elisi's humble abode

Keep fighting

Mon, 21 Apr 2025 16:35:48 GMT

Two recent articles:

Fans Rally for a Resurgence of the Canceled Series Dead Boy Detectives

Fans Fight to Bring Dead Boy Detectives Back to Life

I love this fandom.

Petition in case there's anyone who hasn't signed.

Steve Yockey (writer, developer and executive producer) is impressed with the billboard campaign(s). :)

Yes there are so many terrible things in the world, but art and stories always matter. 💙❤️💜💗

comments

Sadly relevant

Tue, 14 Jan 2025 19:24:15 GMT

Watched/Listened to this recently and thought I'd share because it's very good, very thoughtful and very indepth. It's not about Neil Gaiman as such (no unpleasant details, no delving into the allegations), instead it grapples with how we interact with texts and creators.

Icon by me. It's Calliope from 'Episode 11' of Sandman S1 - an extra episode that's not part of the main story. If you have watched it, you'll know the significance. The text is "He is nothing, he is just a malaka".

I don't speak Greek, so I checked wiki:

While it is typically used as an insult, with its literal equivalent in Commonwealth English being "wanker” and “jerk off” in American English, the meaning varies depending on the tone and context used. It can be an exclamation of pleasure, an expression of dark horror, a cry of anger, a declaration of affection, and other different things. Common alternative meanings include "asshole", "motherf*cker" "jerk" or "idiot", and the contrasting "dude", or "mate", depending on the context. It has been described as "the most used Greek slang word".

So there you go. A useful word for when speaking of NG. It was NOT used with affection.

(The allegations are even on the BBC now.)

comments

So tired

Sat, 07 Sep 2024 20:35:40 GMT

I love fandom. It's rallying round and doing the best it can. Am collating useful links here:

Petition on Change dot org: Save Dead Boy Detectives
(Pls sign? It takes like 10 seconds and is v helpful. 🙏)

Long post detailing all the ways fans can help/organise.

And customer service contact for Netflix

Lovely & useful poster to share (from here):

Also generally good advice to make a noise on Twitter/Insta etc, since Tumblr is not really noticed in the wider world...

Also, of course I think everyone should watch it, because it's just such a good show. As it happened I stumbled upon the post that made me watch it (SPOILERS for how Charles - one of the titular Dead Boys - dies), and I want to go heap blessings upon the OP's head. What riches I found.

~

I know I've not been around (and have been disabling comments), but work has (as always this time of year) been spectacularly awful and I have zero spoons left for talking to people. And tomorrow we're taking the Cherub down south to start uni! (That seems impossible, she was an 'LJ baby' and my flist organised a virtual baby shower... <3)

~

Anyway, have a new Dimash performance as well. This is from a Chinese show called 'Singing With Legends' (article here from 2019), and it's a duet between Dimash and Di Mahi Huang Xiaoyun called "Red Moon Rules" (I hope that's all correct). It's a really unusual and gorgeous performance.

comments

Update

Mon, 19 Jun 2023 17:58:18 GMT

I'm terrible at updates, but let's try!

- First of all, today is Impish Girl's Birthday. (As well as being Juneteenth of course - happy Juneteenth! <3) She turns 22, but we had to have all the celebrations yesterday because today (and for the next few days) she is in Manchester for her first proper acting job in TV! She has 1 line, and a few scenes in the background, but it's a proper big TV thing (like... BBC or ITV or Channel 4 or something, she's not allowed to say beyond 'TV') and they've put her up in a hotel and done costume and hair/make-up etc. She is Quite Overwhelmed, but we are sure she will have a great time. Also, one heck of a birthday story to tell. ^_^

- I've lost touch with the Ao3/OTW mess and just hope they manage to sort it out. I remember the Before and really want the whole idea to work, because the basic concept is good and important. However, by now it all seems a bit like this, what with the various infighting between those trying to hold the OTW to account:

- Sidebar: Speaking of Monty Python, then this is a very nicely considered short video:

John Cleese & Recontextualizing Art
(The comments also make sure to point out that Eric Idle is supportive of trans rights! <3 Delightful interview here, talking about Stan/Loretta at 11 minutes in.)

