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metanews2013-02-28 12:14 am
metanewsmods) wrote in metanews2013-02-28 12:14 am
Entry tags:
- fandom:btvs,
- fandom:comics,
- fandom:elementary,
- fandom:jrrtolkien,
- fandom:starwars,
- fandom:supernatural,
- fandom:teenwolf,
- fandom:wheeloftime,
- topic:copyright,
- topic:costumes,
- topic:fandom,
- topic:fanfic,
- topic:feminism,
- topic:fourthwall,
- topic:hurt/comfort,
- topic:meta,
- topic:psychology,
- topic:race,
- topic:reviewing,
- topic:slash,
- topic:tagging,
- topic:writing,
- warning:non-con
Meta Links (21/02/13 - 27/02/13)
Notices
ETA: post was accidentally left private! Sorry guys.
We're now using "format light" on all DW and LJ links, does this help or hinder readability?
If you want to give feedback, volunteer, link us to meta or ask a question, comment to the volunteers post, the Questions and Things post, the screened post, or PM/email.
General Fandoms
Meta on the AO3
OTW Board Approves Meta Hosting on the AO3: AO3 News - "After a long period of discussion, the OTW Board has voted to allow the posting of meta on the Archive of Our Own. We considered a range of issues while making this decision, including how this move would fit into the overall mission of the OTW, the technical and financial resources required, and demand from users of the Archive and members of the OTW. We determined that there is already a demand for meta on the Archive, and that this use of our resources is consonant with our purview and mission."
OTW Board response to concerns about the meta decision: AO3 News - "There has been a very active and thoughtful response to our recent announcement in favor of allowing meta on the AO3. We'd like to take this opportunity to express our gratitude to everyone for raising their concerns, showing their support, and otherwise engaging with us as we work to define our policies, refine our processes, and improve our communication. In addition, we'd like to respond to a number of the issues raised and clarify how this decision was reached and what the process will be from this point forward."
Seven weeks so far: maia_bob (DW) - "One of things I couldn’t talk about last week (Six weeks so far…) and the week before (Five weeks so far…) was Meta and you're lucky I only joined the board recently or I would have been not talking about it for over six months. if you're interested, my personal decision making process went a lot like this:"
Things:anatsuno (DW) - "I'm all for hosting the meta. I don't have a fully articulated, well-argued scaffolding for that opinion; mostly I think "it's already there, so yeah" and I like seeing the notion of "fan work(s)" get expanded - this comes from the struggle for the recognition of the value of podfic, which taught me a lot about those mental categories I/we tend to have."
Well babies, don't you panic: copracat (DW) - OTW hasn't chosen to allow meta fanworks on AO3. It's chosen not to disallow them. Meta fanworks have been on the archive for almost as long as the archive has existed."
meta on the AO3: ratcreature (DW) - "There are honestly people who are still surprised/disappointed that the OTW decided on the meta on AO3 issue without broader input/discussion first?"
Like watching a train-wreck happen in slow motion: salty_catfish (LJ) - "I sincerly hope this will be the push they need to finally start implementing the features they should have started with five years ago and have been promising just as long."
Meta on Meta on AO3: elf (DW) - "Hypothetically, meta could be hosted "elsewhere," at some meta-specific archive with meta-specific headers. Not so much characters/pairings, ratings, and fandoms; a bit more trigger warnings, contains spoilers Y/N, Single Fandom ("Why Neal is a perfect sub")/Multifandom ("Hawkeye vs Green Arrow vs Robin Hood archery contest")/General Meta ("How Teenage Girls React to Fridging"), and so on. But it isn't. There is no general meta-archive. NONE."
AO3 allows for meta, no infrastructure to support it:silverflight8 (LJ) - "But then I realized that there is already a really big problem that AO3 has no resolution to, and this decision is sure to aggravate it: the fact that the filtering system is not good, and adding meta to the mix will make it worse."
OTW and legal defence of Fanfiction
The OTW (see unpopular opinion below): sachehund - " Generally, when an author says stop posting, you stop posting. That’s just how it goes. You don’t need a signed copy of the DMCA for that."
Why I wiped my AO3 account: allmyinterenets (tumblr) - " The short explanation for why i did it is that after some thinking and reading the organization’s mission statement, I decided I was uncomfortable enough with their definition of fanfiction—and, more importantly, how that definition plays into their goals—to disassociate my work from them."
Response to the responses AO3 OTW: allmyinternets (tumblr) - " I figured doing a centralized(ish) response post and tagging all three of you would probably be the clearest, most efficient way of doing that.
