viva la vida

cooking & cleaning: complete!

2009-11-26T19:13:57Z

Happy Thanksgiving, statesiders! :) Also, happy birthday, kelene! &hearts

Turns out that my mom hijacked the mango salsa production before I got home from work last night, so all I had to do today was the apple crumble, which has now been achieved (though it, um, narrowly avoided being charred to a crisp. /o\ Small ovens heat fast, okay??)!

Modified from epicurious:

filling:
3 Granny Smith apples, thin-sliced
zest & most of the juice of 1 lemon
~0.5 cup dried cranberries (Craisins)
~0.5 cup honey

crumble:
2.5 cups oats (Quaker)
1 cup all-purpose flour
~0.5 cup crushed walnuts
1 stick chilled unsalted butter, chopped
~2/3 cup light brown sugar
~1/3 cup honey
~1 tbsp cinnamon
~1 tsp nutmeg

Preheat oven to 350F. Toss apples, zest, & dried cranberries, drizzling in lemon juice & honey; transfer to baking pan. Mix flour, oats, sugar, & walnuts in bowl; add cinnamon & nutmeg; knead in chopped butter & drizzle in honey until combined (no loose oats/etc.). Layer topping over the apple mixture. Prettify with a couple handfuls of pumpkin seeds, a few fresh cranberries* & bake until apples are tender & crumble is brown. (This took about half an hour in my mom's small oven; YMMV?)

*not necessary; done for aesthetics/because I could. :D

PROFIT:

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recs today

2009-11-19T22:25:11Z

because these are amazing and i am trying to distract myself from my lack of Advil:

- Graduate Vulcan for Fun and Profit, by lazulisong: Reboot!gen, utterly glorious. seriously, i have been dying for genfic like this. &hearts

- you must remember this, by seperis: Merlin, NC-17, Arthur-centric mythology fusion. creepy and spectacular in all the best ways.

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Asian women != Donatella Versace, etc.

2009-11-18T18:54:32Z

+ art!fail: how (NOT) to draw Asian women. lolarious or enormously offensive? well, both, really, but for now i'm gonna go with lolarious. thanks, Disgrasian!

+ Lady Gaga: wtf?? idek what to think about this video. also, apologies in advance for the earworming!

+ i've never been good at brainstorming for rs_small_gifts- actually, i'm not very good at brainstorming for exchanges, period. i need to let the prompts sit and marinate somewhere inside my head, which is like the slowest. process. EVER. :| blah, maybe i'll catch up with Merls tonight while i'm waiting.

This entry was originally posted at Dreamwidth. ( comments)

let's get this straight... ahaha, um.

2009-11-17T17:20:44Z

I am not an American Idol fangirl, neither am I an Adam Lambert fangirl. However! Adam's Out interview (which I am sure many of you have already seen thanks to astolat) is really amazing and happy-making, and since I've been rather grumpy these last couple of weeks, I am feeling the need to put more happy things up here. So, here, have a dose of happy!

Part 1 | Part 2

It's just... really nice to see someone so centered and confident and accepting of himself. :>

In other news, I finally watched Merls 2x06 last night! However, I am putting off all TV commentary until I'm done watching 2x07 and 2x08, and probably until I've written my small gifts fic as well (since that is looking easier to plot, and I'd like to finish something before the next two weekends of crazy).

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ugh and yay

2009-11-16T19:21:30Z

Please to be SHUTTING THE FUCK UP. Bows are part of Japanese etiquette. Keep your culturally ignorant noses OUT of sound diplomatic gestures.

(Also, I am sorry for you. I am sorry that you are so pompously, entitledly, vomitously verbose; I am sorry that you think your/USian shit doesn't stink; I am sorry that people actually listen to you; I am sorry that you think this makes you smart rather than popular; but mostly? I am sorry that your world is only big enough for you.)

... Um. I was considering getting my rant on re: Glee 2x09 (the only catch-up watching I have done this weekend, woe!), but I think that was sufficient irritation for today.

In happier/fannish news, such_heights has started an impromptu happy fanathon! Babble about whatever shiny things you like- thus far, there is Merlin (as in lots of Morgana/Gwen!), Narnia, and *cough* my rather slapdash Saving Face picspam. \o/!

ETA: OH AND. AO3: shiny! :D Somebody keep me off it until I manage to finish writing? *g*

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YOOLTIDE OMG

2009-11-15T16:11:18Z

Assignments, yay! *\o/* I am excited, and also paranoid. (Also, now completely distracted from the other exchanges I am supposed to be writing, fail fail fail.)

