tishaturk: (Default)
Tisha Turk ([personal profile] tishaturk) wrote2013-12-12 07:40 pm

SO THIS HAPPENED.

I try to keep this journal focused on research-related stuff rather than teaching stories, but I think that once you read this story you will see why I am making an exception.

So last week in Fan Cultures & Fan Creativity we were talking about representations of fandom—we had groups looking at posts from [community profile] as_others_see_us and OTW’s news of note—and Orlando Jones came up in conversation, as he is wont to do.

One of my students decided to tweet him to let him know, and despite our classroom’s crappy WiFi, she prevailed! And then this happened:



WHUT.

But then she didn’t get a response! So today in class she tried again. I cannot adequately describe the hilarity of this scene—she's composing away on her laptop, reading out her hashtags as she types them, and everyone in the room is exhorting her "COME ON COME ON" "OMG" "HAS HE RESPONDED YET"...



#wecanthandlethis is a pretty accurate description of class at that point; we were essentially having a 25-person meltdown. There was actualfax shrieking, some of it from me. The collective sleep deprivation did not help (Dear students: GET SOME SLEEP), but I suspect that even if we’d all been well-rested we would have been LOSING OUR MINDS. And then, as we were sitting there, he favorited the tweet. At which point I dismissed class, because I could not top that. We were done.

BEST LAST CLASS EVER.

Of course I had to post.



And he favorited that tweet too. BRB DYING.

AND THEN when I logged into Tumblr I found that another one of my students had followed up on Tumblr:



Her tags: #I didn't make any shrill noises when I got this notification #oh no #not at all #orlando jones is my favorite

I just. I HAVE LOST THE ABILITY TO CAN, as the kids say these days. I still don't have the faintest idea how he found out about the class, but I do not fucking care, because this is the most surreal and hilarious thing that has happened to me in I don't know how long, and I LOVE IT. And the class was in absolute hysterics. AS YOU CAN PERHAPS IMAGINE.

I fucking love my job. BEST STUDENTS EVER. Also, ORLANDO JONES GETS HIS OWN TAG.
oyceter: teruterubouzu default icon (Default)

[personal profile] oyceter 2013-12-13 02:13 am (UTC)(link)
OMG BEST!!!!!!!!!!!!
renenet: (Default)

[personal profile] renenet 2013-12-13 03:12 am (UTC)(link)
I think Orlando Jones may really be a sorcerer. He certainly has demonstrated fandom/social media powers far beyond the ken of most mortals in Hollywood.

Well, I guess any concerns you had about how to make the last day of class meaningful beyond the course evaluation forms were unecessary. Whew!
grammarwoman: (Default)

[personal profile] grammarwoman 2013-12-13 03:42 am (UTC)(link)
Holy crapballs, that's AMAZING! Vindication, thy name is Orlando Jones! :D :D :D
kass: "let love be your engine," image of Kaylee and of Serenity (let love be your engine)

[personal profile] kass 2013-12-13 12:49 pm (UTC)(link)
asdfkjadsf;lkasjdf;laksdjf;asldkfjasd;lkfjasd;lfkjads;lfkjasdf;lkajsdf;lkasdjf

::endless glee::
cofax7: climbing on an abbey wall  (Default)

[personal profile] cofax7 2013-12-13 06:45 pm (UTC)(link)
OMG that's hysterical. The fourth wall, it is well and truly broken.
such_heights: amy and rory looking at a pile of post (Default)

[personal profile] such_heights 2013-12-13 10:53 pm (UTC)(link)
This is the actual best thing omg. HOW IS HE REAL?! I DON'T UNDERSTAND.

[identity profile] sabaceanbabe.livejournal.com 2013-12-13 02:11 am (UTC)(link)
That man is a treasure made of awesome and win. I've been following him on Tumblr since he got there and he's hilarious.

[identity profile] tishaturk.livejournal.com 2013-12-13 02:24 pm (UTC)(link)
He *is* hilarious! And I am not at all surprised that he interacted so graciously with my students. I am just beside myself that he knew about our class.
ext_2366: (Default)

[identity profile] sdwolfpup.livejournal.com 2013-12-13 02:33 am (UTC)(link)
LMAO. Orlando Jones is the fannish gift that keeps on giving.

[identity profile] tishaturk.livejournal.com 2013-12-13 02:24 pm (UTC)(link)
SERIOUSLY THOUGH.

