22 April 2015 - 29 April 2015 - Part Two
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.
Harry Potter
HP reading group session #2.4: drinkingcocoa (LJ) - "So I figured that after hours and hours of heavily prepped sessions, the kids could survive one round of listening to me simply lecture. I chose passages about the battle in the chamber between Harry and diary!Riddle, read them out, and paused periodically to point out details I found significant and explain what I think they mean."
fandom:harrypotter
Untitled: solvola (Tumblr) - The post answers arguments against racebending in Harry Potter fanworks.
fandom:harrypotter, topic:race
This ‘Harry Potter’ fan theory might explain why the Dursleys were the worst: Kelly Lawlor (blog) - "But now a fan theory that is blowing up on Reddit might prove that we were way too harsh on the Dursleys."
fandom:harrypotter
Harry Potter and Death: bounding-heart-68 (Tumblr) - "Harry does not take other’s lives. It’s what makes him a counter to Voldemort and is at the core of his characterization and the themes of the series."
fandom:harrypotter
House
Episode Discussion Post - 7x7 "A Pox On Our House": house_rewind (LJ) - Discussion and analysis of the episode in question. The meta is in the comments.
fandom:house
Episode Discussion Post - 7x8 "Small Sacrifices": house_rewind (LJ) - Discussion and analysis of the episode in question. The meta is in the comments.
fandom:house
Hugo Awards
why I don’t consider Mixon very praiseworthy: colorblue (DW) - "I've stated before that I think her report has done good, and I stand behind that. I've stated before that RH/WF/BS was abusive and needed to be stopped, that Mixon was one of the few that could've effectively done so, but that the way she did so also created an environment, and set terms of discourse, that made it more difficult to speak out against, to stop, other abusers."
topic:hugoawards
There Hugo again: Kate Paulk (blog) - "And why the people spreading lies about the nominees and about the Sad Puppy campaign (and the Rabid Puppy campaign) have no one to blame but themselves no matter how loudly they scream otherwise."
topic:hugoawards
Keeping Up With the Hugos, 4/20/15: John Scalzi (blog) - "I probably shouldn’t admit that I’m having a schadenfreudilicious time watching Larry Correia and Brad Torgersen now desperately try to put sunlight between themselves and that toxic bigot Vox Day, but I’m not going to lie: I am, and also, it’s not working for them at all, as there is a fairly obvious evidence trail to suggest there was hardly any sunlight between them until Day suddenly became inconvenient."
topic:hugoawards
Discussing Specific Changes to the Hugo Nomination Election: Bruce Schneier (blog) - "This is a continuation of an earlier thread (now closed) about the Hugo nomination process and how it might be modified. It is not a discussion of either 1) whether or not the nomination process should be changed, or 2) any potential changes in the rules about who is allowed to nominate. It is exclusively focused on voting systems and their relative merits, given what happened in the 2015 Hugo nomination process."
topic:hugoawards
Science Fiction’s White Boys’ Club Strikes Back: Jeet Heer (blog) - "Currently, the science fiction world is being torn asunder by a cultural war over diversity, with a hot battle going on over the Hugo Awards, the long-running and prestigious fan-selected awards given out every year at the World Science Fiction Convention (Worldcon)."
topic:hugoawards
The Psychology of Hugo Sad Puppies and Rabid Puppies: Maureen O’Danu (blog) - "I am not going to try to diagnose anyone involved in this issue, I am only going to discuss some broad psychological principles that apply."
topic:hugoawards
On crowdsourcing Hugo nominations: nwhyte (LJ) - "It's clear from the figures that of the five novels recommended by Brad Torgerson, only three were actually recommended by his readers."
topic:hugoawards
In Which Edmund Schubert Withdraws From the Hugos: John Scalzi (blog) - Most of the post is a letter from Edmund Schubert, posted at his request, explaining his withdrawal.
topic:hugoawards
Iron Man
"I Am Iron Man" or ‘Tony Stark is a beautiful butterfly’: nocovein (Tumblr) - "In the MCU Iron Man narrative; the suit is a chrysalis - from IM1 where he builds it to IM3 where he destroys it - literally and metaphorically."
fandom:mcu
iZombie
iZombie, Season 1, Episode 6: Virtual Reality Bites: Sparky (blog) - Episode summary with some meta comments at the end.
fandom:izombie, warning:spoilers
James Bond
Bond Girl: Re-Watching and Re-Evaluating Thunderball: Zina Hutton (blog) - "This is the fourth film in the Bond franchise and it’s based on Ian Fleming’s ninth novel, which, in turn, was based on a screenplay written by the trio of Fleming, Jack Whittingham, and Kevin McClory."
fandom:jamesbond
Joss Whedon
Untitled: actualmenacebuckybarnes (Tumblr) - "the more i watch joss whedon shows the more i see that he has two distinct female archetypes he likes to torture"
fandom:josswhedon, topic:femalecharacter, warning:spoilers
Justified
Justified Wrap-Up: The End: Cheryl (blog) - "After six seasons, Justified finally came to an end … was it a fitting end to this series?"
fandom:justified
Kingsman
Eggsy English: rendering dialect in fiction: coffeeinallcaps (Tumblr) - "Reading up on his dialect resulted in this crash course on alternative ways to render dialect in fiction and an overview of what I will be calling Eggsy English* that might be a useful reference for fic writing."
fandom:kingsman, topic:language
Legend of Zelda
Piece of Heart: Geography Matters: Alexis Anderson (blog) - "This week’s lesson is titled "Geography Matters…" The gist of it is that certain environments breed certain types of people- culturally, psychologically, financially, historically, and otherwise. Aside from general settings, specific geographical monuments also have significance."