So anyway, it occurs to me that I should put up a Yuletide beta list! These are ranked by my ability to canon-pick.

Fandoms I know extremely well:
- Guy Gavriel Kay: everything but A Song for Arbonne and Sarantine Mosaic
- Junjou Romantica
- Philip Pullman: His Dark Materials
- Patricia McKillip: Riddlemaster Trilogy
- Wild Adapter
- Robin McKinley: Damar series, Spindle's End, Deerskin
- Jacqueline Carey: Kushiel series, Santa Olivia
- Gattaca
- Ocean's 11
- Jane Austen: Pride and Prejudice
- Jesse Hajicek: The God Eaters
- M. Chandler: Shadow of the Templar
- Mulan

Fandoms I'm familiar with:
- Shounen Onmyouji
- Count Cain/Godchild
- Bridget Jones's Diary
- Saving Face
- Neil Gaiman: The Graveyard Book
- Orson Scott Card: Ender's Game
- Cynthia Voigt: Tillerman Cycle
- Susan Cooper: The Dark is Rising
- Jaidani: Havemercy, Shadow Magic
- Haru wo Daiteita/Fuyu no Semi (Embracing Love/Winter Cicada)
- David Eddings: Belgariad
- Glee
- Amelie
- Love Actually
- Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle
- Love Mode
- Madeleine L'Engle (Murrys >>> Austins > O'Keefes)
- Juliet Marillier: Sevenwaters
- Tamora Pierce: pretty much everything?
- Okane ga Nai
- The Princess Bride
- Robin McKinley: Outlaws of Sherwood
- Guy Gavriel Kay: Sarantine Mosaic
- Fairy tales: Beauty and the Beast, Cinderella, the Seven Swans, Snow White, Firebird, Sleeping Beauty, Little Mermaid, the Snow Queen

Fandoms I'm passing familiar with:
- 10 Things I Hate About You
- Bend it Like Beckham
- Mr. & Mrs. Smith
- Castle in the Sky/Laputa
- Boondock Saints
- Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon
- Ellen Kushner: Swordspoint series
- Charles de Lint: Someplace to be Flying
- Darker Than Black (anime)
- Kuroshitsuji/Black Butler
- David Eddings: Malloreon, Elenium
- Bus Gamer (anime)
- Garth Nix: Abhorsen series
- In the Heights
- Meredith Ann Pierce: Darkangel series
- Nabari no Ou (anime)
- Greco-Roman mythology
- Orson Scott Card: Alvin Maker series
- Peacemaker Kurogane (anime)
- Howl's Moving Castle (movie)
- Spirited Away
- Lois Lowry: The Giver
- Lynn Flewelling: Nightrunner series
- The Pretender
- Slumdog Millionaire

I'm probably forgetting a lot of things, but if you think I might know something you're writing, just ask! &hearts

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Yuletide sundries!

2009-11-13T02:34:02Z

Yuletide signups: successfully tweaked! I kept my requests for In the Heights, Saving Face, and Shounen Onmyouji, but I decided to switch out GGK's Ysabel for Ender's Game because I want Alai and Hot Soup! &hearts I trimmed my offers-list a bit, too- took out Swordspoint, Kuroshitsuji, Count Cain/Godchild, and Okane ga Nai, and added Jacqueline Carey's Santa Olivia.

Annnd, before I forget!

Dear Yuletide Writer:

First of all, thank you! You are the bestest: you share at least one of these fandoms, and you are writing for me; QED. :D &hearts

Short version: I AM EASY, ANYTHING GOES. Long version (not very long)-

Saving Face: Wil/Vivian cuteness please! :) Including Ma and/or the Shings would be great, especially a meet-the-parents type scenario, but I'd like something centered around the girls' relationship.

Anything Wil/Vivian goes, sexytimes or no sexytimes. What I'm interested in is how they relate to each other, what holds them together despite their vastly-different occupations and lifestyles. Bonus points for incorporating dancing and NYC/Flushing locales! Also, I should mention that I understand Mandarin Chinese, and Mandarin only. (I can't quite remember if anybody spoke Cantonese in the movie, but just in case.)

In the Heights: Benny/Carla, please! What happens after Carla goes back to college? What does Benny end up doing? Appearances by other characters are more than welcome, but I'd prefer that the story be centered around Benny and Carla's developing relationship.

