Obsessions of an Acafan

Multi-fandom meta, memes and musings. Educated media criticism without the pesky good taste (I see Michael Bay movies in theaters, I'm not here to judge). Abbott to @FangirlAngela's Costello on the @FangirlUnderground podcast (coming soon). Icon by @miasmatik.

[fangirlunderground-blog]

Wildcard Wednesday

Movies tend to portray our worst fears - and best hopes - for Thanksgiving, as quirky and often antagonistic family members gather around a big table to tiptoe around politics and pass the stuffing, turning passive aggression into an art form. This week, we help you prepare for the homecoming holiday with eclectic Thanksgiving film picks by @fangirlamanda. (In fact, you may want to recommend one or more of these for a family watch party - that’s less time to interrogate you like an unmarried Jane Austen protagonist, right?)

For Your Consideration (2006)

The usual suspects - like Harry Shearer, Parker Posey, and Catherine O’Hara - improvise a wicked parody of Hollywood in this Christopher Guest film. O’Hara and Shearer star as aging actors seizing their last chance at stardom in the film within a film, Home for Purim. The originally somber movie gets increasingly absurd with the input of its eccentric director (played by Guest) and air-headed producer (Jennifer Coolidge), finally re-imagined as Home for Thanksgiving. It might be sacrilege to say in a field with such tough competition, but this uproariously funny film is actually my second favorite of Guest’s work, just after Best in Show (2000). (Available on Amazon).

Home for the Holidays (1995)

Holly Hunter stars in this comedy-drama (which is pretty much how you’d describe Thanksgiving with your family, right?) as a newly jobless single mom spending the holiday with her sometimes lovable, sometimes crazy, and often critical family. The beacon of light in her life is brother Tommy, played by Robert Downey, Jr. This is one of those Thanksgiving movies that it’s okay to watch with a bit of schadenfreude - because hey, your family isn’t that bad - or if you need a little motivation to help you get ready for your own holiday at home (personally, I like to play the Rocky theme song before dinner with relatives). (Available on Amazon Prime).

Pieces of April (2003)

Katie Holmes, who received rave reviews for her performance, leads an all-star cast in this sweet and quirky indie film. Estranged daughter April (Holmes) invites her family to her small Manhattan apartment for Thanksgiving after learning that her mom (Patricia Clarkson) is dying of breast cancer. It’s a little bit of a Little Miss Sunshine type tale: a dysfunctional but redeemable family faces a menagerie of obstacles, yet still uses the challenges to come together rather than fall apart. (Available on Amazon Prime).

Planes, Trains, and Automobiles (1987)

Remember in Home Alone (1990) when Kevin’s mom is trying to get home to her son, and John Candy (as “polka king” Gus Polinski) saves the day? Well, Candy isn’t quite as nice a savior in this comedy also penned by John Hughes. Candy stars as goofy shower curtain ring salesman Del Griffith, who teams up with marketing exec Neal Page (Steve Martin) to get to Chicago in time for Thanksgiving. There’s nothing quite like watching comedians Candy and Martin bumble across the Midwest together as raging opposites - just look at them cuddling in the above gif! (Available on Amazon).

What’s Cooking? (2000)

Written and directed by Gurinder Chadha (whom Jonathan Rhys-Meyers and Keira Knightley fans will know from her film Bend it Like Beckham (2002)), this is the kind of unforgettable little film that you’ll want to share with everyone you know. The story follows the Thanksgiving of four families on the same block - Vietnamese, Latino, Jewish, and African-American - whose problems overlap and converge in unexpected ways. The real treat here is the cooking itself, as each family puts its own spin on the ingredients and preparation of the classic Thanksgiving dishes (and you may just get some ideas to spice up your own holiday). (Available on Amazon).

[trashfanda]

One of my best Thanksgiving memories is hiding from company for a couple hours and watching Gladiator (still my all-time favorite film) for the first time. Which, in a way, is also a movie about a dysfunctional family, just one that happens to run the Roman Empire.

