campylobacter: campy's porn shack (fear)
[personal profile] campylobacter
In the same mimetic vein as the entry posted by fanfic author & friend [livejournal.com profile] lolmac Looking for Daniel in all the right places wherein she asks for advice from "ardent Jacksonians" about how to write Daniel, and what's good or bad in the way he's depicted in canon & in fanfic, I'm asking the Samantha-stans, Carter-istas, Sam-fanatics & Stargate fans on my F-List (anons, too!):

How do you write Sam Carter in character?

I've been STUCK on TWO fan fiction stories in which I can't resist writing from this amazing military astrophysicist's PoV, but am having major anxiety that I might get her wrong.
  1. What is it about Sam that you love?
  2. What makes you squee?
  3. What do you most love to see her do?
  4. What are the elements of a Sam story that you love the most?
  5. What do you really like seeing her do in fic? On the show? Both?
  6. What is the most epic of Sam WIN?
  7. What annoys and pisses you off when you see it in fan fiction?
  8. What are the stupid/shallow/careless misinterpretations of Sam that must be avoided?
  9. What qualifies as Sam!Fail?
  10. Any other pointers, tips, criticisms, & pet peeves also welcome!

RELATED: Meta: The Evolution of Samantha Carter (or Why I Love Sam) by [livejournal.com profile] rachel500
http://rachel500.livejournal.com/165064.html

Sam Carter: Talk nerdy to me!

Date: 2012-06-24 03:17 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] cleothemuse.livejournal.com
BOTH!

Sam got Sue'd when they made her the every-scientist... she's an astrophysicist, fer cryin' out loud, not a molecular biologist!

However, Sam's also an excellent role model (when not making the Doe-Eyes-of-Death at her commanding officer).

1. She's a nerd. Sure, she wraps it up inside that suave military exterior, but Sam's SUCH a nerd.
2. Competent!Sam... Sam who is totally badass in ways that only Sam can be... punching Ba'al, blowing up suns... that sort of thing.
3. See #1 and #2. Sam being a competent badass while getting to flex her nerdy side? AWESOME.
4. See #1, #2, and #3. Sam shining as only Sam can, and making all the nerd boys drool because she's SOOOOO out of their league.
5. See #1, #2, #3, and #4. Really, now! Babbling to her alternate universe counterparts is Sam GOLD.
6. Punching Ba'al ranks up there. Not only did she lay him out flat for being a condescending jerk, but then she got back to work.
7. Super!Sam... She crunches complex calculations in her head! She has exactly the right answer for every scientific inquiry AND every emotional boo-boo! She can fix a broken piece of alien tech in three minutes using only a twist-tie and the foil from a stick of gum! She leaps tall buildings in a single bound, and NOT A HAIR FALLS OUT OF PLACE!
8. Super!Sam, Wibbly!Sam (all the emotions! she has them EVERYWHERE), Wooden!Sam (she's not the best at expressing herself, but she's not an android, either), and Girly!Sam (acceptable on the occasion, but only as far as shopping sprees with a fellow gal pal and the like... screaming for Jack to come kill a spider? SO NOT SAM...)
9. See #7 and #8. Especially the bit about the spider, WHICH ACTUALLY HAPPENED IN ONE FIC.
10. I confess to struggling with Sam in the past, but a few years ago, I came to the realization that most of my problem with her was her canonical wibbly-wobblyness... nerdy enthusiast one episode, competent warrior the next, ferocious sex-kitten the next... and handing the enemy the keys to the city without much fight in another?! I found that if I threw all that out and built up a "core" Sam (who was, to my surprise, a lot like me) that I could get a better handle on her.

Re: Sam Carter: Talk nerdy to me!

Date: 2012-06-24 03:45 am (UTC)
ext_391411: There is a god sitting here with wet fingers. (awesome)
From: [identity profile] campylobacter.livejournal.com
I confess to feeling like I'm missing backstory when Sam demonstrates expertise in medicine or biochemistry in canon, but then I chalk it up to her spending a LOT of time at Janet's place, reading Dr. Fraiser's medical journals after they've had sexyteimz. ;)

Sam Carter, afraid of a spider? Maybe a HUGE HONKING SHELOB LotR CROSSOVER MONSTER, but an itsy bitsy spider?????

(I cracked up when I first heard about Virgin!Sam fic. LOLWUT.)

Re: Sam Carter: Talk nerdy to me!

Date: 2012-06-24 03:53 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] cleothemuse.livejournal.com
About as ridiculous as Virgin!Daniel fic... I can SORT OF understand Daniel never having gotten it on with a guy, but there's no way Sarah didn't drag him off to bed to pry him away from his work, and then there's Sha're and Hathor and maybe Shyla and/or Kera and possibly Sam and/or Janet (friends with benefits, ya know) and then Vala and who knows who all else.