On the Organization of Transformative Works, AO3, and creator rights.: meinterrupted (DW) - "Creators do not get to dictate how their readers (or viewers) interact with their creations. To attempt to do so is folly. Your job ended when your book was published; what happens when it falls into a reader's hands is not something you can control. The only way to ensure that your vision of what happens in your creation is the only vision is to keep it locked up in a vault and never let anyone see it."
Response to the responses AO3 OTW: sachehund (tumblr) - " I honestly think it’s a good thing that this is continuing to be talked about, but I think some of the responses are missing the point in a big way."
On the OTW, part 2, because apparently I can't help myself.: meinterrupted (DW) - "This is a direct response to sachehund's response to the responses post, and a follow-up to my previous post on this topic."
Objectification, actors and fans
The guilt of the smitten fan: professorfangirl (tumblr) - "Someone asked me: “Did you see the short clip from London’s premiere of Cloud Atlas? I find it so disturbing, wanted to talk to someone about that. I understand that it’s normal, that actors get annoyed about people all wanting pieces of them, but still, he (Ben Whishaw) looks so distant and so pissed off, and I feel so guilty being a fan. do you think it’s normal - this guilt thing?”"
Benedict Cumberbatch is not my bitch: On objectification in fandom: professorfangirl (tumblr) - "I’m reposting this because 1) there’s an interesting conversation going on about fandom, embarrassment, and guilt, and 2) I wrote it some eight months ago when I was new to fandom, and I’d like to reexamine my thinking (because really, some of this is so charmingly noobie), and 3) I’m writing about similar issues in regard to Ben Whishaw"
More thoughts on Objectification, Fandoms and Feminism: evenlode (tumblr) - "Why does society make sexual arousal for women taboo and not for men, when there is an age difference?"
Feelings aren't right or wrong, they're just feelings: some final thoughts on guilt, fandom and objectification: professorfangirl (tumblr) - "My two main points in and about this essay: first, I want to be wary because wariness gives me time to think and examine my response, and two, that thinking, that self-examination, helps me to know myself better."
What is objectification anyway?: dignityisforotherpeople (tumblr) - "it seems to me that any mental objectification of others is profoundly, and maybe innately, unstable. Not only that, it seems to fall within a spectrum of completely normal and even inevitable things we do in our brains in order to engage with the world; and to imagine someone in a way that ignores their agency doesn’t at all mean that you never remember it."
Choosing a video editor: cupidsbow (LJ) - "I've had a few people recently asking me about the video editor that I use with an eye to choosing one for themselves, so I've distilled the main issues into this post."
Rule 63 and #femslash february: perfectworry (DW) - "If you're following #femslash february on Tumblr, you might have seen some… discussion about the inclusion of Rule 63 (i.e., genderswapped) fics and art in the tag. If you're not on Tumblr (and I know some people here aren't), the question is really wether genderswapping a male/male (or less commonly, a female/male) pairing is in the spirit of the celebration."
This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things
hellkitty (DW) - I'm sure by now you've seen this from tumblr For those who choose to preserve sanity, it's very simple: apparently the social justice white knighters have taken it upon themselves to bully people who write, read or like noncon. Because there is 'too much rape' in our fandom.
How author Sam Starbuck shapes online fancom (and vice versa): Gavia Baker-Whitelaw (blog) - "We spoke to him about his history in fandom, the issues brought up by maintaining a long-term online pseudonym, and the unique community-based editing process he developed for his original writing."
How to be inclusive when you're afraid of getting it wrong: Quinn (blog) - " It’s hard, but not complicated. Find all the information you can, but accept that you won’t know everything, or that your viewpoint could be obscured by your cultural perceptions. Expand your boundaries. Have fun!"
How to write a long fantasy series: swan_tower (LJ) - "the point here is to talk about the specific challenges of writing a long epic fantasy series -- here defining “long” as “more than a trilogy, and telling one ongoing story."
C is for Combat snowynight (DW) - Combat fascinates people, judging from the popularity of action and war films. There's something satisfying to see your hero giving a good fight
Thoughts On Things Like Kings
kaigou (DW) - This evening I ended up reading a long essay (originally a speech) which is currently the center of a shitstorm in Britain, wherein a renowned female author appears to criticize the Duchess of... whatever Kate Middleton's the duchess of. Read the whole thing here: http://www.lrb.co.uk/v35/n04/hilary-mantel/royal-bodies
Seraphina, fullblood prejudice and pervasive racial passing: alliettedb (LJ) - “So… have just finished Rachel Hartman’s Seraphina–I bought it mainly because it was recommended to me as a great portrayal of a mixed-race protagonist: its eponymous heroine is half-dragon, half-human in a world where a fragile peace reigns between the two species. Seraphina is the Music Mistress at the court of the human queen of Goredd, where she passes as human in order to avoid the deep-seated prejudice and fear engendered by dragons (who are able to take human form but are betrayed by their silver blood and their odd smell). It’s an intriguing setup; but in the end, I’m sad to report I was somewhat disappointed by Seraphina and its portrayal of race relationships."