[fangirlangela-old-deactivated20]

The Brontë sisters wrote smutty RPF

If the Bronte sisters were alive today, would they be writing fanfic? (Answer: Definitely yes.) – @fangirlamanda (x)

Let me expand on that answer with this excerpt from the Brontë page on @otw-fanlore wiki (x):

They were huge fans of Arthur Wellesley, First Duke of Wellington, who had defeated Napoleon at Waterloo, and invented long, elaborate sagas of his further adventures along with his two sons, Arthur and Charles. There were action-adventure, supernatural fantasy, mystery and comedic stories, with an increasing focus on romance and erotic melodrama over the years.

So there you have it. The Bronte sisters totally wrote smutty RPF.

[trashfanda]

[fangirlunderground-blog]

Wildcard Wednesday

Today begins a month of late nights, sore necks, aching fingers, and rapid heart rates (and who says writing isn’t a sport?). That’s right, it’s NaNoWriMo: the month when we hunch over our keyboards battling the plot bunnies to beat word-count goals night after night, and huddle together for warmth and support in coffee-fueled writing sprints. 

To help you stay motivated during the November slog, @fangirlamanda picks this week’s list of Uplifting-ish Movies About Writers. Because, as the alarming pattern of writer-centered horror movies will attest, film is not particularly kind to them. 

Adaptation (2002)

Screenwriter Charlie Kaufman was struggling to adapt a book called The Orchid Thief for film, so he ended up just writing a movie loosely based on his own writing process. I say loosely, since Kaufman envisions himself in the movie as twin brothers played by Nicolas Cage (and who among us, on the inside, deep down, doesn’t feel like we’re really just two NIcolas Cages?). A meta-lover’s dream, this quirky, colorful film features hilarious segments skewering both the film industry and prominent screenwriting guru Robert McKee. The movie’s depiction of screenwriters on set is also one many writers who have had to leave their homes can relate to: as the quiet, somewhat awkward folks trying to look busy by the table of danishes. (Available on HBO via Amazon, among others).

Finding Forrester (2000)

Teenager Jamal (Rob Brown) pulls reclusive author William Forrester (Sean Connery) out of his J.D. Salinger-esque hideaway in this touching film. Some writers swear by an exercise Forrester sets for Jamal, where he begins by typing out some of Forrester’s writing until his own words and stories begin to flow. Others worry the inspirational text might be too hard to stray from, and encourage unintentional plagiarism. Sometimes, though, just activating the muscle memory of typing helps wake up another important muscle, too. (Available on DVD via Netflix or Amazon).

Limitless (2011)

This heart-pounding sci-fi thriller stars Bradley Cooper as a struggling author (seeing a pattern here?) whose life is turned upside-down by a drug that vastly increases his brain power. Though perhaps not the best life lesson (a pill that cures writer’s block? yes please!), the film’s representation of intelligence augmentation may not be as far-fetched as it seems - at least, if Elon Musk has anything to say about it. (Available on Amazon).

Midnight in Paris (2011)

This delightful romp through history stars Owen Wilson as a struggling screenwriter-turned-would-be-novelist who is transported back to 1920s Paris to hob-knob with literati giants like F. Scott Fitzgerald, Gertrude Stein, and Ernest Hemingway. Though a little clunky in its modern scenes, the movie really glows once its cast of historical figures graces the screen, churning out brightly cynical witticisms as quickly as fingers on a typewriter. See it while writer-director Woody Allen is still en vogue. (Available now on Amazon Prime).

Stranger Than Fiction (2006)

Comedian Will Ferrell stars as Harold Crick, a rather bland IRS employee who begins to hear the voice of Karen Eiffel (Emma Thompson) narrating his life. Just one problem (well, okay, besides the voice in his head): The novel he stars in is supposed to end with his death. In a fantastical way, this film aptly captures the writer’s experience of having a character completely take over your story and send it in a direction you didn’t expect. Also, can Emma Thompson come narrate my life? She would make my grilled cheese and South Park reruns sound so much cooler. (Available on Amazon).

[fangirlangela-old-deactivated20]

YA culture is pointing at different things and saying, “We call those [gibberish].”