But really?! Even if not the fact that Jonas Hansen was probably into some kinky games, and she and Daniel and/or Janet likely got together for some stress relief, and she and Teal'c banged while Jack was missing in "Paradise Lost" (if not sooner), and...

ANYONE with half a brain could see the way Sam was with Pete in "Chimera" and INSTANTLY know this is a woman who is sexually confident.

ETA: Also, while it's possible Daniel was generally clueless enough to have not been sleeping around with other guys before the SGC, CAM is far too gregarious to have not been adventurous in his youth XD
Edited Date: 2012-06-24 03:57 am (UTC)

Virgin!Sam #WTF

Date: 2012-06-24 04:25 am (UTC)
ext_391411: There is a god sitting here with wet fingers. (fear)
From: [identity profile] campylobacter.livejournal.com
I can totally picture Jonas Hanson getting progressively kinkier & creepier, to the point where Sam wasn't comfortable with being the sub to his Dom, and breaking their engagement as his sexual douchery overlapped into other areas of their relationship.

In my fanon, Sam lost her V-card as a teenager during a rebellious phase. Because by the time she was "touched" in Broca Divide, the sex-tigress who attacked Jack in the locker room KNEW HER MOVES. And Jack was sorely tempted. Hell, if I were in Jack's place, I'd've done her & claimed later that I was "touched" too.

PS: Daniel totally did threesomes with Stephen & Sarah in grad school.

PPS: Sam's Doe Eyes never fail to make me melt. DOE EYES 4EVA

Re: Virgin!Sam #WTF

Date: 2012-06-24 04:29 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] cleothemuse.livejournal.com
Oh, yes, Touched!Sam definitely knew what she wanted AND how (and Jack was closer or she'd probably have had her wicked way with Daniel or had a grand ol' time with Teal'c.)

Stephen was a bit of schmuck... Sarah might've been two-timing Daniel with him, but otherwise...

Doe Eyes have their place... aimed at Jack when his countering expression is that of a man having recently eaten a pint of prunes? *sigh* Can't say Amanda didn't make the best of a crummy hand...

(no subject)

Date: 2012-06-24 04:48 am (UTC)
ext_391411: There is a god sitting here with wet fingers. (kino porn)
From: [identity profile] campylobacter.livejournal.com
OMG, Touched!Sam/Teal'c or Daniel. Or Gen. Hammond. >_<

As for Prune-faced Jack/Doe-eyed Sam... I've seen Jack give Daniel that same "pruney" look, and Sam turn the Doe Eyes on Teal'c, too. IT'S TRUE orgy LOVE.

College is usually a time when you do things you regret later... including Stephen the schmuck. GradSchool!Daniel would've done him after toking pot.

(no subject)

Date: 2012-06-24 05:07 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] cleothemuse.livejournal.com
Daniel might've Topped Stephen and Stephen forever resented it was never the other way around.

(no subject)

Date: 2012-06-24 05:12 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] cleothemuse.livejournal.com
Also can't remember pruney!face Jack toward Daniel... a dorky "what? no, I wasn't trying to sneak into the cookie jar" sort of face, but not the outright discomfort he sometimes--but not always--got in the face of the DEOD.

Re: Sam Carter: Talk nerdy to me!

Date: 2012-06-24 09:05 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] magnavox-23.livejournal.com
Promise I will fill this in when I am more awake, just wanted to mention Sam's line to Merrin in Learning Curve about the fun/cool stuff she did in her life not happening until she was 15, and then Merrin asks what stuff and Sam's all "Just... stuff", which I took to mean Sam was at least experimenting sexually quite young perhaps in rebellion to her military father yadda yadda *yawn* totes not a virgin. :P

Re: Sam Carter: Talk nerdy to me!

Date: 2012-06-24 09:51 am (UTC)
ext_391411: There is a god sitting here with wet fingers. (kissed a girl)
From: [identity profile] campylobacter.livejournal.com
OH YEAH. "Half the interesting things in my life didn't happen until I turned 15." Such as smoking her first cigarette, drinking her first beer, making out with another girl, and having sex with a high school senior (or college boy)... Which explains why she's almost "squeaky clean" as an adult.

Re: Sam Carter: Talk nerdy to me!

Date: 2012-06-24 11:45 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] madders-ahatter.livejournal.com
My thoughts exactly! That convo with Merrin was a dead giveaway!
Edited Date: 2012-06-24 11:45 am (UTC)

Re: Sam Carter: Talk nerdy to me!

