Sherlock Rare Pair Festival

The Rare Pair Problem: The Shipping News

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 01:50:27 -0500

The Rare Pair Problem: The Shipping News:

We see you all out there, in your tiny fishing boats.

What’s a shipper to do when even fic rec blogs post nothing but John/Sherlock?

If you’ve got a rare pair problem, we can fix that.

Are you a Sherlock/Moriarty shipper stuck in a noncon minefield?

We can get you out.

Want to see some…

The Rare Pair Rec blog is finally here!

*waves followers to the follow button of the new blog*

Hello! While I enjoy the purpose of this blog, I think it would be better put to use (on Tumblr) as an open-to-recs-of-all-the-rare-pairings-of-the-Sherlock-universe rather than a promotional blog for the Livejournal prompt/fill system. Personaly, I would enjoy that much more. I would love to participate if such a thing happens. Thanks! SM

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 18:28:12 -0500

We’re so sorry for taking so long to answer this! It was such a great idea that we needed some time to think it over. We’re going to give it a try.

Deadline Extension for Prompts and Fills!

Fri, 30 Dec 2011 13:20:17 -0500

The deadline for fills has been moved to January 18th to accommodate the oncoming series two excitement! (Though we do also encourage fills even past that date if you can’t make the deadline.)

In addition, we’re opening up prompting again, so new prompts can now be posted over at the LJ prompt post.

Happy New Sherlock!

Got any more prompts? Post them now!

Wed, 14 Dec 2011 18:32:41 -0500

Tomorrow, December 15, is the last day the fest will be accepting new prompts. The rest of the month is dedicated to filling all the amazing prompt ideas you’ve all had!

So I know you want stuff filled by Jan 1st, but what if the fills themselves aren't complete? Because I'm filling two prompts, and one of them is going to be... pretty epically long, and I'm not sure how feasible it is for me to have it all done in less than a month! :)

Thu, 08 Dec 2011 16:25:59 -0500

That’s okay! We realize that January 1st isn’t a feasible goal for all fills to be finished, especially long ones. Having a fill even partially done by that time is enough, as long as you’re planning to finish it, of course!

Filling is now open!

Tue, 06 Dec 2011 12:14:00 -0500

Should you wish to fill a prompt, simply click reply under that prompt on the LJ site and fill away!

New prompts will be accepted until the 15th.

Hello, I'm not used to the LJ prompt communities, so I have a small question and I hope I didn't miss the answer while reading the rules and regulations, but should we say which prompt we intend to fill, or not ?

Sun, 04 Dec 2011 22:46:00 -0500

There’s no need! Multiple fills for any given prompt are allowed, so you don’t have to make claims or anything.

Can we see some Sherlock/Victor Trevor? We meet him as Sherlock's first friend (and perhaps first lover) in ACD's The Gloria Scott when Holmes recounts his very first case to Watson. Fics of this pairing are hard to find. P.S. Thank for you doing this, it's quite relevant and fun ;)

Sun, 04 Dec 2011 22:40:06 -0500

Yes! It’s an excellent pairing. Feel free to post it on the prompts page on LiveJournal (the link is under the graphic that says Sherlock Rare Pair Fest). And you’re welcome! We’re thrilled that it’s taking off.

Is Mystrade considered to be a rare pairing or not?

Sun, 04 Dec 2011 11:35:15 -0500

For our purposes, yes.

Cultural Appropriation

Sun, 04 Dec 2011 02:13:00 -0500

Trigger warning for mentions and discussion of racism, sexism, transphobia, violence, and rape. (Thanks to afrogeekgoddess for reblogging with warnings and thus reminding me to put them at the beginning of the post!)

We received a great question from Myheartinhiding, and the answer just got too long and complex to answer directly in message format, so we’re posting it here, instead!

Myheartinhiding asked:

I’m not sure what you mean by avoiding “cultural appropriation.” To offer an absurd example, this might mean that anyone born and raised outside the UK would not be permitted to write a story or create a work of visual art based on the characters originated by Arthur Conan Doyle. As I said, absurd. Cultural assimilation brings vibrancy to the way we live, as well as the way we create and share ideas. Would you mind elaborating?

