Yuletide recs, part the first (pre-reveal)

[buggery]

Just in under the wire: My Yuletide Rareslash recs, before the authors are revealed. There will be more later.



"A Better Bed"
Birds of Prey [TV, not comic] (Barbara/Helena) written for: fyca

I had a lot of issues with the short-lived WB series this is based on, but one of the things I liked was the way the subtext-rich mentor/student relationship dynamic was transferred from Bruce/Dick to Barbara/Helena. Here we have all of that, with the age and in-loco-parentis issues included, in a femslash (YAY!) package -- and it's hot, too.


"Come Into My Closet"
Futurama (Fry/Bender) written for: UserFriendly

I was a "Life in Hell" fan long before I was a "Simpsons" fan, and I always loved that "Futurama" played more to the old-school of Groening humour. This story evokes all those themes of desire, desperation, despair and desensitisation, and like Groening's best work manages to be blackly funny instead of just bleak.


"Left of Me"
Cowboy Bebop (Spike/Faye, Vincent/Faye) written for: Pandora

I haven't seen any "Cowboy Bebop" in at least two years, and even then I'd never caught enough eps to be able to follow much of anything. (The animation is very pretty and the tone is interesting and that's often enough for me when it comes to anime.) My point is, I read the story more like someone who didn't know the fandom at all, and unlike much of fanfiction that's dependent on the reader's knowledge of the relevant canon, I was able to follow the story as well as if it had been original-characters fiction. I was drawn in and interested and involved with the characters right from the beginning of the story.


"Moments After Moonrise"
The Bible (Jonathan/David) written for: Shati

I wound up not having time to write up a spiffy rec for this story yet. Read it anyway. It'll probably get that spiffy write-up in my post-reveal recs set, so it'll get recced twice. Seems like a good deal.


"Pineapple Farming Through the Ages"
My Own Private Idaho (Mike/Scott) written for: Aimee Lou

"My Own Private Idaho" has to be one of the hardest-to-write fandoms requested for Yuletide, at least of the ones I know. I haven't seen the film in entirely too long (and my copy is missing, grr) but this seems to capture the feel of it: Scott's distance punctuated with almost surprising intimacies; Mike's yearning; the creepiness of Richard; and of course the obligatory reference to Bob. ::sigh:: Poor woobie Mike. A must-read for anyone who knows and loves the original.


"Playing for Position"
Andromeda (Tyr/Dylan) written for: Lovely Evil One

If there were more fic this good written for this pairing, I might have actually gotten into Andromeda fandom instead of just dipping in occasionally. And they play go! (Go player from way back, me.) Fantastic, fantastic story, with wonderful dialogue and pacing and steamy hot flirting that flows right into even steamier sex.


"A Question of Trust"
Farscape (John/Harvey) written for: AstroGirl

I didn't think this pairing would work, when I first saw the description. I was wrong. A must-read for any Farscape fans, with an eerily accurate Harvey, and convincingly-written John, Scorpius and Sikozu as well. (I do recommend having a copy of the episiode on hand for reference.) Secret Santa author, your story works better than you give yourself credit for. The characters' actions flow naturally from their past histories to an ending that's exactly right.


"Abbott and Costello Meet the Rainbow Coalition"
Farscape (John/D'Argo) written for: ME!

Oh, Secret Santa. This pushed all my John/D'Argo buttons. Mmm, mmm, good. Plus, you explained the stockings! And you have a wonderful grasp of John's voice and personality. Brilliant work, and thank you very much. I hope you enjoyed the story written for you just as much.


"His Own Soul"
The Bible (Jonathan [Yehonatan]/David) written for: Bonibaru

I wound up not having time to write up a spiffy rec for this story yet, either. Read it anyway, too.


"In Case of Emergency"
Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series (Ford/Zaphod) written for: Wildcard

Until the identities of the Secret Santas are revealed, I will maintain that Douglas Adams came back from the dead and wrote this. Afterwards, I will put forward my alternate theory that the credited author channeled his spirit, because I can't quite believe anyone could get the tone and humour of the Hitchhiker's Guide books down so perfectly by skill alone. This story is so damn good it makes me want to cry tears of joy.


