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

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

The skating fic will keep going, it's just that while I've some time free I really meant to be writing this other story, but after all hell broke loose over Last Port Of Call I put it on hold.

Icarus

[lillian78.livejournal.com]

Look at it this way, you shook things up in the fandom a bit--which it probably needed anyway. ~__^

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

Apparently it did. But I would have liked some warning first. At least a memo.

This is not something that would have made a Harry Potter reader even blink. My HP friends have looked at this and laughed, "Who are these pansies that had a problem with this story?"

Icarus

[lillian78.livejournal.com]

Well, I must admit that HP does lend itself a bit more to darker stories--Snape, Lucius, Voldemort, Bellatrix etc. etc. all have their story to tell but it's harder with John & Rodney two of what most of us consider the "good" guys. That doesn't mean they're perfect or without flaw though and, I think, we might have gotten a little too comfortable with the lighter, comic verisons.

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

I ran into this with the Ron/Harry crowd in 2002. Primer to the Dark Arts was not very popular with those guys and a couple writers I know said they'd experienced the same attitude. Those writers told me they didn't bother writing the pairing as a result.

It turned out to be just a few people who were heavy into Harry/Ron that gave non-fluff writers a hard time. They made it sound like they were the spokesmen for the pairing (which is how they thought of themselves). Once they moved on, the Harry/Ron pairing was fair game. If helenish had written "Close Enough" in 2002 she would have gotten some blowback.

I'm wondering if the same thing might not be happening in SGA. Didn't astolat take some heat for "Transcendental" and xanthelj for "The General & Dr. Sheppard"?

Icarus

[lillian78.livejournal.com]

I don't remember any about "Transcendental" but I sure do about "The General & Dr. Sheppard". Even though kink normally isnt my thing I liked it very much and was surprised at some of the virulent reaction. It did settle back down later though. I'm not sure if it's just that the people who opposed it are very vocal or there were that many who found it objectionable. But then, I've often found that I've missed a lot of the kerfuffles in the fandom because I get bored pretty easily and all that sound and fury over a story I find interesting pretty silly when it reaches those kind of extreme levels. :-D