Sam/Brooke Manifesto
A Sam/Brooke ship manifesto!
(made for Challenge 11 over at femslash_land )
Title: We're meant to be...
Author: Michaela (kauschi )
Fandom - Popular
Spoilers- entire show
Disclaimer- I do not own anything. All rights belong to Ryan Murphy and The WB.
Back in 1999…before Nip/Tuck and Glee…Ryan Murphy created one of “the best shows you are not watching” - POPULAR.
Back in 1999…before Nip/Tuck and Glee…Ryan Murphy created one of “the best shows you are not watching” - POPULAR.
About the show:
What’s it about?
Who’s hot? Who’s not? The popular ones, the unpopular ones, the jocks, the geeks. Kennedy High is the set for a big war: the popular against the unpopular.
On the popular side: Brooke McQueen, a gorgeous… More blonde, and the head cheerleader; backed up by her best friend Nicole, the Devil in person; as well as her boyfriend, Josh, star of the football team; Mary Cherry, the psychotic multi-millionaire Texan girl; and Sugar Daddy, the heavy-set wannbe gangsta and football player.
On the unpopular side: Sam McPherson, the smart girl who is always looking to expose injustice; Harrison, the geek with a crush on the head cheerleader; Carmen, the heavy girl with the warm heart; and Lily, the confused activist girl with the boyish look.
Sam and Brooke, who despise each other, due to being on opposite sides of the "popularity fence", are forced together upon learning that their parents are getting married.
What makes the show so special?
The evolution of Brooke and Sam's relationship as they get to know each other and begin to see past their misconceptions is one of the better enemies-become-friends storylines on television.
Their friendship and its disconcerting effect on their other friendships is explored in subtle, nuanced ways that avoid black-and-white answers and is realistically messy.
More importantly, viewers exploited the perceived lesbian undertones in their relationship to launch many a Brook/Sam slash video or fanfiction story on the internet.
After the show was canceled, Murphy revealed that had the show been renewed for another season, he planned to have Sam come out as a lesbian.
Unlike most television shows that either avoid controversial topics or treat them with dramatic earnestness, Popular embraces controversial topics, but isn't afraid to make fun of them either.
The show wisely avoids the preachiness that has bogged down many other teen shows, preferring to go for the humor instead. If you learn a lesson or two along the way (and you do, more than once), that's great, but entertainment comes first.
The character of neurotic Glamazon Mary Cherry truly has to be experienced; words can't do her character - or Leslie Grossman's excellent performance - justice.
Nicole Julian exemplifies the character you love to hate, as she veers between backstabbing bitch to, well, a little less bitchy. Alone or with sidekick Mary Cherry, the hilarious barbs fly so fast and furious you'll barely have time to catch your breath between fits of laughter.
From Sugar Daddy to the gender-ambiguous biology teacher Bobbi Glass ("After a nuclear apocalypse, I'll be the only thing left standing other then cockroaches and Cher!") to ultra-outcast April Tuna (whom Mary Cherry calls "the black hole of beauty"), there has rarely been a show which consistently produces supporting characters who are as odd and strangely interesting as those on Popular.
About the fandom:
Since the show first aired in 1999 tons of fanfiction has been written about Sam and Brookes relationship. The hype excelled when the show was cancelled after the Season 2 cliffhanger, where Sam and Brooke both went to Prom with Harrison, but Brooke bolts from the room before he can announce his decision with whom he really wants to be there, saying “This is not what I want” and getting run over by her best friend Nicole…
Fanfic-Imagination, especially after the announcement of creator Ryan Murphy that he had planned for Sam to become a lesbian in Season 3, was running wild and countless stories, videos and communities flooded the web.
Of course, since the show was cancelled 10 years ago, the fandom has died down a lot, but there are still a bunch of very determined and talented writers out there who continue to write amazing stories about those two.
Why do I ship the fandom?
Usually, I am pretty much blind when it comes to lesbian undertones in tv shows or movies. Not this time, though. I always wondered what could have been between those two, if the show hadn’t been cancelled.