I've only seen this musical once, before it officially opened on Broadway (although I am aiming to try for the lotto soon!), so I can tell you up front that I'll be pretty forgiving on the details. *g*

Shounen Onmyouji: Guren/Masahiro with teasing!Seimei! :D Bonus points for Seimei backstory and Masahiro-in-training/growing-up scenarios, but anything is fine as long as the focus is on Guren and Masahiro (doesn't necessarily have to be shippy).

Please note that I have only seen the anime; I've never encountered the manga version.

Ender's Game: After Ender's Game: how did [Alai and/or Hot Soup] plan to take over the world? How did they play the game of politics? (Either one is fine; you don't have to include both.)

I'm familiar with Ender's Game, but only passing familiar with the volumes that came after that. (The Bean books stuck, sort of, but it's been a while since I last reread them and I am fuzzy on details.) Also, you don't have to do post-Game if you don't want to; I'll be happy to see either of them doing anything, period.

This entry was originally posted at Dreamwidth. ( comments)

awbc 4 is live!

2009-11-12T04:08:31Z

The 4th edition of the Asian Women Blog Carnival is up! Here. *\o/*

... And now it's time for me to turn my attention to camelotsolstice and rs_small_gifts. Ack!

This entry was originally posted at Dreamwidth. ( comments)

a small serenity

2009-11-11T18:37:49Z

-Vietnam Veterans Memorial, designed by Maya Lin.

This entry was originally posted at Dreamwidth. ( comments)

spamming y'all with signal-boosts!

2009-11-05T03:29:27Z

+ The lovely avendya has a wonderful post about disability over at FWD/Forward:

To Whom It May Concern:

My life is not a fucking tragedy.

+ The Breast Cancer site is having trouble getting enough people to click on their site daily to meet their quota of donating at least one free mammogram a day to an underprivileged woman.

It takes less than a minute to go to their site and click on 'donating a mammogram' -- for free (pink window in the middle). This does not cost you a thing. Their corporate sponsors/advertisers use the number of daily visits to donate a mammogram in exchange for advertising.

Here's the web site! Please pass it along to people you know.

+ Via deadbrowalking: Diversity educator and filmmaker Lee Mun Wah is putting together a book called "Let's Get Real: What People of Color Can't Say and Whites Won't Ask."

He's got a series of questions for both POC and white people, and is asking for responses from anyone who cares to answer some or all of them. The deadline for responses is November 15th. Participants whose responses are selected for publication get a free, autographed copy of the book.

+ ALSO, PAGE TURNER: WHO WANTS TO GO? NO, REALLY. :D

This entry was originally posted at Dreamwidth. ( comments)

t=0: asian women carnival!

2009-11-01T21:47:29Z

The deadline for submissions for the 4th Asian Women Blog Carnival is today! However, since RL has been pretty crazy for me recently, I'm willing to extend a grace period of ~24 hours. Once again, the theme of this edition is storytelling, or reclaiming our selves through our words. If you are interested in participating, please see this post for guidelines and further details!

This entry was originally posted at Dreamwidth. ( comments)

friends-cut.

2009-10-31T14:46:00Z

Trimming the flist a little bit. I've been meaning to do this for a while (and it's sort of in the spirit of moving day, which I am putting off for a few minutes longer, so! *g*)- nothing personal, just that we haven't really talked for a long time (or ever), and/or I feel like we've drifted apart. Let me know if you want me to add you back. :)

And on that note, I'll be away for the rest of today. Moving. Until further notice. *headdesk* Going back to packing now, aieee!

approaching the time of year for colored lights

2009-10-30T00:37:57Z

1. The submission deadline for the 4th Asian Women Blog Carnival is coming up; NOVEMBER 1st is just around the corner! Once again, the theme for this edition is storytelling, or reclaiming our selves through our words. Women and men of color and allies are welcome to participate so long as the focus of their contributions is Asian women. The definition of Asian, within the scope of this carnival, includes people from East Asia, Central Asia, South Asia, North Asia, Southeast Asia, Far East, Middle East, Near East and people of Asian descent living in non-majority Asian countries. The definition of women, within the scope of this carnival, includes trans women and cisgendered women. More detailed submission guidelines may be found here.

