Meta Links (25/04/13 - 01/05/13)
Notices
If you want to give feedback, volunteer, link us to meta or ask a question, comment to the volunteers post, the Questions and Things post, the screened post, or PM/email.
General Fandom
DIY Fanzines: holli (DW) - "Do you have an idea for a fanzine? Is there a fandom or a theme you'd like to explore? Are you looking for contributors, or going it alone? Let's figure out what we want to make, and get started."
topic: fandom
Who is this 'We', Fandom?": alias-sqbr (DW) - There is a lot of fandom meta which says "We in fandom [do or think X]" even though huge swathes of fandom don't do or think X at all."
topic: fandom
Can Fandom Change Society?: PBS offbook (video) - "Before the mass media, people actively engaged with culture through storytelling and expanding well-known tales. Modern fan culture connects to this historical tradition, and has become a force that challenges social norms and accepted behavior."
topic: fandom, topic: activism
How to Cope with a Creative Block: Red Hamilton (blog) - "It’s a horrible sensation to be halfway through writing that brilliant piece of fanfiction only to wake up one morning (or evening for those nocturnal creatures out there) to find that all your inspiration has gone."
topic: writing, topic: fanfic
Lifecycle of a fandom part four: cancellation: Eleanor Musgrove (blog) - "One day, your canon will run out. Whether that’s a mid-series cancellation that leaves no time to tie up loose ends, or a long-planned end to a story already drawing to a close, the fact remains that at some point, there will be no more canon. "
topic: fandom
Fandom as a thriving economy: Eleanor Musgrove (blog) - "One of the most beautiful things about fandom, in my opinion, is that almost without realising it, a society has sprung up that trades not based on arbitrary figures or a strict conversion of ‘one cow = two goats’, but rather on the value placed on an item - a picture, a video, a story, an idea - by the person giving it away and the person receiving it."
topic: fandom, topic: money
My Research Project: Women's Production and Consumption of (Male) Homosexual Erotica: pouxin (LJ) - " On a personal level, I have been writing erotic stories since I was 11(!), and have since become involved in writing slash fiction. When I started reading the academic literature around this area, it struck me that there seemed to be a big gap in the available research from within the social science disciplines on how women interact with gay erotica and/or pornography [...]The purpose of this research (both earlier focus groups I conducted and the survey) is to gain a better understanding of what appeals to women about (male) homosexual erotica, and how this sits within their wider thoughts and feelings around romance writing, erotica, pornography, gender and sexuality."
topic: fandom, topic: academia topic: research, topic: homosexuality, topic: female sexuality
When Will Reality Finally Be My Escapist Fantasy?: sylvaine (DW) - "I don't want to read about how awful people are to each other. I get enough of that every day all the time in real life, thanks. I want to read about how people can be *good* to one another, care for one another, help each other out and respect each other's wishes and desires and boundaries"
topic: representation, topic: realism
Ten Years Past: selenak (DW) - "Here are some things ten years on livejournal taught me."
topic: fandom, topic: livejournal
Specific Fandoms
Avengers
Avengers and Team Interaction" franztastich in be-compromised - "...[W]e all love Clint and Natasha being badass and competent together; swanning all over the world and being awesome. But they are, of course, part of a larger organisation (SHIELD) and part of the Avengers to boot. So, how do they get on with all these different people? "
fandom: avengers
Comics (General)
Untitled: thumbcramps (tumblr) - "this is a comic i made for a final in my comics in literature class...my paper was about hyper-sexualization of women in comic books, but i decided to broaden it out here as well as personalize it and make myself the subject and discuss something i’ve been subjected to in the convention circuit and on the internet …"
fandom: comics, topic: sexism
Glee
Glee 4x18: Responsible Storytelling: stultiloquentia (DW) - "Perhaps people will worry that showing a disabled girl with a gun will negatively impact real communities by reinforcing fictions about mental disability as dangerous...But what I suspect will happen instead or also is that a whole bunch of people will worry at volume about Glee exacerbating stereotypes, thereby starting a conversation on the subject."
