Legenda 62: Stuff worth reading

[Legenda offers a brief, non-inclusive index of stuff I noticed and enjoyed since the last episode. It doesn’t usually include materials presented on the major fansites, which I love dearly, but which are linked in the sidebar. Because I always forget or just miss stuff, please add additional pieces of interest via link in the comments.]

The FanstRAvaganza 4 Announcement!

[Left: Graphic by Phylly3]

What is FanstRAvaganza? It’s been something a little different each time. Here’s my explanation from last year. And it’s likely to be something a little bit different this year, as well.

Why the silly name? Back in the day, to give us a snappy handle, solicited by Nat, the foundress, I came up with this awful name for an event — a multi-blog carnival of Armitage goodness — that involved about a handful and a half of bloggers and was very casually organized. It grew and grew, with about twice as many bloggers the second year and about twice again as many the third year. Unfortunately, the name turned out to be a pain to type — almost all of the letters are in the left hand. We’ve stuck with the “brand,” but it’s happily gotten the abbreviation “FanstRA” and / or F with a number. This year will be F4, and we hope it will be better than ever!

The organizer, Traxy of The Squeee, also someone who participated in the original event, wants to hear from as many participants as possible. Sign up to indicate your interest in participating here! She’s contacting people she knows, but with the recent explosion of blogs and tumblrs, we’re really afraid we don’t know everyone anymore. So please don’t stand on ceremony. If you’d like to blog in the event this year, let her know you’re there! (You can express interest without making a binding obligation.) This is also a great opportunity to restart your blog, if you’ve been fallow lately, or draw attention to your new writing. Importantly, you do not need to be an “Armitage blogger” exclusively to participate. This event is open to anyone who’d like to blog about Armitage during that week.

Finally, something I did last year in the weeks leading up to FanstRAvaganza 3: featuring classic FanstRA. Here, from F3, the beginning of one of my favorite series — at Confessions of a Watcher, it’s “The ChaRActers go to Therapy: Part One.” What if Guy of Gisborne suddenly showed up to monopolize Judiang’s therapy appointments?

Want more classic FanstRAvaganza? All of the F2 and F3 posts are linked here.

Richard Armitage Archive

• What questions would you ask Richard Armitage?
• One used to be able to watch on yt all of the 2001 Macbeth, which starred Antony Sher in the lead role and featured Richard Armitage as Angus on yt, but it was an illegal upload and it disappeared at some point. Now someone’s put all the Armitage scenes together there (as discussed by FedoraLady). For the people who have been asking about the “spear carrying” days, this is as close as we’ve gotten to seeing them so far. Though who knows what home video VHS still lurks in dark corners, waiting to be brought forth …
• I’ve heard a rumor that #LucasWatch and #GuyWatch may be starting again on Twitter. Watch this space!
• When did Margaret know she loved Mr. Thornton? Really fantastic quote from Gaskell here sheds a lot of light on characterization.
• Which Richard Armitage character would you prefer for your boyfriend?
• Frenz points to Nathan Kress gushing on Twitter about Armitage as father.
• Would you spend the night with Richard Armitage? Xenia answers.
• Loved this graphic of a guy getting a crush on Thorin.
• On the profits from The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.
• Somehow, cheesy and sweet at the same time — a Wellington premiere photo, Armitage with two young women.
• China release date set for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, which practically guarantees the gross will top $1bn US. If it doesn’t get there ahead of time.
• Redheaded Seamstress has some tips on your Thorin Oakenshield costume. You know, the one you’re creating for your next costume party. Come on, admit it!
• Courtesy of Jonia: Another Fault magazine teaser photo that I’ve seen on FB and tumblr but nowhere else, yet.
• And here are a few more Wellington candids I hadn’t seen.
• And also courtesy of Jonia: for her, it was about identifying the socks. What ugly shoes, what beautiful fingers!
• Don’t tar all bloggers with the same brush, please!
• Why don’t we see more men on Armitage blogs and forums?
• Get your Thorin Oakenshield triple panty set.
• A new Brazilian blog I hadn’t seen before.
• Beautiful Thorin Oakenshield portrait on deviantART.

Armitage-related fanfic

I’ve still got links piled up to read. The semester should calm down soon. Meanwhile:

• Jas’s post, listing some of her favorite “Archive of Our Own” fanfics, and standing up for a principle that I’ve become dedicated to in the last year.
• AgzyM follows suit and lists her favorite smutty tumblr fanfics. Ditto re: being nice or if you can’t be nice, being silent.
• Vaenomar is back — ch. 20 of “The Saga of Vaenomar” (AU prehistory of the dwarves of Erebor; some dark moments)!

Tumblr

• On her WP blog, Agzy gives us reasons to love Tumblr. Lots of neat images.
• From Awkward Celeb Encounters: Richard Armitage cited in New York City.
• Richard Armitage Quotes tumblr.
• On the Bagginshield ship.
• He definitely *was* skipping in the background on vlog #8.
• On how far people will go to get country-limited content. This is *so* frustrating. I hate it when content gets used to sell a platform.
• Why Thorin needs to cut down on the chocolates.
• An artistic Armitage Avenue sign shot.

OT, collateral attractions, and things I think about:

• USA Today interview with Jessica Chastain: “When they start fictionalizing your love life, you’ve made it, right?” Lots of similarities between the lives of this hot new actress and that of Richard Armitage?
• Jas on not forgetting the big picture.
• On unlearning the bad ideas of the past.
• Having gotten some really unpleasant and wrong-headed comments off blog this week that really dented a writing energy that I felt had been building positively for weeks, I was very comforted by this post on how to deal with people who think they have the right to school you when they don’t: “I would watch others from a distance and decide I had some sort of knowledge or correction for them.  I would find a way to insert myself into their life – uninvited.  At the time, I justified it based on my spiritual beliefs … I stopped this a long time ago, as it began to happen more and more to me.  That seems to be the way life teaches me.  It’s wonderfully humbling.  In this instance, I woke up and realized exactly what I was doing, and how it was really about me.  My issues.  My insecurities.  My misunderstanding of my place in the lives of others.”
• On that note, thanks to everyone who sent a message of comfort either electronically or in your thoughts. All of them were received and appreciated.
• Cat Winchester comments on the squabble over Robert Jordan’s widow’s decision not to release the last book in the Wheel of Time series as an e-book initially. To me the best reason to release it as an e-book is that those novels were always so damn long. (I admit I stopped after the sixth or seventh one.)
• Six ridiculous things about the Middle Ages everyone believes.
• How to become a modern-day Mr. Darcy.
• Swabian separatists fling spätzle to make a point. Casts a new light on Texas secessionists.

~ by Servetus on January 20, 2013.