Date: 2012-06-24 11:42 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] madders-ahatter.livejournal.com
My head-canon for Sam's medical expertise is that following early episode - erm mission - whumpage, and Daniel having to play midwife, Jack ordered Sam to take some training courses so that they'd have a 'mini-medic' on team. Being the super-bright scholar that she is, Sam wouldn't be content with superficial knowledge. She'd bone up on each topic until she felt confident she had it sewn up [puns fully intended]

sam, sam, the sunshine woman - 1/2

Date: 2012-06-24 07:30 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] gingasaur.livejournal.com
Samantha Carter: Mary Sue or Role Model?

lololol YOU ARE JUST INVITING TROUBLE.

1. Everything...? The thing I like the absolute most, maybe, is that she's really quite introverted - a clear step up from the Strong Female Character who Talks Tough and Hits Hard. That's nice, but not when it's all the time, so Sam is refreshing in that she's a pretty private person and still gets to do heroic things and be a hero without it being a silly stereotype.

2. The outwardly badass moments. Sun detonation and Ba'al punching. Sam being in command of things.

3. I don't know how to answer this question with anything other than "cuddle with Teal'c". I like to see indulgence in her relationship dynamics with the whole team? Being competitive with Cam, sharing in The Joys of Science with Daniel, getting flustered the first time Vala tells her she's hot hohohoho.

4. Anything that just... gets her right. Anything where she takes a deep breath and puts her fear aside to get the job done, that's my favorite. That's so Sam. MY DARLING BRAVE GIRL, as I believe you have heard me refer to her on multiple occasions. The fact that she is not without fear and yet still moves forward is THE BEST and there's nothing better than seeing it in fic. I suppose saying competent!Sam wouldn't be a stretch in terms of others' writing; some people have some, uh, creative ideas about Sam's character.

5. Cuddle with Teal'c!

6. I like in Road Not Taken when she's done being jerked around and signals this by ramming a guy's head into a car door.

Re: sam, sam, the sunshine woman - 1/2

Date: 2012-06-24 09:30 am (UTC)
ext_391411: There is a god sitting here with wet fingers. (awesome)
From: [identity profile] campylobacter.livejournal.com
lololol YOU ARE JUST INVITING TROUBLE.
I collect trolls. Because I am one. ;D

she's really quite introverted
That's true; Sam's more than happy to let Daniel step forward & greet newcomers & aliens, to not speak until spoken to (military culture), and to party down with a side science project (or vintage motorcycle) during her downtime.

Strong Female Character who Talks Tough and Hits Hard....silly stereotype
I have serious issues when people say "strong female character", because it presupposes that females are not, by default, "strong". SEE: The Betty White quote http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lslx524zXM1qaqni4o1_500.jpg

One of my favorite "Sam in command" moments is in "Spirits" when she's leading SG-1 in Jack's absence, and makes sarcastic quips such as "My, what big eyes you have". Just as Jack would. asdfghjkl;

getting flustered the first time Vala tells her she's hot hohohoho
HAAA! Or her reaction when Janet says "libidinous" in Hathor. uuuhhhhhhhnnngg

puts her fear aside to get the job done
Aw man, that penultimate scene in "2001" where she's all "if I cut this rope, I might survive, but with a broken spine, so here it goes anyway". *glomps her with snuggles when she rolls down the ramp*

competent!Sam wouldn't be a stretch in terms of others' writing; some people have some, uh, creative ideas about Sam's character
Yeah, because all the times in canon when she's NOT competent... um. Er. When she's unconscious? There's that fanon trope that she can't cook for shit. (But she CAN bake Cam his macaroons!)

Cuddle with Teal'c
Because I kinda started watching SG-1 backwards (Unending got me hooked, so I viewed S9&10 before going back to S1 to watch in order) Sam/Teal'c is my 1st het ship for her. <3

she's done being jerked around and signals this by ramming a guy's head into a car door
Or in Foothold: "Maybourne, you are an idiot every day of the week, why couldn't you have just taken one day off?!" *swoon*

Re: sam, sam, the sunshine woman - 1/2

Date: 2012-06-26 04:41 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] franthewndrhrse.livejournal.com
The Betty White quote was super fantabulous.

sam, sam, the sunshine woman - 2/2

Date: 2012-06-24 07:31 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] gingasaur.livejournal.com
7. Poor dumb Sam and her poor dumb crush on her big gay CO. At best, it's a conspicuously misogynistic fanon fabrication. I have seen this handled well all of one time - in Paian's Appearance of Objects in Depth - and that was because it wasn't about Poor Dumb Sam finding out Jack and Daniel were boning. It was about Sam being angry and hurt that they would hide it from her, because she would have wanted to protect them. Everything else I've ever read has been Sam having to have a Come to Jesus moment with herself and having to ~accept~, through her Lifetime movie of the week tears, that Jack is gaaaayyy and he will never love her like he loves Daniellll!! Boohoohoo! That's... mildly insulting, on about ten different levels, and Paian's complete avoidance of this is what made that story feel real to me. Above all else, they're her team and they are important to her. And besides, I don't think Sam would be that oblivious about it. She'd pick up on something between them, even if she didn't know what it was, even if the pieces didn't fall into place and make sense until after her discovery.

