>I get your take, and really, it's sensible, considering how much we are all devoted to 1973
*cough* Not me... (One reason I sort-of-ship Sam/Maya is that it's a convenient way of essentially shipping Sam/2006. *g*)
>(with barely 15 minutes ascribed to the present, even the *writers* fell in love with the place),
Well, to be fair, there were scenes in 1973 where Sam talked about the present, in addition to the scenes that were actually set in the present. Not many, true, but one thing I did get from those 1973 scenes was an impression that he actually really did love Maya. His passionate speech to Gene on the whole dating an Asian thing showed his emotions most clearly, I think. But also his voice when saying goodbye to her in 2.06.
>but it would be nice to see Sam's hard-won lessons re-win him his relationship with Maya after he comes out of the coma. Not that she couldn't do better, but it would make for a fantastic het romance...
Believe me, I'm trying... Though I'm not playing it so much as straight-on romance, because that is not my genre. But yeah, there's definitely a shippy element to both my AU fics that involve Maya.
My big problem with writing these fics is finding out why in the world Maya would take him back (or perhaps even never properly leave him in the first place - these are AUs, after all) - because as you say, she could certainly do much better, and she must know that. Sam is so very damaged goods (and I'm not even talking about the specific damage I'm inflicting on him for the purpose of the plot.) So, basically, I'm kind of left with postulating a pretty intense kind of love/need on her part (bordering on the pathological, in fact: because the rational, sane choice really would be to have left Sam long ago *snerk*) - which is easy, on the one hand, because I can just project all my silly fangirl obsession onto her; but, on the other hand, is it realistic, based on what little we have on her in canon? Not really. :-(
Maya headaches
devoted to 1973
*cough* Not me... (One reason I sort-of-ship Sam/Maya is that it's a convenient way of essentially shipping Sam/2006. *g*)
>(with barely 15 minutes ascribed to the present, even the *writers* fell in love with the place),
Well, to be fair, there were scenes in 1973 where Sam talked about the present, in addition to the scenes that were actually set in the present. Not many, true, but one thing I did get from those 1973 scenes was an impression that he actually really did love Maya. His passionate speech to Gene on the whole dating an Asian thing showed his emotions most clearly, I think. But also his voice when saying goodbye to her in 2.06.
>but it would be nice to see Sam's hard-won lessons re-win him his relationship with Maya after he comes out of the coma. Not that she couldn't do better, but it would make for a fantastic het romance...
Believe me, I'm trying... Though I'm not playing it so much as straight-on romance, because that is not my genre. But yeah, there's definitely a shippy element to both my AU fics that involve Maya.
My big problem with writing these fics is finding out why in the world Maya would take him back (or perhaps even never properly leave him in the first place - these are AUs, after all) - because as you say, she could certainly do much better, and she must know that. Sam is so very damaged goods (and I'm not even talking about the specific damage I'm inflicting on him for the purpose of the plot.) So, basically, I'm kind of left with postulating a pretty intense kind of love/need on her part (bordering on the pathological, in fact: because the rational, sane choice really would be to have left Sam long ago *snerk*) - which is easy, on the one hand, because I can just project all my silly fangirl obsession onto her; but, on the other hand, is it realistic, based on what little we have on her in canon? Not really. :-(