Masks (Sentinel zine)

Zine
Title:	Masks
Publisher:	Skeeter Press
Editor:
Author(s):	Susan L. Williams
Cover Artist(s):	Barbara Fister-Liltz
Illustrator(s):
Date(s):	October 1996-August 1997 (online), May 2000 (print)
Series?:	yes
Medium:	print
Size:
Genre:
Fandom:	The Sentinel
Language:	English
External Links:	"online". Archived from the original on 2010-05-02.
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The cover is by Barbara Fister-Liltz and titled "Little Boy Blue."

Masks is a gen adult 157-page Sentinel novel in two parts by Susan L. Williams..

The cover is by Barbara Fister-Liltz.

Masks: Incorporates Two Stories

This print zine incorporates two stories.

The first one (33 pages) is The Devil You Know which was posted online in September 1996. That story was the first rape story in this fandom.

The second story (124 pages) is a direct sequel, written between October 1996-August 1997. That story was titled "Masks" online, and "Masks: The Devil You Don't" in the 2000 print zine

A bit of fanon originated in this story: the Cascade PD sweatshirt.

Rating and Warning

The adult rating is due to violence.

From the online version:

WARNING, Part II: I'm not kidding. This story deals with the aftermath of rape. It is intense, graphic, violent, and contains bad words. If you are under 18 or apt to be disturbed by such content, PLEASE DO NOT READ THE STORY. Thank you.

Disclaimer and Claimer

DISCLAIMER: They're not mine, drat it. Neither is Chris Smither's song, "The Devil's Real", which can be found on his Happier Blue CD.

CLAIMER: The following characters are mine. Please don't use them without my permission: Sandy Kolchak, Martin Ballard, Steve Connelly, Tabitha Crowe, Victoria (Vicky) Smithers, Arthur Hatch, Lancelot Geoffrey Hatch, Antoinette (Toni) LeClaire, Rupert (Mr. Beige) Crowley, Dr. Alice Hawthorne, Ponytail, Olive Palmer, Wilkins, Dr. Elsie Cranmore, Keith Parks, Joshua Stanhope, Ms. Alvarez, Benjamin Sandburg, Miriam Sandburg, David Sandburg, Sarah Sandburg, Torvald Lindstrom. Still awake?

"Novel Concepts"

The publisher of the print zine, Skeeter Press, labeled this series of zines "Novel Concepts." This is a because each story had been previously net-published before being made into a print zine. A similar series is Best of the Net by AMC Press.

• Sirocco (#1)
• Masks (#2)
• Silver Cloud, Dark Lining (#3)
• Unsleeping (#4)
• Hijacked (#5)

Author Notes: About the Original Online Version

From the online version of the story:

MASKS wasn't supposed to be written. But several readers of TDYK were kind enough to ask for a sequel, and a certain long-haired anthropologist wouldn't leave me alone until I'd written it. So, after ten months and much agonizing, what started out to be a longish story and became a short novel was finally finished. This would not have happened without the assistance of The Three Graces, all excellent writers and even better friends: Kris Williams, who managed to discover that the Kombai Tree People are real; Sue Palmatier, Super Librarian, who researched untold numbers of subjects for me with never a word of complaint; and Jo Duffy, Writer Extraordinaire and Keeper of Herbal Knowledge, who gave me wonderful advice, most of which I was smart enough to take. Without these three, MASKS would not be what it is. I hope you enjoy it.

Author Notes: Regarding the Jossing

The first story, titled "Masks: The Devil You Know" in the print zine, was written before some episodes of the show aired, and therefore some things (such as characters and situations) were later jossed. The second story in the print version was revised to include the eventual canon.

From the print zine, in which the author writes of the differences between the original version and the print version:

The Devil You Know was first written in September of 1996. It has the dubious distinction of being the first The Sentinel fan fiction to deal with the subject of rape. The version you hold in your hands has been rewritten to bring it more in line with canon that had not yet been established at the time of the original writing. In other words, instead of the family I created for Blair, he has Naomi. Trust me, he's better off this way.

[...]

When I wrote Masks, we had not yet learned that Garett Maggart is actually from Connecticut. It's just a weird coincidence.

Oh, yeah. In case you've ever wondered where the Cascade PD sweatshirt originated, it was here.