2. ATTENTION YULETIDERS: dhobikikutti has begun a list of chromatic Yuletide fandoms! This post sums up the reasoning behind it quite well:

First and foremost, I am doing this for myself and others like me who don't often get the opportunity to be fannish online about our source cultures, and rarely see good examples of it being talked about. I am also doing it because I want to find more of us, and lure in other international fans who understandably might perhaps have no interest in fanfiction about English, Western sources, but have never had a chance to see fanfiction written about people like them.

This is why I am centring around non-English (or Indian-English/Chinese-English/etc) sources - where the original creators (authors, directors, actors) seem to be doing an adequate job of representing their story. Yuletide is a celebration of source as much as it is about fandom, and I want to emphasise the sources that should be celebrated, in contrast to the ones that often get talked about instead.

It's rather appalling how often a source that exoticises, flattens, or misrepresents a culture gets picked up and praised over and above more accurate work, and that choice, subconcious as it might be, furthers an agenda of cultural imperialism and colonialism (not to mention racism). For a long time, we sourcelanders and diasporians have had to make do with subverting the source - trying to critique C.S. Lewis's portrayal of the Calormenes or Joss Whedon's erasure of Asians in Firefly or Pirates of the Carribbeans' racist and Magical Negro tropes, through fanfiction that challenges and questions and rewrites.

So please, if you adore source materials and/or characters that are non-Western and non-white, do consider writing about them, and do consider how you're going to portray them. Yuletiders on my flist, you can take this as a challenge: I am going to do my level best to enable you into my obscure fandoms. How are you going to enable me into yours? ;)

This entry was originally posted at Dreamwidth. ( comments)

things what have eaten my brain today:

2009-10-29T03:47:54Z

- via deepad and various others, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie on the dangers of a single story [transcript here]:

- for the Remus/Sirius folks: Common Woodbrown, which i encountered via woldy (thank you, sweets! &hearts). this was much more Remus-centric than it was shippy, but it is so utterly, heartbreakingly gorgeous, you guys. definitely give it a read.

- for the orig-fic lovers, Bang*Bang 21 is up! i haven't worked my way through all of the latest stories yet, but i've found that bb_shousetsu generally makes for excellent reading. give it a go, you might find something you like! :)

This entry was originally posted at Dreamwidth. ( comments)

signups and reminders

2009-10-24T19:58:18Z

Some quick notes, since I'm supposed to be haring off to do things in a bit:

- rs_small_gifts signups are open! :D Yeah, Remus/Sirius folks, I'm looking at you.

- I forgot to say that I'm doing choc_fic's 100 Days of Color! Saving Face (because this is apparently the Year of Pimpage for me), February 8th. \o/

- camelot_fleet party post is open for business!

- The deadline for submissions for the 4th Asian Women Blog Carnival is coming up! NOVEMBER 1st is... next weekend, omg. Where did October go??

This entry was originally posted at Dreamwidth. ( comments)

NYR 2009 fic: light all around them

2009-10-18T16:24:20Z

Title: light all around them
Fandom: Guy Gavriel Kay- The Sarantine Mosaic
Rating: G/PG
Summary: Aliana and Crispin, the days after. Written for telesilla's NYR 2009 prompt; posted here because I couldn't for the life of me stretch it to 1,000 words. /o\ I hope you like this!

Caius Crispus surveys the dome of the modest church with hands on his hips. He runs a hand along the tesserae, watching with satisfaction as the afternoon sunlight reflects off of each individual surface, transforming the mediocre glass into something luminous. "It’s finished," he says.

A low chuckle sounds from below. "Good," says his wife, looking up at him with a measuring eye.

Crispin laughs, clambering impatiently down the scaffolding. Aliana- Alixana no longer- prudently puts down her breadbasket and opens her arms, disregarding the fine cloud of plaster-dust that drifts from his skin to her clothes.

"Do you like it?"

"I like everything you make, Crispin," she says wryly into his shoulder. He grins into her hair and lets her go, waiting for a truer assessment. Aliana walks into the center of the floor, turning slowly.

The image of Valerius’s dome still burns in his mind, even so many years later: larger than life; seared indelibly upon his heart. He dreams of it, sometimes, the unfinished design complete and dazzling with glorious colors; a wonder to match all the other wonders of the world that he has known. The pain of it is distant now, more nostalgia than anything else- as Aliana put it once, there are some visions too bright to be shared.

Still, there are some things he has told her, and so he watches, waiting for her appraisal.

"You-" Aliana’s fingers close around his sleeve. "You gave me dolphins."

