What you do with your first laptop is no one’s business. In fact, one might argue that getting your first laptop is what empowers you to have private business. It’s a strange and intoxicating revelation to be unshackled from the computer in the family room, the ever-present prying eyes of your parents, your siblings meddling with your budding online life. Where will you go? Who will you be? What, exactly, is the range of the WiFi router?
Welcome back to the new season of Normal Gossip! We’re beginning Season 7 with a tale of newfound freedom and literary discoveries, with just a dash of star crossed romance. The hero of today’s story, Victoria, is fresh out of high school and has decided to use her online liberation to join a community near to her heart and to participate in the creation of perhaps the most impassioned and maligned of all media: fanfiction.
In this world of Warrior Cats fandom, the lines between friend, foe, and lover are blurry at the best of times. Despite councils and hierarchies, an abundance of rules and meddlesome editors, Victoria and her anthropomorphic cat-heroine/self-insert Baby Moon, might just thrive here. How exactly can we categorize the relationship that develops between Victoria and tragic poet Jordan, or between Baby Moon and Jordan’s mysterious cat Mothnose? Is it mere lust? Narrative convenience? A strategic alliance? Or could it be—just maybe—true love?
Our guest this week is Ashley Reese! Ashley is a Los Angeles-born, New York-based writer. Her work can be found in New York magazine, Jezebel, Essence, Teen Vogue, and more. She recently launched BAD BRAIN, a newsletter about life, death, pop culture, and the internet.
Ashley brought Kelsey a harrowing tale from where Vegan Avenue meets Roach Boulevard. Then Kelsey brought Ashley up to speed on our tale of forbidden love between a few kittens of the internet.
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