Plus, if Sam is hung up on anything about Jack, it's that she's hung up on not being hung up on him. She's the one who wanted to leave it in the room, which many people seem to forget. As the woman, she's automatically under enormous pressure to do so, since society at large views so much of relationships as the male's pursuit of the woman until she relents. If they do anything, Sam's going to see it as her weakness and her fault. Sam is already hard on herself about most everything else, so I think it's not unreasonable to think she sees it as her responsibility to keep things under control and not be "the idiot who fell in love with her boss". I think she probably thought there was no way she would ever be that person to begin with, and so most of her energy would go toward putting it aside and not thinking about it. And nowhere in the show (I'm looking at you, oft-referenced and incorrectly applied Scorched Earth example) do her feelings for Jack compromise her work. Nowhere. I'm going to go the distance and say anyone who says otherwise is deliberately looking for evidence of something that isn't actually there.

8. The above. Sam just being there to provide exposition, or worse, Sam not being funny (she's very funny! but her sense of humor tends to be so understated and I think people miss that. how could she exist for eight years on a team with JACK if she couldn't keep up with his dumb jokes?) Sam crying too much. Sam not crying enough, aka being the team's emotionless robot (hello, what? if there's anything Sam Carter has a lot of, it's feelings about stuff.) An over-emphasis on excited technobabble. Anything involving the word "naive".

9. Being an asshole about her and her magnificent breasts butting into your precious sausage-fest team?

10. I think her being The Genius is more the reputation given to her by other characters than what is actually true. There's no doubt she's extremely smart, with an analytical mind that lends itself to being good at what she does, but come on. She's not Einstein.

I don't think canon is as unstable with her as legends say. Everyone on the show got some fun inconsistencies and I don't think Sam's were any worse than anyone else's. It is my belief that she just gets automatic bias, because hey! She's The Woman so she can't be good at too much or else she's TOO PERFECT, right guys?

I can count three separate instances off the top of my head where AU Sams died to save other people, not to mention all the times "our" Sam was ready for that. Is she more self-sacrificing than Daniel?! I don't know, but she's gotta hold some kind of record.

AND IN CLOSING: GIF.

Re: sam, sam, the sunshine woman - 2/2

Date: 2012-06-24 11:01 am (UTC)
ext_391411: May I witness the honeymoon? (MPREG)
From: [identity profile] campylobacter.livejournal.com
Poor dumb Sam and her poor dumb crush on her big gay CO
This cliche is so fucked up I don't even know where to begin. My biggest issue with it is IF JACK IS BONING DANIEL, THAT MAKES HIM BISEXUAL, NOT GAY. Because he never stops liking ~the ladies. In my fanons, (SG-1, SGA, XF, LotR, Farscape, Firefly...) I usually 'ship the main M/M pairings, based on the premise that the guys are BISEXUAL. Plus, I've never seen any indication in canon that Sam's a homophobe.

Paian's Appearance of Objects in Depth... Sam being angry and hurt that they would hide it from her, because she would have wanted to protect them.
Oh I need to read this. After I finish S8. So much of the best SG-1 fanfic is post-S6.

I don't think Sam would be that oblivious about it.
There's so much Jack/Daniel HoYay in canon, Sam can't help but notice.

she's hung up on not being hung up on him. She's the one who wanted to leave it in the room
Such a painful path she chose in that ep. A TOWER OF ANGST.

society at large views so much of relationships as the male's pursuit of the woman until she relents
UGGGHh the whole "women are responsible for men's morality because men are morally weak" concept really gets my goat. In the ass. With a fake penis.

oft-referenced and incorrectly applied Scorched Earth example
Sam obeys Jack's LET'S BLOW IT ALL UP Plan because he GAVE HER A DIRECT ORDER. You can see her chafing as she does it. (You can also see RDA wanting to wring Mallozzi & Mullie's necks for writing S1 Jack in S4.)

her sense of humor tends to be so understated and I think people miss that
Sam's humor is largely due to taking most of life *in* good humor. She just doesn't have the time or energy to waste on holding a grudge or being wanky about a pet peeve.

if there's anything Sam Carter has a lot of, it's feelings about stuff
That elevator scene in "Singularity" where Sam breaks down after leaving Cassandra? INSTANT CREYS ALL OVER MAI FACE

"naive"
More applicable to early S1 Daniel than to Sam, ever.

