Weekend Reading List | unfridged

Weekend Reading List: Sylvan elves and sisterly love

GimmeaB

MariNaomi got harassed by a fellow panel member at a convention, and wrote about the experience over at XOJane. It’s pretty horrifying. The perpetrator has since identified himself and apologized but, as The Mary Sue puts it, your mileage may vary. (Pro tip: If you harass a woman, don’t apologize to her husband.)
I’ve been totally in love with Ginger Haze since she started her Broship of the Rings illustrations, but here she writes about how weird and wonderful Tolkien elves are, and somehow I love her more.
Want to know if your designing a sexist tech product? ArsTechnica has a handy flowchart.
Anjin Anhut talks about the reasoning behind gendered video game marketing, and why conservative advertising might not work much longer. [How to Not Suck at Video Game Design]
The Border House’s Samantha Allen talks about transphobic humour at Spike TV’s VGX award show, and what it feels like to be triggered by it.
SFFWorthy combines Upworthy-style headlines with great genre moments, makes me smile.
A helpful reminder about the importance of pronoun use in male-dominated spaces, this time the programming industry. [Geek Feminism]
What does Buffy (the movie, not the show) have to teach us about media representations of women? According to Anna Leventhal, Buffy’s desire to “be like other girls,” to not be Special, flips an established narrative of female competition on its head and supports some really great solidarity. [The Eagle & the Weasel]
One of the most important things to do to encourage diversity in a place like the tech industry is to give space to marginalized peoples to express themselves. Letting people speak is crucial, and there are some very tangible ways in which to do so. [Medium]
Bitch Flicks makes a compelling case for using Frozen‘s Elsa as a metaphor for queer sexuality.
Since we’re apparently not done talking about Frozen, Jezebel discusses subverted love-at-first-sight tropes and princes who are dicks.
And, last of all, here’s a paper linking objectifying media with increased sexual harassment and coercion. [Psychology of Women Quarterly]

Weekend Reading List: Fan Fiction and Fridging Rue

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According to writer and producer Paul Dini, cartoon execs one hundred percent don’t care about getting a female audience. Sigh. [io9]
Tauriel time! The Mary Sue defends the original character, talking about her importance and her (unfortunate) position in a love triangle.
Also on the Tauriel bandwagon, Twitch supports the love triangle and discusses how The Hobbit is basically LOTR fan fiction, and why that’s a good thing.
Zetta Elliott and Ibi Aanu Zoboi discuss the state of black girlhood in children’s literature, the diversity gap, the fridging of Rue in The Hunger Games, among other important topics. [Bitch]
What happens when you make Bilbo a girl during before-bed story time? You get a really resourceful heroine, that’s what. [The Last Word on Nothing]
Sociological Images tackles the ongoing body dimorphism in Disney films (specifically the hand sizes of their male and female characters) and, though the piece focuses on a pretty specific example, it brings to mind the time I watched The Little Mermaid as an adult and had a “right, this is where my neuroses stem from” moment when comparing Ariel’s head to waist ratio.
A propos of nothing, here are some amazing chemical reactions. Anyone know where I can purchase Ammonium dichromate? [Tumblr’s Most Popular Posts]
Black Girl Dangerous discusses fantasy characters and how they can be reinterpreted in radicalized ways to create narratives for marginalized folks, using The Hunger Games trilogy as a jumping off point.
The always on point BGD also questions why our current obsession with period dramas skews so white. And pitches some fascinating shows that I want made yesterday.
s. e. smith discusses those who, either through snobbery or ignorance, look down on fan fiction writing. She talks about the legitimacy of creative retellings, and the gendered source of the dismissal.
Neo-reactionism, a (slowly) growing fringe movement in the tech community, is all about a return to a pre-French Revolution, monarchic way of life. I’m all for exploring different systems of governance, but could you leave my representative government alone? Also, scientific racism and old-fashioned gender roles? I’ll pass. [TechCrunch]
I have a roundup of nerdy paper snowflakes over a Quirk Books, and I even include some Klingon for real geek cred.

Image from bluemonkeywriting.tumblr.com.

Weekend Reading List: Harassment and Hot Elf Action!

