Excellent analysis, Anne. Daniel, in particular, you would think should be as off-his-rocker as John Crichton or Wesley by now, 'cause he's been through so much. But that's not the Stargate way. I am alternately frustrated and charmed by this aspect of the show.

if a piece of SG-fic is going to create a truly dark scenario and make it work, the author needs to be aware of how he or she is going to tear apart the childlike optimism and wonder that is at the base of the show.

Yeah, I agree with you there. There is A LOT of exaggerated hurt/comfort in SG fanfic, but it mostly ends up well, and... schmoopy. I wouldn't call those darkfic at all. Come to think of it, I *don't* think true darkfic, in which the characters have their spirits broken and remain that way, is that common in the fandom.

The comparison to Due South is interesting. Speranza, in her review of last year's Vividcon, mentioned how the dark-n-tormented fic/vids are incompatible with her view of the DS-verse, no matter how well done they may be. I kind of get that--I mean, I love the kind of fic in which the team is together and happy and ends up saving the day. (Provided the schmoop is a very low-key.) But occasionally, I get a craving for "there but for the grace of God" scenarios like the one Tripoli devised.

Fluff is the norm in Buffy fic? Huh. I wouldn't have thought so, but then, I mostly avoid fluff.

Edited because "frustraged" is not a word. But it totally could be! Like, combination of "frustrated" and "enraged".

As I post and run to class, does Stargate have what's called smarm? It was most common in Sentinel, as far as I know, and it was used to described a story that was supposedly gen, but in which the comfort part of h/c often included a whole lot of physical contact, up to and including kissing.

As I post and run to class, does Stargate have what's called smarm? It was most common in Sentinel, as far as I know, and it was used to described a story that was supposedly gen, but in which the comfort part of h/c often included a whole lot of physical contact, up to and including kissing.

Er, some. Not up to the kind of "well, yeah, we're cuddling naked in bed, but no sex here!" thing I've heard used to describe some Sentinel smarm, at least not in my experience, but yeah, there's SG h/c out there that clearly wants to be slash but doesn't have the, er, balls.

Though that can sometimes also have more of a Daddy Jack Taking Care Of Poor Ickle Danny vibe than a sex vibe.

Oh, is that what smarm is? I thought it just meant hurt/comfort.

Daddy Jack Taking Care Of Poor Ickle Danny vibe than a sex vibe.

Ew.

Fluff is the norm in Buffy fic? Huh. I wouldn't have thought so, but then, I mostly avoid fluff.

There's a lot of it, but I wouldn't say it's the norm.

The only constant any of my number running has found is that B/S, in terms of sheer quantity, kicks the ass of all other pairings to the curb. (At least in terms of active archives, all types of fic allowed, open sub policy.)

Oh, and that good gen is hard to find. Which isn't really a fault of the gen writers, as the source text is too consumed with the whole issue of romance to really lend itself to good gen.

Ew.

There's one spectacularly unfortunate series out there that features Daniel actually de-aged to... nine, I think? The problem was that I read the whole damn thing, because the author kept almost pointing out exactly how fucked-up the whole situation was, and then veering off into "isn't it cute!" So I spent all this time thinking "she's building to it... she's building to it... crap, she's not! She thinks this is adorable! ...I feel dirty now."

Come to think of it, I *don't* think true darkfic, in which the characters have their spirits broken and remain that way, is that common in the fandom.

I tend to agree with this. I think of darkfic as fic that ends in a way where things aren't going to get better, and where the (surviving) characters are left bitter, hopeless, and/or psychologically damaged in some irreversable way.

For example, Kat Allison's "The End of the Road" (due South) was painful as hell, but it left me with the feeling that there was some sort of hope for both characters. Even though it was sad, the hug at the airport also left me with a good feeling of closure for both of the characters. Bittersweet is not the same as dark.

Then there came the foster homes, the wild theories and eventual professional disgrace, etc.

Don't forget the living relative who could have taken him out of the foster care system, but thought it would be too much trouble. And of course there's Teal'c, who not only has turned his back on pretty much everything he's known and most everyone he cared about but has to live with the hundred or so years he spent doing terrible things in the service of a sadistic, petty false god.

Although I've got my own issues with the way they portray the Jaffa. Just wanted to add my two cents.

Good points, Emily.

Although I've got my own issues with the way they portray the Jaffa.

I'd love to hear more. Would you like to meet over in "Boxed Set?"

Would you like to meet over in "Boxed Set?"

Oops. Sure! Um, um, on-topicness... No, I really got nothing. Except that I keep trying to psych myself up to write Black Adder, and it keeps not working.