Wherein Cam gets fed up with Rose versus Martha, but is amused by SFX

[misscam]

LOL SFX. In their recent Doctor Who edition with the top companions, Rose gets this remark under "departure":

Gets stuck in an alternate dimension where people translate Norwegian badly.

BWHAHAHA. Damn straight - pay attention, BBC writers. Next time you want to stick Norwegian in your show, resist the lure of the Babelfish. Heck, I offer my services free of charge.

While we're on the topic, someone in mah LJ poll asked me to write about Donna versus Rose/Martha and my first reaction was pretty much "Oh HELL NO". And you know why?

/rage on

I like Rose. I don't think she's perfect.
I like Martha. I don't think she's perfect.
I like Donna. I don't think she's perfect.

It doesn't really bug me if someone doesn't share any or all of those three because hey, that's what what humanity is - a collection of individuals and none of us are alike. Thus, we can't like exactly the same things. Normally, it's fun to compare and see how different perception can be.

But the ongoing strong-on-grudgery back and forth between some Rose and Martha fans makes me want to throw things. ARGH, people, ARGH. Any sane discussion about stronger/weaker points and characterisation for either is now lost in partly personal fights and fandom wanking by anonymice. I think I saw red somewhere between reading the back and forth on classism and calling Rose a slut because she slept with two guys. It's gone so ugly I feel bad liking either, because there's been bullshit on all sides by now. Why the eff do female characters get so much hate from female fans in such ugly ways? Seen it in so many fandoms now - and double RAWR on anyone who uses a woman's sexuality as a reason to bash her. Newsflash! Women are allowed to have a sexuality. No, actually, that's wrong. Women don't fucking need permission to have a sexuality.

Words like 'slut', 'whore' or any of those bullshit labels shuld just be banned from any discussion of female characters ever.

I derailed there for a moment because using sex against women has bugged me since three fandoms ago, oops. Anyway, my general (fumbled) point is this - this Rose versus Martha saga has gotten to a point where I feel it's gone vendetta. It's gotten personal, it's gotten grudgery, stupid, repetitive and probably alianating a lot of people who aren't on the barricades. It's not so much about the characters anymore either, it's about fans of them going at each other. Quite frankly, it's making me not want to watch the show at times.

So yeah, I'm just gonna stay right here, liking all three. YA FUCKING RLY.

/rage off

I'm flocking this the moment anyone starts wank attempts because we've had enough of that already, thanks.

*wanders off to write on BSG fic*

Comments

Well said.

[sessifet25.livejournal.com]

Want to join me on my wall? It's nice and high, plenty of space and there's enough long implements you can use to keep the wankers away (some of them even have sharp bits).

I'm getting fed up with the discussions (ahem) as well. I liked all three for their own reasons and I just don't see the reason for all the hate being flung hither and yon. Mention this anywhere and you get looked at like you've just said you like to sodomise sheep with a purple strap-on.

(I will admit to liking Donna because it looks like she'll be a companion and not a hanger-on :))

[robshearman.livejournal.com]

Thank God for you.

That is all.

[trialia]

*wanders off to write on BSG fic*
*happy squeak*

[elen-ancalima.livejournal.com]

WORD!

When I start feeling bad for liking a character something's gone wrong ...

Re: Well said.

[misscam.livejournal.com]

Sure, if I can bring my bar. :P

I think part of the problem is that it's become a with us or against us attitude on some of this. It's not uncommon when people get passionate, it's just often unfortunate. Blah.

But I could've done without that sheep image, ow :P

[misscam.livejournal.com]

Heh, thanks, I think. I just get really, really, really tired of the shape slagging off often takes.

Though I also mean it about the BBC writers. *stern glance* No bad Norwegain on my watch!

[misscam.livejournal.com]

:P Trying my best, though the cat and football is awefully distracting. Bad them.

[misscam.livejournal.com]

Yesh. It's even at the point where it doesn't matter who started it, because everyone is keeping at it.

[trialia]

Hee. Cats always are, but much loved. I'm squeaking a lot today... will get to watch the new BSG episode shortly, and I just found someone has chosen one of my stories to remix for bsg_hiatusthon and done a fantastic job of it, so I'm pretty bouncy today. :D

[misscam.livejournal.com]

Cats rule the world. True fact! And they do it with the sheer power of cute.

I haven't seen it yet, alas. One disadvantage of being stuck in Norway. But I'll see if some magical fairies might help me some.

Remixes are love - great writers with such different takes on the same premise is a thing of beauty. Cool that BSG fandom has those. :D

Link for reading?

[trialia]

Agreed. ♥

Well, I *cough* acquired it, less than legally. Check my community list and you'll see where you can find it...

I do love the concept... This is the first time I've ever been remixed, so I'm all excited. *G*

In my latest post, hon. :) Both the original and the remix are linked there. It's a Firefly/BSG crossover set in BSG 'verse.

