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A friend suggested to me the other day that A Bug's Life was essentially a film about a Marxist revolution. I am not well-read in Marx but I can see some similarities, however, the grasshoppers didn't own any means of production – they merely used their power and threats of harm to force the ants to produce for them. I thought it was an interesting idea though – and thought it would be a cool idea to analyse the film through the lens of some classical social theory or liken it to a certain political/social structure.

With the advent of online streaming services, is the television platform nearing its end? If so, how much longer can the platform last? If this topic was picked, the writer could research evidence leading to the conclusion that TV will die out soon or if it still has many years left to go.

After Naruto ended, it didn't take long for a sequel- Boruto- to emerge from the woodwork. The manner in which Ukyo Kodachi and Mikio Ikemoto portray the women/girls in their creation is vastly different from Kishimoto stylistically; this can be seen in the way that they dress, the way they talk about boys, or just their behavior in general. Why the sudden need for the sexualization of young Kunoichi, and how does it differ from Kishimoto's method of expressing femininity throughout the Naruto franchise?

Compared to gay and lesbian teen fiction, sales of gay-themed books for younger children remain “very dicey and very different”. It has been proven that the majority of the LGBTQI people who have come out across social media have had an incline since their younger years. This topic is in no way advocating for strong gay-themes, but in line with the short film “In a Heartbeat”, themes of love and social acceptance should be made available to anyone who is questioning, without fear of prosecution.

That isn’t to say that there is no gay-themed literature circulating. A quick google search, across all ages, will list must-reads.

But there still persists a closeted mentality in revealing characters to be gay. It wasn’t until after the series had finished, that J.K. Rowling announced that Dumbledore was homosexual. Outside of mainstream literature, the only medium I have ever witnessed open homosexuality has been within comic books. Furthermore, many mythologies exhibit homosexual themes, and even consist of deities who were openly gay, or bisexual in nature. The very philosophers who have contributed to societies mainstream thinking, and understanding, partook in homosexual acts and love; Socrates, and Plato to name a few — and even wrote about gay love.

There are many factors that can answer why gay literature is still only mentioned quietly, even in today’s age many countries are still very conservative. But with the rise of opinionated millennial’s, who for our very credit ask why we must be a certain way, this stodgy mindset could change – in no small part to social media, and online influencers.

It’s time we brought more focus to these types of literature, and have them available for those in the community, or who may be questioning. But where do we start?

We start by writing some great fiction, and getting it self-published. If you know of any writers, or stories, message them below so that someone questioning or who is actively seeking gay-themed content, can connect with a character not usually seen in mainstream media. It's time this genre came out of the closet.

We see people refer to the need for more diverse characters, and of course it is important to hear from a broad range of people, who all have different backgrounds and opinions, but is it important that these characters are always linked to social justice? Every time we have an action story with a female lead like Mad Max: Fury Road, Atomic Blonde, Star Wars: The Force Awakens etc, it turns into a tirade about how this character is monumental and never been done before, and young women everywhere should look up to this characters because there aren't any other female action stars (despite everybody else saying the same thing).

This topic is not intended to question the validity of diverse character, but rather investigate the effects of social justice on these characters. Is this layer of social justice harmful to these characters? If we introduce these characters without strong political and moral lectures, will audiences be more likely to embrace these differences?

An example that could work as a starting point could be The Simpsons: The character of Smithers is homosexual, but he isn't a protected species like social justice would dictate. All facets of his character, including his sexuality, are made light of. A few years ago, The Simpsons was listed as the most influential show for homosexual representation and the breaking down of homosexual stigma. Is it possible that social justice is standing in the way of diversity? I think it would be very interesting to look at the effects of social justice on the advancement on diversity and how we should move forward with more diverse characters.

For most avid manga-readers, there have been times when a joke has gone right over our heads, or it has seemed like a character is speaking repetitively. The main culprit of this is the way that Kanji resists interpretation. Research and analyze how Kanji's inability to be interpreted in a way that is universally accessible has affected art and pop culture as it relates to universal cultural understanding.

