icarus | Seven Stargates

Harry Potter

I reserved my copy of Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince today. I only have one request: more about Snape. A plotbunny came sniffing around... Snape being interviewed by junior reporter Rita Skeeter after the first fall of Voldemort. Snape thinks he has his 15 minutes of fame, a chance to vindicate himself; she only wants to ask about Death Eater orgies.

Stargate SG-1 and Harry Potter Writers

Several weeks ago I chatted with a rogues gallery of HP writers, passing along a link to an award-winning Stargate story. Now, it's award-winning on Area 52, which Stargate writers know is this universe's version of FF.net. (Don't worry, the story wasn't by anyone on my friendslist, and

thegrrrl2002, your writing is wonderful so don't you dare think it was you.)

The HP writers were horrifed. Spell-bound with dreadful characterization, the unrealistic sex, florid and painful word useage.

"See?" I urged them (among whom were some of what I consider to be the top writers in HP), "SG-1 needs you."

"Point me to some episodes and a fandom guide," said one with a flourish. "I so own this fandom." There were nods and mutters of agreement.

I believe that all skilled fanfic writers must do the following:

1 - write Jack/Daniel
2 - write at least ten Jack/Daniel stories
3 - write at least one novel-length Jack/Daniel story

Current and older episodes are shown on the SciFi channel (there is Stargate Atlantis and Stargate SG-1). I recommend checking out seasons 1-4 in particular, because that's where you find the most Jack/Daniel action. In the US, Fox is showing Stargate at 11pm on Sunday nights in most areas, and on Saturday afternoons.

A fandom guide is here Arduinna's Stargate SG-1 Handbook.

Examples of good Stargate Fanfic to inspire you are here:
Dr. Jackson's Diary by Anais (Tongue in cheek and funnier than hell.)
Kawoosh! (Short, good feel for the universe, with a stick-to-your-ribs point.)
Anna S. (Deep. Angst-driven, and lushly written.)
Destina Fortunato (Five Moons is a favorite of mine. Interesting, well-plotted stories that mix adventure and sex.)
The Grrrl (Hot, sexy fics that leave you warm and happy, like a cup of cocoa, or touching and wistful, that leave you thoughful. For prime laughs, read Rated Five Stars. For thoughtful The Space Within.)
Keiko Kirin (My favorite is still the Steak Series. Perfect characterization and believable slow-build.)

Once you write your SG-1 slash, send it to:

Area 52
jackslashdaniel

Or post it in:

jackslashdaniel

stargateslash

Now I'm waiting for the universe to comply with my demands. *crickets chirp*

I'm astonished to find that I have - if you count my two incomplete The Road Home and The Walls Of Jericho - seven SG-1 fanfics. When did that happen? Granted, one's a drabble and compared to the HP fics they're rather short. But, really? That many? So soon? It's only been four months.

Current Mood: Salesman-like

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

From:

titti

You know, reading SG1 has made me reevaluate the quality of HP fics. I mean even the authors you've listed don't come close to the quantity and wide range of quality stories that some of the authors have in HP, people like McKay, Amy. Also there are many, many more good writers in HP, people whose pairings one might not enjoy but whose writing is still fantastic.

From:

tripoli8.livejournal.com

Regrettably true. I still think SG's crap-to-good stuff ratio is lower, just because HP is such a huge freaking fandom that they get way more of the 13 year old girl set than some others. It also means they get more people who are brilliant, which is sad for the rest of us, but hey, good stories are good stories. I've read some of the HP classics and been reasonably impressed, if not blown away, but a lot of it's just a matter of preference.

Also, Icarus, you rock. Good J/D is getting really hard to find.

From:

titti

I still think SG's crap-to-good stuff ratio is lower

Oh I don't think so. Even with all the ff.net crap, there is a large body of great stories, and when I mean large, I mean huge. Authors, and I do mean the good ones, have tens and tens of stories, plus ficlets, add drabbles. Even assuming thaat the ratio is lower in HP, there are still thousands of fics that you can rid before getting bored.

I've just started reading SG1, and even the ones that have been rec'ed as 'good' stories don't come close to the level of quality that there is in HP.

I also think that lj based HP is very selective. You get crucified for OOCness (if I read another crying Daniel, I'll kill someone), grammar mistakes, multiple POVs within a few paragraphs. Yes, we do get wanky since we ask for better quality than even Jo produces, but people think twice before posting.

From:

tripoli8.livejournal.com

That's where the preferences thing comes in--I *enjoy* a good HP story, but I've never read one that's knocked my socks off, even ones with hundreds of die-hard followers.

It also depends where in SG you end up. The talent definitely congregates to certain types of stories (good gen is incredibly tough to find).

That said, I'm obviously not as familiar with HP as somebody who's active in the fandom; I've read a fair amount of RL/SB and a few classics from other pairings and barring other great stories that get recced that's about it. I don't particularly care about most of the characters, so it's tough for a story to really involve me. If you love the SG characters, you love stories where they're well-written.