[elen-ancalima.livejournal.com]

It's like in kindergarten (and not in a good way).

The thing is, if every character were perfect it would be incredibly boring.

An a more amusing note - the German "Bad Wolf" on the bomb in The Doctor Dances wasn't right either (and I think they know it by now). "Schlecht" does mean bad, but in a different sense. "Schlechter Wolf" means "rubbish wolf" or "wolf that's gone bad" - "Böser Wolf" is what it should have been :-)

[misscam.livejournal.com]

I love them magical fairies.

Heh, I've never been, I've just done it once. It's a slightly different process than writing on your own from scratch - different kind of fun. Might even be fun to remix one of your own now and then, just as a writing exercise.

Too bad I never got into Firefly. But I'll save the link in case I ever do, heh.

[misscam.livejournal.com]

Wouldn't be a show about humans either, then, because perfect we're anything but.

Heh, yeah, that's about what they did with 'Bad Wolf Bay' too. 'Dårlig ulv stranden' just makes it sound like a wolf was sick all over the beach. (Because strand is beach, bay is 'bukt'.) Guess part of the problem with translating is that 'bad' in English just have so many meanings. It's not a very exact word in itself. Norwegian just doesn't have a word like that. You have to look at context before translating.

This is why translation is a career, seriously.

[elen-ancalima.livejournal.com]

Heh - that's quite close to German. Strand is beach in German as well, and bay is Bucht.

This is why translation is a career, seriously.

LOL - indeed. My Mum's a translator, and she constantly has to deal with people who think translating is just the easiest thing in the world.

[starletfallen.livejournal.com]

AMEN!

I am a DIEHARD Rosefen. She is my darling, I am extremely protective of her. But I ADORE Martha, because she's strong in ways Rose wasn't, and she's capable and smart and can handle herself, even with the Doctor.

Aaaaaaand then Donna came along and usurped Rose as my all-time favorite Who character, but that's just because she is ALL KINDS OF AWESOME.



...That is all.

Ace is not amused by the batchippers and the Marthafen equivalent.

[elrina753.livejournal.com]

I found myself nodding and agreeing throughout your entire Rose/Martha rant thing...

I've enjoyed each companion on the new series and I don't understand how someone can watch a show, let alone say they love it when they're harboring such a grudge against a character (and the writers behind a show) simply because its not going the way they want. Truly mind-boggling.

There are reasons I tend to avoid the Who fandom (they love to bring the crazy).

[misscam.livejournal.com]

Norwegian and German are both Germanic language, so that's not so odd ;)

We got several translators working for the firm I'm at, and I have great respect for what they do. Heck, even writing in a second language in itself can be tricky enough.

[neadods.livejournal.com]

Next time you want to stick Norwegian in your show, resist the lure of the Babelfish. Heck, I offer my services free of charge.

I thought that *was* you!

It's gone so ugly I feel bad liking either, because there's been bullshit on all sides by now.

*sigh* Yes. With an added sauce of feeling like I'm betraying the cause of Martha by liking Donna as much as I do. THIS ISN'T HIGHLANDER! By classic "companion" standards, the Doctor's already up to companion #6 anyway, as Jack, Mickey, and Jackie *also* count!


ETA & totally OT: I'm going to have the "Dos and Don'ts of Conventions" piece done by the end of next week; would you like to take a look at it before it goes up?

[misscam.livejournal.com]

I recently got all into kickass Laura Roslin and man, I'm feeling love for female characters kicking ass these days. Bring more on!

It just makes me rather sad that women so often tear women down :(

[starletfallen.livejournal.com]

:( I know! What the hell, girls? Women get that enough without OTHER WOMEN doing it to them. Even the fictional ones.

So shut up or be supportive. Or both! :D

[misscam.livejournal.com]

The bitterness towards Rowling by some die-hard HP fans quite baffled me too. But I think it is, as someone told me, this build of expectation and then not getting what you expect, coupled with emotional investement... Yeah, it's like a love affair with a bad break-up, I think.

[elen-ancalima.livejournal.com]

Norwegian and German are both Germanic language, so that's not so odd ;)

:-P

I'm not exactly sure how closely related the two are. I've heard that once you know German, learning Norwegian isn't all that hard, so I assume they're quite close.

[misscam.livejournal.com]

Haha, no. You'd think, but nope!

I got some flak from one person for liking Martha early on. I was 'betraying' the ship or some such. *facepalm*, seriously. And now I like Donna too, and loads of the classic Who characters have been to my liking too. I have some preferences here and there, but seriously, this isn't a case where you must hate A if you love B. You can appreciate both for different reasons, sheesh.

Sure, I wouldn't mind a peek.

[misscam.livejournal.com]

Or be fair, at least. 'Slut' is such a bullshit argument to bring into anything, ARGH.

But yeah, women do get enough shit as it is from lingering gender inequality if we weren't to add to it.