#citrus scale article

[the-citrus-scale]

The Importance of Fanservice

written by @the-galaxy-collector

While fanservice probably sounds a bit dirty, and we are called The Citrus Scale, we swear it’s not. Fanservice is when a creator inserts a scene or quote into the source material as a nod to fans. It’s a way to say that they’re paying attention to the message boards, Tumblr posts, and fan theories. It used to be, and sometimes still is, a term that identified when a woman was being sexually fetishized for male fans. That’s not the popular usage anymore, nor are we in favor of this interpretation or practice at all.

The subtle acknowledgement that the creators have noticed and care about their fans is hugely important. So often, fans don’t get what they want because it’s impossible to please everyone, but a little fanservice goes a long way in making them feel seen and appreciated. Everyone’s OTP isn’t going to be canon, especially when it’s the creator’s NOTP, but one little quip toward the right character will have fans squealing for years to come.

Great examples of fanservice reach across genres, but some of our favorites include shows like Timeless. There were multiple references to fan terminology and movements. Even the moniker fans use for themselves, Clockblockers, is heard being used in the second season’s premiere. But fanservice can take a retrospective approach too, like when Tom Holland confirmed that the young boy in the Iron Man mask in Iron Man 2 was, in fact, little Peter Parker. While this detail isn’t necessarily important to the overall story of the MCU, it was a fan theory for a while, and having it confirmed was icing on the cake.

Another favorite here at The Citrus Scale was when Brienne was knighted during the last season of Game of Thrones. Every fan knew that was all she ever wanted, and that she had been told no because she was a woman. Even though she was well aware she was enough by the end of her character’s journey without that happening, it never fails to put a smile on our faces when we see it on screen.

Now, that doesn’t mean that the actors themselves can’t be the leaders of these fan theories and rallying cries, because sometimes that’s exactly what happens. For example, when we finally see Jack Harkness’ butt in the last season of Torchwood, it was John Barrowman, the actor who played him, that was always ready to go to war for this scene. Did we all know he was naked when he was encased in and then rescued from the cement? Yep. Did his team bring a jacket to cover up his naughty bits? Also yes. Did he wear it? Not even a little bit. Was it necessary to the story? Hahahahaha!

But can fanservice go too far? The short answer is yes, but what does it mean to the story and has it ever really happened? This is actually where fanservice gets a bad reputation. Some fans argue that the creators who offer this up do so at the expense of the story. However, exactly what the expense is depends on the individual fan. Again, you can’t make everyone happy. Lately, a lot of the complaints about fanservice have dealt with Avengers: Endgame and the scene where all the women showed up to save the day. And this is where we feel the need to clarify that representation and fanservice are not the same thing. Representation is about equality. Fanservice is about fun.

None of the examples we listed here affected the story in a negative way, though. This is largely because none of them took up a lot of screen time. A line here, a moment there, and you’re done. That’s all it takes, but we get the overall argument. If a story becomes only about fanservice, and unless there’s a meta point to be made, it can damage the overall product, and that’s not good either.

Thankfully, there aren’t a lot of big examples of this happening to date. Most that are cited every now and then are seen as bad because they didn’t make any storyline sense. Season Two of Stranger Things has Nancy and Steve try to get some sort of closure for Barb and her family. Those that believe that this is fanservice only see it that way because they think Barb is a throwaway character. They seem to conveniently forget that her demise is incredibly important for Nancy’s character development. In other words, she was fridged. Do we like it? No. Was it necessary? Maybe, but it doesn’t make her throwaway and it certainly isn’t fanservice.

Our point is that fanservice and stories can live in perfect harmony. Sure, you don’t want to go overboard, but a little bit isn’t going to hurt anyone. In fact, it usually gives fanfic writers just enough to play with, which we’ll never complain about.

[the-citrus-scale]

The Ethics of Eleven

written by @the-galaxy-collector

The supers of any universe are always held to a different standard than us normal folks, and we’ve accepted this knowledge without question in almost every fandom. We are rarely critical and it’s because each time they possess a certain amount of plot armor that make fans feel as if they are incapable of making human mistakes. However, it’s their human tendencies that make it easier to relate to them, to fall in love with them, and yes, to write fic about them. We watch them religiously in spite of their powers, not because of them. Which is why I think it’s important that we look at the ethical ramifications of our favorite little badass, Eleven a.k.a. Jane Hopper.