PSA About Web Seriessquidbagel (tumblr), "The idea that independently produced content lacks the strong production values of television is a fallacy."
Two Years Gone. Dwayne McDuffie. Let's Remember. Let's Get Angry. dcwomenkickingass (tumblr) - "I know the power that the demands for diversity can have on the comics community. I’ve seen how the anger about the hiring of Orson Scott Card by DC drove story after story. I know intimately how anger about the lack of female creators drove change at the big two."
H/C Meta Links Roundup elspethdixon in the comm whumpable (DW) "A series of h/c meta links collected over the years."
The Unbearable Baggage of Orcing N.K. Jemison (blog) - "I know, I know, orcs are everywhere in fantasy; from Tolkien to Warhammer; by saying I hate orcs I invite the wrath of… well, the fannish horde. (Groan. Sorry.) But here’s something I want you to think about: what are orcs?"
Women in Supernatural, BBC Sherlock, Elementary, Dr Who and Skyfall rosalui (LJ) “This started out as a post about Skyfall, grew to envelop Supernatural, and then I said 'ah, screw it,' and decided to add a clump of my other fandoms as well. In the following post I hope to explore characters and their TV shows, feminine empowerment and exploitation, misogyny, and the difference between a sexist character and a sexist series as a whole."
Original Characters in Fanfic: How Much is Too Much? kel_reiley (DW) - "How do you go about creating a character that is more than a cardboard cutout, a wall for the main characters to bounce their own emotions off?"
Specific Fandoms
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
More Buffy Comic Thoughts: tennyo-elf (LJ) " The new interview with Gage makes me want to rage, but fortunately I've mellowed out with this. I heavily do not agree with "I will say that I love the dynamic between Spike and Angel -- they're rivals, but they're also the only ones on Earth who really understand each other." While the dynamic between Spike and Angel is complex, to reduce it to this line indicates little understanding of both characters. They can understand each other where no one else can because they are both Vampires with a Soul ©, they understand each less when it comes to who they are deep down. This lends to complexities and insights to the other, which is illustrated in their dynamic. Angel has no clue who Spike is deep down, and while Spike might have insight to Angel, I don't think he understand how Angel ticks. “
Journey
Journey: imadra-blue (tumblr) - "Journey uses it’s affected reality to bring forth an affective dimension many adults have lost or forgotten."
Lord of the Rings
A Thought on Thorin’s Generosity and Gandalf’s Wisdom: Tor forums "Thorin's generosity in the gift was not only in its material and monetary value (more than the Shire), but I feel it has extremely important cultural significance given the Dwarves' close relationship with mithril and the hardships and unbelievable loss they have been through the millennia in gaining it."
Hobbit ch 13 Not at Home: Tor forums "Finally, the chapter title. At first glance I took it to be a reference to Smaug, who is very much not there. It didn't occur to me until quite late that it could also be referring to the dwarves, who have far more of a right to call this "home" than the murderer who drove them out. (Mountain-jacking?) And it's quite true, they're back in their former city but they are not at home, not yet."
Sailor Moon, Puella Magi Madoka Magica
On The Importance of Magical Girl Heroines and Weaponized Femininity missturdle (tumblr) - "The Magical Girl genre is essentially a genre which explores the female Heroine’s arc, the female coming of age story, and the womanhood narrative with varying degrees of success or failure — but it gets explored."
Scandal
Boom Goes the Dynamite: Jake Ballard Analysis scandalmoments (tumblr) - I dare say he’s the Abby to Olivia when it comes to the new Jake and Fitz relationship. Jake wants to know the why’s and the how’s about watching Miss Pope."
Sherlock Holmes
The Diagnosing ‘Sherlock BBC’ Characters Meta Series fennishjournal (LJ) This is a series of meta posts about diagnosing different Sherlock characters in reference to different psychiatric diagnosis manuals (like the ICD-10, DSM-IV-TR and OPD-2). I'm a psychotherapist in training and this is basically me using my newly acquired skills to evaluate fanon (Is Sherlock a socípath? Does John suffer from PTSD?), speculate about our heroes' personalities (Why exactly does Sherlock place heads in the fridge and John put up with it?) and formative experiences (What was John's homelife like? Who was Sherlock at university?).
Warnings: There will be references to bullying, trauma, domestic violence, emotional neglect and suicidality throughout this series.