- Anyway, I have created a Squidgeworld account (if nothing else just to make sure no one takes my name) and it's always good to have a back-up. But ugh, so much work if/when I decide to upload stuff.

- Have also set up a Squidge Images account (not sure if the platforms are linked at all, or if the name is a co-incidence?), because at some point LJ will stop adding paid time to my account and I need to think of somewhere else to store images. And it's difficult to find a good place. :(

- I also checked in with the Teaspoon and uploaded a fic - and then got the message about a moderator going to check it and omg I had completely forgotten that was even a thing!

- magnavox_23 has icons for OFMD icons ep 6

- TV watching... We are currently watching two shows which are complete opposites:

Show 1) Shiny Happy People, which I knew a bit about, having read a few articles etc, but is still just... *hands* Cults are scary, yo.

Show 2) ANNIKA. This on the other hand is a delight. We tried it on a whim a week or two ago, as it looked like Scandi Noir but set in Scotland, and we generally like Scandi Noir. Except - it's not Noir! Annika is funny! Now it's a detective show, so there are murders and all that, but the throughline isn't grimdark, but oddly light-hearted. It's difficult to explain, although one part that I remember particularly is in the very first episode when Annika goes to meet her new team for the first time (she has just been promoted). She turns to the camera and says: "They were going to send me on this management course, but I went on holiday to Spain instead. Kinda regretting that now." Also all detectives should have teenage daughters!

In short, there are some shows that are just amazing, some that are brilliantly written, some where the actors are outstanding etc etc. This is a show where I just want to hang out with everyone: it's a comfy happy blanket [with murders].

Also ( Casting spoiler )

~~~

ETA: OMG!

Boris Johnson denied special access to parliament as MPs endorse report which said he lied
MPs voted by 354 to 7 to back the report's findings.

comments

Mon, 29 May 2023 17:31:21 GMT

Sharing some links, this copied & pasted from kass:

chestnut_pod put up a very long and, I think, very useful post about #EndOTWRacism and political organizing and organizational structure and change. It's here: Be more democratic, be more autocratic, OTW.

And here's a good roundup from runpunkrun: weekend update. Also don't miss we can't be silent.

~

And a few petitions:

Tax the Super-Rich Now!

If you have money to spare, Avaaz has an urgent fundraising appeal for LGBT+ Ugandans:

Defend the Right to Love in Uganda
(Many MANY warnings for the article. It describes deeply upsetting violence.)

comments

Red Nose Day

Sat, 18 Mar 2023 19:34:55 GMT

Do something funny for money. We didn't watch, but below the cut are two short Doctor Who-y sketches.

( Read more... )

I keep meaning to post, and then just... not.

Everything Everywhere All At Once won all the Oscars which made me very happy. What an incredible movie: wildly inventive and innovative, with rich and complex characters, outstanding actors, full of heart in every way, and dealing with deeply human issues such as family and culture and the meaning of existence... ♥ ♥ ♥ I have watched it twice and would happily watch it many more times - I'm sure that every re-watch would bring more facets to light.

~

Some links:

Why I Decided to Update the Language in Ursula K. Le Guin’s Children’s Books
Literary Executor Theo Downes-Le Guin on What That Means For Readers, Past and Future

A World Without Men
The women of South Korea’s 4B movement aren’t fighting the patriarchy — they’re leaving it behind entirely.

And I have been meaning to share this FOREVER...

you have reached the OTW, please hold for greater transparency

(It makes me sad that the OTW has decided to go down this path and really hope they can turn it around.)

comments

Fannish things

Sun, 29 Jan 2023 16:26:12 GMT

My flist informs me that Festivids is live. :) From a swift glance, I think I can safely say that Everything Everywhere All At Once is the most popular choice (and quite rightly so).

~

Another petition, this time for the NHS:

Immediate action by Government to address crisis in NHS

ETA: Well this is uncomfortably accurate...

~

ETA2: On the BBC now:

Forgotten Heroes of the Covid Front Line
Catherine Burns meets NHS workers who are living with long Covid and struggling to return to work. They now face the prospect of having to retire early or even being sacked.

~

We watched the first episode of Andor last night. It was... okay? Considering that we had to pay for Disney+ we should keep watching, or it'll be the most expensive TV episode we've ever watched. *g* Of course everyone's been raving about it, so I shall 'look to like, if looking liking move'. It certainly looks beautiful.

(I also need to finish watching the Fourth Doctor, although I'm now in Season 18 and the quality has magically improved and Tom Baker is ACTING OMG, rather than just doing a Doctor bit.)

comments

Random

Mon, 09 May 2022 18:06:39 GMT

The most amusing thing of this whole 'SHINY NEW DOCTOR EVERYONE IS EXCITED' is scrolling through Twitter and seeing all the people deciding they want to get back to the show, but have heard it's rubbish now, and receiving endless reassurances that 'RTD Is Coming Back, Everything Is Going To Be Amazing Again' and just...

*hands*

I REMEMBER LAST TIME. Fandom hated him. Moffat might as well have been the Second Coming. I wonder how long it'll take for things to turn again. (Not that he cares. *g*)

