13 May 2015-19 May 2015 Part 1
Notices
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General Fandom
It's time for Hollywood to embrace the female super villain: Cher Martinetti (blog) - "Yes, women need to have a strong, positive presence in pop culture, but what about the bad guys -- or, more specifically, bad girls? It's time for Hollywood, and audiences, to embrace the villainess."
topic:femalecharacter, topic:villains
How The "Godfather of Anime" Screwed Up Modern Anime: Toshi Nakamura (blog) - "Basically, Tezuka did a George Lucas and supported his creation through merchandising and his own money. This lay the groundwork for the anime production model: Make an anime a cheaply as possible and make up the loss through tie-in goods and character merch. Because Tezuka was basically the God of manga in Japan, no one questioned his methods and this became the norm."
fandom:anime
Figures of Empire: On the Impossibility of Superhero Diversity: James Lamb (blog) - "Whether as friendly bystanders, costumed sidekicks, everyday henchmen or caped vigilantes, race and gender minorities exist in superhero comic media to validate and define the normative Whiteness central to the genre's narratives."
topic:superheroes, topic:race, topic:diversity, topic:history, topic:comics
Please Don't Hunt Me Down and Harass Me: Chris Gavaler (blog) - "It was published in England's Journal of Graphic Novels and Comics in 2013, and its argument is part of the book: superheroes are descended from the KKK. Actually superheroes are descended from all kinds of things, and the Klan is just one of them, an idea Major Spoilers still found "hard to swallow.""
topic:superheroes, topic:history
If You Perceive "Girly" Superheroes as Lesser, isn't the Problem You?: Keith Chow (blog) - "While I understand why some folks feel like the Supergirl preview gave off a rom-com vibe - particularly from the music cues in its first half - I don't know why that's necessarily a bad thing."
topic:superheroes, topic:femalecharacter, topic:sexism
Fantasy must shake off the tyranny of the mega-novel: Damien Walter (blog) - "The triumph of George RR Martin has made publishers greedy for multi-volume stories, but not all authors can write them - and why should they?"
topic:fantasy, topic:publishing
Fantasy cannot build its imaginary worlds in short fiction: Natasha Pulley (blog) - "'Mega-novels' are not a marketing wheeze, but a necessarily giant scaffolding for vast imaginative reach"
topic:fantasy, topic:publishing
Untitled: mmanalysis, nicolerichiesuberdriver, five-quid (Tumblr) - "I have been trying to go back to stuff I watched when I was a kid, to see if it's actually good or I'm just succumbing to nostalgia."
topic:television, topic:diversity
Inside China's Insane Witch Hunt For Slash Fiction Writers: Kevin Tang (blog) - "Eight erotic fiction sites, or "slash fiction sites," have been shut down and their staff arrested in China's newest anti-porn sweeps."
topic:censorship, topic:slash
Why Is Fan Fiction So Powerful: Kaye Toal (blog) - "We talked to Rainbow Rowell, author of Fangirl and the forthcoming Carry On, about the power of taking what you love into yourself."
topic:fanfic
The Invisible Man(liness): Eva Hayles Gledhill (blog) - "In this model, femininity becomes something that is added to someone, measured against the assumed neutrality of invisible masculinity."
topic:language, topic:feminism, topic:gender, topic:superheroes
It's-A Me, Mary Sue: Why She's An Important Figure For Fanfic And Fangirls: Sam Maggs (blog) - "Why isn't it okay to hate on Mary Sues?"
topic:fanfic, topic:marysue
May I Kill Him? Lisbeth Salander and the Rise of Feminist Noir: Zack Budryk (blog) - "As I got older, something sort of similar happened: I both fell in love with both the noir* genre and learned more about intersectional feminism (a process that isn't, and will never be, complete), and I encountered a sort of dilemma: a lot of noir and neo-noir is kind of extremely misogynistic."
topic:noir, topic:feminism
The Problem with Hollywood Super-Dudes: Chris Gavaler (blog) - "So to analyze the nature of Hollywood superheroes, I'm calling in two experts from opposite ends of the literary spectrum: Fyodor Dostoyevsky, one of the most acclaimed novelists of Russian literature, and Blake Snyder, a third-rate screenwriter that Sylvester Stallone once likened to a flatworm."
topic:movies, topic:superheroes, topic:criticism
All I Want Are Chicks with Agency Blowing Shit Up!: Ginnis Tonik (blog) - "And it's not enough, because of the continued dearth of female heroes and villains in our contemporary pop culture landscape."
topic:superheroes, topic:femalecharacter
Watch Out! She's Got Science!: On the Portrayal of Female Scientists in Media: Alex Townsend (blog) - "But just what kind of role models do we have out there for a world that desperately needs more female scientists? Well, there's more than you might think, both good and bad, in the worlds of fiction."
topic:science, topic:femalecharacter
Advice for Robert Downey, Jr.: Richard Brody (journal) - "Actually, both Iñárritu and Downey have recently delivered great caricatures, not on screen but in speech. Iñárritu, in the interview last fall that featured the "cultural genocide" charge, caricatured superhero movies even better than he did in "Birdman." Then, last week, Downey caricatured independent films."
topic:movies
Untitled: mmanalysis, ununnilium, oshkeet (Tumblr) - "One thing I wish people would get less in a huff about is when they say 'alternative interpretations against canon ultimately hurt canon because doesn't learn from it and continues to perpetuate whatever dumb/gross thing we were trying to explain away'"
topic:canon, topic:fanon
Oh, My Pop Culture Judaism: King Solomon the Superhero: mikelywhiplash (blog) - "But while his predecessors stayed within their own narrative arcs, Solomon built his own canon. He has an origin story, he has adventures, he fights monsters, and he even comes with his own set of accessories."
topic:religion, topic:history, topic:superheroes
Why Are You Writing a Rape Scene?: Robert Jackson Bennett (blog) - "This isn't an accusation. This is a genuine question. And it's also a subject that's been on my mind just about since I got started writing."
topic:writing, warning:rape
Two books on copyright: rivkat (DW) - "The editors suggest that the things that the "entertainment industry" values don't map very well onto the law, but that industry members nonetheless deploy/interact with the law to get what they want. I like their working definition of franchises: franchises involve connected cultural content that some entity tries to exploit and keep profitable over time."
topic:copyright
Why We Still Need Strong Female Characters: Jenny Cee (blog) - "Some think that in this post Buffy, and Xena generation that we have won the fight, but with the recent release of 'Avengers: Age of Ultron' that it has pretty much shown that the fight for strong, and flesh out female characters is still very important."
topic:femalecharacter, topic:feminism
Jenny Cee's Top Five Favorite AO3 Hacks!: Jenny Cee (blog) - "Yet, despite being ahead of the competition, the A03 seems to be missing some vital things that would browsing for and reading fanfic a hell of lot more easier."
topic:ao3
How To Free Yourself of Tumblr Wank!: Jenny Cee (blog) - "Tumblr can be full of squee and awesome one minute, and more vicious than a lion hunting a gazelle the next."
topic:tumblr
Silly little girls: Slash Fanfiction and Female Sexuality: teresa-dances-in-sequins (Tumblr) - "I'm not saying everything I've written holds true for every slash fan - or for every slash fandom, for that matter. These are just the observations I've gleaned from intense academic research, from my own analysis, and from what other folks in the slash community have kindly shared with me. I wrote this because I care a lot about slash, and frankly, I'm tired of feeling like it's something to be ashamed of."
