Grr!

[bluflamingo]

Because I'm just having that kind of week (and it's only Tuesday), all my gripes in one place, so I can stop thinking about them and think about something productive instead:

Stargate people:

1. Please, I beg of you, can we dial down the rampant paranoia about what's coming in season 5.

2. Please, when you're going to talk season 5 spoilers in your season 4 episode review, could you mention it in the cut-tag? Because I'm more spoiled for season 5 than I was for season 4, even though I'm actively trying not to be this time around.

3.Oh my God, let the lemon in The Pegasus Project go already! For three reasons (a) It was a year and a half ago (b) In that week's episode of Atlantis, Rodney DRUGGED JOHN AND TOOK HIM THROUGH THE GATE. I know you're all filled with unconditional love for Rodney and couldn't care less about Cameron, but isn't that worse than an uncut lemon in Rodney's line of sight? (c) There are actual episodes of Atlantis where John is sitting opposite Rodney and eating an orange. He can't be so allergic that a lemon in his sight would actually damage him.

General writing population:

1. It's 'you've got another THINK coming', not 'you've got another THING coming'. The second version doesn't even make any sense!

2. Unless we're talking Matt from Heroes (which we're not) or your character has suddeny developed telepathy (which he hasn't) you don't need to state that he thinks 'to himself'. It's not possible for him to think to anyone but himself.

3. Please, please find another way to say that the character was tense than 'he let out a breath he hadn't known he was holding'. Particularly if he's been waiting a while for a response, because then I'm not transported by the wonderfulness of your scene, I'm wondering why he hasn't turned blue and passed out.

Interpreting Gender tutor:

1. Your course is about feminism. It shouldn't be called interpreting gender.

2. Bisexual people do not have fluid gender identity (well, some of them may, but that's not what makes them bisexual. Sexual identity and gender identity are not the same thing). Also, that you have a PhD in this subject and are saying this is unspeakably depressing to me.

3. In a two hour lecture on sexuality, more than 5 minutes should perhaps be given over to gay women. I know the seminar was called 'is heterosexuality compulsary?' but I wasn't actually expecting the answer to be yes.

OK, I'm done. Go back to your regular, rant-free day.

Comments

[scarletts-awry.livejournal.com]

1 & 2: Yeah, I wish fandom weren't so good at paranoia, too.

let the lemon in The Pegasus Project go already!

Seriously?? People are still on about that?

Your rage toward your Interpreting Gender tutor fills me with totally queer rage as well. This person has a PhD? IN THIS SUBJECT? WTF?

[bluflamingo.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I wish fandom weren't so good at paranoia, too.

I kind of just want to tell everyone to take a deep breath and think of the colour yellow (sadly, that's only funny to people who watched Due South, though there seems to be a reasonable amount of crossover).

Seriously?? People are still on about that?

I'm not sure, in fairness, if they really are, or if I'm just coming upon a lot of older stories that mention it. Huh, maybe telling people to relax and think of yellow won't actually help :)

This person has a PhD? IN THIS SUBJECT? WTF?

I know, right? And she's teaching little undergrads as well, which may explain the last argument I had in one of my classes about gender and sexuality (as in - how can you get a degree in sociology and be this clueless?) but still...

[misskatieleigh.livejournal.com]

GWP#2 - You know, I've never actually thought about that expression before. It looks right to see thing there, but grammatically it makes no sense. I feel oddly smarter now, thanks! :)

SG#3 - I haven't seen this episode yet, but wasn't it a fake lemon? And didn't John give it to Cam, to keep McKay in line? People can be very odd about their OTP in fandom. I quite enjoy the McKay/Sheppard stories - but your John/Cam stories read as very in character and plausible to me as well. In the end (at least in my head) it's all about the quality of the writing, not solely the pairing that makes a story well written.

C'est la vie...

[bluflamingo.livejournal.com]

I feel oddly smarter now, thanks! :)

Glad to help :)

I haven't seen this episode yet, but wasn't it a fake lemon?

I always assumed it was real, but that's not actually a bad thought. And people can be very odd about their OTP because, as you say, John did give it to him which, by the way, he wouldn't have done if it would have done McKay actual harm. Is it possible to shake common sense into people?

[misskatieleigh.livejournal.com]

Not that I've found so far. Don't they always say - better to catch flies with honey....?

