ok,, listen there’s about 2 Billion reasons and i could write a book about them,, but i’ll try and answer this not so much in relation to my embarrassingly intense crush but just about thirteen in general because i think i actually having some pretty interesting stuff to say (for once in my life.)
i ramble a lil but hopefully you read through to the end <3
i think a huge part of why i love her so much is funnily enough actually her relationship with gender. i’m a woman but i’ve never truly felt feminine, but also not really masculine. even saying that ‘i’m a woman’ sounds really awkward to me and makes me feel kinda queasy, even though i suppose it’s true. i dunno if it’s internalised misogyny or what but i’m not sure i exactly want to find out. my gender and body have always felt like things that were given to me and that’s just what i’ve got to ‘work with’ if that makes sense. this actually makes it pretty hard to actually be able to connect with people because i’m not sure that they know what to make of me? there’s certainly that feeling that i could literally be from another planet and it wouldn’t make a difference at all.
seeing jodie embody a character who has previously mostly presented as male now presenting as female and having to get used to that and sometimes slipping up is really weirdly validating? i’ve never been able to relate or look up to a female character on tv or in film ever and then suddenly there’s this character that i completely understand and it kinda felt like my brain was exploding a little bit? like — legitimately i’ve never seen a female character like her on screen before, who was an outcast, kind but damaged, funny, intelligent. women simply aren’t written that way and it majorly sucks.
when i look at my favourite characters in the past they all pretty much follow along with that basic archetype — sherlock holmes, tony stark, remus lupin, will graham, newt scamander, idek dexter morgan,,. all of these characters i relate to on a really deep level because i’m this kinda weird awkward/obsessive loner hybrid thing with a lot of baggage but really i just want to connect with people, even though i’m … the way i am. you don’t get female characters who are stoic but vulnerable, or legitimately uncomfortable with themselves or their past. and the fact of the matter is that those are incredibly human emotions that shouldn’t be gendered. i think a lot of us feel that we are defective in someway — that’s why the main principle of storytelling is to begin by establishing the underdog. because we see ourselves in them.
female characters just aren’t shown to have those qualities. which means they never feel truly real to me. maybe some women can relate to them, but i can’t connect at all. i have no idea why the deepest emotions of women in media are repressed so much, but it’s very likely due to the fact that its a male-dominated industry. maybe because these traits of fear/anger/loneliness/obsession/awkwardness are seen as too masculine or too complex? a result of it never having been done before? a hangover from the history of cinema? but it’s something i think about a lot. since i’m a film student it’s vitally important to me that i’m able to create female characters that can be played from a standpoint of absolute androgyny.
ok,, listen there’s about 2 Billion reasons and i could write a book about them,, but i’ll try and answer this not so much in relation to my embarrassingly intense crush but just about thirteen in general because i think i actually having some pretty interesting stuff to say (for once in my life.)
i ramble a lil but hopefully you read through to the end <3
i think a huge part of why i love her so much is funnily enough actually her relationship with gender. i’m a woman but i’ve never truly felt feminine, but also not really masculine. even saying that ‘i’m a woman’ sounds really awkward to me and makes me feel kinda queasy, even though i suppose it’s true. i dunno if it’s internalised misogyny or what but i’m not sure i exactly want to find out. my gender and body have always felt like things that were given to me and that’s just what i’ve got to ‘work with’ if that makes sense. this actually makes it pretty hard to actually be able to connect with people because i’m not sure that they know what to make of me? there’s certainly that feeling that i could literally be from another planet and it wouldn’t make a difference at all.
seeing jodie embody a character who has previously mostly presented as male now presenting as female and having to get used to that and sometimes slipping up is really weirdly validating? i’ve never been able to relate or look up to a female character on tv or in film ever and then suddenly there’s this character that i completely understand and it kinda felt like my brain was exploding a little bit? like — legitimately i’ve never seen a female character like her on screen before, who was an outcast, kind but damaged, funny, intelligent. women simply aren’t written that way and it majorly sucks.
when i look at my favourite characters in the past they all pretty much follow along with that basic archetype — sherlock holmes, tony stark, remus lupin, will graham, newt scamander, idek dexter morgan,,. all of these characters i relate to on a really deep level because i’m this kinda weird awkward/obsessive loner hybrid thing with a lot of baggage but really i just want to connect with people, even though i’m … the way i am. you don’t get female characters who are stoic but vulnerable, or legitimately uncomfortable with themselves or their past. and the fact of the matter is that those are incredibly human emotions that shouldn’t be gendered. i think a lot of us feel that we are defective in someway — that’s why the main principle of storytelling is to begin by establishing the underdog. because we see ourselves in them.
