Meta Links 2015/02/12 - 2015/02/18
Notices
If you have meta to submit or rec, please comment to this post or to the screened Submissions Post. If you'd like to give us blanket permission to link your meta please comment to the Blanket Permissions Post. If you have feedback or questions, check out our FAQ, Contact the Mods, or PM/email. If you'd like to volunteer to link-find or mod, please comment to the Volunteers Post.
General Fandom
J. Lamb on Why Superhero Diversity Isn’t Enough: Noah Berlatsky (blog) - "The question for any comic creator interested in developing a character of color should be "How does this character define their connection with this particular identity, and why should it matter to me?""
topic:race
New Rules of Fantasy: The Tyranny and Power of Defaulting: quinn (blog) - "A warrior leaps at his opponent, ready to strike a lethal strike…"
topic:fantasy, topic:race
Why are NPCs still racist?: PBS Game/Show (video)
topic:racism, fandom:gaming
What not to do when teaching a class about fanfiction: Gavia Baker-Whitelaw (blog) - "Last night, I found out that one of my fanfics made it onto the required reading list for a class at the University of California, Berkeley. Weird news, but kind of flattering at the same time. However, some of the other authors on that reading list were angry-and for good reason."
topic:fanfic, topic:feedback
Sexualized Saturdays: Pairings Between Black Women & White Men and the Lack of Acceptance in Fandom: Lady Geek Girl (blog) - "So let’s take a look at some of the interracial couples we do see in geek culture and how they are written and perceived by the fans."
topic:romance, topic:racism
So Your Fic Is Required Reading: Hahahanope: waldorph (tumblr) - "So, I got to the bottom of why I was getting such weird comments on a relatively obscure fic of mine-it’s required reading in a class being taught, and one of the assignments is to leave a comment on the required reading which is more critical than constructive so that the professors know students are "engaging" with the texts in a way that isn’t just "YAY I LIKED IT.""
topic:fanfic, topic:feedback
Untitled: waldorph (tumblr) - "I think we can all agree that comments are ace. Writers like them, we like them a lot, feedback is always lovely."
topic:fanfic, topic:feedback
Won’t they? The power (and pitfalls) of ‘shipping: Genevieve Valentin (blog) - "That is, at its heart, what ’shipping is: an interpersonal suspense, a possibility that keeps a viewer wondering-and, ideally, tuning in to find out."
topic:shipping, topic:romance
Unpopular Fandom Opinions With Regard To Feedback: havocthecat (DW) - "You don't get to tell someone how they need to leave feedback on your work. If you put your work out there in a format that allows for commentary and feedback, people can comment however they want to and leave whatever kind of feedback they like. "
topic:fanfic, topic:feedback (this post is in relation to the academic study of fanfic issue and contains many links on the topic)
Curative and transformative fandoms: 3am microsleeps (tumblr) - "Large fandoms-things like Doctor Who, or Supernatural, or Star Trek, or any superhero comic-tend to have unique and separate sides to them: curative and transformative."
topic:fandom, topic:fanfic
What Is Chemistry To You?: various authors (DW) - "
Chemistry is completely subjective (where some see chemistry, others don't), so I'm curious about your own personal thoughts and how you use the term."
topic:chemistry, topic:relationship
Specific Fandoms
Agent Carter
’Agent Carter’ ends on a high note, but will it be back?: Gavia Baker-Whitelaw (blog) - "Agent Carter's first season was short and sweet, racing toward this week's tightly written conclusion."
fandom:agentcarter, warning:spoilers
Aladdin
Magical Mondays: Omniscience and Aladdin’s Genie: Lady Geek Girl (blog) - "But today I have decided, against all reason, to look at how the Genie could know all of these things despite the fact that most of his references are from the future."
fandom:disney
The Blue Sword
Throwback Thursdays: The Blue Crown: Lady Saika (blog) - "I adored The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley when I was younger. How could I not love a story about a girl who’s swept into a magical world and becomes a knight? Having recently reread it, though, it does have a pretty problematic side."
fandom:damar, topic:racism
Card Captor Sakura
Untitled: vantasticmess (tumblr) - "lulockholmes asked: Hello! I saw you wrote a lovely, insightful meta about Syaoran and his family. I love CCS and Syaoran especially, but something has bugged me terribly about him: Syaoran's attitude towards Sakura in ep 8, when he forces/bullies her and Touya then comes to the rescue. I wanted to ask your thoughts on that?"