The medical drama "House," starring Greg Laurie, burst onto the scene several years ago with an engaging and intriguing premise. A true medical detective, Gregory House seeks the answers to dangerous physical and mental conundrums that threaten to steal his patients' lives. The show featured many rare diseases and fascinating patient stories, leading scores of viewers to tune in each week.

However, some of those viewers had a love-hate relationship with the hit series' main character. Gregory House is anything but your stereotypical friendly, warm, family practitioner. He doesn't care about his patients; he takes their cases because said cases are "interesting." A pit bull has better bedside manner than this man. House is also a drug addict and a consummate jerk to anyone he comes in contact with. He flaunts authority, breaks rules, and is perhaps unrealistically self-absorbed. His personality, or lack thereof, led some viewers to change the channel while others said things like, "If I'm sick, call Dr. House" (a once-popular saying on Facebook Flair).

With these two elements of the show in mind, consider how House–its premise and protagonist–has influenced our perceptions of medicine. Is House a realistic physician? Does he, or his show, prompt us to be more sympathetic and empathetic toward our doctors and other fellow humans? Does House make medicine look like a noble profession, or is he a medical Sherlock Holmes whose intelligence and curmudgeonly ways are used as gimmicks? For those who are loyal House fans, what kept them coming back for eight years?

Visual culture is the aspect of culture expressed in visual images. Visual culture includes but is not limited to advertising, buildings, photographs, movies, and apparel. Today tattoos are no longer considered a symbol of rebellion or subculture, but a form of self expression. We proudly adorn them on our skin for others to see. In recent years there have been fine art exhibitions that feature photographs of tattoos by famous tattoo artists. For example in 2015 the auction house Guernsey offered a collection of 1,500 images by some of the worlds foremost tattoo artists. But does the fine art community actually see tattoos as fine art, or decorations to permanently wear?

Why do fans pair characters together? With shows like "Once Upon A Time", where a multitude of fairy tale characters interact with one another, fans have developed a term called shipping. Shipping is the act of fans pairing two characters together in a romantic relationship, regardless of it happening in the show or not. Shipping can even reach past genres, with some fans pairing characters from two different shows. With so many ships that fans support, sometimes aggressively, it brings up the question as to why. What is the psychological reasoning behind wanting to pair characters together?

While strolling through a Comic Con, people may notice big name artists adjacent to newer artist throughout the main racetrack, known as artist alley. The bigger name artists are protected by the company they work for. An example would be Jim Lee, currently working for DC comics. He can draw Batman and make prints to sell at these conventions without facing legal ramification. How does a newer artist trying to get to the level of Jim Lee, make art without facing copyright infringement or similar legal penalties? They need to get their name and brand established by making work, but if it is copyright protected how can they get away with making prints of it anyway?

Fan service has become a staple of modern Hollywood films, and while it's great to see the characters from previous iterations of your favourite franchises, it is also important to have fresh original ideas to go with them. The Force Awakens was criticised for doing this to much: for not just including characters and setting, but for reproducing complete story beats and plot devices. So, the question I would like to see explored is: How much is too much when it comes to fan service?

Renoir claimed that he "painted with his pr*ck" and chastised his female models for appearing like they were "thinking too much." Picasso was a known womanizer, with multiple mistresses one after the other while actively avoiding divorcing his wife in order to prevent her from gaining half of his net worth. Rodin refused to marry his life-long mistress, hooked up with Camille Claudel who eventually went mad and was confined, destitute, to a sanitorium after her affair with him ended. Yet blockbuster exhibitions of these artists, such as the worldwide #Rodin100 exhibitions at over a dozen museums this year, continue to laud the genius of these "great men", without even a nod to their misogynistic personal histories. If men should be standing up and talking about how they will change in the wake of #MeToo, are there ways we should change in how we talk about the historical men who perpetrated abuse upon the women in their lives?

It could be argued that communication is the central component of human life. It is necessary for every function of society, and verbal communication is what sets us apart from other species on Earth. With advancements in technology, communication has become easier than ever before. A person on the other side of the world can be reached in an instant, with the click of a button. There are however complications with online communications. Implications of messages are sometimes misconceived; there is an absence of gestures, tones and human actions that help translate meaning. The response of social media is to introduce Emojis, which help to counter these absences.