[identity profile] bradcpu.livejournal.com 2013-12-13 02:50 am (UTC)(link)
That guy just... can't be real. Can he?

[identity profile] tishaturk.livejournal.com 2013-12-13 02:25 pm (UTC)(link)
Well, if he's not, whoever is manning his Twitter account deserves a raise. Heh.

[identity profile] 12-12-12.livejournal.com 2013-12-13 03:08 am (UTC)(link)
Ha ha, this is AWESOME.

[identity profile] tishaturk.livejournal.com 2013-12-13 02:25 pm (UTC)(link)
IT IS PRETTY MUCH ALL OF THE AWESOME.

[identity profile] laura47.livejournal.com 2013-12-13 04:12 am (UTC)(link)
I TWEETED AT HIM AND HE OFFERED TO PERFORM MY WEDDING.

[identity profile] tishaturk.livejournal.com 2013-12-13 02:26 pm (UTC)(link)
His interactions with fans are adorable! Seriously, his glee about Sleepy Hollow fan art is a joy to behold. But HOW DID HE KNOW ABOUT MY CLASS. I mean, it's not a state secret or anything, but just -- why would he care?

[identity profile] jarrow.livejournal.com 2013-12-13 06:54 am (UTC)(link)
OH MY GOD.

[identity profile] tishaturk.livejournal.com 2013-12-13 02:27 pm (UTC)(link)
THAT PRETTY MUCH SUMS IT UP.

[identity profile] bananainpyjamas.livejournal.com 2013-12-13 07:00 am (UTC)(link)
AHH that is crazy.

[identity profile] tishaturk.livejournal.com 2013-12-13 02:27 pm (UTC)(link)
I REALLY AGREE. I just keep thinking about it and giggling, because WHAT.

[identity profile] killabeez.livejournal.com 2013-12-13 11:49 am (UTC)(link)
That is awesome. I'm not always entirely comfortable with the Twitter/Fans/Cast and crew intersection, but moments like that are too much fun to resist.

[identity profile] tishaturk.livejournal.com 2013-12-13 02:30 pm (UTC)(link)
I know, right? It's interesting: one of the things my students brought up yesterday (before the madness began) is that they think next year's class should include more explicit discussion of the issues raised by author/creator interactions with and attitudes about fans -- different attitudes about fan fiction, etc. I mean, it came up in class, we just didn't have a structured discussion about it. But it's something they think about a lot and are clearly interested in.

This exchange will have to be one of the readings, for sure. Heh.

[identity profile] killabeez.livejournal.com 2013-12-13 02:38 pm (UTC)(link)
NGL, I got a huge smile out of Emily Rose giving props to my Lexie costume. :D

[identity profile] tishaturk.livejournal.com 2013-12-14 03:30 pm (UTC)(link)
:D :D :D

[identity profile] kiki-miserychic.livejournal.com 2013-12-13 01:24 pm (UTC)(link)
He really is a treasure.

[identity profile] tishaturk.livejournal.com 2013-12-13 02:31 pm (UTC)(link)
As I said to someone over on the DW post, part of what makes him so endearing is that it's clear that he really is One Of Us -- he just didn't know it, or didn't have a venue for it, until relatively recently.

[identity profile] braver-creature.livejournal.com 2013-12-13 04:18 pm (UTC)(link)
WHAT. WHAT. ORLANDO JONES, YOU ARE A NATIONAL TREASURE.

(Sleepy Hollow is kind of my everything this semester)

[identity profile] tishaturk.livejournal.com 2013-12-14 03:30 pm (UTC)(link)
I am really enjoying the show! But this is a whole different level of delight and also of WTF. Hee.

[identity profile] hawk-fry.livejournal.com 2013-12-13 05:05 pm (UTC)(link)
This is so amazing. I'm smiling so hard ahaha. He is indeed extremely amazing. I had the chance to talk to him for a few seconds at this year's ComicCon and he was so dang NICE!

[identity profile] tishaturk.livejournal.com 2013-12-14 03:31 pm (UTC)(link)
His interactions with fans on Twitter and Tumblr have been a delight -- respectful, thoughtful, hilarious -- so I am not at all surprised to hear that he is lovely in person as well.
ext_1843: (Ida)

[identity profile] cereta.livejournal.com 2013-12-14 09:29 pm (UTC)(link)
AWESOME!!!

[identity profile] tishaturk.livejournal.com 2013-12-15 05:33 pm (UTC)(link)
MY THOUGHTS EXACTLY.