topic:slash
Meta Monday : I don't drink coffee, a post about AUs: dhampyresa (DW) - "In that post, I outlined three different kinds of AUs, although I am not entirely sure one of them counts as an AU."
topic:fanfic, topic:au
What Is Fiction For?:mild_lunacy (tumblr) - "The desire for pure self-expression (as opposed to socially-oriented moralism) is largely self-explanatory, though the avant-garde impulse gets a lot less attention, especially in discussions within fandom. "
topic:fiction, topic:writing
Technothriller Book Review Sumana: (blog) - "I am glad I read Hackster: The Revolution Begins..., a technothriller by Sankalp Kohli and Paritosh Yadav taking place in modern-day India"
topic:writing
Specific Fandoms
Agent Carter
4 More Ways to #DiversifyAgentCarter: Leigh Anne (blog) - "Curious and inspired, I turned to the library collection for more information. Here are four more character concepts that would be historically accurate if they appeared in Agent Carter."
fandom:agentcarter, topic:diversity, topic:history
#DiversifyAgent Carter Reminds Us That "Because History" Isn't a Reason to Whitewash a Show: Teresa Jusino (blog) - "But even the best shows aren't immune to criticism, and there is one area in which Agent Carter could use some improvement. There are zero characters of color on that show."
fandom:agentcarter, topic:diversity
The Mission: Agent Carter, Diversity in Superhero TV, and a Colorful History: Joseph Phillip Illidge (blog) - "However, while "Agent Carter" succeeds on that front, it clearly has more work to do on another, which is the historical accuracy involving the presence of people of color."
fandom:agentcarter, fandom:mcu, fandom:marvelcomics, topic:diversity
Agents of SHIELD
How Agents of SHIELD Blew It With The Inhumans: Devin Faraci (blog) - "And why SHIELD feels like a bad guy organization."
fandom:agentsofshield
Diversify Cast Regulars on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: A.L. Baroza (blog) - "Here's the problem; as I mentioned in my previous post, the splinter S.H.I.E.L.D. inner council is made up of mostly people of color, as opposed to Coulson's S.H.I.E.L.D., whose MVPs are mainly white. In other words, Gonzales' S.H.I.E.L.D. group, who are represented on screen by POC, are not only positioned as the antagonists to Coulson's S.H.I.E.L.D. - they forcibly took over the organization! - but they are also portrayed as the face of intolerance."
fandom:agentsofshield, topic:racism
Declassified: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. - "Scars": The Insightful Panda (blog) - "As the dust settles from the near-cataclysm that was Avengers: Age of Ultron's finale battle, we see how it and its lessons have crossed once again into Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D."
fandom:agentsofshield
Declassified: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. - "S.O.S. Part 1 & 2": The Insightful Panda (blog) - "So let's break this fantastic episode down and look at the good, the bad and the Inhuman."
fandom:agentsofshield, warning:spoilers
'Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. season 2 finale ends with start of a new war: Gavia Baker-Whitelaw (blog) - "Before we get into the the nitty-gritty of what this all means for next season, let's make one thing abundantly clear: This show is now Skye's superhero origin story."
fandom:agentsofshield, warning:spoilers
American Crime
American Crime: In Defense of Barb Hanlon: Faith Pennick (blog) - "In my opinion, the most compelling character on television right now is Barb Hanlon. Her presence looms large over the shape-shifting ABC drama American Crime."
fandom:americancrime, topic:femalecharacter
Angel
Untitled: kikibluemay (Tumblr) - "Okay, but how do you deal with the fact that Angel is basically an endless tale of manpain told by the perpetrator?"
fandom:angel
Arrow
Where 'Arrow' Season 3 Went Wrong: Kevin Fitzpatrick (blog) - "Now, we attempt to pinpoint where Arrow went astray, including a character absence that may surprise you, and what hope we might find for Season 4."
fandom:arrow, warning:spoilers
Arrow: "This Is Your Sword" - Looking Ahead: The Insightful Panda (blog) - "There is only one more episode of Arrow this season and a greater plan has been set into motion. Through deception and desperation, the most unlikely of alliances has formed. Though is everything that follows going according to plan or horribly wrong."
fandom:arrow
Arrow: "My Name Is Oliver Queen" - Looking Ahead: The Insightful Panda (blog) - "Though despite the predictability - and a LOT of time spent of Olicity - this was still a fun season and a spectacular season finale. In many ways, it could have been considered a Series Finale."
fandom:arrow, warning:spoilers
Avengers: Age of Ultron
Earth's Mightiest Monsters: The Character Arcs of Avengers: Age of Ultron: Devin Faraci (blog) - "Most of my niggling problems with the film simply melted away on a second viewing, and many of the lingering questions felt answered."
fandom:mcu
Helen Cho, Age of Ultron, and Representation Feels: Nicole Soojung Callahan (blog) - "I've seen several tweets and a few reviews panning the movie, and I admit that in the initial heady afterglow of seeing a Korean actor on the silver screen, I couldn't even begin to understand the disappointment."
fandom:mcu, warning:spoilers, topic:representation
Age of Ultron, Part I: James Daily (blog) - "Although the Avengers eventually succeed in destroying Ultron, questions remain: are Stark and Banner in any way liable for the damage caused by Ultron's actions?"
fandom:mcu, topic:law, warning:spoilers
Avengers AOU - What Makes a Monster: Jamie Kingston (blog) - "The movie asks over and over what makes a monster. It even makes some faltering attempts to answer."
fandom:mcu, warning:spoilers
Spoiler Alert: We Are All Monsters: Ashley Reed (blog) - "This is one writer's opinion on the treatment of and response to Black Widow's storyline in Age of Ultron."
fandom:mcu, warning:spoilers, topic:infertility
A guide to the growing controversy over Joss Whedon's Avengers and Marvel's gender problem: Todd VanDerWerff (blog) - "Whedon has been a geek hero for years now, but a few of his directorial choices in Avengers: Age of Ultron have caused many to accuse him of misogyny and call for his head."
fandom:mcu, fandom:josswhedon, warning:spoilers
The Black Widow that I saw in the theater: Scott Sigler (blog) - "AGE OF ULTRON has become a focal point in an ongoing discussion about sexism in entertainment."
fandom:mcu, warning:spoilers
Black Widow, Scarce Resources And High-Stakes Stories: Linda Holmes (blog) - "We were never going to avoid gender politics with a character named "Black Widow.""
fandom:mcu, warning:spoilers, topic:femalecharacter
Untitled: allofthefeelings (tumblr) - "Here's the thing about Natasha's arc in AoU: it actually had a lot of potential to be really good, using what we've learned about her from the past few films, without changing any of the major beats, with a little bit of extrapolation."
fandom:mcu, warning:spoilers
Untitled: teapotsahoy (tumblr) - "Or even just a general discomfort with other people having more control over the Hulk than he does."
fandom:mcu, warning:spoilers
Untitle: septemberbiseur (tumblr) - "I've just returned from seeing Age of Ultron, which proved to be both formally a shambles and so ideologically toxic on every level that I found it difficult to enjoy even those isolated moments that provide competent entertainment"
fandom:mcu, warning:spoilers
Untitled: septemberbriseur (tumblr) - "For me, it wasn't so much the blandness as the shallowness of the thinking."
