SG-1 Cameron/Daniel Manifesto

[chase_acow]

A Tongue-in-Cheek Essay of Why I slash Cameron and Daniel:
Three Short Points with Pictorial Evidence.
And what you can do for fandom.
By Renae

A/N: Thanks to bugchicklv for looking over things for me, and reminding me about the locker-room scene, because I clearly must have hit my head to forget that. Obviously, this is not all-inclusive, and I welcome and would enjoy other input in the comments sections in order to make this post even better.

Spoilers only through Season Nine. This will be updated from time to time, but spoiler warnings will be given.

Credit to Michael Shanks and Ben Browder for being so delicious.

An Introduction, or What the Hell?

The author:

I came into the Stargate fandom, having previously read only Jack/Daniel and having watched a smattering of episodes between Season One and midway through Season Nine. Sometime last December, I turned on Sci-Fi and the first thing I saw were Cameron’s ‘baby blues’. I wrote my first Cameron/Daniel fic, tackled a fourgy and have not looked back since.

Needless to say, I was head over heels for the new Lt. Colonel.

The show:

I can’t imagine anyone coming to this manifesto who hasn’t been watching the show, but just in case, here are the basics. SG-1 is the premier team of military/scientists/fighters that regularly travel to other planets through wormholes brought into existence by the Stargate technology put into place centuries ago by a race known only as the “Ancients”. Insert humor, action, special effects, touching character interaction, and hot boys in hot uniforms, and you’ve got everything you need to know.


Point Numero Uno: “Big Dog” Jackson

In the ninth season of Stargate, the members of SG-1 found themselves of more equal footing. Sam Carter is a Lt. Colonel running programs at Area 51, Teal’c is a leader among his newly freed people, and even Daniel Jackson has grown through his experiences with Ascension and dealing with the military for so many years. Then we meet Colonel Mitchell who originally came to the SGC to join SG-1 not to lead it. Cameron is the new kid on the block, and is as we see in the first couple of episodes, a bit of a SG-1 fan boy.

Daniel is now in the position of having the most experience in the pairing, he knows about the Goa’uld, the Ancients, dangers of the Stargate, and has the first personal look at the Ori. Cameron, um, knows how to fly a 302. Of course, he later learns how to lead a team and be General Landry’s go-fer. The power dynamics of a relationship between Daniel and Cameron can go many different ways: Daniel could be the leader, they could work toward equal partnership, or Cameron could try to establish his dominance and either succeed or fail. The chance for fic exploring this is endless.

During Avalon: part 1 Cameron tries to establish his leadership by telling Daniel to stay on the ship while he and Teal’c beam down to check out Merlin’s pad. Daniel responds by using what always worked with Jack: a lot of whining and his puppy-dog eyes. Cameron crumbles and never looks back.



In Prototype, Daniel is a on edge throughout the entire story line. While exploring the laboratory, Cameron touches something and Daniel immediately shines his light in Cameron’s eyes and exclaims, “Hey! New guy!” This shows Daniel’s willingness to step up and take charge in a more domineering fashion. (I’m still waiting for the whips and chains)



Finally, we see the whole team, and especially Cameron and Daniel learning to mesh better and trust each other to carry their portion of the load. For instance, in the season ender, Camelot, the dynamic duo volunteer to go back to the planet of Merlin’s library to spend some quality time together to do what they do best: Daniel studies his books, and Cameron naps.





Point Numero Dos: By their Powers Combined…

I’m going to let y’all in on a bit of a secret. I’m kinda shallow. I’ll admit it, I like the pretty. Let’s face it Daniel and Cameron are very hot men; the cause for drool buckets across the globe. Singularly, they have spawned websites, fan listings, shrines, and odd stalker-like web-obsessions. Just think about what they could do together.

Sure, they’re a bit similar, as have been noted by various references to narcissism as applies to this pairing. Vala said it best in Avalon: Part 1 when saying that she knows nothing of Earth ”Other that it seems to have an interesting if somewhat limited gene pool.”, while looking at Dan and Cam. They are just about the same height, nice eyes, well muscled, with lickable jaw lines, but these are two men who have different experiences, outlooks, and goals.