fandom: glee, topic: discussion
Glee Close Reading: Come What May: stultiloquentia (DW) - "...this performance doesn't actually showcase my favourite parts of Kurt and Blaine as a couple. They're most fun when they're in cahoots with each other, young and brave and playful and hopelessly dorky."
fandom: glee, topic: discussion
Bates Motel, Supernatural
"Why, she wouldn't even harm a fly." Norma Bates, John Winchester, and Perceptions of Abuse: serrico (DW) - "While Bates has the luxury of writing to an audience that comes equipped with a preexisting understanding that the Norma-Norman relationship is deeply flawed...SPN was creating its audience's concept and understanding of the John-Dean&Sam relationship from scratch"
fandom: supernatural, fandom: bates motel, topic: abuse
Supernatural
Supernatural and Heaven: thisisasupernaturalblog (tumblr) - "The way I see it Sam and Dean love each other a lot, but a lot of their desires and wishes are in conflict with one another, and they stick together due to what has happened between them rather than a real person to person connection..."
fandom: supernatural, warning: spoilers
“How Far Are You Willing To Go To Get Revenge?” - The Nature of the Trials Against the Nature of the Hunters: neven-ebrez (tumblr) - "This season is about the two of them being able to find some middle ground (staying in the hunting life, but also having family). "
fandom: supernatural
Doctor Who
Who do you love? 7: The Sensorites: wwhyte (LJ) - "If you choose to believe that The Sensorites and Gattaca take place in the same universe, it makes both of them even better. "
fandom: dr. who
Doctor Who Gives A S**t: Bobby Roberts in blogtown (blog) - "I do wanna get this out there, to see if it is, in fact, just me. Or rather, me, and my friends, and their friends, and the legions of Who fans...online who seem to be responding to the back half of Series 7 with a tweedy shrug and some sideways snark at best."
fandom: doctor who
What is the Name of the Doctor? Some External and Internal hints: glowing_fish in doctorwho (LJ) - "We have a couple of hints now about what "The Name of the Doctor" is. I am going to be going through a list of various possibilities, and why they make sense as far as the Doctor Who universe and dramatic logic tells us."
fandom: doctor who
Game of Thrones
Just Because You Like It Doesn't Make It Feminist: On Game of Thrones' Imagined Feminism: Meghan Murphy in feministcurrent (blog) - "I get the feeling that (some) women, especially younger feminist women, really, really want the things they like to be feminist."contains spoilers through season 2
fandom: game of thrones, topic: feminism, warning: spoilers
Meta Monday: Childbirth: justadram (tumblr) - "Today’s topic is childbirth. Men besides maesters and husbands are not supposed to be present in birthing rooms in Westeros and Jaime’s insistence that he be present is a testament to his dedication to Cersei if not his children. But was this also the case in medieval Europe? How did women experience childbirth?"
fandom: game of thrones
A Song of Ice and Fire
Untitled: byzants(tumblr) - "here are just some things i have been thinking wrt to cersei lannister and her narrative which is tangentially related to some of the recent discussion abt her. "
fandom: asoiaf, warning: spoilers
Iron Man 3
: Iron Man 3 Discussion Post inkvoices in be_compromised (LJ) - "In the meantime, I declare this post a place for people who HAVE seen the film to squee and chat about it, to link to gifs and posts, to share meta, and to have fun without worrying about spoiling anyone :D "
fandom: iron man, warning: spoilers
The Vampire Diaries
Race + Television-The Vampire Diaries 4.20: “The Originals”: Kendra James (blog) - "“The Originals” appears to be a darker show than TVD, so it would seem that there’s room for some exploration into the darker aspects of US history. The problem is that Plec and her writing staff love to consistently dip their toes into that pool, but they never want to go all the way."
fandom: the vampire diaries, topic: race
Hannibal
Surprisingly, not unwatchable: Hannibal: SEK (blog) - " It’s a show about psychological isolation - about people who can’t interact with the world or the people who inhabit it because there’s a felt distance between themselves and their humanity. "
fandom: hannibal, topic: directing
Harry Potter
Untitled: confusedtree (tumblr) - "Pretty much every single facet of Wizard society in the Harry Potter books is an anachronism so what I want to know is how are they socially advanced enough to know that segregation based on ethnicity is totally uncool but still think that ballpoint pens are stupid."
fandom: harry potter
If you want to give feedback, volunteer, link us to meta or ask a question, comment to the volunteers post, the Questions and Things post, the screened post, or PM/email.
