Ten Things I Will Not Apologize For in SG-1 Fandom

[moonshayde]

Since the show is coming to a close very soon, I thought I'd look back at the fandom a bit. These are some of my feelings on the SG-1 fandom. It's not everything I think and feel, but they are important points. My involvement as definitely lessened over time and will likely continue to lessen due to my original fic commitments. Yet, at the same time I know I won't be leaving completely. Not right now, anyway.



1. I am a GEN and TEAM fan.
Occasionally, I see this stigma against Gen team fans. I'm proud to be one. I like the team dynamic best. I feel it allows all the characters to showcase their strengths and weaknesses. It also best demonstrates how much they care for each other. Just because I don't ship or see Sam/Jack or Daniel/Vala at the same level as others doesn't make me any less of a fan or make me some delusional freak.

2. I am a Daniel fan.
I love Daniel. I always will. He's the character that drew me to the show (though in a TEAM context) and he'll always be the one I feel a certain affinity to. Part of that is because I find the character intriguing. Part of it is because Daniel studies what I study. Part of it is because I think MS playing Daniel is cute. But for the character? He's not perfect. He's arrogant and flawed and kind of dangerous when he sets his mind on something. But I love him for it. The show is just not the same without Daniel.

3. I am a Sam fan.
I love Sam. She's also flawed, but in different ways. She's bright and she's brave, but is an emotional mess. I may not have liked what they've done with her character sometimes, but I feel like in the past two seasons she's matured as a character. I've always enjoyed her overall, and as a character she seems to often get the short end of the stick as "the girl." But I can't not have Sam on SG-1. She makes it as much as Jack and Daniel and Teal'c make it for me. And now, Cameron. I am also proud that I, personally, can enjoy both Sam and Daniel without having to feel like taking sides :)

4. I love Cameron.
One can still love Cameron and love Jack. For me, Cameron is not Jack. Cameron does not replace Jack. Because really, who can replace Jack? Cameron is new and fresh, and adds something vibrant to an aging show and to the other characters who have faced so much over the years. And though he's not always written consistently, Cameron is my favorite part of the new aspect of the show. It doesn't hurt that he's hot, either.

5. I multiship in the fandom and don't have an OTP.
I am GEN for the show, but anything goes in fandom. The closest to an OTP I may have is Jack/Sara and Daniel/Sha're. And I like the tragic ends to those ships. I just do. But I find fandom fun and full of so many possibilities. Why not explore them? I explore some ships more than others. Some ships I'm just not feeling the love. But what is nice about fandom is that if I get an idea, I can go with it, no matter what it is.

6. I have friends of every persuasion.
I'm ecstatic that I know people that love various pairings. Knowing people that like a pairing I don't like, or don't like a pairing that I like, has been an eye opener. One can learn a ton about characterization and different povs on characters. Sometimes, if you love a character so much, you can miss their faults and turn into flat out worship. Other fans can help here. Also, if you dislike a character and someone else loves them, they might be able to point out some things you missed. It's great :)

7. I don't write porn.
I have many friends who write porn. That's fine. I don't have anything against people reading and enjoying it, actually. It's not for me. I wouldn't do it justice anyway. And I'm okay with that :)

8. I am a fanfic snob.
Yes, I am. I will stand by anyone's right to write whatever they want, but at the same time there is a lot of what I deem to be crap out there. In fact, I am rarely impressed. If I have ever read a fic of yours or commented on a fic or have recced you, then you know you have done something right. I'm sure that there are a few of you I've forgotten to feedback in the past or there are people I haven't read yet. So, don't feel discouraged if you've never heard from me. But I am hard to please and I won't apologize for that.

9. I think adding Vala to the show was a bad idea.
I love Claudia Black. I don't mind the concept of Vala. And I think CB does the absolute best with the role she has. However, I feel that (especially in S9) she hurt the dynamic on the show. In part, I feel that was due to AT's absence, RDA leaving, and a bunch of new cast and concepts that threw me off -- we lost half of SG-1 at the beginning of S9. For the record, I am enjoying her MUCH more in S10. I don't hate her and I don't love her. That seems to get me in trouble all the way around, but too bad ;)

10. To this day, I still love Jack.
I will always love Jack. Always. He was part of what made this show work and he's sorely missed. Despite some of RDA's less than stellar performances in the later years of the show, I still feel like Jack added something that cannot be replaced. They all add something that is unique and special. And maybe this is why I love this show and the better parts of fandom so much. Like every character, every person brings something unique to the table. And together, they all create this wonderful buffet of specialness :)

PS - The Teal'c love is a given ;)

SG-1 has been great. I still love it and I always will. And yay for the net so it can continue to live on :)

Comments

[holdouttrout.livejournal.com]

I like this list. Very much. I wish, sometimes, that I were a gen girl. I think gen people have good heads on their shoulders and have a different perspective on character interactions. It's nice to see people that don't automatically assume that the characters much be In Love, OMG.

