The Mary Sue

vintagegal: Adam West and Yvonne Craig reading Detective...

Thu, 23 May 2013 15:00:56 -0400

Adam West and Yvonne Craig reading Detective Comics #359 c.1967

That’s the issue that introduces Batgirl!

"The other, larger reason why the clip is not equivalent, and Abrams is missing the point, is because..."

Thu, 23 May 2013 12:18:42 -0400

“The other, larger reason why the clip is not equivalent, and Abrams is missing the point, is because Cumberbatch’s character is not being ogled, against his specifically expressed will, by a third party who holds his career and freedom in their hands, as scientist stowaway Carol Marcus was. In fact, there isn’t even another character in the scene! Apparently Star Fleet prisoners, men awaiting trials for terrorism and murder, get their privacy. No matter how hilariously grumpy they look.”

- There Was a Deleted Cumberbatch Shower Scene; I’m Not Impressed

Some days…

Thu, 23 May 2013 12:01:11 -0400

Some days…

"I’m absolutely down for defending the first-class status of genre fiction that boldly goes where no..."

Wed, 22 May 2013 15:00:50 -0400

“I’m absolutely down for defending the first-class status of genre fiction that boldly goes where no or few stories have gone before. But if you think that working science fiction and fantasy relieves you of your obligations to coherent plotting and character behavior, or if it’s an engine to deliver free naked ladies, then you can stay in your mom’s basement, and off my bandwagon.”

- Alyssa Rosenberg, in Damon Lindelof’s Blithe Treatment Of ‘Star Trek’ Sexism And Why Genre Fiction Gets No Respect

"I’m not saying that my Mom and I had the BEST RELATIONSHIP EVAH. We didn’t. Two people that are..."

Wed, 22 May 2013 12:01:01 -0400

“

I’m not saying that my Mom and I had the BEST RELATIONSHIP EVAH. We didn’t. Two people that are practically the same never really do. But, as I look back on my life, I realize that my Mom did the absolute best that she could with what she was given, and although I was a good girl, I wasn’t the easiest girl to mother. I don’t like tooting my own horn, but I’m smart. My mother is too, don’t ever let her tell you any different, but just in a different kind of way. When I was wanting her to tell me the secrets of calculus, she was wanting me to learn how to cook. Now, as I have my own children, I realize that it was an issue of her not knowing how to deal with me, how to come to my level of thinking. I often struggle with having to do this with my own children; when I have to slow down my thinking process and find some sort of common ground in order to get my point across. And, the only way that I know how to do this is because of Star Trek.

I bet when you asked for these testimonials you weren’t expecting to get an answer that says that I am a better mother because of Star Trek. It isn’t just that, though. Star Trek, specifically the friendship between Spock and Captain Kirk taught me that just because I was intelligent and thought in ways that no one else around me did, it didn’t mean that I couldn’t have a meaningful relationship with the people around me.

”

- Darkened Prose: A Letter to William Shatner

This is lovely.

(via wilwheaton)

"But don’t rush to submit your E-rated Vampire Diaries omegaverse epic quite yet; via the official..."

Wed, 22 May 2013 11:44:54 -0400

“But don’t rush to submit your E-rated Vampire Diaries omegaverse epic quite yet; via the official press release, “Amazon Publishing will work with [the rights holders] to establish content guidelines that balance flexibility and openness for writers with what’s reasonable for the franchise.” Which is only to be expected, of course. If not official, Amazon-published fanfic will at least be official-ish in that they’ll sort of have the stamp of approval of The Powers That Be on them. And, to put it lightly, characters get up to some crazy, non-family friendly stuff in fanfic. There have to be some guidelines. (Please let proper grammar be another one, please please please…)”

- Amazon’s Launching a Program to Sell Fanfic. Yeah, You Read That Right.

Follower Tumblr Tag

Tue, 21 May 2013 15:01:00 -0400

hiddeninplainsightranch:

For the rest of the day today, we’re playing Tumblr Tag with the accounts we follow. If you find you’ve been tagged in this post, reply with an answer to the following question:

What is your favorite fairy tale?

Susana is answering this because she has an answer that she thinks is actually interesting.

My favorite fairy tale is East of the Sun, West of the Moon. There are many ways the story is told, but as a kid, I had an edition that was illustrated by Mercer Mayer with

these

fucking

beautiful

pictures

look

this

shit.

