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It is becoming a more and more common divisive argument between us: what truly makes someone a fan of an actor or a musician or a movie? Over time it has become less credible to simply enjoy a finished product (regardless of its category) and more about the politics of who knows the most facts, easter eggs, and can quote the most lines/lyrics etc. It is becoming more and more evident that the intentions of those who claim to belong to a fanbase, are becoming less satisfied with the simple act of belonging to a group of likeminded individuals and instead about outcompeting our neighbours. What credits a claim to being a fan of something?

I'm an English Literature student at university and throughout my time studying literature at school/ college, and even university, I've noticed a trend amongst teachers and markers, which is a reaction of almost scorn at analysis of character in fiction. To me this has always seemed the oddest phenomenon as character has always been the most interesting, and also sometimes most important and valid feature of a novel. Take 'The Handmaid's Tale' for example. During and after my reading of the text, there was so much meaning hidden in Atwood's characters that I felt was integral to the message of her novel. Thinking about what I might write about for my dissertation, I felt ready and inspired to delve into this topic until I remembered the impression teachers have had of characterisation in the past. An example of this, for those of you who are unfamiliar with this sentiment, my a-level eng lit teacher told me to focus more on structure as it was considered higher level than character. This has always enraged me a little as I think avoidance of analysing character in a novel is avoidance of a whole chunk of the message of a book. As for the effects this has, I think this leads to a connection between fiction and the real world being lost. Often times I have questioned the purpose of analysing books if we are not taking deeper meaning from them in regards to the worlds that they were written in. I think undermining the importance of character in a book is evidence that the real purpose of a book (if it is concerned with a wider message, which they almost always are) is being lost.

A steady rise has begun in table top gaming, which can be linked to the increased awareness of gaming through online forums and social media. There has become a larger sense of community in being able to discuss a personal engagement with particular games. I would argue that part of this has been the increase in narrative style table top games, both those being released by large corporations such as the Arkham Horror and Betrayal at House on the Hill style games, but also smaller kickstarters and independent games, such as the beautiful Dreamwell, and smaller games like Stuff and Nonsense. Narratives do not need to be complete directed stories, but also the invitation to engage in story telling, such as in the Fiasco style games. Regardless of type part of their success is that there is a narrative in place, it takes it from being something very generic into becoming an immersive experience.

It would be interesting to discuss what are some of the latest trends in narrative styles or content, what are the most popular types of narratives that have endured and where we think narratives in games is heading next.

Thinking about how mumble rap has become today's pick of development. How exactly mumble rap is effecting society with meaningless lyrics and demobilizing people's thoughts.

What makes something the Best Picture? And why have so many of them been forgotten about? Many movies that were considered the best movie of that respective year are not really talked about and pander to many of the voters expectations and agenda during that time. Great movies that are still talked about today like Citizen Kane, Raging Bull, Goodfellas, Saving Private Ryan unbelievably lose to something that a lot of people consider lesser. While film opinion is subjective, it's a failure from the voters to recognize and snub a film that has resonated with a lot of people for legitimate reasons. What makes voters so caught up in the moment with certain films that causes the notorious awards snub?

An issue that I think is still prevalent even today. But the pressure that you have to prove how much of a nerd you are to be accepted within certain circles.

Especially with how mainstream Nerd Culture is becoming, it's almost as if we have to prove we're not just riding the wave and even if we were, whats so wrong about that?

I'm sure everyone has experienced the feeling of not being nerdy enough, or even judged for not having played a certain game, or knowing all the character's names in a show, or not following all the episodes of Critical Role.

Is it just due to an elitist mindset in nerd culture? or is it perhaps more of a defensive mechanism to protect from 'fake nerds' just riding the mainstream wave?

Daniel Craig became the first 'blonde' Bond, but once his tenure comes to a close, a new face will be required to sip those Vodka martinis and put paid to the latest Mr Big's plans to dominate the world. When considering the many, fine black actors working these days, perhaps it's time that we had a black James Bond. After all, the CIA operative Felix Leiter was recast in the 2006 franchise reboot, with the excellent American actor Jeffrey Wright proving he was more than capable of handling a darker role (excuse the unintended pun). So, which black actor could become Bond and, more importantly, why? Bear in mind that it is the character of Bond that is the focus, so the choice of actor must be one who can both fills those shoes and yet be able to make that character his own. This is not a popularity contest. On a personal note – I would suggest Chiwetel Ejiofor ('Twelve Years a Slave'. 2013). He is the consummate professional who possesses a solid, on-screen (and stage) presence. His IMDB profile shows an impressive track record that demonstrates he can switch from comedic to dramatic roles with ease (just take a look at his performance in 'Kinky Boots'. 2005) and he is ruggedly handsome enough to raise respectful envy from male Bond fans whilst undoubtedly turning more than a few female fans' heads. Remember, James Bond is an iconic role so your choice and reasons must take this into consideration.

When one opens the usual source for their gaming apps there seems to be a plethora of text-based gaming role-playing-games, beyond what we once were seeing. Is this simply due to the ease of making such games versus a visual game? Or is there actually a rise in the market for such game play? Has this then replaced the popularity of the choose-your-own-adventure book? Many questions, does anyone have the answers?

An analysis of the curse of aging in Howl's Moving Castle, both the youth novel by Dianna Wynn Jones and the Miyazaki movie it inspired. How does the movie portray the difference between young and old? What are the dynamics between the younger and older characters? Does the movie present a positive or negative portrayal of aging overall? (As related to the concepts of beauty, social interaction, etc.). What does the movie say about aging in general, and how people should handle it? How do perceptions of the movie differ between younger and older viewers?