TBC

Re: sam, sam, the sunshine woman - 2/2

Date: 2012-06-24 02:58 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] anna-sg1.livejournal.com
(You can also see RDA wanting to wring Mallozzi & Mullie's necks for writing S1 Jack in S4.)

YES YES OMG SO MUCH YES! That whole episode, or the other half of it feels like they all regressed as characters that it's painful to watch.

Re: sam, sam, the sunshine woman - 2/2

Date: 2012-06-24 09:37 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] gingasaur.livejournal.com
You wouldn't believe how many "Why I don't get S/J" posts I've read where people talk about Scorched Earth as some bastion of Sam's clouded judgment. It's not even close to being a fair example because of exactly what you said: Jack gave her a direct order. If she disobeys, then she's an incompetent officer. If she obeys, then apparently she's still an incompetent officer. You can't just wave around a lose/lose situation and call it irrefutable. Plus, yes, it's pretty evident how vehemently she disagrees.

You have to wonder why no blame gets placed with Jack for ordering to kill Daniel, but wait, no you don't. It all comes down to people looking for reasons to hate Sam. So it's like, let me see if I've got this right: she's too perfect, and therefore needs to make more mistakes. But hang on, she's also "pining" and therefore needs to never make any mistakes that could translate as her intense want of Jack's cock. ???

Re: sam, sam, the sunshine woman - 2/2

Date: 2012-06-25 02:40 am (UTC)
ext_45525: Gleeful Baby Riding A Bouncy Horse Toy (Snark-gasm!)
From: [identity profile] thothmes.livejournal.com
My biggest issue with it is IF JACK IS BONING DANIEL, THAT MAKES HIM BISEXUAL, NOT GAY. Because he never stops liking ~the ladies.

Oh, yes THIS!

As you know, I'm a Sam/Jack shipper, and there is plenty of canon support for those two flirting, straight through to plans for the third movie, and based on what AT and RDA have to say about how they played it. If you don't like the pairing, and think they have all the chemistry together of anemic half-dried slugs, it is still canon. So unless you go AU, it's there.

I've heard in more than one interview that both MS, and to a greater degree RDA were initially upset that people were shipping their characters. I don't think it was because they had not "evolved", indeed there are interviews out there that make it pretty clear that this was not the case. I'm betting that it was simply a case of "We weren't playing it that way. WTF! Where are they getting that?" The same interviews that say they were initially upset, say that they began to play up those moments, in part because it amused them, and in part as a gift to those fans. So if people want to see that, it's there. Deliberately. I'm a Sam/Jack shipper, but I admit it's there. People who are Jack/Daniel shippers have actual deliberately placed screen moments to squee over.

In one of the commentaries one of the directors (I think it was Peter DeLouise) points out in an infirmary scene, how RDA is reflexively checking out the female extra playing a nurse in an infirmary scene. There's another scene (when General Bauer is being introduced to the SGC) where apparently the female extra parading by the ranks of SGC personnel winks at RDA as she passes, on the side that cannot be seen on camera. He looks startled, and checks her out as she passes him. As you look for it, these moments are caught on film often.

So even if one wants a personal fanon where since DADT was removed, Daniel and Jack have wed, and are now using info from the Asgard core to experience mpreg and bear and raise a baker's dozen of assbabies, it would be hard to argue that they weren't two happily married bi-guys.

Sausage fest.

Date: 2012-06-24 11:29 am (UTC)
ext_391411: There is a god sitting here with wet fingers. (kissed a girl)
From: [identity profile] campylobacter.livejournal.com
her magnificent breasts butting into your precious sausage-fest team
[MY REDACTED ANTI-MISOGYNIST RANT WENT HERE.] THIS. Loving cock doesn't mean you have to hate vaginas.

She's not Einstein
She's damned close. SHE CAN BLOW UP A SUN. Although Rodney's closer. (He blew up most of a solar system. By accident.)

she can't be good at too much or else she's TOO PERFECT, right guys?
haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa ha! Sam has flaws; they're just the kind of flaws that are easy to miss if you're only focused on Jack & Daniel's penises.

Is she more self-sacrificing than Daniel?! I don't know, but she's gotta hold some kind of record.
Sam hasn't died as often as Daniel. *sporfle*

AND IN CLOSING: GIF.
LOL AWKWARD ADORKABLE

Thanks for playing. :D THIS WAS FUN AND MUCH BETTER THAN DISCUSSING ON TWITTER IN 140 CHARACTERS.

Re: Sausage fest.

Date: 2012-06-24 09:44 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] gingasaur.livejournal.com
All I meant by "she's not Einstein" is that she doesn't have the answers to Every Single Problem and it's tiring to continue to see her dismissed for being god-level smart when she's not. If Sam ends up having some magical solution to a problem a couple of episodes in a row, that's called lazy writing. Blame the writers and move on.

they're just the kind of flaws that are easy to miss if you're only focused on Jack & Daniel's penises.