fandom:mcu, warning:spoilers
Untitled: septemberbriseur (tumblr) - "Of course, the trope of the child in danger gets dragged out a lot in action movies"
fandom:mcu, warning:spoilers
Untitled: septemberbriseur (tumblr) - "To be less grim and depressing: things I enjoyed in AoU!"
fandom:mcu, warning:spoilers
Age Of Ultron Meta and Contrarian Natasha Thoughts:lynnenne (LJ) - "Saw the movie this weekend, and while I didn't quite enjoy it as much as the first Avengers, I think that in many ways it's a better-made film, and hangs together more cohesively. Much of this has to do with the theme of puppetry which runs throughout, so let's get meta-ing."
fandom:mcu, warning:spoilers
The Black Widow Conundrum: Darren Franich (other) - "But if we're being a bit pedantic about the definition of "superhero"-derives from a comic book, has a codename, wears a trademark costume, hangs out with a superteam-then Black Widow reigns supreme. "
fandom:mcu, warning:spoilers
Babylon 5
B5rewatch: Soul Hunter: jedi_of_urth (LJ) - "Okay, that wasn't a very good promo either. It did make me realize something that I probably should have put words to ages ago: this is a bad concept for such an early episode."
fandom:babylon5
Batman
The Dark Knight: An Influential And Prophetic Blockbuster: Siddhant Adlakha (blog) - "It was an important film to a lot of people who were entering film culture at the time, but its significance to Mumbai, my home city, is also rather unfortunate."
fandom:dccu
Episode 55: "Zatanna": The Arkham Sessions (podcast) - "In this episode of The Arkham Sessions, we're excited to analyze Zatanna for the first time, delving into her magical role, not only as Batman's companion, but also as a beloved character in the Bat-verse!"
fandom:dcanimated
Beyond Good and Evil
Jade - Beyond Good & Evil: Anita Sarkeesian (video with transcript) - "This episode of our series on Positive Female Characters focuses on Jade, the protagonist of Ubisoft's 2003 action-adventure game Beyond Good & Evil. We examine how plot elements, gameplay mechanics and smart dialogue work together to make Jade a relatable protagonist who is defined by her professional talents, her altruistic convictions, and her bonds with friends."
fandom:gaming, topic:femalecharacter
Buffy
Darth Rosenberg: Ms Buffy Buff (blog) - "In my opinion, Dark Willow had been a long time coming, so it wasn't a huge surprise to me when everything finally reached breaking point."
fandom:btvs, topic:femalecharacter, topic:villains
Untitled: apprenticebard (Tumblr) - "Do you ever think about the fact that Spike might well have been the first friend Dawn ever made, ever"
fandom:btvs
Random Dawn & Spike Thoughts: apprenticebard (Tumblr) - "Anyways, you know how Dawn and Spike stop interacting in S6, for the most part? We know they had at least some significant offscreen interaction during 'Wrecked', when Spike took Dawn to the hospital, but as far as what we see, their interactions pretty much stop."
fandom:btvs
Untitled: shadowcon (Tumblr) - "I have a big problem with the "Are you ready to be strong?" speech in "Chosen", wherein she rallies the Potentials and tells them of her plan, and I'd thought I'd run my feelings by you, since you're obviously someone who enjoys the show and loves to talk about it."
fandom:btvs
Untitled: apprenticebard (Tumblr) - "OK but how does Spike's chip even function"
fandom:btvs
Untitled: muchbuffy, apprenticebard (Tumblr) - "Seeing Red: The infamous bathroom scene will always be a very loaded topic. Not just because of the horror, but because everyone tends to disagree about it."
fandom:btvs, warning:rape
Second Chances: Faith as Drusilla 2.0: womanaction (Tumblr) - "Therefore, I wanted to write a little piece on Faith and Drusilla and their treatment within the text, especially in relation to Angel(us)."
fandom:btvs, fandom:angel
Untitled: muchbuffy (Tumblr) - "I see the slayer powers as a metaphor for all the things society use against women in order to look down on them."
fandom:btvs
Untitled: muchbuffy (Tumblr) - "I have grave issues with most love stories. They all tend to gloss over problematic and downright creepy behavior, all in the name of love."
fandom:btvs
Buffyverse Characters in Every Hogwarts House: Dawn Summers: apprenticebard (Tumblr) - Essays on how Dawn does and doesn't fit in each of the Hogwarts houses.
fandom:btvs
By the Sword
By the Sword: We're Not In Valdemar Anymore: Ellen Cheeseman-Meyer (blog) - Introduction to the book for those unfamiliar with it.
fandom:valdemar
Captain America
Sexualized Saturdays: Captain America & Male Virginity: Lady Geek Girl (blog) - "For our pop culture to have a character who doesn't follow these rules is rare and frankly revolutionary. That's why I am so happy that Steve Rogers, Captain America himself, is a virgin."
fandom:mcu, topic:sexuality
Chronicles of Narnia
Narnia: There Is No Son Sun: Ana Mardoll (blog) - Deconstruction of chapter 12 of The Silver Chair.
fandom:chroniclesofnarnia, topic:deconstruction
Cosmere
Words of Radiance Reread: Chapter 38: Alice Arneson (blog) - "This week, we pick up in the middle of the same sentence from Shallan's perspective, and watch Shallan and Dalinar drop their respective bombshells."
fandom:cosmere
Daredevil
Fiskal Responsibility: How a Supervillain Did Right by Autistic Characters: Zack Budryk (blog) - "D'Onofrio's Fisk is the exact inverse: he's a very bad man whose apparent disability humanizes him, showing us just how vulnerable he is emotionally."
fandom:daredevil, topic:disability
Darna
Darna: 'The Filipino Wonder Woman': Philip Smith (blog) - "Conversely, there are those who maintain that Mars Ravelo, Darna's creator, was pitching the idea of a female superhero in 1939, two years before Wonder Woman's first comic book appearance. In such a timeline Darna is not a Wonder Woman clone, but a character who emerged independently around the same time."
fandom:darna, fandom:comics
Doctor Who
NuWho Rewatch: Amy's Choice: louisedennis (LJ) - "It's a lot less interested in playing the science-fictional game associated with dream realities than it is in show-casing the dynamics around the three central characters."
fandom:doctorwho
NuWho Rewatch: Vampires of Venice: louisedennis (LJ) - "Vampires of Venice is, well, oddly unremarkable."
fandom:doctorwho
NuWho Rewatch: Time of the Angels/Flesh and Stone: louisedennis (LJ) - "To be honest the most notable thing about this episode is the things that were to reoccur, such as the church militant, River's imprisonment, and her habit of leaving messages for the Doctor on historical artefacts, and the things that were, apparently, to be quietly abandoned - the various new powers the angels seem to have gained."
fandom:doctorwho
Dragonlance
The Dragonlance Chronicles Reread: Dragons of Autumn Twilight, Chapters 17 and 18: Mahvesh Murad and Jared Shurin (blog) - "This week-gully dwarves and draconians."
fandom:dragonlance
Elementary
Elementary 3.24: selenak (DW) - "Still chewing on this one, as a season finale and as an episode both."
