The "Everything Changes" 2014 TGW Ficathon

[sweetjamielee]

The "Everything Changes" 2014 TGW Ficathon has come to a close! Thank you to all who participated. This post will remain unlocked so that readers may continue to comment on posted fics. Also feel free to post links to belatedly filled prompts. Hope to see you next year!

Comments

[agua_amarga]

TRIGGER WARNING: This fic contains references to physical and sexual assault.

What's PastCary winds up in the hospital that night, three broken ribs and a whole lot of bruises. They want to know who did it, telling him he should press charges, but he refuses to say who hurt him and in the end they figure he was at the hotel with a hooker and they leave him alone. His testicle is just badly contused, they tell him, not ruptured; he won't lose it. Through the haze of pain medication he tries to feel good about that, but right now it's hard to feel good about anything at all

[agua_amarga]

This is brilliant! Thanks for writing. :)

[agua_amarga]

Thank you! :)

[hotladykisses]

Yeah, I quite agree with you: this is totally what Kalinda should have done if Cary had insisted on thinking that the lady’s consent is optional! And there was definitely something of the kind going on with that creepy husband of hers -- I wish she would have done that to him though!

Nice take on Kalinda's darker side, thank you!

[agua_amarga]

Yeah, in watching the scene I was never afraid Cary was actually going to be able to rape Kalinda, because it was so obvious she'd be able to hurt him. The thing that drove me crazy about that scene (well, one of the things!) is I think that's most of the reason he stopped. :P And if he'd been stupid enough to keep going I certainly wouldn't have minded seeing him hurt. But, yes, the thing with Nick -- I think that was pretty obviously an abusive situation and I found it hard to believe what happened with Cary wouldn't have been reminiscent of *something* that happened with Nick. The show certainly doesn't show Kalinda as having PTSD or anything, but then they rarely show her as having any vulnerability at all. I wanted to try to depict a little of that vulnerability without going overboard with it, into real PTSD territory. Glad you liked it!

[slicchic]

This is freaking great! The characterization is spot on, and feels super organic. Is it weird that I almost wish they'd made something like this canon? (Not that I'd choose to spend time dwelling on Kalinda's history with sexual assault.) I triple love how you handled this though. It was such a great read!

[sweetjamielee]

This feels (almost depressingly) spot on -- it feels more real than what canon gave us with the Cary scene! No one will ever convince me that there is not some deep, dark wound in Kalinda's past, and that Nick is part of it, and that it still haunts her every day. Really lovely writing and wonderful contribution to ficathon, thanks!

[agua_amarga]

I'm really glad you commented with this, because as soon as I was done with this fic I worried that it was too melodramatic, out of character, etc. I wanted to keep it out of PTSD territory because I think that's counter-canon (which is a whole different conversation in and of itself) but I felt like there was so much of an abuse dynamic portrayed in the whole thing with Nick that it was improbable that she'd come out of it with no issues whatsoever. I wanted to try to address that without slipping into portraying full-on PTSD or anything that seemed OOC, and then of course as soon as I posted it I thought I had done both of those things. But the problem is that when writing a character "in character" according to show canon means writing them in a way that seems really improbable in reality... well, how do you strike the balance? So I really appreciate hearing that you liked what I wound up doing here. Thank you!

[schwarmerei1]

I read this when it was posted, but wasn't up to giving the kind of comment it deserves. This is the pick of the litter from the ficathon for me -- I think it's brilliant both in thought and execution. Your imagery here is really fantastic just for starters. Jamie's spot on when she says "more real than canon". I'm someone who actually was OK with the Nick storyline until they started hurrying it up, because I felt like they were showing a complicated abusive situation, and that's something that doesn't get shown enough. But then there started to be moronic statements from RK about how they showed that "Kalinda could give as good as she gets" and so on, and I now think I was onboard mostly from what Archie was salvaging out of a mess of writing. Then when the 5x22 C/K scene happened I was pretty shocked that they went there with Cary, only to discover afterward that RK doesn't think he did go there

[agua_amarga]

OK, first of all, this comment made me so happy. :) And I'm really, really glad other people feel the same way I did about the likely aftermath of that scene if it had continued. I agree with you about the Nick storyline - it's funny, because as I was watching it he could not get lost soon enough as far as I was concerned, because man did I hate him, but after he left I started appreciating what the writers were trying to do with his storyline and I wasn't happy they dismissed it so easily (especially as it seemed like the writers just threw in the towel as far as writing Kalinda was concerned when both the Nick storyline and the Alicia friendship got shot down by other people...) I do feel, like you, that thoughtful, complex representations of abusive dynamics are way too uncommon on TV. As for the Kings' comments, some of those I'd heard but some of them I hadn't, and... blergh! I mean, yes, I get that Kalinda is generally (not always) able to physically defend herself, but that is really not the same thing as “giving as good

[schwarmerei1]

Sorry I took so long to reply, I have little kids and all my spare time lately has been for writing my own fic!