From:

titti

I read and write 99.9% slash, so that's my experience in any fandom. I also have been in HP since before the 1st movie came out, and in the past 4+ years I've watched it change so much. From experience the ones with the hundreds of die hard followers are the ones that suck the most, as opposed to SG1.

From:

tripoli8.livejournal.com

I'm sorry--I'm just laughing because I've been in SG almost five years too, and I was having exactly the opposite conversation with a friend of mine the other day. Please, please, whatever impression you take from SG1, please don't let it be that the good stories are the popular ones. I *promise* we're not all crazy.

(I feel like I say that a lot in this fandom.)

From:

titti

I'm sure there are exceptions, but here is the difference: you asks for the best writers and Destina and Anna S are the first names mentioned from almost everyone.

You ask a HP fan who are the best writers and first you get: what genre? Once that is established we go through the possible 100 or so pairing in slash. Then you get asked if you want vanilla or kinks, chan or incest, long or short, pwp or plot, and after you finally narrow it down, you get different names. God, I love how wacky the HP fandom is. LOL

From:

icarusancalion.livejournal.com

That's a function of fandom size, having that many options. Size and sheer number of characters to work with -- the permutations increase exponentially.

Icarus

From:

icarusancalion.livejournal.com

I have some theories, but the bottom line is that, at thirty times the size of the Stargate fandom, Harry Potter has plenty of writers to spare -- and I want more Jack/Daniel fic.

I can just imagine an angst-filled post-Ascension fic by

wikdsushi.

Or a softly funny tender Jack/Daniel by

copperbadge (As the penultimate Remus/Sirius writer he's perfect for that pairing).

A brutally weird off-world nightmare by

kennahijja or

amanuensis1.

A softly painful Sam-centric fic by

switchknife.

Jack, being Jack and damned funny, by

hp_femme.

The off-world adventures the scientifically brilliant (and funny)

goseaward could invent.

mad_maudlin's witty Ron/Draco banter applied Jack/Daniel or Jack/Maybourne snark-fest.

Oh, the possibilities. If I could encourage just one of them.

Have you seen

titti's Crossroads (http://www.livejournal.com/users/titti/229740.html#cutid1)? Wonderful writer, she is, and there's word of another story on the way.

HP has plenty of writers to share. On loan for a little bit. ;)

Also, Icarus, you rock. Good J/D is getting really hard to find.

Oh hey, just caught this bit. For writing J/D, or for begging for more? *teeth gleam*

Icarus

From:

mad_maudlin

...you're trying to flatter me, aren't you?

From:

icarusancalion.livejournal.com

No, actually, that's just honesty. You'd do a fab Jack/Maybourne or Jack/Daniel blow up at each other over an idiotic mess.

Icarus

From:

mad_maudlin

Too bad I don't watch TV, then...

From:

icarusancalion.livejournal.com

Based on ff.net's stats, I calculate that the Harry Potter fandom is 30 times the size of Stargate. This has a domino effect.

First, there are simply more writers to choose from.

Second, if only 5-10% of the Harry Potter readers leave a review, you still have 30 reviews for a Harry Potter story, compared to only one for Stargate. Feedback is a Huge payoff in writing Harry Potter. An LotR friend of mine,

gabbyhope, once bemoaned the talent drain to the HP fandom so it's not just a Stargate/HP thing.

Third, for both of the above reasons, the community draws a large percentage of top writing talent, which in itself pulls in more writers. Friends get their friends involved. Or a Lord of the Rings writer whose a fan of another writer will follow them into the HP fandom and find -- wow. Look at all the great writers I can work with, who can help me hone my skills. This is how I found HP -- it was

keelywolfe's fault.

Fourth, prior to Stargate Atlantis, Stargate had a smaller cast of characters than Harry Potter (or LotR or Star Trek: TNG). This limited the slash potential quite a bit to a few main characters and a handful of aliens. This problem has been rectified.

Fifth, Lord of the Rings has precious few plot holes compared to Harry Potter. It's much harder to write LotR fanfic. Fortunately for Stargate writers, there are just as many plotholes as Harry Potter, if not more! :) Come'n in, the water's fine!

Sixth, Stargate SG-1 has attempted to maintain a focus on plot over character, especially in recent years, and the directors tend to get caught up in the latest cool special effect. It's a good-looking show, especially on DVD, with high-quality special effects and truly weird (and sexual) costumes. A great place for descriptive writers and action writers to play. But many slash writers are women, who aren't as interested in setting and plot as they are in characterization.

Fortunately, the actors themselves have managed to squeeze quite a bit more out of their roles. For example, recently Chris Judge (Teal'c) managed to make his one line about donuts - where Jack says "No thanks" - into a rather pathetic moment with the disappointment playing across his face, and his tough-guy character was revealed as a real sweetie. The actors seem to work together to make sure that even when the script neglects a character, the camera doesn't. This also shows a rapport that carries easily into fanfic. Stargate doesn't have subtext, it has SUBTEXT. Fun for all.