Star Wars
Star Wars Needs a New Approach to Gender--Not Just More Women: The Atlantic (blog) "Science fiction has a history of asking big questions about masculinity and femininity. It's time for Star Wars to take a few pointers from its genre.“
Creating Lasting Impressions of Female Characters in Star Wars fangirl blog “If George Lucas’ Star Wars movies had a general lack of interest in women, I don’t think we’d be talking about Star Wars as the pop-cultural phenomenon it is today. Princess Leia, while just one character, was a game-changer, just as Uhura was a brave step forward in the original Star Trek series. “
Leia Is Not Enough: Star Wars and the Woman Problem in Hollywood: Laura Hudson (blog) - " If you count up all the significant female characters who appear in the original Star Wars trilogy, the list reads as follows … Princess Leia. The only other two women with names and speaking parts in all three movies are Aunt Beru, and that Rebel Alliance representative at the end (who no one remembers until they’re forced to come up with more women)."
Supernatural
Sam and John’s Relationship cherry916 (LJ) "First off I must say this meta is NO way intended to be taken as John bashing or saying John didn't love his sons. This is simply speculation and posing a lot of questions either unanswered or simply never referred to on the show concerning John and Sam and their relationship. “If Sam was the one on death’s bed in Season 2 would John have dropped everything and sold his soul for him?"
“Mytharc” vs “Heart-arc” - Dean as Medieval Romantic Hero: drsilverfish (tumblr) - "It should be apparent, that the narrative cannot actually be easily separated into “mytharc” and “heart-arc” elements, as they are intertwined and neither would work effectively without the other."
Where the hell's my show gone? blackcanine (LJ) - "Why is it so important that Elena is a strong character? Of course any story must have both weak and strong characters so it can work, so why do I insist so much on Elena's strength? Because she's the main character. The story is about her. Not Stefan, not Damon, certainly not Klaus; it's about her."
White Collar
Why I Think Peter is Wrong jayb_111 in wc-confab (LJ) - "Peter has always claimed the moral high ground when lecturing Neal about the right way to do things. He’s supposed to set a better example. I’m not seeing it here."
Y The Last Man
Y The Last Man and how to eradicate half the human race: chiusse (blog) - " It’s a comic that I liked, that I wanted to like, because the premise was so appealing: it’s ostensibly the story of a world of women. An oasis in a wasteland of stories that are fundamentally about men, a story in which women get to be something other than love interests, half-naked (or more than half-) superheroines, or occupants of refrigerators. I recall that I liked it quite a bit. Recently, I thought I’d give it a re-read. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get very far."
Game of Thrones
Meta Monday: Wet Nursing: justadram (tumblr) - "Today’s topic is wet nursing. Jon had a wet nurse, because there was no mother to breastfeed him. But was Jon’s infancy the norm? Is there evidence of wet nursing being common practice in Westeros and what was the historical reality in Western Europe during the Middle Ages?"
Meta Monday: Moon's Blood: justadram (tumblr) - " what did medieval women use? It might actually turn out that in potentially using nothing, Cersei is more medieval than you’d expect."
Meta Monday: Moon tea: justadram (tumblr) - "Today’s topic is birth control. It’s as easy as brewing up some moon tea in Westeros to prevent conception—the Plan B of fantasy birth control."
Person of Interest
Person of Interest: The man in the suit: hellotailor (tumblr) - "Like the majority of characters in procedural cop shows Carter and Fusco have very boring dress-sense, for practical and professional reasons. In costume design terms, the real interest lies with Finch and Reese."
The Following
What Joe's courtship of Ryan means: saucefactory (tumblr) - "I genuinely believe that Joe is courting Ryan, that he wants himself, his ex-wife, Claire, and Ryan to form a triangular polyamorous relationship, much like the one modeled by Paul, Emma and Jacob."
Elementary
So, after I said that I didn’t see many posts about Dr Reed on Elementary, I saw a few of them that seem to really dislike her because she told Joan to leave Sherlock. : crossedwires (tumblr) - "I like that Reed is concerned that Joan is over-involved with Sherlock and is no longer an effective sober companion to him."
Teen Wolf
The Allison series: sordidcrayons (tumblr) - "Allison Argent has a really interesting relationship with herself. She doesn’t really have a clue who she is or who she wants to be. Even before all the supernatural stuff gets involved, we’re given a pretty clear picture of Allison and her search for an identity."
ETA: post was accidentally left private! Sorry guys.
We're now using "format light" on all DW and LJ links, does this help or hinder readability?
If you want to give feedback, volunteer, link us to meta or ask a question, comment to the volunteers post, the Questions and Things post, the screened post, or PM/email.
General Fandoms
Meta on the AO3
topic: meta, topic: archiving, topic: ao3, topic: fandom, topic: tagging
OTW Board Approves Meta Hosting on the AO3: AO3 News - "After a long period of discussion, the OTW Board has voted to allow the posting of meta on the Archive of Our Own. We considered a range of issues while making this decision, including how this move would fit into the overall mission of the OTW, the technical and financial resources required, and demand from users of the Archive and members of the OTW. We determined that there is already a demand for meta on the Archive, and that this use of our resources is consonant with our purview and mission."
