Only the good die young. Or fall prey to HORRIBLE FANGIRL-EATING PLAGUES

[xparrot]

So I guess it will come out eventually (and let it be stated for the record that this is ALL naye'S FAULT)...after steadfastly resisting for over three years, I have tumbled into that pit from which no fangirl can return unchanged, those few who make it out at all.

Which is to say, I've started watching Stargate: Atlantis. Have thus far seen up through 2x14, "Grace Under Pressure" (in a week. We go quickly. This is actually slower than gnine would prefer to marathon anyway, but I keep applying the brakes...that burning rubber smell wafting to you from the Japanese isles is fangirl brains melting)

My thoughts, the short version: I am a lemming, cheerfully following the droves of most other fangirls into the sea. I love McKay with unholy love...i..ness; and Sheppard has such fluffy hair that I have to love him, too. The other chars are also enjoyable, and everything else - I was once a fan of SG-1, I know the drill. 'tis fun stuffs, if a bit silly in a we're-in-another-galaxy-but-parallel-cultural-evolution-still-leads-to-vintage-wooden-desks-no-really; that's about the size of it.

My thoughts, the long version. Most of these ramblings are copied from the endlessly long emails I'm subjecting naye to; they're totally random and not at all meaningful. Any comments/shared squee welcome, though please, please don't spoil me for anything after what I've seen (that's 2x14 so far). I've picked up a few things to come via fangirl osmosis, as half my flist is into SGA it seems; but I'd rather not get any confirmation of anything...

So. I was a fan of SG-1 back in the day, quit it sometime before Daniel died For Longer Than Usual (may have to watch the rest of it sometime, especially with the addition of Ben "I make these leather pants look better than you could ever imagine" Browder, because, um, yesssss...) SGA is basically more of the same. Different characters, so different dynamics; but the basic idea - the structure of the universe and scifi McGuffins; stories alternating between examinations of individual alien social microcosms, inter-stellar/galactic conflicts, and team h/c; the contrasts of scientists vs the military; the exploration of modern 21st century Earth/America entering the dangerous universe beyond our solar system...that's what Stargate's been about since the movie, and SGA isn't doing anything new there. Which is A-okay with me, because the Stargate 'verse is a pretty fascinating one, with a wide range of possibilities, and I don't think that well's run dry yet.

If anything I think SGA might suffer more when it tries not to be like its predecessor - they couldn't make the Wraith be too much like the Goa'uld, and ended up with a main enemy more nonsensical and therefore quite a bit less scary. I'll save the rant for another day...gnine and I have been trying to make some sense of the Wraith, will have to see if the later seasons follows any of our theories. The rant about how disturbingly inhuman all the human societies of the Pegasus Galaxy are...that too will wait.

This is my first SGA post, so I'm mostly going to squee. About what SGA does right, as SG-1 did before it (though I think SGA might have more consistent characterizations overall) - the characters are an awful lot of fun.

So, my general thoughts on everyone (and not an original insight among them, I'm sure, but hey, this is how I get my kicks):

Rodney McKay. Is love and love and love. I knew he would be, but it's still nice to have it confirmed. Really, this will surprise absolutely no one, because I love assholes (especially insecure ones), and I love geniuses (especially convincing ones) and the combination pretty much slays me dead. From the very beginning, I liked how he's always jittering and talking almost too fast to understand (if not nearly as fast as his brain is working, one gets the feeling his mouth is always barely keeping up, hence the total lack of brain-to-mouth filter) and might be hypoglycemic and allergic and always comes through when you need him. And his worried face is just...um...I guess I'd have to call it the cutest thing ever. Which is good, because he gets to use it all the time.

I love that he is believably a super-genius because he thinks so damn fast, and not just in his field of expertise. He really does come across like he operates on a different level from most other people, able to play out and predict the outcomes of half a dozen scenarios before everyone else has even grasped what's going on. A lot of TV geniuses tend to be brilliant in their specialties of science or math, but strangely lacking in things like basic common sense; McKay is cursed with an abundance of everyday logic as well as the advanced science kind. Which means he panics all the time, because he's realized a dozen ways he could die before most people have even noticed they're at risk.

Of course, to balance this, he's a jerk and an ass with utterly no social skills. He likes humanity as a whole, but not individual humans all that much; he doesn't understand people, and doesn't bother trying to understand people because he's got better things to do. And most of the time he keeps too busy to notice how incredibly lonely he really is. Which, because I'm a fangirl lemming, makes me coo and aww and want to see him snuggled. Even though he'd hate it because he doesn't appear to like physical contact much more than I do.

And yet the reason I and everyone else can love him is because Rodney actually does care about people, so very deeply, which is where the worried face comes in. Because he wears his heart on his sleeve, which usually manifests in really obnoxious pettiness, but when someone he knows is in danger, pretty much all he cares about is getting them out of it, by any means necessary. He'll fold like a wet paper airplane under torture if it's just himself or his pride at stake, because he can always talk himself into a logical reason to give his interrogators what they want; but if there's peoples' lives at risk than he's capable of whatever act of courage he needs to do. He can get completely obsessed with fascinating scientific phenomena, but when someone's in danger all his attention shifts to getting them out of it; one hundred percent focus on solving the puzzle, none left over to be amazed or intrigued or anything else. And he's so quick to blame others for their mistakes, but that's at least partly because he's so quick to accept blame, too, and one way he handles guilt is to try to spread it around.

It's all part of Rodney's trust and self-esteem issues, because as loudly and deservedly confident as he is in his scientific abilities, one gets the feeling sometimes that that is all he's confident in, that he doesn't see himself as having much worth other than that.  So if his science fails, then basically he's utterly failing as a person. It's interesting, too, because as much as he boasts about his mad brainiac skillz, the way he cares about people is just as worthy a trait - he's so bad at relating to other people, but he's so quick to realize when someone might be in danger, and so quick to guilt over someone's death even if there's nothing he could've done...because he's Rodney McKay and therefore he should've been able to think of something in time. It's really a very admirable quality, but unlike his IQ, he doesn't seem to think of his compassion as anything special; he never tries to show it off or prove to others that he cares, he just feels, so very much. And the Pegasus galaxy is really hard on him, all these people dying and every single time it hits him so hard.

