So I was thinking...

[kalimyre]

I like the Stargate SG1 fandom. I really do. It's a huge, widely varied place with some amazing talent and several of the nicest people it's ever been my pleasure to know. It has survived for eight years and is still going strong, which is pretty amazing, when you think about it. I mean, after literally thousands of stories have been written

Comments

[chopchica]

Aside from the newness factor, I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that everybody *likes* the show right now. So many fandoms are filled with bitterness toward the actual fandom element - Smallville, Buffy, Stargate, etc. People enjoy the show they visualize in their heads - not the show that is actually on the television. SGA hasn't hit that point (yet, although god willing it won't).

And trust me, there's tons and tons of crap out there, as well as some lovely winner who compared accidentally reading a slash story to biting into a pie full of poo.

[kalimyre]

You know, I think you may have something there. It's true that for SG1, particularly in the later seasons, there was a lot of animosity toward TPTB and the directions the show was taking. I've seen a bit of that over in the CSI fandom as well, and yes, the most popular ship pairing over there takes a lot of flack from the slashers, with some Sara-bashing. (Which is similar to Sam-bashing in SG1.)

I may have missed a great deal of the crappier stories because I mostly only read livejournal fics, and am lucky enough to have an flist full of talented people. I do still check Wraithbait occasionally, though, in hopes of finding some undiscovered gem. *g*

as well as some lovely winner who compared accidentally reading a slash story to biting into a pie full of poo.

*rolls eyes* You know, right after I finished writing about how nice and friendly and mature Atlantis is, I found that discussion you're referring to. It's karma, you know. That's what I get for poking the happy.

[chopchica]

But, a pie full of POO! It's the best metaphor EVER!

I have a real addiction to badfic. It's like a drug. And I check Wraithbait obsessively.

Oh, hey, when you get feedback on Wraithbait, do you respond? I have no idea if I should or not.

[poteidia]

For me, SGA is happier because it doesn't have the baggage SG1 does (yet). SG1 became a much less fun place to play when Daniel left and Jonas showed up. I loved Jonas and adore Daniel...unfortunately others didn't and couldn't seem to accept that anyone else could. The viciousness of some of that just tainted the whole show for me. I still enjoy it...but I enjoy SGA more. Plus, I think maybe because it's still shiny and new to all of us - the actors included.

[kalimyre]

Mmm... you've hit on something here, I think. It got to a point where the fandom took itself so very seriously. Remember the episode where they poked fun at fans? Citizen Joe, I believe it was called. And there were so many shout-outs to the fans that it tickled me to no end, but a lot of people took offence. Took it as a personal insult. I do realize that 'fan' is short for 'fanatic' but really. I can obsess with the best of them, but sometimes we need to step back and realize that it's just a TV show.

[kalimyre]

It's true that there are good ship fics out there. Not all ship is badly written, just like not all slash is good quality. There is a range on both sides of the fandom. I figure people can like whatever pairing they choose; it's when someone tells me my pairing is wrong and theirs is right that it becomes bothersome. But you're right that it happens on both sides; slashers can and will tell shippers they are wrong.

It may help that Atlantis fans are, by and large, older than, say, Harry Potter fans or Buffy fans. Older doesn't always mean more reasonable, but it tends to. (Of course, I was 20 when I got into slash, and my beta was 18 and way better at it than me, so there's something to be said for youth, too.)

Isn't it funny, though, how after discovering slash, ship becomes uninteresting? I really used to like it, and now it's just bleah.

[ane]

I think if they ever try to force a canon relationship between any of the main characters then we'll really start to see divisions within the fandom. That was the start of SG1's downfall. Canon relationships between main characters are always the deathnell of a show and fandom, especially when the relationships are superfluous to the plot of the show.

[kalimyre]

Yes, exactly! This is a good point. Canon ships, particularly those that force the characters to change in order to fit some canned romance, totally mess up a show. Let's hope we get lucky and Atlantis avoids that particular pitfall. Unless they feel like writing in canon slash... although even if that extremely unlikely event occured, it could still cause problems. It's probably best to keep the onscreen stuff gen, and let us fans see what we want. *g*

[taelonmahal]

I was about to say that one of the main problems is the canon ship(s), but now someone already said it. ;)
I can't say much about other aspects, because I've never really beedn involved in the SG1 fandom, though I've always loved the show. I witnessed a lot and heard a lot, but I guess I still don't know everything you know when you were "there".

(in real life, I've met a SG1 fan at uni last semester...
"You know what... you are the first shipper I've met in real life."
"And you are the first slasher I've met."
*g*
It's a pity that she's one of the fans who don't watch Atlantis, because there's no SG1 in it.)

[taelonmahal]

Oh, but I should add something interesting. Though I wasn't slashing Daniel and Jack back then, I stopped watching for almost a whole season... that was when the ship was pushed forward and the friendship(s) neglected... which I didn't realise back then, but found out later, when I returned and lurked a bit in the SG1 fandom.
What am I trying to say with that? Basically that 'canon' ship always annoys me... not just when it clashes with my slash. ;)

[lt_kitty]

In the early seasons of SG1, I would have been quite content to imagine a Jack/Sam pairing as well as or instead of a Jack/Daniel pairing (or menage a trois or foursomes) There was sexual tension between ALL four characters that came out of their close comraderie and friendship - the sense of "family" - between four adults with healthy libidos who cared deeply about one another, but wasn't "romantic" in character. One could legitimately see relationships from close friendships and sibling bonds and mentorships to various pairings and groups, and still have the essential teamness be intact, and you could read fic outside your normal pairing and still recognize the characters and the team

[kalimyre]

Yeah, I think it was that balance shift that created problems. All the forced focus on the Jack/Sam thing took away from any Jack/Daniel friendship in canon and led to resentment from the fans. I guess we cross our fingers that the same thing doesn't show up in Atlantis.