fandom:manga, fandom:anime
Constantine
So now that it's probably done, what do we think?: various authors (other) - "The thirteenth episode of Constantine aired on Friday. Which the last episode that NBC commissioned, with no renewal in sight."
fandom:constantine, warning:spoilers
DC Comics
Making Sense of The Martian Manhunter: Chris Sims (blog) - "The Martian Manhunter, however, has always been a really interesting character to me, if only because in terms of being a solo character, he’s the definition of an also-ran. He’s been around forever, but he’s never quite clicked, and I think the simple reason for that is that there’s nothing he does that isn’t already done better by someone else."
fandom:dccomics
Dragon Age: Inquisition
How ‘Dragon Age: Inquisition’ is helping to make a better future for LGBT people: Matt Kane (blog) - "In many ways, the medium itself had to mature along with its consumer base, and recognizing that straight adolescent males weren't (and never had been) its only market was one of the most important steps."
fandom:dragonage, topic:queer
The Duchess
The Duchess: What We Don’t See: aelarsen (blog) - "Georgiana’s romantic life is, in my opinion, in many ways the least interesting part of her life story."
fandom:theduchess
Fables
Who’s The Fairest One of All?: How Fairest Granted My Wishes and Destroyed Them All In One Go: Tsunderin (blog) - "Luckily for me, I chose a one-off that had its own self-contained story: the story of the self-proclaimed "worst week in Cinderella’s life", otherwise known as Fairest (In All The Land)."
fandom:fables
Fifty Shades of Grey
How ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ punishes women for having sex: Nico Lang (blog) - "For a movie that’s supposed to be about a woman’s journey toward consensual kink, Fifty Shades of Grey looks a lot like emotional abuse."
fandom:fiftyshadesofgrey
The one scene in ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ the Internet isn’t talking about: Harris O’Malley (blog) - "But while the movie toned down the more obvious rapey aspects of the book, there was one section that stood out as an example of the movie normalizing what is at best creepy behavior and at worst, a prime example of a movie trivializing and normalizing rapey behavior as romantic."
fandom:fiftyshadesofgrey
Is kinkphobia behind the widespread criticism of ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’?: Catherine Scott (blog) - "Where I am going to defend both the book and the movie, however, is on the charge that the key relationship is bad for women."
fandom:fiftyshadesofgrey
Why the BDSM community’s complaints about ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ aren’t productive: Cassie Fuller (blog) - "But with all the kinksters bashing the books, it would probably surprise you that I think the Fifty Shades franchise has been beneficial, both for the BDSM community and the general population."
fandom:fiftyshadesofgrey
On Missing Several Points At Once: Online Conversations About Fifty Shades Of Grey: Bootleg Girl (blog) - "So we need to talk about Fifty Shades of Grey, not just because it's the current thing to write catchy headlines about, but because people are missing important nuances."
fandom:fiftyshadesofgrey, topic:discussion
Firefly
Newsflash: the Firefly guys were the villains: misterkristoff (blog) -"I’ve got nothing for lurrrrve for Firefly and the crew of Serenity, I’ve got some bad news, droogs: Mal Reynolds and the crew of Firefly were the fucking bad guys."
fandom:firefly
Glee
Analysis of Blaine and Dave Karofsky's relationship: sothinky (tumblr) - "Don’t try to tell me that there wasn’t an honest affection in this relationship. Don’t try to tell me that Dave wasn’t invested in the relationship or that he didn’t love Blaine."
fandom:glee, topic:canon, topic:relationship
Highlander
Goddesses in Every Highlander Woman: Parda (AO3) - "An analysis of HL women as archetypes of Greek goddesses (an essay written for the Highlander Down Under Convention of 2001)"
fandom:highlander
Jupiter Ascending
Why women love ‘Jupiter Ascending’: Gavia Baker-Whitelaw (blog) - "Recently, Hollywood proved once again that it just does not understand women. This proof came in the form of a trashy blockbuster that struck a chord with women, though it was widely derided by critics for its weird concept and laughable dialogue. And no, I'm not talking about Fifty Shades of Grey."
fandom:jupiterascending
Unpopular Fannish Opinion: princessofgeeks (DW) - "I will never understand Hollywood. Why are raves about "Jupiter Ascending" all over my reading list, while "John Carter of Mars" sank without a trace?"