Basically. People make it clear they're perfectly capable of filling in the blanks and rationalizing how something can work and looking for the subtext of the things they're interested in. They're just not interested in trying that for Sam.

Sam hasn't died as often as Daniel. *sporfle*

Yeah, but AU Sams! They drop every minute.

Thanks for playing. :D

Yay, thanks for posting! I love a good barf of Sam feelings.
Edited Date: 2012-06-24 09:46 pm (UTC)

(no subject)

Date: 2012-06-24 10:36 am (UTC)
roeskva: (Open the gate)
From: [personal profile] roeskva
Well, I suppose Sam is kind of a Mary Sue in canon, seeing that she is a Doctor of Astrophysics, and a Captain in the Air Force, and have done duty as fighter pilot - all while only being 28 years old or so!

But, I also love her (because, hero astrophysicist? How can I not love that!) and I write her often, though I mostly focus on her 'Tok'ra' side and connection. I think she changed after being host to Jolinar, maybe got a bit more able to do what needs to be done.


Anyway, let's try your questions ;)

1) What is it about Sam that you love?

Intelligence, she is nerdy (which is good!), she loves what she does, she is a dangerous fighter - but she is also kind, even if she seems to be somewhat reserved and have difficulties expressing her feelings

2) What makes you squee?

When she saves the day, when she is happy, when she is with her friends

3) What do you most love to see her do?

saving the day while being competent and bad-ass

4) What are the elements of a Sam story that you love the most?

Those that I have already mentioned - but I mostly love her connection to the Tok'ra, which I had wished they had elaborated on. Let her work with Goa'uld tech!

5) What do you really like seeing her do in fic? On the show? Both?

Again - what I already mentioned ;) I love when she is bad-ass and when she shows her intelligence - and mostly when she somehow uses her Tok'ra connection

6) What is the most epic of Sam WIN?

Too many times to mention. She is awesome in the Foothold episode, among others.

7) What annoys and pisses you off when you see it in fan fiction?

Super-Sam who can do EVERYTHING. Weak Sam who cries over everything and needs saving by the boys. Sam who pines after her CO, and keeps pining for him years and years and years...(wait...that's not just fanfiction, unfortunately). Sam who wants nothing else in life than marrying O'Neill, having his children, and being a stay-at-home mom. GAH!

8) What are the stupid/shallow/careless misinterpretations of Sam that must be avoided?

See 7) She is not weak and cries at every opportunity, her emotions are not all over the place. She is not a damsel in distress that needs saving the whole time.

9) What qualifies as Sam!Fail?

See 7) and 8) above ;)

10) Any other pointers, tips, criticisms, & pet peeves also welcome!

Well, since I can't stand Sam/Jack, I may have greater problems with Sam deciding to leave everything behind and settling down with him and being a stay-at-home mom...but I really can't see her just do that with little thought, as she seems to do in so many fics!

A problem with Sam is that her character changes over the show, and not completely believable, I think. She goes from competent!Sam, to teen-pining-for-her-superior!Sam, and that is just not her, I think.

Part 1

Date: 2012-06-24 11:13 pm (UTC)
ext_45525: Gleeful Baby Riding A Bouncy Horse Toy (I'm Thinking)
From: [identity profile] thothmes.livejournal.com
1.What is it about Sam that you love?

That she is a strong female character who is not (after Children of the Gods and Emancipation) chiefly noted for her sex object characteristics. Sam's value to the team is not her beauty, but her competence.

2.What makes you squee?

Seeing Sam hold her own. She takes down Turghan, she slugs Ba'al, and when someone dares to step on her command turf on Atlantis, she brushes him back in short order.

It's not just physical though. I love her sarcastic little asides too. Welcome to my life! You blow up one little sun...

3.What do you most love to see her do?

Sam is so often used as a technobabble delivery system, that I love to see those moments where she is just interacting with her teammates. Being there for Daniel-as-Machello and calling him "Sweetie", teasing Cassie in the infirmary after Nirrti leaves, ducking her head to hide a grin at one of Jack's comments, all her little moments with Daniel and Teal'c in Cold Lazarus, being oblivious to the nature of Graham Simmons' crush until Daniel points it out, coming back from shopping with Vala.

4.What are the elements of a Sam story that you love the most?

I like to get to see some of Sam outside of work, her back story, her hobbies and interests, what makes her tick outside the base. I loved finding out that she alphabetizes her shelves, to see her family pictures set around her living room, to find out that she may be a genius when it comes to all matters scientific, but she's too work-obsessed to bake a cake when she can buy one, and she can't draw for beans. I'd love to have known what sort of relationships she maintains outside of work other than her family and (sort of) Alex Colson.


