In which fandom gives me the wiggins

[neadods]

What is it with this sudden fashion for gender-switch Sherlock stories? I swear, a good third of what's showing up on the newsletter randomly changes John or Sherlock into a female as opposed to writing them as chicks with dicks.

That just baffles me, though. What freaks me out is that I've run into two stories in as many days in which John is property. AUGH! I agree with Moffat and Gatiss; the underlying attraction of Holmes and Watson isn't the crime fighting, it's the instant friendship between them, be it written as platonic or sexual. Making one of the people in that relationship a slave to the other is a whole different, infinitely uglier dynamic no matter how much 'ship ends up slapped on top.

Also... John is not that helplessly submissive. Who did we watch kill at least two people in the show? (This is why I love the crackfic "Submission" because it sporks this trope so nicely.)

Comments

[sadbhyl.livejournal.com]

I've seen those, too, and just rolled my eyes at both tropes. Srsly, ppl? And thanks SO much for pointing out the prevalence of frot. I'd kind of noticed it, but hadn't really realized what I was seeing until you and MustangSally put it into words. Now I can't unsee it. It all puzzles me, because the fan community for the show doesn't seem *that* young. Or maybe it is and I'm just missing it.

[wheresmycow.livejournal.com]

As far as I'm concerned the only good thing to come out of this rash of insane and frankly disturbing fic tropes is the sheer surprised pleasure I get at finding a fic that is actually sensible, well-plotted, genuinely interesting, and in-character. And then I cling to those authors like a limpet.

I've stopped making little shrieks of horror when I scroll down the anon!meme. Now I just heave a tired sigh and move on.

Edited because "in" is not "is" and I haven't had my morning coffee yet.

[redpanda13.livejournal.com]

I've read almost none of the fanfic, but making John "helplessly submissive" reminds me of the versions that make Watson a bumbling idiot, such as Nigel Bruce's version. Watson had a medical degree from Edinburgh; he wasn't a jackass. Allowing him to be an intelligent and perceptive man, yet still outclassed by Holmes, demonstrates how brilliant Holmes is. There's nothing noteworthy about out-thinking a dolt. When Jeremy Brett could out-think Edward Hardwicke, that was impressive.

[starcat-jewel.livejournal.com]

WRT the one I mentioned last night, one of the reasons I'm not (yet) hopelessly squicked out by it is that I'm hoping for the civil-rights issue to be a major plot point. If it turns out just to be window-dressing for a story that revolves mostly around bondage kink, it will completely reverse my initial reaction.

Which was, more or less, "Ghod, the slavery thing is creepy and disturbing, and she's writing it very well, let's see where this story goes." Properly done, it could have the serial numbers filed off and turn into a nice piece of non-Holmesian urban fantasy. So clearly I'm reading it with other priorities in mind than the ones you're using.

[themis1.livejournal.com]

I am heartily relieved I have you to identify the fic worth reading, as I don't have the patience to wade through all the stuff that wouldn't have been seen by anyone except the author in the days before internets. (Grumpy old woman? Probably!)

[havocthecat]

I'd bet it's the influence of some of the fans who have descended upon Holmes fandom as The Newest Big M/M Fandom. Slavery fic and genderswap fic have a long and storied history in, say, Stargate m/m fandom. And genderswap's big in Supernatural too.