[fangirlangela-old-deactivated20]

See those dogs? We call em borkbeasts.

See those cats? We call em scratchy-creepers.

And whatever you do, don’t flirt with those guys.

They’re the misunderstood stabbydudes.

[trashfanda]

The whole first act of Maze Runner is just Thomas learning the names for things. Which as a viewer is like...guys, I’m not gonna need to know all this! Plus the names tend to be like if you let a toddler play word association.

They should use the YA model to make language learning videos for school kids. See these trees? We call them los arboles. See these cats? Los gatos.

[fangirlunderground-blog]

Meta Monday

If you’ve ever laid awake at night worrying that AO3 is evil or that all your favorite slash fics fetishize gay men, here’s some good news for you. (Also, the only time you should ever lose sleep over fandom is when you start a 200k fic before bed.) 

Plus, a summary of Hannigram’s ascent to canon and a comparison of Hulu’s The Handmaid’s Tale and the insane ‘90s version we didn’t know existed.

Fandom

every time I see more of the ‘ao3 is evil’ crap circulating…, You know, the more I think about this, the more I think the real complaint isn’t that AO3 hosts “evil” content, it’s that it doesn’t allow harassment/dogpiling of “evil” creators as easily as Tumblr. Abuse won’t remove or even re-tag a work except in a handful of very specific cases, but they will suspend or ban users for harassment, including filing repeated unfounded Abuse reports. Authors also have at least some ability to screen/block comments on works, and there’s no direct messaging system outside of commenting on works through which to pursue harassment. You can follow a creator but you can’t block them (much less encourage others to do the same).

Why Slash? by @destinationtoast, Thanks for reading and responding!  The thing is, decisive statements like this one [stating slash is fetishizing mlm] make me a bit skeptical. Not because I disagree that this could be a factor.  But there is so rarely one reason for anything, when it comes to groups of people!  That’s part of what makes social science hard and interesting – identifying and testing for all the possible reasons.

The Handmaid’s Tale

The Handmaid’s Tale: marketing, then and now by @marathecactupus​, Comparing the Hulu adaptation of The Handmaid’s Tale to the 1990 version is… weird, because the old one seems to have been made with a “haha, this could never happen; let’s play it like a fun adventure thriller and sell it as sexy as possible!” kind of attitude. I mean, the trailer has this bouncy narration that starts with “once upon a time…” and turns the dystopian element into more of a soap opera. 

Hannibal

The Story of How Hannigram Became Canon to Those Who Are in Doubt by @k-s-morgan​​, This post is mostly meant for the casual viewers who might be still unaware of the fact that Hannigram, the romantic relationship between Will Graham and Hannibal Lecter, is a canon pairing. It is not a fanon pairing. It is not ‘just in the heads’ of silly girls or overly-romantic viewers. It is a canonically acknowledged couple that is supported massively by the cast and Bryan Fuller. Furthermore, this romance is the essence of the show, because Will and Hannibal find everything in each other. No, their relationship is not based merely on romance or sexual attraction. But also no, a more explicit romance in S4, which seems very likely and has been hinted at many times, will not destroy the complexity of the relationship. It will add to it.

[kayvsworld]

i don’t know james rupert “rhodey” rhodes but i trust him with my life

[fangirlangela-old-deactivated20]

@fangirlamanda you are my Rhodey in neutral-colored suit of armor.

[trashfanda]

@fangirlangela, I tried all day to think of a good friendship analogy for you from my most dearly-beloved fandom. 

I thought...you’re my Will Graham? No, that’s not appropriate.

You’re my Beverly Katz? Hmm, that doesn’t go well for her.

You’re my Anthony Dimmond? Yikes...

So this is who you are. You are this sheep. Love ya baaaaahbe.

[we-are-conjoined]

literally not even a month ago my aesthetic was like 80’s/90’s fashion and indie rock music and ~good vibes~ shit. now i listen to classical harpsichord compositions and watch lectures on famous artists and have an extended interest in the culinary arts. I WONDER WHAT COULD BE THE REASON FOR THIS SUDDEN CHANGE

[theotherrulerofallpotatos]

I’m suddenly using table manners and I don’t even have a dinner table

[trashfanda]

Watching Hannibal genuinely made me unafraid of eating and cooking more adventurous food. I’ve since tried: pigeon three ways, goat kidney, and duck tongues (among other things).

