Once a Stranger

Multifandom

Movies that come to the rescue mashup by sleepyskunk

ALL THE SUPERHEROES MOVIES. Or at least A WHOLE LOT OF THEM. Including some very bad and cheesy and old ones; but put together in a way that fills you with joy and enthusiasm for the whole genre of super. Just a very fun and dynamic vid.

Hollow Heroes by castor
Capturing the darker and edgier side of super movies. Very nicely done and atmospheric.

My Body is a Cage by nel_ani
You how fans sometimes ask "why do they keep making origin stories?"; well this is why. A gorgeous, rivetting vid capturing the super hero journey with Ironman, Captain America, Hulk & Wolverine.

( more recs under the cut )

So, in case you loved X-Men First Class and you want moar and you would be interested in checking out the comics because of that, a little intro on some of the series I've read which are good.

I'm kind of a new convert to comics myself, so my knowledge is narrow, and especially I'm limiting myself to recent-ish (21st century only) comics because they're those I know best, though there's quite a wealth of good stuff in old stories, hopefully someone else might complete my infos. (ETA: sandoz_iscariot suggests some in the comments)

( in more or less chronological order )

At RPG.net there are frequently Where I Watch [fill in blank name of series/movies/stories] threads about someone recaping a series as they go at it, which is often very fun. There's a guy named Shadowjack doing this with Sailor Moon and it's been a thread of EPIC AWESOMENESS so far (he's just finished S1). Okay I'm not sure of his characterisation of Rei as Latina because she fits the hot headed stereotype, but that aside, it's awesome. Now this is noticeable to me because I never even watched Sailormoon (much, I mean, I caught an episode or 2 on TV when I was 13, of course, but I pretty much hated it) yet it actually sort made me want to watch it O_O. A fact that beyond surprises me. Anyway even more awesome than the WIW thread itself is the recap cartoon of his recap Shadowjack has been doing. Judge for yourself:
(a_white_rain, you want to look at this especially. You'll know why when you reach it ^^)



( cut for length, width and lots of pics )

You can find the WIW thread here and its sequel there.

Oh, and bonus pic, for something completely different:

femmefanvid is a new community for feminist and women-focussed fanvids and amvs. Ain't that cool? ^^

I bring links:

rexluscus has (spoilery) Watchmen fanart

morgif_kun has some Kendappa/Souma fanart

And Randy cheered me up with this rather gory and slapsticky issue of Something Positive. Warning for disturbing images behind this link. I'm not sure what it says about me that it cheered me up.

Go watch! (at least the first two).

Like Nodame Catabile?

bop_radar made a fanvid for the show! - that's the same person who did this ridiculously good Lex Luthor fanvid to Paranoid Android.

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So looks like keelieinblack and I are really going to scanlate Onmyouji. I'm terribly excited about this. Currently trying to think of names for the community to release it, I take suggestions!

hunters_forest is organising a Coldfire Trilogy re-read and discussion. I love that series and reread it every year anyway so of course I'm participating :) If you haven't read it yet, I hearitly reccomend it to you (it's a mix of sf-fantasy-horror with great world building and magic system building, awesome characterisation, a good spin on vampire tropes, a lot of slashy tension and a wonderful magnificent bastard anti hero) although probably not to participate to that reread because they'll be spoilers. If you have and feel like rereading it, come and join us! :D

Best Buffy fanvid ever, Y/Y?

I should make my packs but I'm on the internet instead.

Have some links.

cryptoxin on Fandom and Lorde's use of the Erotic, on the difference between porn and erotica in a 70's feminist essay and it's relevence to today's dynamics of sex in fanfictions and other fandom works.

haremstress on the expression "strong women", asking what it means and doesn't mean

Is there Gender imbalance in Genre Fiction Publishing an article with that question posed to a number of professionnals of the SFF field, with some interesting answers and some infuriating ones. curtana is discussing some of the infuriating ones. ETA: Or you could read coffeeandink latest roundup of links on that subject. (and then search through her tags, she's one of my favourite blogger for a reason and one of it is an awesome tagging system ^^).

Resolution : I'm never participating to a fic exchange ever again. That way lies failure and self-loathing.

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That said, remixredux08 is pretty. I'm terribly in love with the fic remixed out of my fic :

Mirror Cipher (the All Other Angle call-response)
Fandom: Harry Potter
Characters: Sybill, Dean, Dennis, Blaise, Draco, Molly, Lucius, Voldemort, Bellatrix
My original fic: Mirror

My own fic was about Narcissa, written very shortly after HBP's release, and a little bit of a rant about the (mis)characterization of Narcissa one could see in fandom as well as my own spin onto the myth of Narcissus and my fascination for mirror metaphores.
The remixer took the theme of identity, of identities built in the eyes of others and how we see others' idententities, and the motif of reflections, and ran away with it, spinning a beautiful mosaic of different characters echoing each others (and Narcissa) in a complex, multilayered and rather dark contemplation. The way the images, the voices and the theme are interwoven is nothing short of brillant. Worth reading, and re-reading. I also loved how she-or-he used artistic metaphores like negative space and photography

My own ending was a question. The remix is even more nihilistic, denying the core over and again. The camera only goes skin deep and there is no life here, only its static representation

Can't wait for the reveal to see who's writer this is and what else they've written.

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Other Remix rec out of what I've seen so far :

By Any Other Name (The Fool's Paradise Remix)
Fandom: X-Men Movie
Characters: Mystique, Pyro, Magneto
Summary: If ye should lead her in a fool's paradise, as they say, it were a very gross kind of behaviour.
This fic takes Mystique after XM3 and... blows us with her. The writing is gorgeous and Mystique is awesome.

Goldfish Bowl (Glasshouse remix)
Fandom: X-Men Movie
Characters/Pairings: Bobby/Rogue, John, Logan
Summary: It's hard being normal in the goldfish bowl.
Not the kind of fic I often read, even when I read XMM (which is pretty rare in the first place ^^) but the characterisation and good writing really made this fic stood out.

How Long, Baby (Extended Dance Remix)
Fandom: Highlander
Character: Methos
Summary: In the beginning was the word. Then came the song.
The original was pretty cool in the first place, but I love the way the remix impart music into it. There's a love of words and rhythm both interwoven lovingly and beautifully; and through it Methos' voice stands out so clearly. Very nice.

Desert Time (Ordinary Time remix)
Fandom: Star Wars
Characters: Obi-Wan, Qui-Gon, Luke
Summary: In his years on Tatooine, Obi-Wan finds he has a lot to learn.
A remix of imadra_blue's work, whose fics I adore, and this fic is definitly of an equal level. Luminescent writing, with an understated sense of pain and yet growing hope.

Everyone has things they blog about. Everyone has things they don't blog about. Challenge me out of my comfort zone by telling me something I don't blog about, but you'd like to hear about, and I'll write a post about it. Ask for anything: latest movie watched, last book read, political leanings, thoughts on yaoi, favorite type of underwear, graphic techniques, etc. Repost in your own journal so that we can all learn more about each other.

Go and read cryptoxin's post here for it is hilarious.