fandom:legendofzelda
A Little Chaos
A Little Chaos: leads historical accuracy down the garden path: Alex von Tunzelmann (blog) - Analysis of a movie about the landscape architact who designed the gardens at Versailles from a historian’s perspective.
topic:movies, topic:history
Maggie
Review: Maggie Is an Imperfect but Enjoyable Zombie Drama: Dan Van Winkle (blog) - "Maggie, starring Abigail Breslin, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Joely Richardson, is a movie that tries to take the zombie craze and boil it down to its most personal, human elements-to varying degrees of success. For a movie that tries so hard not to be a "zombie movie," Maggie as at its best when it embraces its natural sense of suspense."
fandom:maggie
Marvel Cinematic Universe
’Avengers: Age of Ultron’ PR: Slut-Shaming and Rape Jokes: Janelle Asselin (blog) - "Well, it’s the same for female characters, weirdly enough. People have feelings about how they are portrayed and what their characters are."
fandom:mcu, topic:sexism, warning:rape
Black Widow Gets Left Out of ‘Avengers: Age of Ultron’ Merch: Britt Hayes (blog) - "For a studio that’s been making some progress in the female-centric department, Disney is really screwing up when it comes to their merchandise, feeding into the outdated, wrong-headed way of thinking that little girls aren’t into superheroes or that little boys wouldn’t be interested in merchandise featuring a female superhero."
fandom:mcu, topic:merchandise
The overwhelming whiteness of superhero movies: Feliks Garcia (blog) - "or all the movies’ merits, however, it’s impossible to ignore the overwhelming white maleness of the Marvel Universe-and every other superhero movie, for that matter."
fandom:mcu, topic:diversity
Is The Avenger’s THOR an Illegal Alien?: Jake Lipman (blog) - "Though Thor is the God of Thunder, and a Prince of Asgard, he arrived in the US as a tourist, with no diplomatic mission or official capacity. And even though Odin sent him here to learn humility, he does not quality as a student."
fandom:mcu, topic:law
The Messengers
The Messangers, Season One, Episode Two: Strange Magic: Renee (blog) - Episode recap with some meta at the end.
fandom:themessengers, warning:spoilers
Meteor Prince
Stars, Soulmates, and Shoujo: Meteor Prince Volume 1: Angel Cruz (blog) - "Meteor Prince is a story of hyperbole and extremes, going from zero to 120 kilometers per hour as soon as the two protagonists crash into one another."
fandom:manga
Olympus
Olympus, Season 1, Episode 4: Minos: Sparky (blog) - Episode recap with some meta at the end.
fandom:olympus, warning:spoilers
Once Upon a Time
Once Upon a Time, Season 4, Episode 20: Lily: Sparky (blog) - Episode recap followed by some meta.
fandom:onceuponatime
The Originals
The Originals, Season Two, Episode Fifteen: When the Levee Breaks: Renee (blog) - Episode recap with some meta at the end.
fandom:theoriginals, warning:spoilers
Orphan Black
Orphan Black: "Transitory Sacrifices of Crisis" Review: porluciernagas (blog) - "Orphan Black continues to be delightfully complex this week, as we get more into the Castor clones’ background, motivations, and lives. But don’t worry: the writers haven’t forgotten our Leda clones, and there was a ton of new plot to digest. Having said that, this episode really needed to come with trigger warnings for rape, torture, and possibly epilepsy."
fandom:orphanblack, warning:spoilers
Orphan Black, Season One, Episode Two: Transitory Sacrifices of Crisis: Renee (blog) - Episode recap followed by some meta comments.
fandom:orphanblack, warning:spoilers
Outlander
Outlander Episode 11: The Devil’s Mark: Redheadedgirl (blog) - "Overall this episode reminded me why I couldn’t live in the past. Uppity women get burned at the stake. I’d have end up as burnt ends just for my liberal use of the word "fuck.""
fandom:outlander, warning:spoilers
Penny Dreadful
Untitled: thatyourefuse (DW) - "Five Perfumes To Wear While Watching Penny Dreadful"
fandom:pennydreadful, topic:perfume
The Returned
The Returned, Season 1, Episode 7: Rowan: Sparky (blog) - Episode recap followed by some meta.
fandom:thereturned, warning:spoilers
Rhodes of Africa
Rhodes of Africa: only slightly less offensive than the man himself: Alex von Tunzelmann (blog) - Analysis of a 1936 biopic about Cecil Rhodes from the point of view of a historian.
topic:movies, topic:history, topic:racism
Richard III
Richard III: Laurence Olivier’s melodramatic baddie is seriously limp: Alex von Tunzelmann (blog) - Analysis of Olivier’s performance in Shakespeare’s play from a historian’s perspective.
fandom:shakespeare, topic:history, topic:movies
The Ridiculous Six
Unhappy Gilmore: Native American Actors and Activists Protest New Adam Sandler Project: Arturo R. Garcia (blog) - "If Adam Sandler thought his brand of "humor" would keep getting a pass in 2015, the past few days have surely disabused him of that notion."
fandom:theridiculoussix, topic:racism
Netflix Defends Adam Sandler’s Ridiculous Six After Native American Actors Walk Off Set in Protest of Horribly Offensive Script: Carolyn Cox (blog) - "Approximately a dozen Native American actors have walked off the set of Adam Sandler’s Ridiculous Six in protest of the film’s offensive depiction of Native women and elders and its misrepresentation of Apache culture."