The screencap heard ‘round the world:



Seriously, have you ever seen two guys hotter then these? And together? You could even get all deep with the Yin and Yang dynamic they share if you wanted too. I don’t, I just like to watch. : )



Point Numero Tres: Slash Goggles Engage!

And here is where the most tongue comes in. Not literally, except when it is. We’ve only had one short season of Cameron and Daniel together, but already we’ve got loads of evidence pointing toward them getting horizontal in their off-hours (and sometimes their on-hours). For this portion of the Manifesto, we shall put to use the test of “reasonableness”. That is, “What would any reasonable slasher intuit from a given scene, in order to establish true intent.”

For instance, in these screencaps, two radically different hypotheses can be construed:



In context: Daniel is offering Cameron his apartment, because Daniel is going to Atlantis.
With goggles: Daniel is offering Cameron the keys to his apartment so that they won’t raise suspicion when they leave to “get to know each other better”.




In context: Daniel is annoyed that Cameron isn’t sticking closer to the group during an off-world mission.
With goggles: Daniel is insanely jealous of Cameron flirting with the scientist bimbo.




In context: SG-1 has been captured by enemy forces and being held to await their execution.
With goggles: This is one kinky game gone wrong.



Bonus point :

In the episode, Crusade, we get not only Cameron wearing only a towel, but also an in character reaction to Daniel ogling his near bare backside. “Jackson,” Cameron drawls, the shaving cream dripping from his jaw and towel hanging low on his hips. “Is there something I should know?”

Now in the scene, Vala is actually inhabiting Daniel’s body, but Cameron doesn’t know that. He just thinks that Daniel has complete lost it, and forgotten their agreement to keep the hanky-panky in the bedroom. [Michael Shanks is such a good pretend woman, too!]







A Conclusion, or Now what?

Go read fic! There are several different communities and personal livejournals that smack of the Cam/Dan love.

First you have, dc_daily which is a great community with a large membership base even though it desperately needs more posts. mitchells_sg1 is another where you can find some Cameron fic. The Daniel/Cameron Archive is another good place to go looking.

kylielee1000 made a list early last spring which you can find here. Here is the tag for Cameron/Daniel at stargateficrec and this is the tag for my personal C/D fics. It’s all porn, don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Friend people! Say you like a fic, or just think the author is a genuinely cool person, friend them! Who doesn’t like to meet new people and writing to a bigger audience? Peruse their friends list to find other people with common interests, and don’t forget to check out the membership of some of the communities. Just remember, the internet is no place to be shy!

Contribute!</ i> Nothing says lovin’ like a new fic or pic spam! Find your niche and go for it. Write naughty captions for screencaps, make icons or graphics. Beta or write a fic. Do episode summaries, or character essays. The easiest thing to do is feedback whatever you’ve found that you like. Nothing makes an artist create faster than an encouraging word.

Spread the love! Pimp and rec your favorite stuff. Drag your roommates into the living room to watch and share in the pretty. Spam your F-List with reasons they should watch/read SG-1. Proclaim your love from street corners and bell towers!

Comments

[kueble.livejournal.com]

This was a great explanation Daniel/Cameron!

I don’t, I just like to watch. : )

That pretty much sums it up. I still enjoy Jack/Daniel, but Daniel/Cameron has the added benefit of both of the men being OMG HOT. Jack is cute, but he's no match for Cameron. Plus, the subtext is just as available for D/C versus J/D.

And I just might fangirl over Cameron as much as he does over SG-1...

[chase-acow.livejournal.com]

Thank you! Jack is pretty adorable, but Cameron is just... Cameron! Yeah, there's definitely a vibe to work with Cam and Dan, but it isn't as though we stop if there wasn't! ; )

*fangirls Cam*

[or-mabinogi.livejournal.com]

You could even get all deep with the Yin and Yang dynamic they share if you wanted too. I don’t, I just like to watch. : )

Seriously. I watch for the plot. I hadn't noticed they were two hot men.

(And if you believe that, I have some ocean-front real estate in Arizona I can sell you. *g*)

[chase-acow.livejournal.com]

I always wanted to move to Arizona!

Seriously, I definitely watch for the plot too. Yep. No doubt. We all do...

