A Flower Springs Up

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Fanfiction
Title: A Flower Springs Up
Author(s): Catherine A. Siebert
Date(s): 1983
Length:
Genre: slash
Fandom: Battlestar Galactica
External Links:

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front page of the story

A Flower Springs Up is a 13-page slash Battlestar Galactica Apollo/Boomer story by Catherine A. Siebert.

The author wanted to print it in SLAYSU #5, but in the editorial to that zine, she said her co-editor wouldn't let her.

The story was advertised for sale in Pop Stand Express #9 and cost seventy-five cents plus an SASE.

It has a sequel called A Gathering of Hawks.

Summaries

From the author's ad: "...short, erotic, graphic, and all in fun. Not meant to answer serious questions. The purpose is to offer an alternative to the ordinary, and to enjoy. "Although somewhat explicit, this Is a very romantic (one reader said mushy—she couldn't resist the pun) story about two warriors who desire a sexual relationship, while serving in a military which forbids homosexuality. When they take a leave on Caprlca, Apollo's parents insist he visit them. How can the two keep Adama and Ma from finding out? What about the hero when Apollo meets the beautiful Serlna?"

From the top of the fic itself: "I don't know where this story came from. Perhaps Susan Perry-Lewis' beautiful foldout in Obsc'zine 4. At any rate certain people encouraged me to finish it. ("There are only good BG stories and great BG stories.")

So here is the beginning of a rather longish series of stores about Boomer and Apollo. They are friends. This is shown on the TV show and in the original movie. But no background is given on how they became friends or why they act and react the way they do. This is one explanation. (Not the only one, but certainly worthy of my warped brain.)

Anyway, this is for Mary, who loved the original idea (one of the few few did) and sent me beautiful encouraging letters. I hope she enjoys it."

A Rarity

This fanwork is a rarity due to several reasons.

While it was advertised in a very limited way to fans, it is closer to drawerfic than more "formal" zines.

It is also a rarity in that it is a single fic, rather than a zine, for sale. Most fans in the print era procured their fiction in roughly four ways: buy it in a zine, get it from a story circuit,[1] pass it around a small circle of friends, or have someone photocopy or retype a story from the previous three sources. Writing and selling a single fic was something that didn't happen very often.

This story is also a rarity due to the subject matter; there wasn't all that much Battlestar Galactica slash available.

Regarding This Author's Similar Fanworks

Siebert wrote and sold several fics in this fashion. They were all slash.

In 1983, there was this ad supplement to Slaysu in Universal Translator:

We have some stories available only on a request basis and only to legal adults. This is because many people have strange views on homosexual (or any type of sexual) relationships. If you are offended by such relationships or by stories about such relationships, these stories are not for you. These stories are short, graphic and all in fun. They are not meant to answer serious questions. The whole purpose is to offer an alternative to the ordinary.

References