I didn’t know about fanfiction back then, and it wasn’t until 2007 that I re-discovered Popular and read myself through hundreds of stories about Sam & Brooke.
Of course it helped that I loved the show and actually could see Sam and Brooke fall for each other, so getting into the fandom wasn’t really that hard ;)
Sam/Brooke fanfiction is mostly all about the drama. There is lots of confessions and denial going on. Usually Sam is the one suffering, but in 99% of the stories they end up happily ever after.
The basic idea of all stories is that Sam and Brooke are made for each other, that they are soul mates, who are meant to be together.
The reason I got into this fandom so easily is simply the fact that most of the Popular fanfiction is amazingly written. It makes me laugh, cry, scream, get frustrated, sad and lots of other emotions while reading.
But its not only Sam and Brooke’s relationship that is portrayed brilliantly, all of the side-stories are amazing too. It’s like actually watching the show. Luckily most fanfiction in this fandom are chapter-stories, so its almost like reading a book.
Of course I do have my favorite stories, but I could definitely not just pick one.
If you do decide to check the fandom out, make sure to read stories by greenquarter (greenquarter ), Janine (fembuck ), Misty Flores ( random_flores ), Aeryn Sun (very angsty), Teara ( grdnofevrythng ), quatorz and Redlance ( redlance_ck).
Besides getting the latest updates on sambrookeisotp , you can browse through tons of stories on http://www.ralst.com/storiesPoP.html or http://www.realmoftheshadow.com/authors.htm#pg .
But beware…you might become addicted.
On a more shallow note…
Heh :)
One last thing though…there is one story I do have to pimp. Not only because its an amazing story or the very talented writer happens to be my girlfriend :) …but she is one of our very own.
So go check out mysensitiveside story “One Crazy Night”, either at her journal or on http://www.ralst.com/OneCrazyNight1-2.HTM and http://www.ralst.com/OneCrazyNight3-4.HTM
Oh...and of course all of her other stories are brilliant, too ;)
(made for Challenge 11 over at femslash_land )
Title: We're meant to be...
Author: Michaela (kauschi )
Fandom - Popular
Spoilers- entire show
Disclaimer- I do not own anything. All rights belong to Ryan Murphy and The WB.
Back in 1999…before Nip/Tuck and Glee…Ryan Murphy created one of “the best shows you are not watching” - POPULAR.
Back in 1999…before Nip/Tuck and Glee…Ryan Murphy created one of “the best shows you are not watching” - POPULAR.
About the show:
What’s it about?
Who’s hot? Who’s not? The popular ones, the unpopular ones, the jocks, the geeks. Kennedy High is the set for a big war: the popular against the unpopular.
On the popular side: Brooke McQueen, a gorgeous… More blonde, and the head cheerleader; backed up by her best friend Nicole, the Devil in person; as well as her boyfriend, Josh, star of the football team; Mary Cherry, the psychotic multi-millionaire Texan girl; and Sugar Daddy, the heavy-set wannbe gangsta and football player.
On the unpopular side: Sam McPherson, the smart girl who is always looking to expose injustice; Harrison, the geek with a crush on the head cheerleader; Carmen, the heavy girl with the warm heart; and Lily, the confused activist girl with the boyish look.
Sam and Brooke, who despise each other, due to being on opposite sides of the "popularity fence", are forced together upon learning that their parents are getting married.
What makes the show so special?
- Sam and Brooke
The evolution of Brooke and Sam's relationship as they get to know each other and begin to see past their misconceptions is one of the better enemies-become-friends storylines on television.
Their friendship and its disconcerting effect on their other friendships is explored in subtle, nuanced ways that avoid black-and-white answers and is realistically messy.
More importantly, viewers exploited the perceived lesbian undertones in their relationship to launch many a Brook/Sam slash video or fanfiction story on the internet.
After the show was canceled, Murphy revealed that had the show been renewed for another season, he planned to have Sam come out as a lesbian.