Sample Interior

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  Kandace Klumper

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  Kandace Klumper

Author Comments: 2000

From a 2000 interview with Susan Williams:

My first fanfic story was The Devil You Know. I wrote it in September of 1996, in about three weeks, which is extremely fast for me. I don't remember exactly when it was posted, but it was the first Sentinel story to deal with rape, and it caused quite a ruckus. I was accused by one individual on a list of being anti-gay and anti-slash, which made no sense at all, since it's a gen story and there are no gay characters in it. Aside from that, I was thrilled by its reception. I've kept every single LOC I've ever received on it. Pro stories don't tend to get feedback, which is a shame. Feedback is a wonderful thing. <g>

From a 2000 interview with Susan Williams:

[The story I'm most proud of is] Masks, I think. It's the sequel to The Devil You Know, and it covers the aftermath of the rape and Blair's recovery, as well as its effect on Jim and on their friendship. I had a hard time with it, because there was so much to deal with and I wanted to do it right, to make the story both realistic and exciting. I'd read too many stories where the character makes an almost instantaneous recovery or is completely unaffected emotionally, and that's just so implausible. I've had a lot of positive feedback on the story, but what makes me proudest, and saddest at the same time, are the letters from people who have either been through a similar situation themselves or are close to someone who has, and who have told me that I got it right, and that the story somehow helped them.

Author Comments: 2007

It combines "The Devil You Know" and "Masks," which are on line, with some changes to bring them more in line with canon that aired after I wrote them. It's gen, but rated NC-17.

Reactions and Reviews

1998

Susan William's "Masks" is a sequel to "The Devil You Know." Both are really good, but "The Devil You Know" is a bit dark, though there is a twist at the end that sealed its place fandom's finest for me.

2000

[I just] received from Skeeter Press the print edition of Susan Williams' Masks, which includes The Devil You Know and its sequel, Masks, . I'd always enjoyed Susan Williams' work, but having it in a beautifully bound hard copy edition really reemphasized to me exactly how good some fan fic writers really are.

And, to tell the truth, the cover, which is a signed color print of Little Boy Blue by Barbara Fister-Liltz, is worth the $23 alone -- at least my wallet agrees with that assessment!. I think it may be the best portrait of Blair that I've ever seen, much as I've enjoyed the work of various TS artists, both gen and slash.

...my big kink is non-con stories where the rape almost happens but is stopped by the hero in the nick of time.

The kink factor is fulfilled for me in the non-con/rape scene. When the author takes the story into the recovery arena, I will go along for the ride, but I have to admit that so far I haven't run across a story which was solely a rape recovery story that really worked for me except "Masks" by Susan Williams. And, this might be because it's a gen-rape recovery story so I have no intent as I'm reading it to expect J/B to be heading toward a sexual healing in their relationship.

Often the problem I have with slash rape recovery stories rests with the dialogue. It often just doesn't ring true to the characters. Also there is often just too much of it. I think Jim would struggle for words in any emotional setting, but especially one following a rape of himself or Blair. And, if Blair were the victim, I could see denial being a big problem for him so I would doubt he would be carrying the conversation. Therapists pulled in just for the sake of dialogue also bother me.

Another thing I have trouble accepting in some rape recovery stories is when the healing doesn't seem believable or it isn't satisfying enough to bring me out of the trauma. If the story has been about healing then sex at the end as proof of the healing can sometimes seem more like a cop out than a real resolution.

I also think near rape works better for me because rape almost leaves a feel of permanent disability with the characters. So, when I read a rape story, I tend to be only looking for kink and not deep meaning or resolutions. Kind of like a PWP -- a really dark PWP.

In slash, I am holding out hope that a great rape/recovery story will come along. I have faith that in the right hands it will and that it will be one hell of a story.

This is a story I've know about ever sine it was first posted in the early days of TS fandom, and I still haven't read it. I've been told several things about it, and while I'm sure it's a very well written story, I doubt I'll ever read it.

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The idea that Blair is raped by a Jim-look-alike is difficult for me to deal with in the context of a gen story. < or a slash story for that matter > And it's the very first thing that happens in the story. I know this because I tried to read it when it was first posted and couldn't get past the image of 'Jim' attacking Blair. I get majorly squicked at partner betrayal as it is. Even knowing it's not *really* Jim doing it, you still couldn't pay me to read it. <shrug> Just not my cup of tea.

My $.02.