Sherlock Rare Pair Fest:

We’re so glad you asked. Your example is, as you said, absurd. This is not what we mean when we say cultural appropriation. What you’re referring to is called cultural assimilation—also known as Syncretism—by anthropologists as well as experts in the fields of culture and race studies. Syncretism, the melding and reconciling of two or more separate cultural beliefs, is generally thought of as a good thing. And it’s easy to see why—where would Americans like your mods be without our Sherlock fic?—but there’s more to it than that.

When we appropriate the stories of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, we’re taking an already famous set of stories, canonized throughout the western world and backed by a huge estate with enough power to slow production on Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows by threatening to withdraw the rights when it came out that the first film had homoerotic undertones. Anything that we do, especially as fans who don’t make a profit, could only have a minimal effect on the legacy of ACD. And now we come to the difference between Syncretism and cultural appropriation: there’s a big difference between writing fanfic and, say, dressing up for Halloween as a “sexy squaw”.

Cultural appropriation, unlike Syncretism, is the adaptation of any form of cultural expression from a historically oppressed culture that is separate from one’s own. For something to be considered appropriation, there has to be a power imbalance. Let’s take the “sexy squaw” example: when Dearjimmoriarty was still in college, zie noticed that not a Halloween would go by without at least one student dressed in revealing “deerskins”, feathers, and face paint. Zie went to an expensive majority-white liberal arts school on the east coast. These students were likely more privileged than the average American, with access to higher education (unlike about half of Americans) and all the essentials of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs—food, shelter, etc. By dressing up as “sexy” native women, these students were literally playing with the identities of members of an incredibly varied group that is marginalized in our society. Even if the costumes had been historically accurate and respectful, it’s offensive to wear them for a night of partying because these college students could take them off the next day like a cheap costume and just get on with their lives. No one’s identity should be used as a toy. Furthermore, these particular students were wearing attire that was demeaning and stereotypical—Native Americans, as a group, do not exist. There are thousands of different tribes across the Americas, with different languages and customs. So dressing up as a “sexy squaw” is offensive also because it’s such a stereotypical generalization.

But I wouldn’t care if someone dressed up as a “stupid American”, you may be thinking. That is true. We wouldn’t care, either. Because Americans—or, at least, white, straight, cisgendered, male Americans with a certain amount of money—are incredibly privileged in our society. Poking fun at the dominant culture doesn’t hurt because they aren’t in much danger of losing their status in the first place. What’s the worst that can happen when someone dresses up as a “stupid American?” Not many people go around murdering middle-class straight white men. When they do, it’s always on the news—it’s the same with little white girls as well, but that’s more because of the double innocence our society places on young femininity and whiteness—but no one hears about the hundreds of people of color who are raped and murdered in this country every single day, many of them children. The news never covers the murder of transpeople, even though the average life expectancy of a transperson is just 23 years.

The issue of distinguishing cultural appropriation from Syncretism can, of course, become blurry. What, for example, should we make of someone in the western world who wants to practice yoga? Or someone who keeps a Buddha statue in her house because she thinks it’s cute? People partake in appropriation every day without even thinking about it. Does this make them bad, immoral people? Of course not. We’re all a part of the culture in which we were raised, and no culture exists in a vacuum. We’re just asking that you challenge yourself to think more about what you write and how you see the world. Are you perpetuating harmful stereotypes?

To relate this back to a world we’re all familiar with, we’re going to take an example from Sherlock. But first, a brief note on what being fans means to us, your mods—we believe that being incredibly fond of a show, film, or book shouldn’t keep us from being critical. Interacting with a text—as fans, and as academics—is what keeps the experience enjoyable and dynamic for us. When we criticize a show, it doesn’t mean we like it any less. We are of the opinion that criticism is healthy, and that even the best shows can be better. With that said, to Sherlock, and more specifically, episode two—The Blind Banker. Some of you may already be aware that this episode has come under fire for what some viewers see as offensive portrayals of Asian stereotypes—to use a more specific term, Orientalism. Let’s look into this further.