And then there's the fangirl bait woobieness of his char - I've barely glanced at SGA fic, but I told gnine that I bet there isn't a h/c fic over 15 pages that doesn't mention either the allergies or the hypoglycemia at least once. I know my fellow fangirls! Claustrophobia, allergies, hypoglycemia...not that you can really tell how real any of those are, because of the rampant hypochondria. Which, again, is because he thinks way too much and way too quickly and it's probably not really a good thing that Rodney knows the symptoms of any number of scary medical conditions. naye theorizes that the dangerous allergy might be real and is the cause of the hypochondria; if your body turns on you once, you're primed to think it will again. The hypoglycemia especially amuses me because it seems pretty convincingly accurate. gnine is mildly hypoglycemic and she acts a lot like Rodney when it comes to eating regularly - it's not a serious condition, in that he's not going to die or go into shock if his blood sugar drops...but he will get (more) cranky, goes off his game and probably gets awful headaches and, yeah, it's better if he eats.

So. Yes. Rodney equals love.

John Sheppard is also love: awesome, way-too-laid-back, Mensa-test-passing and Star-Wars-quoting, fluffy hair love. He's not as original a character as McKay (who really isn't quite like any TV hero I know of), but he's an awful lot of fun. (He also really should have been named Jeff or Jase or ANYTHING BUT JOHN, because I have too many Johns in my fan-vocabulary already, what with Sheridan and Crichton and Stewart (Green Lantern and Daily Show)... I can't call him John so I will stick to Sheppard.) My first impression was: cute-hot and sweet and heroic and very hard to dislike, which pretty much sticks. Even if you were making an effort not to like Sheppard, it would be an effort to constantly maintain it. Easier to just give in and love.

And this goes for in the show as well, because pretty much everyone falls in love with Sheppard, often at first sight, including his entire team + Weir, the leader boy in "Childhood's End" and various others on a dozen different worlds, any extant Ancients, ascended or otherwise (even those in VR simulations); and of course the entire city of Atlantis, which was crushing on him so hard from the moment he stepped through the gate. I mean, it lights up when it sees him. Uh, literally. You can't blame them, either, I mean - "rakish is the word" (it really is) - his hair is so very fluffy, and his eyes are such a lovely shade of intense...

(Oddly enough, it's Sheppard who's pretty much screwing me regarding pairings in this show. I came into it open to slash, but the more I watch the less I really can see it. And that's mostly due to Sheppard. He's got this sort of low-key sexual chemistry with absolutely everyone he comes across, and yet I can't see it being realized. He practically seems asexual to me, by how little he seems aware of or cares about how people are interested in him. Such as from the moment he met Teyla, whenever they're alone together, there's sparks flying, she's thinking, casually, "Yep, I'd totally tap that, if he wanted," while Sheppard's all, "Whee, new friend, isn't talking with friends fun! And she's hot, too! Cool!" He seems aware she's a hot chick, but it doesn't seem to occur to him to pursue this. He'd much rather have her friendship. Heck, he even says kissing her was out of character, and I can't tell if it's the kissing a teammate that's OOC, or just the kissing without a totally established reason and relationship and picnic date and whatnot.

The only real exception to this was the ascended Ancient, and then in "Epiphany" the almost-ascended almost-Ancient, and I'm kinda wondering if that's some weird activation of his Ancient gene. Otherwise...yeah, asexual, and as much with the guys as with the ladies. Weir and Ronon both want into his pants, and Rodney maybe has got a boy-crush, but Sheppard's just not interested; I don't think he's playing hard-to-get so much as hoping if he ignores the problem it'll just go away...

--Excepting his hard-on for weaponry of all kinds. He is totally turned on by Ronon's gun. I mean, his actual gun. Pavlovian reaction indeed.)

Sheppard also is great fun when he's got a giant plastic bug attached to his neck, or is mutating into a giant plastic bug (I'm sorry, but those eyes? were the smex), or driving McKay nuts referencing time travel by DeLorean, or in general being way too smart for a dumb soldier...tricking the Wraith Queen in "The Hive" after seeing through her tricks? Yeah, that was awesome. He's rather scarily good at lying and suppression and repression, and uniquely gifted to deal with virtual reality; the way he handles himself in "Home" is worthy of John Crichton, and I mean that in the most complimentary way.

And of course he's got the Leave No Man Behind thing, with the Orders? What Orders? My Team's In Trouble! amendment, and the additional proviso of Never Ever Ever Tell Him You Have Killed One Of His People, Or God Forbid Actually Kill One Of Them, Because Bad Things Will Happen To You, which is required of any SG team leader.

As for the other chars:

I like Teyla, and am most amused that they made Teal'c into a hot alien babe, but she's got Teal'c's problem; the char herself is cool and brimming with possibilities, but the writers don't quite seem to know what to do with her. She's also got a bad case of Stiff Alien Speech that makes me pity the poor actress (don't get me started on SG and language, just don't), but I'm gradually learning to deal with that. At least they mastered her wig enough that she can put her hair up in battle! I like her best when they allow her to loosen up and bring on the funny, which she can with poise and adroit wit. My favorite scene with her so far was when she was faking technobabble in "Aurora".

Also like Ronon, a lot. I was fond of Ford but he never had much character (until now, and I gotta say I much prefer him as semi-crazed kick-ass super-steroids vigilante, hope he comes back someday); Ronon, as of "The Hive," is simply Bad Ass, what with the sword and gun and knife and ass-kicking and pulling knives out of everywhere, and that will get me every time. He also has Brendan Fraser's voice and easy-going attitude, which predisposes me to fondness. And he's Hawt, which never hurts. The only problem with the trenchcoat (if you can really say there's a problem with a trenchcoat, without being oxymoronic) is that it covers up those arms.

