timepiececlock

1. http://nkjemisin.com/2009/04/ways-to-describe-characters-of-color/ [note: read comments for diverse examples/opinions]
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This is a link I am posting for myself, so I can add it to my LJ memories. I have started a memories section specifically for posts that focus on writing/describing Characters of Color. I've read many of them this year, and probably should have started bookmarking them ages ago.

If anyone has more recs along this topic, I always appreciate new information. Book recs too! Particularly since this applies to two of my current OTPs: Katara/Zuko and Spock/Uhura. With K/Z fandom I've had my first experience of writing about CoCs in a world where the CoC's point of view is predominant and the palest characters are still CoCs by white viewing standards. I've been mostly able to skate by on the whole description thing because a) you generally don't have to describe characters much in fanfic, and b) the ethnic baseline is Asian, not White/European like I'm used to, so I more described the differences between the Asian cultures represented than the difference between White and Asian. Also, the darker half of my OTP--Katara--- is visually presented as South Asian / Inuit, not Black, and I'm just realizing now that until Uhura/Spock, I've never had an OTP with a Black female character before, at least not one that I've written fic for. It's always been White, Asian, or Latina...mostly because I watch a lot of anime. I've also tried to convey culture through clothes and food and objects more than physical indicators, which basically means that I've never really forced myself to look into that aspect of description.

I'm not only interested in the nitty gritty details of description because of my new love for Star Trek's rockin' communications officer, but because I have started outlining a novel. A big, scary, superhero novel which I text irrel about at odd moments of complete terror. ( Brief outline of the ethnicities of my characters and how I feel about writing them and why the idea of writing a book at all terrifies me, and a bit about the ethnic make-up of where I was raised. )

I may add to this post as I find more blogs/sites that are not LJ-based and wish to include them. I know there are already several lists out regarding the cultural/philosophical/moral wank of RaceFail and how to avoid it; for my own purposes I'm trying to collect some links that deal specifically with writing fiction rather than the larger communication-between-fans kerfluffle of FAIL, which multiple people have already covered nicely.

I remember reading reactions from the comics fans on my flist when the cover for Marvel's new potential series Divas was leaked. It seemed pretty offensive, but I was prepared to dismiss it as used-to-it-whatever stuff from media entertainment, but today I saw a quote that prompted me to make login accounts with a bunch of different websites just so I could shout back at the stupidity. And I'm not even a comics reader! But the sad thing is, I'm so close to being one. I even considered it after watching the Wolverine movie. And yet, every time I almost jump in, something sends me running in the opposite direction. Like this.




I could go on about Quesada’s dispiritingly poor use of hypothetical "logic" to make his point, or I could talk about the sexism *in* the argument he advocates. Or wait, I could do both! ( Read more... )

Yeah, nothing sexist there. ^eyeroll^ You can read the full statement here, scroll down near the bottom. It actually gets worse with context.

The thing is, here, I am the perfect candidate for Marvel to build their female audience up. I'm a nerd girl with long fangirl history. I love geek stuff. I watch the movies. I read the books. I watch anime and read manga. I go to conventions. I talk and talk and talk about the geeky media that I love. I harp on continuity and I applaud characterization. I will spend money. I'll by junk just because it has a character's face on it. I'm a freaking dream to these companies. Why aren't they courting me? Courting us?

I was discussing with irrel why both of us like manga (well, I like anime, and I sort of like manga in conjunction with that) but neither of us can really get into American comics or comic-based cartoons. And what we both agreed on was that we just don't feel welcome. Just looking at the art, it screams "FOR BOYS FOR BOYS FOR BOYS." At least with manga, even with all the sexism I complain about, I still can tell that manga exists for both male and female audiences. It has both male and female creators. It sells, and sells well, to male and female readers. There's gender divisions in the material, but there's still manga writers and artists who cross those divisions. Women who write shonen series like FMA and Ranma. Even if the communication is rough, I feel that at least they know female readers exist.

I have had a limited amount of exposure to American comics. It's all what seeps in through pop culture and shows like I Love The 80s. I know the big characters, the ones on t-shirts or in the movies, and the ones from occasional viewings of tv cartoons. That's where I come from when I say that I look at Marvel and DC comics in the bookstores and all I see is "Not for you! Not for you!"

So instead, I watch anime, and sometimes, if I buy anything in a drawn format, I buy manga. There's a few titles I'm very loyal to. Some of them are overtly for girls (Furuba) and some of them aren't (Blade of the Immortal), but both types invite me in rather than pushing me out.

This is just a question, but... are the American comics industry even bothering to ask themselves why girls and women are latching onto Asian comics, cartoons, and fetishist stuff? Is that discussion happening?