~~~

ANYWAY. If anyone is missing Moffat Who, and timey-wimey shenanigans, they should watch Russian Doll. We finished S2 last week and I'm beginning to recover. Darcy described it as 'Catharsis in a Rubik's Cube', which is absolutely spot-on and genius.

Stay far far away from spoilers, just jump in. It's clever and smart and has awesome female characters and there is zero hand holding.

Oh and S2 might make you cry. It might not seem like it, because there is a LOT going on, but once you realise what it's actually doing it's packs a punch (softly, beautifully).

Warning: The whole thing is basically about trauma (childhood/inter-generational), so please be aware in case that's a trigger. ♥

~~~

ETA: Tumblr is reading Dracula (it's a thing where you get emailed a bit every day? Because the book is mostly in a diary format). It's hilarious! Tumblr + Dracula = pure delight

comments

Margarita Life

Sat, 19 Mar 2022 22:56:15 GMT

If you like vids at all, you are probably familiar with Margarita Life. I had no idea she was Ukrainian...

Hey @bbcdoctorwho ! @MargaritaLife5 is a brillant ukrainian Whovian who made a lot of beautiful edits of #DoctorWho 💙 Please ! Anyone from the team ! Send her a lot of love ! 💙💛🇺🇦 @Jenna_Coleman_ @MichelleGomez @karengillan @JohnBishop100 @JohnBarrowman @Pearlie_mack pic.twitter.com/SNz4Kn8WTN
— Kenji Isidor (@kenjiisidor) March 16, 2022

You can find her videos here:

https://www.youtube.com/c/MargaritaLife/videos

And her Twitter is here:

https://twitter.com/MargaritaLife5

If you want to help:

Many people ask me how to help Ukraine financially. I chose two options. I really trust these organizations and donated money myself.
— Margarita Life 🇺🇦 (@MargaritaLife5) March 18, 2022

comments

Sort of an update...

Sun, 07 Nov 2021 19:09:48 GMT

I keep thinking I ought to do an update and then... not.

So instead I'll try to do a bit of a summary.

RL:

- One reason I've not been around is that my parents came to visit (for the first time since February 2020!). Which was nice, but also VISITORS and I spent all my time with them.

- Bonfire night we went round to the in-laws which was also lovely and there were fireworks and fire and small children and it was lovely.

- Today we (rather spontaneously) decided to go to York for the day. We were looking for a winter coat for the Cherub and also we need a new teacosy, but mostly we were just walking around York and enjoying a day out. (We got neither coat nor teacosy - the coat because she wants a pink teddy bear coat which we couldn't find a version of that she liked, and the teacosy because they are IMPOSSIBLE to find.)

Fandom:

- Saw Dune on my birthday and have many thoughts that I am still no nearer to organising... I'll try to get there, but there is so MUCH. Chewy, chewy goodness and endless layers and great adaptation to try to get to grips with. Much much goodness, my fannish cup runneth over. I have notes, just nothing actually written down yet.

- Doctor Who is back and I have very little to say. Ep 1 was solid set-up, but the whole of Chibnall Who still feels like some sort of AU. Although for non-UK fans you should go read this Den of Geek introduction to John Bishop, because he is lovely. I also need to write something about the return of RTD - again, I have notes. They just haven't turned into anything solid. Mind you, I have time. ;)