Crispin smiles. "I did," he agrees. "I thought it was time we kept that promise."

Aliana makes a strangled noise, incoherent and undignified. For a moment, he wonders if she’s going to hit him. But- "He would have loved it," she says instead, and the happiness in her voice is laced with old sorrows. Crispin looks up at his dome again, following her gaze.

The church is provincial, at the very outskirts of Batiara, not far from the Trakesian border. Not very far at all from the town where he’d stolen a sacrifice, once upon a time; where he’d first learned- in the hardest of ways- that there were traditions older than and outside of Jad. The priests here, he has discovered, are more tolerant than most, and so Crispin feels safe in leaving these traces of his own small heresies: a bird and a zubir, lurking among the wild animals on the walls below the god’s face, and a subtle ring of dolphins around the base of the dome.

Some knowledge is sacred, and needs to be earned. Some secrets, he has come to realize over the years, are meant to be kept. He looks up at Jad’s face at the center of the dome, his warm dark eyes reminiscent of Valerius, and thinks that the god will forgive him his trespasses, his pride.

Aliana leans against his shoulder, a warm and comforting weight. Her eyes, when he looks down, are full of memories. "It’s beautiful," she says quietly, leaning up to kiss him. "Thank you."

Crispin folds his arms around her, a wordless acknowledgement. "Do you know," he says contemplatively, surprised at himself, "I think I could pray now."

Aliana, for once, doesn’t laugh at him. "Yes," she replies, an enigmatic smile flickering across her face. "Yes, I think that would be- good." She walks forward into the nave, kneeling gracefully a few paces from the altar. Crispin smiles and stoops to take his place at her side. Sun-warmed and at peace, he closes his eyes.

This entry was originally posted at Dreamwidth. ( comments)

hoyay, hoyay, hoyay!

2009-10-18T02:07:31Z

At long last, Merlin meetup Renfaire picspam! WARNING: supremely image-heavy.

[Note: Yes, that is Merlin's hat you spy in the corner.]

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a spoonful of yuletide makes the failboat fleet go down!

2009-10-14T16:41:09Z

- Shakira!fail on DWTS results show last night = this is hot:

this is not:

seriously, lady, you need to NOT take a page out of Gwen Stefani's book, 'kay? i love you and your music and your GQMF dancing lots, but gimmick!Asians are not cool.

- it's Party of Mock time for this latest gem of misogynist SF bitching. how many ways can these entitled white male assholes come up with to be complete fuckmuppets (tm yuki_onna) on the internet? oh, that's right; COUNTLESS. *is utterly UNsurprised*

- and now for the happy; fellow Yuletiders who haven't already seen this, Yuletide nominations are OPEN! :D mine are as follows:

Saving Face (film)
Guy Gavriel Kay- Ysabel
Patricia McKillip- Riddlemaster Trilogy
Kuroshitsuji aka Black Butler
Shounen Onmyouji
Cain Saga aka Count Cain aka Godchild

how about you? :)

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it's that kind of day today.

2009-10-13T15:06:06Z

+ because i am (already!) bored,

What Merlin character am I most like?
MY THREAD

(no picture because i am at work and i do try to be surreptitious about my LJ/DW stints. :P)

+ i mainlined all three eps of FLASHFORWARD on sunday night, and OMG. HOW MUCH DO I LOVE THIS SHOW??? JOHN CHO MAKES ME DIE OF &hearts &hearts &hearts AND FLAIL EVERY TIME HE IS ON SCREEN, NO LIE. PLUS! GABRIELLE MFING UNION IS HIS GIRLFRIEND AND THEY ARE SMOKIN' HOT TOGETHER. A:DSLGHSD:LFKJ. in conclusion: i cannot put together a coherent sentence about this show, apparently. &hearts &hearts

+ because way back when, i promised SWORDSPOINT flail, i hereby declare today comment-party day! and i include Fall of the Kings & Privilege of the Sword in that statement. have at it, ladies! tell me how much you adore Alec or Richard or the Duchess of Tremontaine or ~convoluted politics~ or what you thought of women's roles in the books. :D

This entry was originally posted at Dreamwidth. ( comments)

open letter to Merlin fandom

2009-10-08T16:38:23Z

[Note: Yes, I know this is coming rather belatedly, but it took me a while to get this down in a semi-coherent fashion. Also, GIANT MAJOR THANK-YOUS to the beta-team that got me through this monster; you know who you are, bbs. &hearts Mistakes/wording issues/lacks of clarification/whatnot are all mine.]

