Pern

[icarus]

Just finished re-reading the Pern series (dragons, oh dragons) by Anne McCaffrey, as prep/procrastination for my SGA/Pern crossover.

Wow. McCaffrey created a fascinating world with lurid sexual overtones and canon slash opportunities. A mind-to-mind permanent bond with a flying, fighting dragon! A quasi-military dragon defense force falling into disrepute!

She's also in dire need of a beta reader. She takes long treks into exposition land, forgets to describe what characters look like, leaves out the setting, and occasionally doesn't make sense. I'd give her to isis. Isis would take time to do line edits and guide her ("Yes, you say here they 'arrive at the Weyr.' The roof? A rocky ledge? Where are we?").

This would be forgivable (dragon mating flights! That send everyone into a sexual frenzy!) but McCaffrey spends her third book of the series (her best-written) tearing down the world she created. Instead of exploring the sexually fraught implications of the dragonrider's life, she writes about . Instead of developing her world, she has them rediscover electricity and the spaceships that brought them there. It wouldn't be so bad, except they immediately understand every object they find. "Oh, those three stationary stars in the sky, why, that doesn't disprove our new theories of star movement. Why no! We get instantly that they must be an orbiting space station." *eyeroll*

Yes, this is why I want to write an SGA/Pern fic that explores the life of a dragonrider -- before McC ran through her world with the wrecking ball of implausibility. Granted, an exploration of male dragonriders embracing in sexual frenzy as their dragons mate is probably something she couldn't get published ...

... but hey. that's what fandom's for.

Comments

[gblvr]

You do know how McCaffrey felt about homosexuality, right? I think it's cosmic justice that the only type of fanfiction we all seem to want to write is Teh Icky Gay kind....

[icarus]

I just looked it up. Hahahahahahaha! She's the one who made that tent peg comment. Hahhahaha!

I now want to write even more homoerotic Pern fic.

[gblvr]

Yes, please?

[amalthia]

wait she doesn't approve at all????

[amalthia]

Now I want to read your story more than before! :) Pern sounds like it has some great concepts. :)

[gblvr]

Apparently fanfiction is now 'okay' but from comments she's made about how anal sex makes men effeminate (and how none of her really manly characters are anything other than 100% heterosexual), I get the impression she thinks 'gay' somehow equals feminine and unnatural....

[amalthia]

she has issues! Man, I hope everyone gets it up the ass in Icarus's story!

[icarus]

F'lar rolled over and stretched, his muscles flexing. He rubbed his eyes and sniffed, breathing in the heavy musky male scent. Post-sex, post-mating flight. No other scent like it. He covered his eyes then lifted up his palm like a visor. He caught a glimpse of a bare male torso from the waist down, pale skin, whiter on his ass, sandy blond hair on his chest, a thatch of darker, almost straight pubic hair. F'lar sagged into pillows, pretending to be asleep. He preferred to keep his mating flights and his personal relationships separate.

The Green rider squirmed into a shirt and, still bare-assed, collected his clothes around the untidy room. It wasn't one of those shared weyrs, thank god. Riders got kicked out of those at ten bells, and it was well past. But the room was smaller than F'lar's, claustrophobic, cluttered with trinkets. Gifts. Some of the Green riders expected tokens of appreciation. F'lar would get F'nor to pick something up at a Gather.

Something nice, he decided. It had been a fast ride.

The rider started talking, apparently noticing that F'lar was awake. "You can let yourself by the stair." He indicated the back wall with a jerk of his head. "Villeth is curled up with Mnementh and won't budge."

F'lar mentally prodded his dragon and got nothing but a sleepy rumble.

The Green rider--what was his name again?--sat on the bed, stuffing his legs into his weyrhide pants without any underwear, F'lar saw.

"You'll freeze your balls off Between," F'lar pointed out.

The rider shot him a quick, sharp glance. "My pants'll keep them on." He stamped his boots on.

"'The rider must be flight ready, fight ready, for Thread can come at any time,'" F'lar quoted, letting sternness bleed into his voice.

The Green rider shook his head. Then leaned over and, before F'lar could react, kissed him, hard on the lips. There had been kissing during the flight, firm male lips opening to F'lar as F'lar stripped off his shirt.

The Green rider drew back. P'ram. The name flitted across F'lar's memory.

"You bronze riders are all alike," P'ram said. He grabbed his jacket and left. F'lar heard his boot steps all the way down the stair.

Mnementh? F'lar prodded the sleepy dragon again. He was ready to leave.

Villeth likes me, Mnementh's mental voice felt warm and happy. I turn quick.

She does, F'lar agreed. And you do. You're the fastest dragon in the weyr.

Her rider does not like you.

F'lar thought his answer over carefully. The personal dislikes of the riders should never carry over to their dragons. That would not do.

He does not like bronze riders, F'lar said, realizing it was true.

Villeth says she likes bronze dragons best.

"That could be why...." F'lar muttered to himself.

She prefers me, Mnementh said with obvious smugness.

That's because because you're the biggest bronze in Pern, F'lar said, even as he steeled himself for many more mornings with P'ram.

[icarus]

It does! And it's largely unexplored because she abandoned some of the key concepts.

[gblvr]

Evil. You, miss, are evil. (And I love it!)

[icarus]

Hours later, F'lar rejoined his wing's training. He was greeted with a wide grin from F'nor. A grin that grew wider when F'lar mounted slowly, his hips bruised and legs tired.

The other riders didn't comment though their dragons mantled their wings and gave whuffs of frustration that they were the last wing into the sky. Dragons didn't understand the concept of waiting for the wing leader. If a bronze didn't show, they were content to fly without him.

F'nor drew up beside him, swaying with Canth's loping stride. "P'ram, huh?"

F'lar shut his eyes and wished F'nor Between. Or in P'ram's bed.

"You're up early. No after flight action?" F'nor asked, his eyes twinkling.

"Just kissing," F'lar said, mostly to shock him.

F'nor blinked in pleased surprise. "Ah, F'lar the Great finally unfreezes. Not my term," he added quickly, palm raised. "But good. Word's been that no one would get anything from you if Mnementh didn't rise at every possible opportunity."

F'lar stroked Mnementh's smooth neck. "He's young."

"P'ram says I'm a better lay than you." F'nor beamed, the dimples in his cheek showing.

It rankled, but F'lar gave him a dignified nod. "You probably are."

"But maybe you're the better kisser," F'nor said with a sly glance.

"Unless Mnementh flies Canth, you'll never know," F'lar assured him. He tied the flight straps, Mnementh content to follow Canth into wing position. His legs were too tired to be reliable. After a moment F'lar said, "P'ram complains about all the bronze riders." He wasn't entirely certain that was true.

"I don't care what he says about the other bronze riders," F'nor said, motioning toward the rest of the wing. "You need their support. You're not Weyrleader yet."

"I need their obedience," F'lar said.

"Same thing."

[cleverthylacine]

My brain, weird critter that it is, is now trying to cross MST3K "He tried to kill me with a fork-lift" song with "He tried to gay me with a tent peg!"