- Good Omens is of course a source of never-ending joy and the set pictures from S2 are unfailingly making me flail and squee. Honestly, they could spend the whole of S2 just reading the phone book and I'd be happy.

ETA: Squid Game! How could I forget Squid Game? We basically binged it, and I think it's brilliant and deserves the hype. Unsure if I know what to write about it, because the it's a very blunt and open critique of capitalism that doesn't really need any kind of meta. ETA2: This shouldn't be taken to imply that it's a simplistic show - it's clever (and gruesome) and with absolutely fantastic richly developed characters.

~

Finally I should get back to posting Dimash, because there is so much more and he is my daily delight and the soundtrack to my life. For now however, have this amazing duet:

Daily Dimash: A Question of Honour

Dimash performed 'A Question of Honor' with Zarina Altynbayeva - a famous Kazakh soprano - at the opening ceremony of the 28th Winter Universiade (held in Almaty in Jan 2017). The production/set/performance is amazing - dancing, ice skating, people flying and fountains - the only downside is that the audio is slightly out of sync with the singing. But it reminded me how much I love pageantry; the thumbnail is completely wrong, the thing is hugely colourful and exuberant. (Original song by Sarah Brightman, with an added aria snippet from 'La Wally'.)

ETA: Zarina has it on her channel:

Although this one is better quality I think.

(The Charismatic Voice analyses it here if you are curious)

It was filmed between the recordings of episodes 3 and 4 of Singer. Dimash flew to Almaty, Kazakhstan to perform in the 2017 Winter Universiade opening ceremony, on January 29, where he preformed this song with Zarina Altynbayeva.

Dimash Masterpost

comments

Lockdown Update Day 204

Wed, 07 Oct 2020 20:28:55 GMT

Does anyone else have such severe Covid trauma that when they watch movies and TV, even old ones, they sometimes catch themselves thinking “these people are too close to each other, they’re up in each other’s faces”
— pat tobin (@tastefactory) October 7, 2020

I don't know that I would describe it as 'trauma', more just an awareness of how the current situation is now deeply embedded in how I interact with the world. WHY ARE YOU SO CLOSE TOGETHER? WHY DO YOU KEEP TOUCHING?

Anyway, here's some good news:

GOOD NEWS FOR EVERYONE CRUSHED TO DISCOVER THAT THE CORDELIA MOVIE IS NOT A SEXY HISTORICAL WITH A DOMINANT WOMAN

The *poster* for the movie is going to be a Yuletide fandom!https://t.co/nxET59BHDk
— Naomi Kritzer (@NaomiKritzer) October 7, 2020

If you're not familiar, this is it:

ETA: Re. American politics... ( Read more... )

comments

Update from The House of Plague, Day 97

Sun, 21 Jun 2020 18:46:13 GMT

Today you get Doctor Who, by the way of James Corden! First of all a cosplay contest, with people who are NOT cosplayers. (It should be noted that DT's hair has now reached a reasonable length and he looks rather foxy in his Doctor outfit. HUGE improvement over his hair & hoodie in Staged. *g* A lot of lovely stills here.) (Yes, I know he got extensions for a role before lockdown, and I am v impressed with his willingness & ability to look a mess.)

Then a LOVELY interview:

~

And speaking of fandom, then here is a good thing you could do:

