Dear Q.U. Faculty and Students:
I’m afraid a group of monkeys has escaped from the Q.U. psychology lab, released by well-meaning but misguided animal rights activists.
WARNING: These monkeys have been infected with “all the rage.”
If they bite anyone, I fear a plague of trend zombies may spread out of control, destroying the civilized world in as little as 28 days.
And before the news agencies start digging, let me just say up front that yes, this has happened before. The Macarena. Post-Grunge Goatees. Baggy Pants with Boxers Showing. Boy bands. Beanie Babies. Reality Television. Suspender shorts. Half-Shirts. Giant sunglasses. Mullets. Muffin tops. Emo. All started by past escapes of the trend monkeys.
So you can see what is at stake here.
Being that Q.U. is the preeminent source of fantasy and science fiction knowledge, it is no surprise that the trend monkeys have created a few zombies in the genre audience as well.
One monkey got loose in our creative writing department, and spawned the trend of romance novels featuring brooding, conflicted vampires and/or snarky, tough women with dark powers and darker pasts. Another monkey got loose in our history department and created a gaggle of steampunk costumers (not the good kind). And we won’t even talk about black trenchcoats.
Your Assignment: Help us track the Trend Monkeys by reporting any trend-zombie sightings. Any particularly annoying, ridiculous, or shallow trends you spot may be the clue that leads us to these creatures. Extra credit if the trends are genre-related.
PS – approach with caution. They fling poo.
