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Oprah Winfrey Golden Globes Cecil B. DeMille Award Acceptance Speech

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😊 😄

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Thank you @flashofthefuse! So love what you did with this image prompt!

Phryne Ficathon 3 -- A Lady’s Prerogative

A Lady’s Prerogative

Title: A Lady’s Prerogative Rating: G Chapters: [1/1] Summary: A dangerous standoff forces a choice for Phryne Author: flashofthefuse ( @flashofthefuse ) Recipient: fromaLongLineofTVDetectives ( @longlineoftvdetectives )

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MFMM Year of Quotes -- January Challenge

It’s time! It’s time! time to kick off the 2018 Year of Quotes! This month’s theme is e.e. cummings

For those new to the challenge, an overview can be found HERE. In short, the Year of Quotes is a monthly challenge that will hopefully spark some creativity!

The quotes this month are:

I Like My Body When It Is With Your

“Whenever you think or you believe or you know, you’re a lot of other people: but the moment you feel, you’re nobody-but-yourself.”

dear girl How i was crazy how i cried when i heard                                          over time and tide and death Leaping Sweetly         your voice –Your Little Voice

The collection is called E.E. Cummings (MFMMJan2018) and will be open from today until the beginning of February when the next challenge is announced.

As always, everyone is invited to participate–there are no length limits or rules, just add your fic, fanart, or meta inspired by this month’s challenge to the collection or tag @missfisherchallenges in a Tumblr post sometime between now and closing. We will endeavour to reblog any challenge responses we are tagged in. But most of all, have fun!

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Phryne Ficathon 3 -- Posting Schedule

I meant to post this yesterday and didn’t quite manage, but as of this morning  posting for the third Phryne Ficathon has begun!

With forty writers, some who wrote multi-chapter or multiple fics, the previous schedule of posting one fic a day would give us approximately three months of fics. And while I love you all very much, there is a pesky thing known as real life that wasn’t particularly fond of that idea.

So each week I will be posting two fics per day, Monday through Saturday. This will still be approximately seven weeks of fics. We are in for an absolutely delightful start to 2018!

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Phryne Fisher doesn't believe in soulmates. A bartender in Mykonos thinks she's wrong. A very late breaking entry for the January "soul mates" trope challenge. (Thank you amnesty month. Now I've collected the whole set ;-) ). 

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Miss Fisher Christmas Cards 2017 (12)

This concludes the Miss Fisher Christmas Cards 2017 series. I hope you all enjoyed the (faux) cards from our favorite characters. Fingers crossed that the filming of Miss Fisher and the Crypt of Tears will start in 2018 as planned so that we will get to see their lovely faces on the big screen.

Speaking of the movie, Every Cloud Productions had re-opened the crowdfunding campaign, this time on www.indiegogo.com If you missed the opportunity to show support in the last round, now is the time to do so. If you already pledged earlier, perhaps consider to add just a little more. Like Phryne said to Ailsa, “What could be more adventurous than that?”

********************

p.s. Access the campaign via MissFisherTheMovie.com or search for “Miss Fisher the Movie” on www.indiegogo.com

(Posted 25-Dec-2017)

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New! Additional Crowdfunding Campaign for Miss Fisher and the Crypt of Tears is Now Open!

Missed out on the Kickstarter campaign earlier in the year? Now’s your chance to help make the movie the best it can be. Click below for more info:

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/miss-fisher-the-movie/x/5961690#/

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Death at Victoria Dock

There was discussion at rewatch yesterday about just how beautiful Phryne is in this particular episode. I mean, that often comes up, but it made an impact on me this time, to the point that I actually wanted to search out illustrative screencaps!

So I present to you the Honorable Miss Phryne Fisher, beauty extraordinaire:

First there’s this scene, where she’s pumping Hugh for information as Jack watches in awe. She is luminous in that gold blouse and black sweater, and the color of this lipstick is divine, not quite as bright as in later seasons. Plus you can see the freckles on her neck. Perfection.

And then there’s this - she’s interviewing the Waddington son, and standing in what must be precisely calibrated light because JUST LOOK AT THOSE SHADOWS!?! The perfect length of her fringe, the smoky eyes, the visible angles of her cheekbones, the cupid’s bow of her lips… all framed by that gorgeous red cloche. I mean, really. How dare she be like this?