The one problem with Ronon and Teyla is that they have almost no relationship with McKay thus far. I'm hoping this changes; one of SG-1's strengths was that there were strong, unique relationships between all four teammates, in all directions. So far in SGA, Sheppard has a great dynamic with everyone, and Ronon and Teyla already have established a bond, but McKay is closer to his science team and Weir than his off-worlding teammates, except for Sheppard. But I've got another season and some to watch yet, so that might change.

Don't have a lot to say about Weir; I don't really care for her but don't have many particular reasons for that. The actress can grate on me sometimes, and she doesn't strike me as that effective a leader...she's not confident enough when she has to be, and she can be terribly demoralizing on occasion (Her pep talks to her people in stressful situations tend to go along the lines of, "Well, we're probably going to die now. Hopefully not, but probably. I think you're all really great, so sorry about the whole dying thing.") But I don't really dislike her, she's just sort of there. I wish she'd loosen up and let herself make friends with someone besides Sheppard, especially since Teyla does see the kinship between them and they have a lot in common. (Especially since female-female friendship is way too rare a thing in SF TV, and SGA needs help with its female characterizations anyway; they badly need a woman or two on their regular writing staff.)

Dr. Carson Beckett is...ahhh...well, I'm afraid his accent biases me so much that I can't pass honest judgment on him, but he's so very sweet and kind and nervously funny that I adore him, and think I would even if he weren't Scottish...but as he is, and with those blue eyes...nope, I can't be objective at all, so I'll just sit here and draw little hearts around him. And Zelenka and McKay is my favorite comedy duo. Poor Zelenka. Being one of Rodney's only real friends just isn't easy.

Then there's the guest stars! Asst. Director Skinner is kicking more butt than ever, captaining a spaceship and getting possessed by a Goa'uld! Kaylee is a baby Wraith! Chief O'Brien now leads underground mole-Nazis! It's awesome.

So that's basically where I stand on everyone thus far. Haven't started reading the fic yet (...for the most part...) and am looking forward to friendshipper's especially, since it's been a long time since we've had a shared ficcing-fandom, and she also brings on the gen h/c which I have a hunch is going to be my SGA meal of choice. None of the pairings, het or slash, do much for me (as I said, I see chemistry between Sheppard and everyone, but don't see anything happening from it and don't really have an interest in reading it, and I suspect the McShep is going to work for me as Jack/Daniel always did - I'll enjoy reading it, but as a sort of AU from the show, as I can't quite imagine it really happening with the chars as given. Which isn't to say McKay and Sheppard's relationship doesn't fascinate and intrigue me, and is definitely my favorite relationship in the show, but in a platonic way.)

Now, I just wanna watch mooooore. gnine, get home faster! *whine*

Comments

[bagheera-san.livejournal.com]

Yays! I'm totally okay with you falling into that pit, having spent copious time there myself. SGA is a very nice comfort fandom when everything else fails.

[xparrot.livejournal.com]

I enjoyed SG-1 way back when, and am enjoying SGA muchly as well. The universe may break my brain at times, but the chars are definitely love (and sorely needed, after what SV's chars do to me on a regular basis...)

[cerisier.livejournal.com]

I just spent all night writing a paper so my brain is dribbling out my ears, but - allow me to point and laugh cackle in triumph for a minute. XDDD

[xparrot.livejournal.com]

aaaaaaahhhh I didn't know you'd fallen to it too! Is anyone free? Truly this is an infectious agent indeed! XDDD

[acchikocchi.livejournal.com]

Yes! ...several years ago, that is. While I am mostly free of the virus now, I have occasional moments when I fall back into binge mode and spend an entire day reading fic or catching up on episodes or something. XD The whole McKay/Sheppard thing I can take or leave - they get the best fic for sure, but I'm not really sold, you know?

(and by the way - did I by any chance leave some of my makeup at your apartment? and if that is the case could you tell me what shade the coverup is, because that is definitely not the sort of thing I remember on my own and I actually need some in the near future. XD)

[xparrot.livejournal.com]

(ahh, different handle! so confused!)

I am looking forward to the fic eventually...though the sheer quantity, it scares me!

(and yes, you did...the coverup is TruBlend 405 Ivory (...I think? I don't know much about makeup, but that's what's on the bottle? ^^;))

OKAY I'M JUST GOING TO USE THIS ACCOUNT FROM NOW ON

[acchikocchi.livejournal.com]

there. added you both here like I've been meaning to do for ages so I can just have one account asjfklsd;

Thank you so much, that is exactly what I needed to know! ♥ I think it says something that I wear makeup so infrequently that I don't need to check up on it until two months later. XD

[naye]

Eeeeee~! ♥♥♥♥!!!

*bouncy bounce*

I know we just spent - uh, much longer than we'd planned - talking about this, but there's something about seeing it in writing, too, it just... makes me very, very happy that you like it! ♥

You like the show, and you've got friendshipper's fic to look forward to, so you've got it good! (It will scratch your h/c itch, lemme tell you... show + gen h/c fic = very very very VERY happy naye!)

Oh, Rodney! ♥ If it's wrong to be a Rodney-loving lemming, then I really don't want to be right! I want to snuggle him, too - and he'd probably hate it. A lot. Which is kind of sad. But, yeah - not really the physical type, not him and not Sheppard and - did you see that John touched his arm in "The Lost Boys" when Rodney was freaking out about being drugged? For them, that's practically going into a full arm-around-the-shoulders squeeze-and-hug!

Heee~ to Sheppard's laid-back-ness, and how he deals with things like everyone crushing on him by waiting and hoping it'll go away. (They should have called him Jeff, they really should! Or anything that wasn't already taken a million times over. The only thing that could have been worse would be if he was called "Jack", but not even these writers would be that silly!) Also - I like your theory of genetic attraction, because for the first time, Sanctuary makes sense! Hee~! And the pre-ascended chick in Epiphany, too. Hm.

Basically, just - lots and lots of love for your love! ♥ Now - to the mails! ^___^

[xparrot.livejournal.com]

(ehh, not longer than planned, don't worry - it's fine calling late, far as I can tell the call only cost me a bit over 100 yen a minute, not bad, really! and I got to talk idiotic squeeful nonsense with you, so... *hughug* ^^)

I am looking forward to the fic, in a sort of wary way...because it is a soul-swallowing fandom, and, uhhhh how many unfinished fic do I have?! But, yeah, looking forward...