I always try to preface my articles with some sort of note that explains why I still love the character I’m about to take to task, but I’m not going to do that this time. It should be a given that if I, or any other blogger, for that matter, is willing to dissect a portion of a character, we enjoy them. We hold a certain level of authority on the subject because of the fact that we’ve watched the episodes they’re in more than once and tried to extract meaning from every word they say. And despite the fact that some people, usually the loudest among us, will tell you we hate them and we need to be in the anti tag, it’s just not true. Being analytical does not automatically equal hating something. We are the fandom. We are allowed to have opinions other than rainbows and unicorns coming out of everyone’s butt all the time. So... I guess that’s my note. 

Listen, Eleven’s powers give her the ability to spy on people. To hurt them. Yes, they hurt her too. And no, we understand that even at her age she would not willingly torture someone for fun, but that doesn’t mean that she should be allowed to walk around with no checks and balances for them. In fact, in season three she’s in her room for hours being able to spy on whoever she wants. Max even uses them, at one point, as some sort of party trick, but that’s a separate argument. The real issue here is that the ethical component of her powers, especially given that they are harmful, are never really addressed. The only time we get close is when Mike, who doesn’t really get how they work either, stands up and says that her powers aren’t a cure-all for their supernatural situations. Again, another argument for another paragraph, but that’s really the only time the rules of conduct for her powers are ever examined. But it’s a blink and you’ll miss it moment too.  

To me, the spying is where it gets really dicey, though. When Max has her spying on all sorts of people before they make it to their boyfriends, and to Billy, what is it that they learn? What do they do with this information? Why spy at all? We’ve all wanted to be a fly on the wall for certain conversations, but that doesn’t mean that morally it’s appropriate. Sure, we all make mistakes as kids, but based on the trauma she’s endured she’d need a more watchful eye, not less of one, and this scene proves it. Spying on someone and violating their privacy, especially when they might be having sex, simply for your own amusement is bad, plain and simple.

But let’s get back to the part everyone seems to harp on: agency. She has the powers. She only should decide how she gets to use them. And for much of the story I completely agree. Mike’s heart was certainly in the right place when he got mad. He saw someone he loved getting hurt. He wanted to make it stop. We can all sympathize with that aspect, but he is not in charge of Eleven and, to a certain degree, neither is Hopper. Now, this doesn’t negate the other points about privacy, but when it comes down to it, she’s in charge here. In another story, there’d be more than one person, usually an older mentor, who would be able to offer useful guidance from a place of understanding. While her friends and chosen family do their absolute best to keep her safe, make her feel loved, and guide her through life, they have no idea what it’s like for her. In this universe, though, the only other people who can truly grasp the intricacies of these moral dilemmas are other traumatized children, and they probably aren’t the best people to ask. 

So what’s the verdict, you may ask? Well, the truth is that I’m not one hundred percent sure on it. I know that she should use her powers ethically, but what that means exactly is up for debate. She should definitely be in charge of her own body, her own powers, and how she chooses to spend or end her life, but outside of that, I’ll leave it up to the Stranger Things writers to help us navigate. 

[the-citrus-scale]

The Squick Factor: WinterPrincess

written by @robinwritesallthethings

You’ve probably heard it before. Squick. As in “that squicks me out”, or “that’s squicky”. What does it mean? Well, squick is a term that’s used in fandom to describe something that grosses you out or makes you cringe. In this feature, we’ll dissect all of the things fandoms find potentially squicky and look at them from all of their best and worst angles.

This month, we’ll be talking about a ship that has rubbed some Marvel fans the wrong way. That ship is WinterPrincess, the combined moniker used to describe the ship of Bucky Barnes, the Winter Soldier, and Shuri, the princess of Wakanda. The main reason that some Marvel fans are squicked out by this ship seems to be  because of the age difference between Bucky and Shuri. Bucky was born in 1917, which technically makes him over a hundred years old. Shuri’s exact year of birth is unknown, but actress Letitia Wright, who portrays her in the MCU, has confirmed that the character was eighteen years old when she made her first appearance in Black Panther.

This opens up a larger discussion about age gap pairings in fandoms. They’re not unusual, to be sure. Sometimes they’re canon, sometimes they’re fanon, and sometimes they feature original or reader characters. Either way, the reason this trope recurs so often in fandom is because it’s popular. Society tends to frown on very large age gaps, such as when one member of the pair is old enough to be the other’s parent. That makes ships of this nature feel potentially forbidden and scandalous, which can add a layer of intrigue to a story.

On the flip side, though, being desired by someone much older or younger is also often seen as social currency, meaning that it gives status if someone more attractive or more established, and therefore able to choose from a large dating pool, would choose...

Read the entire article here ⇠