fandom:theridiculoussix, topic:racism
Video Shows Producer on Adam Sandler’s Ridiculous Six Telling Native American Actors to Leave "If You Are Overly Sensitive": (video) - What the title says.
fandom:theridiculoussix, topic:racism
Insulted Native Americans walk off Adam Sandler’s ‘Ridiculous Six’ set: Feliks Garcia (blog) - "When you think "Adam Sandler" and "Western," you expect only the best, historically accurate, culturally sensitive comedy. Right? Unfortunately, since we don’t live in an alternate reality, where up is down, bad means good, and Adam Sandler is "smart comedy," that is not the case."
fandom:theridiculoussix, topic:racism
Salem
Salem: The Tensions Beneath the Accusations: aelarsen (blog) - "When I first started discussing Salem, I looked at the way the series misunderstood Salem as a place. I’ve also mentioned how Salem omits one of the key figures in the Witch Panic, Rev. Samuel Parris. After a lot of intervening posts, it’s time to tackle why those omissions are such a big deal."
fandom:salem, topic:history
Salem, Season 2, Episode 3: From Within: sparky (blog) - "I get that this show is trying to go for creepy & sexy - while last season it seemed to aim far more for grotesqueries, this season is aiming more for creepy & sexy than yucky."
fandom:salem, warning:spoilers
Shakespeare
Bending Shakespeare: Alex Brown (blog) - "And now, with the magic of the internet and several streaming services with extensive catalogues, I can combine my obsession with Shakespeare with my passion for bending."
fandom:shakespeare, topic:racebending, topic:gender, topic:queer, topic:representation
Sherlock Holmes
Canon Discussion: The Copper Beeches: sherlock60 (LJ) - "This week we’re having a look at The Copper Beeches. I’ve typed up a few thoughts to get the discussion going-please leave your own ideas in the comments!"
fandom:acdsherlock
A Song of Ice and Fire
Untitled: asoiafuniversity (Tumblr) - "I'm curious if you've pondered the war between humanity and the Others. Assuming the 4 battles of TWOW you've outlined have concluded, the wall has inevitably fallen/lost effectiveness, and Jon Snow is back in his own body (albeit slightly more wolfish.). Care to present how it may all play out, from your military perspective?"
fandom:asoiaf
Untitled: many contributors (Tumblr) - "Assuming Tommen dies, exactly what happens in the fall out?"
fandom:asoiaf
Game of Thrones Economics: Why Doesn’t Westeros Have a Central Bank?: thestonedragon (Tumblr) - "The NW is primarily a military order charged with protecting the realm against existential threats in the North. They’ve been able to survive for as long as they have by remaining neutral and avoiding Southern affairs - a stance that cannot work alongside an expanded role as banker."
fandom:asoiaf, fandom:gameofthrones
Untitled: warsofasoiaf (Tumblr) - ""How does Sandor return" - well, that implies that Sandor will return, doesn’t it?"
fandom:asoiaf
Untitled: nobodysuspectsthebutterfly (Tumblr) - "I’ve never thought Pycelle was giving moon tea to Margaery for herself."
fandom:asoiaf
Top Characters #16 Petyr Baelish: Ultima (blog) - "Petyr Baelish's family belonged to the lowest rank of Westerosi nobility. His great-grandfather had been a Braavosi mercenary who was in service to House Corbray. Eventually, the family was granted a small plot of land in the area known as the Fingers."
fandom:asoiaf
Star Trek
Star Trek, Vulcan, and the Universal Translator: radicalhufflepuff (Tumblr) - "So in translation there’s a common issue where a word in one language can link many disparate ideas under a single word that in some way unifies the different ideas as being somehow related."
fandom:startrek
Five Perfumes to Wear While Watching X: lunabee34 (DW) - "So I'm contributing Five Perfumes to Wear While Watching Star Trek. (I'm confining this to perfumes I have actually smelled rather than perfumes whose descriptions seem apt.)"
fandom:startrek, topic:perfume
Was Spock a Utilitarian?: Spiros (blog) - "Some friends who know more about these things allege that the Mr. Spock character explicitly espouses utilitarianism on a few occasions in the original series and ensuing films."
fandom:startrek
Star Wars: Rogue One
What Happens When ‘Star Wars’ Is Just a War Film?: Graeme McMillan (blog) - "The hardcore fan base, then, is likely to be satisfied by the movie when it's released in 2016. But what about everyone else? Will Rogue One manage to be Star Wars-esque enough for them? Perhaps not."
fandom:starwars
Steven Universe
Shirt Club Analysis: jennypizzas (Tumblr) - "I know the title sounds silly because Shirt Club seems to be nothing more than a funny filler episode but after rewatching it a few times I’ve figured out a few things: why Buck was acting so cold, what actually made Mayor Dewey emotional, and why Steven’s art of his father was being exploited."
fandom:stevenuniverse
Supernatural
The end: cupidsbower (Tumblr) - "I’m beginning to think there is a small but real chance the impossible will happen in the finale of Supernatural s10.