Heeee to Rodney-love! I didn't notice the touch in "Lost Boys" and it's not a good sign (well, at least as far as my resisting fanning goes) that I wanna go back and watch it...

Always happy to make chars make sense for you, especially when it's making sense of ridiculously contrived romancing! XD I look forward to the mail replies... *huuugs!*

...and thank you, even if you are an evil thing. Imagine, you call yourself your friend and then you expose me to something this virulent! Really, now!

[naye]

(Good! Talking is fun! *snuggles*)

But you can always just read the fic, not write it! Right? ♥ Hahahaahahahahaha.

The touch in "Lost Boys" is extremely cute and shows Sheppard all concerned for Rodney's mental well-being (unlike all the times when he's just concerned about them not dying). You should go back and watch it! :D

Yesss, it's actually very nice to be able to think about those eps and not whimper a little. (Because, seriously, someone with John's personal space issues letting someone he's known for - oh, a DAY? - get into his MIND? ...yeah, not making much sense. Unless! Special Genetic Attraction, whoo! And to go into justifying fandom theories, I'm guessing you're aware of the actual GSA phenomena?)

Yes, I'm horrible, SGA-spreading evil! (Hey, friendshipper totally has to share in the victory blame! I don't know if I would have taken the plunge if she hadn't encouraged me.)

Mail will come when I'm not out chasing rats & rainbows~! *hugshugs*

[sholio]

Oh sure, blame ME! *g* (No, I'm well aware that I'm a terrible fannish enabler! ^^ But I'm just spreading the love, since I've fallen victim to a number of fannish plagues lately thanks to the efforts of my friend list (Supernatural, Doctor Who, I'm looking at YOU!).

[naye]

Yep, blaming you! ^_^ You were one of two SGA fans I had on my f'list before I started watching the show, and you the only one to write fic and use icons with friendship and h/c written all over them...! ♥

[whitelighter]

This is just incredible, because you watched Psych, Doctor Who, Smallville and other stuff that I was into before... and now you just got into Atlantis?

Dude, I'm so happy I'm stalking watching you now; I love reading other peoples' thoughts on the characters. :D

[xparrot.livejournal.com]

*laughs* If you like reading my endless, endless thoughts on fannish stuff, yep, you're definitely in the right place! You've obviously got great taste in TV, glad you have you along for the ride! XD

(I'm into anime, too, just not at the moment ^^)

[tringasolitaria.livejournal.com]

Awesome! :) I've stopped by a few times here, since I love your Smallville commentary. Most of the time you're saying exactly what I'm thinking. I swore off that show though after the nightmarish last half of the sixth season, so I'm excited that you're catching up with another show that I love. :) Are you going to be able to watch S4 with us once you get caught up?

[xparrot.livejournal.com]

Since I quite illegally d/l my TV (...hey, it takes a year or more to come out on DVD here, if it comes out at all, and I'm an addict), yup, I'll be watching S4 with everyone. Looking forward to it, but right now I'm happy to have more than a season left to watch!

In which I make up for long silences with BULK replying ;)

[ladykarasu.livejournal.com]

While I still adore SG1 (though my watching was also sketchy after Daniel's longer-than-usual death), I haven't actually sat down and really watched SGA yet. I think the wraith did turn me off a bit (first time I saw them I laughed, and joked with Bryan about finding Danny Filth's (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6dW6aNAZGTM) extended family...), but I really liked a lot of the characters, so I think I need to sit down and give it a solid watch-through. (Bryan, on the other hand, is completely into it, so I figure we've got it sitting around here, somewhere...) I'll hold my tounge on it though, because in my skipping around, I think I've still seen further ahead than you and the last thing I want to do is give out spoilers. ;)

I have run across some entertaining fic for both over time, though, and in case you haven't seen them, I'll shoot over some links later, if I can find them. ^_^

That aside; if you haven't watched SG1 episode 200, you need to- it's bloody hilarious. Also; Hi! Haven't popped on in a while, but I'm still reading when I get get onto LJ... (speaking of, I really need to check in on my other journal more often, or I'm gonna miss those randomly locked posts. Oops!) I just REALLY need to comment more often... ^_^;

And on a random sidenote, stumbled across this a few weeks ago and laughed; thought you may be amused, too: 1 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UsE2qcRqi_Q&mode=related&search=), 2 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YAyoHPGNB_0)

Re: In which I make up for long silences with BULK replying ;)

[xparrot.livejournal.com]

Heee, hi~ again! I always like hearing from you ^^

Yeah, I was into SG-1 and will probably watch it all eventually (and the one ep of later SG-1 I did see was 200, because I hear there was the FarScape parody. HOMG I died. Illegally funny!!! Oh, the wedding...and the puppets! Thanks for the links, too...)
Now I'm quite having fun with SGA. The Wraith...yeah, I'm not exactly impressed with them (though I gotta love the black leather outfits. They give me happy Sephiroth flashbacks!) And the universe has some less than stellar or believable qualities. But the chars truly are love, it's definitely worth a watch!

Right now I'm kind of avoiding the fic - the numbers frighten me...but eventually I'll give, I know.

(your icon is also love. I really need to catch up with OP!!)

[sholio]

Heeeee~! This show is such fangirl crack. And yet, it's truly a show that you have to appreciate on the "oooh, look at the pretty!" level, because, well, the pretty is the main thing that it has going for it. Luckily, there is lots and lots of that.

And most of the time he keeps too busy to notice how incredibly lonely he really is. Which, because I'm a fangirl lemming, makes me coo and aww and want to see him snuggled. Even though he'd hate it because he doesn't appear to like physical contact much more than I do.

I think Rodney has this effect on the fangirl population in general. ^^;; Poor guy! It's interesting because in the hands of a different actor, or if he wasn't consistently written, the character could be utterly insufferable and completely unsympathetic. But he is well written, and as much as that, he's very well played -- David Hewlett says so much with those big blue eyes; he can take a scene where you ought to want to kick Rodney for being a bastard, and make you want to hug him instead. And I love how internally consistent he is -- you can watch him grow, and develop, and backslide, and grow some more. I love how season-2 Rodney is capable of things that season-1 Rodney would not have been; it's fascinating, going back and watching the really early episodes and seeing how he used to be, because he's so different now and yet so completely the same person.

