Hmm. Do I wade back into this mess?
Jul. 3rd, 2006 01:19 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
icarusDo 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:
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.
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.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2006-07-05 09:17 pm (UTC)For example, I just received a long email over a story in another fandom where the writer was thrilled with my non-fluffy characterization of Ron/Hermione -- and then spent most of the email ranting about the implausibility of certain other popular stories. The stories he was ranting about were well-liked, and I don't think that characterization was really his issue. Rather, he placed an emphasis on plot, that's what he wanted (with a side order of sex), and whenever the romance occurred at the expense of plot, well, he didn't get what he wanted.
Likewise people who are reading for romance, or looking for a hero in John are guaranteed to hate Last Port Of Call. Or maybe there's something else a reader is looking for, but obviously there's an investment there to see a strong reaction.
That doesn't matter. We all have different tastes.
What's disturbed me is something you haven't done.
There's been a strident element attacking the characterization, attempting to convince me that it's wrong (it's not gonna happen, too many people I respect dig it) and that I shouldn't write John like this.
That's oppressive. If an author has less support than I have or has less experience, then the people who've done this could discourage some good, blossoming SGA writers. It has a chilling effect on the fandom.
For a fandom to grow you need the full range of artistic expression. This means that stories will turn up that we don't like. I hate soppy, crying h/c Rodney -- I don't buy it -- but that doesn't mean I'm going to jump on an author for writing it. I hit the Back button and feel grateful that it's free and I'm not out $10.95 for the paperback.
Now, on the feeling of your view being mischaracterized -- two thirds of the comments that were uncomfortable with John's actions (yours included, though
But that's a far cry from the vehemence of the other third who didn't (or couldn't) separate their personal feelings and preconceptions from the story. If they didn't like it, it must be that the story had a problem. With distance and time, looking back on it, I consider that immature.
Icarus
P.S. *sighs* It's also a measure of the success of the story that some women's responses were that visceral. A surprising number of women who had experienced this type of sexual manipulation projected themselves onto Rodney. There were very telling responses: "I can't imagine any adult woman who hasn't been forced into sex with a man." This over a story that didn't contain a woman.