Slash, Or Something Like It, Comes to the Scalziverse
Posted on November 13, 2009 Posted by John Scalzi 35 Comments
There’s apparently a group of fanficcers out there who does a “Secret Santa” thing, where they request a fanfic story written about a novel/show/manga/whatever, and in return they write a fanfic story featuring a novel/show/manga/whatever that’s been requested by someone else. One of them has requested (and one of them has apparently accepted to write) a story based on The Android’s Dream, specifically involving Harry Creek and Brian Javna, and more or less requesting some slashtastic elements if at all possible (which, if you know the book at all, will be interesting to try to fulfill). This is, to my knowledge, the first time anyone’s asked for — and is likely going to receive — slashfic in one of my universes. As for how I found it, well, you know. My ego matrix of search engines sees all.
How do I feel about it? Groovy. Per my personal fanfic policy, I don’t want to see it when it’s done, but the idea that someone likes the work enough to let their imagination wander around in the world is a compliment. And as for giving two nominally straight characters homoerotic leanings/yearnings/doings while they’re letting their minds wander, hey, it’s their brains. Couldn’t stop ’em even if I wanted to, and I don’t really want to. As far as I’m concerned, unless specified otherwise, all my characters are comfortable enough with their own sexuality that they don’t mind people imagining them doing all sorts of things. And the ones that do mind probably need to get over themselves.
So to the person asking for, and the person writing, Android’s Dream quite-possibly-slashfic: Have fun, you crazy kids. Just remember to put the furniture back in its original places when you’re done. Thanks.
I guess it’s congratulations.
Cheers
Andrew
I argue that Old Man’s War is just fan-fic of The Smurfs. Change the skin color, and change Gargamel’s name to Rraey…
And we all know “Brain Pals” are just a thinly veiled copy of “Smurf Berries.”
Man do I ever need a weekend. ;)
I suppose there’s room here for a joke about someone feeling sheepish. Or perhaps not.
In the Old Man’s War, The Ghost Brigades thanked the Agent To The Stars for their good fortune as they fought for control of The God Engines, as told in the old legend of Zoe’s Tale, a tale of The Lost Colony, as legend, not from The Android’s Dream but instead foretold in The Sagan Diaries as written in The High Castle.
Remember this for while Judge Sn Goes Golfing, Your Hate Mail Will Be Graded in Metatropolis.
Speaking of Harry Creek, it’d be really neat to see more of him in your future work. He and Robin – and their friend Brian – are interesting. That universe/version of Earth is interesting too. (I’m going to have to get the one about the golfing judge soon…)
Based on the OMW, Last Colony, Zoe’s Tale succession, I’m somewhat optimistic about seeing future adventures set in the Harry/Robin/Brian Javna/Nidu universe.
Where did you come up with Brian’s last name? Mistyped “java” is my theory…
“all my characters are comfortable enough with their own sexuality”
Gasp! Even Zoe?
I think an actual reading of Zoe’s Tale answers that one, Linkmeister.
Well played, sir.
Shawn Powers @ 2:
I hate you. And I mean that in the nicest way.
This just opens the floodgates of ideas now. I think I’ll do a OMW/Forever War crossover fic. A sexy clash of my favorite MilSF books. What are John/Jane and William/Marygay going to do out in the far reaches of space? If you don’t ask, I won’t tell.
These days I get nearly all of my new reading material from The Big Idea. That’s why I’m thinking of requesting Argoth and Hogan from “Servant of a Dark God”. Or maybe Argoth and Shim… or even Hogan and Sparrow…
All your fault, JS. All your fault.
I am decisively NOT asking.
Have fun, you crazy kids. Just remember to put the furniture back in its original places when you’re done. Thanks.
AND clean the stains off the carpet as well.
Catherine
which, if you know the book at all, will be interesting to try to fulfill
Proving that sex is really in the mind.
Okay, now I’m really annoyed that my library only has OMW. I mean, I was annoyed by the lack of more Scalzi before, but now that I’m missing a slashfic joke? Shit just got real. :P
Scalzi @ #7, Ouch! I thought I had read Zoe’s Tale, but I see I only have OMW, Ghost, Colony and Android on my shelves (all read, all read!).
Hmm. That Borders G/C might come in handy here.
the idea that someone likes the work enough to let their imagination wander around in the world is a complement.