And then there's Sheppard...

He's got this sort of low-key sexual chemistry with absolutely everyone he comes across, and yet I can't see it being realized. He practically seems asexual to me, by how little he seems aware of or cares about how people are interested in him.

This is really interesting, because it's so very different from the majority opinion on Sheppard in SGA fandom, which generally seems to view him as someone who'll sleep with anything that will hold still long enough. (And I'm not specifically talking about slash, either; even in commentary and gen, he's often portrayed as a sort of man-slut.) The interesting thing is that both extremes actually can be supported with various bits of canon. For myself, I find that there's a kind of innocence to Sheppard, a childlike quality that is massively endearing -- I'd never specifically thought of it as asexuality, though, because while yes, one of his most endearing traits is his wide-eyed "OMG, whuh?" reaction when a woman hits on him, he's also little-kiddish in a lot of other ways: throwing Rodney off balconeys, acting like a brat in meetings (and probably making Elizabeth want to tear her hair out on a regular basis). He just seems to embrace his role as intergalactic explorer and hero with a kind of unselfconscious abandon, doofily unconcerned that half the time he's making himself look like a total idiot. He's just a big loveable dork ... and yet, a big dork who can switch in an instant to a guy who kills people without blinking an eye. Some of my writing about John has been an attempt to reconcile that, sort of like I originally started writing DBZ because I was trying to get a handle on the similar contradictions in characters like Goku. (Actually ... oh my GOD. Sheppard vs. Goku -- the innocence, the submerged killer within, the hair. AAAAA! I would explore this more, but I'm running out of comment space...)


I suspect the McShep is going to work for me as Jack/Daniel always did - I'll enjoy reading it, but as a sort of AU from the show, as I can't quite imagine it really happening with the chars as given.

That's pretty much exactly how it works for me. This is really the only show where I've ever actively sought out slash, aside from shows where the slash was arguably canon or at least consistent with canon. With SGA, I really don't see it in canon -- and yet, I really like reading it, even though a good gen h/c story is still my very favorite thing. But this fandom has awesome slash -- lots of good writers (including some of the really big cross-fandom BNFs like Astolat and Rageprufrock), lots of cuddly and sweet stories as well as some really fucked-up ones, and a ton of utterly cracked-out AUs. I have, of course, recs, if you ever break down and start reading fic. ^^

[xparrot.livejournal.com]

Heee~! It's not even the 'pretty' so much as the, hmm, fan-crack? With the h/c and team-bonding and all. Not that they're not pretty, but...I mean, Smallville is for the pretty. SGA is for a bit more than that. Though I do have to turn off my brain a bit, otherwise I end up subjecting poor naye to 2,000 words of ranting about how the Pegasus societies are all frighteningly retarded ^^;

But he is well written, and as much as that, he's very well played -- David Hewlett says so much with those big blue eyes; he can take a scene where you ought to want to kick Rodney for being a bastard, and make you want to hug him instead.

He really is quite a fine actor...that he's a believable genius char owes a lot to his acting, and yeah, that he's a sympathetic char owes even more, because you always can see something else going on underneath however assholish McKay is being; Hewlett inspires you to look. He's extremely good at intense, and worried...he's so very, very good at worried. Which I keep saying but, uh...it's all his different strains of worried, too; McKay panicking about himself is a totally different expression from McKay worried about other people, which again is different from his "Okay, now the whole world/galaxy/universe is going to explode" look...all of which get a lot of exercise(and I kinda love them all, but especially his "worried about others look." I think I fell in love with McKay in "38 Minutes" when he's trying to fix the 'jumper and keeps looking over at Sheppard with his face all drawn up and tense and oh...)

This is really interesting, because it's so very different from the majority opinion on Sheppard in SGA fandom

*laughs* This is one reason I like to binge-watch a show, because it lets me get through it and make my own opinions before I really delve into the fandom. I kinda figured Sheppard wouldn't come across this way to others...because most people have no interest in an asexual char (over-sexed or repressed is fine, but...) and because he does have chemistry with everyone...I think it's the actor and I'm not sure how it works, but I see the sparks. But then, because it's SG, romance is very much back-burnered (one of the reasons I've always liked the 'verse!) and the ultimate effect is that there's all this chemistry but you never see it acted on. And then Sheppard seems so surprised when the girls do come onto him (except for the Ascended Ancient chick, and that...that was weirdly enough OOC that I'm tempted to look for other explanations. And even then it was less "come over to my quarters" and more "let's go on a picnic!")

For myself, I find that there's a kind of innocence to Sheppard, a childlike quality that is massively endearing -- I'd never specifically thought of it as asexuality, though

Hmm, I didn't think of it being that way myself! I don't really think of Sheppard as childlike - though he definitely can act like a little boy - but he's so self-sufficient and experienced and not at all naive that 'childlike' doesn't quite fit for him. As far as his sexuality goes, I don't see him as inexperienced so much as just not interested...I imagine he's tried sex a few times (possibly both ways, Sheppard strikes me as pretty open-minded) but it just didn't do much for him. But that's just my own reading and not one I expect most others to share ^^;

(to be continued...stupid comment char limits!!)

[sholio]

Yeah, when I wrote "pretty" I suppose I meant the whole thing ... all the shallow and superficial qualities that draw fangirls like us, like moths to a flame: team-love and h/c and squee and humor and pretty characters and pretty special effects. It's just not a terribly deep show. But then again, if it were, it wouldn't be so lovely in the team department, so ... I'm very happy with it just as it is. Looking forward to your reactions when you get farther along!

most people have no interest in an asexual char (over-sexed or repressed is fine, but...) and because he does have chemistry with everyone...I think it's the actor and I'm not sure how it works, but I see the sparks.