"Not a Heart, Beating"
Batman (Bruce/*) written for: Mary

Yes. Yes yes Yes Yes YES YES YES. Guh. Two of my most favourite Bat-pairings, a Dick-voice as good as Devin's best work, everyone perfectly, lovably in character. And "Master Dick"! HEEEE! Secret author, whoever you are, I will be stalking you for more like this come 1 January. *I've left the pairing details off because I enjoyed the surprise and didn't want to ruin it for anyone else.


"The Art of Distraction"
Sherlock Holmes (Holmes/Watson) written for: Kormantic

This is the story Holmes/Watson fans have been waiting for: the one where our two gentlemen finally manage to go to bed together onscreen. Watson's wish to "save" Holmes from himself is as sweet as his success.


"Batter My Heart, Three-Personed God, For You"
Stargate SG-1 (Teal'c/Apophis) written for: Adina

Wow. I love me some Teal'c slash, but this... this was deliciously unexpected. A pairing I hadn't thought of, though in hindsight I have a hard time believing that myself, and the author handled the characters and SG-1-verse brilliantly. The offerings along the path were an eerie but perfect touch.


"Goblin Dreams"
Labyrinth (Toby/Jareth) written for: Vanya i'karne (Arabella)

Don't run off to wash your eyes out with bleach just yet; Toby's been aged up to an adult. Stunningly unexpected yet oh, so right. Toby grown up into the young man he had to turn into, and Jareth delicious (Bowielicious) as ever.


"The Galactic Miscellany"
Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series (Ford, Arthur) written for: Daegaer

Until the identities of the Secret Santas are revealed, I will maintain that Douglas Adams came back from the dead and wrote this. Afterwards, I will put forward my alternate theory that the credited author channeled his spirit, because I can't quite believe anyone could get the tone and humour of the Hitchhiker's Guide books down so perfectly by skill alone. Careful readers may note that this is the same comment I already made about "In Case of Emergency" (the Yuletide story written for Wildcard). It's no less true for either author, and I maintain that there must in fact be two separate authors, because no one person could possibly have done so well TWICE. Including Douglas Adams.


"The Screaming of Coneys"
Peter Pan (*) written for: Thyme

I confess, I clicked on this story mostly out of a combination of idle and prurient curiosity. I got quite a pleasant surprise -- a story exactly as creepy as it ought to be without going over the top, damned difficult with Barrie's boys. I never would have thought Captain Hook could be a sympathetic character, but there he is, 'James' in all his woobiful existential angst. Beautiful. And I adore the chantey included. *I've left off the pairing for good reason. I'll just say it won't be quite what you expect.


"The Tell-Tale Heart"
Sherlock Holmes (Holmes/Watson) written for: Naath

Easily the most satisfying of the Holmesfics written for Yuletide: a dead-on Watson voice; droll Holmes deduction; their mutual love brought up from subtext to text; and a dollop of Christmas cheer like the hard sauce on the plum pudding. And the Poe title fits perfectly.


"A Greater Compliment"
DC Comics [Justice League] (Batman/Superman) written for: Te

Guh. Okay, Batmanslash is always a good way to go with me, but this? Is fanfuckingtastic. I love the way it takes off on that wonderful Alex Ross comic Goss so generously scanned and hosted for fandom-at-large. And the hotness... though... call me a freak, but I found the first aid almost hotter than the sex itself.


"Out of This Room"
Sherlock Holmes (Holmes/Watson) written for: aerye

In an instant he had whisked out a revolver from his breast and had fired two shots. I felt a sudden hot sear as if a red-hot iron had been pressed to my thigh. There was a crash as Holmes's pistol came down on the man's head. I had a vision of him sprawling upon the floor with blood running down his face while Holmes rummaged him for weapons. Then my friend's wiry arms were round me, and he was leading me to a chair.

"You're not hurt, Watson? For God's sake, say that you are not hurt!"

It was worth a wound -- it was worth many wounds -- to know the depth of loyalty and love which lay behind that cold mask. The clear, hard eyes were dimmed for a moment, and the firm lips were shaking. For the one and only time I caught a glimpse of a great heart as well as of a great brain. All my years of humble but single-minded service culminated in that moment of revelation.

"It's nothing, Holmes. It's a mere scratch."

He had ripped up my trousers with his pocket-knife.

That's from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's "The Adventure of the Three Garridebs." The three alternate endings to Conan Doyle's version in this story are each slashier than the last, and distinguishable from an actual Holmes story chiefly by not being narrated in the first person by Watson. I really enjoyed reading this; the second one made me want to cry (even more than the first), but the sweetness of the third makes up for it all.