Sadly, no one in my family can find our copy of it now, and it’s out of print.

This version of East of the Son, West of the Moon is a bit of an amalgam of several fairy tales. It starts out exactly like The Frog Prince. Beautiful princess who refuses all suitors drops her gold ball in a well, and a talking frog offers to return it in exchange for a promise that she’ll marry him. Naturally, she promises in order to get her ball back, and then refuses to make good on it, because, duh, marrying a frog. The moment she reveals her intentions, the frog turns into a handsome prince and is whisked away by devils to a castle “east of the sun, west of the moon.” Turns out he was cursed by his his wicked stepmother, an ogre queen, and now he has to go live with her and marry one of her ogre daughters.

The princess immediately realizes that she’s in the wrong here and she’s got to do something about it. So she abandons her pampered lifestyle and embarks on an epic, globe trotting quest where she confronts and is helped by all manner of terrifying, epic elemental beasts: salamanders, great white bears, giant fish, unicorns, asking each one if they know how to get “east of the sun, and west of the moon.” Each one of them points her to another creature that takes her a little farther on her journey and/or offers her aid in the form of items like one of the fish’s silvery scales.

When she arrives at the castle, she is forced into bondage by the prince’s hideous stepmother and stepsisters, while she seeks to find a way to free him from an enchanted sleep within a glass prison. Eventually she winds up shooting one of the ogres in the heart, turning some of them to stone, etc., and she and her prince live happily ever after.

At least, that’s how it goes to the best of my recollection. Like I said, nobody in my family can find our copy of it. Needless to say, between the male character who takes on characteristics of both Cinderella and Snow White; the female character who takes on the Hero’s Quest of personal growth, adventure, and restitution; and those illustrations; it really stuck in my head as a kid.

Quasi unrelated, but one of my favorite lady comic artists, Marjane Satrapi, did a slightly more grown up version of this story framework called The Sigh, if you’d be interested in that sort of thing.

And if you’re interested in another beautifully illustrated out of print fairy tale that has gender role subverting themes (and the additional, you’d-never-notice-it-as-a-kid-but-hey-wow-now-that-I’m-an-adult-yeah theme that worshiping women for their purity and damning them otherwise is bullshit), see if your library has Jane Yolen’s Dove Isabeau.

I have a gift for you as well. Your life. And the lives of your...

Tue, 21 May 2013 12:01:11 -0400

I have a gift for you as well. Your life. And the lives of your wise masters. But I also want something in return. You will release every slave in Yunkai. Every man, woman, and child shall be given as much food, clothing, and property as they can carry as payment for their years of servitude.

Come on, you know you want to sit down and watch an exclusive...

Mon, 20 May 2013 16:41:29 -0400

Come on, you know you want to sit down and watch an exclusive screening with The Mary Sue staff. We promise not to talk or text. Or tweet. Or try to update the site.

"The Hound mentions Sansa which perks Arya’s ears but she is quickly distracted when she finds out..."

Mon, 20 May 2013 16:33:39 -0400

“The Hound mentions Sansa which perks Arya’s ears but she is quickly distracted when she finds out where they’re headed. Not back to King’s Landing – “Fuck Joffrey, fuck the Queen,” says the Hound – he’s taking her to Riverrun to ransom her to her mother and brother. Finally, a family reunion!”

- Game of Thrones Recap Second Sons | The Mary Sue

birdstump: Mother of Dragons, by Mahmud Asrar

Mon, 20 May 2013 15:00:48 -0400

birdstump:

Mother of Dragons, by Mahmud Asrar

"It appeared as if Jenny died and I pursed my lips and thought “She better get brought back to life..."

Mon, 20 May 2013 14:20:18 -0400

“It appeared as if Jenny died and I pursed my lips and thought “She better get brought back to life before the end of this episode or they’ll be able to hear me screaming about the Bury Your Gays trope from Los Angeles to Reykjavik.” Fortunately, she does.”

- Doctor Who Recap: “The Name of the Doctor”

"The fact remains, it is a slap in the face to not only an audience seeking representation by having..."