Yeah, I’m talking about Destiel."
fandom:supernatural
Untitled: dubiousculturalartifact (Tumblr) - "Oh no no no, this was supposed to be a funny moment, but that little comment of ‘Cas’ face though’ just made me take another look & IT STOPPED BEING FUNNY."
fandom:supernatural
Stream of Consciousness, Episode 10.19: gaelicspirit (LJ) - "Oh, these boys. There's a song by Augustana called, "Either Way, I'll Break Your Heart Someday," and I'm pretty sure that is their ballad to us."
fandom:supernatural
Supernatural, Season 10, Episode 19: The Werther Project: Sparky (blog) - Episode recap followed by some meta.
fandom:supernatural, warning:spoilers
Teen Wolf
Untitled: solvola (Tumblr) - "If we wanna talk queerbaiting, we should talk about Stiles, not Sterek (and not even Derek)."
fandom:teenwolf, topic:queerbaiting
Untitled: cupidsbower (Tumblr) - "My love for Derek is eternal and also the only thing left about Teen Wolf that I care about."
fandom:teenwolf
Untitled: solvola (Tumblr) - "OK so about the whole "Scerek squicks me because they’re like brothers" thing"
fandom:teenwolf, topic:shipping
Tintin
Revisiting old favorites - Adventures of Tintin (1991-1992): yuuago (DW) - "... Anyway. In some ways, the cartoon improves on the original comics. Well, I mean - the comics are great adventure stories, but they're pretty racist at times. The adaptation usually tries to minimize that."
fandom:tintin, topic:adaptations
Tolkien
Cross-Cultural Marriages Among the Race of Men: askmiddleearth (Tumblr) - "Keeping in mind that Tolkien wrote almost exclusively about ruling families, I don’t have any information specific to traders (though I’m sure that they married people from other cultures as well), but there are plenty of "noble" examples."
fandom:jrrtolkien
Tolkien Head-Canon: marta-bee (Tumblr) - "So on the one hand you have not many dwarf-women in the histories, at least not so the Gondorian scribe writing this passage would know, and (again as far as our historian knows) they don’t tend to go on long journeys."
fandom:jrrtolkien
On Tolkien and Anglo-Saxon Myth: lintamande (blog) - "However, there’s one topic about which I feel a bit uncomfortable: the potentially non-white Tolkien characters. As far as I know (and as a casual fan I may be wrong), the professor wanted to create an Anglo-Saxon myth. I really doubt he had in his mind an Asian Fingon or a black Luthien when writing about them. Is it a good idea to disregard the author’s envisioning for the sake of racial awareness?"
fandom:jrrtolkien, topic:race
Songs that remind you of Middle Earth characters: multiple (forum) - "Is there a song that makes you think of a particular Middle-earth character when you hear it?"
fandom:jrrtolkien, topic:music
Twin Peaks
The Twin Peaks Log: S.2 E.8: Romona Williams (blog) - "Welcome to our biweekly roundtable of Twin Peaks where we are working our way through every. Single. Episode. Some of us are regulars and some of us newbies, but none of our experiences are the same."
fandom:twinpeaks
The Vampire Diaries
Vampire Diaries, Season 6, Episode 19: Because: Sparky (blog) - Episode recap with some meta at the end.
fandom:thevampirediaries, warning:spoilers
The Vampire Diaries/The Originals
LGBT Characters in The Vampire Diaries and The Originals: Sparky (blog) - "The latest season gave the viewers the most gay characters these shows have ever had at one time. The Vampire Diaries had Luke, while The Originals had Josh and Aidan. Maybe three gay characters isn’t exactly an immense number considering the sheer size of the casts on these shows, but it was still a peak in this universe’s representation of gay existence."
fandom:thevampirediaries, fandom:theoriginals, topic:lgbt, warning:death
What Did You Eat Yesterday?
What Did You Eat Yesterday? by Fumi Yoshinaga (vols. 1-6): chomiji (DW) - "Yoshinaga, honored with multiple awards for her beautifully drawn alternate history Ooku: The Inner Chambers, seems to me to be using this series much the way Shiro uses his cooking: a less stressful challenge with which to unwind. The artwork is pretty (although nowhere as elaborate as Ooku's) and the events diverting (although neither as humorous as Not Love nor as poignant as Flower of Life or Antique Bakery), but for me, this series lacks a certain something."
fandom:manga
X-Files
More thoughts on the season 2 abduction arc (X-Files): plaidadder (Tumblr) - "I probably have said this before…but I was just thinking this morning that it was really important for the show, or at least my attachment to it, that Mulder does not get to actually find Scully and bring her back himself."
fandom:x-files
X-Men
How to Fail at Coming Out Stories in Comicbooks: bisexual-books (Tumblr) - "On the one hand, I want to be loud and supportive, and to celebrate this wider diversity. But on the other hand, they do a really, really offensive crap job of it."
fandom:x-men, fandom:marvelcomics, topic:lbgt
Iceman Already Kinda Sorta Tried to Come Out as Gay in the 1990s: Chris Lough (blog) - "Perhaps not because it’s astonishing or new or uncanny, but maybe because it represents the return of a plotline that cropped up in a little-remembered Almost Very Special Issue of Uncanny X-Men published in 1994, more than 20 years ago."
fandom:x-men, fandom:marvelcomics, topic:lgbt, topic:history
Knowledge Waits: The Possible Hints Over the Years That Iceman Is Gay: Brian Cronin (blog - image intensive) - "One of the interesting aspects of young Iceman coming out in the most recent issue of All-New X-Men (and from the sound of Brian Michael Bendis’ discussions of the topic, it sure sounds like adult Iceman will be catching up with him, as well) is the notion that Iceman being gay is something supported in past comics."
fandom:x-men, fandom:marvelcomics, topic:lgbt, topic:history
Younger/While We’re Young
Younger and While We’re Young: This is 40?: Faith Pennick (blog) - "Unlike Younger, which focuses on the fun and frivolity of a quadragenarian shaving 14 years off of her age, While We’re Young shows two 40-somethings living in the moment while staring down the end-being childless, mortality, Josh’s comical discovery that he has arthritis in the knee."
fandom:younger, fandom:whilewereyoung, topic:age
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.
