Rec and meta: making kidfic work

[sg_fignewton]

If you've been hanging around this journal for the last year or so, you've probably seen me squee about night_spear1287's marvelous AU, Daniel of Abydos. It's a deliciously long four-part series that rewrites history from S1 through S4, with stellar characterization, realistic repercussions and emotional fallout, and fabulous tweaking of canon to reflect both the

Comments

[sg_fignewton]

Thanks for chiming in, PoG. You gave me permission to quote you, but not name you, so...

I absolutely appreciate that a fic like this isn't for everyone, and yay to fandom for being able to offer niches to just about everybody! I can't help it, though, if I fangirl this series so shamelessly that I want everyone to give it a try. :)

[night_spear1287]

Hee, you posted! I'm really flattered

[sg_fignewton]

"but Hammond is not Dumbledore and the US Air Force is not Hogwarts (although Voldemort could totally have been a Goa'uld)."

Hah! Dumbledore totally should be brought up on charges of child abuse for what he put Harry through... right behind Snape. :)

it does poke rather hard at issues like children's rights

Well, part of what I like so much is that you do poke instead of just ignoring it.

...And your awesome Daniel and Teal'c friendship and Jack and Daniel friendship and Sam and Daniel friendship and Hammond and Janet and Sha'uri don't particularly hurt, either. ;)

[sg_betty]

I was able to suspend my disbelief in terms of a young Daniel going offworld, given the limitations imposed. It was a bit of a stretch, but not one that I couldn't manage. (I actually have a much harder time with non-canon relationships, because then it becomes a character issue for me, rather than a world-building issue

[sg_fignewton]

It's interesting, because as I say here, it's those very discussions and limitations that I think make Nightspear's story so right. OTOH, I do see this Daniel as very much "able to contribute and with all their knowledge and capabilities intact." Maybe, as you suggest, it's because this is AU in the first place. Daniel isn't reduced; this is what he is, to begin with.

I've never actually read a story where one of the team has children or adopts them and actually enjoys it, but that doesn't mean I would automatically dismiss such a story. The author would have to work really hard for it to be plausible, though. (Ooooh, Niamaea's stunning future fic A Million Years Into the Sky. It spans years and yes, people marry and have kids and die and it's just GORGEOUS. So yeah, it can be done.)

[sg_betty]

I agree with you about Daniel's capabilities in Nightspear's story. Sadly, this is generally not true when some amazing technology turns him into a toddler who must be adopted by one of the team. *closes eyes and attempts to go to happy place*

[sg_fignewton]

::sporfles::

I do hope to have that discussion here one day, but not in the context of Nightspear's story! Bear in mind that a lot of people here do like kidfic. And I look forward to them trying to explain it to me. :)

[redbyrd_sgfic]

I've read at least the first couple of segments of this, and agree that NightSpear has done a great job of taking a somewhat unlikely premise and justifying it. She's also created an extremely well-thought-out AU, with great team interaction. I've enjoyed it a lot, despite not generally going for kidfic.

So reading this through, I've been thinking about kidfic generally, and why don't I usually care for it. I think it has something to do with generally wanting main characters to be both competent and heroic, while a lot of kidfic tends to take a character whom I really like as an adult and, well, diminish them.

NightSpear's AU works better than most for me because although she's given Daniel different and somewhat greater challenges because he's a kid, she's also made him extraordinary enough, and has excellent internal consistency in the way he's handled so that I can appreciate the story for itself. Even though to some extent I have to separate it in my mind from the canon in order to enjoy it. If that makes any sense.

[sg_betty]

You've nailed exactly why I don't generally go for kidfic, and why I found this one so different. Agreed on all points!

[sg_fignewton]

::nods:: I don't normally read kidfic at all, but this? I devoured it, and loved it. And I think you're right that this is the main point: I think it has something to do with generally wanting main characters to be both competent and heroic, while a lot of kidfic tends to take a character whom I really like as an adult and, well, diminish them. Because there is NO diminishing here, since Daniel is what he is from the very beginning. As an example, I would cite the discussion that Daniel and Robert have on 888, when Daniel spins out a theory on how the Goa'uld developed naquadah in the blood and Robert just stares open-mouthed. So utterly, perfectly, out-of-the-box Daniel.

Yes, it's AU. And yes, it's wonderful. :)