I’m sure there are more - these were just the two moments that stuck with me. Anyone want to add others? 

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MFMM Year of Tropes – the collected trope overviews

The MFMM Year of Tropes isn’t completely over, since Amnesty Month is in full swing and bringing out the fics people didn’t manage to finish during the trope months. The overviews, however, are, and I’ve collected them here in one place, for people that are interested to check back and either read about fics or find their way to the actual fic.

The collections on AO3 now include 200 fics (!), and in my overviews below there are also some additional fics that I noticed were posted for the trope even if they weren’t put into the actual collection. (I’m sorry I won’t be able to add in the amnesty fics; I just don’t have the energy, apologies for that!) 

It seems that January, with the question of soulmates and how that would fit with MFMM, is still the one that managed to trigger most fics, but not by much. For a long time, March and it’s bottle episode-trope had the fewest, but that has changed during the amnesty month and it seems April’s Body swap will end up as the trope with the fewest fics. The difference between the months is not huge, they range between 13 and 19.

I did a quick count, and not fewer than 43 writers have written for the monthly challenges! Every one has contributed between one and sixteen fics (the high number is possible because some have written more than one for a specific month). It’s so lovely both with writers digging into all the tropes, and writers jumping in for one or a couple that tickled their fancy especially.

Apart from the incredible numbers, the trope challenges have also for more than one writer been their first attempt at writing in the Miss Fisher universe, which is a wonderful effect. Well done all!

The overviews can also be found on AO3, although without images: http://archiveofourown.org/works/11371497/chapters/25458129  *

Is there a bond between us, Jack, or are you just using your footy scarf? January’s soulmate trope.

The MFMM Year of Tropes 2017:

January: The (Soul)mating Game  https://whopooh.tumblr.com/post/156686154208/when-the-soulmate-trope-meets-miss-fishers-world

February: Let’s Misunderstand https://whopooh.tumblr.com/post/158001774013/miss-fisher-and-the-plight-of-miscommunication

March: Close Quarters  https://whopooh.tumblr.com/post/159233067383/miss-fisher-and-the-close-quarters-marchs

April: Freaky Phryday (Body swap/Role reversal) https://whopooh.tumblr.com/post/160367707883/miss-fisher-and-the-art-of-swapping-bodies-or

Have you been drinking, Inspector? May’s Hurt/comfort trope.

May: Everybody Hurts https://whopooh.tumblr.com/post/161659534643/miss-fisher-when-everybody-hurts-the-may-trope

June: Undercover Detectives https://whopooh.tumblr.com/post/162986414318/undercover-or-under-the-covers-the-june-trope

July: Out of Space and Time https://whopooh.tumblr.com/post/164032338923/miss-fisher-going-out-of-space-and-time-the-july

August: The Dulcinea Effect ** https://whopooh.tumblr.com/post/164864465843/knights-in-shining-armours-or-shining-dresses

“Now, you know I’m not one to pry…”  September’s Gossip and rumours trope.

September: Don’t Believe the Rumours https://whopooh.tumblr.com/post/165945507793/miss-fisher-and-the-power-of-rumours-the

October: Breaking the Forth Wall https://whopooh.tumblr.com/post/167026390803/miss-fisher-unleashed-walls-breaking-down-in-the

(October Bonus: We Need To Get Warm https://whopooh.tumblr.com/post/167667202783/we-need-to-get-warm-the-fics-of-the-mfmm-bonus )

November: An (Un)expected Marriage https://whopooh.tumblr.com/post/168602454373/did-someone-say-i-do-the-mfmm-november-challenge

* Please note I haven’t gone back and edited away the fics that phrynesboudoir wrote and then deleted; they’re still there but the links won’t work. This is the case both on the tumblr posts and on AO3.

** I never came around to write an overview about the lovely Bonus August Trope “Squeezing it in” and its eleven fics, but these are also really worth checking out. Here is the collection:   http://archiveofourown.org/collections/August_Bonus_MFMM/works

Thank you all for making the MFMM Year of Tropes so much fun!

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Did someone say I do? The MFMM November challenge

Does this count as a wedding?