fandom:jupiterascending
Legend of Zelda
Gossip Stone: Should There Be Significant Racism in a Zelda Game?: (blog) - "what if the races were not so friendly with eachother, and you could not just walk up and say hi to them all? What if the races were divided? Would they still have the same impact as characters?"
topic:race, fandom:legendofzelda
Marvel Cinematic Universe
Character Analysis: Marvel Cinematic Universe Loki (Part 2): T.C. Robson (blog) - "This second and final part picks up from where I left off, finishing my analysis with the developments in Thor: The Dark World."
fandom:mcu
The 100
Untitled: shawnabenson (tumblr) - "I can understand why you would feel that Bellamy seems to be somehow lesser than Clarke. The difference is that right now, Bellamy is a micro-leader and Clarke is a macro-leader."
fandom:the100
The City of Light: a Few Theories on What the Frickle Frackle Is Going On: viansian (tumblr) - "So underneath the cut, I have a few theories on the location of the main spots in the 100 (including Mount Weather, Camp Jaha, and speculation on the City of Light) as well as a few theories on what may happen."
fandom:the100
Clarke, Abby, and how The 100 is frakking bleak (and also bananas).: jinjoint (tumblr) - "I’ve noticed for a while now that Clarke’s never received the Travelers Blessing ("May we meet again") from anyone, or spoken it to anyone."
fandom:the100
Parks and Recreation
How ‘Parks and Recreation’ made the world a better place: Chris Osterndorf (blog) - "Let it never be said that just because something isn't popular, it isn’t also great."
fandom:parksandrecreation
Pretty Little Liars
Figuring out who A Is: qsofm (tumblr) - "Notice that you can pick out the letters in the equation in the right order "
fandom:prettylittleliars, topic:canon (possible spoilers)
Sailor Moon
Oh, My Pop Culture Pantheon: Sailor Moon and Greco-Roman Mythology: syngraphea (blog) - "It turns out that Greco-Roman mythology was definitely an inspiration for many aspects of the series, though understandably there are a lot of differences as well."
fandom:sailormoon
Secretary
Secretary and 50 Shades of Grey: Erika Moen - "That the abuse and poor BDSM practices of 50 Shades is so reviled but that the same practices in Secretary are adored and embraced is genuinely baffling to me."
fandom:secretary, fandom:fiftyshadesofgrey
Shameless
Shameless "Crazy Love" Review Polar Bears: (blog) - "Shameless features quite possibly the best ensemble cast on television, and "Crazy Love" displays that cast at the height of its power"
fandom:shameless, topic:mentalillness, topic:canon, warning:spoilers
A Song of Ice and Fire
Top Characters #34 Khal Drogo: Black_Goat (blog) - "Compared to many characters in A Song of Ice and Fire, Khal Drogo is almost unknowable to the reader."
fandom:asoiaf
Top Characters #33 Margaery Tyrell: little_dove (blog) - "Margaery Tyrell is the youngest child and only daughter of Alerie and Mace Tyrell of Highgarden, sister to Garlan, Willas and Loras, granddaughter to Lady Olenna, the legendary Queen of Thorns."
fandom:asoiaf
Top Characters #32 Arianne Martell: Daeron Martell - "A young, beautiful and enthusiastic player of the game of thrones, Arianne is an intriguing blend of fire, venom and sensuously delicate vulnerability."
fandom:asoiaf
Top Characters #31 Tormund: BloodRaven Shot 1st (blog) - "Tormund is a man of many titles, many of them self-styled."
fandom:asoiaf
The Blacks and Reds Part 1: StevenAttewell - "Now Steve turns his attention toward the Blackfyre Rebellions. In Part I: Origins and Causes, Steve tackles the difficult questions of why and how the Blackfyre Rebellions happened and who fought for the Blacks and who fought for the Reds."
fandom:asoiaf
Stark Justice II: An Ode to Catelyn Tully: mikelywhiplash (blog) - "Everybody shut up and listen to Catelyn Tully, Lady Stark. You fools ignoring her is why there was even a War of the Five Kings to begin with. Lady Stark had six ways to end the war before y’all blew it and gave Team Lannister an opening."
fandom:asoiaf
Supernatural
Supernatural: Halt & Catch Pointless Heterosexuality: Rachel A (blog) - "My issue is rather the episode’s depiction of Dean’s hetero-sexuality, which was - to put it bluntly - gross and gratuitous even by Supernatural standards."