OTW Board response to concerns about the meta decision: AO3 News - "There has been a very active and thoughtful response to our recent announcement in favor of allowing meta on the AO3. We'd like to take this opportunity to express our gratitude to everyone for raising their concerns, showing their support, and otherwise engaging with us as we work to define our policies, refine our processes, and improve our communication. In addition, we'd like to respond to a number of the issues raised and clarify how this decision was reached and what the process will be from this point forward."
Seven weeks so far: maia_bob (DW) - "One of things I couldn’t talk about last week (Six weeks so far…) and the week before (Five weeks so far…) was Meta and you're lucky I only joined the board recently or I would have been not talking about it for over six months. if you're interested, my personal decision making process went a lot like this:"
Things:anatsuno (DW) - "I'm all for hosting the meta. I don't have a fully articulated, well-argued scaffolding for that opinion; mostly I think "it's already there, so yeah" and I like seeing the notion of "fan work(s)" get expanded - this comes from the struggle for the recognition of the value of podfic, which taught me a lot about those mental categories I/we tend to have."
Well babies, don't you panic: copracat (DW) - OTW hasn't chosen to allow meta fanworks on AO3. It's chosen not to disallow them. Meta fanworks have been on the archive for almost as long as the archive has existed."
meta on the AO3: ratcreature (DW) - "There are honestly people who are still surprised/disappointed that the OTW decided on the meta on AO3 issue without broader input/discussion first?"
Like watching a train-wreck happen in slow motion: salty_catfish (LJ) - "I sincerly hope this will be the push they need to finally start implementing the features they should have started with five years ago and have been promising just as long."
Meta on Meta on AO3: elf (DW) - "Hypothetically, meta could be hosted "elsewhere," at some meta-specific archive with meta-specific headers. Not so much characters/pairings, ratings, and fandoms; a bit more trigger warnings, contains spoilers Y/N, Single Fandom ("Why Neal is a perfect sub")/Multifandom ("Hawkeye vs Green Arrow vs Robin Hood archery contest")/General Meta ("How Teenage Girls React to Fridging"), and so on. But it isn't. There is no general meta-archive. NONE."
AO3 allows for meta, no infrastructure to support it:silverflight8 (LJ) - "But then I realized that there is already a really big problem that AO3 has no resolution to, and this decision is sure to aggravate it: the fact that the filtering system is not good, and adding meta to the mix will make it worse."
OTW and legal defence of Fanfiction
topic: fanfic, topic: copyright
The OTW (see unpopular opinion below): sachehund - " Generally, when an author says stop posting, you stop posting. That’s just how it goes. You don’t need a signed copy of the DMCA for that."
Why I wiped my AO3 account: allmyinterenets (tumblr) - " The short explanation for why i did it is that after some thinking and reading the organization’s mission statement, I decided I was uncomfortable enough with their definition of fanfiction—and, more importantly, how that definition plays into their goals—to disassociate my work from them."
Response to the responses AO3 OTW: allmyinternets (tumblr) - " I figured doing a centralized(ish) response post and tagging all three of you would probably be the clearest, most efficient way of doing that.
On the Organization of Transformative Works, AO3, and creator rights.: meinterrupted (DW) - "Creators do not get to dictate how their readers (or viewers) interact with their creations. To attempt to do so is folly. Your job ended when your book was published; what happens when it falls into a reader's hands is not something you can control. The only way to ensure that your vision of what happens in your creation is the only vision is to keep it locked up in a vault and never let anyone see it."
Response to the responses AO3 OTW: sachehund (tumblr) - " I honestly think it’s a good thing that this is continuing to be talked about, but I think some of the responses are missing the point in a big way."
On the OTW, part 2, because apparently I can't help myself.: meinterrupted (DW) - "This is a direct response to sachehund's response to the responses post, and a follow-up to my previous post on this topic."
Objectification, actors and fans
topic: celebrity, topic: fandom, topic: actors, topic: feminism
The guilt of the smitten fan: professorfangirl (tumblr) - "Someone asked me: “Did you see the short clip from London’s premiere of Cloud Atlas? I find it so disturbing, wanted to talk to someone about that. I understand that it’s normal, that actors get annoyed about people all wanting pieces of them, but still, he (Ben Whishaw) looks so distant and so pissed off, and I feel so guilty being a fan. do you think it’s normal - this guilt thing?”"
