new story: Take Clothes Off As Directed

[helenish]

Title: Take Clothes Off As Directed
Author: Helen
Rating: NC-17
Fandom: SGA
Warnings: BDSM
Summary: John entered the Air Force Academy in 1987; it was only the third year subs were accepted into the flight program. John wasn't the only one in his class, but he was the only one who looked like he did, and it didn't make him any friends.Oh boy. This

Comments

[lovessong]

Oh my god. Fucking brilliant. I love how beautifully you expose the way that the universe Xanthe created is a mirror of traditional gender roles. And I love how despite the strong feminist critique of the universe and its norms that your story provides, it also succeeds as a love story. But even in that success, even within the love story, we see the damage the system of unequal power does to the individual and the relationship. I am blown away.

[amothea]

But even in that success, even within the love story, we see the damage the system of unequal power does to the individual and the relationship.

I had a hard time figuring out how to articulate what you said here and ended up just skipping it all together, well said.

[wychwood]

Yes! Yes! What lovesong said!

I have to admit that I found the "originals" almost completely unreadable. The characterisation was problematic, but just the whole world really bothered me. I don't like biological determinism of any kind, and the level of restriction - it just really, really squicks me. But I enjoyed what you did here.

I love the way you use sexist rhetoric in this, to show how ridiculous it is; the stuff about John not becoming a pilot because he'll just leave and get married ("Tops get married all the time-" / "Don't you think that's just a little bit disingenuous?" she said. "It's hardly the same thing.") and the harrassment he has to deal with, but also the more subtle problems with the more PC types (Lorne trying to "treat him right", Elizabeth doing her best to manage him properly

[kathana_grey]

Hm. Beside the biological determinism problem I think you either haven't read Xanthe's author note and warning and you have taken the fic too seriously. I personally have more problems with rape fic than this universe and I see different weak points in it than you seem to do (too extreme personalities, over the top behaviour f.ex.) It is meant as escapism and fun and is, in my humble opinion and if you are open minded enough to read between the lines, not such a bad mirror at all. Helen's concentrates on the dynamic problems issue which you can translate into gender, Xanthe's focuses on individual characters

[lobelia321]

But even in that success, even within the love story, we see the damage the system of unequal power does to the individual and the relationship. I am blown away.

Ditto. You formulate this perfectly. Thank you for making me re-think this story yet again. :-)

[helenish]

See, this is the kind of feedback which I always feel kind of inadequate responding to, since when I was working on this story and telling people about it, I was all "It's about John in a collar! Plus civil rights! But mostly that first one. mMM."

But, um, thanks.

[lovessong]

*grin* Hey, I'm not saying the John in a collar thing wasn't awesome -- but it's the civil rights bit that hit my kinks hardest, in this case.

. . . oh, god, I am such a geek.

Actually, what I think is particularly cool is how many people liked the story for totally different (and sometimes contradictory) reasons.