5.What do you really like seeing her do in fic? On the show? Both?


It's nice when we get to see both sides of Sam, Sam the professionally kick-ass and competent, combined with Sam that's so head-driven that she's sometimes a little clueless as to the emotions and motivations within and around her. It's not that Sam doesn't have emotions. She is loving and kind. When Daniel ascends and again when Jack is lost with Maybourne, she is distraught. She cannot walk away from Cassie in the bumker. But it takes her waaay to long to figure out that Pete is a big ol' dead end, and she deliberates a looong time before convincing herself to get engaged to him too. She cleary over-thought and under-felt that one. This is why Sam is not a Mary Sue. Professionally she's great, in her personal life, she's muddling along. And like I said, she can't draw. If she were a Mary Sue, she'd give Leonardo a run for his money in the sketch department.

Part 2

Date: 2012-06-24 11:14 pm (UTC)
ext_45525: Gleeful Baby Riding A Bouncy Horse Toy (I'm Thinking)
From: [identity profile] thothmes.livejournal.com
6.What is the most epic of Sam WIN?

Well, she blows up a sun and decks Ba'al. But the moments I like the most are those moments when they show her weaknesses too. She's so fascinated by the black hole that she loses sight of the fact that she's watching people die. She's too empirically minded to feel comfortable talking to Tonane's wolf-god, although she does it. She can face down Ba'al with the fate of the galaxy at stake, but Bregman's cameras fluster her. It takes time, but with limited options for rest and relaxation, she ultimately masters the cello.

I like to see her be there for her teammates (Daniel-as-Machello, or asking Daniel if he's slept in Children of the Gods, coaching Jonas on Col. O'Neill, joking every now and then with Teal'c, discussing regrets with Jack in Antarctica, discussing various and sundry with Janet, fielding Cam's macaroons and bringing cookies herself).


7.What annoys and pisses you off when you see it in fan fiction?

Sam the hysteric. Okay, so she's not very good at figuring out her personal life, but she is neither a hysteric nor a shrew. She's pretty damn buttoned down emotionally, which means that like Daniel, like Jack, like Teal'c, she has emotions, and they affect her actions, but in a controlled and measured way. Sam does not go off half-cocked. That's part of how we know it's Jolinar when Jack has to tranq her in the Gate room.

8.What are the stupid/shallow/careless misinterpretations of Sam that must be avoided?

Sam doesn't have a life: She rides motorcycles, she has enough books to alphabetize, she shops, she loves old movies, she plays chess with Cassie. So maybe she doesn't knit and thinks she might be boring. That doesn't mean she actually is.

Sam can't cook: Clearly she can bake cookies. She buys a birthday cake for Cassie rather than baking one. That doesn't mean she can't cook or that her cooking is inedible. Ditto Jack. Cooking for one is a little stupid and pointless, especially if you are away often. Takeout's easier.

Sam has no friends: The show has few moments to devote to this. We know Jack plays poker with a sheriff named Andy. We know she spends time with Janet and Cassie. Why can't she have other friends from childhood or her Academy days, after all Cameron was one.

9.What qualifies as Sam!Fail?

That little discussion of where she keeps her organs. It took the writers a while to catch on for writing a female character, and they never did quite master all aspects of it, but they did get better as time went on, and Sam's character really grew and matured over time, from overly prickly yet a bit over-awed at first to a hardened and hightly competent commander at the end.

Oh, and really, I know they needed to do it contractually speaking, but giving Mitchell command over her, when she had once led the team and was the same rank was really, really awkward.

10.Any other pointers, tips, criticisms, & pet peeves also welcome!

Sam is nice. Sam is respectful. Sam technobabbles. Still, Sam has a good sense of humor, loves excitement, and makes some pretty dry and sarcastic asides. While the people around her sometimes forget that she's a girl, she never does. She went into the Air Force because she wanted to get into space, not because she was too butch for civiilian life. She works hard to blend in, but she doesn't forget who and what she is. Watch her with Janet and Vala. She's different with them than she is with "her boys".

*********
Edited for HTML fail
Edited Date: 2012-06-24 11:18 pm (UTC)

(no subject)

Date: 2012-06-25 05:17 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] magnavox-23.livejournal.com
1. What is it about Sam that you love?
I love Sam's thinkiness first and foremost (the booty is a no brainer, amiright?). Her ability to make those giant ass leaps of logic - whether innate brilliance on her part, or lazy writing on the writers part *g* is thinking so far outside the box that she contradicts the stereotypical straight laced officer that she presents herself as early on. I'd like to think that Hammond saw this in her - in addition to her previous work on the gate and knew she could in fact, bring it.

