Fandom stocking! Fannish exchanges generally!

OK! I've drastically had enough of my family but don't go home till Saturday morning! But we are not dwelling on that! We are focusing on happy things! Such AS!

FANNISH EXCHANGES YOU GUYS! ITPE went live today and I LOVE MY STUFF! :D AND my recipient seems super happy with what I made them which makes me happy cuz I was pretty happy with it too! :D

And Yuletide has been a joy, just to kind of watch happen! Also I happen to know carawj wrote the awesomest story ever and beta-ing that was also a joy! (I say beta, I read it, gave one note, and flailed, cuz it was that good! :D)

Seriously, fannish exchanges are the true meaning of Christmas. And other winter holidays.

Also! I saw Frozen again with usuallyhats today and it was JUST AS GOOD A THIRD TIME! Plus seeing her reaction was lovely too! <3

The main reason for this post though is to say, do you have a fandom stocking? Please drop a link in the comments! No promises but I'd like to at least know it's there! Mine is here if you feel so moved! :D

In other HAPPY news apart from a gross cough I am feeling a LOT better! So I'm going to attempt to catch up on the December topics, wooooo.

Kalinda!

Right, so like two weeks ago I was supposed to talk about Kalinda for quarter_to_five.

I feel like I ought to have deep and serious thoughts about her, but I'm not really feeling that.

Let's get the obvious out of the way: I love her. Alicia is my forever favourite but Kalinda and Diane tie for very VERY close second place.

On a representation level, I love that she's brown and queer.

I LOVE her relationship with Alicia, and all its complexity, and how it starts and develops for both women, and how central to the show it is was is was is, and the show would make me SO freaking happy if they would spend some time on that again.

On a shallow note, Archie Panjabi is absolutely gorgeous.

I feel like I MUST have more to say about Kalinda.

Um, I ship Kalicia so hard I'm planning a novel that's basically epic fanfic with the serial numbers filed off?? Seriously, I know the show will never go there but OMG I wish they would.

Seriously, this is proving surprisingly difficult, but I feel like heart-eyes ought to cover it?!

I feel like Kalinda is a character type who is NOT normally my cup of tea but the show's writing and Archie Panjabi's acting really sell it for me? (Archie Panjabi's acting, omg.)

Part of the problem here is I'm trying to keep this spoiler-free, but also I keep wanting to talk about Alicia and Kalinda rather than just Kalinda. I can solve half this problem. ( Here be what turned out to be one really vague spoiler. )

OK, this kind of isn't happening. Sorry quarter_to_five!

Favourite character from Warehouse 13!

So jelazakazone wanted me to talk about my favourite character from Warehouse 13, which I think SUCKS because I CAN'T CHOOSE. Like I feel like obv it's Myka, but then HG, but CLAUDIA, but PETE, but MRS F, but ARTIE, AND STEEEEVE. So I'm just gonna cheat and write a bit about what I love about a bunch of them. (ETA: Having written I would say my fave is apparently a tie between Myka, Claudia and HG. Surprise.)

Myka

I love that she's grown-up Hermione Granger. I love that she's so unashamed of being a textbook with arms, that it's just accepted that if the plot needs general knowledge or something translated quickly Myka will know and that feels minimally like a cheat. She's probably the one I ID with most. I love that the show is so good at showcasing different ways to be a nerd and that she's the bookworm. I love that she's socially awkward, and not good at feelings. I LOVE how stubborn she is, and how important being in control of herself and a situation is to her. I love her relationship with Pete, and all the ways it messes with gender norms.

Pete

This leads me on to Pete. I LOVE that this show has three male characters who defy typical male stereotypes in such great ways. I LOVE that Pete is the one in touch with his emotions, I love him the way I love John Crichton. I love that he's a DORK. I love HIS way of being a nerd. I love the way he and Myka bicker. I LOVE that their relationship is platonic. I love his sense of humour, did I mention I love that he's a dork!?

Claudia

Ugh, OMG, my heart, I don't know where to start. I have LOVED watching her grow, she's had SUCH a great character arc the past 4 years. I love how much her relationship with Vanessa shows this, as I feel like everyone else has known her longer and is kind of used to viewing her as the baby, whereas Vanessa sees who she is now. I am too lazy to LJ cut but seriously, her S4.2 arc was so great and I am so excited for S5. I love her sense of humour, and her outfits, and her mix of confidence and utter lack of self-esteem. Allison Scagliotti's FACE *heart-eyes*

Artie

I love how grumpy he is, I love his relationship to Claudia. I love what a HYPOCRITE he is, and quite how Jewish he is. I also loved his arc in 4.2, this show seriously has a genius for talking about feelings.

Mrs F

I love her clothes, I love that she takes no nonsense. I love how bad-ass and in charge she is.

Steve

STEEEEVE! I feel like I bonded with Steve a bit late, but I'm so glad I have. He's just such a sweetheart. I love his relationship with Claudia.

HG

God. I don't really know where to start. JAIME MURRAY. OK, that's a good place to start. I just...I mean, I could go on at length about Bering and Wells and what the actresses have done there but that feels like a disservice to HG as a character in her own right. I LOVE that this show went and made HG a queer, crazy, HOT, time-travelling, genius WOMAN, and did SUCH A GOOD JOB with it. Seriously, I feel like real ('real') HG Wells has been ruined for me. Like...seriously, genius with feelings, this show. I love her story from intro to where we are. I'm holding my breath for more in S5, and I think that's really going to affect how I remember the show, her last appearance is NOT how I want her story to end. It's a great and logical next step but NOT a good end. I feel like... ugh, IDK, I just love all the things she got to be in her own time that were contrary to what was expected of women, I love how much she loves the Warehouse, I love how understandably messed up she is and how that's dealt with, I love her getting to grips with the modern world.

To conclude, yup, I would say HG, Myka or Claudia is my favourite and now I simultaneously want S5 right now and want S5 NEVER because HOW CAN WE HAVE SO LITTLE LEFT. WHY. :(

Stealth Cosplay!

tellitslant asked me about stealth cosplay!

Stealth cosplay is not really my invention, just to be totally clear, some fannish friends in London put me onto the idea, as did cosmic_llin. Like I know Cathryn told me about how she used to dress up as Sarah Jane but somehow it didn't twig that it could be a thing *I* could do until Laura told me about her various stealth cosplay outfits.

I must admit, I'm not a very stealthy person so MY attempts at stealth cosplay are...not that stealthy.

Like to me it means 'stuff I can leave the house wearing and not look like I'm playing dress up', and given I tend to dress quite colorfully and work somewhere with a VERY casual dress-code that bar is slightly higher (or lower?!) for me than a lot of people.

I only started stealth cosplaying this year, with the Avengers. My first was Iron Man, consisting of a red dress, yellow tights, cardi and sash, and a chunky heart-shaped pendant on a long chain. I can actually now do all the Avengers, though Hawkeye and Black Widow still need some work, plus Wonder Woman and Merida. cosmic_llin thinks I should make a tumblr of all my attempts. Wonder Woman is obv my favourite, (blue skirt with white polka dots, red jumper) and I really need a less ratty red jumper for it. My Hulk one is pretty good too. (Purple dress, with a green jumper and green tights underneath.)

I like doing it because it cheers me up and helps me out when work is crappy. I'm not sure I've ever had anyone realise what I was doing without me dropping a hint, but it may yet happen. ;D