Hmm. Do I wade back into this mess?

[icarus]

Do I do it, or not?

People in the SGA fandom were really pissed off about Last Port Of Call. The discussion started out interesting, revealing, and turned ugly. There are a couple of theories about this kicking around.

1) The "young fandom" theory, where everything's fresh and new, but the controversies haven't cropped up yet; "the explorers are the ones with the arrows in their backs";

2) The "drunken luau" theory, where yes, SGA is a fun drunken luau, but the flip side of that is that serious, challenging stories are not acceptable, the way you don't discuss the Holocaust at a cocktail party;

3) The characterization of John was really off. If I were a new writer, I'd consider it, but... no, I don't think so. I've been writing quite some time now, and characterization has always been where I'm solid. Now if someone came after me with a pitchfork about my yerk-transitions, or the stripped-down scenery ("Hello, Icarus? This is not a one-act play with a tree and a bucket, tell us where they are") or sloppily using the same word fifteen times in three pages, yeah okay.

Besides, the reaction was just too strong for it to be a simple characterization issue. Poor characterization you just go *snerk* and walk. It doesn't launch a crusade. Nor does the story get recc'd by people whose opinions I respect.

Nah. The issue was content.

But that's not what this poll is about. Or it is, but only sort of.

You see, I have another probably-guaranteed-to-be-unpopular John-fic. An SGA story where the content might fan the flames. It comes from the question:

If Rodney screws up due to hubris and ends up blowing up a solar system, and Carson screws up due to his medical curiosity and far-too-flexible ethics for the sake of his bright-eyed good intentions and fucks up a sentient being, and Weir screws up by bargaining away her principles for the sake of 'pragmatism' and gives away the position of Atlantis -- how and why does John screw up?

Okay, there are worse things in life than being controversial. But I'm feeling gun-shy. This isn't what I expected of SGA, naive of me, I know. I haven't encountered a reaction this bad since I defended slash to a group of Lord of the Rings anti-slashers in 2002 (and the arguments were eerily familar).

So, to everyone on the f-list, not just the SGA fandom who might not respond (results are viewable by none but me):

[Poll #761572]


ETA: Adds "if Carson screws up." Because "if Carson screws due to his medical curiosity and far-too-flexible ethics" has a completely different meaning.

ETA2: Wow. I'm far behind on answering everyone's comments, but that answered the question pretty thoroughly. I did not expect "er, I kinda liked Last Port" to be the strongest response, not by a long shot. So either a) the people who hated Last Port Of Call don't read my LJ (a good possibility), or b) the ones who hated it were a strident, vocal minority, and I got the wrong impression about how the story was received. Those who liked it were shouted down by those who didn't.

Either way, there's enough interest to, okay, write the Sheppard Screws Up story. But I warn you: it's het. It might not be that bad, I just... I didn't think Last Port Of Call was that controversial either.

ETA3: I'm so glad this person stopped by. Yes. Perfect example. This is the tone and nasty attitude that I've encountered over Last Port Of Call.

I've made the poll viewable to only me so that SGA readers can feel free to respond without facing problems from others. Most of the responders are SGA readers.

Comments

[plsteward.livejournal.com]

Here are the better fics, the ones that I've either re-read or am thinking about re-reading. But like I said there aren't too many out.

In the City of Seven Walls is brilliant. It doesn't exactly examine the worst in the players, but rather a worst case situation with mentioned character death, slaves, drugs, & non-con sex.

http://www.eternalvox.net/~auburn/citysevenindex.html
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Seperis wrote a John drabble/short that was really rather dark & was rather like a punch in the gut. It started from a comment speculation on if John would sell himself for a ZPM.

http://seperis.livejournal.com/334088.html
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Scheherazade by in_wintertime. This is about memories & the loss or rather potential of losing Rodney's & the reactions of everyone but Rodney to it. It's long & thoughtful & not quite dark but flirts with angst the entire time.

http://in-wintertime.livejournal.com/3985.html
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Your Cowboy Days Are Over by samdonne. Memories again, but this time John is selling is to pay an advanced society to keep he, Teyla, & his wraith made son alive & in better housing. It gets dark, it deals with not only the ethics of memories & the selling of, but also with caring for a challenged child, working with those who tried to kill you but say 'no hard feelings, it was just a job.' & how far a dad will got to keep his kid safe.

http://www.butcheredart.net/Fiction/YourCowboyDays.html
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If that's not enough you could try the Pegasus B comm where they have a nice dark AU of an AU where Ba'al is waiting in Atlantis for the expidition & takes John, Daniel, & Teyla as slaves & pretty much kills anyone who shows any form of rebellion. Ba'al dies & the reconstruction is painful, messed up, & yet still addictive.

http://community.livejournal.com/pegasus_b

[plsteward.livejournal.com]

Oh oops, the Seperis thing. It wasn't truely a story, but rather an almost outline for one that my messed up mind translatated into a story between the time I read it & now. It was great, brilliant even, but not a true story. If you don't mind it stradling the line between meta & fic, read. It's wonderful & thought provoking. I just thought I should correct that.