No, I know what you mean. It actually took me a few episodes to start liking Sheppard (I don't think I really started falling for him 'till about the middle of the first season) and part of the reason was that I felt like the show was throwing him into a romance with either Elizabeth or Teyla. Except I couldn't decide which, and eventually I figured out that this really *wasn't* going to be a romance-driven show and that the subtext I was seeing between Sheppard and both women was, well, not really there. It was kinda just a feature of Sheppard being Sheppard.

And that's interesting about fandom not really wanting to see a character as asexual ... I think you're right, because fandom as a whole is so very, very obsessed with characters' sexuality -- pairing them off in many and varied combinations is the default setting for fandom. I think we've talked about this before, how sexual love is the pinnacle that fanfic and fannish meta tends to set above all else ... so a character who is very clearly sexy, yet not especially interested in having sex, wouldn't really "ping" the fannish radar, at least not in that way.

I don't really think of Sheppard as childlike - though he definitely can act like a little boy - but he's so self-sufficient and experienced and not at all naive that 'childlike' doesn't quite fit for him.

Hmm, maybe "childlike" is the wrong word to use in this context. "Immature" might fit better -- except he's not really, he's more than capable of taking care of himself. And he's not innocent, really, with all he's seen -- I just can't come up with the right word to describe the quality that I see in him, but it's very much there. It's the aspect of him that throws Rodney off a balcony just for fun, that mouths off in the face of danger and throws himself into rescue missions without even pausing to consider whether or not it'll succeed.

In some ways, Sheppard reminds me of Dean Winchester, and as with Dean, there's a similar hard-to-pin-down quality about him: Dean is very clearly defined as a character (in my mind, anyhow) but when I go and try to start articulating the way that I see him, it ends up in an incomprensible jumble -- self-esteem issues doesn't quite describe him, because he is very confident in certain areas, just not in others, and ... aargh. Trying to describe John Sheppard is like that. I feel very comfortable writing him, but I notice that he's a character who's all over the map in fanfic -- in the more extreme cases, he's portrayed as everything from a sex fiend to a crazed psycho to a goofy idiot. It's possible that he's just a character who is very easy to map one's own interpretation onto -- as opposed to someone like Rodney, who's pretty much Rodney no matter what.

As far as his sexuality goes, I don't see him as inexperienced so much as just not interested...I imagine he's tried sex a few times (possibly both ways, Sheppard strikes me as pretty open-minded) but it just didn't do much for him.

On a side note, as far as the open-minded thing, he reads that way to me, too. I don't think he "reads" gay at all, despite much fannish opinion to the contrary, but I do think canon has very firmly established him as someone who's quite open-minded on pretty much everything (except people messing with his team *g*) and he does strike me as someone who would have been open to the idea of experimenting on both sides of the fence if he'd had the opportunity. (Although it's tough to say how much of that has been colored by the amount of slash I've read...)

[xparrot.livejournal.com]

All caught up now, and really need to do a follow-up post, but for now...!

all the shallow and superficial qualities that draw fangirls like us, like moths to a flame: team-love and h/c and squee and humor and pretty characters and pretty special effects. It's just not a terribly deep show.

I think I said it before, but I really am relieved to hear you say this, because if you took it too seriously...well, I wouldn't want to upset you, if I start poking at the more ridiculous holes in the fabric of their universe. But it is a ridiculously fun show!

It actually took me a few episodes to start liking Sheppard

Hee...I liked him from the start, but part of it was because I was fairly certain they weren't going anywhere with the vaguely-implied pairings...because if there was anything really canon, I'd have picked it up from fandom, and besides it's SG; one of the things I always like about SG was how little a part romance ever played. Even when they were doing the Sam/Jack stuff, it was never that major a deal...these people are too busy saving the universe to get that worked up about a little sex!

And that's interesting about fandom not really wanting to see a character as asexual ... a character who is very clearly sexy, yet not especially interested in having sex, wouldn't really "ping" the fannish radar, at least not in that way.

I think it's that; I also think that maybe many people have a hard time relating to an asexual character. Sex and romance is an important part of peoples' lives - and especially when we're talking entertainment - that a char who doesn't care about that at all comes across as somewhat inhuman, hard to connect with (for most people. Not so much for myself, but I'm, er...there's definitely a reason asexual chars appeal to me personally.)

And he's not innocent, really, with all he's seen -- I just can't come up with the right word to describe the quality that I see in him, but it's very much there.

Weird!!! That's the word I keep using, because...uh...I can't think of a good one myself! ^^; The more I see of Sheppard, the less of a handle I really have on him. He has so many contradictions, that aren't really obvious at first, but...and because we know so little of his backstory, it's hard to untangle him. Dean Winchester has his issues, but most of them are somewhat understandable given his upbringing and such. Sheppard's got to have some serious problems in his past, to account for his attitude, and we know he's got no family left outside of Atlantis...

You get it, too, that he's easy to map interpretations onto him, because it's all but impossible to tell what's going on in his head, a lot of times...and he has to have something going on, because he's not braindead; very, very far from. Though I think he might be able to clear his mind as effectively as a Zen monk, when necessary, even if not in the standard ways...

On a side note, as far as the open-minded thing, he reads that way to me, too.

Given 3rd season, I'd say it's totally supported! Between his asking about a girlfriend or a boyfriend to Ronon in "Sunday", and his so casual "Why don't you make out already" to Radek and Rodney (and I don't know what it says about me that I can imagine Rodney/Radek easier than Rodney/Sheppard), not to mention Sheppard's not exactly a judgmental type at all...I don't see him as homophobic in the least, and considering the way he goes with the flow when a girl throws herself at him, I can easily see him doing so with a boy as well. (it's easier than beating them off!)

[sholio]

(Playing on LJ at work! Bad Layla!)

I think I said it before, but I really am relieved to hear you say this, because if you took it too seriously...well, I wouldn't want to upset you, if I start poking at the more ridiculous holes in the fabric of their universe. But it is a ridiculously fun show!

LOL, no, I'm well aware that their universe is full of holes! But ... as we've discussed before ... I think that's partly why it succeeds so well for me as something to throw my fannish energies into -- there's just so much about the rest of the show that's compelling and fun that the urge to use my fannish powers to plug those holes is irresistible!