And I'm really, really glad other people feel the same way I did about the likely aftermath of that scene if it had continued.

Well it was probably a split vote on Tumblr. 1/3 horrified, 1/3 received it as RK intended, 1/3 thought bitch had it coming -- not joking, I felt like I'd been wading in the pond scum of rape culture to voice a differing opinion for weeks after it aired.

I do feel, like you, that thoughtful, complex representations of abusive dynamics are way too uncommon on TV.I think that was part of the problem. Most representations are on something like a police procedural, you only see the victim through the eyes of the police protagonist. And it's usually unambiguously heinous physical abuse of a "meek" woman. I don't think you often see the push-pull that keeps a woman trapped. Or the fact that Kalinda wasn't being "Kalinda" because she was reverting to the mess that Nick had turned "Leela" into. But yeah

[lemonsoranges]

Sorry I took so long to reply, I have little kids and all my spare time lately has been for writing my own fic!

No worries! How old are your kids? And that is a great use of your spare time and I'm totally looking forward to the result. :D

Well it was probably a split vote on Tumblr. 1/3 horrified, 1/3 received it as RK intended, 1/3 thought bitch had it coming -- not joking, I felt like I'd been wading in the pond scum of rape culture to voice a differing opinion for weeks after it aired.

Ugh, I know. I had seen some of the bad stuff. I remember seeing stuff on thegoodwifeconfessions that was like "But she was smirking! She totally wanted it!" or misquoting her response as "Why did you stop?" and bleeeeeegh. That was part of why I was excited everyone who responded to the fic liked it, because I was worried the bitch-had-it-coming people were going to drop in :( Luckily the ficathon turned out to be full of all the awesome people and I did not come across a single hovering asshole! XD

I don't think you often see the push-

[sweetjamielee]

Butting in to say that, while I completely understand wanting to compartmentalize your smutty side and your thoughtful side, both are wholly embraced here. :)

I was one of the people shouting joyfully from the rooftops when the spoilers came out that Kalinda's husband was going to make an appearance because I thought it would give so much insight into her character, and tolerated the wtfery once Nick arrived because I was ABSOLUTELY SURE we'd get a marvelous, probably Kalicia-filled payoff, and felt massively betrayed when the Kings skittered off because the storyline was unpopular. You started it, have the balls to finish it and tell the story you wanted to tell.

I'm not sure JM was the sole nixer of Nick!gate per se, but I'm sure she was gleeful at the failing of the storyline and used to it push her anti-Kalinda agenda -- "See, you THOUGHT people wanted a deeper look into Kalinda, but you were wrong, fans hated it! They just want her to pop up now and then to have random flirtations!" Ugh.

[schwarmerei1]

No worries! How old are your kids? And that is a great use of your spare time and I'm totally looking forward to the result. :D

The kidlets are 1 and 3.5 year old boys -- they are rather all-consuming. I have let everything drop for ficathon... :D But in the background I have two very long fic projects simmering extremely slowly. My hope it to get at least one of them fully drafted before S6. I'm 25,000 words in -- probably a third done.

Luckily the ficathon turned out to be full of all the awesome people and I did not come across a single hovering asshole! XD

Awww...
Actually, if I may ask, did you find out about the ficathon via Tumblr? Or did you already know about TGW fandom on LJ?

I'm so with you here. I've been rewatching the Nick plotline as prep for writing backstory fic and while I was having the same UGH KALINDA GET HIM THE FUCK OUT OF HERE reaction it's a more interesting and in some ways more realistic plotline that she doesn't for awhile. The moment when he smashes her mirror and hurts his hand and she's suddenly

[lemonsoranges]

Actually, if I may ask, did you find out about the ficathon via Tumblr? Or did you already know about TGW fandom on LJ?

I found out about the ficathon through AO3, actually. That is, I saw fics that people had posted as part of one of the previous ficathons and I was interested in playing this time around. I think I may have seen it announced on Tumblr too, though. (I'm lemonsoranges over there too.) I have not been part of the LJ fandom subset but I would like to be when the show starts up again! (Or, you know, now. :) Things are just slower in the offseason, I assume)

Random question about fandom and Tumblr: do people frequently post their fics to Tumblr as well as to AO3/LJ/ff.net/whatever? I haven't been sure whether to post my fics there on the Good Wife tag. I'm a Tumblr newbie so I'm trying to figure out how to navigate the site.

I'm fairly certain that the end of the Nick sl should have been him figuring out that Alicia was the one Kalinda stayed in Chicago for. That would have led to a showdownYeah, that would have

[sweetjamielee]

Sigh, sorry, idk why my LJ hates you so much. Unspammed! Wish I could discuss more but need to hiatus for a few days while I do some hardcore psychology. I'LL BE BACK.