The first Chinese character we meet is Soo Lin Yao. She is soft-spoken, delicate, and the epitome of the quiet Asian flower. There’s a bit of character development when she turns down her coworker’s offer of a date, and of course we know that she cares deeply about her teapots. At the episode’s end, we learn that she’s a member of the Black Lotus, but that her motives and intentions were honorable and that she’d escaped to the UK. She’s clearly brave, resourceful, and resilient. So why does she have to die? Her death—possibly preventable if John hadn’t just LEFT her there, alone—completed the arc of the delicate Asian flower, powerless to survive in the end, sacrificed as a martyr. Her death took what could have been a strong character and reduced her to a plot point, and her revelation that she was a criminal—however noble—leaves us without a single Chinese character in the episode who is not a criminal. Why is this problematic? Let’s imagine that all the Chinese smugglers—not just two of them—were English. Would we have examples of English criminals? Yes, we would. Would we have examples of English people who aren’t criminals? Yes. Yes, we would. The criminalization of the Chinese characters in The Blind Banker is problematic because there’s no positive portrayal—or even complex negative portrayal—to complement it. All we’re left with is the impression that most of the Chinese district of London is crawling with criminals—an impression certainly reinforced by the heightened shadows and the creepy soundtrack accompanying John and Sherlock’s first trip into Chinatown.

How can this episode be understood as promoting appropriation? In addition to the portrayal of Soo Lin as a delicate flower—appropriating and subsequently misrepresenting the stereotype of the meek Asian woman—the episode features daredevil acrobatics—all Asians know death-defying gymnastics and martial arts—and inconsistent accents—Soo Lin’s changes frequently, perhaps suggesting that she’s adapting to different situations, but also giving her that same generalized, put-on effect as those Halloween costumes we mentioned earlier. Should you wish to write about one of the Chinese characters from The Blind Banker, we ask that you think about what you’re trying to represent. Of course, not everyone will share our viewpoint on the problems with the episode, and that’s okay. We aren’t going to force you to rewrite a character or plot arc that’s already canon in the first place; we won’t ban you if you do. But because this is a safe space, we do request that you take care and try to stay away from creating more stereotypes in your fic.

To see an example of a fanwork that takes the problematic elements of The Blind Banker and reworks them into reclamation, we encourage you to watch the fanvid Complicit—and to read the comments.

For further reading on cultural appropriation, appropriation versus respect, and similar issues, see Defining and Identifying Cultural Appropriation and Cultural Appropriation: Homage or Insult?

Thanks for reading this very, very long reply. We hope this clears some things up for you. If it raises more questions, that’s okay, too. Discussion is a wonderful thing. We’re looking forward to your prompts and fills!

How specific do you want prompts? Is just a pairing okay?

Sun, 04 Dec 2011 01:37:26 -0500

You can be as vague or as specific as you’d like! Just a pairing should be fine.

The LJ page is up and ready for prompting! (And filling.)...

Sun, 04 Dec 2011 00:56:39 -0500

The LJ page is up and ready for prompting! (And filling.) Clicking the image should link you there directly, or you can click here.

Introductory information and guidelines can be found HERE. Anyone and everyone is welcome to join in!

Photo

Sat, 03 Dec 2011 14:45:45 -0500

While Sherlock/John isn't is allowed, Sherlock/John/Other Character is totally ok though, right?

Sat, 03 Dec 2011 11:17:21 -0500

It is, so long as the threesome dynamic is given fair balance and the non-S/J character isn’t elbowed out. (I’ve seen this happen in fic of this nature before.) But as long as you’re genuinely interested in exploring all three characters that should be more than fine!

Ficfest Rules

Fri, 02 Dec 2011 01:31:00 -0500

Hello ladies, gents, and shipmates of every gender! We’re your mods, Dearjimmoriarty and Panopticaa, and we’re really excited that so many of you want this fest to happen. Now, before we get right ahead and prompt some ships, we’re going to ask you to read the ground rules we’ve come up with to ensure that this remains a safe and fun space for all participants.