And also a compliment! *g*
But really, your typo is not wrong. Fanfic is not, and has never been, an effort to *replace* the original canon. Merely to expand and extend it.
Thank you for your policy.
“But really, your typo is not wrong.”
Fixed it anyway. BECAUSE I AM ANAL THAT WAY.
You have truly made it, Scalzi.
Also … I could see it. Somehow. Maybe I’ll have to read it.
And this is why The Scalz is a class act.
You wrote a book about a character like Robin, including detailed descriptions of how she got to be the way she is, and people want slash of Harry and Brian??
*sigh* The intarwebs are going soft…
“Fixed it anyway. BECAUSE I AM ANAL THAT WAY.”
I bet this slashfic will be anal in an entirely different way. Hey-oh!
Assuming you’re talking about Yuletide, it’s actually not that straightforward. People can request up to four different fandoms/universes/whatever, and people can offer to write whatever they feel comfortable with.
Then some complicated computer matching occurs, and each person will receive someone’s Yuletide request. But (here’s the tricky part), the request that the writer receives will have three or four different fandoms, and the writer is at liberty to choose any one of those three or four. There’s no guarantee that Android’s Dream will be the one chosen.
I volunteered for Yuletide this year (first time!), and the matches haven’t gone out yet, so there’s no way to tell what fandom the person the person who gets that assignment will choose. And whether that one person who volunteered to write AD will be matched up with the one person who requested is by no means certain.
Does that make sense?
Ah, Yuletide. I have them to blame for having ever heard the phrase “Care Bears BDSM Slashfic”.
The really sad part is that the BDSM Care Bears story works. In a sick, twisted way, of course.
I’d post a link to the story, except that the Yuletide archive is now closed until December 24.
I’d post a link to the story, except that the Yuletide archive is now closed until December 24.
For which we should ALL BE VERY GRATEFUL!
Are you going to be this reasonable when Scalzi RPS shows up?
:p
Actually, Beth, because of Yuletide’s planned move to the Archive of Our Own this year… there is a small chance that it might be up before then.
::grin::
::not planning on reading it in any case::
I read a slash Trek thing once. Kirk and Spock. It was pretty funny. Poor Jim.
J. Scalzi, how does a Gamorian decide what it likes? They sound pretty bi to me. If they can’t reproduce, then there is no reason to implant gender specific sexual orientation. Sounds like they have plenty of time to kill.
I once read a thing called “The pleasant education of Dr. Julian Bashir,” which was all about him being taught to be a good BDSM submissive. It was embarrassingly bad. Just for reference, never, ever use the adjective ‘pert’ to apply to the part of the anatomy you’re calling “his sex,” no matter how perky you think it is!
I poked around in the Yuletide thing from last year. Some of it was horrific, but I have to say the Who Framed Roger Rabbit crackfic was kind of completely awesome. You know, in a crackfic kind of way.
I used to scoff at the notion of slash. Let’s just say that someone in my house reads this stuff. And tries in vain to push it on me. In most cases I read a few paragraphs and say, “yeah it’s OK”, it makes her happy. But once in a while she finds a fanfic writer that really knows what they’re doing. They get the characters exactly right (except orientation of course), the plot mechanics, prose that doesn’t distract and sometimes zings.
I suspect that there are just a few actual professional writers out there that have watched too many episodes of SG:1 and gone, “oh, those two are SO doing it – I have to write this”. Or just looked at a big universe like Harry Potter and just gone, “hmm, what if…”
But then of course there was the LOTR fic posted on the old God Awful Fan Fiction site. Some girl named Mika hangs out on a beach with Legolas. That was so hideous I still laugh at the memory of it.
I read some Daniel/Jonas slash that was actually kind of sweet. They got married in a combined Kelownan/Abydosian ceremony. Lots of romantic kissing in that one; very little hardcore sex.
I read some RPS about the cast of LOTR a while back, but RPS makes me deeply uncomfortable, so I’m not going to go looking for more.
FWIW, that Care Bears classic is still accessible via direct link:
http://yuletidetreasure.org/archive/17/slavebear.html
Fantastic! In the eyes of my wife, this may ‘legitimize’ Scalzi’s work enough that she may actually put down her Obi-wan/Anikan stories and read something outside the SW universe. Thank you!