fandom:elementary
Empire Trilogy
Rereading The Empire Trilogy: Mistress of Empire, Part 10: Tansy Raynor Roberts (blog) - "This week's chapter is surprisingly untraumatic. I know, right? It's like a lovely holiday from the grief, torture and murder."
fandom:empiretrilogy
The Flash
The Flash Review 1.22 "Rogue Air": Meredith Borders (blog) - "The lesson in this episode: never doubt THE FLASH writers."
fandom:theflash, warning:spoilers
A Closer Look: The Flash - "Rogue Air": The Insightful Panda (blog) - "With only 1 episode left until the Season 1 finale, this episode of The Flash had a lot to accomplish; and that is exactly what it did. Though some could wonder if the pacing of this episode was the best planned."
fandom:theflash, warning:spoilers
Game of Thrones
The naked hypocrisy of Game Of Thrones' nudity: Caroline Siede (blog) - "Yet as Game Of Thrones is crafting nuanced storylines for its female characters, the show is simultaneously presenting nameless naked women for the show's audience to ogle. And that's more than a little disappointing."
fandom:gameofthrones, topic:malegaze, topic:sex
Game of Thrones Discussion, S5E5: Fear Not: Laura Fletcher, Corrin Bennett-Kill, and Cheryl Collins (blog) - "Can our fears set us free? Or do they always enslave us? Does maturity mean not only stepping away from parental protection, but facing - and embracing - the things that terrify us?"
fandom:gameofthrones, warning:spoilers
Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken: Philip Sandifer (blog) - "Except, of course, that this is a lie. There were an infinity of ways for that to be played. And they chose to do it this way. They chose specific alterations to the books that made this inevitable, and so it happened."
fandom:gameofthrones, warning:spoilers, warning:rape
Deconstructed: Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken: Stefan (blog) - "This week, despite some very strong elements, suffers greatly from the total falling apart of one storyline and the divisive use of rape as a plot device by another."
fandom:gameofthrones, warning:spoilers, warning:rape
Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken Open Thread: Johnny (blog) - Open thread to discuss the most recent episode.
fandom:gameofthrones, warning:spoilers
Tailgate, Blood Orange Punch: Johnny (blog) - Compilation of links to discussion of the episode Kill the Boy.
fandom:gameofthrones
"Game of Thrones" politics: Secret missions, desperate lies and the dangerous art of the double-cross: Steven Attewell (blog) - "In this episode, we are constantly reminded of the necessities of lying"
fandom:gameofthrones, warning:spoilers
How "Game of Thrones" ruined Loras Tyrell: HBO's "gay cartoon" is so much more in the books: Steven Attewell (blog) - "George R.R. Martin wrote Loras as roundly as any other Westerosi man, but on HBO, he's just Maergery's gay brother"
fandom:gameofthrones, topic:lgbt
Game of Thrones podcast: Season 5, Episode 5 - "Kill the Boy": (podcast) - What it says on the tin.
fandom:gameofthrones
We Will No Longer Be Promoting HBO's Game of Thrones: Jill Pantozzi (blog) - "Before we dive into why we felt this was a choice which would cause us to stop promoting the show, allow us to say something very important: rape is not a necessary plot device. Really think about that before shouting "creative freedom" in our direction, please."
fandom:gameofthrones, warning:rape, warning:spoilers
Why fans are so upset about Sansa's plot on 'Game of Thrones': Michelle Jaworski (blog) - "Anyone hoping for some sort of happiness for Sansa Stark this season, who finally returned home to Winterfell, had that reality yanked from them, stabbed, and probably stomped on for good measure at the end of "Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken.""
fandom:gameofthrones, warning:rape, warning:spoilers
What is greyscale, the illness looming over 'Game of Thrones': Michelle Jaworski (blog) - "But by showcasing greyscale so heavily this season does that mean that it may hint that the white walkers aren't the only looming threat to Westeros in future seasons and books?"
fandom:gameofthrones, topic:disease
Episode Review: "Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken": Theresa DeLucci (blog) - "Far be it from me to question the wisdom of George R. R. Martin-and I won't because the books are his story-but I would really love to know why the showrunners changed so much of Martin's novels in interesting ways only to negate all their work by not changing events enough."
fandom:gameofthrones, warning:spoilers, warning:rape
Game of Thrones podcast: Season 5, Episode 6 - "Unbent, Unbowed, Unbroken": (podcast) - Analysis of the episode.
fandom:gameofthrones, warning:spoilers, warning:rape
Game of Thrones: Sansa Stark's Misery Has Gone Too Far: Julia Hartmann (blog) - "Last release of Game of Thrones ended with a terrible image we cannot erase from our minds. Sansa Stark has been unlucky with men until now, but her marriage with Ramsay Bolton puts a lot of things into perspective."
fandom:gameofthrones, warning:rape, warning:spoilers
Review: Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken: ghostlovesinger (blog) - "It was a microcosm of this entire season so far: brief stretches of greatness punctuated with complete incompetence; last week's masterpiece followed by this week's atrocity. Season 5 has hit a few peaks, but its valleys have been staggering in depth, and to be brutally honest, I'm not sure Game of Thrones is coming back up from this one."
fandom:gameofthrones, warning:spoilers, warning:rape
Game of Thrones, Season 5, Episode 6: Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken: Sparky (blog) - Episode recap followed by some meta comments.
fandom:gameofthrones, warning:spoilers, warning:rape
Return to Westeros: "Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken" Review: Tsunderin (blog) - "If last week Game of Thrones was "heading into darker territory", this week the show did a kick flip off the deep end into some terrible shit."
fandom:gameofthrones, warning:spoilers, warning:rape
Game of Thrones recap: season five, episode six - Unbent, Unbowed, Unbroken: Sarah Hughes (blog) - "The harrowing final scene was a major deviation from the books and will undoubtedly upset many readers but I wish solely to discuss whether it worked in terms of the story being told on television - and I would argue that, while horrific and hard to watch, it did."
fandom:gameofthrones, warning:spoilers, warning:rape
Why Sansa Really Kneeled: how sexism shaped Sansa Stark's arc long ago: gotgifsandmusings (Tumblr) - "This difference in approach serves as a commentary on the experience of a girl with the right family name vs. one without, and it is also done with respect to their individual personalities."
fandom:gameofthrones, fandom:asoiaf, topic:adaptations, warning:spoilers, warning:rape
GoT rant - I feel like I'm the odd one out with my reaction: lordhellbore (LJ) - "I wonder: If somebody who was raped wrote about how the depiction of rape on GoT actually helps them cope, would all the people railing against it even consider this person's opinion?"
fandom:gameofthrones, warning:rape
Grace and Frankie
Netflix's 'Grace and Frankie' targets an older generation, then crushes their spirits: Tom Harrington (blog) - "And it's this obvious neediness that makes Grace and Frankie confusing. It's an odd opening salvo for what is essentially Netflix staking its claim on older viewers. So, sure, the stockpiling of decomposing star power makes sense. But did they have to make it so depressing?"
fandom:graceandfrankie
Grimm
The Psychology of Inspirational Women: Grimm's Juliette Silverton: Dr Janina Scarlet (blog) - Psychological analysis of the character in question.
fandom:grimm, topic:psychology, topic:femalecharacter
Grimm, Season 4, Episode 22: Cry Havoc: Sparky (blog) - Episode recap followed by some meta comments.