Because I can see the reality of it in comic stores and book stores. And I can promise you that it's not the submissive-clumsy female leads or the influence of a sexist culture that's attracting me, because I can find that in American entertainment media just as easily. It's something more. And if the comics industry in America could convince me that I'd find that something in American comics, and if the art wasn't quite so off-putting with the asses and the boobs, I'd probably try picking up a comic book. But I'm not feeling the love from Marvel and DC, not really. And that's their loss.


ETA: I have read one Western comic series--I read several volumes of Elfquest in middle school because my local library had it on the shelf. Loved it. Whatever the "something" was, they had it.

I keep trying to read this author's stories on the Wolverine & Rogue Fanfiction Archive, but I can't find the goddamn text!

Every time I click on the title, I get taken to a page with author's notes. Where is the actual story?

I'm not being obtuse here--I really can't find it.


EDIT: Apparently it's an archive-wide server problem. And not just my imagination. That's good.

EDIT 2: That story's still not working, but I did spend a while on this story by Yahtzee instead. I admit I skipped all the flashbacks and most of everything that wasn't Logan/Marie porn or Bobby-and-X-Brats-infiltrate-Magneto's-camp. What can I say? The damn movies gave me ship goggles, and I have a soft spot for misguided espionage attempts.

I didn't tear up until the Navy chorus sang the national anthem, and they were only Clinton-in-the-media tears that never left the twinkle of my eye, but it was a moving ceremony all around. Great speech with plenty of romantic prose.

At first I thought Obama blanked on the oath because he was momentarily overwhelmed (who wouldn't be?) but the news anchors at ABC said it was because the Chief Justice switched the traditional word order of that clause. Even so, Obama jumped a little early on the first line. I can't begin to imagine how nervous, excited, or unreal he must have felt at that moment. It was certainly amazing from my end.

I was listening to the innaugural poem (pretty!), and the one persistent thought in my head was the memory of a poem I wrote for a class using the inclusive royal "we", and how thoroughly my grad student Intro to Poetry Writing instructor chewed me out for using it, as a device that's pompous and distant. Well, this lady did it! For Obama! So take that, stupid man I can't remember from college.

As arafel said, thanks for the part about restoring science to its rightful place (THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU for that sentiment) and also for the shout-out to nonbelievers. Atheism represent!

If I heard the news folks right, they said the distance the crowd covered between the monuments was two miles. Two miles of people.

Heroes 3x09


The Petrelli boys continue to be irritatingly thick in the head (and LACKING IN PRINCIPLE LIKE OMG)*, Sylar's characterization and powers continuity continues to be mangled for undecipherable plot purposes, Parker continues to be persistent, I still don't understand what leverage the bad guys have over Daphne, and Papa P. is the least impressive bad guy of the show so far. He lacks the charm and irony of Linderman or the acidic viciousness of Adam.

Claire has worked her way to being one of my preferred characters to watch not so much because I like her, but because her development has been the most consistant and clear, so at least when she's on screen I don't have to tell myself that this is some new bizarro version of her who makes choices for no discernible purpose.

The most entertaining scene was, by far, the torture>playfulness scene in the dungeon. I think I just found my new Fucked Up Villain OTP, along the lines of Spike/Drusilla or Scar/Lust. It also explains the child a few episodes back.


*I've decided what my problems are with Nathan and Peter Petrelli, and to some extent the other significant members of the Petrelli family (excepting Claire), and the problem is this: They have no principles or integrity. They let themselves be distracted by arguments from one side or another and NEVER FUCKING THINK FOR THEMSELVES. Arrrgh it's positively painful to watch. I know they're going through traumatic life changes and whatnot, but there's such a thing as integrity and in having a basic understanding of the creed and principles that discipline one's behavior. The reason they keep letting other people control them (and this is ALL the children except Claire, who at least has a brain of her own and a clear sense of objective reasoning), and the reason that they get more annoying with every season, is that they keep changing their mind about right and wrong based on what some perceived authority figure is telling them at the time. They're so fucking easy to manipulate, and it really bugs me.

Each of the Petrelli boys needs someone to stand next to them at all times and, when they're about to let their opinion be swayed by a half-ass-ed speech from someone, smack them upside the head. Twice. To the same side. And say "Your head is more than just a case for your eyeballs!" They need a Rafiki, a la Disney.

Sometimes I like to pretend that all the characters of Heroes are really just minor off-screen characters in the same world as The 4400, and that it's all a fault of the people from the future, and that Jordon Collier has currently annexed the west coast, and that the drug is loose, and that one day Isabelle will meet all three Petrelli brothers, look at them, squash them under her heel, and say "The most special? Pathetic, foolish little men. I am a god to you, I can be inside your head, I can rip you apart with less than a look, and you cannot touch me. So go hide in a corner and cower until I pass."

