The Last Charade
| Fanfiction | |
|---|---|
| Title: | The Last Charade |
| Author(s): | Rosemary C |
| Date(s): | 1983 |
| Length: | |
| Genre: | slash |
| Fandom: | Starsky & Hutch |
| External Links: | The Last Charade |
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The Last Charade is a slash Starsky/Hutch story by Rosemary C.
It was printed in Who You Know, What You Know, & How You Know It....
Reactions and Reviews
Unknown Date
Rosemary's The Last Charade is another story that besides being plain well-written, shows the guys pretty much exactly as I like to imagine them. I loved the food sharing (no, not best, but if I summarize what I liked best, you'll know too much before you start). [1]
I think my favorite part of this is Andy's perspective on how they act with each other. [2]
1984
I almost didn't read this story based on my opinion of [Ms. C]'s writing ability as demonstrated by her last effort, which appeared in Trace Elements. (I nearly always choose my reading material by author, reading my favorites first and then getting around to others if time permits.) However, Carol Davis' opening piece of art was intriguing enough to make me want to know what the writer had to say. I was pleasantly surprised. If there is an award for Most Improved Writer, it should go to [Ms. C], with special thanks to her editor—but then that's what editors are for. I felt she glazed over Andrew Brennan much too lightly —- I really wanted to know this guy better. Also, the year which passed between Hutch's relation ship with Andy and the time of DIADP and S&H first time was done more or less in "the after they got out of the pit" school of writing, which is less than satisfying to this reader. While the story is not perfect, it was so far above [Ms. C]'s last endeavor, that she deserves recognition, encouragement, and demands for more stories. [3]
1993
Some of the most enjoyable bits of any story for me are the little intimate moments (that could be shared as best friends or lovers,) such as the one you quoted when they unconsciously share the taco. These moments work on two levels. Firstly that they are that close and secondly that the author realises that and understands that the way to convey that closeness can be done in such precious, subtle, insignificant to the story ways -- wonderful writing. [4]
The first slash story I read was "The Last Charade." It made such an impression on me that when I saw [Rosemary C] at SH:10?, years later, I was able to say to her, "Let me drag you out in the hall and tell you everything I liked about your story." Rosemary postulates that Hutch has "always been gay." This is not a premise to which I subscribe, but because of her skill as a writer, I believed it within the context of her story. There are several aspects of this story that intrigue me. One is the opportunity to see S&H from someone else's point of view — that of Andy, H's disapppointed lover, who, after an evening spent with S&H says of the partners, "With you two, it doesn't matter" (that they're not lovers) because "...the intimacy's there even if the sex isn't." Rosemary has Andy describe a wonderful scene in a restaurant where "...in the middle or our discussion you casually reached out, took Starsky's taco out of his hand, took a bite out of it, then gave it back." — "You shared both of them and even finished off his root beer, and I'd swear that neither one of you was consciously aware of what you were doing." Can't you just see it? Isn't it wonderful? Poor Andy also says, "He acts like he owns you, like he's got you staked out as his private property. If you hadn't told me he was straight, I'd swear he was a jealous lover," and cites examples to support his statement. He says S's feelings show in "The way he moves, the way he touches and looks at you. It's like he wants to keep you all to himself," Hey, It works for me!... This is a fabulous story, and I recommend it highly to anyone who likes slash. [5]
1995
In my eyes at least, that sex changes a relationship certainly, but it does not necessarily make it more than the friendship it was in the first place. To me, ideally, a lover should be a friend first and a close one at that. I realize that it doesn't always work out that way, but I feel that's the way it SHOULD work. And even in some certain circumstances in certain fandoms where we're talking about "first times" between partners, it doesn't work that way (and I kinda like reading those stories more than the ones where it's always 100% love). But when we're dealing with two partners like Starsky and Hutch, who are probably as close as two human beings can be and still be TWO human beings, the sex would not make them MORE anything. It would shift the relationship slightly and give them another way to look at the whole thing, but there is no way it could make them closer. Saying that it would, seems to diminish what they felt to begin with somehow. Sex would not add intimacy to their relationship because they are already pretty darn intimate.
There is a certain S/H story out there that does a great take on the whole intimacy vs. sex or friends vs. lovers as it were argument. I believe it's called "Andy" [sic] from WHO YOU KNOW, WHAT YOU KNOW AND HOW YOU KNOW IT. In it, Hutch is gay and Starsky doesn't know. Hutch's sometime lover from out of town, Andy, decides to pop in and spend the night. Just when they're getting down to brass tacks, Starsky shows up having been forced out of his apartment by burst water pipes. The three go out for an evening together, Starsky thinking Andy is a friend of Hutch's from Duluth and Hutch scared to death the entire evening that Starsky's going to stumble on to the truth.
The best part comes later in the story when Andy tells Hutch, when they're alone later, that he was miffed with Hutch for being so intimate with Starsky. Hutch protests that he and Starsky have never had sex, but Andy says he wasn't talking about sex, but intimacy. Among the things Andy mentions is that Hutch didn't order anything for dinner, but ate half of Starsky's and Starsky seemed to take it as a given (something they did alot on the show). Sharing someone's food (and I'm not talking about stealing a french fry or two off someone's plate, but sharing a hot dog, without thinking of sharing saliva, germs, etc.) is not a normal thing, especially for people who are "just friends". (Paired fans are horses of another color all together, of course. :-) ) [6]
1997
I just found one of my favorite old S/H stories on the web: The Last Charade, by Rosemary (Callahan). It was one of the first non-Trek slash stories I ever read (um, in 1984?), which I'm sure influenced me a little, but still, I think it holds up. [7]
2001
I think there are actually a few zine stories with just this scenario...Hutch and another man. One for sure, 'The Last Charade' is in the 'S/H Archive'. It was one of the very first slash stories I read. Rosemary did an excellent job of showing Hutch's confusion. But even though he went to 'another man' for comfort, it was before he and Starsky came to terms with their relationship. It's a good story. [8]
2003
This story was the one that pinpointed WHY I saw slash in SH even before I knew what slash was. It was all about the food, the love, the sharing without boundaries."Uhhh...I mean, we don't make love if that's what you're insinuating."
"With you two it doesn't matter."
One of Hutch's old lovers comes back and opens Hutch's eyes to the truth. Love, intimacy, partnership...what Hutch shares with Starsky is something different than what he shares with others, but what does it really mean? Sometimes you're too blind to see what's right in front of you the whole time. [9]
References
- ^ rec by jat sapphire at [SHrecs.htm Starsky and Hutch Fanfic Recommendations]
- ^ from Foddey Feayn
- ^ from Between Friends #1
- ^ from Frienz #23
- ^ from Frienz #22
- ^ quoted anonymously from Virgule-L, April 1995
- ^ Sandy Hereld on Virgule-L, quoted with permission (Dec 30, 1997,)
- ^ quoted anonymously from ThePits Mailing List (Mar 16, 2001)
- ^ a 2003 comment at Crack Van