Questions for panel discussion

[sassyinkpen.livejournal.com]

HI!!

I'm going to be attenting Zcon next week, and as part of that, I'm on a panel discussing why we love to slash men in the military.

We'll be disscussing Tour of Duty, Combat, The A-Team, some others I don't know about, and of course...M*A*S*H.

I would love to hear some thoughts, ideas and general squee from those of you who, like me, are fans of the show.

Some things I'd like to hear bout:

What's your favorite pairing and why?
Who could you never slash on the show?
Do you get a lot of flack for slashing what so many seem to view as a 'family' show?
How do you feel about that?
What attracted you to the slash component of the show?
What attracts you to a military fandom?
What would you like fans of other military shows to know about this one?
What, if any, do you think are "issues" in this fandom?

Answer any of them, all of them or toss in your own thoughts...any thing you'd like to add is great. Thanks so much!

Comments

[fides.livejournal.com]

What's your favorite pairing and why?

Hawkeye/Trapper - It is the only one I see.

Who could you never slash on the show?

Pretty much anyone other than Hawkeye and Trapper and maybe Cpt Freeman. For me: BJ is too married, Radar is too Radar, Klinger is too straight and Fr. Mulcahy is just too innocent/priesty (not that I wouldn't slash a prieSt but Mulcahy just hits me as one of the good guys who has no interest in breaking his vows which means either I go with that or I go with the *really* evil wolf in sheeps clothing version and while that might be interesting it might also get me lynched ;-) plus I just don't see him that way)... I could go on but the short answer is the rest just don't ring that bell for me (as it were). It isn't that I see anything 'wrong' [tm] in slashing any of them and I respect that other people do see them that way it just doesn't gell with my mental image of the characters so I would never really read or write it but I probably could on a dare/bet. I hope that makes sense.

Do you get a lot of flack for slashing what so many seem to view as a 'family' show?

I read and write Harry Potter slash (Remus/Sirius) - if I was going to get any flack it would be from that. I think almost all shows these days are "family" shows or "teen" shows. If I didn't slash them I would run out of things to play with. So nope - never had any flack at all and especially none about MASH.

How do you feel about that?

I am glad that I have never had a problem with slashing those characters I see as slashy.

What attracted you to the slash component of the show?

It rang my slash bell. I can't really describe it better than that - some pairings just jump out at me. I admit it was probably helped by the constant flirting between Hawkeye and pretty much everyone but Trapper especially, the gay jokes and just the general vibe between them.

What attracts you to a military fandom?

1. Uniforms
2. Oppotunity for H/C
3. Oppotunity for angst
4. Risking life thing interesting balance to sex thing
5. Action/adventure

What would you like fans of other military shows to know about this one?

It isn't really a 'military' show in the way that Hornblower/Sharpe/Stargate/Tour of Duty/Combat/A-Team etc are. It is set in a war but the main characters are all non-combatants and while they are near the fount lines they typically involved in any of the fighting, the main character is a died-in-the-wool pacifist and the overall tone is every anti-war. Basically it isn't action/adventure, it is dark comedy/sit-com. It would be possible to take the 'military' out (NGO in warzone for example) and you could have the same show - taking the military out of most other military shows is a lot harder since they are actually doing the fighting.

What, if any, do you think are "issues" in this fandom?

We have issues?

:-)

Fides

P.S Good luck with the panel

[sassyinkpen.livejournal.com]

Thanks much - great stuff!! I'm a total Hawkeye/Trapper fan myself.

[nakeisha.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure how far my answers will apply, or how fair it is of me to throw my twopenneth'rth in, but...

What's your favorite pairing and why?

Hawkeye/BJ. They just seem so 'right' together and conform to everything I look for in a slash couple.

Who could you never slash on the show?

With the exception of above, and Hawkeye/Trapper (whom I find okay), pretty much anyone - but certainly anyone with the Father.

Do you get a lot of flack for slashing what so many seem to view as a 'family' show?

Nope.

How do you feel about that?

Not applicable.

What attracted you to the slash component of the show?

The same as any other slash pair. The 'rightness' of them together. Their closeness. Friendship. Togetherness. Inter-dependence. Love. Affection.

What attracts you to a military fandom?

Nothing especially. It's the specific pairing/show that works for me, the genre of show doesn't matter.

What would you like fans of other military shows to know about this one?

Er. Pass - sorry.

What, if any, do you think are "issues" in this fandom?

I'm really only on the periphery of this fandom, so it's a bit unfair of me to say, but I'd say about the same as any other fandom. Plus, any 'arguments' over different OTPs, and personally, I find the use of shortened names, i.e making one name from two, a tad irritating and irksome - but again, that's happening in other fandoms, so... ::Shrug:: It's not enough to really bother me.

[sassyinkpen.livejournal.com]

Thanks so much for the help!

[smithy161.livejournal.com]

What's your favorite pairing and why?

B.J./Hawkeye, probably because there's more angst potential than Hawkeye/Trapper (which I don't mind, since B.J. and Trapper aren't contempories, so the pairings can co-exist, as it were).

Who could you never slash on the show?
Frank, because he seems rather homophobic ("degenerates!"), and the Father, because he's just too innocent for that sort of shenannigans.

Do you get a lot of flack for slashing what so many seem to view as a 'family' show?
Well I don't really talk about it with anyone except other slashers. So no. I don't see why a 'family show' should have homosexual relationships featured in it if it has heterosexual ones anyway.

How do you feel about that?
If I ever got flack, I'd stand my ground. If there's het, why not slash?

What attracted you to the slash component of the show?
The slash just kind of leaps out at you. A bunch of guys cooped up together far from home with plenty of angst and fluff potential sloshing about? Yum. I also like the het angles present too, mind you.

What attracts you to a military fandom?
Nothing specifically. I don't particularly go for military shows, just sit-coms which are well written and acted, and are funny. Anyway, M*A*S*H is going for sort of the opposite of military, in a way.

What would you like fans of other military shows to know about this one?
M*A*S*H is the show that clears up after war shows. There's very little violence (*points at rating guide on back of DVD case* see?) and much more irony and generalised satire directed at the military. And yet, somehow, it's still good for a decent war story.

What, if any, do you think are "issues" in this fandom?
Got issues? Go tissues!
*Ahem*
I'm wondering if you could expand on this question a bit? 'Issues' is a bit wide. Every episode has its own issues. But of course, the all-encompassing issue is how stupid war can be.

[sassyinkpen.livejournal.com]

Let's see...

(by "issues" I sort of left ir broad to see what people came up with.)

However, in general...a lot of fandoms have stuff that comes up, either with canon or the fans or whatever. One issue of the Harry Potter fandom is the segement of underage sex situations. An issue in the House fandom is how his drug use and leg injury are portrayed both in canon and in fanfiction, and how true to life it is.

Could be anything that you see as worth bringing up, I guess.

Thanks for your help, this is great stuff.

[smithy161.livejournal.com]

I've just re-read my post and realised I made a typo which changes what I was trying to say drastically.
"I don't see why a 'family show' should have homosexual relationships featured in it if it has heterosexual ones anyway.
That 'should' ought to be 'shouldn't. Looks like I'm saying homosexual pairings aren't necessary, when I was really trying to say they shouldn't be shyed away from any more than het, in a gender shouldn't make a difference! sort of way.

I'm done now.

[boomc98.livejournal.com]

What's your favorite pairing and why?
Hawkeye and BJ. I'm more into the emotional connection and Trapper can NOT fill that bill for me.

Who could you never slash on the show?
Colonel Potter. He wouldn't allow it.

Do you get a lot of flack for slashing what so many seem to view as a 'family' show?
No. The flack I get is for RPS. For MASH, I get the response that they "never saw that aspect of it before," but no flack. I doubt they'd read the hardcore stuff, though.

How do you feel about that?
These are fictional characters. That's where I try to draw the line. Alan Alda may not agree with me about my take on "his" character, but I wouldn't be all that embarrassed to discuss it with him.

What attracted you to the slash component of the show?
WELL-written fic. The bad ones scared me away for a while.

What attracts you to a military fandom?
Nothing. It's the search for ANY M*A*S*H stuff that lead me here in the first place.

What would you like fans of other military shows to know about this one?
Each episode needs to be taken on its own merits. I've heard people say they won't watch eps without Trap, without Radar, etc. They haven't given it a full chance if they say that. There is quality throughout.

What, if any, do you think are "issues" in this fandom?
That there are people who believe what I said above, and do NOT give the eps without "their" characters in it a chance.

[sassyinkpen.livejournal.com]

Thanks so much! Your last comment is an excellent one and will make for some good discussion - it's really one of the more segmented fandom shows I watch, so this comes up much more often.

[boomc98.livejournal.com]

Glad to help out! I love any type of panel discussion. I hope you yours.

[boomc98.livejournal.com]

*adds "enjoy" to that last sentence*

[smithy161.livejournal.com]

You make a really important point at the end there. I'm fairly new to this fandom, and I instantly honed in on the Hawkeye/B.J. pairing. It took me a while to work out the timeline of the show, and was rather disappointed when they stopped showing reruns of "B.J. episodes" and started reruns of "Trapper" episodes (Paramount Comedy 2 show about a frillion episodes a day), 'cause I'm not as fond of him as a character. I've now realised the stories are just as good regardless of who's in them. While it's fine to prefer characters (I'll take B.J., Henry and Charles over their equivalents any day), it's the writing and acting of an episode that's important, not the ships you can read into it.

(Most of that makes no sense ... you can tell it's late)

[sassyinkpen.livejournal.com]

It makes sense! (And this is great for the panel)

I think one of the reasons this is so prominent in MASH is that they always had "character slots" they kept filling - it was more then just 'one character leaves the show and another one joins it'....There's the "Colonel" role that got switched up, "Hawkeye's sidekick", "The irritating third roommate", "The company clerk"......

So you keep having different characters getting stuffed into the same dynamics. Part of what made the show so great is that each and every actor took those dynamics and made their own place within them.

[smithy161.livejournal.com]

Tis true. There's not a duff actor anywhere in the series, and even though some of the characters are easy to dislike, you know it's because the actor is aiming for it.

You mentioned the "Hawkeye's sidekick" role ... I think one of the reasons I prefer B.J. to Trapper is that he's less "Hawkeye's sidekick" and more a character in his own right than Trapper ever was, probably because he's more complimentory to Hawkeye rather than sharing the same characteristics with him.

P.S. let us know how the panel goes!

[dougs.livejournal.com]

What's your favorite pairing and why?
I have a number. I tend to write people totally failing to get off with each other, though ... or missing each other after one or other of them has left the show.

Who could you never slash on the show?
I can't slash Klinger with anyone, and I don't see me ever writing Flagg.

Do you get a lot of flack for slashing what so many seem to view as a 'family' show?
No. Some people raise an eyebrow at slashing a priest, though.

How do you feel about that?
I'm glad to educate them :D

What attracted you to the slash component of the show?
My first story was a challenge to slash Winchester, and I deliberately chose to slash him with Mulcahy because it would be difficult.

What attracts you to a military fandom?
I don't write military slash -- I slash priests, doctors, and clerks, not soldiers.

What would you like fans of other military shows to know about this one?
Resist authority. It's more fun that way.

What, if any, do you think are "issues" in this fandom?
There's the priest thing, of course. There's the fact that doctor/patient relationships are frowned upon.

[sassyinkpen.livejournal.com]

Thanks for taking the time - You've got a very interesting idea there, in that people are slashing this show for reasons that have nothing to do with military. This will make a great contrast to the other fandoms we're discussing.

[sarcasticsra]

I might be late to the party, but I think I'll answer these anyway.

What's your favorite pairing and why?

Hawkeye/Sidney. I love angst that ends up with a happy ending, and this is the only pairing I can really see that happening with. Also, I love rarepairs. And I'm a sucker for Sidney.

Who could you never slash on the show?

Colonel Potter? Haha, he's about the only one, really. I can slash anyone and everyone.

Do you get a lot of flack for slashing what so many seem to view as a 'family' show?

I've gotten a couple flames for it, yeah.

How do you feel about that?

I just think that's stupid. It's quite an intelligent show about the horrors of war, so I'm not exactly sure when it became "family." Even if it was, the constant talk of drinking and sex that was canon isn't any worse than slash.

What attracted you to the slash component of the show?

I just love picking up on innuendo and subtext, and M*A*S*H had a lot of it.

What attracts you to a military fandom?

I never really looked at that way, because I slash the doctors, not the actual soldiers.

What would you like fans of other military shows to know about this one?

I'm not really sure what this question is asking. I guess that M*A*S*H is a different kind of military show and that you should check it out.

What, if any, do you think are "issues" in this fandom?

Mostly small things, squibbles over smushed together pairing names, the squickiness of Mulcahy!slash, things like that. I don't think there are any huge rifts.

[sassyinkpen.livejournal.com]

You're not late at all - (I don't leave til Wednesday)...

And this is some really great stuff. I like your points about whether it's really a family show or not. (Personally, I think it's a combo of Alan Alda and the time slot they were often in that gave it a false "family" image)

[teapot-yo.livejournal.com]

Colonel Potter? Haha, he's about the only one, really. I can slash anyone and everyone.

Radar/Flagg/Igor. Now.






:D

[sarcasticsra]

I DON'T WRITE FOR PEOPLE NAMED CAROLINE WHO DON'T CALL ME.

=P

[pomkeygeekange.livejournal.com]

I think I am definatly late to this post but there intresting questions anyways so I am going to answer.

What's your favorite pairing and why?
Slash pairing would be BJ/Hawkeye
Who could you never slash on the show?
If you poke around you will realise I slash anyone with anyone. However I do refuse to write fics about Flagg and I do not write fics about Mulcahy . Besides that I am warped and anything goes.

Do you get a lot of flack for slashing what so many seem to view as a 'family' show?
Nope because not many people in real life know I do fanfic, let alone slash. However if they did they would just put it down to me being me.
How do you feel about that?
n/a

What attracted you to the slash component of the show?
I have to admit I did not see it untill I started reading hawkeyesmartini fics then it hit me like a ten tone weight. However I think it was the fact that slash tends to be better written that H/M fics (which I also read and write)
What attracts you to a military fandom?
I don't see it as a military fandom to be honnest, its more a medical fandom set in a war zone for me. However the fact that the characters are so varied and there is conflicts appeals to me.
What would you like fans of other military shows to know about this one?
n/a
What, if any, do you think are "issues" in this fandom?
The fact it is dying rather rapidly. How can there be issues in a fandom where nobody is truely active anymore.

[sassyinkpen.livejournal.com]

Thanks!! You answered before I printed off the notes to take to the con with me, so I appreciate you taking the time :)

[pomkeygeekange.livejournal.com]

your welcome, hope it helps you out.