in which firecat blathers about items on their interests list

[firecat]

sewn asked me (at my request) to write about three items on my interests list.

1. cat goddesses

I don't remember why I used a plural here. I mostly feel affiliated with Bast, although I'm aware of other cat goddesses, like Sekhmet, and cats affiliated with goddesses, like Freyja's chariot-pulling cats. I was in a pagan group that we called The Bastettes, and when we got together we'd make a gorgeous altar out of all our little cat statues. :D Being affiliated with Bast means I've been called to take care of cats at an animal shelter and to provide a hospice for a stray cat who had cancer. Overall she's been fairly easy on me.

2. how things are made
I'm fascinated by handcrafts, both modern and historical, and factories. To people who are interested in this, I recommend the TV shows How It's Made and Repair Shop. Antiques Roadshow gets into it a little bit. Also How to Be a Tudor: A Dawn-to-Dusk Guide to Tudor Life by Ruth Goodman, about how people made the things they needed to live in and around the 15th–16th centuries.

3. Sherlock Holmes
I've been a fan since childhood. My dad was also a fan. I grew up with Baring-Gould's The Annotated Sherlock Holmes and I credit it with most of my knowledge about the Victorian Era. I was perennially frustrated by Holmes movies and TV shows getting Holmes's look or behavior wrong (Basil Rathbone, UGH) until the Jeremy Brett series (and I've continued to be frustrated by them since—no, Holmes is not an action hero, RDJ—although I've unbent some). I didn't discover modern SH fandom and Holmes/Watson slash until a lot later, although I knew a little about the Sherlockian Game fandom. Of "modern AU" Holmes shows, I wanted to like Sherlock but didn't after a few episodes, and I do like Elementary.

I love Conan-Doyle's writing style. I like Laurie R. King's Mary Russell–Sherlock Holmes novels because she gets the language right, and that's one thing I look for in fanworks, be they traditionally published or amateur.

I ship Holmes/Watson mainly, but as usual for my shipping tendencies, I'm happy to pair or group them with others.

I don't have the bandwidth to do the December questions thing, but if you want me to talk about something on my interests list, lemme know.

Comments

[brainwane]

I'm enjoying "Repair Shop" a lot this year!

[stonepicnicking_okapi]

I watched all the Youtube episodes of Ruth Goodman & co doing Victorian farm and enjoyed them.

And yea for Holmes love!

[firecat]

Ooh, I need to check out Victorian Farm stuff.

[delight]

Of "modern AU" Holmes shows, I wanted to like Sherlock but didn't after a few episodes, and I do like Elementary.

I like Laurie R. King's Mary Russell–Sherlock Holmes novels because she gets the language right, and that's one thing I look for in fanworks, be they traditionally published or amateur.

I agree with both of these opinions! I actually agree with all of your opinions on Sherlock stuff for the most part and had a similar background; my parents were both Baker Street Irregulars members. g I really liked the way Sherlock did stuff like the text messages and some other cinematography in the first episode, but too much of it rubbed me the wrong way out the bat ("high-functioning sociopath"!!!) and after trying the second ep I was done. Elementary was a thing of joy though, and I really, really enjoyed that making Watson a girl didn't make the ship canon - not that I'm against Holmes/Watson as a general concept, but keeping them friends within that specific universe and not pushing it into a romance/sexual arrangement was something I really appreciated about it. The characters were very true to the sources, even with all the changes, much more than I find a lot of the recent adaptations to be - even the ones set in the original era.

[firecat]

I liked the cinematography in the first ep of Sherlock too. I think I watched four eps altogether.

And yes, I'm really glad Joan Watson and Sherlock of Elementary aren't a ship. I'm not sure how true they are to the original characters, but they work. And I love, love, love so many of the secondary characters in that show.

[lilacsigil]

Ruth Goodman is so great! I love all of her "[era] Farm" shows - I didn't think I'd like the Tudor Monastery Farm so much but it was really fascinating to see her making cheese and making cloth.

[greghousesgf]

I've loved Sherlock Holmes since childhood too. I don't own a copy of Baring-Gould's Annotated Holmes, I'd love to get one if the bookstores wren't all closed. I hate covid. I love the Jeremy Brett Holmes, didn't like Sherlock (not going to get into why because it would take too long) and really enjoyed Elementary until Holmes said "femi-Nazi" which made me ragequit.

[firecat]

Powells is an independent bookstore that will ship, and they have a copy of the first volume.
https://www.powells.com/book/annotated-sherlock-holmes-volume-1-9780517511138

I can understand why "femi-Nazi" would make you ragequit.

[greghousesgf]

I know Powell's! they're great but I'm not having anything shipped right now because ever since this covid shit started everything that gets sent to my apt bldg mysteriously "disappears" and I've had enough of it.

[firecat]

Ugh!