Benedict Cumberbatch is not my bitch: On objectification in fandom: professorfangirl (tumblr) - "I’m reposting this because 1) there’s an interesting conversation going on about fandom, embarrassment, and guilt, and 2) I wrote it some eight months ago when I was new to fandom, and I’d like to reexamine my thinking (because really, some of this is so charmingly noobie), and 3) I’m writing about similar issues in regard to Ben Whishaw"
More thoughts on Objectification, Fandoms and Feminism: evenlode (tumblr) - "Why does society make sexual arousal for women taboo and not for men, when there is an age difference?"
Feelings aren't right or wrong, they're just feelings: some final thoughts on guilt, fandom and objectification: professorfangirl (tumblr) - "My two main points in and about this essay: first, I want to be wary because wariness gives me time to think and examine my response, and two, that thinking, that self-examination, helps me to know myself better."
What is objectification anyway?: dignityisforotherpeople (tumblr) - "it seems to me that any mental objectification of others is profoundly, and maybe innately, unstable. Not only that, it seems to fall within a spectrum of completely normal and even inevitable things we do in our brains in order to engage with the world; and to imagine someone in a way that ignores their agency doesn’t at all mean that you never remember it."
Choosing a video editor: cupidsbow (LJ) - "I've had a few people recently asking me about the video editor that I use with an eye to choosing one for themselves, so I've distilled the main issues into this post."
topic: vidding
Rule 63 and #femslash february: perfectworry (DW) - "If you're following #femslash february on Tumblr, you might have seen some… discussion about the inclusion of Rule 63 (i.e., genderswapped) fics and art in the tag. If you're not on Tumblr (and I know some people here aren't), the question is really wether genderswapping a male/male (or less commonly, a female/male) pairing is in the spirit of the celebration."
character: female, topic: fanfic, topic: gender,
This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things
hellkitty (DW) - I'm sure by now you've seen this from tumblr For those who choose to preserve sanity, it's very simple: apparently the social justice white knighters have taken it upon themselves to bully people who write, read or like noncon. Because there is 'too much rape' in our fandom.
warning: rape/non-con
How author Sam Starbuck shapes online fancom (and vice versa): Gavia Baker-Whitelaw (blog) - "We spoke to him about his history in fandom, the issues brought up by maintaining a long-term online pseudonym, and the unique community-based editing process he developed for his original writing."
topic: writing, topic: fandom, topic: fourth wall, topic: archiving, topic: social platforms
How to be inclusive when you're afraid of getting it wrong: Quinn (blog) - " It’s hard, but not complicated. Find all the information you can, but accept that you won’t know everything, or that your viewpoint could be obscured by your cultural perceptions. Expand your boundaries. Have fun!"
topic: diversity
How to write a long fantasy series: swan_tower (LJ) - "the point here is to talk about the specific challenges of writing a long epic fantasy series -- here defining “long” as “more than a trilogy, and telling one ongoing story."
fandom: wheel of time, topic: writing, topic: fantasy,
C is for Combat snowynight (DW) - Combat fascinates people, judging from the popularity of action and war films. There's something satisfying to see your hero giving a good fight
topic: writing, topic: combat
Thoughts On Things Like Kings
kaigou (DW) - This evening I ended up reading a long essay (originally a speech) which is currently the center of a shitstorm in Britain, wherein a renowned female author appears to criticize the Duchess of... whatever Kate Middleton's the duchess of. Read the whole thing here: http://www.lrb.co.uk/v35/n04/hilary-mantel/royal-bodies
topic: royalty
Seraphina, fullblood prejudice and pervasive racial passing: alliettedb (LJ) - “So… have just finished Rachel Hartman’s Seraphina–I bought it mainly because it was recommended to me as a great portrayal of a mixed-race protagonist: its eponymous heroine is half-dragon, half-human in a world where a fragile peace reigns between the two species. Seraphina is the Music Mistress at the court of the human queen of Goredd, where she passes as human in order to avoid the deep-seated prejudice and fear engendered by dragons (who are able to take human form but are betrayed by their silver blood and their odd smell). It’s an intriguing setup; but in the end, I’m sad to report I was somewhat disappointed by Seraphina and its portrayal of race relationships."
topic: race, topic: review
PSA About Web Seriessquidbagel (tumblr), "The idea that independently produced content lacks the strong production values of television is a fallacy."
topic: webseries
Two Years Gone. Dwayne McDuffie. Let's Remember. Let's Get Angry. dcwomenkickingass (tumblr) - "I know the power that the demands for diversity can have on the comics community. I’ve seen how the anger about the hiring of Orson Scott Card by DC drove story after story. I know intimately how anger about the lack of female creators drove change at the big two."
fandom: comics, topic: race
H/C Meta Links Roundup elspethdixon in the comm whumpable (DW) "A series of h/c meta links collected over the years."