I do tend to shy away from discussion of the show's holes that gets too, well, vicious? I know you're not like that, though. In some ways this show seems to have a permanent pass with the "fandom immunity card" for me; I see and acknowledge the holes, I love trying to figure out how to make them make sense within canon (or real life!), or having good-natured gripefests with friends on topics of mutual annoyance ... but my feelings towards the show are warm and fuzzy enough that I have to back away from discussions that start putting a harsh on my squee-mellow. Still ... I had several fandom friends who had a serious falling-out with the show over the Carson and Elizabeth thing, and we still get along fine. We just don't tend to discuss SGA. *g*


I think it's that; I also think that maybe many people have a hard time relating to an asexual character. Sex and romance is an important part of peoples' lives - and especially when we're talking entertainment - that a char who doesn't care about that at all comes across as somewhat inhuman, hard to connect with (for most people. Not so much for myself, but I'm, er...there's definitely a reason asexual chars appeal to me personally.)

I started to say something here about there not being a lot of asexual characters on TV, but actually, thinking about it, in the SF and adventure genres (aside from the testosterone-laced he-man or ladies man type) it's really more the norm than not! It's just not addressed as such; it's simply that sex and romance aren't really a big deal in the context of the show. It's the same sort of implication-by-admission that tends to imply most characters on TV are atheistic in outlook, even though it's never stated as such (although with Rodney, I suppose they did come right out and say it); the relative importance of religion, or sex, or friendship, to the characters' lives, is evident from the amount of space in the source text that's devoted to it. Certainly, if it's not outright stated, there's no reason why fans can't put whatever spin on the character they want in fic and commentary. But the average sci-fi character is not nearly as fixated on love and romance as the average person in real life (male or female) -- fandom, then, tends to focus on that aspect of their lives to the exclusion of almost all else.

It's really interesting to me to look at Sheppard this way, and by extension, at the fanon tropes that surround him and my reactions to them. I generally don't see him as asexual in quite the same way you do, I think, and I can accept the sex-obsessed characterization of him in some fic (depending on how strong it is) even though it doesn't quite jibe with the way that I perceive his reactions. However, I have a really strong knee-jerk reaction to established-relationship slash involving him; I really can't read it, even though I find first-time Sheppard/McKay slash sweet. And I wonder if, on a deep level, it's because I just can't reconcile Sheppard on the show with the idea of Sheppard as one-half of a permanent sexual relationship. Rodney I don't really have the same problem with; and Rodney, in fact, has been established in canon as wanting that kind of relationship. Sheppard, on the other hand ... even in AUs, I can't really relate to a Sheppard who is married or even wants to be. And although I had never consciously thought of him as an asexual person, it fits very well with some of the mostly-subconscious ways that I relate to Sheppard in fic (depending, again, on the story, of course).

Continuing along...

[sholio]

You know, in the next iteration of LJ, they really need to up their comment character limits a bit ...!

The asexual thing ... I think we've talked about this a little bit, too, that maybe a certain proportion of h/c fans (not to generalize to ALL h/c fans, of course) are a little undersexed compared to the general population. Maybe we don't see the subtext that everyone else does because it's not as important to us? I know that I used to run into all kinds of trouble in college (luckily not BAD trouble, thank God) because I'd engage in behavior that looked flirty to other people but I was completely unable to see why it read sexually to other people until analyzing after-the-fact.

Between his asking about a girlfriend or a boyfriend to Ronon in "Sunday", and his so casual "Why don't you make out already" to Radek and Rodney (and I don't know what it says about me that I can imagine Rodney/Radek easier than Rodney/Sheppard), not to mention Sheppard's not exactly a judgmental type at all...I don't see him as homophobic in the least, and considering the way he goes with the flow when a girl throws herself at him, I can easily see him doing so with a boy as well. (it's easier than beating them off!)

Beating off, huh? *controls urge to make very bad joke ... barely*

But, yeah, I haven't been able to figure out how much of this is simply that I've read a lot of slash involving him, but I can totally believe in a bisexual Sheppard. (Rodney, not so much; not at all, actually. As open as he is in canon about his interest in Carter and Katie, not to mention a number of other women past and present, I frankly have a very hard time believing that he'd be able to keep his mouth shut about being equally attracted to guys.)

And Rodney/Radek is one of those "OMG, my brain is NOT going there" pairings! I think it's funny how very opinionated I am about non-canon pairings on this show -- I seem to either like them a lot, or be completely squicked out by the very idea. (Or, heck, maybe that's a normal 'shipping response! I'm not a shipper in the classic sense, but it's extraordinarily weird for me to find myself aligned with them even a little, because my brain has never really gone that direction before -- in the past for me, if the couple didn't exist on the show, I couldn't really see them even if I tried.)

I like your comment about Sheppard being able to clear his mind and go Zen; I get the idea that he spends quite a bit of time that way, actually, alert but not really thinking of anything specific, just watching the people around him. (It's actually a little bit amazing how much he watches Rodney in canon -- in taking clips for vids, I've become especially aware of it, because a lot of the group scenes involve Sheppard in the background with his eyes on Rodney, or reaction shots of him responding to something Rodney's said, even if it doesn't actively involve him ...

continued!

[xparrot.livejournal.com]

But really, you're right, there is something about Sheppard that's kinda. Hmm. Zen, almost, if a US soldier can be Zen! He lives in the moment and takes the world as it is, acts and reacts as required...though obviously that's not exactly his real attitude; it's what he projects, though when he's pushed outside his comfort zone (I'm thinking "Epiphany") he gets antsy...

Either that or it's all just his natural laziness...Sheppard's something of an underachiever, what with the not being in Mensa and such, which makes him odd for a hero (and pretty much unique on Atlantis, such a competitive place to be, except for Sheppard thanks to his genes). It works out well, though; I think it's why he's a good leader, because he doesn't get jealous of McKay being so much smarter than him or that a chick like Teyla can beat him up with a couple sticks, or that he will never be as badass as Ronon. He just uses all their skills to their utmost and doesn't worry about his own place. So maybe it's not that he's not interested in sex so much as that he doesn't want to take the effort to seek it out, or indulge when it might make his life more complicated (such as relations with any coworkers)...though I still think he looks more uncomfortable than anything else when naked women throw themselves at him!

