Construction Zone

This is my random reaction post, belated, of course, to X-men: The List and The Agents of Atlas two-part crossover.

( SQEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE )

And on that hysterical note, I'm off to meet up with flist buddies for a beer! Cheers!

So, about two weeks ago, handyhunter put up this test-

From theangryblackwoman.com: The Bechdel Test and Race in Popular Fiction

1. It has to have two POC in it.

2. Who talk to each other.

3. About something other than a white person.


Clearly, it is taken from the Bechdel Test that relates to Gender:

1. It has to have two women in it.

2. Who talk to each other.

3. About something other than a man.

The Angry Black Woman (and handyhunter) then proceeded to talk about various fandoms and do a basic "measure" of them. I was so fascinated by this idea that I've decided to copy it and apply both tests to my fandoms, just to see what there is to see.

I'm increasingly curious as to what fandoms actually pass these tests, especially given all of the recent commentary about Supernatural and Glee, which are both shows that I enjoy, but neither show generally inspires me to fic.

Anyway, onto the tests. These are all shows that I watch regularly. I really want to do this for other forms of fandom, too – comics, manga/anime, but I don't have time at the moment. I will come back to it though.

( Shows )

Now, having gone through my own, completely unscientific analysis of these shows, I am curious as to why some of them receive a higher level of dispensation than others. I realize that my tastes are sort of varied, and there tends to be a bit of something in most categories in this list, but there is definitely a bewize-bias in everything on this list. This is the content of *my* tivo.

(If you read all that, I'd love to hear your comments on these shows, or comments on the shows that you watch. And I'd love to know why some shows engender more negative comments on race and gender issues than other shows that I don't watch.)

For example, and off the top of my head, I've heard Torchwood criticized for gender issues, but not race issues. I've rarely heard Doctor Who criticized for either. Both have room for improvement, from what I can see. Leverage seems to often be praised for having a character of color in the limelight, while from what I can see, it doesn't pass the Bechdel test in terms of race, when Dollhouse, which stirs nothing but fan controversy, does pass the test.

I realize that a lot of the problems can come about from exactly how the cast is portrayed (Dollhouse), or that problems can be soothed by having a minority character appear a central part of the cast (Psych, Leverage), but like I said – this is just a starting place for thinking.

And as always, there is tons of room for disagreement. Feel free to point out anything that I missed, please.

1. marvel_crossing is almost over. I'm missing exactly one story and the pinch hitter is on it. As soon as it comes in, I will be happy to draw a line under it, though. I had a blast, and was thinking that a fest might be fun (crossover marvel movies with any other fandom, prompts with claming). Thoughts? It won't be for a while, though. I'm still recovering from the last round. Of course if someone else wants to take charge, I'll gleefully turn over the reigns.

2. ficfinishing is now accepting X-men and Burn Notice. In addition, other fandoms that I think are of general interest - Whedon-verses, Whoniverses (except Sarah Jane), Star Trek-verses, Terminator-verses, and a lot more. I mention this in particular because right now X-men is in need of first readers (no writing required, just cheerleading!) and I need a first reader for a Brandt fic. *ahem* Also, it's fun and there are lots of great tips for getting WIPs to the complete category.

3. sequentialcrack is still in need of reccers for ALL of their categories, but the DC vans are woefully understaffed. It's kind of surprising. (The Batverse is taken care of, but the rest? Not so much. So if you are interested in making recs, go and sign up!) Also, Spiderman needs love.

4. I have some new features that I'll be adding to xmen_on_lj since the mods were enthusiastic about my suggestions. It's really turning out to be quite fun! But, for the X-writers on my list, I have a question - what sort of general writing topics would you be interested in discussing? That section is kicking off in two weeks, so I thought I'd get some ideas, first.

5. I am totally asking for Spiderman and His Amazing Friends fic in Yuletide this year. Just in case any of you want to be prepared. *grins*

Okay, I've asked about this before and got a favorable reaction. Everything went on hold over the holidays, but what about summer? Is anyone interested?

I propose the following:

Your basic 3 requests, all of which are crossovers of a sort. 1000 word minimum.

I'd still really love someone to help me with this, but I'm prepared to go forward alone if I must.