fandom:grimm, warning:spoilers
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General Fandom
It's time for Hollywood to embrace the female super villain: Cher Martinetti (blog) - "Yes, women need to have a strong, positive presence in pop culture, but what about the bad guys -- or, more specifically, bad girls? It's time for Hollywood, and audiences, to embrace the villainess."
topic:femalecharacter, topic:villains
How The "Godfather of Anime" Screwed Up Modern Anime: Toshi Nakamura (blog) - "Basically, Tezuka did a George Lucas and supported his creation through merchandising and his own money. This lay the groundwork for the anime production model: Make an anime a cheaply as possible and make up the loss through tie-in goods and character merch. Because Tezuka was basically the God of manga in Japan, no one questioned his methods and this became the norm."
fandom:anime
Figures of Empire: On the Impossibility of Superhero Diversity: James Lamb (blog) - "Whether as friendly bystanders, costumed sidekicks, everyday henchmen or caped vigilantes, race and gender minorities exist in superhero comic media to validate and define the normative Whiteness central to the genre's narratives."
topic:superheroes, topic:race, topic:diversity, topic:history, topic:comics
Please Don't Hunt Me Down and Harass Me: Chris Gavaler (blog) - "It was published in England's Journal of Graphic Novels and Comics in 2013, and its argument is part of the book: superheroes are descended from the KKK. Actually superheroes are descended from all kinds of things, and the Klan is just one of them, an idea Major Spoilers still found "hard to swallow.""
topic:superheroes, topic:history
If You Perceive "Girly" Superheroes as Lesser, isn't the Problem You?: Keith Chow (blog) - "While I understand why some folks feel like the Supergirl preview gave off a rom-com vibe - particularly from the music cues in its first half - I don't know why that's necessarily a bad thing."
topic:superheroes, topic:femalecharacter, topic:sexism
Fantasy must shake off the tyranny of the mega-novel: Damien Walter (blog) - "The triumph of George RR Martin has made publishers greedy for multi-volume stories, but not all authors can write them - and why should they?"
topic:fantasy, topic:publishing
Fantasy cannot build its imaginary worlds in short fiction: Natasha Pulley (blog) - "'Mega-novels' are not a marketing wheeze, but a necessarily giant scaffolding for vast imaginative reach"
topic:fantasy, topic:publishing
Untitled: mmanalysis, nicolerichiesuberdriver, five-quid (Tumblr) - "I have been trying to go back to stuff I watched when I was a kid, to see if it's actually good or I'm just succumbing to nostalgia."
topic:television, topic:diversity
Inside China's Insane Witch Hunt For Slash Fiction Writers: Kevin Tang (blog) - "Eight erotic fiction sites, or "slash fiction sites," have been shut down and their staff arrested in China's newest anti-porn sweeps."
topic:censorship, topic:slash
Why Is Fan Fiction So Powerful: Kaye Toal (blog) - "We talked to Rainbow Rowell, author of Fangirl and the forthcoming Carry On, about the power of taking what you love into yourself."
topic:fanfic
The Invisible Man(liness): Eva Hayles Gledhill (blog) - "In this model, femininity becomes something that is added to someone, measured against the assumed neutrality of invisible masculinity."
topic:language, topic:feminism, topic:gender, topic:superheroes
It's-A Me, Mary Sue: Why She's An Important Figure For Fanfic And Fangirls: Sam Maggs (blog) - "Why isn't it okay to hate on Mary Sues?"
topic:fanfic, topic:marysue
May I Kill Him? Lisbeth Salander and the Rise of Feminist Noir: Zack Budryk (blog) - "As I got older, something sort of similar happened: I both fell in love with both the noir* genre and learned more about intersectional feminism (a process that isn't, and will never be, complete), and I encountered a sort of dilemma: a lot of noir and neo-noir is kind of extremely misogynistic."
topic:noir, topic:feminism
The Problem with Hollywood Super-Dudes: Chris Gavaler (blog) - "So to analyze the nature of Hollywood superheroes, I'm calling in two experts from opposite ends of the literary spectrum: Fyodor Dostoyevsky, one of the most acclaimed novelists of Russian literature, and Blake Snyder, a third-rate screenwriter that Sylvester Stallone once likened to a flatworm."
topic:movies, topic:superheroes, topic:criticism
All I Want Are Chicks with Agency Blowing Shit Up!: Ginnis Tonik (blog) - "And it's not enough, because of the continued dearth of female heroes and villains in our contemporary pop culture landscape."
topic:superheroes, topic:femalecharacter
Watch Out! She's Got Science!: On the Portrayal of Female Scientists in Media: Alex Townsend (blog) - "But just what kind of role models do we have out there for a world that desperately needs more female scientists? Well, there's more than you might think, both good and bad, in the worlds of fiction."
topic:science, topic:femalecharacter
Advice for Robert Downey, Jr.: Richard Brody (journal) - "Actually, both Iñárritu and Downey have recently delivered great caricatures, not on screen but in speech. Iñárritu, in the interview last fall that featured the "cultural genocide" charge, caricatured superhero movies even better than he did in "Birdman." Then, last week, Downey caricatured independent films."
topic:movies
Untitled: mmanalysis, ununnilium, oshkeet (Tumblr) - "One thing I wish people would get less in a huff about is when they say 'alternative interpretations against canon ultimately hurt canon because doesn't learn from it and continues to perpetuate whatever dumb/gross thing we were trying to explain away'"
topic:canon, topic:fanon
Oh, My Pop Culture Judaism: King Solomon the Superhero: mikelywhiplash (blog) - "But while his predecessors stayed within their own narrative arcs, Solomon built his own canon. He has an origin story, he has adventures, he fights monsters, and he even comes with his own set of accessories."
topic:religion, topic:history, topic:superheroes
Why Are You Writing a Rape Scene?: Robert Jackson Bennett (blog) - "This isn't an accusation. This is a genuine question. And it's also a subject that's been on my mind just about since I got started writing."
topic:writing, warning:rape
Two books on copyright: rivkat (DW) - "The editors suggest that the things that the "entertainment industry" values don't map very well onto the law, but that industry members nonetheless deploy/interact with the law to get what they want. I like their working definition of franchises: franchises involve connected cultural content that some entity tries to exploit and keep profitable over time."
topic:copyright
Why We Still Need Strong Female Characters: Jenny Cee (blog) - "Some think that in this post Buffy, and Xena generation that we have won the fight, but with the recent release of 'Avengers: Age of Ultron' that it has pretty much shown that the fight for strong, and flesh out female characters is still very important."
topic:femalecharacter, topic:feminism
Jenny Cee's Top Five Favorite AO3 Hacks!: Jenny Cee (blog) - "Yet, despite being ahead of the competition, the A03 seems to be missing some vital things that would browsing for and reading fanfic a hell of lot more easier."
topic:ao3
How To Free Yourself of Tumblr Wank!: Jenny Cee (blog) - "Tumblr can be full of squee and awesome one minute, and more vicious than a lion hunting a gazelle the next."
topic:tumblr
Silly little girls: Slash Fanfiction and Female Sexuality: teresa-dances-in-sequins (Tumblr) - "I'm not saying everything I've written holds true for every slash fan - or for every slash fandom, for that matter. These are just the observations I've gleaned from intense academic research, from my own analysis, and from what other folks in the slash community have kindly shared with me. I wrote this because I care a lot about slash, and frankly, I'm tired of feeling like it's something to be ashamed of."
