Tag archives for Pandora
Meeting the Bechdel Test
I first came across the Bechdel Test on Charles Stross's blog when he was discussing its importance for pushing gender equality in fiction. However what has prompted this post is this article on Rochelle Dean's blog about her current work in progress. Since becoming aware of the Bechdel test I have consciously tried to meet the spirit of it in all the stuff I write, and as much as I can the actual conditions too. The Bechdel Test The rules There are three rules to the test: There are at least two named female characters in the story The women have a conversation with each other The conversation should not be about a man The Spirit of the Bechdel Test What I think is most important though is meeting the spirit of the test, which as I understand is that there should…
Imperfect: Scene 11 – Day in Court
Imperfect Day in Court The following morning Rosie told us that she had confirmation that Charlie was out. Geoff had also been released, having been cautioned for unauthorised filming in a section 22 area. He’d pleaded ignorance to the section 22 order designating that area. The police had cautioned him, telling him to check in future before filming police operations. They let him go a several hours after he’d been picked up. Mark was still in custody and being held under a prevention of terrorism order, so was unlikely to be released. He was still in the cells in the main Cambridge police station, but would likely go to see a Magistrate on Monday morning. He’d had a public defender assigned to him, and it was one we’d had contact with. So we were able to keep up to date…
Imperfect: Scene 08 – Plans
Imperfect Plans With breakfast out of the way we got down to planning how we were going to get Mark, Geoff and Charlie out of police custody. The first step was to find out on what basis they were being held. Once we knew that we could get some lawyers to work on getting them out. The cell had plenty of money for that sort of thing, and while we needed to co-ordinate it, it was by far the easiest way of getting someone out of a police cell. That said we had some pretty wild back-up plans just in case bail was refused. We’d heard some pretty unsavoury things about where people like us went when we were detained indefinitely on public safety grounds. Those were all just rumours, because no-one had returned to deny them. That in itself…
Imperfect – Scene 07 – Hiding
Imperfect Hiding The first thing we did after we’d been shown our hiding place (a room at the back of the pub, up two flights of stairs and at the end of a corridor) was to get some sleep. The room was basic, obviously not used often but ready should there be a sudden influx of guests. It had all the usual features you’d expect, just a little older than you’d have in your home. It was like they’d furnished it from a second-hand shop rather than buying new. There was a double bed in the corner and a sofa with a small pull-out underneath it which faced the screen area. Above the sofa was a window with heavy net curtains and even heavier duty light-blocking curtains at either side. In the corner next to the bed there was a…
Imperfect – Scene 06 – Get Away Car
Imperfect Get Away Car Rosie, Cat and I were holed up in the George & Dragon about twenty miles outside Cambridge. We’d arrived there on foot after dark, coming in by the back door at three in the morning after the cleaning staff had long gone. We’d done our anti-surveillance drills as a team through Cambridge until we got to a lock-up garage in a quiet suburban street. It was one of a row of six in a housing development that looked at least one hundred years old. Some of the houses certainly looked more than a bit shabby. When Rosie opened the garage it contained a car with a dust sheet over it. “Here are our wheels!” she said, pulling the dust sheet off with a bit of a flourish. Underneath was a silver coloured car, of a type I…