Coming Home (SGA fic)
| Title: | Coming Home | |
| Publisher: | ||
| Author(s): | Xanthe | |
| Cover Artist(s): | Bluespirit | |
| Illustrator(s): | ||
| Date(s): | 2006 | |
| Series?: | yes | |
| Medium: | print, online | |
| Fandom: | Stargate Atlantis | |
| Language: | English | |
| Other: | ||
| External Links: | Coming Home | |
| Click here for articles related to this fanwork on Fanlore. | ||
| ||
Coming Home is an epic-length John/Rodney BDSM romance by Xanthe. It is set entirely in an alternate universe where bisexuality is the norm and sexuality is classified according to BDSM power dynamics rather than gender preference. The story is a prequel to her earlier novel, General and Doctor Sheppard.[1] Unlike the earlier story, which contrasts a comparatively canonical universe with the one Xanthe created, Coming Home stands on its own.
The Story
Going against a trend sometimes described as ironic distance in fanfiction, Coming Home consciously and deliberately steers right into the id vortex by spinning a tale of true love, lifebonds, kinky sex, first times, and epic emotions. In her author notes, Xanthe states the following:
First and foremost this is a story about two people finding each other and learning how to be together. The BDSM is just a backdrop to that story. [...] Please don't post to tell me how and why this society won’t work – I'm pretty sure I already know! If you like this kind of thing then it's an enjoyable fantasy. It's not intended to be a "how to" guide to the functioning of a BDSM society or as to how BDSM should be practised.[2]
Coming Home was posted in nineteen parts over the course of ten days, resembling the old-fashioned mailing list restrictions on post length. The daily postings built up a level of expectation and excitement among readers and inspired discussion between postings.
Coming Home was well received by the fans of the original General & Doctor Sheppard novel and also drew in a new audience, some of whom found the compare and contrast of the original difficult to find a connection with but could lose themselves in the straightforward love story of the prequel.[3]
Awards
In 2006, Coming Home was nominated for the 2006 McShep Awards, where it received second place in the AU category.[4]
In 2007, Coming Home won the Stargate Fan Award for Best Romance in the Sheppard/McKay category[5] as well as the multifandom Titanium Whip BDSM Award 2006/7 for Best First Time Slash and Best Spanking Scene.[6]
Influence
In November 2006, Helen posted Take Clothes Off As Directed, a responsefic to Xanthe's story premise from Coming Home that took the original novel's universe and restructured it into a way to explore gender roles and sexism in modern society. The story achieved popularity with some readers for its metaphorical approach to gender roles.
The unique universe and strong emphasis on romantic relationships in Coming Home inspired two stories that retold the origins of the main characters and their developing connection. Both stories adhered closely to the romantic tone set forth in the original story, and the authors sought and received permission from Xanthe before posting their works.
SGA writer Lavvyan's earthside AU The Spaces Inside[7] draws from the prostitution trope and the hurt/comfort trope.
Prolific SGA writer Eleyna released High School Confidential: John[8] which re-imagines the story set in a high school.
Xanthe herself has expanded her Coming Home universe in 2008 with a sequel to General & Doctor Sheppard that features a crossover between Stargate: Atlantis and NCIS with a focus on Gibbs/DiNozzo. The title is Hiding In Plain Sight.
Controversy
Some felt that Helen's story, which inserted current social realism into the premise, validated criticism of Xanthe's fantasy BDSM romance.[9]
Others had this to say:
"The controversy isn't so much based on the text or what could or should be done with it by other authors; it's more about social dynamics and the impact on the community. Writing something that basically says "You did it wrong. Here, let me show you how it should be done and I'm using your own toys to do it" humiliates the original author in a very profound way. Furthermore, it is a slap in the face of the people who like the thing that is apparently wrong to like."[10]
Still others felt that the issue inherent in the controversy was less about receiving permission or critiquing another author's story than the impossibility (and undesirability) of controlling reader response:
"While I can sympathize with the "oh, crap" feeling that one might experience on seeing one's work riffed on, parodied, pastiched, or otherwise homaged, there's also the fact that a writer can't expect, once she's posted something, to control how her readers choose to respond to it. And, too, if one does choose to riff, parody, pastiche, or homage, then that person in turn can't control how her own efforts are received. I tend to think that it all will come out in the wash, one way or another, and that the free and vigorous exchange of opinions, whether in the form of fiction or otherwise, are a Good Thing."[11]
It is also worthwhile noting that SGA fandom had recently had some contentious discussion on the topic of riffing on another author's work in the sga_flashfic community[12]; some people referenced that as a precursor to the discussion around Coming Home and Take Clothes Off As Directed, as well as drawing a parallel to unauthorized fannish remixing of the show's canon.
Further Reading
In the writing community Shared Wisdom, Xanthe was invited as guest speaker and posted an essay on writing BDSM, Coming Home, and some of the problems she had in fandom after its release.[13]
Seperis posted an essay on fanfiction as romance, where she listed Coming Home as one of her top two choices for escapist romance reading, along with thoughts on why fandom sometimes seems to dismiss or mock the romance genre in fanfiction.[14] Comments in the entry also explore the underrated genre and various opinions of the stories Seperis cited to illustrate a fanfiction romance.
The story was discussed alongside Take Clothes Off As Directed on The Cuttingboard.[15]
References
- ↑ General & Doctor Sheppard, 14 February 2006, (Accessed 17 October 2008)
- ↑ Xanthe, Author Notes , 11 September 2006, (Accessed 17 October 2008)
- ↑ Seperis, Rec – Coming Home by Xanthe, 17 September 2006, (Accessed 17 October 2008)
- ↑ McKay/Sheppard Fan Awards – Winners 2006 (Accessed 17 October 2008)
- ↑ Stargate Fan Awards 2007 (Accessed 17 October 2008)
- ↑ The Titanium Whip Awards – Results, (Accessed 17 October 2008)
- ↑ The Space Inside 03 February 2007, (Accessed 17 October 2008)
- ↑ First part: High School Confidential: John, 29 July 2008, (Accessed 17 October 2008)
- ↑ See Take Clothes Off As Directed for more information and related works.
- ↑ Doro, quoted from email with permission.
- ↑ Comments on LJ events you're already bored with Excerpt from comment by dmarley in public livejournal post (last accessed Oct. 2008). See other comments on the post for opinion on the controversy.
- ↑ The Mission Report Challenge--public livejournal post, last accessed Oct. 2008.
- ↑ Xanthe, Writing BDSM, 31 March 2008 Accessed 17 October, 2008
- ↑ Seperis, Romantic Shenanigans Are Like Music, You Just Need to Know What You're Hearing
- ↑ Take Clothes Off As Directed by Helenish, 15 November 2006. (Accessed 21 May 2010)
| Related Links | |
| People | Helen, Xanthe |
| Places | Stargate Atlantis Fanfiction Overview: Season Two, Shared Wisdom |
| Things | McShep Awards, Stargate Fan Awards, Take Clothes Off As Directed, Titanium Whip |