topic:slash
Meta Monday : I don't drink coffee, a post about AUs: dhampyresa (DW) - "In that post, I outlined three different kinds of AUs, although I am not entirely sure one of them counts as an AU."
topic:fanfic, topic:au
What Is Fiction For?:mild_lunacy (tumblr) - "The desire for pure self-expression (as opposed to socially-oriented moralism) is largely self-explanatory, though the avant-garde impulse gets a lot less attention, especially in discussions within fandom. "
topic:fiction, topic:writing
Technothriller Book Review Sumana: (blog) - "I am glad I read Hackster: The Revolution Begins..., a technothriller by Sankalp Kohli and Paritosh Yadav taking place in modern-day India"
topic:writing
Specific Fandoms
Agent Carter
4 More Ways to #DiversifyAgentCarter: Leigh Anne (blog) - "Curious and inspired, I turned to the library collection for more information. Here are four more character concepts that would be historically accurate if they appeared in Agent Carter."
fandom:agentcarter, topic:diversity, topic:history
#DiversifyAgent Carter Reminds Us That "Because History" Isn't a Reason to Whitewash a Show: Teresa Jusino (blog) - "But even the best shows aren't immune to criticism, and there is one area in which Agent Carter could use some improvement. There are zero characters of color on that show."
fandom:agentcarter, topic:diversity
The Mission: Agent Carter, Diversity in Superhero TV, and a Colorful History: Joseph Phillip Illidge (blog) - "However, while "Agent Carter" succeeds on that front, it clearly has more work to do on another, which is the historical accuracy involving the presence of people of color."
fandom:agentcarter, fandom:mcu, fandom:marvelcomics, topic:diversity
Agents of SHIELD
How Agents of SHIELD Blew It With The Inhumans: Devin Faraci (blog) - "And why SHIELD feels like a bad guy organization."
fandom:agentsofshield
Diversify Cast Regulars on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: A.L. Baroza (blog) - "Here's the problem; as I mentioned in my previous post, the splinter S.H.I.E.L.D. inner council is made up of mostly people of color, as opposed to Coulson's S.H.I.E.L.D., whose MVPs are mainly white. In other words, Gonzales' S.H.I.E.L.D. group, who are represented on screen by POC, are not only positioned as the antagonists to Coulson's S.H.I.E.L.D. - they forcibly took over the organization! - but they are also portrayed as the face of intolerance."
fandom:agentsofshield, topic:racism
Declassified: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. - "Scars": The Insightful Panda (blog) - "As the dust settles from the near-cataclysm that was Avengers: Age of Ultron's finale battle, we see how it and its lessons have crossed once again into Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D."
fandom:agentsofshield
Declassified: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. - "S.O.S. Part 1 & 2": The Insightful Panda (blog) - "So let's break this fantastic episode down and look at the good, the bad and the Inhuman."
fandom:agentsofshield, warning:spoilers
'Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. season 2 finale ends with start of a new war: Gavia Baker-Whitelaw (blog) - "Before we get into the the nitty-gritty of what this all means for next season, let's make one thing abundantly clear: This show is now Skye's superhero origin story."
fandom:agentsofshield, warning:spoilers
American Crime
American Crime: In Defense of Barb Hanlon: Faith Pennick (blog) - "In my opinion, the most compelling character on television right now is Barb Hanlon. Her presence looms large over the shape-shifting ABC drama American Crime."
fandom:americancrime, topic:femalecharacter
Angel
Untitled: kikibluemay (Tumblr) - "Okay, but how do you deal with the fact that Angel is basically an endless tale of manpain told by the perpetrator?"
fandom:angel
Arrow
Where 'Arrow' Season 3 Went Wrong: Kevin Fitzpatrick (blog) - "Now, we attempt to pinpoint where Arrow went astray, including a character absence that may surprise you, and what hope we might find for Season 4."
fandom:arrow, warning:spoilers
Arrow: "This Is Your Sword" - Looking Ahead: The Insightful Panda (blog) - "There is only one more episode of Arrow this season and a greater plan has been set into motion. Through deception and desperation, the most unlikely of alliances has formed. Though is everything that follows going according to plan or horribly wrong."
fandom:arrow
Arrow: "My Name Is Oliver Queen" - Looking Ahead: The Insightful Panda (blog) - "Though despite the predictability - and a LOT of time spent of Olicity - this was still a fun season and a spectacular season finale. In many ways, it could have been considered a Series Finale."
fandom:arrow, warning:spoilers
Avengers: Age of Ultron
Earth's Mightiest Monsters: The Character Arcs of Avengers: Age of Ultron: Devin Faraci (blog) - "Most of my niggling problems with the film simply melted away on a second viewing, and many of the lingering questions felt answered."
fandom:mcu
Helen Cho, Age of Ultron, and Representation Feels: Nicole Soojung Callahan (blog) - "I've seen several tweets and a few reviews panning the movie, and I admit that in the initial heady afterglow of seeing a Korean actor on the silver screen, I couldn't even begin to understand the disappointment."
fandom:mcu, warning:spoilers, topic:representation
Age of Ultron, Part I: James Daily (blog) - "Although the Avengers eventually succeed in destroying Ultron, questions remain: are Stark and Banner in any way liable for the damage caused by Ultron's actions?"
fandom:mcu, topic:law, warning:spoilers
Avengers AOU - What Makes a Monster: Jamie Kingston (blog) - "The movie asks over and over what makes a monster. It even makes some faltering attempts to answer."
fandom:mcu, warning:spoilers
Spoiler Alert: We Are All Monsters: Ashley Reed (blog) - "This is one writer's opinion on the treatment of and response to Black Widow's storyline in Age of Ultron."
fandom:mcu, warning:spoilers, topic:infertility
A guide to the growing controversy over Joss Whedon's Avengers and Marvel's gender problem: Todd VanDerWerff (blog) - "Whedon has been a geek hero for years now, but a few of his directorial choices in Avengers: Age of Ultron have caused many to accuse him of misogyny and call for his head."
fandom:mcu, fandom:josswhedon, warning:spoilers
The Black Widow that I saw in the theater: Scott Sigler (blog) - "AGE OF ULTRON has become a focal point in an ongoing discussion about sexism in entertainment."
fandom:mcu, warning:spoilers
Black Widow, Scarce Resources And High-Stakes Stories: Linda Holmes (blog) - "We were never going to avoid gender politics with a character named "Black Widow.""
fandom:mcu, warning:spoilers, topic:femalecharacter
Untitled: allofthefeelings (tumblr) - "Here's the thing about Natasha's arc in AoU: it actually had a lot of potential to be really good, using what we've learned about her from the past few films, without changing any of the major beats, with a little bit of extrapolation."
fandom:mcu, warning:spoilers
Untitled: teapotsahoy (tumblr) - "Or even just a general discomfort with other people having more control over the Hulk than he does."
fandom:mcu, warning:spoilers
Untitle: septemberbiseur (tumblr) - "I've just returned from seeing Age of Ultron, which proved to be both formally a shambles and so ideologically toxic on every level that I found it difficult to enjoy even those isolated moments that provide competent entertainment"
fandom:mcu, warning:spoilers
Untitled: septemberbriseur (tumblr) - "For me, it wasn't so much the blandness as the shallowness of the thinking."
