Want to see Benedict Cumberbatch in the National Theatre's production of Frankenstein?

You can. And you don't need to be in London to do it.

The show is being broadcast live from the NT stage to movie theaters around the world, with screenings in the UK, Europe, USA, Canada, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, India, and Russia.

There are hundreds of screenings, at cities big and small. I heartily encourage you to check it out. Search venues and buy tickets here.

SF locals: P. and I are going Sunday morning. See you there?

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Some of you are familiar with the video stylings of Anita Sarkeesian. As Feminist Frequency, she creates pithy, often hilarious video commentaries on the sexism (and, sometimes, racism and homophobia) in popular culture. Her popular series, Tropes vs. Women, took on the Manic Pixie Dream Girl, The Evil Demon Seductress, and Women in Refrigerators, among others.

She's creating a new series of videos about sexist tropes in video games, and she's put up a Kickstarter to make it happen. Here's the pitch.

If you love video games but hate the damsels in distress and the fighting fucktoys, and you've got a few bucks to spare, please share what you can.

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Five days before we're supposed to leave for Hawaii, guess who came down with chicken pox?

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ARGH WHY IS VIDDING SO HARD STAB STAB STAB

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Don't like AO3's search functionality? Feel shy about editing Fanlore? Got questions about OTW's legal advocacy for fanworks?

This is your chance to tell OTW how you feel about the work they do. Take the survey.


I took the OTW Community Survey!

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...that of my roughly fifteen hopes for the back half of S3, at least eight of them have already come true. Jeff has taken his shirt off a bunch of times, Britta's been right, Troy is becoming his own man, Shirley got an ep to herself...they even dressed Annie like Dorothy! I am feeling nearly prophetic at this point. Dare I hope for Troy/Abed smoochies?

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Tell me you want to play and I'll pick up to three of your fandoms. Then update your journal and answer the following questions:

1. What got you into this fandom in the first place? Wow, I have no idea, actually. ::scratches head:: I can tell you why I stayed, though: Brenda.


2. Do you think you'll stay in this fandom or eventually move on? I'm not "in the fandom" as such -- if there is an active fandom, I'm not aware of it. But I still love the show and there are still things I want to say about it.


3. Favorite episodes/books/movies, etc? Oh, wow, um. Well, the finale, obviously. Also the pilot, which rarely happens. I really love S2 in general (because BRENDA). Also, I have to mention my least favorite episode. If you're looking for Laura-Kryptonite, "That's My Dog" is it. ::shudder::


4. Do you participate in this fandom (fanfiction, graphics, discussions)? I've co-made two Six Feet Under vids (waves at jarrow). I also have a Lisa vid idea, but it's kind of on the back burner. I'd love to discuss the show more, but it doesn't seem to be the type of source to inspire ongoing meta-discussion.


5. Do you think more people should get into this fandom? I actually think the show is really helpful for helping Americans think and talk about death, which is something the dominant culture doesn't do very much. So I'd recommend it on that basis alone. But it also has some of the strongest writing and acting I've ever seen on television. So yes. More people should love it.

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Tell me you want to play and I'll pick up to three of your fandoms. Then update your journal and answer the following questions:

1. What got you into this fandom in the first place? A number of my friends were vidding it, writing it, and praising it to the skies, but it was seeing gwyn's vid, This Must Be the Place, that convinced me to give it a try.


2. Do you think you'll stay in this fandom or eventually move on? I'm pretty sure I'll move on from them all, but this is a very happy place for me right now, and I've only just begun engaging with it fannishly.


3. Favorite episodes/books/movies, etc? Remedial Chaos Theory is probably my all-time favorite so far. I really dig the big concept episodes.


4. Do you participate in this fandom (fanfiction, graphics, discussions)? I made some graphics! And I'm starting on a Community vid this summer, all about Britta and how she's the worst and we love her.


5. Do you think more people should get into this fandom? Definitely! Partly because it could use the ratings, but mostly because it's so much fun. One thing I've learned in the past year is you should always have a funny show. Laughing helps.

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I did a meme, and you can, too!

Tell me you want to play and I'll pick up to three of your fandoms. Then update your journal and answer the following questions:

1. What got you into this fandom in the first place?


2. Do you think you'll stay in this fandom or eventually move on?


3. Favorite episodes/books/movies, etc?


4. Do you participate in this fandom (fanfiction, graphics, discussions)?


5. Do you think more people should get into this fandom?

sdwolfpup

Doctor Who

1. What got you into this fandom in the first place? I started watching it during middle school. In California on PBS in the 1980s, we were treated to Four and Five punctuated with pledge drives. I think a geeky friend of mine may have encouraged me to watch it, but I can't recall. I fell hard for the concept, the writing, and the science fictionyness, and I loved Sarah Jane in her orange sherbet pantsuit (even though my friend thought she was a useless screamer and mocked me for it). The show never scared me, but it often made me think. When the TV movie came out in the 90s, I was still enough of a fan to watch it (not liking it much), and when RTD revived the show I never looked back. It's full of kittens. Meanwhile, I've been watching the classic episodes I missed.


2. Do you think you'll stay in this fandom or eventually move on? Doctor Who is actually the show I've been fannish about the longest, but I never assume I'll love anything forever.