Duck tongues are awesome but, well, they don’t half look like duck tongues.

[trashfanda]

Hannibal AU idea where Hannibal manages a traveling carnival/circus. 

Frederick Chilton is the ambitious and conniving ringmaster.

Will Graham is the newly hired fortune teller who cynically admits it’s all a ruse done by reading people and telling them what they want to hear. 

Margot and Mason Verger are trapeze artists. Mason recently dropped Margot in rehearsal, and everyone’s pretty sure he did it on purpose.

Franklyn Froideveaux is a very timid lion tamer.

We can call it…

[creepypastaprimavera-blog]

Permission to write something based on this?

[h4nnibalism]

you guys should probably keep an eye on @creepypastaprimavera s blog… unless there’s ab extra blog for the resulting fics!?

🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿😊

[trashfanda]

I’ve always depended on the kindness of Fannibals. 😊 Can’t wait!

[trashfanda]

Hannibal AU idea where Hannibal manages a traveling carnival/circus. 

Frederick Chilton is the ambitious and conniving ringmaster.

Will Graham is the newly hired fortune teller who cynically admits it’s all a ruse done by reading people and telling them what they want to hear. 

Margot and Mason Verger are trapeze artists. Mason recently dropped Margot in rehearsal, and everyone’s pretty sure he did it on purpose.

Franklyn Froideveaux is a very timid lion tamer.

We can call it...

[trashfanda]

Opera Playlists for Your Faves: Narcissa Malfoy

Ever wondered what arias and duets your fave characters (okay, mostly my faves) would prefer? In this new series, I’m taking a guess to produce character-themed opera playlists. First up: Narcissa Malfoy.

Be cool, Lucius, be cool. (But we’re right in front of the fireplace?) It’s a metaphor, dear.

We hear about Narcissa in the books long before we meet her, and she doesn’t make the best first impression: blonde, arrogant, icy, with a permanent look like she just smelled something awful and it’s everyone else not named Malfoy. Her name’s mythic reference - Narcissus staring at his own reflection - is hard to miss as a character cue. And yet as we get to know her, she emerges as one of the more complex antiheroes on the sidelines of the series - in no small part due, as well, to Helen McCrory’s nuanced performance. (Fun Fact: McCrory was originally cast as Bellatrix, but had to pull out when her pregnancy interfered with shooting - but guess who ended up playing Bellatrix while pregnant? Helena Bonham Carter.) 

What can we say of Narcissa? She was probably the prized debutante of the pureblood aristocracy in her youth, and no doubt accustomed to taking a leading - and mollifying - role amidst two very unconventional (and diametrically opposed) sisters. It’s not surprising, then, that we see her as a dominant partner in her marriage. There’s something very sweet in the way Lucius is unconcerned with appearing weak in front of her.

The most important point of Narcissa’s character, as we soon learn, is her role as a mother. She shows a powerful devotion to her son that ultimately trumps any other ideology or allegiance. And really, if you had this toe-headed cuddlebug at home, you’d probably buy him a quidditch team too.

Just look at him in his little hat! Who’s my prejudiced little snot bubble? You are! You are!

To capture all this, her playlist features some of the most beautiful duets (songs to echo the dreams of a privileged youth - and wishes for perhaps slightly less antagonistic sisters), brindisis (toasting songs to symbolize her role as a proud hostess and matriarch), and the most famous aria from Madama Butterfly (to echo a mother’s strength, hopes, and underlying potential for torment and grief). Click the song titles for links to YouTube performances.