: )

[adafrog.livejournal.com]

Very cool. I love your idea of naughty captions for screencaps. *muaaa hahahahaha*

[chase-acow.livejournal.com]

*waits for naughty captions*

Glad you enjoyed!

[lmichelle599.livejournal.com]

I prefer slash goggles activate! *g*

I'm trying to think of something more coherent to say, but still drooling over the screen cap heard 'round the world.

[chase-acow.livejournal.com]

Slash goggles are definitely the best invention since sliced bread!

Coherency is totally over rated! I loved looking through the screencaps, not like it's a hardship. Those two are gorgeous!

[lmichelle599.livejournal.com]

Yes, they are. That's why I want to have a threesome with Daniel and Cameron. *g*

BTW, I friended you. It probably wouldn't hurt to have a token Het peron on your flist, anyway. ;)

[chase-acow.livejournal.com]

That's cool! I always wanted a token Het person!

: )

Daniel/Vala/Cameron would be way hot! Any fic recs?

[lmichelle599.livejournal.com]

Yay! *g*

I wrote a Daniel/Vala/Cameron threesome. My first threesome. *blushes* I posted it to dcdaily, but never got any feedback. :-( However, I did have good feedback from friends.

http://community.livejournal.com/dc_daily/37744.html#cutid1

[nicole9514.livejournal.com]

Awesome i love the pics. I love these two cuties :)) They are damn fine to look at i adore them.

Loved the shower scene lol

[chase-acow.livejournal.com]

Glad you liked it! The locker room scene is just plain awesome. Whoever wrote that deserves a big piece of cheesecake.

: )

[thothscribe81.livejournal.com]

This was so much fun to read! It makes me want to do one in my own journal! Your points are right on! I died laughing the first time I saw the shower scene, it was so freakin' funny. And your right, Michael played the part perfectly, lol.

I loved your pics with the captions - I was thinking about it more, and wouldn't it be fun to do something like that over at D/CDaily? Maybe we'd get people to post more. We could post a pic and then have people cap it, or just post a pic with caps and have others do the same? It'd be fun! Yay for fun ideas (especially slashy ones dealing with the hottness that is Dan/Cam!)

[chase-acow.livejournal.com]

Hee, glad you were entertained! You should do one for your journal, too. More Cam/Dan love! I nearly died from the hottness in the shower scene. Mitchell should only be allowed to wear a towel everywhere he goes!

It would be fun to do over at D/C Daily! If we could get people to play with us...

[thothscribe81.livejournal.com]

I'm working on my D/C post - this is fun. And when I get home tonight I'm gonna post some pics to DC Daily and see what kind of response I get.

You have to join my new mailing list on yahoo, its a totally slash friendly, pro seasons 9 and 10 group. We need more people to chat about the new episodes!!

[chase-acow.livejournal.com]

Awesome! I'll look for it after I get home from work and before I start studying for my final. I;m going to need something to make me happy!

I'll look into the yahoo group as soon as I get the chance. More happy chat would be wonderful, but yahoo scares me a little.

[kyokoaegis.livejournal.com]

Great manifesto, I specially loved the pictures and the 'with goggles' comments, that was really funny!

[chase-acow.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I'm glad that I could entertain!

[mahoni.livejournal.com]

I don't have a manifesto, and I only have about...uh, maybe one SG1 fan on my flist, and I'm pretty sure she wouldn't be interested (Sheppard/Cameron shipper, as far as I can tell. A joining of which I totally see the appeal, incidentally. Although I also see the appeal of Sheppard/Daniel. And Sheppard/Daniel/Cameron. I think this is because Sheppard, Daniel, and Mitchell all = hot like whoa, and I'm very shallow).

So hopefully it's okay if I blither about them in your LJ instead?

Firstly, I love your manifesto. Partly because it cracks me up and makes me happy, partly because it implies that when I do finally get to see season 9 there will be some Daniel&Cameron interaction, woo.

I ended up at Daniel/Cameron in a weird and twisty manner. I've seen a whole two and a half episodes of season nine, and that was before I had seen any of the previous seasons of SG-1. The s9 episodes I saw were generally Cameron-centric: The one where he tries the undercover thing with...I have no idea, were they drug dealers? My first thought was, what is this show, who are these people, and what the heck is going on? My second thought was, this Mitchell guy is cute, but not very smart. My third thought was, he should have let that other cute guy do the talking. My fourth thought was, the other cute guy is cute without glasses, but OMG dead sexy with glasses. My fifth thought involved Teal'c and the actor's frighteningly large head, but that's not important here.