If you've been frustrated by the OTW's recent (lack of) action around fandom racism, we suggest you sign this open letter. We both have. https://t.co/G3QFxYnpud
— Fansplaining (@fansplaining) June 20, 2020

(I haven't followed this discourse at all, but I love AO3 and I want it to be on the ball with this.)

~

And today's art is by Ethiopian artist Makeda Bizuneh, 'The Roofs in the Moonlight'. (x):

comments

Lockdown Long Song

Wed, 27 May 2020 12:02:23 GMT

(see youtube for info)

I love fandom. ♥

Can you hear them singing? Oh, you like to thing you're a god. But you're not a god. You're just a parasite eaten out with jealousy and envy and longing for the lives of others. You feed on them. On the memory of love and loss and birth and death and joy and sorrow.

♫ Live
Wake up, wake up
And let the cloak of life cling to your bones
Cling to your bones
Wake up, wake up ♫

comments

Two more vids (+ 1)

Sat, 01 Feb 2020 19:28:10 GMT

So, for anyone going 'Can she talk about anything besides Doctor Who & Good Omens?' my favourite two Festivids:

Grounds for Divorce
Fandom: Hamlet (2009), the one with David Tennant
Summary: There's a hole in my neighbourhood down which of late I cannot help but fall

Victorious
Fandom: Moulin Rouge! (2001)
Summary: This story is about truth, beauty, freedom; but above all things, this story is about love.

Both vids have a fragmented, broken quality that I love.

ETA: Actually, you get my favourite Hannibal vid also (nothing to do with Festivids):

Heathens
Please don't make any sudden moves
You don't know the half of the abuse

(I'd say there are a ton of spoilers, but then there's also a ton of dream sequences, so if anyone is curious about Hannibal go ahead & watch and see if you might like it.)

comments

Festivids!

Sat, 25 Jan 2020 19:28:34 GMT

Festivids is live:

https://archiveofourown.org/collections/festivids2019/works

:D

comments

Nice things

Sat, 07 Sep 2019 13:26:22 GMT

AO3 Wins 2019 Hugo Award for Best Related Work

And thoughts on this: We Did The Thing: Musings On the AO3, Wiscon, and Winning the Fandom Culture Wars

Good Omens related:

The Mary Sue: Good Omens Finally Made Me Feel Represented as an Autistic Person Who Grew up Under Anti-Vaccine Ideology

And just because it's too wonderful not to share:

Belgian Biker Saves Tiny Kitten In The Middle of A Busy Highway

comments

:D

Fri, 06 Jul 2018 12:52:18 GMT

Controversial copyright law rejected by EU parliament

comments

Fandom Trumps Hate

Tue, 29 May 2018 09:12:16 GMT

Found this via my flist (thank you yourlibrarian!). And it's just making me so very happy:

Vid: The Greatest

Summary: "Don't give up." A celebration of some badass characters of color in recent science fiction, fantasy and horror TV and movies. Made for resolute as part of the Fandom Trumps Hate 2017-2018 charity auction.

More info at AO3 (including a list of fandoms & spoilers).

The editing is exquisite and the only thing I can really compare it to 'We Didn't Start the Fire'. Which was of course about fannish history, whereas this is celebrating POCs. And how. If I had to think of one word to describe this, it'd be 'joyous'. ♥

Know Hope.

comments

Interesting

Sun, 08 Oct 2017 18:47:11 GMT

Via my flist (yourlibrarian?)

Catherine Coker: The margins of print? Fan fiction as book history

comments

Tumblr

Sat, 05 Aug 2017 18:45:26 GMT

Tumblr Man
A Parody of “Piano Man” by Billy Joel
Written and Performed by Codot

comments