Where to find it: Ugh, idk, probably the library? I am all for not necessarily giving OSC more money, though, so if you can find it somewhere more illicitly, I am all for it.
What is it, in summary?: This is a novella in the Ender's Game/Ender's Shadow continuity which takes place at Battle School. The main character is not one who features anywhere else in the canon, although supporting characters from the rest of the series, notably Dink Meeker, who I have always thought of as one of the more interesting loose end characters of the series proper, do play significant roles. The main storyline traces student resistance to the homogenizing secularism of Battle School through a group of students' underground practice of Dutch Christmas traditions, and one traumatized student, Zech Morgan, the main character's attempt to leverage the tension of this resistance to authority to leave the school.
What do you love about it?: Look, I think a lot of us weirdo queers who read Ender's Game before the point in our cultural relationship with authors where their personal views were immediately accessible, or even something we thought to look for, wound up feeling a little betrayed by Card's political views and agenda. And a part of that sense of betrayal is that in some ways he can be so good and so compassionate in the ways he looks at his characters. And then in so many other ways, having the context of his religious and cultural background made so many of the fucked up things, and the conclusions he leads his readers to so certainly which don't feel quite right, make so much more sense. This novella is kind of the epitome of that tension for me -- I love so much of what it's trying to gesture towards emotionally, and so much of the character work, and then I just so absolutely disagree with the conclusions it comes to. It's the kind of work which demands an intellectual fistfight, which a fanfic response is perfectly positioned to offer.
What sort of things are you likely to request for it?: I'd be interested in a look at what happens to Zech in the post-Battle School world, both in terms of the personal situation of his home life and the political setup of the Shadow series, which would make him a hot commodity, and would put his pacifism in conflict with the prevailing energy of the world around him again. I'd also love to see he and Dink interact again as adults, maybe even adults who are actually able to articulate some of what was going on with them when they were younger. And with regard to what I said about being a weirdo queer who felt somewhat betrayed by the Orson Scott Card of it all, I wouldn't say no if anyone wanted to make it all a little gayer.
Are there sections of canon (rather than the whole canon) that can be consumed by themselves to fulfil your requests, or that showcase particular characters and relationships?: Nah, it's a quick read.
Content warnings (ie, rape, incest, racism, gore/violence): Fairly graphic depictions and thematic centrality of child abuse and intimate partner violence in the context of an environment of repressive extreme religious control.
A War of Gifts by Orson Scott Card
Media: Novella
Approx length: 126 pgs
Where to find it: Ugh, idk, probably the library? I am all for not necessarily giving OSC more money, though, so if you can find it somewhere more illicitly, I am all for it.
What is it, in summary?: This is a novella in the Ender's Game/Ender's Shadow continuity which takes place at Battle School. The main character is not one who features anywhere else in the canon, although supporting characters from the rest of the series, notably Dink Meeker, who I have always thought of as one of the more interesting loose end characters of the series proper, do play significant roles. The main storyline traces student resistance to the homogenizing secularism of Battle School through a group of students' underground practice of Dutch Christmas traditions, and one traumatized student, Zech Morgan, the main character's attempt to leverage the tension of this resistance to authority to leave the school.
What do you love about it?: Look, I think a lot of us weirdo queers who read Ender's Game before the point in our cultural relationship with authors where their personal views were immediately accessible, or even something we thought to look for, wound up feeling a little betrayed by Card's political views and agenda. And a part of that sense of betrayal is that in some ways he can be so good and so compassionate in the ways he looks at his characters. And then in so many other ways, having the context of his religious and cultural background made so many of the fucked up things, and the conclusions he leads his readers to so certainly which don't feel quite right, make so much more sense. This novella is kind of the epitome of that tension for me -- I love so much of what it's trying to gesture towards emotionally, and so much of the character work, and then I just so absolutely disagree with the conclusions it comes to. It's the kind of work which demands an intellectual fistfight, which a fanfic response is perfectly positioned to offer.
What sort of things are you likely to request for it?: I'd be interested in a look at what happens to Zech in the post-Battle School world, both in terms of the personal situation of his home life and the political setup of the Shadow series, which would make him a hot commodity, and would put his pacifism in conflict with the prevailing energy of the world around him again. I'd also love to see he and Dink interact again as adults, maybe even adults who are actually able to articulate some of what was going on with them when they were younger. And with regard to what I said about being a weirdo queer who felt somewhat betrayed by the Orson Scott Card of it all, I wouldn't say no if anyone wanted to make it all a little gayer.
Are there sections of canon (rather than the whole canon) that can be consumed by themselves to fulfil your requests, or that showcase particular characters and relationships?: Nah, it's a quick read.
Content warnings (ie, rape, incest, racism, gore/violence): Fairly graphic depictions and thematic centrality of child abuse and intimate partner violence in the context of an environment of repressive extreme religious control.