---

::sigh:: This is... not a rec. I wish I didn't have to say it, but I feel I really do have to. I've thought long and hard about this, and discussed it with others (mainly thete1), and decided that I can't let this go uncommented-on.

"The Shocking Affair of the Dutch Steamship Friesland"
(Sherlock Holmes) written for: Beth H

Unlike the other Holmes stories submitted, unfortunately, this one is not only less slashy than many of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's own Sherlock Holmes tales, it centres around the slandering of an entire non-white culture which might have been forgivable from an author of Conan Doyle's time and background but is simply inexcusable today. This is a shame, because the author skillfully recreated the flavour of Conan Doyle's writing.

It would have been one thing for the characters themselves to perceive the Balinese character through the lens of nineteenth-century British-imperialist racist attitudes; it's quite another for the author's portrayal of the character to be the equivalent of portraying Gandhi as a car-bomber. These were people whose mode of protest was to march to their deaths, knowing they had no hope of even wounding the opposing forces -- the equivalent of setting oneself on fire, not of terrorism in any form. As much as misperceiving the Balinese would be period-accurate for Watson and Mrs Van Orden (though I have doubts about whether Holmes would propound attitudes based in such factual inaccuracies), the fact that their prejudices were borne out by Wayan's actions ruined the story for me.

It's not as though I think of the author as being a racist; even if I knew who the author was yet, I can't get inside someone else's head. The problem is, when you're dealing with subject matter as sensitive as race relations, there's a certain degree of care that is absolutely necessary. This necessity comes not out of any idea of the artist as arbiter of societal mores (that's a debate I'm not touching with a ten-foot pole); it's about the artist getting their point across.

Let me say again: the story was quite good, good enough that I would have commented on it just on its merits, if it hadn't been for the racism issue. However, the fact that I'm now wondering whether the author is ignorant of history, uncaring, or in fact racist, is proof, in my opinion, of a serious flaw inherent in it.


And now, I have fic to get back to writing.

Comments

[dana-kujan.livejournal.com]

The yuletide site has updated to include author names, so I can finally say thank you for your kind words about "The Tell-Tale Heart." I've been reading the Canon since I was 13* (almost 27 years) but this was my first attempt at anything resembling a pastiche. I'm flattered than anyone thought I did Mr. Holmes & Dr. Watson justice.

(*Even then, before I ever heard of slash, I just knew they were in love. If only they would admit it!)

Thank you again!

[bethbethbeth.livejournal.com]

Re the Sherlock Holmes story (which was written for me). You know, my first reaction when I read it was much the same as yours. I was on the phone with a friend right after I finished it and I told her I was at a loss about what to say. The story was extremely well-written (and I gather from comments in my own LJ that the author knows this period and political situation well and is extremely sympathetic to the Balinese position), but it was also making me extremely uncomfortable for the reasons you note above.

In the end, I thought about the source material and about how very true-to-those voices this story was (it *is* Watson's pov, after all) and I recced it (although noting my discomfort in the rec). But I do know what you're saying...and I wonder whether I'd be quite so complacent if it had been, say, an evil money-grubbing Jewish villain at the heart of the story instead.

[some-stars.livejournal.com]

Right, so, authors are up and i can thank you for being the first person who wasn't my recipient to leave a comment on my story. Because I'm hideously neurotic and was getting kind of in a state, and your comment meant a lot to me and soothed many feathers. So. Thank you!

[boniblithe.livejournal.com]

When I wrote the first draft of my Gone With The Wind fic, I had included one paragraph in which a character used the word "nigger" when thinking about a negative incident involving a freed slave (which ended in a double killing).

The word itself is used all through Mitchell's book, by both black and white characters, and is historically accurate given the time period, the mindset and place of the characters ... yet I was uncomfortable when I wrote it, as it's not a word I ever like to see or hear used, and thought maybe I should take it out. My beta heartily agreed. So I took it out.

I find your comments on the other story interesting, and wonder how much of an uproar there would have been had I left the part with the offensive word, in the story. I could not read through the story you mentioned, as quite honestly the fandom does not interest me and I lost my attention span for it fairly quickly, so I cannot comment about it though.