fandom:supernatural
Superman
Even today, I still think Christopher Reeve did the best job of playing a superhero ever:various authors (other) - "Every year multiple superhero films (and these days, TV shows) debut that are by and large much better than many older superhero movies."
fandom:dccu, topic:canon, topic:superheroes
Teen Wolf
Untitled: ink-splotch (tumblr) - "Anonymous asked: I think the reason Allison wasn't the nogitsune and Stiles was was bc half the story was already plotted out when Crystal came to Jeff. Given the time when they said she proposed it, I'm almost positive it probably was. HOWEVER, why couldn't the twist have been that there were two nogitsunes, that the only way to free Stiles had something to do with the nogitsune in him not having his true name, that Allison couldn't be saved bc hers was in the creatures hands?
fandom:teenwolf
Tolkien
eucatastrophe tintamande: (tumblr) - "Tolkien coined the word ‘eucatastrophe’ to describe "the sudden happy turn in a story which pierces you with a joy that brings tears"
fandom:jrrtolkien, topic:canon
Marshals Of The Riddermark: askmiddlearth (tumblr) - "Traditionally, Rohan’s army had three chief commanders: the First, Second, and Third Marshals of the Riddermark, in descending rank. "
fandom:jrrtolkien, topic:canon
Paradise In Middle Earth: tintamande (tumblr) - "the issue was Sauron. The reason things went badly is because Sauron was trying to make things go badly"
fandom:jrrtolkien
Why Dwarves And Axes: various authors (other) - "I know that dwarves did not just use axes (they also used bows and swords and mattocks and I'm sure all else), and I know that axes are not exclusively used by dwarves (but also men and elves), but of course, axes and dwarves are tied together in the mythos."
fandom:jrrtolkien, topic:canon
Two and a Half Men
Two and a Half men is Finally Over: Erik Abriss (blog) - "After 12 years, 262 episodes and enough Tiger Blood to satisfy an entire nation, the CBS sitcom Two and a Half Men has officially ended its run."
fandom:twoandahalfmen
The Vampire Diaries
[Caroline...you and me, it's not gonna happen.]: badboy_fangirl (AO3) - "Meta on Stefan Salvatore following 6x15 "Let Her Go.""
fandom:thevampirediaries, warning:spoilers
If you have meta to submit or rec, please comment to this post or to the screened Submissions Post. If you'd like to give us blanket permission to link your meta please comment to the Blanket Permissions Post. If you have feedback or questions, check out our FAQ, Contact the Mods, or PM/email. If you'd like to volunteer to link-find or mod, please comment to the Volunteers Post.
General Fandom
J. Lamb on Why Superhero Diversity Isn’t Enough: Noah Berlatsky (blog) - "The question for any comic creator interested in developing a character of color should be "How does this character define their connection with this particular identity, and why should it matter to me?""
topic:race
New Rules of Fantasy: The Tyranny and Power of Defaulting: quinn (blog) - "A warrior leaps at his opponent, ready to strike a lethal strike…"
topic:fantasy, topic:race
Why are NPCs still racist?: PBS Game/Show (video)
topic:racism, fandom:gaming
What not to do when teaching a class about fanfiction: Gavia Baker-Whitelaw (blog) - "Last night, I found out that one of my fanfics made it onto the required reading list for a class at the University of California, Berkeley. Weird news, but kind of flattering at the same time. However, some of the other authors on that reading list were angry-and for good reason."
topic:fanfic, topic:feedback
Sexualized Saturdays: Pairings Between Black Women & White Men and the Lack of Acceptance in Fandom: Lady Geek Girl (blog) - "So let’s take a look at some of the interracial couples we do see in geek culture and how they are written and perceived by the fans."
topic:romance, topic:racism
So Your Fic Is Required Reading: Hahahanope: waldorph (tumblr) - "So, I got to the bottom of why I was getting such weird comments on a relatively obscure fic of mine-it’s required reading in a class being taught, and one of the assignments is to leave a comment on the required reading which is more critical than constructive so that the professors know students are "engaging" with the texts in a way that isn’t just "YAY I LIKED IT.""
topic:fanfic, topic:feedback
Untitled: waldorph (tumblr) - "I think we can all agree that comments are ace. Writers like them, we like them a lot, feedback is always lovely."
topic:fanfic, topic:feedback
Won’t they? The power (and pitfalls) of ‘shipping: Genevieve Valentin (blog) - "That is, at its heart, what ’shipping is: an interpersonal suspense, a possibility that keeps a viewer wondering-and, ideally, tuning in to find out."