General Fandom
DIY Fanzines: holli (DW) - "Do you have an idea for a fanzine? Is there a fandom or a theme you'd like to explore? Are you looking for contributors, or going it alone? Let's figure out what we want to make, and get started."
topic: fandom
Who is this 'We', Fandom?": alias-sqbr (DW) - There is a lot of fandom meta which says "We in fandom [do or think X]" even though huge swathes of fandom don't do or think X at all."
topic: fandom
Can Fandom Change Society?: PBS offbook (video) - "Before the mass media, people actively engaged with culture through storytelling and expanding well-known tales. Modern fan culture connects to this historical tradition, and has become a force that challenges social norms and accepted behavior."
topic: fandom, topic: activism
How to Cope with a Creative Block: Red Hamilton (blog) - "It’s a horrible sensation to be halfway through writing that brilliant piece of fanfiction only to wake up one morning (or evening for those nocturnal creatures out there) to find that all your inspiration has gone."
topic: writing, topic: fanfic
Lifecycle of a fandom part four: cancellation: Eleanor Musgrove (blog) - "One day, your canon will run out. Whether that’s a mid-series cancellation that leaves no time to tie up loose ends, or a long-planned end to a story already drawing to a close, the fact remains that at some point, there will be no more canon. "
topic: fandom
Fandom as a thriving economy: Eleanor Musgrove (blog) - "One of the most beautiful things about fandom, in my opinion, is that almost without realising it, a society has sprung up that trades not based on arbitrary figures or a strict conversion of ‘one cow = two goats’, but rather on the value placed on an item - a picture, a video, a story, an idea - by the person giving it away and the person receiving it."
topic: fandom, topic: money
My Research Project: Women's Production and Consumption of (Male) Homosexual Erotica: pouxin (LJ) - " On a personal level, I have been writing erotic stories since I was 11(!), and have since become involved in writing slash fiction. When I started reading the academic literature around this area, it struck me that there seemed to be a big gap in the available research from within the social science disciplines on how women interact with gay erotica and/or pornography [...]The purpose of this research (both earlier focus groups I conducted and the survey) is to gain a better understanding of what appeals to women about (male) homosexual erotica, and how this sits within their wider thoughts and feelings around romance writing, erotica, pornography, gender and sexuality."
topic: fandom, topic: academia topic: research, topic: homosexuality, topic: female sexuality
When Will Reality Finally Be My Escapist Fantasy?: sylvaine (DW) - "I don't want to read about how awful people are to each other. I get enough of that every day all the time in real life, thanks. I want to read about how people can be *good* to one another, care for one another, help each other out and respect each other's wishes and desires and boundaries"
topic: representation, topic: realism
Ten Years Past: selenak (DW) - "Here are some things ten years on livejournal taught me."
topic: fandom, topic: livejournal
Specific Fandoms
Avengers
Avengers and Team Interaction" franztastich in be-compromised - "...[W]e all love Clint and Natasha being badass and competent together; swanning all over the world and being awesome. But they are, of course, part of a larger organisation (SHIELD) and part of the Avengers to boot. So, how do they get on with all these different people? "
fandom: avengers
Comics (General)
Untitled: thumbcramps (tumblr) - "this is a comic i made for a final in my comics in literature class...my paper was about hyper-sexualization of women in comic books, but i decided to broaden it out here as well as personalize it and make myself the subject and discuss something i’ve been subjected to in the convention circuit and on the internet …"
fandom: comics, topic: sexism
Glee
Glee 4x18: Responsible Storytelling: stultiloquentia (DW) - "Perhaps people will worry that showing a disabled girl with a gun will negatively impact real communities by reinforcing fictions about mental disability as dangerous...But what I suspect will happen instead or also is that a whole bunch of people will worry at volume about Glee exacerbating stereotypes, thereby starting a conversation on the subject."
fandom: glee, topic: discussion
Glee Close Reading: Come What May: stultiloquentia (DW) - "...this performance doesn't actually showcase my favourite parts of Kurt and Blaine as a couple. They're most fun when they're in cahoots with each other, young and brave and playful and hopelessly dorky."
