Discussion: Every Fight is a Fight For Your Life by liviapenn; Gen

[lunabee34]

This is the discussion post for liviapenn's Every Fight is a Fight For Your Life, a Sora-centric gen piece that's rated PG-13.

Let's make this inaugural conversation a good one, y'all!

Comments

[liviapenn]

It seems like this conversation's died down a bit, so let me chime in...

First of all, this was really interesting, and I enjoyed reading the discussion. :D

I really appreciated the comments from friendshipper and lunabee that said that the story gave them a sense of really seeing things from an alien cultural lens. I enjoy writing alien-cultural POVs; my John/Teyla story "First Contact" is rather similar in this regard, actually, now that I think about it. Hm. Anyway, I'm glad it worked on that level. :)

Lunabee's comment about fives-- I did think of including Elizabeth, but I couldn't think of anything for her to do that Teyla and Rodney didn't already cover.

Rodney's dialogue (mentioned by most people) -- All the criticisms here are spot on, really. It isn't Rodneylike at all. ^_^ I think what I had in mind at the time was that this wouldn't really be how Rodney would normally talk-- this is his *idea* of intimidating interrogation tough-talk, and he just... doesn't pull it off well. (Like in "Defiant One" when Gall mocks him for calling the jumper "baby.") On the other hand, when Rodney does this on the show, it's usually pretty damn obvious-- "In military parlance, surprise is.... an element... on our side." Oh Rodney. Anyway, the point is, it doesn't come across at all in the story, obviously. :(

puritybrown: The second section had a couple of lines that rang false to me: I don't believe that Sora knows "everything the Genii know about the Wraith",

That's a really good point. *G* Although you could argue that maybe being her father's daughter has made her privy to certain knowledge, more than other young soldiers her age? She certainly seems to be something of a golden child. But yeah, it goes against the main theme of secrecy and factionalism and that bit could have been dialed back a lot. She doesn't have to know everything to know a lot of useful things.

Although she thinks of herself as tough and hardened, she's not; not really.

*nods* As bitter as Sora seems when it comes to Teyla, she was really empathetic towards the Atlantean guards that Kolya killed, and also John-- "He's only doing what we would do, defending his home," etc. Also it's notable that when it came down to it, she *wasn't* capable of killing Teyla.

wickedwords on Sora's innocent act: It's an every visit thing, and it's only after she's shot with the stunner that she gives that up. I have no idea why she ever thought it would be successful.

My thoughts were along the lines of... lifelong habits don't go away that quickly; the I'm-so-cute act is probably instinctive. Also, the Atlanteans *have* seen a "softer side of Sora." Sort of. She even helped Teyla save Carson's life at the end. So it made sense to me that she'd pretend to be cooperative. (Perhaps, in a similar situation among the Genii, she could manage to convince her captors that she'd only unwillingly participated in the raid, but she was secretly on their side all along, etc. Of course this isn't how things work on Atlantis.)

I didn't know what Sora's motives where or what she thought she would gain from baiting him.

Yeah, it's not really made clear. If I could go back and edit the story I'd add in a little note from Sora's POV as she's led back to her cell; Sora congratulating herself on manipulating McKay, making him so angry that he couldn't even continue the interview. Angry people can't think straight, and so McKay's interrogation failed and he didn't get any information out of her-- points to Sora! (Basically, what lunabee said about secrecy. Sora's not just Genii, she's special ops; guarding her secrets is important.) But, again, that doesn't come across in the scene (as written), so it's not a successful scene.

*

Once again, thanks for everyone's comments. This was awesome. :D

[lunabee34]

Thank you so much for allowing us to discuss your story. This was a wonderfully successful inaugural conversation and I think everyone had a great time reading and talking about what you've written. I'm glad it was a positive experience for you as well.

Thanks also for commenting on your writing decisions. One of the things I enjoy most is hearing a writer talk about why he/she did certain things in a piece and your answers are fascinating.

(And, the conversation is technically never over. Many times I had people come into club_joss and post on old story conversations, so you never know.)

:)

[helsmeta]

My thoughts were along the lines of... lifelong habits don't go away that quickly; the I'm-so-cute act is probably instinctive.

I had no trouble with this bit at all, and I'm not the least bit surprised she gave it her best shot. That makes a lot of sense for all the reasons you state here, and also because -- as a woman in the military -- she would know damn well that one of the ways to manipulate people, and especially to manipulate men, is to try to cultivate an image of yourself as harmless and needing protection. She's trying to get Ford and the others on her side, and even though it isn't working, I think it's a perfectly legit thing for her to do. (Another one of the reasons this was my favorite section.)

Perhaps, in a similar situation among the Genii, she could manage to convince her captors that she'd only unwillingly participated in the raid, but she was secretly on their side all along, etc. Of course this isn't how things work on Atlantis.

That's a really cool idea, and I wish I'd thought of it while reading. ^_^ The Genii are a lot more devious than I tend to give them credit for, given that usually SGA kicks their butts, but there's a lot more politicking and factionalism in them than there is among the Atlanteans, and I think it's precisely because it's so unfamiliar that I forget it's really there.

If I could go back and edit the story I'd add in a little note from Sora's POV as she's led back to her cell; Sora congratulating herself on manipulating McKay, making him so angry that he couldn't even continue the interview. Angry people can't think straight, and so McKay's interrogation failed and he didn't get any information out of her-- points to Sora!

I do get that read from her, or at least I certainly assume it -- Sora's behavior and motivations seem pretty obvious. It's McKay being an interrogator that leaves me wondering how he got that job; it seems so unlike anything else he ever does in Atlantis.