Duo des Fleurs from Leo Delibes’ Lakme

Canzonetta Sull’aria from Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro

Barcarolle from Jacques Offenbach’s Les Contes d’Hoffmann  

Brindisi from Giacomo Puccini’s La Traviata

Si Colmi il Calice from Giuseppe Verdi’s Macbeth 

Un Bel di Vedremo from Giacomo Puccini’s Madama Butterfly

[trashfanda]

Tywin’s got 99 problems and everyone else’s incompetence is pretty much all of them

[hansbekhart]

Fandom Loves Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico is in super bad shape. Hurricane Maria has destroyed entire towns, wiped out their electrical grid, trashed hospitals and roads. Right now, ten days after Maria made landfall, more than 40% of the island currently lacks access to drinking water and electricity - literally millions of people. It’s estimated that it will take up to six months to repair the electrical grid and get power back to the island. They will need sustained, committed aid.

How will this fundraiser work? Creators can sign up over here to auction off fics, art, meta, beta services, consulting, tutorials, anything! Then, we spend the next few weeks whipping social media into a frenzy about how awesome fandom charity auctions are, and how many frigging cool creators have signed up for this one! Then, the auction page will go live on Dreamwidth! Each offering will get its own comment post, and a frenzy of bidding will happen in the comment threads! The winners will have a set amount of time to send their creator proof of their donation. Once they’ve donated, the creator gets to work making cool shit! Easy peasy, lemon squeezy - the tried and true formula for fandom fundraising. Sign ups will be open until October 15th The auction will go live on October 21st, and close a day or so later.  Proof of donations must be sent by November 4th to claim your prize! Click through here to find out what kind of works can be auctioned, what charity we’ll be donating to, and other information.

If you also want to help donate for immediate relief now, thank you so so much, and here are some reputable organizations that are sending direct aid right now. All static pages (sign up sheet, FAQ, the auction page, and other info) will be maintained on Dreamwidth to keep links and resources consistent, but please share this post on tumblr or any other platform!  You do not need a Dreamwidth account to comment at the community, but I’m also happy to answer questions or give other information here on tumblr. My ask box is open, anon is okay.  Fandom has come together and done amazing things - from Sweet Charity to Fandomaid to @fandomtrumpshate. Let’s show some love to Puerto Rico and help them get back on their feet.

[trashfanda]

TFW you remember the wait for GoT S8 is dark and full of terrors

Meanwhile, beyond the Fourth Wall...

[fangirlunderground-blog]

WIP Rec Wednesday

Today we have two excellent WIPs we — meaning @fangirlamanda — started this week. As promised, winter is here. Ehhh? Speaking of Jonsa, did you catch our new Meta Monday post?

Game of Thrones - Jon/Sansa

the demons around you by dropofrum (95echelon), When Jon came back for her, he came with dragons. Dragons, and an army, and the promise of a crown, but all Sansa had ever wanted was him. (Or, the one in which Jon Snow knows his heritage, and the day Lord Stark betroths Sansa to Joffrey fucking Baratheon, he packs his things and travels to the other end of the world. The other end of the world turns out to be Astapor. Astapor, and Daenerys Stormborn.) (Mature, 10k)

Hannibal - Hannibal/Will

Brittle Materials by Huntress77, CW: Graphic Violence, Major Character Death; The macabre adventures of Hannibal Lecter and Will Graham post-“The Wrath of the Lamb”, as they reconnect with an old friend in an unexpected way. (Explicit, 25k)

Can’t stop, won’t stop? Check out our bookmarks on AO3 where Angela is SailorIronPilot and Amanda is OperaHusbands. Together we’re fandom trash. We also started #FangirlRecs, a searchable AO3 collection of our recs.

[trashfanda]

I am pretty much always up for Post-Fall Hannigram. 

[fangirlunderground-blog]

Meta Monday

Here’s the thing: we love reading meta. It doesn’t matter whether it’s plausible theory or wild speculation, if you can lay out a detailed argument, we want to read it! Because taking fandom into our own hands is essential to being a fangirl, and meta is where we prove that you can both love something and take it apart, even question it and examine its flaws. We think that’s pretty cool. 

In this new recurring feature, we share our favorite meta reads from the past week! And don’t worry, we promise you won’t see any ‘anti’ diatribes here.