fandom:mcu, warning:spoilers
Untitled: septemberbriseur (tumblr) - "Of course, the trope of the child in danger gets dragged out a lot in action movies"
fandom:mcu, warning:spoilers
Untitled: septemberbriseur (tumblr) - "To be less grim and depressing: things I enjoyed in AoU!"
fandom:mcu, warning:spoilers
Age Of Ultron Meta and Contrarian Natasha Thoughts:lynnenne (LJ) - "Saw the movie this weekend, and while I didn't quite enjoy it as much as the first Avengers, I think that in many ways it's a better-made film, and hangs together more cohesively. Much of this has to do with the theme of puppetry which runs throughout, so let's get meta-ing."
fandom:mcu, warning:spoilers
The Black Widow Conundrum: Darren Franich (other) - "But if we're being a bit pedantic about the definition of "superhero"-derives from a comic book, has a codename, wears a trademark costume, hangs out with a superteam-then Black Widow reigns supreme. "
fandom:mcu, warning:spoilers
Babylon 5
B5rewatch: Soul Hunter: jedi_of_urth (LJ) - "Okay, that wasn't a very good promo either. It did make me realize something that I probably should have put words to ages ago: this is a bad concept for such an early episode."
fandom:babylon5
Batman
The Dark Knight: An Influential And Prophetic Blockbuster: Siddhant Adlakha (blog) - "It was an important film to a lot of people who were entering film culture at the time, but its significance to Mumbai, my home city, is also rather unfortunate."
fandom:dccu
Episode 55: "Zatanna": The Arkham Sessions (podcast) - "In this episode of The Arkham Sessions, we're excited to analyze Zatanna for the first time, delving into her magical role, not only as Batman's companion, but also as a beloved character in the Bat-verse!"
fandom:dcanimated
Beyond Good and Evil
Jade - Beyond Good & Evil: Anita Sarkeesian (video with transcript) - "This episode of our series on Positive Female Characters focuses on Jade, the protagonist of Ubisoft's 2003 action-adventure game Beyond Good & Evil. We examine how plot elements, gameplay mechanics and smart dialogue work together to make Jade a relatable protagonist who is defined by her professional talents, her altruistic convictions, and her bonds with friends."
fandom:gaming, topic:femalecharacter
Buffy
Darth Rosenberg: Ms Buffy Buff (blog) - "In my opinion, Dark Willow had been a long time coming, so it wasn't a huge surprise to me when everything finally reached breaking point."
fandom:btvs, topic:femalecharacter, topic:villains
Untitled: apprenticebard (Tumblr) - "Do you ever think about the fact that Spike might well have been the first friend Dawn ever made, ever"
fandom:btvs
Random Dawn & Spike Thoughts: apprenticebard (Tumblr) - "Anyways, you know how Dawn and Spike stop interacting in S6, for the most part? We know they had at least some significant offscreen interaction during 'Wrecked', when Spike took Dawn to the hospital, but as far as what we see, their interactions pretty much stop."
fandom:btvs
Untitled: shadowcon (Tumblr) - "I have a big problem with the "Are you ready to be strong?" speech in "Chosen", wherein she rallies the Potentials and tells them of her plan, and I'd thought I'd run my feelings by you, since you're obviously someone who enjoys the show and loves to talk about it."
fandom:btvs
Untitled: apprenticebard (Tumblr) - "OK but how does Spike's chip even function"
fandom:btvs
Untitled: muchbuffy, apprenticebard (Tumblr) - "Seeing Red: The infamous bathroom scene will always be a very loaded topic. Not just because of the horror, but because everyone tends to disagree about it."
fandom:btvs, warning:rape
Second Chances: Faith as Drusilla 2.0: womanaction (Tumblr) - "Therefore, I wanted to write a little piece on Faith and Drusilla and their treatment within the text, especially in relation to Angel(us)."
fandom:btvs, fandom:angel
Untitled: muchbuffy (Tumblr) - "I see the slayer powers as a metaphor for all the things society use against women in order to look down on them."
fandom:btvs
Untitled: muchbuffy (Tumblr) - "I have grave issues with most love stories. They all tend to gloss over problematic and downright creepy behavior, all in the name of love."
fandom:btvs
Buffyverse Characters in Every Hogwarts House: Dawn Summers: apprenticebard (Tumblr) - Essays on how Dawn does and doesn't fit in each of the Hogwarts houses.
fandom:btvs
By the Sword
By the Sword: We're Not In Valdemar Anymore: Ellen Cheeseman-Meyer (blog) - Introduction to the book for those unfamiliar with it.
fandom:valdemar
Captain America
Sexualized Saturdays: Captain America & Male Virginity: Lady Geek Girl (blog) - "For our pop culture to have a character who doesn't follow these rules is rare and frankly revolutionary. That's why I am so happy that Steve Rogers, Captain America himself, is a virgin."
fandom:mcu, topic:sexuality
Chronicles of Narnia
Narnia: There Is No Son Sun: Ana Mardoll (blog) - Deconstruction of chapter 12 of The Silver Chair.
fandom:chroniclesofnarnia, topic:deconstruction
Cosmere
Words of Radiance Reread: Chapter 38: Alice Arneson (blog) - "This week, we pick up in the middle of the same sentence from Shallan's perspective, and watch Shallan and Dalinar drop their respective bombshells."
fandom:cosmere
Daredevil
Fiskal Responsibility: How a Supervillain Did Right by Autistic Characters: Zack Budryk (blog) - "D'Onofrio's Fisk is the exact inverse: he's a very bad man whose apparent disability humanizes him, showing us just how vulnerable he is emotionally."
fandom:daredevil, topic:disability
Darna
Darna: 'The Filipino Wonder Woman': Philip Smith (blog) - "Conversely, there are those who maintain that Mars Ravelo, Darna's creator, was pitching the idea of a female superhero in 1939, two years before Wonder Woman's first comic book appearance. In such a timeline Darna is not a Wonder Woman clone, but a character who emerged independently around the same time."
fandom:darna, fandom:comics
Doctor Who
NuWho Rewatch: Amy's Choice: louisedennis (LJ) - "It's a lot less interested in playing the science-fictional game associated with dream realities than it is in show-casing the dynamics around the three central characters."
fandom:doctorwho
NuWho Rewatch: Vampires of Venice: louisedennis (LJ) - "Vampires of Venice is, well, oddly unremarkable."
fandom:doctorwho
NuWho Rewatch: Time of the Angels/Flesh and Stone: louisedennis (LJ) - "To be honest the most notable thing about this episode is the things that were to reoccur, such as the church militant, River's imprisonment, and her habit of leaving messages for the Doctor on historical artefacts, and the things that were, apparently, to be quietly abandoned - the various new powers the angels seem to have gained."
fandom:doctorwho
Dragonlance
The Dragonlance Chronicles Reread: Dragons of Autumn Twilight, Chapters 17 and 18: Mahvesh Murad and Jared Shurin (blog) - "This week-gully dwarves and draconians."
fandom:dragonlance
Elementary
Elementary 3.24: selenak (DW) - "Still chewing on this one, as a season finale and as an episode both."