In November, there was time for wedding bells to ring—but also for plenty of twists about how to get there, or maybe not get there at all. The trope was “An (Un)Expected Marriage”, and this is really one of the tougher questions in the Miss Fisher world—in what circumstances could Phryne possibly be aligned with the idea of marriage? And how can Phryne and Jack find a joint view? This is a mystery just as much as the murder mysteries. The fandom, this month just as in others, decided to go all in to twist and turn the trope in different directions, except one, it seems: here are not really easy weddings without struggle or a special take. Just as the trope name suggests, as well as the collection teasingly called “Did I say I do?”, there’s room for all kinds of interpretations and surprises. 

Apologies for being late with this overview for November, I have had a bad case of RL—let’s just agree this fits with December as an amnesty month, okay?

First out are fics where the marriage happens to other people.

In 912luvejaxlean’s lovely “Something old”, the focus is on Dot and Mr Butler in the preparations for Dot’s wedding. Dot has for her Four Wishes something from Phryne and something from Mac, and then Mr Butler offers her something old. It’s perfectly sweet without being too sweet at all. There is the expected marriage coming up between Dot and Hugh, and there is the unexpected marriage in that we learn about Mr B’s backstory and marriage. There are so many lovely details, and the moment between Mr B and the young bride-to-be becomes a very meaningful one. “Mr. Butler looked down at the promise of Dot’s future arrayed upon Miss Fisher’s dining room table. He felt and remembered a past that was so long ago. Unable to meet the young woman’s eyes, he blinked back tears.”

Also @zannadubs23’s “Altar’d State” is emotionally intense, although in a completely different setting. It plays a lot with the readers’ expectations, and unfortunately I’ll have to spoil it a little bit here. Reading the story, one might for quite some time think it is about Phryne and Jack marrying, and Jack being surprisingly tipsy on this occasion. That connection is definitely emphasized by a dialogue like this about Aunt P:

“It was very nice of her to throw this party,” Jack noted quietly, “even if it is awful. ‘Society’ can take a flying leap as far as I’m concerned,” he added as a quiet aside. “She adores you, Jack,” she said, “she knows how much this means to you, even if you won’t admit it.”

But @zannadubs23 has cleverly other options up her sleeve, and it turns out to be another couple marrying—and one of those two is very dear to Jack, and the cause for him drinking a little too much. It all makes sense in a lovely way.

Well, that was unexpected.

The next, and largest, section consists of fics that play with the idea of marriage in different ways, but dammit, many of us find it super hard to make them actually marry like normal people would! There are many different takes on this, and they are all delightful.

@longlineoftvdetectives, ”Well, that was unexpected…” plays with many things: the idea of the unexpected, the only one bed trope, and marriage as a ruse to get out of a difficult situation. It has a lovely set-up where Phryne and Jack have done that thing they often do in fic: take shelter in a cabin from an unrelenting weather. This time, though, the owner discovers them—and he has a gun. He doesn’t believe in Jack’s innocence, and there is a wonderful scene where Phryne steps in front of them, naked from the waist up, and stops the nonsense: ‘“He’s Detective Inspector Jack Robinson,” Phryne stated, her voice so loud and commanding that no man present could doubt the veracity of her statement. “I am his partner. And his wife.”’ It’s a great scene, and it’s even better as one of the (disputed but famous) stories of the original Phryne from ancient Greece is that she saved her own life by disrobing and baring her breasts in front of her judges.

Keep reading

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(Too) Close Quarters?

A short fic for the December trope amnesty month. Close quarters aboard one boat lead to miscommunication aboard another.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/12999495/chapters/29724639

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I don’t think I was here for the first time this went around @flashofthefuse -- this is so well-observed and well-written.

This sentence, in particular, resonated for me: “Their gender identities are not flipped, they are irrelevant, with both characters allowed to show traditionally female and male characteristics equally.”

Gender Expectations

Miss Fisher Murder Mysteries is often referred to as a feminist show. One of the many ways it goes about demonstrating this is in the the way it regularly disregards gender in the interactions between show’s characters.

This is not to say that gender is entirely ignored in the show, but I will argue that, in many ways, the gender of the characters is irrelevant.