topic:shipping, topic:romance
Unpopular Fandom Opinions With Regard To Feedback: havocthecat (DW) - "You don't get to tell someone how they need to leave feedback on your work. If you put your work out there in a format that allows for commentary and feedback, people can comment however they want to and leave whatever kind of feedback they like. "
topic:fanfic, topic:feedback (this post is in relation to the academic study of fanfic issue and contains many links on the topic)
Curative and transformative fandoms: 3am microsleeps (tumblr) - "Large fandoms-things like Doctor Who, or Supernatural, or Star Trek, or any superhero comic-tend to have unique and separate sides to them: curative and transformative."
topic:fandom, topic:fanfic
What Is Chemistry To You?: various authors (DW) - "
Chemistry is completely subjective (where some see chemistry, others don't), so I'm curious about your own personal thoughts and how you use the term."
topic:chemistry, topic:relationship
Specific Fandoms
Agent Carter
’Agent Carter’ ends on a high note, but will it be back?: Gavia Baker-Whitelaw (blog) - "Agent Carter's first season was short and sweet, racing toward this week's tightly written conclusion."
fandom:agentcarter, warning:spoilers
Aladdin
Magical Mondays: Omniscience and Aladdin’s Genie: Lady Geek Girl (blog) - "But today I have decided, against all reason, to look at how the Genie could know all of these things despite the fact that most of his references are from the future."
fandom:disney
The Blue Sword
Throwback Thursdays: The Blue Crown: Lady Saika (blog) - "I adored The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley when I was younger. How could I not love a story about a girl who’s swept into a magical world and becomes a knight? Having recently reread it, though, it does have a pretty problematic side."
fandom:damar, topic:racism
Card Captor Sakura
Untitled: vantasticmess (tumblr) - "lulockholmes asked: Hello! I saw you wrote a lovely, insightful meta about Syaoran and his family. I love CCS and Syaoran especially, but something has bugged me terribly about him: Syaoran's attitude towards Sakura in ep 8, when he forces/bullies her and Touya then comes to the rescue. I wanted to ask your thoughts on that?"
fandom:manga, fandom:anime
Constantine
So now that it's probably done, what do we think?: various authors (other) - "The thirteenth episode of Constantine aired on Friday. Which the last episode that NBC commissioned, with no renewal in sight."
fandom:constantine, warning:spoilers
DC Comics
Making Sense of The Martian Manhunter: Chris Sims (blog) - "The Martian Manhunter, however, has always been a really interesting character to me, if only because in terms of being a solo character, he’s the definition of an also-ran. He’s been around forever, but he’s never quite clicked, and I think the simple reason for that is that there’s nothing he does that isn’t already done better by someone else."
fandom:dccomics
Dragon Age: Inquisition
How ‘Dragon Age: Inquisition’ is helping to make a better future for LGBT people: Matt Kane (blog) - "In many ways, the medium itself had to mature along with its consumer base, and recognizing that straight adolescent males weren't (and never had been) its only market was one of the most important steps."
fandom:dragonage, topic:queer
The Duchess
The Duchess: What We Don’t See: aelarsen (blog) - "Georgiana’s romantic life is, in my opinion, in many ways the least interesting part of her life story."
fandom:theduchess
Fables
Who’s The Fairest One of All?: How Fairest Granted My Wishes and Destroyed Them All In One Go: Tsunderin (blog) - "Luckily for me, I chose a one-off that had its own self-contained story: the story of the self-proclaimed "worst week in Cinderella’s life", otherwise known as Fairest (In All The Land)."
fandom:fables
Fifty Shades of Grey
How ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ punishes women for having sex: Nico Lang (blog) - "For a movie that’s supposed to be about a woman’s journey toward consensual kink, Fifty Shades of Grey looks a lot like emotional abuse."
fandom:fiftyshadesofgrey
The one scene in ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ the Internet isn’t talking about: Harris O’Malley (blog) - "But while the movie toned down the more obvious rapey aspects of the book, there was one section that stood out as an example of the movie normalizing what is at best creepy behavior and at worst, a prime example of a movie trivializing and normalizing rapey behavior as romantic."
fandom:fiftyshadesofgrey
Is kinkphobia behind the widespread criticism of ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’?: Catherine Scott (blog) - "Where I am going to defend both the book and the movie, however, is on the charge that the key relationship is bad for women."