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What could be better than Orange is the New Black creator Jenji Kohan working on a Salem witch trials period drama? Oh that’s right, nothing. [Hollywood Reporter]
Newsfeed put together an amazing video compilation of 2013’s terrible media representations of women. It’s worth a look.
Mother Jones blames everything that goes wrong in The Hunger Games on climate change, and is very, very right.
I’m wishing you a very merry 12 Days of Twin Peaks.
For a long time it’s been a dream of mine to build a totally self-sustaining house, and apparently they are called Earthships, because they really needed another reason to be cool. [HighExistence]
While we’re on the topic of architecture: Ninja houses and skeleton houses in Japan. [CNN]
Disney will be debuting a new tv movie called Descendants. It will follow the next generation from Beauty and the Beast, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Tangled, and Mulan, as they start school with the children of Cruella de Vil, Maleficent, the Evil Queen, and Jafar. Somewhere, a fanfic writer is screaming “IT LIVES!” [The Mary Sue]
Also from the Mary Sue, the latest wave of video game harassment. Joy of joys.
Here’s a nice roundup of feminist fantasy YA literature. [Groupthink]
How excited are you for Firefly Online? Probably not as excited as I am, that’s for sure. io9 gives us a first look at ship, character, and (most importantly) hair style design. There is even concept art. Shiny!
J.R.R. Tolkien reviews the new Hobbit, and it is titled “Hot Elf Action!” and is delightful. (But trigger warning for words like “hobo” and “midget”). [The Stranger]
Jezebel delves into the shady side of highlighter-coloured unicorns in their exposé on Lisa Frank.

Image from Ginger Haze’s The Broship of the Ring series.

Weekend Reading List: Boys Clubs and Brain Scoops

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I’m always really impressed with how well-researched Polygon’s features are, and “No Girls Allowed,” which explores the history of the video game gender divide, is no exception.
Sociological Images takes a look at compulsory monogamy in the Hunger Games franchise, and wonders what would happen if Katniss didn’t have to choose between Teams Peeta or Gale.
You’re already a fan of The Brain Scoop, right? Emilie Graslie’s natural history webseries is as entertaining as it is informative, and in an effort to be even more amazing, she recently spoke out against internet misogyny and it’s effect on women in STEM fields.
Sexy pinup monster calendar. Cheers. [The Mary Sue]
Walmart, of all people, tried to get away with selling a Banksy print called “Destroy Capitalism.” Sometimes the irony is just too much to bear. [Slate]
If you like x-rays, art, skeletons, and love, you’ll love the couples portraits of Ayako Kanda and Mayuka Hayashi. [MyModernMet]
There’s still some time to submit to Beyond, a queer sci fi/fantasy comic anthology. Go do that!
Over on The Big Picture, the fast-talking MovieBob makes some good points about the pink aisle and how it’s not inherently a bad thing. [Escapist Magazine]
Near the start of this blog, I was pretty critical of Frozen for what appeared to be a complete whitewashing of the cast and a demotion of the main character from strong and independent to a love interest who needs help. The movie’s now come out and, at least on that last score, is surprising people. Bitch tallies up the pros and cons, and The Mary Sue offers a spoiler-free review.
What do you get when you mix Icona Pop’s “I Love it” with rabid fandom? Not Literally’s sublime “I Ship it.” It’s like someone bottled Tumblr.
As a parody of Covergirl’s absurd Hunger Games line, Capitol Cuties shows us what the selfies of Panem’s rich and famous would look like.
Alternet puts Cosmo’s sex tips through their paces, and the results are, shockingly, less than sexy.

Image: “Girl with Balloon,” Banksy.

Weekend Reading List: Movies, Mockingjays, and Metroid

Sammus is a New York-based rapper who is trying to make a Metroid-inspired album while being all badass and defying both gaming and hip hop gender norms. You should check out her kickstarter.
Even though I really loved the Rube Goldberg advertisement for Goldieblox, the pink washing of building toys never did sit right with me. Here are some compelling reasons why. [Pigtail Pals and Ballcap Buddies Blog]
Ever the purveyor of 90s nostalgia, Buzzfeed’s got a roundup of Daria’s best observations. Like you need a reason to love that wonderful snark-machine more.
TAMAGOTCHIS ARE COMING BACK. HAPPY DAYS. [Gizmodo]
Have you watched Catching Fire yet? Well you should. In the meantime, let’s talk about how Peeta is a Movie Girlfriend, and how great that actually is. [NPR Blog]
More analysis of Catching Fire! Bitch looks at what the movie says about our own media landscape.
Ever wonder about that “no animals were harmed in the making of this film” seal of approval? As it turns out, it might not mean all that much. The Hollywood Reporter has a great investigation of the shady practices employed by the American Humane Association, and it’s pretty much required reading.
“That’s why his ears are so big, they’re full of secrets.” This Mean Girls/Hobbit mashup is everything.
Apparently a man used his PS4 to broadcast video of his naked, passed out wife. There isn’t too much information available yet, but hopefully there will be soon. [Jezebel]
Have you watched Standard Action? You should watch Standard Action. It’s an RPG-themed webseries that got funding for a third season, so catch up now! Plus you get to look at beautiful Vancouver forests.
Evan Rachel Wood got mad when a scene of her receiving oral sex got cut from her upcoming movie and, as the Province reports, she gave a pretty great Twitter takedown of the Motion Picture Association of America. If you’re interested in learning more about the sexism and homophobia that plagues movie ratings, I highly recommend the documentary This Film is Not Yet Rated.
Want to read about the summer a queer teen of colour went to an all-white, Christian, outdoors camp? Want to read about it in comic form, with lush, Miriam Katin-esque coloured pencil drawings? Then As the Crow Flies is for you!