"The Shocking Affair of the Dutch Steamship Friesland"

[blktauna.livejournal.com]

I loved this. The only real disappointment was the lack of slashiness. The pace was excellent and the plot and it's little twist nicely done. I felt the subject matter and the views of the characters were perfectly in tune with the times and this piece could have been written then. It was written to capture that time, and it managed not to impose our modern feelings on that time. That's really the thing I like best.

A Better Bed

[zoerayne]

Wow! I'm flattered that you liked the story despite your issues with the series. It was a particularly difficult story for me to write because it's so far removed from my typical fandoms. Plus, while I'm a dyed-in-the-wool slasher, in this instance I really ship Helena/Reese, so it was difficult for me to come up with a scenario that didn't just gloss over or wreck their relationship in favor of the Barbara/Helena relationship.

Thanks so much for your comments!

[franzeska]

On the contrary, I am not at all ignorant of history, but I am beginning to wonder if you are. Far from being a peaceful protest, the act of puputan was more of a way of maintaining honor for the nobility. A few months after my story would have concluded, the Dutch openly attacked the Balinese over the issue of the looting of their wrecked ships and, nominally, to liberate the Sasaks from their Balinese overlords.

The Sasaks soon realized that the Balinese were less dreadful conquerors than the Dutch, but the fact is that both were imperialist powers. Indeed, they fought a bloody war over Lombok. One battle in particular ended in a decisive victory for the Balinese and humiliation (and carnage) for the Dutch. (Though, of course, the Dutch then retaliated by massacring tons of Balinese.)

I'll admit that it is entirely implausible that the Balinese would have had such a successful spy, but not that they would hesitated to assassinate an ambassador if it furthered their purposes. They were nasty, violent, imperialist, oppressive rulers, just like the Dutch. They had no right to do a great many of the things they did, just as the Dutch had no right.

As for your analysis of Holmes, I must strongly disagree. I like him too, admire him even, and I would like to think that he is not racist. However, he is a man of his time, though fictional, and must hold at least some of the irrational prejudices of it. His feelings towards women are highly irrational, and I do not see why his views of foreigners would be less so. The entire Sherlock Holmes oeuvre is racist and imperialist in the extreme. If you read it, if you like it, you must accept that and perhaps even turn a blind eye to it for the space of the story.

As for the slashiness of my story (or lack thereof), I do not think it is at all relevant to accusations of racism. Are you complaining because you disliked my story or because you see a specific problem with it? Don't try to bolster your argument with attacks on my personal taste. No, I didn't write a sex scene, but I did have them in bed together.

Clearly, my understanding of Balinese history is somewhat superficial, but then so is yours. I thank you for the compliment of being interested enough to criticize me, but I must also disagree with you.

Left of Me

[virtualinsomnia]

I read the story more like someone who didn't know the fandom at all, and unlike much of fanfiction that's dependent on the reader's knowledge of the relevant canon, I was able to follow the story as well as if it had been original-characters fiction. I was drawn in and interested and involved with the characters right from the beginning of the story.

Thank you so much for your kind words. I'm glad you were able to enjoy it, even with your limited familiarity with the characters. That's a really fine compliment, since it can be so easy in fanfiction to just assume that the reader knows these characters and totally disregard the fact that they might not and write the stories without taking that into account. I know I'm guilty of it from time to time; we all probably are. So knowing I was able to write something that can work for both those familiar with the show and those who aren't is very good to know. :)

[silveraspen]

Stunningly unexpected yet oh, so right. Toby grown up into the young man he had to turn into, and Jareth delicious (Bowielicious) as ever.

And now that the reveal's done, I can say thank you, very much, for your comments and your rec of my story! :)

[thete1.livejournal.com]

You seem to be kind of missing the point. Jack *said* e liked the story, and the comment about the slashiness was clearly -- to my eyes -- a matter of personal taste. It seemed less slashy than the books. *That's* not a criticism. That's an observation. Neither of which is worthy of this sort of defensiveness. Or perhaps you didn't mean to come off quite so... rabid?

As for your research -- yes, it's clear, you've actually done some. However, it's not clear from the *story*. It's not like you put those links in your story notes, man. You just wrote your story with an historical perspective rather different from the common/modern one, and I don't think it's so far beyond the realm of possibility that it would read as ignorant/racist. This is the chance you took -- deal with it.

From an outsider's perspective -- I'm not even *in* the fandom, even peripherally -- I think it would be fair to say that you and Jack are familiar with *different* accounts of that period of history.