female characters just aren’t shown to have those qualities. which means they never feel truly real to me. maybe some women can relate to them, but i can’t connect at all. i have no idea why the deepest emotions of women in media are repressed so much, but it’s very likely due to the fact that its a male-dominated industry. maybe because these traits of fear/anger/loneliness/obsession/awkwardness are seen as too masculine or too complex? a result of it never having been done before? a hangover from the history of cinema? but it’s something i think about a lot. since i’m a film student it’s vitally important to me that i’m able to create female characters that can be played from a standpoint of absolute androgyny.
ok,, listen there’s about 2 Billion reasons and i could write a book about them,, but i’ll try and answer this not so much in relation to my embarrassingly intense crush but just about thirteen in general because i think i actually having some pretty interesting stuff to say (for once in my life.)
i ramble a lil but hopefully you read through to the end <3
i think a huge part of why i love her so much is funnily enough actually her relationship with gender. i’m a woman but i’ve never truly felt feminine, but also not really masculine. even saying that ‘i’m a woman’ sounds really awkward to me and makes me feel kinda queasy, even though i suppose it’s true. i dunno if it’s internalised misogyny or what but i’m not sure i exactly want to find out. my gender and body have always felt like things that were given to me and that’s just what i’ve got to ‘work with’ if that makes sense. this actually makes it pretty hard to actually be able to connect with people because i’m not sure that they know what to make of me? there’s certainly that feeling that i could literally be from another planet and it wouldn’t make a difference at all.
seeing jodie embody a character who has previously mostly presented as male now presenting as female and having to get used to that and sometimes slipping up is really weirdly validating? i’ve never been able to relate or look up to a female character on tv or in film ever and then suddenly there’s this character that i completely understand and it kinda felt like my brain was exploding a little bit? like — legitimately i’ve never seen a female character like her on screen before, who was an outcast, kind but damaged, funny, intelligent. women simply aren’t written that way and it majorly sucks.
when i look at my favourite characters in the past they all pretty much follow along with that basic archetype — sherlock holmes, tony stark, remus lupin, will graham, newt scamander, idek dexter morgan,,. all of these characters i relate to on a really deep level because i’m this kinda weird awkward/obsessive loner hybrid thing with a lot of baggage but really i just want to connect with people, even though i’m … the way i am. you don’t get female characters who are stoic but vulnerable, or legitimately uncomfortable with themselves or their past. and the fact of the matter is that those are incredibly human emotions that shouldn’t be gendered. i think a lot of us feel that we are defective in someway — that’s why the main principle of storytelling is to begin by establishing the underdog. because we see ourselves in them.
female characters just aren’t shown to have those qualities. which means they never feel truly real to me. maybe some women can relate to them, but i can’t connect at all. i have no idea why the deepest emotions of women in media are repressed so much, but it’s very likely due to the fact that its a male-dominated industry. maybe because these traits of fear/anger/loneliness/obsession/awkwardness are seen as too masculine or too complex? a result of it never having been done before? a hangover from the history of cinema? but it’s something i think about a lot. since i’m a film student it’s vitally important to me that i’m able to create female characters that can be played from a standpoint of absolute androgyny.
Also: Whenever I hear a guy go “Oooh, but women don’t like porn” i think of the enormous amount of porn in fandom created by women for women and all I can think is: “Well, maybe we just don’t like your porn…”
We like our porn with feelings and character development and regular updates on AO3
There are just over seven weeks to go until December 2018 begins. The Mystrade Advent Calendar will be running again this year – so we’re starting the early call for submissions.
If you’re thinking of getting involved, here’s what you need to know…
1) We’re setting a maximum word count this year of 5000 words per story. This is to make sure our readers don’t end up feeling ‘swamped’ by mid-December, and to give later stories in the calendar as much chance of being read as early ones.
2) All kinds of creative works will be welcome, including art, fiction and more.
3) To be included in the calendar, your submission must be:
Mystrade [Mycroft Holmes/Greg Lestrade]
Christmas or winter-themed
Complete
Brand new for the calendar
Unless your submission clearly satisfies all four conditions, it won’t be eligible for the calendar.
4) Works of any rating will be warmly welcomed. (Huzzah for festive smut.)
5) The deadline to get involved is 30th November 2018. We won’t be accepting any new submissions after this point, and we hope most works will be ready to post.
6) There’s no minimum word count. New writers are very welcome. We want love to feature as many of our amazing Mystrade authors are possible, so please do get involved. The same goes for artists – even if you’ve never drawn any Mystrade before, come and join us! We’d love to have you on board. <3
If you’d like to contribute something to the calendar…
Let us know – @mystrade-advent-calendar – what kind of thing you’d like to contribute. (i.e., art or fiction). We don’t need details at this stage – it’s just so we can judge how much interest there is.
Mystrade is an amazing community, and Christmas is a fantastic time to celebrate that. You don’t need to produce a showstopper or a masterpiece: a soft and fluffy festive drabble will be just perfect.
So have a think, let us know if you’d like to participate, and be sure to follow the blog for updates!