I am curious to see what movies people like to see represented, so if you would do me a favor and tell me in the comments, I'd appreciate it. Also a poll to gauge interest. :)

[Poll #1393753]


PS: Please feel free to pimp this on your flist. If enough people are interested, I'll move forward. Otherwise, I'll just start nagging you lovely people to write the crossovers I want to see. *grin*

March is Women's History Month in the United States. And March 8 is International Women's Day.

I figured that in honor of that fact, I would list some of my favorite female characters from television shows and ask you guys to do the same.

So, let's have it.

Who are your top five favorite fictional tv women and why?

1. Fiona Glenanne from Burn Notice. I really admire Fiona because she demands things on her terms. She is smart and capable and moves through a boy's world with ease, grace and finesse. Even more, she has fun doing it. Now granted, she's basically a criminal and a terrorist (among other things), but she is loyal to the people she considers hers. Even more interesting to me, though, is that when she realized Michael ( SPOILERS )

2. Abby Maitland from Primeval. I love the fact that even though she isn't the leader of her group, she's definitely one of the heavy hitters. She is a competent animal behaviorist, and her boss trusts her to be strong and make good decisions. She remains true to her own goals and ideals, but she doesn't become hardened or unable to enjoy softer and more feminine things, too. She is basically awesome. ♥

3. Donna Noble from Doctor Who. Donna is amazing and I suspect that I like her so much because I see a lot of myself in her. Of all the New Who companions, she's the only one not romantically interested in the Doctor, and I love her all the more for it. She doesn't let the Doctor make the easy choice without making him justify it. But, she doesn't leave him hanging when it comes time to make the really hard decisions, either. She's willing to get her hands dirty, and she's always willing to stand and fight the good fight.

4. Sarah Connor from Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles. What can I say about her? She's amazing and she simply doesn't have anything easy. She is facing down the end of the world and turning her son into a man capable of out thinking a machine, knowing that it's at the cost of his own humanity, but does it anyway. She's saving the world. On purpose, even.

5. Gwen Cooper from Torchwood. I confess, it took Gwen a while to grow on me, because I had some serious issues with her choices. But then, that's the same reason that I grew to love her. She's so human and she makes very human mistakes. But she learns from them and grows as a person and as a character. She is strong and courageous and she really struggles to find a balance between work and her home life. She has a conscience that doesn't always agree with the goals and ideals of Torchwood and she flat out refuses to sell her soul to anyone else. So, while I may not always like what she does, or what she thinks, I have huge admiration for her as a female role model.

There! Five TV women characters that I love! Over the next month, I'll do some other lists.

In the future, my son will lead mankind in a war against Skynet. A computer system programmed to destroy the world. It has sent machines back through time. Some to kill him, one to protect him. Today we fight to stop Skynet from ever being created. To change our future. To change his fate. The war to save man kind begins now.

- Sarah Connor (Season One, Episode One Opening Monologue)

This thing is huge and filled with spoilers. Please read with caution! Also, it is not dial-up friendly!

Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles Fandom Overview

This episode of Dr. Who is breaking my heart.

Poor Doctor. Poor Martha.

I hate that he's living a life that is a lie, falling in love with a woman he doesn't really want and can't be with, and being free of all his demons.

I want him to be happy.

Martha. Poor Martha.

I found this interview fascinating and wanted to share my addiction interest with anyone so inclined. :)

I saw Iron Man last night!

In post geeky high now. Likely to remain that way for quite some time.

*geeks geeks geeks*

It was SO GOOD! SOOOO GOOD!

And now I want more. Why is it never enough? I hope that the sequel is as good as the first one. I really hope it pulls an X-2 and is better than the first one, now that we don't have to world build anymore. *hopes*

Also, saw the preview for Batman 2. And Indiana Jones. And bought tickets to see Death Note live action on May 20.

It's going to be a gooooood summer for movies. *happy*

I did something that I never do - I took the day off. I wasn't feeling so hot, and eh... why not?

So, what did I do, with my free time? I finished Burn Notice. I really do think this may be the best new series on tv for the entirety of 2007! At least, it got my undivided attention. What's not to like?

Spies, bombs, guns, drug runners, conspiracy theories... I'm all in!

So, I did a quick search on LJ and pulled together what it has to offer.

LJ Communities:

burnnotice - this is a general community, good for episode and actor updates.

bn_coverstories - fanfic, seems fairly active.

bn_fanfic - more fanfic, seems a bit less active, but still updated recently.

bn_100x100 - graphics community.

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The finale was awesome. It was really really good. If you're not watching, people, you should be!