Game of Thrones

“Did we free the North from those who want us on our knees?” — A Jonsa Endgame Meta by @lieselstark, There is the infamous theory about Southron Ambitions, which basically states that the Great Houses of Stark-Tully-Arryn-Baratheon conspired to overthrow Aerys in favor of Rhaegar, but I think it’s also possible that they were conspiring for independence.

State of the Lannister Aesthetic or “Father is dead and now there’s no one left to judge my outfit” by @inkandcayenne, So one thing I’ve always loved about the Lannisters is their need, more than any other house, to scream “GUESS WHAT HOUSE I’M FROM,” particularly because it’s really obvious when they’re doing it–like you can’t easily distinguish Stark Black and Gray, for instance, from It’s the Fake Dark Ages and We’re All Just Kind of Wearing Snow-Stained Neutrals but you know damn sure when someone’s Team Golden-Haired Fuckfaces.

Iron Man

Tony Stark as the Most Female-Coded Superhero by @f-ckyeahfutbol,  I recently came across a discussion on Tony Stark as a queer-coded character in the comics […] and I found it very interesting. For years I have read Tony Stark as subtextually bisexual in the comics, which hasn’t really translated to the films – at least not to the extent that the character of Captain America has been coded as bisexual in them. There has always been a borderline homoerotic relationship between Tony and his armor especially. But adjacent to this conversation, there was also an interesting thread in which Tony Stark as the most female-coded superhero was discussed that I found fascinating.

Teen Wolf

I will always wonder what happened with Sterek (Part 2 of Sterek: An angsty pining love story) by @cupidsbower,  A Sterek post I made ages ago has been having a bit of a renaissance today: Sterek: An angsty, pining love story. I re-read it when the notifications started to come in, because I was curious to revisit what I’d been thinking about back then. Turns out I was a romantic sap. It was pretty bittersweet to read it and feel those feeling again. Ah, Sterek. It was such an interesting ship. With the benefit of hindsight, this is what I think now about Sterek in canon…

Star Wars

The Auteur of Star Wars by @stoogeystuff, The auteur of Star Wars is Star Wars, and Kathleen Kennedy understands that. In addition to everything else involved in running a multi-billion dollar empire, she’s the ultimate gatekeeper, the one who makes the sure that the franchise takes precedence over all else. No matter who’s directing Episode IX, she’s directing Star Wars.

[trashfanda]

@fangirlangela and I just launched a new feature on @fangirlunderground where we share our favorite meta reads of the past week! Because we can’t resist the opportunity to deep-dive into some lengthy, richly detailed analysis - and here, we’re absolutely spoiled. 

[trashfanda]

Why not both?

Quoted from a highly acclaimed new author I saw read at an event this week: 

“Be the best fucking person that you can today when you write.”

“In writing, I sort of gave no fucks.”

There’s kind of a beautiful incongruity between the two statements, but smash them together and it makes some pretty good advice for writers:

Put your best, most honest work on the page - and shake off the voices that tell you that’s not good enough.

[trashfanda]

Bryan Fuller to judge Food Network’s Halloween Wars

Food Network teases the “Zombie Cooking Show” episode of Halloween Wars’ seventh season, airing in late October:

“The final three teams made up of an expert pumpkin carver, a cake artist and a sugar artist go into battle to create stunning and scrumptious Halloween-themed displays that imagine what happens when a horrifying undead ghoul hosts their own zombie cooking show! Bryan Fuller, executive producer and creator of Hannibal and American Gods, joins the judging panel.”

(Would it be cheating if one of the ghouls showed up in flower crowns and antlers?)

Always excited to see Fuller, but you know who else would be amazing on Food Network? Janice Poon, Hannibal’s food stylist, the one behind the show’s always glorious edible art:

If you haven’t read her blog, it’s a delightful source for both food insights and behind-the-scenes stories (Remember the ortolans? They were actually made of marzipan, and poor Hugh and Mads had to eat so many of them). She also published a cookbook this past year based on her time on the Hannibal set. I haven’t tried its more daring recipes yet, but it’s already completely revolutionized my basic scrambled eggs. (You actually can make them look like the perfect fluffy clouds of TV eggs at home - who knew?!)