fandom:fiftyshadesofgrey
Why the BDSM community’s complaints about ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ aren’t productive: Cassie Fuller (blog) - "But with all the kinksters bashing the books, it would probably surprise you that I think the Fifty Shades franchise has been beneficial, both for the BDSM community and the general population."
fandom:fiftyshadesofgrey
On Missing Several Points At Once: Online Conversations About Fifty Shades Of Grey: Bootleg Girl (blog) - "So we need to talk about Fifty Shades of Grey, not just because it's the current thing to write catchy headlines about, but because people are missing important nuances."
fandom:fiftyshadesofgrey, topic:discussion
Firefly
Newsflash: the Firefly guys were the villains: misterkristoff (blog) -"I’ve got nothing for lurrrrve for Firefly and the crew of Serenity, I’ve got some bad news, droogs: Mal Reynolds and the crew of Firefly were the fucking bad guys."
fandom:firefly
Glee
Analysis of Blaine and Dave Karofsky's relationship: sothinky (tumblr) - "Don’t try to tell me that there wasn’t an honest affection in this relationship. Don’t try to tell me that Dave wasn’t invested in the relationship or that he didn’t love Blaine."
fandom:glee, topic:canon, topic:relationship
Highlander
Goddesses in Every Highlander Woman: Parda (AO3) - "An analysis of HL women as archetypes of Greek goddesses (an essay written for the Highlander Down Under Convention of 2001)"
fandom:highlander
Jupiter Ascending
Why women love ‘Jupiter Ascending’: Gavia Baker-Whitelaw (blog) - "Recently, Hollywood proved once again that it just does not understand women. This proof came in the form of a trashy blockbuster that struck a chord with women, though it was widely derided by critics for its weird concept and laughable dialogue. And no, I'm not talking about Fifty Shades of Grey."
fandom:jupiterascending
Unpopular Fannish Opinion: princessofgeeks (DW) - "I will never understand Hollywood. Why are raves about "Jupiter Ascending" all over my reading list, while "John Carter of Mars" sank without a trace?"
fandom:jupiterascending
Legend of Zelda
Gossip Stone: Should There Be Significant Racism in a Zelda Game?: (blog) - "what if the races were not so friendly with eachother, and you could not just walk up and say hi to them all? What if the races were divided? Would they still have the same impact as characters?"
topic:race, fandom:legendofzelda
Marvel Cinematic Universe
Character Analysis: Marvel Cinematic Universe Loki (Part 2): T.C. Robson (blog) - "This second and final part picks up from where I left off, finishing my analysis with the developments in Thor: The Dark World."
fandom:mcu
The 100
Untitled: shawnabenson (tumblr) - "I can understand why you would feel that Bellamy seems to be somehow lesser than Clarke. The difference is that right now, Bellamy is a micro-leader and Clarke is a macro-leader."
fandom:the100
The City of Light: a Few Theories on What the Frickle Frackle Is Going On: viansian (tumblr) - "So underneath the cut, I have a few theories on the location of the main spots in the 100 (including Mount Weather, Camp Jaha, and speculation on the City of Light) as well as a few theories on what may happen."
fandom:the100
Clarke, Abby, and how The 100 is frakking bleak (and also bananas).: jinjoint (tumblr) - "I’ve noticed for a while now that Clarke’s never received the Travelers Blessing ("May we meet again") from anyone, or spoken it to anyone."
fandom:the100
Parks and Recreation
How ‘Parks and Recreation’ made the world a better place: Chris Osterndorf (blog) - "Let it never be said that just because something isn't popular, it isn’t also great."
fandom:parksandrecreation
Pretty Little Liars
Figuring out who A Is: qsofm (tumblr) - "Notice that you can pick out the letters in the equation in the right order "
fandom:prettylittleliars, topic:canon (possible spoilers)
Sailor Moon
Oh, My Pop Culture Pantheon: Sailor Moon and Greco-Roman Mythology: syngraphea (blog) - "It turns out that Greco-Roman mythology was definitely an inspiration for many aspects of the series, though understandably there are a lot of differences as well."
fandom:sailormoon
Secretary
Secretary and 50 Shades of Grey: Erika Moen - "That the abuse and poor BDSM practices of 50 Shades is so reviled but that the same practices in Secretary are adored and embraced is genuinely baffling to me."