Weekend Reading List: Neville Longbottom and lots of videos

TGIF

New Feminist Frequency yayyyy! This time the incomparable Anita Sarkeesian takes on the Ms. Male Character.
Excited for the Doctor Who 50th Aniversary Special tonight? Right, stupid question, of course you are. Here’s “The Night of the Doctor,” a mini-episode to tide you over.
And in further honour of this auspicious day, here’s a cute little quiz that’ll tell you who (heh) you are in the Who-niverse. [Snack Tools]
The Hairpin wonders if some characters from classic literature might be closeted. Please acknowledge how much self-control it’s taking to not make a Moby Dick/sperm whale joke.
I’ve been following The Doubleclicks every since I was in their “Nothing to Prove” fake geek girl music video (that’s me at 1:02). Now they’ve come out with an ode to Agent Coulson, and it is beautiful.
It was only a little while ago that a new, Muslim Ms. Marvel was announced, but Racialicious is, given Marvel’s track record, already worried.
Twin Peaks-inspired clothing now exists. No, I’m not joking, Diane. [Suckers Apparel]
Over at the New York Times, model-cum-actor Jennifer Sky talks about her time on Xena: Warrior Princess.
Got thirty minutes to kill? Go watch this retelling of Blade Runner, made out of 12,000 watercolour paintings.
The more I learn about Afrofuturism, the more fascinating I find it. Bitch has a great interview with Ytasha L. Womack, who just came out with her new book Afrofuturism: The World of Black Sci-fi and Fantasy, and name drops some cool folks like Mae Jemison, George Clinton, and Janelle Monáe.
What happens when you use Bastion (my current obsession) to teach intersectional politics to some students? Interesting things. [The Border House]
I love me some good Harry Potter critical analysis, and Tor’s piece on Neville Longbottom draws some interesting conclusions about the character, showing parallels between the timid Gryffindor and Peter Pettigrew, and adding just the right amount of adulation.
Hey remember that time Jules Verne caused a UFO scare? No? Well io9’s got you covered. Joking aside, the piece is actually a pretty good reminder of just how influential Verne was in science fiction.

Weekend Reading List: Female friendships and flying girls

Disney princesses with beards. It’s pretty self-explanatory. [Buzzfeed]
This isn’t strictly about SF/F, but everyone should watch this conversation between the legendary Melissa Harris Perry and bell hooks. They do talk about black women’s representation in film, though, so it’s not totally off topic. [Bitch]
Were you in Chicago yesterday? Did you go to the Star Wars Episode VII casting call? [Hollywood Reporter]
Kotaku’s got the inside scoop on the upcoming Warcraft movie, and the concept art looks amazing.
I’m a huge sucker for biomimicry design, and even though these cocktail accessories are admittedly kind of useless, they’re still pretty and I want them. [MIT Media Relations]
My friend E. K. Chan wrote some powerful, eerie fiction, and you should give it a look. [The McGill Daily]
The Frisky has a roundup of the best movies about female relationships. How many have you seen?
Over at Planet Quirk, I wrote a blog post about literary-themed origami in honour of Origami Day. Now there’s no excuse for making the same boring crane over and over again.
Want a Neil Gaiman-penned short film about a girl who can fly? Of course you do. [Project Imaginat10n]
I haven’t even begun to make a dent in the new issue of Ada, a journal of gender, new media, and technology, but its theme is “Science Fiction and the Feminist Present” and it starts with the Donna Haraway quote “the boundary between science fiction and social reality is an optical illusion.” So you know it’s going to be good.
“What Does it Mean that Most Children’s Books are Still About White Boys?” asks the Huffington Post. Nothing good, is the answer.
The Hairpin has a great interview with Hyperbole and a Half blogger Allie Brosh. She talks about her book, her depression, and her dogs.