fandom: glee, topic: discussion
Bates Motel, Supernatural
"Why, she wouldn't even harm a fly." Norma Bates, John Winchester, and Perceptions of Abuse: serrico (DW) - "While Bates has the luxury of writing to an audience that comes equipped with a preexisting understanding that the Norma-Norman relationship is deeply flawed...SPN was creating its audience's concept and understanding of the John-Dean&Sam relationship from scratch"
fandom: supernatural, fandom: bates motel, topic: abuse
Supernatural
Supernatural and Heaven: thisisasupernaturalblog (tumblr) - "The way I see it Sam and Dean love each other a lot, but a lot of their desires and wishes are in conflict with one another, and they stick together due to what has happened between them rather than a real person to person connection..."
fandom: supernatural, warning: spoilers
“How Far Are You Willing To Go To Get Revenge?” - The Nature of the Trials Against the Nature of the Hunters: neven-ebrez (tumblr) - "This season is about the two of them being able to find some middle ground (staying in the hunting life, but also having family). "
fandom: supernatural
Doctor Who
Who do you love? 7: The Sensorites: wwhyte (LJ) - "If you choose to believe that The Sensorites and Gattaca take place in the same universe, it makes both of them even better. "
fandom: dr. who
Doctor Who Gives A S**t: Bobby Roberts in blogtown (blog) - "I do wanna get this out there, to see if it is, in fact, just me. Or rather, me, and my friends, and their friends, and the legions of Who fans...online who seem to be responding to the back half of Series 7 with a tweedy shrug and some sideways snark at best."
fandom: doctor who
What is the Name of the Doctor? Some External and Internal hints: glowing_fish in doctorwho (LJ) - "We have a couple of hints now about what "The Name of the Doctor" is. I am going to be going through a list of various possibilities, and why they make sense as far as the Doctor Who universe and dramatic logic tells us."
fandom: doctor who
Game of Thrones
Just Because You Like It Doesn't Make It Feminist: On Game of Thrones' Imagined Feminism: Meghan Murphy in feministcurrent (blog) - "I get the feeling that (some) women, especially younger feminist women, really, really want the things they like to be feminist."contains spoilers through season 2
fandom: game of thrones, topic: feminism, warning: spoilers
Meta Monday: Childbirth: justadram (tumblr) - "Today’s topic is childbirth. Men besides maesters and husbands are not supposed to be present in birthing rooms in Westeros and Jaime’s insistence that he be present is a testament to his dedication to Cersei if not his children. But was this also the case in medieval Europe? How did women experience childbirth?"
fandom: game of thrones
A Song of Ice and Fire
Untitled: byzants(tumblr) - "here are just some things i have been thinking wrt to cersei lannister and her narrative which is tangentially related to some of the recent discussion abt her. "
fandom: asoiaf, warning: spoilers
Iron Man 3
: Iron Man 3 Discussion Post inkvoices in be_compromised (LJ) - "In the meantime, I declare this post a place for people who HAVE seen the film to squee and chat about it, to link to gifs and posts, to share meta, and to have fun without worrying about spoiling anyone :D "
fandom: iron man, warning: spoilers
The Vampire Diaries
Race + Television-The Vampire Diaries 4.20: “The Originals”: Kendra James (blog) - "“The Originals” appears to be a darker show than TVD, so it would seem that there’s room for some exploration into the darker aspects of US history. The problem is that Plec and her writing staff love to consistently dip their toes into that pool, but they never want to go all the way."
fandom: the vampire diaries, topic: race
Hannibal
Surprisingly, not unwatchable: Hannibal: SEK (blog) - " It’s a show about psychological isolation - about people who can’t interact with the world or the people who inhabit it because there’s a felt distance between themselves and their humanity. "
fandom: hannibal, topic: directing
Harry Potter
Untitled: confusedtree (tumblr) - "Pretty much every single facet of Wizard society in the Harry Potter books is an anachronism so what I want to know is how are they socially advanced enough to know that segregation based on ethnicity is totally uncool but still think that ballpoint pens are stupid."
fandom: harry potter