving forward. Stay tuned.

The kid just told me he wants his third birthday party to have a Buffy theme, so I guess I’ve achieved all my parenting goals?