I still think he is talking about internal character tension. And if you don't desire sex, you don't have that internal tension when you choose to be celibate.

I also think Moffat and Gatiss are on at most different parts of the same page, but Gatiss is better at articulating his opinions.

I completely agree that they're talking about internal tension.

One would think that there would be other "wants" that they could play with, if they wanted to make him ace. But, like someone said, Moffat's not great at writing any other sort of tension. I think they've done some interesting things with Sherlock's emotional tensions (connect vs. distance, which is not really the same, however much large parts of fandom might wish otherwise).

I feel like I need to do some more reading/watching of Gatiss's take.

I feel like everyone in fandom right now is assuming tension = sexual tension (anyone else see a certain irony in that?). It's irritating me greatly. Must remember to stay of tumblr before I explode in unflattering asshattishness.

I also feel weird defending Moffat, given my decade-long love/hate relationship with the man and his works. I guess by this point, I figure I'll judge him by what he writes, not what he says, and I'm thoroughly sick of people demonizing writers for not being what they want them to be, or saying everything through the correct social justice lens. They're just not going to, kids. Get used to it, remember the fourth wall exists for a reason, and the author is long since dead.

One would think that there would be other "wants" that they could play with, if they wanted to make him ace.

Yep. Weirdly, or perhaps not, I think explicitly ace characters would work best in a romance, and not as the comic relief e.g. Sheldon Cooper. Not aromantic, mind, but still ace. I think it's been done on a NZ soap opera, in fact.

It's also frustrating because I have a lot of thoughts about it, and it's hard to have thoughts in a sea of outrage.

Also, I agree with him on Adler in ACD. And have since before he said it. So, you know, there is that.

It's fandom. Everything will eventually get porn on it.

Yeah, I, too, need to not read any interviews with him. There's a reason I follow Gatiss on Twitter and not Moffat.

I think it's been done on a NZ soap opera, in fact.

That would be interesting.

It's also frustrating because I have a lot of thoughts about it, and it's hard to have thoughts in a sea of outrage.

I can totally empathize on that.

Also, I agree with him on Adler in ACD.

Which bits?

Basically, that her story in ACD canon is hardly the most feminist of messages. Jilli knows the full rant. It's long.

Basically, that her story in ACD canon is hardly the most feminist of messages.

Agreeing with you there. Actually agreeing with everything you just said.

Basically, that her story in ACD canon is hardly the most feminist of messages. Jilli knows the full rant. It's long.

But it's a great rant. A really, really great rant.

Get used to it, remember the fourth wall exists for a reason

I am learning to re-embrace the fourth wall in terms of the creators of media I like. Because sometimes the urge to shake those creators and say "you didn't really just do that, did you?" really interferes with my enjoyment of things.

Oy. Apparently, Moffat is really bad because he was offended by a columnist in the Guardian calling him sexist, and by stating in public that he was offended, this is how we know that he will never improve or grow as a writer or a human being, because he is a man with power, and will never understand how hard it is to talk about sexism, and is using his man powers to silence women by... disagreeing with them?

GET. OFF. MY. SIDE.

I'm pretty sure of the Guardian lets you write about your issues with the sexual politics of Irene Adler as done by the BBC, you don't need any protection from the big, mean Scotsman.

PS, I've been watching Moffat since before you could bleed, girls. He actually HAS improved.

Were we ever this earnest and lacking in context when we were bright young things?

I think we're this earnest and lacking in context now. It's fandom. People care intensely about loosely overlapping things created by other people and recreated by us in our image. Oh, yeah.