Mon, 20 May 2013 14:11:29 -0400

“The fact remains, it is a slap in the face to not only an audience seeking representation by having more persons of color inhabit the main cast, but to Gene Roddenberry’s central beliefs. In creating Star Trek, Roddenberry sought to show a future where people from all over the world (and beings from all over the galaxy) were brought together by a mission of exploration and diplomacy. And for those who wonder why a villain would be a preferable slot to fill with a non-white casting, we hasten to remind readers of all the attractive, intelligent, and memorable villains that have inhabited the screen. Either we love to hate them, or love to love them straight up, but villainy often gets its own fanclub. Additionally, the intelligent, charismatic villain whose cause the audience nearly sympathizes with is a facet of villainy rarely offered to actors of color.”

- Star Trek Into Darkness Goes, and Goes, Just Not Very Boldly, a Review

Photo

Mon, 20 May 2013 12:01:23 -0400

fuckyeahspiderwife: MJ: Actors are paid to walk and talk and...

Sun, 19 May 2013 15:01:04 -0400

fuckyeahspiderwife:

MJ: Actors are paid to walk and talk and be dramatic. Models are paid to sit still, shut up, and be distant. We’re talking here about two different skill sets. Maybe I don’t have it. Maybe I should just be what I am, do what I’ve done.

MAY: Would you like my opinion?

MJ: Yes. Please.

MAY: The film roles you’ve done so far…in one you were the beautiful girlfriend who was in jeopardy, in another you were the beautiful girl who tempts people to their death…in another you were the beautiful woman who inspires the hero… It seems to me they hire you because they need someone beautiful to fill a niche in the plot, not because they want someone who can act. You haven’t played a character, MJ, you’ve only played things that move the story ahead.

MJ: I know. Which makes me think maybe I’ve been expecting too much…maybe I’m shooting too high. Is that possible?

MAY: Yes, Mary Jane, it is. But it’s just as possible you haven’t shot high enough. I left that paper behind on purpose, incidentally.

[MJ picks up the paper, which May has left folded to the listings for theater auditions.]

Amazing Spider-Man #506, J. Michael Straczynski (writing) and John Romita, Jr (pencils).

Motherhood isn’t always about who you’re related to.

The Pacific Rim website has launched a Jaeger Designer where you...

Sun, 19 May 2013 12:01:02 -0400

The Pacific Rim website has launched a Jaeger Designer where you can make your very own giant, monster-killing mecha.

Feast your eyes on Mary Sue. Try and mansplain something to her. I dare you.

magneticpie: probably a bad idea

Sat, 18 May 2013 15:00:54 -0400

magneticpie:

probably a bad idea

dorodraws: Genderbend Aladdin No one can understand my internal...

Sat, 18 May 2013 12:01:12 -0400

dorodraws:

Genderbend Aladdin

No one can understand my internal turmoil over whether male!Jasmine should have the earrings or not.

Hi! So I was wondering: how do you decide what shows should be recapped on The Mary Sue, or what shows to pay attention to?

Fri, 17 May 2013 21:36:03 -0400

Well, it’s kind of a mix of things. Here are some of them that I can toss off while being distracted by The Colbert Report playing in my parents’ living room. (I’m just home for the weekend ok gosh)

1. We’re a small staff of three editors and a smattering of contributors, most irregular. So part of this is what are our most regular writers already going to be watching, so none of us gets burned out having to spend too much of our nominal leisure time working. (For reference, I’m not sure how it goes with Jill and Rebecca, but I habitually spend at least three hours actually writing my recap on top of spending an hour watching the show.)

2. Then there’s what’s going to actually interest our readers. To a certain extent, yeah, I enjoy posting things that I feel strongly about but that may not get a lot of attention, but if I’m spending at least four hours of my weekend working on a post, it sure as heck better ~~get us some clicks, sheesh~~ be something people are going to look at and be interested in.

3. Scheduling. This year, Game of Thrones and Doctor Who premiered on the weekend of The Walking Dead finale. This actually turned out okay: Jill had been recapping TWD, so she took the finale, Rebecca volunteered to do the whole season of GoT, and I took the only one of those shows that I actually watch: Doctor Who.

PS: It’s funny that you should ask this, because we’ve been pretty happy with the interest our recaps have been generating this spring, and have been talking about what other shows we can do. Priority number one is that it’s something you guys are interested in. So what would you guys want us to recap? Drop a note in our ask box.

(But you should know that the next season of Teen Wolf is already, like, double covered.)

friendzoner: kyulinear:

Fri, 17 May 2013 15:00:56 -0400

friendzoner:

kyulinear: