P/C: our thread is eternal

[Dancing Doctor]

Hmmm...that's interesting. Because it sounds as if Greer has a little bit of Beverly's playfulness...

It almost sounds as if Greer was just stringing him along the whole time.

 

[SiorX]

I raised a question a few months back on the GG mailing list which I've been thinking about again lately, and I'd love to know the opinions of some of the posters here.

In quite a lot of fanfic I've read over the years, I've seen the lack of development to the next stage in the P/C relationship put down to Bev's decision. Her having an epiphany that she was wrong then leads to P/C action (and in the best cases, the famous HOT SEX). I assume it's because in both Attached and Allegiance she's the one to verbally shut down the possibility of things going any further.

Thing is, that reading's never been 100% convincing to me.

I know the actual reason for the P/C relationship never being explored in canon, and it is pretty much entirely lacking in artistic integrity.

So I'm wondering, what are the P/C shippers here's personal pet theories (or fan explanation trying to reconcile the ridiculousness of a canon not interested in making dramatic sense) for just what it was that kept them from going at it like rabbits which, at various points, it was pretty obvious each of them wanted?

My own personal feeling is that a lot of Beverly's reluctance is her awareness of Picard's tendency to see his career/ personal relationships as an either/or alternative. I can see then why his offer to "explore their feelings", wouldn't be enough to convince her that he's not going to send their relationship the way of his relationship with self-righteous shrew #1 Darren.

[Hammer, I seem to be failing in my appointed task to bring in the GHSS. Fear we must build up to it]

 

[Malleus]

SiorX said:
*snip*

[Hammer, I seem to be failing in my appointed task to bring in the GHSS. Fear we must build up to it]

If you happen to have the Party of Five episode in discussion above (notwithstanding classified private conversational material ), would you kindly explain whether or not, in Vixen's words, "Greer was just stringing [Bailey] along the whole time"?

http://www.trekbbs.com/threads/showflat.php?Number=8327597#Post8327597

I'm still confused by the scene and dialogue.

[Which, maybe not by accident, is related to Dr. Crusher "verbally shut[ting] down the possibility of things going any further" - in your words ]

 

[Dancing Doctor]

SiorX said:
So I'm wondering, what are the P/C shippers here's personal pet theories (or fan explanation trying to reconcile the ridiculousness of a canon not interested in making dramatic sense) for just what it was that kept them from going at it like rabbits which, at various points, it was pretty obvious each of them wanted?

I'm not entirely sure, actually. I think part of it was the fact that Beverly felt like she was being disloyal to Jack's memory, a theme that is common in the series. And Jean-Luc isn't the type of person to really get introspective about his feelings. He compartmentalizes everything, and usually puts duty before all. It would have taken a lot from both of them to really have a successful relationship.

 

[Dancing Doctor]

*P/C: Resurrection*

 

[Malleus]

^^^ By the way, I read portions of some P/C smut material out there on the Internet. For some reason, I felt those went too far (hence only "portions").

[Then again, I've actually seen adult content before. Perhaps the written word isn't the best avenue to explore any sort of fantasy. ]



P.S. - Did you choose that av because you're sad or something? She looks concerned there.

 

[Dancing Doctor]

^I've read P/C smut as well. It comes across as desperate and lacking any real depth.

I have been feeling depressed recently, plus I had been watching Generations earlier today. This pic of Bev fit the mod. It's from the fifth season (I believe it's the fifth season) episode Violations. She's experiencing a mental reconstruction of the time when Picard took her to view Jack's body.

 

[Malleus]

Best of luck then, in your recovery.

 

[Dancing Doctor]

Thanks.

 

[rosyrock]

Vixen said:
^I've read P/C smut as well. It comes across as desperate and lacking any real depth.

What do you mean by 'smut'? I write P/C that has sex scenes in it, I try to do them very tastefully and I think that written well "smut" can have depth. I'll admit the style of sex in some P/C that I have nicknamed "anatomical" because of its descriptive way of terming the action is not for me.. I guess it all goes back to what does it for you. It is not easy to write good sex in a story, it takes skill to write it well. P/C sex scenes are something that even gifted writers can shy away from.

I remember some time long ago writing here about being quite proud of being called a writer of smut by an archiver, and as I've said before.. around here it's called E R O T I C A

 

[Malleus]

^^^ One man's "smut" is another's "erotica," no?

 

[rosyrock]

Absolutely, but only if it's well done!

 

[Dancing Doctor]

^I didn't mean to impugn all P/C smut.

 

[Whoa Nellie]

rosyrock said:
It is not easy to write good sex in a story, it takes skill to write it well.

:thumbsup: Damn right it does! It is a skill my co-author and I have spent years honing to a razor's edge. My co-author and I write the stuff that TPTB couldn't or wouldn't do on-screen, it's not Hemmingway--it's romance novel fanfic, cotton candy fluff. The prose is written to be a nice pretty shade of lavender--not truly, deeply purple but still romance novelesque in style. After all, Harlequin romances are guilty pleasures, people don't admit to reading them, but it's a multi-billion dollar industry so obviously people are reading them.

With close to a 100 stories in the entire Whoa Nellie collection, the focus switches back and forth between plot intensive and smutty fluff, along with combining the two in quite a few cases. I remember someone once referring to it as the thinking woman's smut. I took that as a huge compliment.

Warmest Wishes,
Whoa Nellie

 

[Malleus]

On the other hand, this "erotica" is surprisingly good:

http://www.alotofthingscanhappen.com/index.php?page=and-she-closed-her-eyes

["Good" in that the sex is reserved for the end (R-rated), and not spread throughout the story like in most "smut" lits (NC-17) ]

 

[SiorX]

I've been reading P/C smut for about... *scrunches up eyes in effort of concentration*... eleven years and I have to say I've found some really great stuff out there.

Of course, one has to wade through a certain amount of anatomically dubious purple prose to get to it, but actually a large amount of it's well-written, especially when you compare it to, say, the Harry Potter fandom.

I'll take Trek smut over ridiculous pr0n any day.

 

[Malleus]

^^^ You still popped into the wrong thread (although your comments above are most welcome)!



P.S. - ELEVEN YEARS (starting out so young)?!

 

[Dancing Doctor]

SiorX said:
I've been reading P/C smut for about... *scrunches up eyes in effort of concentration*... eleven years and I have to say I've found some really great stuff out there.

Wow...11 years?

I'll take Trek smut over ridiculous pr0n any day.

:thumbsup:

 

[SiorX]

Vixen said:

SiorX said:
I've been reading P/C smut for about... *scrunches up eyes in effort of concentration*... eleven years and I have to say I've found some really great stuff out there.

Wow...11 years?

[/QUOTE]

Well, admittedly I have taken the odd break now and again to have dinner and things.

But yes, I remember the Halcyon Days when Yahoo Clubs were a spiffy new idea, and everyone kept their P/C stories on readily accessible Geocities web pages without any age restrictions.

I learned quite a few things about sex from P/C smut, much of which turned out to be entirely erroneous.

 

[Dancing Doctor]

^*sniff* Sounds like a genteel era...or something.

And what do you mean erroneous? I thought all men recited Shakespeare as they reached the throes of passion...