tielan: (AVG - maria)
Sunday, March 17th, 2013 07:24 am
Fandom March Madness - it's down to Joan Watson and Hermione Granger. I got that much right, anyway!

However a few things I've noticed:

1. Frequent use of the word 'flawless' - to describe the characters, to describe the arguments...just as a general term of positivity...

I guess it disturbs me a little, considering that most of the characters being 'stanned' (IDEK) this year are female. Don't women get enough of the 'you must be perfect' bullshit without an extra helping of it in a competition where (for the first time ever) female characters are sweeping the board?

And if it's not meant that way, then I still think it's problematic.

2. "Team Misandry"? To describe the fact that, this year, the vast majority of candidates was female? Doesn't that mean that every previous year of [livejournal.com profile] f_march_madness was "Team Misogyny"?

That word, you keep using it; it does not mean what you think it means. No, really. IT DOES NOT MEAN WHAT YOU THINK IT MEANS IN THE WAY YOU ARE USING IT. Even as a joke. (And, yes, SRS BSNS, but neither misogyny nor misandry are particularly hilarious IMO. ps. feminism is not misandry. *listens to the choirs sing*)

Finally, we're down to Hermione Granger vs. Joan Watson, both awesome characters. It's a win either way, but I have absolute faith that Joan Watson is going to kick ass. Because she might be the sidekick, but the person she's kicking in the side (or, at least, nudging with gorgeous footwear) is Sherlock. Every episode.

Plus maturity, experience, the 'real world', and a portrayal of a woman who knows how to hold her own, and who is not only respected by the men in her world but accorded due deference and acknowledgement when she's right. And that's after her original archetype was genderbent and racebent.
tielan: (AVG - agents)
Thursday, January 3rd, 2013 11:03 am
I only managed two Yuletide stories this year - my assignment and one pinch hit. I had several treats in the offing, but didn't manage to get them done before Madness went live. Plus, research was becoming a problem.

Elementary (Sherlock Holmes, Joan Watson)
The Adventure Of The Blue Carbuncle

A missing jewel, attempted murder, and a quandary. All in a day's work (well, maybe a few days) for Sherlock and Joan.

It got a reasonable reception, although I'm not convinced I completely like it myself. Trying to write from Sherlock's POV was trickier than I thought and some of the conclusions felt a little laboured. I actually prefer the other stories that turned up in this fandom for Yuletide. (Not a very good endorsement of my story, I know!)

Young Wizards - Diane Duane (Michael/The Winged Defender, The Lone Power)
Beyond Understanding

We all remember how the Beginning ended.

This one was much easier to write - it flowed a lot better, although there are still one or two things I wish I'd gotten in.

--

Next year, I think I'll ask for at least one 'popular' fandom. I usually end up using Yuletide to request four really rare fandoms and receive one gift and no treats which was definitely a downer this year given how my initial gift turned out.

The replacement gift was nicely done, though!
Dragon Prince - Melanie Rawn [Pol, Sionell]
Sharper Than A Serpent's Tooth

Sionell and Pol understand each other too well for comfort.

Very bitter and bittersweet - Pol and Sionell do cut each other very painfully, and while I think they would have been wrong for each other when they were young, after Skybowl they would have been much better matched.

--

I haven't received my [livejournal.com profile] be_compromised fic yet, but I did get an adorkable [livejournal.com profile] sga_santa fic:

SGA [John/Teyla, team]
Just One Of Those Days

John is taken captive, and it's up to Teyla to save him.

I love that it's team, that Rodney and Teyla manage Ronon, that Teyla strikes out on her own, and John's line at the end. Like I said, beautifully adorkable fic!

--

Otherwise, my other fics are still unrevealed.

So far I have one fic in [livejournal.com profile] sga_santa, one fic in [livejournal.com profile] be_compromised, and three fics for [community profile] fandom_stocking - so far. I'm not sure I can get the fourth one done - it's kind of thirteen parts long and I'm only on part two.

Still, it's amazing how much one can write when it's a character or pairing one wants to write, and one has no big distractions (the intarwebs, chat, quilting, housework, cats) to take one's attention away from one's focus.
tielan: (Elementary - Holmes&Watson)
Tuesday, December 18th, 2012 11:18 am
But I do have a little something for the Elementary fans on my flist. (I was about to say 'dash' - yes, I have been hanging about on Tumblr rather too much.)

Small and short and perhaps a little silly...

sentimentality: full of nargles )