The good news:

What I do find is there is an unusually large number of novel length Stargate fanfics. The fandom, like HP, lends itself to the novel. Man, fics just grow.

Also the ratio of goodfic to badfic in Stargate roughly is what one usually finds in fanfic in general, slightly higher quality than Lord of the Rings as the show is set in modern times. The HP crowd is just spoiled.

So there you have it. Reasons why there aren't enough Stargate writers, and plenty of reasons to dive in.

Icarus

From:

titti

Oh, I agree that we're spoiled rotten. Jo has created such wonderfully complex canon with enough plotholes to let us play for years to come. I also think that regardless of the contentions, we are a merceless fandom. You write a bad fiction and you will be crucified (except if you are a certain bnf. LOL)

Did I mention that I'm doing a 2nd fic? heh How is your coming?

From:

icarusancalion.livejournal.com

Second fic? Oh damn these computer problems -- when was your first posted? *hunts*

I think, at the top of the list - in addition to lovely plot holes big enough to drive a truck through - Stargate has Jack and Daniel. These two poles on the moral compass drive the show, and the chemistry between them is magic. Just so very intense.

Throw in the obstacles, dead friends and family, regulations, friendship, comaraderie, plus the off-world plots, and you have a rich mix. It's fun to have a SciFi series based more on your Anthropology and Sociology classes than Hard Science.

Icarus

From:

titti

http://www.livejournal.com/users/titti/229740.html#cutid1 Part 1, there is a link at the bottom for part 2.

I agree with you. SG1 is 'limited' in a way to Jack/Daniel because they are so great together, on the other hand the possibilities are neverending with the Gate.

From:

icarusancalion.livejournal.com

Oh, I'm loving this.

And I note you read Danvers' Ba'al and the Lunchlady fic (hee).

Icarus *off to the second part*

From:

icarusancalion.livejournal.com

Oh, how are my Stargate fics coming? I've discovered that if you count one drabble and my two unfinished stories, I've written seven fics in the last four months. How cool is that? Though I have about six or seven more stories sketched out in my notes, one of which is a novel-length piece that plays with gender roles (you know how I love that subject).

The long one, The Walls Of Jericho, is 17,000 words (it needs to be edited and cut, I'm posted unbeta'd, raw stuff) and is roughly 3,000 words from the end. Coming along nicely, I'd say. ;)

Icarus

From:

titti

I haven't seen them posted, or are they all in working stages?

I've written more than that in different fandoms, but then I spend my days at immigration doing nothing but wait, so I get lots of free time.

From:

icarusancalion.livejournal.com

I haven't promoted them, really, just tossed them on my LJ once, nowhere else. A few aren't even up on my website. I've posted a few here and there, but I haven't gone all out. I've wanted to

The Road Home (http://www.fanfiction.net/~icarus), is in the works, posted on ff.net pre-beta and partially complete.
The Walls Of Jericho (http://www.icarus.slashcity.net/stories/wallsofjericho.html), in the works, posted pre-beta on my site during the computer problems.
Shy Guy (http://www.icarus.slashcity.net/stories/shyguy.html). Hot. Very hot.
A Solid Foundation (http://www.icarus.slashcity.net/stories/asolidfoundation.html) (drabble, angst)
Straight Across The Desert (http://www.icarus.slashcity.net/stories/straightacrossthedesert.html). This one's received some attention. (Whee! Attention!)
Arguing With The Gods (http://www.icarus.slashcity.net/stories/arguingwiththegods.html). My first Stargate fanfic.
Welcome Home, Mr. General, Sir (http://www.icarus.slashcity.net/stories/welcomehome.html). A pleasant vignette, completed last night and now posted in its entirety in LJ (today - just now in fact).

I dunno. For some reason I've held back on publishing my Stargate fics all over the place. I guess I've wanted to get a feel for the Stargate genre first.

Icarus *runs off to read yours*

From:

titti

I haven't promoted my single one either. It's in my lj and my site, but you should definitely push yours more. I read all of them, and you have great insight in Jack and Daniel, and you know I love your style as a rule. Very nice stories.

From:

icarusancalion.livejournal.com

You really ought to promote it. It needs a quick beta from the LJ version (you've got some plurals missing/added, minor details like that), but, yes, please. It's a wonderful story.

I expect more from you. *nods*

You read all of them? Cool. I'll start sprinkling them around, but the real entry into the fandom will likely be the completed Walls of Jericho. Which is funny, because that was only intended as a one-shot, and then a drabble series, and then... *shrugs* It happens.

Icarus

From:

titti

MOre will come up soon, or at least one. :)

I read all the short ones when you gave me the addys. I finished the Walls of Jericho after dinner, and I really love the slow interaction, Jack coming out by mistake, Daniel making the assumptions. I hope you finish it soon. It's really a great story, and yes, I know how stories have a way of blowing up in your face, getting longer and longer even though you KNOW that they should be finished.