This is a kink-positive, anti-racist, feminist, queer-friendly space.

We understand that some of you may wish to submit a prompt/fill that includes examples of misogyny, racism, homophobia, or other -ism directed at one or more of the characters. Please post an appropriate trigger warning on your prompt or fill if this is the case.

Character-bashing, prompt/fill bashing, and pairing bashing of any kind outside of your fic will not be tolerated.

Outside the context of your fic, we will not tolerate misogyny, cultural appropriation, queer and asexual-phobia, or ableism, not in general and certainly not against any festival participant or moderator. When writing your fics, please avoid lending your authorial support to any of these oppressive tropes. Like we said before, this doesn’t mean that you can’t write, say, someone telling asexual!Sherlock that “it’s just a phase”. It just means that you have to make clear that this type of erasure is not acceptable. Whether this is in an author’s note before your fic, another character standing up for asexual!Sherlock, or a subtext that clearly supports asexual!Sherlock’s asexuality is your choice.

Because, you see, sometimes you’re just reading along and enjoying a fic and then BOOM! transphobic joke in a character’s dialogue or description that’s clearly supported—whether implicitly or explicitly—by the author. We don’t want that to happen. It’s triggering, it sucks, and we don’t need it here.

There’s enough of that shit out in the real world.

Onto specific pairings!

With the exception of Sherlock/John, any pairing is fair game. This includes het, femslash, asexual relationships of any kind, and incest (trigger warning mandatory for this last one).

Speaking of…

Trigger warnings MUST be attached to any and all prompts/fills that feature any of the following: Noncon, Dubcon, Domestic Violence/Abuse, Underage, Incest, Graphic Violence, Character Death. No exceptions.

We encourage you to use any other trigger warnings—eg breathplay, drug use—as well, if you think your fic requires them.

That’s about it for that. Again, we’ll let you know when the LiveJournal site goes, er, live.

If you have any questions—about the fest, or any of the rules, including the anti-oppression stuff—please drop us an ask by clicking the wheel on the top left corner of the page and clicking on the question mark from the drop down menu.

Ciao!

Your Ship is About to Sail

Wed, 30 Nov 2011 23:44:07 -0500

And we’re not talking battleships, here. This is not a ship war.

This is a call to those of you out there who—for whatever reason—want to break out from the John/Sherlock binary. Maybe you’ve got a thing for Mycroft/John—we do—or for some good ol’ S&M (Sherlock and Moriarty) engaging in hardcore, er, S&M. Perhaps it’s Molly/Sarah that’s caught your interest, and you’ve been bemoaning the dearth of Sherlockian Fem!slash, or maybe you’re one of those that love a good Sherlock/Lestrade/John OT3—with Lestrade as the center of attention, for once. It could be that you’re sick of fandom misogyny and just want to ship John/Sarah in peace.

If you’re out there, we want your prompts. We want your fills.

This is a space to promote the appreciation of rare pairings in the Sherlock fandom.

This is the tumblr home base for the Holiday RarePair FicFest—or however you want to capitalize it—which will most likely be hosted on livejournal, where you can post prompts and fills to your heart’s content (it’ll be like a kinkmeme rather than a fest swap.)

We’ll let you know when we have the livejournal site ready to use, and you can start posting prompts. For every prompt you post, please try to fill someone else’s prompt. Hell, you can even fill your own prompt if you’re particularly inspired. Multiple fills are fine, as are art, music, and vid fills. If you prefer the fill to take a specific form of media, please specify in the prompt.

The goal is for all prompts to be filled by New Year’s Day. To help ensure a reasonable rate of success, please post all prompts by December 15.

Rules—including safe space regulations—to be laid out in the next post!

fuckyeahfanficflamingo: [SHIP THE RARE PAIRS (Fanfic...

Wed, 30 Nov 2011 22:59:00 -0500

fuckyeahfanficflamingo:

[SHIP THE RARE PAIRS (Fanfic Flamingo) ALL THE RARE PAIRS]