;)

[bluflamingo.livejournal.com]

Ah, but shaking would be so much more satisfying :)

[ionaonie.livejournal.com]

And now breath, hon *g*

1) *groans* Oh god, no, please, not with the paranoia. Again. If you believed the vast majority of people before season 4 began (and a big proportion of them were McSheppers - and Elizabeth lovers - and Carson lovers), season 4 was going to be the worst thing evah. As it turns out (in my own opinion), it's been the best season to date. More continuity, more character moments (and not just for Rodney and Sheppard). Yes, they've messed things up, but, these are the SGA PTB, would it be the same if they got everything right?

2) Oh, that's despressing. You're more spoilt for season 5 than you were for season 4 and this time you're trying to not be spoilt. I really try to not mention anything about season 5 in any reviews because, well, is it necessary? And anything season 5 related, I put under a cut, because, well, like you, season 5 is something (for the most part) I'd like to stay relatively unspoilt for - it doesn't work because I am weak-willed, but I do try.

3) You know, I didn't get why everyone got so bent out of shape but the lemon thing the first time round, let-a-lone to still be going on about it after so long.

1) I don't think either makes that much sense. I say the latter, but never write it because, yeah, it makes no sense (but then, so many things I write make no sense - what was it I had John 'literally' doing in one of my episode tags?)

2) Well, John can nearly hear people's thoughts in A Different Rate of Conversion, does that count? ;-) But, all cheek aside, I know what you mean. I don't know if it's something I notice in my writing (although I hope I do), but it does annoy me when I read it.

3) I tend to go with tension bleeding (are you going to take me to task for that phrasing now *g*) out of shoulders and the like, because passed out characters do tend to stall a story.

And I can only offer you *hugs* and sympathy for your stupid lecturer. Really, they give PhDs to anyone these days

I know the seminar was called 'is heterosexuality compulsary?' but I wasn't actually expecting the answer to be yes.
...really? That was the answer?

Question? Are they on crack?

[bluflamingo.livejournal.com]

See, I was all - take deep breaths and think of something yellow - but it just kept bringing me back to the lemons!

1) Exactly! And the number of people who write about Ronon and say, oh, they never thought they'd like him when he replaced Ford and now they love him...

3) In fairness, it may just be that I'm suddenly reading a lot of older stories that mention it, but seriously - John gave him the lemon! Without adding that, oh, this could kill him if you bring it too near him, which would seem to suggest that it wouldn't. Can I shake people until they get some common sense?

I wasn't referring to anyone specifically with any of the general writing gripes, just things that I see a lot that wind me up. I know there's a whole lot of stuff that doesn't make logical sense (like tension bleeding out, which never bothers me) there's just something about those that makes me grind my teeth and curse.

...really? That was the answer?

We never actually had an explicit answer, but the implication from the complete lack of discussion of any sexuality other than straight is that yep, heterosexuality is compulsory, or at least anything else doesn't count.

Thanks for the hugs, they are very welcome :)

[army-rat.livejournal.com]

I have news for you tutor....

Sexuality is compulsory but you still have three options.

Hetero, Homo, and Non.

[bluflamingo.livejournal.com]

I'd probably argue that you have a lot more (homosexuality, for me, doesn't include everything other than straight), particularly if you include things like BDSM, polysexuality etc, but however many options you have - there's still more than one option! But apparently I and my friends don't exist.

Grr, I should have known better than to go to the class, since I've been to four weeks of it already, and it's become painfully clear that she's not teaching the class I signed up for.

[10pmpacifictime.livejournal.com]

Hi there. First time poster, long time lurker.

First of Cam/John is my OTP. Thank you for making such a rare pairing so good. There's such a great deal of potential for these characters together and you're slowly navigating it.

As to the lemon thing: I think Mitchell just finds it humorous to casually threaten people. Note that in Avalon he says to Vala and Daniel, "Don't make me separate you two," while they are joined by Goa'uld bracelets. It's not like the lemon was unexpected. He's got a bit of a nasty streak (which is probably why he and John get on so well).

Again, thanks. And I'd love to read an sgabigbang from you.

[bluflamingo.livejournal.com]

Hi!

First of Cam/John is my OTP.

Cool - mine too. They're slowly growing in poularity... very slowly, though the nice thing about that is that most of the fic written about them is really good.

I think Mitchell just finds it humorous to casually threaten people.

Definitely. I mean, John gave him the lemon, and John's been working with Rodney for over two years at that point - it wasn't an unreasonable assumption that it wouldn't do any genuine harm. Contrary to occasional fannish opinion, I'm pretty sure neither of them are secretly crazed psychopaths wanting to take out the lead scientist with citrus fruit (which seems kind of inefficient anyway!).