Harry Potter
HP reading group session #2.4: drinkingcocoa (LJ) - "So I figured that after hours and hours of heavily prepped sessions, the kids could survive one round of listening to me simply lecture. I chose passages about the battle in the chamber between Harry and diary!Riddle, read them out, and paused periodically to point out details I found significant and explain what I think they mean."
fandom:harrypotter
Untitled: solvola (Tumblr) - The post answers arguments against racebending in Harry Potter fanworks.
fandom:harrypotter, topic:race
This ‘Harry Potter’ fan theory might explain why the Dursleys were the worst: Kelly Lawlor (blog) - "But now a fan theory that is blowing up on Reddit might prove that we were way too harsh on the Dursleys."
fandom:harrypotter
Harry Potter and Death: bounding-heart-68 (Tumblr) - "Harry does not take other’s lives. It’s what makes him a counter to Voldemort and is at the core of his characterization and the themes of the series."
fandom:harrypotter
House
Episode Discussion Post - 7x7 "A Pox On Our House": house_rewind (LJ) - Discussion and analysis of the episode in question. The meta is in the comments.
fandom:house
Episode Discussion Post - 7x8 "Small Sacrifices": house_rewind (LJ) - Discussion and analysis of the episode in question. The meta is in the comments.
fandom:house
Hugo Awards
why I don’t consider Mixon very praiseworthy: colorblue (DW) - "I've stated before that I think her report has done good, and I stand behind that. I've stated before that RH/WF/BS was abusive and needed to be stopped, that Mixon was one of the few that could've effectively done so, but that the way she did so also created an environment, and set terms of discourse, that made it more difficult to speak out against, to stop, other abusers."
topic:hugoawards
There Hugo again: Kate Paulk (blog) - "And why the people spreading lies about the nominees and about the Sad Puppy campaign (and the Rabid Puppy campaign) have no one to blame but themselves no matter how loudly they scream otherwise."
topic:hugoawards
Keeping Up With the Hugos, 4/20/15: John Scalzi (blog) - "I probably shouldn’t admit that I’m having a schadenfreudilicious time watching Larry Correia and Brad Torgersen now desperately try to put sunlight between themselves and that toxic bigot Vox Day, but I’m not going to lie: I am, and also, it’s not working for them at all, as there is a fairly obvious evidence trail to suggest there was hardly any sunlight between them until Day suddenly became inconvenient."
topic:hugoawards
Discussing Specific Changes to the Hugo Nomination Election: Bruce Schneier (blog) - "This is a continuation of an earlier thread (now closed) about the Hugo nomination process and how it might be modified. It is not a discussion of either 1) whether or not the nomination process should be changed, or 2) any potential changes in the rules about who is allowed to nominate. It is exclusively focused on voting systems and their relative merits, given what happened in the 2015 Hugo nomination process."
topic:hugoawards
Science Fiction’s White Boys’ Club Strikes Back: Jeet Heer (blog) - "Currently, the science fiction world is being torn asunder by a cultural war over diversity, with a hot battle going on over the Hugo Awards, the long-running and prestigious fan-selected awards given out every year at the World Science Fiction Convention (Worldcon)."
topic:hugoawards
The Psychology of Hugo Sad Puppies and Rabid Puppies: Maureen O’Danu (blog) - "I am not going to try to diagnose anyone involved in this issue, I am only going to discuss some broad psychological principles that apply."
topic:hugoawards
On crowdsourcing Hugo nominations: nwhyte (LJ) - "It's clear from the figures that of the five novels recommended by Brad Torgerson, only three were actually recommended by his readers."
topic:hugoawards
In Which Edmund Schubert Withdraws From the Hugos: John Scalzi (blog) - Most of the post is a letter from Edmund Schubert, posted at his request, explaining his withdrawal.
topic:hugoawards
Iron Man
"I Am Iron Man" or ‘Tony Stark is a beautiful butterfly’: nocovein (Tumblr) - "In the MCU Iron Man narrative; the suit is a chrysalis - from IM1 where he builds it to IM3 where he destroys it - literally and metaphorically."
fandom:mcu
iZombie
iZombie, Season 1, Episode 6: Virtual Reality Bites: Sparky (blog) - Episode summary with some meta comments at the end.
fandom:izombie, warning:spoilers
James Bond
Bond Girl: Re-Watching and Re-Evaluating Thunderball: Zina Hutton (blog) - "This is the fourth film in the Bond franchise and it’s based on Ian Fleming’s ninth novel, which, in turn, was based on a screenplay written by the trio of Fleming, Jack Whittingham, and Kevin McClory."
fandom:jamesbond
Joss Whedon
Untitled: actualmenacebuckybarnes (Tumblr) - "the more i watch joss whedon shows the more i see that he has two distinct female archetypes he likes to torture"
fandom:josswhedon, topic:femalecharacter, warning:spoilers
Justified
Justified Wrap-Up: The End: Cheryl (blog) - "After six seasons, Justified finally came to an end … was it a fitting end to this series?"
fandom:justified
Kingsman
Eggsy English: rendering dialect in fiction: coffeeinallcaps (Tumblr) - "Reading up on his dialect resulted in this crash course on alternative ways to render dialect in fiction and an overview of what I will be calling Eggsy English* that might be a useful reference for fic writing."
fandom:kingsman, topic:language
Legend of Zelda
Piece of Heart: Geography Matters: Alexis Anderson (blog) - "This week’s lesson is titled "Geography Matters…" The gist of it is that certain environments breed certain types of people- culturally, psychologically, financially, historically, and otherwise. Aside from general settings, specific geographical monuments also have significance."