Weekend Reading List: Mean Unicorns and Marvel News

I am completely obsessed with Tor’s “Magnificent Bastards” series. They talk about the best Disney villains, write a (totally deserved) love letter to Star Trek‘s Q, dole out villainous fashion awards, and call for more complex, thoughtful, evil women. It’s all kinds of wonderful.
Also from Tor, Ayleen the Peacemaker (also known as Diana M. Pho) discusses the fallout after she made her harassment at New York Comic Con public. It’s another important addition to the ongoing conversation about convention etiquette.
There’s a thing happening right now called the Sex With Robots Festival, and… I kind of wish I lived in New York now? [Broadway World]
Adult Wednesday Addams is a webseries that exists. You’re welcome.
What’s a fashion-forward Capitol-dweller to do when the delights of civilization just seem tame? Go on a tour of the districts of course. [Shutterstock]
As a proud McGill Daily alumnus, I want everyone to read this piece on the Montreal witchcraft community. Also any local covens looking for new members should get at me, I want in.
Sometimes unicorns are jerks. Liken when they pee in a pool or, you know, deny the Holocaust. [Mister Unicorn]
We’re getting a new Ms. Marvel, and she’s a Muslim girl from New Jersey and a huge fan of Carol Danvers, a.k.a. Captain Marvel. This is going to be so cool. [The New York Times]
There’s a new Hobbit production diary! With more stunts and Tauriel!
Good news for me and the approximately 38,473 people who use my Netflix account (sorry Netflix). Marvel will be debuting four series as Netflix originals, based on the characters of Daredevil, Ironfist, and more importantly, Luke Cage and Jessica Jones. And then, as if they weren’t spoiling us enough, we’ll be getting a team miniseries with all of them called The Defenders. What. [The Mary Sue]

Weekend Reading List: Costumes, Classics, Queerbaiting

Wesley Morris’s piece on Grantland starts out as a review of 12 Years a Slave that slowly weaves itself into a discussion about slavery narratives and the need to refocus these stories on black experience, not white guilt.
In a ranking of twenty classic YA heroines, who comes out on top? The answer may surprise you. [Flavorwire]
The New York Times, despite a ludicrous headline, has a thoughtful read on the need for media representation for women computer scientists and hackers.
While we’re on the subject of hackers, this dude challenged hackers to infiltrate his life. I know that this is real-life stuff, but I kept getting very Oryx and Crake vibes. Maybe it was the lingo. [PandoDaily]
GEORGE TAKEI READS SULU/CHEKOV SLASH. GEORGE TAKEI READS SULU/CHEKOV SLASH. [Watch What Happens Live After Show]
Xiangjun Shi’s short film, “Why Do I Study Physics?” is beautiful, thoughtful, and well worth the 3:14 (get it?) it takes to watch.
The US’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association is partnering with the kids show Octonauts in an effort to raise awareness about ocean exploration. How very Magic School Bus. [Salon]
OFFICIAL HALLOWEEN PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT: Please do not dress up in a racist costume. Just don’t. Use your imagination and find something else. There’s a whole lot of literature on the subject, but it’s worth revisiting this Native Appropriations piece.
Do you love Disney villains and musicals? Then “The Spell Block Tango” is definitely for you.
When I wrote about queer representation in the Star Trek universe a little while ago, it started a pretty great Facebook conversation about whether shows acknowledging queer shipping without going further was progressive or queerbaiting. Bitch magazine has a pretty good followup to the topic.
Kotaku uses a Twine game about consensual kink to take a look at torture in video games more generally.
Via Buzzfeed, Cosmo sex tips, as told by Gollum. Terrifying, slightly NSFW, flawless.

Top image: “Evil Flush,” by Jesús Alfonso Sánchez

Weekend Reading List: Filmography and Faerie Queen Costumes

FaerieQueen

The universe is conspiring against me on this one. The Atlantic reports on a NASA experiment to raise jellyfish in space. “By mission’s close there were some 60,000 jellies orbiting Earth.” SPACE JELLIES. WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS TO ME UNIVERSE.
I hesitate to link this Think Progress piece about the women of A Song of Ice and Fire, because at some point I want to write something of my own about George R. R. Martin’s feminism. (Get excited.) So consider this a primer!
I really resent the ubiquity of “slutty” Halloween costumes, not because dressing sexily is bad, but because the costumes tend to be so boring and uninspired (though I am obviously not a fan of the pressure women feel to wear revealing costumes either). That’s where Take Back Halloween comes in. These costumes are uh-mazing. There’s Ada Lovelace. Anne Bonny. Hatshepsut. Liliuokalani. Pele. Queen Mab. And so, so many more. Check out Baba Yaga’s chicken feet! Check them all out!
Downton Abbey meets Sims 3 is a surprisingly entertaining mashup, especially when the characters insist on doing very improper things. Here’s the first part of an ongoing series. [New World Notes]
Classic comics, superhero-fied. [Comic Book Resources]
The Washington Post explores the racist history of filmography and the politics of filming black skin.
Which Disney characters would you invite to your Halloween party? [Oh My Disney]
One hundred men from Connecticut college were asked why vaginas are important to them, and their answers make for a really great video.

Top image: “Queen Mab and the Ruins,” James C. Christensen.

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