3. Favorite episodes/books/movies, etc? I don't recall any of Four or Five's tenure well enough to cite favorite episodes there, but of the new series, I love "Blink" and "Silence in the Library"/"Forest of the Dead" the best. I'm also very fond of "Let's Kill Hitler".


4. Do you participate in this fandom (fanfiction, graphics, discussions)? I vid it. I have made a few icons and posted a few episode recaps. I am actually not as active in the fandom as I'd like to be, mostly because I'm a spoilerphobe.


5. Do you think more people should get into this fandom? Of course! It can be intensely rewarding and there's so darned MUCH of it. It's great for people who get their hearts broken over early cancellations.

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I want to post about approximately 37 things, but at the moment, this is what I have time for: A Mighty Girl: The world's largest collection of books and movies for smart, confident, and courageous girls.

I've only scratched the surface of the collection, but they list works featuring girls of color, not just white kids. They also have a sub-category of books called "Social Issues", with several hundred books on topics like prejudice and discrimination, war and conflict, and environmental issues. Plus tons of fun fiction. (:

Mothers of daughters, writers, readers, YA enthusiasts: this looks like a great resource and a fun project to get involved with.

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Annabelles romaine lettuces with mustard, tarragon, and egg
Hand-cut pasta with wild mushrooms, fava beans, and pecorino
Tomales Bay Txiki and Cowgirl Creamery cheeses with house-made marmalade, candied walnuts, and dates
Grapefruit and Page Mandarin sherbets with candied citrus peel and langue de chat
Elderflower nectar

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Some folks have asked for this: the playlist for the vidshow I put together for FOGcon this weekend.

The con's theme this year, "the body", really lent itself well to vids as a medium (hat tip to cesperanza and deepad for helping me think differently about vids and bodies). I loved selecting vids for this show, because there were so many interesting limitations: a vidshow for a SF/F literary con, where I didn't know if anyone would have seen a vid before, with the theme of "the body" -- plus all my usual guidelines of diversity and general excellence.

Thanks to everyone who came, and to the concom who made it possible. I had a load of fun.

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OH FRINGE NO!!!

ETA: Spoilers in comments.

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So, P. said to me the other day that The Wizard of Oz could be perfectly recast with the characters from Community. I thought this was a brilliant idea, so I opened Photoshop and got to work.


Some things are obvious.

( Other things become obvious only upon reflection. )

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In which the course of true love never did run smooth

I mentioned yesterday that I love Community. And I do. But not unreservedly. If you want to live in the happy place, my squee post is the place for you. This place is not that place.

First of all, there's the Pierce Problem. As P. said as we watched S2 for the first time, "Why do we like Pierce, again?" So much of the time, what he says is just plain awful, and for a while there a lot of what he did was just plain awful, and it's not really balanced by much kindness, let alone learning or growth. The Pierce who is generous to his friends kinda turns into a monster, and we're left with a guy that I don't want to hang out with, pretty much ever. I love a lot of "Advanced Dungeons & Dragons", but that episode is kind of excruciating to watch.

But as much as I have trouble liking Pierce the character, ( the Pierce Problem is actually deeper than that. )

Despite my criticism, I am actually not ambivalent about Community. I love the show. I think it has some problems, but that's what fanworks are for, right? This summer, I'll be working on a Britta vid that will address the Britta Problem, and I expect to have a blast doing it. Meanwhile, I have one more Community post coming up, which will return to the squee place.

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In which Laura falls in love, has dirty thoughts, and shares hopes for the future.

Late last year, in search of some light viewing to replace the Sports Night withdrawals we were going though, P. and I started watching Community. By which I mean, we slurped it up like a massive root beer float in three weeks' time and immediately embarked on a rewatch. We watched all the vids we could find, deleted scenes, gag reels. I knew it was serious when I started reading fic, something I normally do only during Yuletide season. I was in love. ♥

Some of the many things I adore about this show:

• I am, perhaps predictably, aboard the Troy/Abed love train


• Troy's vulnerability and his comfort with it. He's all heart, and he lets it show, and that doesn't make him any less cool!


• Abed's casual stone cold foxiness ::fans self::


• In general, the show's treatment of a neuro-atypical person is great


• Shirley is the BEST!


• The diversity of the cast


• Have I mentioned that this show is hilarious?


• I'm able to have sympathy for everybody, even people I wouldn't have thought I could care about


• My girl Britta, with whom it's possible I might over-identify just a bit


• Inspector Spacetime


• All the meta and pop culture references


• All the times they bust out of the sitcom box: singing, claymation, flying the fried chicken shuttle, and of course, paintball


• I really like the singing a lot, actually


• In spite of myself, I find Jeff hot like burning. Don't judge me.

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Fashion It So, a Star Trek fashion blog. No, really.

An excerpt:

"The Tamarian captain is also on the planet’s surface, looking like Nathan Lane at survivalist camp."

This thing is pure joy, I'm tellin' ya.

via the commentariat at Ta-Nehisi Coates, dawg bless 'em.

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Read all about it.

I am quite delighted, not least because it means more source for my Britta vid. :D

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Title: The Fear
Vidder: laurashapiro
Song: The Fear
Artist: Lily Allen
Summary: I don't know what's right and what's real anymore.

Notes: This is a festivid treat for futuransky!

Shoutout to wearemany for introducing me to Lily Allen all those years ago.

Download the vid (74.4 MB) | Get the subtitles

( Embeds under the cut )

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