Then I saw the last ten minutes of the one where Mitchell apparently has somebody else's memories in his brain, and thought, no clue what's going on still but hey, cute AND sexy.

Then I saw the one where he's stuck on some planet and has to fight some Jaffa guy to the death, and decided, not just cute and sexy, also very, very cool.

And then I overindulged myself on the previous seasons of SG1 and fell madly, scary-fangirl-ishly in love with Daniel Jackson.

Since I hadn't seen much of season nine, I had no idea how Daniel Jackson and the cute new guy interacted on the show, if there was any fun subtext, etc. But I wanted to know how they might get along, which meant that after a couple of years of not finding any kind of 'ship interesting at all I was suddenly poking around for Daniel/Cameron fic.

And then I found your stories and someone else's (I think her LJ name is dirty_diana, but I'm terrible with names, and nearly as bad with remembering to bookmark good stuff on the web), and yay! and then season 10 started, and while there hasn't been much interaction between Daniel and Cameron there's plenty of proof that I will love it if there ever is.

So, yes, not really a manifesto, but may get there someday.

Relatedly, I hope you don't mind that I friend you. No obligation to friend me back. :)

[chase-acow.livejournal.com]

Sheppard/Cameron and Sheppard/McKay I can do. Sheppard/Daniel just freaks me out. I have absolutely no idea why, but my brain insists, and I decided to listen to it this one time. : )

You tell a wonderful story about your fall into Cameron/Daniel love! They have some great moments in season nine. They get to wear leather pants at least twice, and have lots of woobie moments. It was a rocky start, but they've come a long way since. I'm so excited for more season ten eps, it really feels like they've found the "Cameron" character that works with the rest of the team now.

I love new friends! I make a post-it not to go check out your journal once I'm done with finals tomorrow.

: )

[mahoni.livejournal.com]

Sheppard/Daniel just freaks me out

:)) I really, really know that feeling. There are some ships that just make me twitch and there's no getting past it. McShep is one. Actually, pretty much all SGA ships make me go O_o. Outside of the aforementioned crossover slashing, I have a purely gen love affair going on with SGA. The nice thing is that I don't have to ship a certain way to enjoy a really good story containing a ship, though, so it's all good. :D

[teddibear.livejournal.com]

You are INSANE and I adore you for it! *smooch* That cracked me up so hard. BTW though, they're ON more equal footing not OF it. *snerk* Also somewhere it's COMPLETELY I believe, not complete. And omg, Michael DOES make such a good pretend woman. Gah!

I got some stuff for ya for Season 10 :) Lemme know if ya want it.

*smooch* I will be linking to this when I do my LJ update ya know :)

[teddibear.livejournal.com]

BTW, Cameron has a new nickname for Daniel-Sunshine. He's used it TWICE now. Once in The Ties that Bind and now the second time in Pegasus Project. Hee! Shaft and Sunshine. Oh lord. :)

[chase-acow.livejournal.com]

I love that sooooooooooooooo much! Now just so long as nothing gets shortened to ShaftShine because I don't think that I could take that!

: )

[chase-acow.livejournal.com]

That's me! I'm crazy like a crazy thing.

Season 10 has been good to Cam/Dan so far! I figured I'd maybe wait a few more eps before I updated, but I'd love all the input!

[magickaldreamer.livejournal.com]

I love you. The fic for this pairing is depressingly hard to find.

[chase-acow.livejournal.com]

Aw, thank you! It's true, I wish more people would write for this pairing. Hell, I wish that I wrote more.

: )

[karitawyr.livejournal.com]

Hi! Just popping in to say that I friended you because even though I love Jack/Daniel there needs to be more Daniel/Cameron. Heck, I might even have to write some.

See ya around!

[chase-acow.livejournal.com]

*waves* Hiya! I love new friends! There should definitely be more Cameron/Daniel in the world. Do write some fic! If you ever need a beta or someone to bounce ideas, you can find me here or at sly_bone@hotmail.com.