topic: hurt/comfort
The Unbearable Baggage of Orcing N.K. Jemison (blog) - "I know, I know, orcs are everywhere in fantasy; from Tolkien to Warhammer; by saying I hate orcs I invite the wrath of… well, the fannish horde. (Groan. Sorry.) But here’s something I want you to think about: what are orcs?"
topic: fantasy, topic: folklore
Women in Supernatural, BBC Sherlock, Elementary, Dr Who and Skyfall rosalui (LJ) “This started out as a post about Skyfall, grew to envelop Supernatural, and then I said 'ah, screw it,' and decided to add a clump of my other fandoms as well. In the following post I hope to explore characters and their TV shows, feminine empowerment and exploitation, misogyny, and the difference between a sexist character and a sexist series as a whole."
fandom: sherlock, fandom: dr who, fandom: elementary, fandom: skyfall, fandom: supernatural, topic: feminism, character: female
Original Characters in Fanfic: How Much is Too Much? kel_reiley (DW) - "How do you go about creating a character that is more than a cardboard cutout, a wall for the main characters to bounce their own emotions off?"
topic: original characters, topic: character development, topic: writing
Specific Fandoms
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
More Buffy Comic Thoughts: tennyo-elf (LJ) " The new interview with Gage makes me want to rage, but fortunately I've mellowed out with this. I heavily do not agree with "I will say that I love the dynamic between Spike and Angel -- they're rivals, but they're also the only ones on Earth who really understand each other." While the dynamic between Spike and Angel is complex, to reduce it to this line indicates little understanding of both characters. They can understand each other where no one else can because they are both Vampires with a Soul ©, they understand each less when it comes to who they are deep down. This lends to complexities and insights to the other, which is illustrated in their dynamic. Angel has no clue who Spike is deep down, and while Spike might have insight to Angel, I don't think he understand how Angel ticks. “
fandom: btvs, topic: comics
Journey
Journey: imadra-blue (tumblr) - "Journey uses it’s affected reality to bring forth an affective dimension many adults have lost or forgotten."
fandom: gaming
Lord of the Rings
A Thought on Thorin’s Generosity and Gandalf’s Wisdom: Tor forums "Thorin's generosity in the gift was not only in its material and monetary value (more than the Shire), but I feel it has extremely important cultural significance given the Dwarves' close relationship with mithril and the hardships and unbelievable loss they have been through the millennia in gaining it."
fandom: tolkien
Hobbit ch 13 Not at Home: Tor forums "Finally, the chapter title. At first glance I took it to be a reference to Smaug, who is very much not there. It didn't occur to me until quite late that it could also be referring to the dwarves, who have far more of a right to call this "home" than the murderer who drove them out. (Mountain-jacking?) And it's quite true, they're back in their former city but they are not at home, not yet."
fandom: tolkien
Sailor Moon, Puella Magi Madoka Magica
On The Importance of Magical Girl Heroines and Weaponized Femininity missturdle (tumblr) - "The Magical Girl genre is essentially a genre which explores the female Heroine’s arc, the female coming of age story, and the womanhood narrative with varying degrees of success or failure — but it gets explored."
topic: feminism, fandom: manga
Scandal
Boom Goes the Dynamite: Jake Ballard Analysis scandalmoments (tumblr) - I dare say he’s the Abby to Olivia when it comes to the new Jake and Fitz relationship. Jake wants to know the why’s and the how’s about watching Miss Pope."
fandom: scandal
Sherlock Holmes
The Diagnosing ‘Sherlock BBC’ Characters Meta Series fennishjournal (LJ) This is a series of meta posts about diagnosing different Sherlock characters in reference to different psychiatric diagnosis manuals (like the ICD-10, DSM-IV-TR and OPD-2). I'm a psychotherapist in training and this is basically me using my newly acquired skills to evaluate fanon (Is Sherlock a socípath? Does John suffer from PTSD?), speculate about our heroes' personalities (Why exactly does Sherlock place heads in the fridge and John put up with it?) and formative experiences (What was John's homelife like? Who was Sherlock at university?).
Warnings: There will be references to bullying, trauma, domestic violence, emotional neglect and suicidality throughout this series.
topic: psychology, warning: trauma,warning: abuse, warning: suicide
Star Wars
Star Wars Needs a New Approach to Gender--Not Just More Women: The Atlantic (blog) "Science fiction has a history of asking big questions about masculinity and femininity. It's time for Star Wars to take a few pointers from its genre.“
fandom: star wars, topic: gender, topic: feminism, character: female
Creating Lasting Impressions of Female Characters in Star Wars fangirl blog “If George Lucas’ Star Wars movies had a general lack of interest in women, I don’t think we’d be talking about Star Wars as the pop-cultural phenomenon it is today. Princess Leia, while just one character, was a game-changer, just as Uhura was a brave step forward in the original Star Trek series. “
fandom: star wars, topic: feminism, character: female
Leia Is Not Enough: Star Wars and the Woman Problem in Hollywood: Laura Hudson (blog) - " If you count up all the significant female characters who appear in the original Star Wars trilogy, the list reads as follows … Princess Leia. The only other two women with names and speaking parts in all three movies are Aunt Beru, and that Rebel Alliance representative at the end (who no one remembers until they’re forced to come up with more women)."