For example, I’m not the first to say that the characters of Phryne Fisher and Jack Robinson are not stereotypical depictions of their respective genders, but I’m going to take it one step further and say that, in their relationship to each other, Phryne and Jack’s genders are immaterial.

A lot has been said about how Phryne turns gender norms on their head, behaving in ways we are more used to seeing stereotypically male characters behave. I want to focus on the way she and Jack interact, because I think it’s one of the reasons their relationship is so incredible to watch.

While there is an undeniable sexual attraction, the show, early on, establishes that they view each other first and foremost as human beings on equal footing. They could swap genders, or be of the same gender, and there would be very little difference in how they interact. For two characters as outwardly feminine and masculine as Phryne and Jack, this is remarkable.

This disregard to gender norms is covertly evident in the very first episode. Their first encounter takes place with Phryne in a one of the most stereotypically feminine ensembles she ever wears. It is pink and floaty with demur white gloves and shawl. She is smily and flirty. Jack is in staid grays and browns, hair firmly slicked back to accent his strong, masculine jaw and he wears a deep scowl on his face.

Almost immediately, Phryne goes from slightly silly and flirty in his presence to commanding and serious as she recites a detailed and accurate analysis of the crime scene.

Jack appears disgusted to have run across this flighty female who looks at crime as an amusing hobby. She’s just another toff who thinks rules don’t apply. He quickly becomes a man intrigued and rethinking his first impression —and it has nothing to do with her beauty and flirting. It’s about her insights and observations. She not clever for a woman. She’s clever. Period.

He’s impressed, and the next time he greets her at the station, it’s with a now earned modicum of respect. He doesn’t behave like a man in thrall to a beautiful woman, and he’s not going to go out of his way to help her, but he’s cordial and forthcoming with information, and speaks to her the same way he addresses the men in the room. He doesn’t mince words or worry that a woman might be too delicate for a discussion about an illegal abortion ring. He’s just as straight forward in his actions with her as he is with everyone else.

She outright tells him she plans to meddle in the Butcher George business and he doesn’t warn her off, or express concern that it’s dangerous for a woman. He’s happy to let her do as she pleases, and can’t be bothered to care much.

Due to the time period, a Detective Inspector would probably have to be male, but replace Phryne with a man in this scene, would anything about the interaction be different?

Later, when Jack hears Phryne is in trouble, he doesn’t immediately rush off to rescue the damsel in distress. There won’t be any Dulcinea Effect on this show. She’s not a women in need of Jack’s protection, she’s just another annoying pain in his ass in a town full of them.

Phryne is first introduced as a bit of a crusader. Unconventional and amazing, but firmly on the side of the angels. She’s come home to make sure her sister’s killer won’t go free, she immediately takes up the cause of the young girl nearly killed due to an illegally obtained abortion, and after pursuing the thief that stole her earrings, she ends up trying to help him.

At first glance this might make her seem like the nurturing, caretaker type of character often depicted by a female lead, but in other instances, she behaves in ways we’ve come to expect of male characters. Her confidence and overt sexuality being just the tip of the iceberg.

By the second episode more of Phryne and Jack’s respective personalities are revealed and expectations continue to be turned around.

Jack may not be so stiff as he first appears. He’s not above using Phryne’s intelligence to his benefit. He’s manipulative in a way we often see female characters behaving. He teasingly lets her know that he can see through her deceptions, (shoes with ‘ballistic capabilities’) similar to the way a woman might gently let a man know she’s on to his tricks without challenging him, or risking insult to his masculinity. Jack’s not above flattery either, climbing up on the train to coerce her to help him. He’s not a man stooping to meet a woman at her level. They are evenly matched.

They both know what the other is up to, and while neither is fooled, they seem to enjoy the back and forth. She drops any false flattery, and through the banter, they speak to each other in a knowing and equal manner. You could make them both the same gender and it wouldn’t make a difference in these interactions. They are individuals, first and foremost, each starting to respect the other’s abilities.

(I’ll pause here to acknowledge the amazing  sexual chemistry between the two leads, but ask yourself, is their being of the opposite sexes really a requirement of it?)

Another early example of Phryne defying gender norms happens when she first takes in Jane, the runaway child. One might assume she does it out of some type of nurturing impulse, but when Mr. Butler asks how long the child will be staying, she replies, “Until she tells us everything she knows.”