In response to the now-deleted Radio Times post, franticsga brings up some interesting points regarding the dynamics between fans and source-creators, and I do think that "why not?" is a valid question to ask. Stories matter- as yuki_onna says, stories, in fact, are life. It's perfectly reasonable and incredibly important to ask for more, better LGBTQ representation in the media. However, I believe that it's equally important to consider all of the ramifications of asking for specific pairings in specific contexts, and in the context of this show, I have serious issues with asking "why not [Merlin/Arthur]?"

As one might expect, many of these issues are bound up with Gwen. More specifically, though, it has to do with the fact that in the Beeb's particular shiny crack-van mixtape, she's OMG! A BLACK GIRL.

Now, rawles has already broken this down in the context of Star Trek fandom, but let me briefly reiterate/restate her arguments:

1. In the vast majority of mainstream media, women of color are a) rarely ever leading cast members, b) relegated to stereotypical roles, c) only present as sidekicks, d) only present as wallpaper, and/or e) simply do not exist.

2. Due to the huge statistical disparity in the visibility of white women and women of color, any feminist discourse regarding women of color must come from a vastly different starting place. Simply put: even the tiniest fraction is infinitely better than zero.

2. a) Incidentally, this is why the "just a girlfriend" argument is utterly fucking ridiculous: you cannot now be "just" anything if you were previously not in the room, period.

3. We appreciate any context that gives us more than zero, but just because the context of BBC Merlin fits this criterion does not mean that we are or should be satisfied with the crumbs that we get. Seriously, do you realize how sad it is that in 2009, OMG! A BLACK GIRL is still a perfectly valid reaction? PRETTY FUCKING SAD.

Gwen as a black girl is a HUGE DEAL for fantasy fans, much in the way that Nyota Uhura is a HUGE DEAL for sci-fi fans. Not only did the BBC choose to set up their show so that a black girl is a major player within Arthurian legend, they set her up to be Guinevere, Queen of Camelot, one of the most central female figures in Arthuriana as we know it today. This black girl isn't just going to get the guy- she's going to get Arthur Pendragon, the most iconic figure in European legend; she's going to get the Once and Future King. Not only that- if the BBC follows through with the love triangle, she's also going to get Lancelot du Lac, the paragon of European knighthood.

Stop right there and say it with me: holy fucking shit. That is one hell of a place they've given Angel Coulby, and one hell of a role for black fans- all fans of color, really- to embrace. For the first time, we've been granted a place in this story too, and it's not just the place of a powerless servant, or a vanquished enemy, or a piece of expendable backdrop. (Yes, I know, the show's track record with men of color is not good at all, and Gwen seems to be the only woman of color in the entirety of Camelot- ?!?- but she is here, goddammit, and she is finally starting to get some actual screentime. I am totally aiming my hopeful googly eyes at the rest of Season 2.)

Given this setup, as much as I love Merlin/Arthur, I simply can't see any way that depriving Gwen of her canonical relationship(s?) and her position as Queen of Camelot does anything but diminish her. I'm not saying that that's all that Gwen is, because she's an incredible person- unshakably moral, excruciatingly loyal, has the biggest heart in Camelot and skill sets up the wazoo- but Guinevere's potency as a figure of legend is inseparably tangled with her position as Queen, and giving that to a black girl is what makes the BBC's casting such an enormous OMG. Taking it away, in the context of this show? That just leaves us with Gwen, beloved maidservant and blacksmith's daughter.

Unlike Merlin, Gwen doesn't have any magic to give her agency. She only has Morgana, and while Morgana is an excellent mistress and goes out of the way to protect her, should she ever leave Camelot- should Uther ever discover her visions and turn on her; should Arthur and Merlin not be present to step in for either of them- Gwen is screwed. Yes, Lancelot can always rescue her if he's present, but without Arthur, in this scenario? Gwen's a fugitive, tops, and that leaves her with even less power than she had to start with. And before we get into arguments about women being able to do things for themselves (see also: Morgana plotting in To Kill the King), let me remind you that Gwen is a black female servant living in a white-dominated patriarchal feudalist society. Her powerlessness is not a lack of self-actualization; it's a function of the size of the deck stacked against her.

