hmpf: Show of my heart (angsty)
hmpf ([personal profile] hmpf) wrote2008-11-05 06:49 pm

Sam/Maya

I notice that all the recs so far in the het category of this year's recommendations week at [livejournal.com profile] lifein1973 are Sam/Maya. Now, that does please me. However, I also notice that all the recced fics (I've browsed them, not read them properly, because I'm in a bit of a hurry right now - shouldn't be posting here, either, really) are about them separating/about how the relationship really never worked properly. And, yeah, I've been having one hell of a difficult time writing my own Sam/Maya fic, myself.

I wonder: is it possible at all to write a *working* Sam/Maya relationship? Or does it always have to be broken from the start/broken beyond repair? Of course, with slash goggles firmly in place the obvious answer would be something like "it never worked and never will because Sam's actually gay, even if he doesn't realise it." But I sort of want to believe that what was wrong with the relationship was something *other* than just repressed homosexuality - something even more complicated, perhaps - that was wrong with Sam; something that may be fixed.

But is this me being too pollyanna to see reality?

[identity profile] m31andy.livejournal.com 2008-11-06 12:38 am (UTC)(link)
Really, we hardly got ANYTHING in canon on Maya

Too bloody true. And most of what we have in canon is from the deleted scenes. It was quite a breath of fresh air for US!Sam and Maya to have a functional relationship, even if he didn't want to meet the parents. While we get the "you used to believe in gut instinct" and "I'm taking you off this case as we've got relationship problems" summing up UK!Sam, it's nice to get something concrete... Of course, the fandom does tend to take the unaired scenes in Ep 1 as canon as well, which compounds things. The tie-chosing and the mobile phone message break-up being a lot more... indicative of how fandom feels about the whole relationship aspect.

Yet, it's just so EASY to write that Sam is a repressed homosexual who just needs to "find the right man..

Interestingly, that's not how I've seen the fandom's take in the past. Admittedly I'm ... far too old school now. Now there's an explosion in fic on the comm, I can't read everything, but that's not how I've seen writers deal with Sam previously. And I've been looking out for it, because it's a trap that you see in almost every fandom. Sam walking on the wild side in 2006, Sam throwing caution to the wind in 1973, but never 'finding the right man'. *shudders*

Not that I'm doubting you at all on the current fandom take, but... ewwww. Loathe that sort of thing with a passion!!!

I get your take, and really, it's sensible, considering how much we are all devoted to 1973 (with barely 15 minutes ascribed to the present, even the *writers* fell in love with the place), 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... (Which is probably why I'd never write such a thing!!!)

Maya headaches

[identity profile] hmpf.livejournal.com 2008-11-06 01:14 am (UTC)(link)
>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. :-(