fandom:secretary, fandom:fiftyshadesofgrey
Shameless
Shameless "Crazy Love" Review Polar Bears: (blog) - "Shameless features quite possibly the best ensemble cast on television, and "Crazy Love" displays that cast at the height of its power"
fandom:shameless, topic:mentalillness, topic:canon, warning:spoilers
A Song of Ice and Fire
Top Characters #34 Khal Drogo: Black_Goat (blog) - "Compared to many characters in A Song of Ice and Fire, Khal Drogo is almost unknowable to the reader."
fandom:asoiaf
Top Characters #33 Margaery Tyrell: little_dove (blog) - "Margaery Tyrell is the youngest child and only daughter of Alerie and Mace Tyrell of Highgarden, sister to Garlan, Willas and Loras, granddaughter to Lady Olenna, the legendary Queen of Thorns."
fandom:asoiaf
Top Characters #32 Arianne Martell: Daeron Martell - "A young, beautiful and enthusiastic player of the game of thrones, Arianne is an intriguing blend of fire, venom and sensuously delicate vulnerability."
fandom:asoiaf
Top Characters #31 Tormund: BloodRaven Shot 1st (blog) - "Tormund is a man of many titles, many of them self-styled."
fandom:asoiaf
The Blacks and Reds Part 1: StevenAttewell - "Now Steve turns his attention toward the Blackfyre Rebellions. In Part I: Origins and Causes, Steve tackles the difficult questions of why and how the Blackfyre Rebellions happened and who fought for the Blacks and who fought for the Reds."
fandom:asoiaf
Stark Justice II: An Ode to Catelyn Tully: mikelywhiplash (blog) - "Everybody shut up and listen to Catelyn Tully, Lady Stark. You fools ignoring her is why there was even a War of the Five Kings to begin with. Lady Stark had six ways to end the war before y’all blew it and gave Team Lannister an opening."
fandom:asoiaf
Supernatural
Supernatural: Halt & Catch Pointless Heterosexuality: Rachel A (blog) - "My issue is rather the episode’s depiction of Dean’s hetero-sexuality, which was - to put it bluntly - gross and gratuitous even by Supernatural standards."
fandom:supernatural
Superman
Even today, I still think Christopher Reeve did the best job of playing a superhero ever:various authors (other) - "Every year multiple superhero films (and these days, TV shows) debut that are by and large much better than many older superhero movies."
fandom:dccu, topic:canon, topic:superheroes
Teen Wolf
Untitled: ink-splotch (tumblr) - "Anonymous asked: I think the reason Allison wasn't the nogitsune and Stiles was was bc half the story was already plotted out when Crystal came to Jeff. Given the time when they said she proposed it, I'm almost positive it probably was. HOWEVER, why couldn't the twist have been that there were two nogitsunes, that the only way to free Stiles had something to do with the nogitsune in him not having his true name, that Allison couldn't be saved bc hers was in the creatures hands?
fandom:teenwolf
Tolkien
eucatastrophe tintamande: (tumblr) - "Tolkien coined the word ‘eucatastrophe’ to describe "the sudden happy turn in a story which pierces you with a joy that brings tears"
fandom:jrrtolkien, topic:canon
Marshals Of The Riddermark: askmiddlearth (tumblr) - "Traditionally, Rohan’s army had three chief commanders: the First, Second, and Third Marshals of the Riddermark, in descending rank. "
fandom:jrrtolkien, topic:canon
Paradise In Middle Earth: tintamande (tumblr) - "the issue was Sauron. The reason things went badly is because Sauron was trying to make things go badly"
fandom:jrrtolkien
Why Dwarves And Axes: various authors (other) - "I know that dwarves did not just use axes (they also used bows and swords and mattocks and I'm sure all else), and I know that axes are not exclusively used by dwarves (but also men and elves), but of course, axes and dwarves are tied together in the mythos."
fandom:jrrtolkien, topic:canon
Two and a Half Men
Two and a Half men is Finally Over: Erik Abriss (blog) - "After 12 years, 262 episodes and enough Tiger Blood to satisfy an entire nation, the CBS sitcom Two and a Half Men has officially ended its run."
fandom:twoandahalfmen
The Vampire Diaries
[Caroline...you and me, it's not gonna happen.]: badboy_fangirl (AO3) - "Meta on Stefan Salvatore following 6x15 "Let Her Go.""
fandom:thevampirediaries, warning:spoilers