In light of these facts, is it truly possible to justify pushing for an actualfax, CANON TEXT Merlin/Arthur romance on this show? I'd have to say no. Merlin and Arthur's situations are completely different: they are, respectively, the most powerful magical being in living memory and the crown prince of the realm. That awesome relationship between Arthur and Merlin? All of their character development? Those things aren't just about the power dynamics between the two of them, it's about the construction of the story; it's the fucking premise of the show. Their subtext is already off the charts; if you see a "lack" in Season 2 thus far, you've got to remember that our basis of comparison is the ANVIL-SHOWER of Season 1. Even Morgana's centrality is already fixed: she's Uther's ward and a budding seer. Yes, she gets shunted aside for the boys, but you couldn't take her out of the story if you tried.

Gwen, though? Take "Queen of Camelot" away from Gwen and all she is is backdrop- once again, 20398563409857th verse, same as the first. Because no matter how much the others love her, no matter how much they value her, a magic-less female servant who isn't going to be the future queen is not central to this story; not even if you push for Morgana/Gwen at the same time. This show is about Merlin and Arthur and the complexities of their relationship in a man's world, land of myth and time of magic notwithstanding. And this is all besides the fact that pushing the sole black girl aside for another white male is incredibly fucking skeevy.

This is why, when I hear people talking about petitioning for an openly romantic Merlin/Arthur relationship on the show, I think it isn't a good idea. I love our boys and their dynamic as much as the next person, but I don't want to see more of them at Gwen's expense.

If we're talking subtext, though, THAT I've got no problem asking for. I want more fuel for my OTPs/OT4/OT5.

This entry was originally posted at Dreamwidth. ( comments)

Daniel Liu icon post

2009-10-08T00:31:19Z

OHAI GUYS. So, um, do you remember that picspam I made a while back? WELL. THE RESULTS ARE IN:

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Created with angelamaria's Icon Table Generator @ Bauble

All pictures come from the posts I linked in the original picspam; some crops are... experimental, and it shows, I think. :P ENJOY!

(DO YOU SEE WHY THIS TOOK ME AGES???? YEAH I THOUGHT SO.)

This entry was originally posted at Dreamwidth. ( comments)

... scarvesnhats. /o\

2009-10-06T02:59:53Z

so. uh. i am not even done with the last of my dogdays, and i have at least two other things i'm supposed to be writing right now, but. have a scarvesnhats snippet, because today's prompt was just too tempting:

title: yesterday was blue
rating: pg
summary: for scarvesnhats prompt day 5.

The sky is overcast, a fragmented grey that only appears before a thunderstorm. Sirius shivers, winding his scarf more tightly around his neck.

Remus is late. Remus is never late.

He gnaws at a knuckle, his stomach knotted with anxiety. There are things unspoken now, between them, and Sirius is afraid of the errands neither of them is allowed to talk about- of losing Remus, alone and far away, somewhere Sirius cannot follow; or worse, somewhere close to home and without his knowledge.

(There are other things Sirius is afraid of, things that he refuses to contemplate.)

"Sirius," Remus says, and Sirius whirls, gasping with relief.

"Moony!"

But Remus's face is drawn, thin, and there are dark circles under his eyes and fresh scars across his cheek. The knobs of his spine are painfully apparent against Sirius's fingers, even through the thick jumper Lily gave him last Christmas.

"Moony," Sirius says again.

"I'm fine," Remus whispers, his lips pale and chapped. He leans back with a faint smile that doesn't quite reach his eyes; the wind knifes between them, chilling Sirius's heart.

All around them, the leaves are falling, red and gold and rich burnt ochre, but looking at Remus, Sirius can only see blue: disappearing, like smoke, or the moon waning in the sky.

For the first time, Sirius does not kiss him.

This entry was originally posted at Dreamwidth. ( comments)

Carnival: extension!

2009-10-05T16:05:57Z

PSA: The submission deadline for the 4th Asian Women Blog Carnival has been extended to NOVEMBER 1st. Please see this post for submission details! Once again, I'd like to reiterate that women and men of color and allies are all welcome to participate, so long as the focus of their contributions is Asian women.

The definition of Asian, within the scope of this carnival, includes people from East Asia, Central Asia, South Asia, North Asia, Southeast Asia, Far East, Middle East, Near East and people of Asian descent living in non-majority Asian countries. The definition of women, within the scope of this carnival, includes transwomen and cisgendered women.