2. What makes you squee?
Oh gee... astrophysics (and who didn't want to be a frickin' astronaut when they were a kid?!), motorcycle riding, lock-picking, understated humour... she came at a time in which the women in sci fi movement was really gaining momentum with Janeway, Kira Nerys, Aeryn Sun - all these beautifully flawed and yet self-empowered women.

3. What do you most love to see her do?
Shoot/explode things! I love that whether she is accomplishing or failing at something she still gives her all. And I love her sense of humour, often subtly aimed at Jack since you know she is a nice and respectably subordinate. *nods*

What are the elements of a Sam story that you love the most?
I love it when a Sam story focuses on *her* passions and wants for a change. Sam is never seen as that sexually/romantically proactive (aside from Broca Divide in which she wasn't herself, and Chimera in which her brother sets her up) rather she is the one being chased if you will which is rather old hat.

What do you really like seeing her do in fic? On the show? Both?
In fic - get her thang on, whatever that may be. On the show - her pro-activity and choosing to do what is right, not what is expected of her and not keeping quiet about thus i.e. Chain Reaction & Road Not Taken.

What is the most epic of Sam WIN?
Knocking Ba'al on his ass, surely! Also taking Cassie in the elevator, and actually being the only one to try to talk about Daniel's 'passing' after Meridian, even if Hammond was the only one capable of engaging her in that loss.

What annoys and pisses you off when you see it in fan fiction?
Since I read mostly slash - homophobic or jealous/crazy ass Sam. Even working from canon both she and Jack had plenty of other dalliances with others after deciding to leave their confessions/feelings locked away in That Roomâ„¢, and it completely contradicts how they handle Sam's relationship with Pete - from Jack's figuring it out in the elevator onwards. And since I used to beta a fair bit of het back in the day that did explore the Jack/Sam relationship - Sam going completely girly girly once she's had a taste of cock, and Sam leaving all the decisions in said relationship up to Jack and 'giving it all up' to pop out babies. *yawn*

What are the stupid/shallow/careless misinterpretations of Sam that must be avoided?
Taking tidbits from the show that express not weakness, but humanity in Sam and using them as an excuse to turn her into a whiny little weak thing. A head on a fellow soldier's shoulder after days on the run from death, tears of anger/loss/helplessness shed in private or with a close friend, etc. The idea that Sam has only her work when we've seen her outside interests - bikes, old/bad sci fi movies, plants...

What qualifies as Sam!Fail?
The running gag about Sam spouting technobabble even when others (e.g. Jack) don't want to hear it. That's her job - to present the facts so that TPTB can make informed decisions. I think a few of her judgements concerning Pete were a little off - gaining clearance for him after he got info on her he wasn't supposed to have and endangered himself and her team in the fallout, major trust issue overlooked there given he knew better.

Any other pointers, tips, criticisms, & pet peeves also welcome!
Oh the ol' putting her into a quantitative box rather than using fic as a way of further exploring her character because gosh, even after 10 years she still has loads of potential stories!

(no subject)

Date: 2012-06-25 08:40 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] franthewndrhrse.livejournal.com
I'm answering before I read the comments.

What is it about Sam that you love?


She's independent. Yes, she's a soldier, but still thinks for herself. She's got a sense of humor, she's tough but not emotionless.

What makes you squee?
What do you most love to see her do?


Figure things out. Watch her be amazingly capable. I like to see her feeling others out/bouncing ideas off of them. She knows she's smart but doesn't dismiss other's ideas out of hand, especially if they come from her team.


What do you really like seeing her do in fic?


I like when Sam, in fic, has bonding moments with Vala. They have more in common than it seems at first glance, if you think about it.


What annoys and pisses you off when you see it in fan fiction?


I really like Sam, but she's not a god. NO ONE knows everything or can do everything. I like a little human in my characters. She can be a bad ass, but even so, if jumped by two or three other people, it's unlikely she'd fight her way out of it. And it's doubtful she can just, oh, I don't know, do open heart surgery and brain transplants. It's not the same as dressing wounds.

OTOH, having Sam 'Oh, let me do the appendectomy, Janet! I saw one on Discovery and it looked easy!' Would make me laugh. Oh, moving on.

What are the stupid/shallow/careless misinterpretations of Sam that must be avoided?

See above.


What qualifies as Sam!Fail?


More of the above. Plus, she's not a mean or vicious person. She wouldn't beat someone's head in for the hell of it.

Also: I like that she and O'Neill can feel deeply for each other, but.. Well. But. But I don't care for them being too in love to be able to do anything but gaze at each other. Because, really? They're both tough and confident and get the job done.

If you're going to write about Sam having sex for the first time, shouldn't she be, like, in high school? In college?
Edited Date: 2012-06-25 08:42 pm (UTC)
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