Which... is really no reason to get defensive. Let the research you did speak for you, take the feedback in good grace, and understand that not everyone is going to love what you do with a given set of characters. No matter how much research you do.

[franzeska]

I can take criticism. What I cannot take is criticism that comes from a position of equal ignorance. The Balinese are neither more nor less saintly than any other people. It is perfectly true that my story contains a one dimensional Balinese character. It also contains a one dimensional Dutch character. Is that any less deserving of comment?
Mystery stories in general contain villains. There is always someone with less than pure intentions. Making it a non-English person says no more about that race, group or nationality than making an English person would say about the English. To refuse to ever portray a given identity group as containing evil members is no better than refusing to portray any of them in a positive light.
Yes, Watson would fail to distinguish between the particular and the general, but why should a reader do so?

[buggery.livejournal.com]

The pleasure was mine, and I thank you for writing it. It really was delightful.

And yeah, Holmes and Watson were sooo doing it. ::wink::

[buggery.livejournal.com]

If it had been just a matter of the white characters' prejudices, I wouldn't have taken issue with the story as much, if at all. And I'm not Balinese or even Indonesian myself, though I suppose my indigenous-peoples buttons were pushed (I'm Metis on my father's side). I'd like to think I would have taken just as much issue with a story that read to me as anti-Semitic.

Thank you for sharing your own feelings of ambivalence; my two biggest worries in posting about 'The Shocking Affair' were that I would ruin the Yuletide experience for Franzi (though I didn't know at the time who she was), and that I would ruin it for you as the recipient.

[buggery.livejournal.com]

I was more than glad to leave the comment; your story was so unexpected and refreshing. Yours was one of the stories I made the first non-recipient (or just plain first) comment on just by happenstance, on the 25th, before I started deliberately seeking out uncommented and undercommented stories to read and post feedback on, but it was in anticipation of reactions like yours that I did that. I'm glad my comment made such a difference to you, because you absolutely should have felt appreciated for the story you wrote.

[buggery.livejournal.com]

I try to avoid using 'the N word' and similar slurs whenever possible (see?), myself. I could see leaving it in in the context you describe, for much the same reason that it would be acceptable, if not comfortable, to use that word in dialogue or internal monologue in fanfic based on The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn -- I'm only passingly familiar with either the book or the film versions of Gone With the Wind. On the other hand, I certainly applaud your decision to leave it out of a story where it felt unnecessary. Thanks for sharing your experience, and your perspective on the story I brought up, despite your disinterest in Holmes fandom.

Re: "The Shocking Affair of the Dutch Steamship Friesland"

[buggery.livejournal.com]

Yes, it could have been written then. My point is that it shouldn't have been written now that we (hopefully) know better. I'm happy for you that you were still able to enjoy the story.

70s Porn Star Buddha says: The Tao that can be taught is not the true Tao.

Re: A Better Bed

[buggery.livejournal.com]

It is hard not to put Helena with Reese, what with Shemar being so unreasonably hot and all. Now that I know that was your stumbling block in writing Barbara/Helena, I'm all the more impressed, from a writer's perspective, at how you managed to write around that difficulty. And yeah, I had massive issues with what the Birds of Prey TV series did to my beloved Gotham characters, but I did watch it despite those issues, and your story managed to play to the things I liked about the series' versions of Helena, Barbara and their relationship.

[buggery.livejournal.com]

No, the fact that you kept the slash content of your story firmly in the realm of subtext is not relevant to the issue of racism... but I never said it was. It's a simple fact that would be relevant to most people who might go look at your story based on what I say about it. The fact that your story is also otherwise well-written -- which I pointed out more than once -- isn't relevant to the racism in the story, either.

I can see that you have done some research into the Dutch colonial period of Indonesia's history, but frankly that makes some of the authorial choices in your story all the more perplexing. (For the record, I received a fine university-level grounding in Indonesian history when I lived in Holland; the texts were all in Dutch, and almost universally either written by Indonesians or at the very least heavily influenced by the post-independence Indonesian perspective. It's likely much of our difference of opinion derives from our working from different source materials.)