fandom:legendofzelda
A Little Chaos
A Little Chaos: leads historical accuracy down the garden path: Alex von Tunzelmann (blog) - Analysis of a movie about the landscape architact who designed the gardens at Versailles from a historian’s perspective.
topic:movies, topic:history
Maggie
Review: Maggie Is an Imperfect but Enjoyable Zombie Drama: Dan Van Winkle (blog) - "Maggie, starring Abigail Breslin, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Joely Richardson, is a movie that tries to take the zombie craze and boil it down to its most personal, human elements-to varying degrees of success. For a movie that tries so hard not to be a "zombie movie," Maggie as at its best when it embraces its natural sense of suspense."
fandom:maggie
Marvel Cinematic Universe
’Avengers: Age of Ultron’ PR: Slut-Shaming and Rape Jokes: Janelle Asselin (blog) - "Well, it’s the same for female characters, weirdly enough. People have feelings about how they are portrayed and what their characters are."
fandom:mcu, topic:sexism, warning:rape
Black Widow Gets Left Out of ‘Avengers: Age of Ultron’ Merch: Britt Hayes (blog) - "For a studio that’s been making some progress in the female-centric department, Disney is really screwing up when it comes to their merchandise, feeding into the outdated, wrong-headed way of thinking that little girls aren’t into superheroes or that little boys wouldn’t be interested in merchandise featuring a female superhero."
fandom:mcu, topic:merchandise
The overwhelming whiteness of superhero movies: Feliks Garcia (blog) - "or all the movies’ merits, however, it’s impossible to ignore the overwhelming white maleness of the Marvel Universe-and every other superhero movie, for that matter."
fandom:mcu, topic:diversity
Is The Avenger’s THOR an Illegal Alien?: Jake Lipman (blog) - "Though Thor is the God of Thunder, and a Prince of Asgard, he arrived in the US as a tourist, with no diplomatic mission or official capacity. And even though Odin sent him here to learn humility, he does not quality as a student."
fandom:mcu, topic:law
The Messengers
The Messangers, Season One, Episode Two: Strange Magic: Renee (blog) - Episode recap with some meta at the end.
fandom:themessengers, warning:spoilers
Meteor Prince
Stars, Soulmates, and Shoujo: Meteor Prince Volume 1: Angel Cruz (blog) - "Meteor Prince is a story of hyperbole and extremes, going from zero to 120 kilometers per hour as soon as the two protagonists crash into one another."
fandom:manga
Olympus
Olympus, Season 1, Episode 4: Minos: Sparky (blog) - Episode recap with some meta at the end.
fandom:olympus, warning:spoilers
Once Upon a Time
Once Upon a Time, Season 4, Episode 20: Lily: Sparky (blog) - Episode recap followed by some meta.
fandom:onceuponatime
The Originals
The Originals, Season Two, Episode Fifteen: When the Levee Breaks: Renee (blog) - Episode recap with some meta at the end.
fandom:theoriginals, warning:spoilers
Orphan Black
Orphan Black: "Transitory Sacrifices of Crisis" Review: porluciernagas (blog) - "Orphan Black continues to be delightfully complex this week, as we get more into the Castor clones’ background, motivations, and lives. But don’t worry: the writers haven’t forgotten our Leda clones, and there was a ton of new plot to digest. Having said that, this episode really needed to come with trigger warnings for rape, torture, and possibly epilepsy."
fandom:orphanblack, warning:spoilers
Orphan Black, Season One, Episode Two: Transitory Sacrifices of Crisis: Renee (blog) - Episode recap followed by some meta comments.
fandom:orphanblack, warning:spoilers
Outlander
Outlander Episode 11: The Devil’s Mark: Redheadedgirl (blog) - "Overall this episode reminded me why I couldn’t live in the past. Uppity women get burned at the stake. I’d have end up as burnt ends just for my liberal use of the word "fuck.""
fandom:outlander, warning:spoilers
Penny Dreadful
Untitled: thatyourefuse (DW) - "Five Perfumes To Wear While Watching Penny Dreadful"
fandom:pennydreadful, topic:perfume
The Returned
The Returned, Season 1, Episode 7: Rowan: Sparky (blog) - Episode recap followed by some meta.
fandom:thereturned, warning:spoilers
Rhodes of Africa
Rhodes of Africa: only slightly less offensive than the man himself: Alex von Tunzelmann (blog) - Analysis of a 1936 biopic about Cecil Rhodes from the point of view of a historian.
topic:movies, topic:history, topic:racism
Richard III
Richard III: Laurence Olivier’s melodramatic baddie is seriously limp: Alex von Tunzelmann (blog) - Analysis of Olivier’s performance in Shakespeare’s play from a historian’s perspective.
fandom:shakespeare, topic:history, topic:movies
The Ridiculous Six
Unhappy Gilmore: Native American Actors and Activists Protest New Adam Sandler Project: Arturo R. Garcia (blog) - "If Adam Sandler thought his brand of "humor" would keep getting a pass in 2015, the past few days have surely disabused him of that notion."
fandom:theridiculoussix, topic:racism
Netflix Defends Adam Sandler’s Ridiculous Six After Native American Actors Walk Off Set in Protest of Horribly Offensive Script: Carolyn Cox (blog) - "Approximately a dozen Native American actors have walked off the set of Adam Sandler’s Ridiculous Six in protest of the film’s offensive depiction of Native women and elders and its misrepresentation of Apache culture."
