Unpopular opinion? Probably.

[milanthruil]

The more I think about it, the less I see the Jack/Sam and Daniel/Vala relationships actually working out. And I’m not just saying this as a Jack/Daniel shipper. I just don’t think that they would be healthy long-term relationships

Comments

[strg8g33k]

I'm with you, entirely. I'm pretty flexible with shipping, so I can read Jack/Sam (well, sometimes) and Daniel/Vala (relatively regularly), but Jack/Daniel is easily my OTP. Looking at it somewhat more neutrally, J/D just feel more... natural. Like, their already existing friendship just naturally flows on into something more. I find that to be quite a common motif in fic. Plus, there is the fact that RDA apparently confirmed that Jack and Daniel were shacked up together in Washington now... just had to get that one in there. :P

[milanthruil]

That's exactly how I feel about Jack/Daniel. It feels natural. Jack/Sam feels so forced to me.

[campylobacter]

As someone who sails all the 'ships, is married, and bisexual, I disagree; Jack/Daniel, Sam/Jack & Daniel/Vala can all be successful relationships. The issue you propose is "relationships actually working out". Relationships ARE WORK. To use a cheesy metaphor: a marriage/partnership is a garden which must be weeded & watered regularly

[milanthruil]

Oh believe me, I know relationships (of any kind) are WORK, I personally happen to suck at maintaining them, but I don’t see Jack/Sam or Daniel/Vala as being HEALTHY.

Jack's chemistry with Sam is subtle, warm, awkward, shy. I can see either relationship working well (and simultaneously, heh) in the long-term if both parties make conscious efforts to learn, accommodate & grow.

See, I don’t feel the warmth from Jack/Sam. I just feel the awkwardness, and it’s hard for me to get past. It doesn’t feel, to me, like a ‘good’ awkwardness. It feels like “we’re just going to stand here being awkward because we’ve run out of things to say and - oh GOD are they still here?”

10 seasons of canon prove that these characters grow, not stagnate.

I never said that they DIDN’T grow. Not at all. I liked that they had arcs that gave them more depth. But at least in the case of Sam, I don’t think she changed ENOUGH.

Daniel's focused, but not antisocial; many people mistake the cynicism he shows in the later seasons for introversion, but it's really

[campylobacter]

I see nothing toxic or unhealthy about Sam/Jack, Daniel/Vala, or Jack/Daniel, depending on the season.

Sam & Jack are much more comfortable around each other in the later seasons. Any awkwardness they display in their interaction always stems from military no-frat regs. Theirs is an angsty, bittersweet courtship, because they obviously have a 'thing' for each other, but don't want to ruin everything the other person's accomplished with a career-ending indiscretion. In that regard, Jack & Daniel have similar issues, given the DADT policies in place during the series timeline.

Jack & Daniel evolved a communication shorthand to circumvent discovery; their scene at the end of S9's Origin ("Wanna?" "Mm-hmm.") illustrates how well they understand each other; the wordless eye-language that Daniel & Vala use at the end of The Ark of Truth echoes that dynamic

[spacegypsy1]

well said, Campy

[magnavox_23]

Of course you know I am in a similar position with J/D as my OTP, but I am open to all the delicious pairings and more that Stargate has to offer. I do struggle at times to see the chemistry between Jack/Sam translated on screen (fic writers (well some) do a much better job IMO). I think in that particular instance in Nemesis, the focus on Sam's indecision overrode any decent shippy aspect to the scene and it came off as quite awkward indeed. Now being a massive Jack & Sam friend shipper, I feel it works wonders in that sense because how many times has Jack wanted to help Sam chillax? *g

[magnavox_23]

Daniel & Vala. You're one of the few people that know this, but I guess I will bite the bullet and share with all and sundry...and your flist, that early on when I started watching the show, Daniel was my least favourite character. I found him to be very self absorbed, hindering Jack's effectiveness as leader and causing tension that could have been handled differently. Since of course I have caught up and seen all of the episodes and have come to understand why Daniel behaves the way he does and how it can be a damn good thing too. Daniel is perfectly imperfect

[milanthruil]

Basically all of what you said is what I was trying to say.

I have no problem with other people shipping Jack/Sam or Daniel/Vala. I just personally don't see them quite the same way.

[magnavox_23]

And that I completely understand. I don't know any of my fandom friends whom I see eye to eye with on everything and I very much prefer it that way. Some of my earliest friends in the fandom were Jack/Sam shippers, just because that was the prevalent pairing at the time. That has since shifted of course and we have this lovely myriad of relationships to explore.

[cleothemuse]

Totally with you on the Jack/Sam dynamic... it's always awkward, awkward, awkward... hopeful looks from Sam, prune-eating expressions from Jack.

Daniel/Vala? Jeeze, they're a mess. A beautiful, beautiful mess that's fun to stuff in a box, give a good shake, and see what happens.

Jack/Daniel... solid gold, whether friendship (my favorite!) or something more.

Actually, my favorite kinds of stories are pure teamy goodness with lots of subtext that can be interpreted many different ways... sort of like canon ;)

[milanthruil]

See, a good portion of my f-list is made up of D/V shippers, so... awkward tiems there...

I'm with you on the teamy goodness! :D

[sg_wonderland]

For me, it has alot to do with when I entered the fandom. I was a rather late SG-1 fan, the first new episode I saw all the way through was Chimera. I'd been catching the back half of eps during the 6 o'clock reruns and that evolved into skipping the local news and watching whole episodes

[milanthruil]

I know what you mean about coming into the fandom late. I started watching in like... May of 2009... (omg am fandom baby!) XD

I just recently started watching SG-1 with friend, and when she saw the PILOT she said two things: "They're going to push this Jack and Sam thing, aren't they? :/" and "When do Jack and Daniel kiss?".

With Daniel and Vala, finding that balance would have taken a lot of work. A. LOT. I just don't know that after the initial spark wore off if they'd WANT to TRY. If I were either one of them in that particualar relationship, I wouldn't want to. I feel like it would be more trouble than it would be worth, in my opinion. *shrug*

[sg_wonderland]

Yay for new fans!

I don't know if Daniel would be willing to put in the work that it would take for a relationship with Vala; putting up with Jack all those years must have been exhausting......:)