fandom:elementary
Empire Trilogy
Rereading The Empire Trilogy: Mistress of Empire, Part 10: Tansy Raynor Roberts (blog) - "This week's chapter is surprisingly untraumatic. I know, right? It's like a lovely holiday from the grief, torture and murder."
fandom:empiretrilogy
The Flash
The Flash Review 1.22 "Rogue Air": Meredith Borders (blog) - "The lesson in this episode: never doubt THE FLASH writers."
fandom:theflash, warning:spoilers
A Closer Look: The Flash - "Rogue Air": The Insightful Panda (blog) - "With only 1 episode left until the Season 1 finale, this episode of The Flash had a lot to accomplish; and that is exactly what it did. Though some could wonder if the pacing of this episode was the best planned."
fandom:theflash, warning:spoilers
Game of Thrones
The naked hypocrisy of Game Of Thrones' nudity: Caroline Siede (blog) - "Yet as Game Of Thrones is crafting nuanced storylines for its female characters, the show is simultaneously presenting nameless naked women for the show's audience to ogle. And that's more than a little disappointing."
fandom:gameofthrones, topic:malegaze, topic:sex
Game of Thrones Discussion, S5E5: Fear Not: Laura Fletcher, Corrin Bennett-Kill, and Cheryl Collins (blog) - "Can our fears set us free? Or do they always enslave us? Does maturity mean not only stepping away from parental protection, but facing - and embracing - the things that terrify us?"
fandom:gameofthrones, warning:spoilers
Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken: Philip Sandifer (blog) - "Except, of course, that this is a lie. There were an infinity of ways for that to be played. And they chose to do it this way. They chose specific alterations to the books that made this inevitable, and so it happened."
fandom:gameofthrones, warning:spoilers, warning:rape
Deconstructed: Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken: Stefan (blog) - "This week, despite some very strong elements, suffers greatly from the total falling apart of one storyline and the divisive use of rape as a plot device by another."
fandom:gameofthrones, warning:spoilers, warning:rape
Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken Open Thread: Johnny (blog) - Open thread to discuss the most recent episode.
fandom:gameofthrones, warning:spoilers
Tailgate, Blood Orange Punch: Johnny (blog) - Compilation of links to discussion of the episode Kill the Boy.
fandom:gameofthrones
"Game of Thrones" politics: Secret missions, desperate lies and the dangerous art of the double-cross: Steven Attewell (blog) - "In this episode, we are constantly reminded of the necessities of lying"
fandom:gameofthrones, warning:spoilers
How "Game of Thrones" ruined Loras Tyrell: HBO's "gay cartoon" is so much more in the books: Steven Attewell (blog) - "George R.R. Martin wrote Loras as roundly as any other Westerosi man, but on HBO, he's just Maergery's gay brother"
fandom:gameofthrones, topic:lgbt
Game of Thrones podcast: Season 5, Episode 5 - "Kill the Boy": (podcast) - What it says on the tin.
fandom:gameofthrones
We Will No Longer Be Promoting HBO's Game of Thrones: Jill Pantozzi (blog) - "Before we dive into why we felt this was a choice which would cause us to stop promoting the show, allow us to say something very important: rape is not a necessary plot device. Really think about that before shouting "creative freedom" in our direction, please."
fandom:gameofthrones, warning:rape, warning:spoilers
Why fans are so upset about Sansa's plot on 'Game of Thrones': Michelle Jaworski (blog) - "Anyone hoping for some sort of happiness for Sansa Stark this season, who finally returned home to Winterfell, had that reality yanked from them, stabbed, and probably stomped on for good measure at the end of "Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken.""
fandom:gameofthrones, warning:rape, warning:spoilers
What is greyscale, the illness looming over 'Game of Thrones': Michelle Jaworski (blog) - "But by showcasing greyscale so heavily this season does that mean that it may hint that the white walkers aren't the only looming threat to Westeros in future seasons and books?"
fandom:gameofthrones, topic:disease
Episode Review: "Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken": Theresa DeLucci (blog) - "Far be it from me to question the wisdom of George R. R. Martin-and I won't because the books are his story-but I would really love to know why the showrunners changed so much of Martin's novels in interesting ways only to negate all their work by not changing events enough."
fandom:gameofthrones, warning:spoilers, warning:rape
Game of Thrones podcast: Season 5, Episode 6 - "Unbent, Unbowed, Unbroken": (podcast) - Analysis of the episode.
fandom:gameofthrones, warning:spoilers, warning:rape
Game of Thrones: Sansa Stark's Misery Has Gone Too Far: Julia Hartmann (blog) - "Last release of Game of Thrones ended with a terrible image we cannot erase from our minds. Sansa Stark has been unlucky with men until now, but her marriage with Ramsay Bolton puts a lot of things into perspective."
fandom:gameofthrones, warning:rape, warning:spoilers
Review: Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken: ghostlovesinger (blog) - "It was a microcosm of this entire season so far: brief stretches of greatness punctuated with complete incompetence; last week's masterpiece followed by this week's atrocity. Season 5 has hit a few peaks, but its valleys have been staggering in depth, and to be brutally honest, I'm not sure Game of Thrones is coming back up from this one."
fandom:gameofthrones, warning:spoilers, warning:rape
Game of Thrones, Season 5, Episode 6: Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken: Sparky (blog) - Episode recap followed by some meta comments.
fandom:gameofthrones, warning:spoilers, warning:rape
Return to Westeros: "Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken" Review: Tsunderin (blog) - "If last week Game of Thrones was "heading into darker territory", this week the show did a kick flip off the deep end into some terrible shit."
fandom:gameofthrones, warning:spoilers, warning:rape
Game of Thrones recap: season five, episode six - Unbent, Unbowed, Unbroken: Sarah Hughes (blog) - "The harrowing final scene was a major deviation from the books and will undoubtedly upset many readers but I wish solely to discuss whether it worked in terms of the story being told on television - and I would argue that, while horrific and hard to watch, it did."
fandom:gameofthrones, warning:spoilers, warning:rape
Why Sansa Really Kneeled: how sexism shaped Sansa Stark's arc long ago: gotgifsandmusings (Tumblr) - "This difference in approach serves as a commentary on the experience of a girl with the right family name vs. one without, and it is also done with respect to their individual personalities."
fandom:gameofthrones, fandom:asoiaf, topic:adaptations, warning:spoilers, warning:rape
GoT rant - I feel like I'm the odd one out with my reaction: lordhellbore (LJ) - "I wonder: If somebody who was raped wrote about how the depiction of rape on GoT actually helps them cope, would all the people railing against it even consider this person's opinion?"
fandom:gameofthrones, warning:rape
Grace and Frankie
Netflix's 'Grace and Frankie' targets an older generation, then crushes their spirits: Tom Harrington (blog) - "And it's this obvious neediness that makes Grace and Frankie confusing. It's an odd opening salvo for what is essentially Netflix staking its claim on older viewers. So, sure, the stockpiling of decomposing star power makes sense. But did they have to make it so depressing?"
fandom:graceandfrankie
Grimm
The Psychology of Inspirational Women: Grimm's Juliette Silverton: Dr Janina Scarlet (blog) - Psychological analysis of the character in question.
fandom:grimm, topic:psychology, topic:femalecharacter
Grimm, Season 4, Episode 22: Cry Havoc: Sparky (blog) - Episode recap followed by some meta comments.
fandom:grimm, warning:spoilers