This entry was originally posted at Dreamwidth. ( comments)

Merlintastic! \o/

2009-10-04T22:38:03Z

Just got back from Merlin meetup at the Cloisters RenFaire (epic picspam to come!), watched 2x03 (MY FLAIL CANNOT BE TEXTUALLY RENDERED RIGHT NOW OMG), and also devoured the following lovely fics:

- Ouchies first: A Failure of Propriety, by srin. Arthur, sad and feeling left out of the loop. (Post-2x03, but not particularly spoilery? Or at least, I didn't find it too spoilery, as I read it before I watched.)

- Then make it better: two kisslets from rosemaryandrue! (Both are in the same post.) Summer Kisses is a sweet/hilarious Merlin/Arthur futurefic, and A Lonely Impulse of Delight is a gorgeous Gwen/Morgana Spitfire AU. (PILOT!GIRLS, OMG! *___* &hearts &hearts &hearts)

I am now in the mood to write. Or read more fic. Anybody have recs today? :)

ETA: ALSO. BECAUSE I AM AN IDIOT AND FORGOT. MASTERLIST FOR THE M/A KISSING MEME. &hearts

This entry was originally posted at Dreamwidth. ( comments)

OHAI, wish-anticipation committee!

2009-10-03T02:04:50Z

♥ Gwen/Morgana Kiss Meme ♥

Also, have some more OTP-meme responses!

unavee asked for Lions of Al-Rassan and Gravitation:

Lions:

+ OTP: Ammar/Jehane

+ Runner-up: Miranda/Rodrigo

+ Honorable mention: OT4 & permutations (Ammar/Jehane/Miranda/Rodrigo), Badir/Mazur, Alvar/Jehane, Eliane/Ishak, Ramiro/Ines... pretty much every canon pairing, really. ;)

+ Crack pairing(s): Lain/Pellino? Husari/Alvar? Haha, I don't know- though Husari/anyone is pretty funny, really.

+ Ship everyone else seems to like, but I don't: I don't think GGKay fandom is big enough for this question? *g* I don't know too many Kay fans, anyway.

Gravitation:

+ OTP: Eiri/Shuichi; dysfunction at its cracky best.

+ Runner-up: Hiro/Shuichi

+ Honorable mention: Tohma/Mika, Shuichi/Ryuichi, Ryuichi/Tohma, Tohma/Sakano.

+ Crack pairing(s): ... uh. Ryuichi/Kumagoro? Tatsuha/Ryuichi? Anybody/K? I dunno. xD

+ Ship everyone else seems to like, but I don't: I don't know how many people like Eiri/Tohma, but I definitely don't, even though I see the subtext. :|

whymzycal asked for Antique Bakery:

+ OTP: Tachibana/Ono! (OHAI, I AM A SUCKER FOR THEIR BACKSTORY.)

+ Runner-up: Ono/Chikage, ridiculously cute AND utterly ridiculous. :D ♥ This is only the runner-up because, well, I don't know if I believe that Ono's totally over it.

+ Honorable mentions: Ono/Kanda, because goddamn, is Kanda-kun's cake/man-crush epic or what?

+ Crack pairing(s): TACHIBANA/KANDA. THAT WOULD BE FUCKING HILARIOUS.

+ Ship everyone else seems to like, but I don't: Um, I don't know? I mean, I don't like Tachibana's childhood trauma guy, but who the hell does?

secretsolitaire asked me about Shadow of the Templar:

+ OTP: Simon/Jeremy (DUH.)

+ Runner-up: Sandra/Mike. My love for those two is SO EPIC. :D

+ Honorable mentions: Simon/Sandra, Dave/Nate, Johnny/Nate (I find this one just cute enough to not be a crack pairing. ;D).

+ Crack pairing(s): OH GOD, YOU ASKED FOR IT. Simon/Mike, Johnny/Mike, Simon/Johnny/Mike, Simon/Langridge, Simon/Upstairs, Upstairs/Baker, Upstairs/Danielle, Upstairs/Norton, Ethan/Upstairs, Ethan/Simon, Rich/Jeremy, Danielle/Annabelle, OTTeam, OTTeam + Jeremy.

+ Ship everyone else seems to like, but I don't: Jeremy/Bran. I don't hate it, but Bran's a little too twisted for my liking- I prefer Jeremy's masochistic tendencies to be dealt with by Simon. I do hate Mike/Diana Fontaine because BIGGEST BITCH EVER, but I suspect most of SOTT fandom shares that opinion. *g*

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