The ease of online communication could be seen to discourage people from participating in real life human interaction. It could be argued that the emergence of online dating positively or negatively impacts romance. Voice your opinion on the matter and answer the question, "Does social media enhance or hinder our communication skills?".

One of the best things about music is that there are so many genres, sub-genres, and artists to listen to. Whichever genres and artists you like, certain songs stick in your head and become favorites for many different reasons.

One reason a song can become a favorite is, the song tells a story. This concept goes all the way back to ancient ballads of nations like Ireland and Scotland, the Psalms of David, the oral traditions of Africa and Native America, etc. Since those ancient times, story-songs have developed into genre-specific phenomena. You can find a lot of them in country music, and Broadway musicals are built on them. Many religious songs, from hymns and spirituals to praise tunes, are taken directly from verses and stories found in holy books.

Examine the similarities and differences found in specific types and genres of story-songs. How do they work (how does a Broadway show tune tell a different story than, say, a country hit)? What does a song need in order to tell a good story–and conversely, what types of stories work best set to music? What are some of the best current and classic examples of the union between song and story?

You'd be strapped to find a gaming review that doesn't address grinding. Grinding is usually a process of gaining character experience, including repetitive tasks such as farming items or engaging in enemy battles. Over and over and over again – ad nauseam. In recent JRPGs, the concept of auto-battle has been introduced. In games such as Square Enix's Bravely Default and Atlus' Persona 4, the player is granted the ability to create an enemy-shattering battle strategy. This strategy, once plugged into the game's battle system, can be automated. No more memorizing moves or smashing X. The game plays itself.

By eliminating the need for grinding, does the inclusion of auto-battling present an upgrade for JRPGs? Or does automating battle systems cheapen the game and ultimately result in developer-condoned cheating?

Possible approach: Comparing and contrasting auto-battle in other games.

Look into how using specific tropes can help a writer to make their characters more recognisable for their target audience. Discuss how tropes are often used in mainstream media in order to quickly assemble a cast of characters and how playing with peoples expectations of tropes makes for engaging storytelling

What causes people to buy certain books, is it the author, the title or the book cover? Publishing houses aim to sell books and in doing that they are conscious of what is on the book cover. From the font of the title and authors name and any pictures that represent what the book is about, the publishers arrange all of this so that the cover will catch the eye of a potential buyer. So, do people focus more on how the cover looks or are they more interested in the actual story of the book?

The women in Faulkner's novels are volatile characters (as most characters in his books are), but in a different way. The women are often stronger, more brusque, and generally independent, traits that the men in the novel wish they had. Specifically looking at The Sound and the Fury and As I Lay Dying, how do the women appear more "masculine" than the men they interact with? How does their masculinity positively and negatively affect their relationships with others?

Whatever happened to the good ole' bank job? A small team of dedicated villains who cased the job, drew up meticulous plans and (sometimes) got away with the loot. These days we are used to seeing technological spectaculars with the villains often touting hardware and computer systems equal to, or even superior to, that of the Police. The Bank Heist has been a popular movie theme since the days of silent film making, but times move on and so do the brains and specs behind the operation. 'Bonny and Clyde' (1967) showed the simple, violent approach to robbing a bank; 'The Italian Job' (1969) had a more lighthearted spin and instantly made the Mini car into an icon. In more recent years we've had 'The Bank Heist' (2011) a Canadian comedy and the Las Vegas-style showmanship of 'Now You See Me' (2013), whilst the British films 'The Bank Job' (2008) and 'The Hatton Garden Job' (2016) both harked back to old school techniques. Of course the list is endless and these are just a few examples. Explore the evolution of the bank heist and not just in terms of the advance in technology over the years, but also look at the characters involved, what their motivations are and why we, the international viewing public, retain a fascination for such villainy. It's not always about the money!

For this, I define "fandom" as the content – the book, show, movie, etc. – well-loved by fans. But some fans say their fandom has been ruined by other fans. Whether a fandom can be ruined for a fan is, of course, subjective; it's more interesting to consider why the fans say the fandom is ruined for them, how it's even possible, and what fans can do about it. Examples may include H.P. Lovecraft's books and, more recently, Rick and Morty.