Profile Post: The Great and Powerful Blog
When it comes to fan theories, you generally get three types of blogs: fan-fictionesque ships, click-bait style listicles, and actual in-depth, well argued, intelligent theories. R.J. Collins of The Great and Powerful Blog provides this third type, offering smart, well analyzed, and humorous without being silly or over the top theories and explanations for several works of pop culture. In analyzing the voice of this author, I will be limiting myself to pulling examples from his two posts titled “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia Fan Theory: Dennis Killed Brian LeFevre” and “Prometheus: A Deeper Look”, but this blogger has much more to offer than these two posts and is one who’s works I would highly recommend.
One aspect that immediately stood out to me while reading his posts was the highly academic tone taken by the author. With blogs like these, especially ones written about a comedy tv show like “It’s Always Sunny”, it becomes easy to devolve into silliness, but this author avoids that. Phrases like “ This charming little scene actually tells us quite a bit…” or “ Ridley Scott’s 2012 film Prometheus is also an exploration of the Ancient Astronauts theory, which stipulates that primitive man was visited by alien lifeforms which advanced ancient technology and inspired a number of early religions” read like they are being spoken by a college professor rather than some man typing away on the internet. Also of note is how his academic tone is reinforced by the information being provided by the author (the hyperlink in the quote was added by Collins, not me). Taking the time to introduce the subjects being analyzed, such as he does with his succinct summary of “It’s Always Sunny” as having “pushed the boundaries of comedy, network sensibilities, and good taste in general” as well as the aforementioned description of “Prometheus” serve both to enlighten a reader who may not be familiar with the subject as well as establish the author’s own knowledge (and therefore trustworthiness) in regards to the subject.
That being said, the author certainly does not shy away from having fun. Collins is well aware that there is a sort of inherent sarcasm in the very making of fan theories, and he embraces this. When he asks his readers to not post “ Tsoukalos memes left and right” upon referring to ancient aliens theories, or when he finishes his “It’s Always Sunny” blog by providing a TLDR section “ for those without the time to waste reading this whole article”, he is lightening the tone of the posts. In particular, his juxtaposition of his serious discussions of serial killer methodology with a wacky or zany picture from the show works particularly well to add some lightness and humor to the post.
This lightness also helps make the author and his posts seem more friendly and relatable. When he ends his “Prometheus post by saying that “This movie was one great big beautiful mess, and for tonight I am talked out on it”, he is voicing an opinion shared by a majority of readers, and by using phrases like “talked out” or “beautiful mess” he uses language that is a little more conversational than some of his more academic language used in other locations. This increases his likability and as such also lends credence to his theories in the eyes of his readers.
Through a blending of academic and more colloquial language usage, author R.J. Collins is able to craft some well written and engaging blog posts which grab the reader without bogging the reader down. He respects the intelligence of the reader without assuming too much of them either, which is a very fine line to tread and yet is one he seems to walk quite well. He also embraces the sarcasm and humor of fan theories without going so far as to undo himself and turn his posts into unfounded jokes. He manages to maintain an academic voice, but not necessarily a scientific or neutral voice. His own sense of humor is able to shine through, and the analysis he provides is written in a unique way such that it goes beyond being simply informative. Overall, his blogs are worth a read.