fandom:theridiculoussix, topic:racism
Video Shows Producer on Adam Sandler’s Ridiculous Six Telling Native American Actors to Leave "If You Are Overly Sensitive": (video) - What the title says.
fandom:theridiculoussix, topic:racism
Insulted Native Americans walk off Adam Sandler’s ‘Ridiculous Six’ set: Feliks Garcia (blog) - "When you think "Adam Sandler" and "Western," you expect only the best, historically accurate, culturally sensitive comedy. Right? Unfortunately, since we don’t live in an alternate reality, where up is down, bad means good, and Adam Sandler is "smart comedy," that is not the case."
fandom:theridiculoussix, topic:racism
Salem
Salem: The Tensions Beneath the Accusations: aelarsen (blog) - "When I first started discussing Salem, I looked at the way the series misunderstood Salem as a place. I’ve also mentioned how Salem omits one of the key figures in the Witch Panic, Rev. Samuel Parris. After a lot of intervening posts, it’s time to tackle why those omissions are such a big deal."
fandom:salem, topic:history
Salem, Season 2, Episode 3: From Within: sparky (blog) - "I get that this show is trying to go for creepy & sexy - while last season it seemed to aim far more for grotesqueries, this season is aiming more for creepy & sexy than yucky."
fandom:salem, warning:spoilers
Shakespeare
Bending Shakespeare: Alex Brown (blog) - "And now, with the magic of the internet and several streaming services with extensive catalogues, I can combine my obsession with Shakespeare with my passion for bending."
fandom:shakespeare, topic:racebending, topic:gender, topic:queer, topic:representation
Sherlock Holmes
Canon Discussion: The Copper Beeches: sherlock60 (LJ) - "This week we’re having a look at The Copper Beeches. I’ve typed up a few thoughts to get the discussion going-please leave your own ideas in the comments!"
fandom:acdsherlock
A Song of Ice and Fire
Untitled: asoiafuniversity (Tumblr) - "I'm curious if you've pondered the war between humanity and the Others. Assuming the 4 battles of TWOW you've outlined have concluded, the wall has inevitably fallen/lost effectiveness, and Jon Snow is back in his own body (albeit slightly more wolfish.). Care to present how it may all play out, from your military perspective?"
fandom:asoiaf
Untitled: many contributors (Tumblr) - "Assuming Tommen dies, exactly what happens in the fall out?"
fandom:asoiaf
Game of Thrones Economics: Why Doesn’t Westeros Have a Central Bank?: thestonedragon (Tumblr) - "The NW is primarily a military order charged with protecting the realm against existential threats in the North. They’ve been able to survive for as long as they have by remaining neutral and avoiding Southern affairs - a stance that cannot work alongside an expanded role as banker."
fandom:asoiaf, fandom:gameofthrones
Untitled: warsofasoiaf (Tumblr) - ""How does Sandor return" - well, that implies that Sandor will return, doesn’t it?"
fandom:asoiaf
Untitled: nobodysuspectsthebutterfly (Tumblr) - "I’ve never thought Pycelle was giving moon tea to Margaery for herself."
fandom:asoiaf
Top Characters #16 Petyr Baelish: Ultima (blog) - "Petyr Baelish's family belonged to the lowest rank of Westerosi nobility. His great-grandfather had been a Braavosi mercenary who was in service to House Corbray. Eventually, the family was granted a small plot of land in the area known as the Fingers."
fandom:asoiaf
Star Trek
Star Trek, Vulcan, and the Universal Translator: radicalhufflepuff (Tumblr) - "So in translation there’s a common issue where a word in one language can link many disparate ideas under a single word that in some way unifies the different ideas as being somehow related."
fandom:startrek
Five Perfumes to Wear While Watching X: lunabee34 (DW) - "So I'm contributing Five Perfumes to Wear While Watching Star Trek. (I'm confining this to perfumes I have actually smelled rather than perfumes whose descriptions seem apt.)"
fandom:startrek, topic:perfume
Was Spock a Utilitarian?: Spiros (blog) - "Some friends who know more about these things allege that the Mr. Spock character explicitly espouses utilitarianism on a few occasions in the original series and ensuing films."
fandom:startrek
Star Wars: Rogue One
What Happens When ‘Star Wars’ Is Just a War Film?: Graeme McMillan (blog) - "The hardcore fan base, then, is likely to be satisfied by the movie when it's released in 2016. But what about everyone else? Will Rogue One manage to be Star Wars-esque enough for them? Perhaps not."
fandom:starwars
Steven Universe
Shirt Club Analysis: jennypizzas (Tumblr) - "I know the title sounds silly because Shirt Club seems to be nothing more than a funny filler episode but after rewatching it a few times I’ve figured out a few things: why Buck was acting so cold, what actually made Mayor Dewey emotional, and why Steven’s art of his father was being exploited."
fandom:stevenuniverse
Supernatural
The end: cupidsbower (Tumblr) - "I’m beginning to think there is a small but real chance the impossible will happen in the finale of Supernatural s10.