fandom: star wars, character: female, topic: diversity
Supernatural
Sam and John’s Relationship cherry916 (LJ) "First off I must say this meta is NO way intended to be taken as John bashing or saying John didn't love his sons. This is simply speculation and posing a lot of questions either unanswered or simply never referred to on the show concerning John and Sam and their relationship. “If Sam was the one on death’s bed in Season 2 would John have dropped everything and sold his soul for him?"
fandom: supernatural, fandom: supernatural: sam, fandom: supernatural: john, relationship: family
“Mytharc” vs “Heart-arc” - Dean as Medieval Romantic Hero: drsilverfish (tumblr) - "It should be apparent, that the narrative cannot actually be easily separated into “mytharc” and “heart-arc” elements, as they are intertwined and neither would work effectively without the other."
fandom: supernatural, fandom: btvs, fandom: xena
The Vampire DiariesWhere the hell's my show gone? blackcanine (LJ) - "Why is it so important that Elena is a strong character? Of course any story must have both weak and strong characters so it can work, so why do I insist so much on Elena's strength? Because she's the main character. The story is about her. Not Stefan, not Damon, certainly not Klaus; it's about her."
topic: character development
White Collar
Why I Think Peter is Wrong jayb_111 in wc-confab (LJ) - "Peter has always claimed the moral high ground when lecturing Neal about the right way to do things. He’s supposed to set a better example. I’m not seeing it here."
topic: character development
Y The Last Man
Y The Last Man and how to eradicate half the human race: chiusse (blog) - " It’s a comic that I liked, that I wanted to like, because the premise was so appealing: it’s ostensibly the story of a world of women. An oasis in a wasteland of stories that are fundamentally about men, a story in which women get to be something other than love interests, half-naked (or more than half-) superheroines, or occupants of refrigerators. I recall that I liked it quite a bit. Recently, I thought I’d give it a re-read. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get very far."
fandom: comics, fandom: comics: y the last man, character: female, character: male
Game of Thrones
Meta Monday: Wet Nursing: justadram (tumblr) - "Today’s topic is wet nursing. Jon had a wet nurse, because there was no mother to breastfeed him. But was Jon’s infancy the norm? Is there evidence of wet nursing being common practice in Westeros and what was the historical reality in Western Europe during the Middle Ages?"
fandom: asoiaf, topic: research, topic: details, character: female, topic: history
Meta Monday: Moon's Blood: justadram (tumblr) - " what did medieval women use? It might actually turn out that in potentially using nothing, Cersei is more medieval than you’d expect."
fandom: asoiaf, topic: research, topic: details, character: female, topic: history
Meta Monday: Moon tea: justadram (tumblr) - "Today’s topic is birth control. It’s as easy as brewing up some moon tea in Westeros to prevent conception—the Plan B of fantasy birth control."
fandom: asoiaf, topic: research, topic: details, character: female, topic: history
Person of Interest
Person of Interest: The man in the suit: hellotailor (tumblr) - "Like the majority of characters in procedural cop shows Carter and Fusco have very boring dress-sense, for practical and professional reasons. In costume design terms, the real interest lies with Finch and Reese."
fandom: person of interest, fandom: person of interest: reese, fandom: person of interest: finch, topic: costumes
The Following
What Joe's courtship of Ryan means: saucefactory (tumblr) - "I genuinely believe that Joe is courting Ryan, that he wants himself, his ex-wife, Claire, and Ryan to form a triangular polyamorous relationship, much like the one modeled by Paul, Emma and Jacob."
fandom: the following, relationship: slash, relationship: polyamory
Elementary
So, after I said that I didn’t see many posts about Dr Reed on Elementary, I saw a few of them that seem to really dislike her because she told Joan to leave Sherlock. : crossedwires (tumblr) - "I like that Reed is concerned that Joan is over-involved with Sherlock and is no longer an effective sober companion to him."
fandom: elementary, topic: race, character: female
Teen Wolf
The Allison series: sordidcrayons (tumblr) - "Allison Argent has a really interesting relationship with herself. She doesn’t really have a clue who she is or who she wants to be. Even before all the supernatural stuff gets involved, we’re given a pretty clear picture of Allison and her search for an identity."
fandom: teen wolf, fandom: teen wolf: allison, character: study