I'm interested in what the depiction of Sophie's curse, premature aging, says about the aging process and the social concept of beauty.

The representation of fatness on television happens in a myriad of ways in modern television. Sometimes this is with diversity, sensitivity, and real life reference. Other times, fatness is rejected on television. There is also often a spectrum of an acceptable level of fatness. Trace how these representations occur in modern television in dichotomous and often contradictory ways. This could include an analysis of a specific fat television character, the impact of gender, age, and race on representations of fatness, and/or tracing the history of television representations of fat characters.

An issue I think all writers experience at one time or another, whether they are writing fiction or non-fiction. Firstly, however, is writer's block a real thing? What does it actually mean? How can it present? What would be interesting to follow this is a discussion of a range of strategies that are often suggested, along with some anecdotes from published writers (from literature, to television, films or even journalists) on the ways they have overcome their own writer's block.

Discuss examples in videogames when interactivity matters. Do Cut Scenes or sequences with Quick Time Events have a completely different meaning when they become interactive? Some examples are the final bosses in God of War 3 and Metal Gear Solid 3. How does timed decisions in cut scenes create tension and meaning? Some examples include Mass Effect and Telltale games. Does introducing interactivity in these games make them more immersive?

When it comes to things like superheroes like Superman, the Hulk, Iron Man, or Batman, everyone has an idea of their origin stories. But as the superhero movie franchise only continues to barrel forward, how important is it for writers to include an accurate recount of the superhero origins for new viewers? Or does it matter at all?

Many different TV series and films offer various visions of the future. Spanning from a dystopic universe where water is scarce and people scavenge, such as Tank Girl, or where the water levels have risen and earth is scarce, such as Waterworld, to futures where we have expanded into the stars, Star Trek, etc.

There are many interpretations of what comes next for us, and I thought an interesting topic would be to map some of these and look at the origin concept at their core. The easiest example would be to use Waterworld: rising sea levels due to climate change lead to eventually all but the highest peaks become completely under water that is more salt than fresh. Humanity moves to living in floating communities and diving for materials from the world before.

Many of these interpretations are not that far into our future and offer some interesting points of view on where the human race is heading. Can you think of other examples?

Compare the two fictional characters by contrasting character development for each. Also, shed light on how similarly crucial each character's narrative is to the overarching narrative.

I would love to read an article detailing Native American representation in Hollywood cinema. Whitewashing, the Marlon Brando Oscars debacle, and more.

Ask any English major, teacher, or even English student about the current literary canon, and you'll probably get a tongue-in-cheek response about dead white guys. Although the canon is expanding, most English literature curriculum offerings are still centered on Shakespeare, Dickens, Faulkner, Twain, you name it. If a class or canon is not centered on dead white male authors, it is labeled as such (World Literature, African-American Literature, etc). and sometimes taught as an elective. This sends a negative message to minority and female students, or those who may be white but of non-European heritage.

Then again, I have no problem with some of the old dead white guys. I was reading Dickens when I was ten; he actually inspired some of my (rather bad) first forays into creative writing. I developed crushes on Shakespearean heroes. You get the drift. But we need so much more variety in our literary diets. So the question at hand is: How can we balance the canon so that all authors get representation? How much "dead white guy" literature do we need? Whose works deserve to stay in the canon, and who needs to go? If you could design an entire curriculum or canon yourself, what would be in it? Why?

I'd love to write this myself, but I'm even more interested in what others think…so let's get going. The floor is open!

Analyse how the protagonist, Lucy, is simultaneously the antagonist of the YA novel, The Light We Lost by Jill Santopolo. Lucy is an egocentric female lead, based on many actions she goes by in the novel. She also lacks good communication with her love interests, ultimately leading to the tragic demise of someone.

Food, a staple of life, has often had significant meaning attached to particular types of food. For instance, the most commonly known are foods that are considered aphrodisiacs, or chocolate that is linked to lust and decadence. An interesting article could be the exploration of these meanings and how in literature these have also changed over time and across different cultures.

A few examples to whet the appetites would be: the easiest would be the role of chocolate as lust, desire for worldly sensuality in Joanne Harris' Chocolat; sandwiches eaten on a picnic rug in Wind in the Willows represent friendship and trust; wealth is often represented through food, such as cucumber sandwiches in The Importance of Being Earnest when cucumbers were imported from India; or food as taboo, as in A Doll's House where the macaroons represent secrecy, concealment and rebellion.

It could also be included in the discussion the rituals that surround eating: many novels will include a moment that captures the family eating together or even the break in this ritual, such as in Harry Potter where family meals with the Dursleys highlighted Harry cooking or serving but not often eating. Or even looking at subversions of food and rituals, as in Alice in Wonderland with the Mad Hatter's tea party or the enlarge/reduce eat/drink items, all of which acted to challenge the over emphasis placed on Victorian rituals surrounding food in that period.

Thanks to social media, social justice movements have become more prevalent over the past decade. The prominence of social justice sounds like a great thing; promoting equality between sexes, improving rights for marginalized groups, and recognizing that there are more than two genders are just a few examples of the diverse, multifaceted social issues that exist in our society. However, many companies and celebrities use buzzwords like "feminism" and "equality" to win the favour of their audiences. Does this bandwagon approach trivialize serious social issues? To what extent are we helping a cause and to what extent are we exploiting it?