This is not maternal instinct driving Phryne, her interest in Jane is initially case driven. She wants answers. After that, what happens to the child is of little interest.

These first two episodes set the tone for the relationship between Jack and Phryne and it is not reliant on him being male and her female. They are two individuals that recognize each other’s abilities and are becoming friends. Regardless of gender, their budding relationship would unfold the same way, based on mutual respect, and a similar way of viewing people and the world.

It’s not just with each other that gender is immaterial. Both characters are very consistent in their treatment of all individuals, male, female, adult or child. Neither is swayed by societal status or rank. They live their lives with integrity and expect others to do the same in order to earn their respect.

Their gender identities are not flipped, they are irrelevant, with both characters allowed to show traditionally female and male characteristics equally.

Neither of them openly show much emotion, (usually a male characteristic) but they don’t hide their sensitivity either, (a supposedly female trait). When Jack speaks to Phryne of his broken marriage there is an obvious regret that he’s not afraid to show. 

Phryne lets Jack see the guilt and pain she feels over her sister’s death. Both of them make plain the toll some cases take and their mutual sorrow over man’s cruelty to man. They are two no-nonsense, hardened, but compassionate people. They are human beings, kindred spirits and possibly the most equal partners I have ever seen portrayed.

Because Phryne, the lead, and Jack, the most dominate male character in the show, are mostly gender blind in their interactions with each other and others, the show is able to illustrate how ridiculous the attitudes of a patriarchal society and inequality between the sexes really is.

Phryne is most definitely the hero of these stories, but, by ignoring gender stereotypes, the show has been able to introduce a partner, and love interest for her, without diminishing her power or overshadowing her. It’s incredibly refreshing.

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MFMM Year of Tropes: December Challenge

Come in and get comfortable, take your hat off!

It’s hard to believe that it is already December! Nearly a whole year of tropey fantasticness. 179 stories are already in the collection. Rather than create a new trope for December, since the holiday season is often busy, I am pleased to announce…

TROPE AMNESTY

That’s right! I have reopened all previous collections. So if you have a fic idea that you didn’t quite get around to, December is your month

A reminder of our eleven lucky tropes:

January: Soulmates (The (Soul) Mating Game) February: Miscommunication Chaos (Let’s Misunderstand) March: Bottle Episode (Close Quarters ) April: Body Swap (Phreaky Phrackday) May: Hurt/Comfort (Everybody Hurts ) June: Undercover Detectives (Of All the Gin Joints ) July: Across Space and Time (Out of Space and Time) August: The Dulcinea Effect (How Sweet It Is) September: Rumours and Gossip (Don’t Believe the Rumours) October: Breaking the Fourth Wall (Have You Read This?) November: Unexpected Marriage (Did I Say I Do?)

You have until JANUARY FIRST to add your stories! At which point the collections will close for the final time, and 2018’s Year of Quotes will begin! For more information, please follow the Miss Fisher’s Challenges tumblr.

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New Fic: “To Leopards Changing Their Spots”

A second entry for the November trope challenge -- Henry and Jack have a conversation post 3x1, “Death Defying Feats”: http://archiveofourown.org/works/12849048

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Miss Fisher’s Year of Quotes 2018

It came down to a roll of the dice, but it looks like the challenge for 2018 will be QUOTE prompts. The first step of which is soliciting quotes to use. This will work the same as last year:

You have from TODAY until DECEMBER1ST to send me quotes you would like people to use as prompts. These can be anything–a famous quote, a line of dialogue, a snippet of poetry or song lyrics. I will gently encourage you to look towards ones that can be interpreted different ways, but it’s ultimately up to you. You can submit via DM (here or on Slack), replying to this post, or reblogging this post with your quotes. PLEASE try to tag @missfisherchallenges so I don’t miss any!

Once all the quotes are submitted, twelve will be drawn at random. Then, at the start of each month in 2018, a new quote will be posted as a prompt and an ao3 collection opened up; you will have that month to create your fan work and share it. Remember, for 2018 we are encouraging any form of participation, not just fanfic! Maybe you’re an artist, or a vid-maker, or someone who enjoys writing meta thoughts on the topic. There are no rules for participating, except to have fun!