You're right, puputan was not intended to be taken as an act of passive resistance by the Balinese; but neither were they ignorant of the way certain segments of Dutch (and Western) society would interpret it. The instance you cite was, after all, one of the most significant factors in the development of the 'Ethical Policy' reform movement. But yes, it was much more about preserving honour by dying a warrior's death. Even in war, the Balinese were concerned with honourable behaviour; they fought quite seriously against the Dutch when they weren't going out to die. Blowing up an entire steamship, however, a vessel which doubtless would have carried innocent women and children, as well as (likely) complicitous Dutch men, and cargo related to Dutch subjugation of the 'East Indies,' would not have been an honourable act. And a Balinese conspiracy to blow up the ship makes even less sense if the intent is to assassinate the ambassador, since with Wayan in his household there would be a near-infinite number of opportunities to do so which would be either more certain of successfully killing him, more likely to sour Dutch-English relations, or both.

You describe your own invention of a successful Balinese spy as implausible (though on that point, ironically, I disagree). What I still can't figure out is why you chose to include (and malign) the Balinese in your story at all. Conan Doyle's, or Watson's, passing reference to 'the shocking affair of the Dutch steamship "Friesland", which so nearly cost us both our lives' in The Adventure of the Norwood Builder does not specifically suggest any Dutch East Indies connection. It would be pointless to complain that Conan Doyle should have known better than to have written stories that were racist, or sexist; he was a product of his times as much as Holmes and Watson were. This excuse does not work for modern writers, even when they choose to write in a late-nineteenth-century millieu.

I stand by everything I've said, though I never expected you to agree with all (or any) of it.

Re: Left of Me

[buggery.livejournal.com]

I know that assuming too much canon knowledge on the part of my readers is a trap I often fall into. I worried when I clicked on the story link that I wouldn't be able to follow it, so finding that I was able to as well as I did made me appreciate and enjoy it that much more.

[buggery.livejournal.com]

I was happy to rec it, happy to post a comment on it, and happiest of all to read it. Thank you!

[franzeska]

No, it doesn't suggest a Dutch East Indies connection, but it does suggest a plot in which foreigners are involved, which would have involved plenty of English nationalism and xenophobia regardless of the foreigners involved. To be honest, I looked up 1894 and Dutch steamships and saw what came up. The rest of the story followed from there.

[franzeska]

Oh, and I meant to ask you if you know of any decent books on the subject in English. (I'm dreadfully monolingual, I'm sorry to say.)

Re: Left of Me

[virtualinsomnia]

Well, thanks again for your wonderful compliment! And I'm glad you enjoyed it! :)

Re: "The Shocking Affair of the Dutch Steamship Friesland"

[blktauna.livejournal.com]

I didn't for a second think those were the views of the author. I thought the device was effectively employed as part of the story.

It was interesting for me to see as I had no idea there was an issue with Bali and it has prompted me to make time to see what was going on.

Re: A Better Bed

[zoerayne]

your story managed to play to the things I liked about the series' versions of Helena, Barbara and their relationship.

Thanks. Does it make it better or worse to know that I only know the TV series? [g]

[daegaer.livejournal.com]

I started a comment on your discussion with Jack, but it grew and grew.

So out of a desire not to clog up your LJ, Jack, it's now a separate entry in my LJ (http://www.livejournal.com/users/daegaer/140505.html#cutid1). I hope you and Franzi will be able to check that I've reprsented you both accurately.

[yonmei.livejournal.com]

Drive-by comment - I came here via destina's journal.

The story was written from Watson's POV, and expressed sentiments typical of 19th-century attitudes to "natives" - which were racist.

I saw no essential racism in the actions of the only Balinese in the story: yes, he turns out to be an assassin loyal to his rulers rather than to his white employers, but... it's a detective story! There will be unsuspected murderers in it. Does it make it racist to have the unsuspected murderer be a Balinese? No.

It isn't a story that a modern-day writer would normally choose to write. Because it's told from the point of view of Watson, with Holmes, you cannot stay in character and have them express anti-racist sentiments except on the most sentimental grounds (as in "The Yellow Face"). You cannot even write them in character as neutral: they would naturally side with the Dutch colonials for political purposes, as they do your story, and in doing so, would express what come across to our ears as horrifically racist comments. I don't think that I would have chosen to write the story under those circumstances - it's not the kind of Holmes story that appeals to me - but I disagree with buggery in characterising the story itself as racist.

[pseudo_tsuga.livejournal.com]

Hi, I was trawling through Yuletide and I was glad to see your comment; I also was shocked by the depiction of the Balinese character. Is that alright if I link to this post about it?