Yeah, I’m talking about Destiel."
fandom:supernatural
Untitled: dubiousculturalartifact (Tumblr) - "Oh no no no, this was supposed to be a funny moment, but that little comment of ‘Cas’ face though’ just made me take another look & IT STOPPED BEING FUNNY."
fandom:supernatural
Stream of Consciousness, Episode 10.19: gaelicspirit (LJ) - "Oh, these boys. There's a song by Augustana called, "Either Way, I'll Break Your Heart Someday," and I'm pretty sure that is their ballad to us."
fandom:supernatural
Supernatural, Season 10, Episode 19: The Werther Project: Sparky (blog) - Episode recap followed by some meta.
fandom:supernatural, warning:spoilers
Teen Wolf
Untitled: solvola (Tumblr) - "If we wanna talk queerbaiting, we should talk about Stiles, not Sterek (and not even Derek)."
fandom:teenwolf, topic:queerbaiting
Untitled: cupidsbower (Tumblr) - "My love for Derek is eternal and also the only thing left about Teen Wolf that I care about."
fandom:teenwolf
Untitled: solvola (Tumblr) - "OK so about the whole "Scerek squicks me because they’re like brothers" thing"
fandom:teenwolf, topic:shipping
Tintin
Revisiting old favorites - Adventures of Tintin (1991-1992): yuuago (DW) - "... Anyway. In some ways, the cartoon improves on the original comics. Well, I mean - the comics are great adventure stories, but they're pretty racist at times. The adaptation usually tries to minimize that."
fandom:tintin, topic:adaptations
Tolkien
Cross-Cultural Marriages Among the Race of Men: askmiddleearth (Tumblr) - "Keeping in mind that Tolkien wrote almost exclusively about ruling families, I don’t have any information specific to traders (though I’m sure that they married people from other cultures as well), but there are plenty of "noble" examples."
fandom:jrrtolkien
Tolkien Head-Canon: marta-bee (Tumblr) - "So on the one hand you have not many dwarf-women in the histories, at least not so the Gondorian scribe writing this passage would know, and (again as far as our historian knows) they don’t tend to go on long journeys."
fandom:jrrtolkien
On Tolkien and Anglo-Saxon Myth: lintamande (blog) - "However, there’s one topic about which I feel a bit uncomfortable: the potentially non-white Tolkien characters. As far as I know (and as a casual fan I may be wrong), the professor wanted to create an Anglo-Saxon myth. I really doubt he had in his mind an Asian Fingon or a black Luthien when writing about them. Is it a good idea to disregard the author’s envisioning for the sake of racial awareness?"
fandom:jrrtolkien, topic:race
Songs that remind you of Middle Earth characters: multiple (forum) - "Is there a song that makes you think of a particular Middle-earth character when you hear it?"
fandom:jrrtolkien, topic:music
Twin Peaks
The Twin Peaks Log: S.2 E.8: Romona Williams (blog) - "Welcome to our biweekly roundtable of Twin Peaks where we are working our way through every. Single. Episode. Some of us are regulars and some of us newbies, but none of our experiences are the same."
fandom:twinpeaks
The Vampire Diaries
Vampire Diaries, Season 6, Episode 19: Because: Sparky (blog) - Episode recap with some meta at the end.
fandom:thevampirediaries, warning:spoilers
The Vampire Diaries/The Originals
LGBT Characters in The Vampire Diaries and The Originals: Sparky (blog) - "The latest season gave the viewers the most gay characters these shows have ever had at one time. The Vampire Diaries had Luke, while The Originals had Josh and Aidan. Maybe three gay characters isn’t exactly an immense number considering the sheer size of the casts on these shows, but it was still a peak in this universe’s representation of gay existence."
fandom:thevampirediaries, fandom:theoriginals, topic:lgbt, warning:death
What Did You Eat Yesterday?
What Did You Eat Yesterday? by Fumi Yoshinaga (vols. 1-6): chomiji (DW) - "Yoshinaga, honored with multiple awards for her beautifully drawn alternate history Ooku: The Inner Chambers, seems to me to be using this series much the way Shiro uses his cooking: a less stressful challenge with which to unwind. The artwork is pretty (although nowhere as elaborate as Ooku's) and the events diverting (although neither as humorous as Not Love nor as poignant as Flower of Life or Antique Bakery), but for me, this series lacks a certain something."
fandom:manga
X-Files
More thoughts on the season 2 abduction arc (X-Files): plaidadder (Tumblr) - "I probably have said this before…but I was just thinking this morning that it was really important for the show, or at least my attachment to it, that Mulder does not get to actually find Scully and bring her back himself."
fandom:x-files
X-Men
How to Fail at Coming Out Stories in Comicbooks: bisexual-books (Tumblr) - "On the one hand, I want to be loud and supportive, and to celebrate this wider diversity. But on the other hand, they do a really, really offensive crap job of it."
fandom:x-men, fandom:marvelcomics, topic:lbgt
Iceman Already Kinda Sorta Tried to Come Out as Gay in the 1990s: Chris Lough (blog) - "Perhaps not because it’s astonishing or new or uncanny, but maybe because it represents the return of a plotline that cropped up in a little-remembered Almost Very Special Issue of Uncanny X-Men published in 1994, more than 20 years ago."
fandom:x-men, fandom:marvelcomics, topic:lgbt, topic:history
Knowledge Waits: The Possible Hints Over the Years That Iceman Is Gay: Brian Cronin (blog - image intensive) - "One of the interesting aspects of young Iceman coming out in the most recent issue of All-New X-Men (and from the sound of Brian Michael Bendis’ discussions of the topic, it sure sounds like adult Iceman will be catching up with him, as well) is the notion that Iceman being gay is something supported in past comics."
fandom:x-men, fandom:marvelcomics, topic:lgbt, topic:history
Younger/While We’re Young
Younger and While We’re Young: This is 40?: Faith Pennick (blog) - "Unlike Younger, which focuses on the fun and frivolity of a quadragenarian shaving 14 years off of her age, While We’re Young shows two 40-somethings living in the moment while staring down the end-being childless, mortality, Josh’s comical discovery that he has arthritis in the knee."
fandom:younger, fandom:whilewereyoung, topic:age