- The writing
Unlike most television shows that either avoid controversial topics or treat them with dramatic earnestness, Popular embraces controversial topics, but isn't afraid to make fun of them either.
The show wisely avoids the preachiness that has bogged down many other teen shows, preferring to go for the humor instead. If you learn a lesson or two along the way (and you do, more than once), that's great, but entertainment comes first.
- Mary Cherry
The character of neurotic Glamazon Mary Cherry truly has to be experienced; words can't do her character - or Leslie Grossman's excellent performance - justice.
- Nicole Julian
Nicole Julian exemplifies the character you love to hate, as she veers between backstabbing bitch to, well, a little less bitchy. Alone or with sidekick Mary Cherry, the hilarious barbs fly so fast and furious you'll barely have time to catch your breath between fits of laughter.
- The rest of the cast
From Sugar Daddy to the gender-ambiguous biology teacher Bobbi Glass ("After a nuclear apocalypse, I'll be the only thing left standing other then cockroaches and Cher!") to ultra-outcast April Tuna (whom Mary Cherry calls "the black hole of beauty"), there has rarely been a show which consistently produces supporting characters who are as odd and strangely interesting as those on Popular.
About the fandom:
Since the show first aired in 1999 tons of fanfiction has been written about Sam and Brookes relationship. The hype excelled when the show was cancelled after the Season 2 cliffhanger, where Sam and Brooke both went to Prom with Harrison, but Brooke bolts from the room before he can announce his decision with whom he really wants to be there, saying “This is not what I want” and getting run over by her best friend Nicole…
Fanfic-Imagination, especially after the announcement of creator Ryan Murphy that he had planned for Sam to become a lesbian in Season 3, was running wild and countless stories, videos and communities flooded the web.
Of course, since the show was cancelled 10 years ago, the fandom has died down a lot, but there are still a bunch of very determined and talented writers out there who continue to write amazing stories about those two.
Why do I ship the fandom?
Usually, I am pretty much blind when it comes to lesbian undertones in tv shows or movies. Not this time, though. I always wondered what could have been between those two, if the show hadn’t been cancelled.
I didn’t know about fanfiction back then, and it wasn’t until 2007 that I re-discovered Popular and read myself through hundreds of stories about Sam & Brooke.
Of course it helped that I loved the show and actually could see Sam and Brooke fall for each other, so getting into the fandom wasn’t really that hard ;)
Sam/Brooke fanfiction is mostly all about the drama. There is lots of confessions and denial going on. Usually Sam is the one suffering, but in 99% of the stories they end up happily ever after.
The basic idea of all stories is that Sam and Brooke are made for each other, that they are soul mates, who are meant to be together.
The reason I got into this fandom so easily is simply the fact that most of the Popular fanfiction is amazingly written. It makes me laugh, cry, scream, get frustrated, sad and lots of other emotions while reading.
But its not only Sam and Brooke’s relationship that is portrayed brilliantly, all of the side-stories are amazing too. It’s like actually watching the show. Luckily most fanfiction in this fandom are chapter-stories, so its almost like reading a book.
Of course I do have my favorite stories, but I could definitely not just pick one.
If you do decide to check the fandom out, make sure to read stories by greenquarter (greenquarter ), Janine (fembuck ), Misty Flores ( random_flores ), Aeryn Sun (very angsty), Teara ( grdnofevrythng ), quatorz and Redlance ( redlance_ck).
Besides getting the latest updates on sambrookeisotp , you can browse through tons of stories on http://www.ralst.com/storiesPoP.html or http://www.realmoftheshadow.com/authors.htm#pg .
But beware…you might become addicted.
On a more shallow note…
Heh :)
One last thing though…there is one story I do have to pimp. Not only because its an amazing story or the very talented writer happens to be my girlfriend :) …but she is one of our very own.
So go check out mysensitiveside story “One Crazy Night”, either at her journal or on http://www.ralst.com/OneCrazyNight1-2.HTM and http://www.ralst.com/OneCrazyNight3-4.HTM
Oh...and of course all of her other stories are brilliant, too ;)