And you know, Isabelle wasn't even my favorite character. But I just can't help but think that even in her "why am I here?" angst she was still more fun than all this rubbish.

I've spent a fair amount of time tonight watching tv. Catch-up, you might say.

( Heroes 3x02 )

1. An amusing Dr. Horrible/Billy music video, very spoilery. Love the song choice.

2. So. Dialogue bits for Dr. Horrible fic. Minor Highlander crossover, minor surprise crossover. Very rough; 3 drabble conversations.


( Six years later )


I'm listening to the rip of "On the Rise" and damn if I don't love NPH's voice. Although "Brand New Day" is probably the more difficult song to sing... my player just clicked over to that one, and it's really quite well done. It might even be my favorite song. How is it that Act II rocked so hard but Act III didn't?


-signed Bad Horse!

p.s. I still want the keys to a shiny new Australia.

---------------

And as I said before, the song "One Headlight" is my "angsty" song for them, especially Billy>>Penny.

So long ago, I don't remember when
That's when they say I lost my only friend
Well they said she died easy of a broken heart disease
As I listened through the cemetery trees

----------

"Do you know anything about the Game?"
"Which Game?"
"The immortal's Game."

"There's always been theory that certain superpowers can be conducted through lightning or channels of intensified energy...I hear once that there was a highly exclusive group of supers who devoted years or decades to a complicated suicide game. Like Russian Roullette, with lightning. I thought it was too ridiculous. To waste that kind of power, I mean. Especially if there's a whole group of you with the same abilities. You could be an army."

The natural number of any immortal is one.


----
five people
"I killed you.--Even if you're alive now, I'm still responsible.
"I was going to say you didn't kill me, because it was an accident."
"It's my fault.Doubly so, for not killing Captain Hammer when I had the chance."
"Do you regret not hesitating?"
"I used to. For the first year in the ELE, I told myself it all would have been different if I'd just killed him first. But after the bomb... no, i don't regret it."
"Bomb?"
professor normal felt theatened by my work
temporal phase bomb in my basement, almost killed moist and me. But I disarmed it, and planted it in his house instead.
moves a percentage of the surrounding matter out of time for a few microseconds. Flattens buildings, liquifies...everything living.
It killed him, but I wasn't careful, and it killed two of his neighbors two. Completely innocent people. That's when I decided to kill Bad Horse and get out.

That was a ridiculously entertaining movie. I laughed, I smiled almost constantly, I giggled, I was awed, I gasped, and I cheered.

Red was awesome, Abe was awesome, Liz was not as annoying as last movie, that guy who was the grandpa on Arrested Development was awesome, the "creatures" of the magical realms were breathtakingly beautiful and scary and weird, and the villain kicked ass. He kicked way more ass than I would have expected from the trailer.

He was like Legolas from LOTR, ten years later, after someone cut down all his forests and he discovered angry rock music and radical politics. He was kind of hot, in an alien way. Loved the voice.

I want to make spoilery comments and give this a long and luscious review, but... I can't think of what parts I liked best. The fighting? The plant? The lockers? The singing? HILARIOUS! All of it was made of win.

I smiled almost constantly throughout, and I watched the credits with a dopey smile on my face. Red is a truly endearing lead character, and this time all his fellow warriors got to have their own character development, which in turn strengthened Hellboy's character development. I don't know if everyone will like it, but personally I couldn't have been more satisfied.


Note: If anyone wrote a review or reaction to HELLBOY, I'd love to read it!

redbrunja has opinions on the very, very specific circumstances when using the term "pepperony" for ship purposes is acceptable... very nearly almost never.

Category: Humor
Rating: PG-est thing that ever flirted with G


La Pepper-ony Pizzaz

Tony Stark clicked his heels together, more than once, in a way that was not at all like Dorothy Gale because obscenely affluent grown men did not in any way seek to embody the traits of a meteorologically-challenged pig-tailed child, despite the fact that an obscenely affluent grown man could absolutely do so, if he should choose to, and no one would say anything because he was, after all, Tony Stark. In response, little white and red text blinked on the board above him, beside garish photos and an excess of dollar signs.

( Read more... )


********

Does she call him Sir? I can't remember.

When you write fic for a pairing you've only seen once in a two hour movie a week ago and otherwise know nothing about, things happen. Such as the curious fact that Tony Stark becomes a direct psychic conduit for Tamaki of Ouran when he's drunk. And also, has a head so full of math and explosive chemical equations that he is completely incapable of making small life decisions without consulting his trusty and responsible personal assistant. Who absolutely does not talk like Riza Hawkeye, how dare you suggest such a thing.

Edit: I kind of want someone to write an epic fic about why Tony Stark hates all Denny's, everywhere, everywhen.