This doesn't stop me from shipping though.

Sigh.

:-)

[parisntripfan.livejournal.com]

Good for you for posting exactly what you think and not caving to the peer pressure within the SG-1 fandom. I may not always agree with you, but I have always gotten the impression we could have a rational discussion - which is something I feel is lacking in many places (not just fandom).

[http://users.livejournal.com/traycer_/]

I cannot agree with you more on #7. I'm afraid if I wrote porn, I'd be laughed out of the fandom. :) I can get down and dirty, but not THAT dirty.

As for the snob business, I've found myself doing that with a few authors that have several books out on the bookstore shelves!! I used to like them, but now i sometimes have to wonder just how they got those books published in the first place.

And Jack. Can I just say, "Me too!" to everything you wrote. :D And that goes especially for the "less than stellar performance" during the later years. I guess I just prefer Action Jack over the Sit Behind the Desk Jack.

One last thing. Can you tell me what OTP stands for? I thought I had figured it out, but now I'm thinking that I am wrong once again.

Great analysis of characterization and the show in general. Thanks for this!

[aurora-novarum.livejournal.com]

Yeah, um, what you said. Ditto. :-)

(Except I don't think I'll write ship. Never say never, but...I read it, just likely not write it (maybe Daniel/Sha're...but...). And #7, definitely agree. If I did it, it would suck, and I don't mean that in the good "porny" way)

[paian]

I love your list. Doing it was a neat idea and it came out wonderfully. I especially love #6. And your last line most of all. :-)

[beanpot.livejournal.com]

One big yep all around. I multi-ship like mad in fandom, but when it comes to the show, I tend to shy away from any pairing that is even hinted at. Atlantis has kind of hinted at Telya/John recently and it just makes me run the other way. Mainly because any time characters are paired up and must be in twue lub..the show goes downhill.

And its funny my evolution into a sort of snob on fanfic. When I started out, I read a lot - a lot - of bad stuff. Mainly because I didn't really know where the great stuff was. Now I tend to stick to people I know and people they rec. If I venture out on my own, the path is littered with hefflumps and wuzzules.

[sela21k.livejournal.com]

Jack luv...I so totally agree.

[abyssinia4077.livejournal.com]

I am also proud that I, personally, can enjoy both Sam and Daniel without having to feel like taking sides :)

I'm so sitting here boggling at the idea of not loving BOTH Sam and Daniel.
Yay team!

I'm curious - with your explanation of being a fic snob - are there any general trends of things that will turn you on or off a fic - things you like or don't? How do you decide what to read, especially for new authors?

A-men on the not writing porn. I wrote a fic a while ago that had my first ever sex scene - and it was very understated and short - not porny at all and I still really flailed writing it. Definitely not something I'm really cut out to write.

[martyfan.livejournal.com]

Agreed on almost every point (I'm a little more uncertain on the Vala thing, as I do like Daniel/Vala but I think the show would've been fine if she'd never ended up on the show either). As far as #7 goes, the closest thing to porn I've ever written is a very non-erotic Jolinar/Bynarr flashback, so word on that too.

[crayonbreakygal.livejournal.com]

I really, really love your list. I may not agree with all of them 100 percent, but I still love them. You give reasons for every single one of the things that you will not apologize for. There's just so many people out there that say "if you don't like x/y, then you're horrible" or something like that.

Yay for the multiship/gen fans out there who like just what they like.

And you turned me to Daniel/Elizabeth so there is good in the world. hehehehe

[sg-fignewton.livejournal.com]

Never, EVER apologize for being a fan of team and gen! I will stand right there in your corner and cheer you on, waving my Teamy Goodness banner with abandon! :)

One of the things I most enjoy about your fic is its sheer scope. You write all characters with equal love and attention. I salute you, and strongly encourage lots and lots of new fics in the very near future!

[pellucid.livejournal.com]

I think it's just a sign of the fact that I've surrounded myself with such an eclectic group of SG-1 folks that it's hard to remember why some folks would consider any of these something to apologize for! Sure, you and I don't agree on every point (Vala, for instance), but what's the fun in only hanging out with folks who always agree with you?!?!?!? ;)

One thing, though, that I meant to ask you to clarify back when we all had that gen discussion and never did, and now it's come back again here. What exactly do you mean by this: I am GEN for the show? Am I reading it correctly if I interpret it to mean "I don't want to see any romantic pairings on the show"? Or even "I don't see any romantic pairings on the show"? Or "I acknowledge really canon pairings like Daniel/Sha're, but that's it" and/or "...but I don't want them belabored as part of the plot"? Or is it none of those, and I'm just reading you wrong? It's something I've seen you say at various times, but I've never been entirely sure what you mean by it.