And I will break down to the fic! Actually, to be accurate, I already have started breaking, but only a bit...am enjoying the little I've read so far, but please don't start throwing things at me yet, I got enough! (your whole page, for one thing, geeeeze but you have been busy! Heee~! Haven't finished reading any yet but I'm enjoying "That Which is Broken" much, and looking forward to more where that came from ^^)

Re: continued!

[sholio]

Zen, yes ... Zen is actually a pretty good word for the way that he reacts to things around him.

And carrying on from my previous comment ... thinking about slash, and asexuality, and the way that fans map sexual intent onto pretty much everything in canon ... One of the big reasons why I got into reading slash in this fandom, when I never have before, is because this fandom has so much incredibly sweet, cuddly slash. There's a lot of PG-rated slash, a lot of slash that's about going on missions and saving each other's lives, with an incidental side order of petting, kissing, etc. I can't help wondering if the extreme prevalence of cuddly, h/c-focused slash is at least partly due to slash fandom trying to reconcile the characters' generally asexual (but obviously affectionate) vibe, with the tropes of the slash genre -- resulting in a lot of slash that is basically smarm with an incidental sex scene or two. This is a perfect example of that sort of story (note: I'm illustrating! not pushing! And I'd just rec'd this one to gnine, so it was fresh in my head...) -- the story is basically smarm, with a sex scene added in, which isn't even really a sex scene but more of a masturbation scene. The slash vibe is obvious, but it's also weirdly platonic. There is a lot of slash in this fandom that's like that. Now, granted, I'm not widely read in slash, and for all I know this is common, but most of the slash I remember running across in my previous fannish forays was more sex- or long-term-relationship focused, or else very *darkly* porny.

Anyhow, pardon my ramblings. *g* Above example notwithstanding, I'll behave myself and not pelt you with a giant pile of fanfic (though I can't promise not to rec stuff to gnine, if she asks!).

Re: continued!

[gnine.livejournal.com]

Consider me asking. FIIIIIIIC! Neeeed fic! In particular want Rodney whumping fics baaadly! I've been needing a good old h/c fix for YEARS now! YEARS!! Meaning, at this point, I'm desperate enough, I'm going for fics that are less on the plot and more on the HURT. Like...now, plzkthnks. I can't help it, it's a terrible, TERRIBLE thing to be my favorite character...but Rodney especially just BEGS to be hurt cause he's so unsure in the friend department/not really realizing how much people actually care about him that he just begs, BEGS I say, to be whumped.

So...um...yeah, rec away! ^_^

Re: continued!

[sholio]

I can't help it, xparrot! SHE'S MAKING ME DO IT!

... but I could email them to you rather than posting them in Emilie's journal, that's probably just cruel. ^_^ Send me an email at layla (at) ravenschildren.com so I have yours, and I'll deliver a load of Rodney-whumping to your doorstep.

Are you looking for gen or slash? Or either/both?

Re: continued!

[xparrot.livejournal.com]

...you can rec if you want. ^^; I've started reading the fanfic, guess it's a lost cause now! Right now I'm not really sure what I'm looking for...might try slash eventually but at this point the gen has more than enough to appeal to me, and the slash feels OOC enough that I'd probably end up giggling through it, mostly. 'sides, I'm curious about the h/c tropes in this fandom. gnine has been surprised at the amount of, hmm, group-whump? Rather than one char getting hurt, all of them getting it, which is counter to a lot of h/c I'm used to...(also, is there any good Rodney presumed-dead fic? I'm terribly curious how it would go, I have a hard time imagining Sheppard's reaction...)

Oh! speaking of fic, I've commented on a couple of yours already - I finished reading "That Which Is Broken" last night, very much enjoyed it! A satisfying way to deal with the "Trinity" aftermath, and self-sacrifice always pushes my buttons, especially when it's very deliberate and thought-out sacrifice, and people are watching, and have to stop it, oh Teyla! And Ronon carrying them (I love Ronon very very much, this will be touched on in my coming post) (also, hee to Rodney dealing with the little girl! He's...so very not a people person. Aw.) And the end with everyone asleep in the infirmary...I will never get tired of hospital scenes! So, yep, very glad ta be reading your fic again! (though good grief, woman, I don't believe you've written this much! And long! yowsa!)

Re: continued!

[sholio]

LOL, there's so much good h/c in this fandom, it's hard not to fall! I just emailed gnine a bunch of links; also, my favorites page on ff.net is almost all SGA right now, too (though I'm increasingly finding authors I like who don't post there).

Random side note: I know that the term "whump" originated in SG-1 fandom (because I was actually IN that fandom when it happened) but has it spread to the h/c world in general, or is it still Stargate-specific? I've never heard it in a non-Stargate context, but the only western fandoms I've been in within the last few years are either old (Forever Knight) or Stargateverse. Since you've been in other fandoms lately, maybe you can tell me if it's something you hear getting batted about by non-Stargate fen, or if it's still Stargate-specific.

Anyway, thank you for the comments; I'm way behind on answering fic comments (except for the most recent ones) but I do read them, always! (I am such a feedback whore...) And, oh, I would LOVE to have a long conversation about SGA h/c tropes, because there are some really noticeable patterns, and they are fascinating to explore! Bear in mind, too, that right now you're getting recs filtered through me, and my favorite stories in this fandom often involve group-hurt ... but it *does* seem to be fairly prevalent anyway, and I think the reason might have something to do with the team vibe on the show being so strong. Also, unlike a lot of h/c fandoms where the target h/c characters have a very unequal power dynamic (e.g. Sentinel or Jack/Daniel in SG-1), John and Rodney have a much more equitable arrangement and I don't think the relationship lends itself quite as well to the traditional comfortee/comforter roles.

Anyway, most of the Rodney-presumed-dead stories that I'm coming up with are really long. There's my own Killing Frost (which I think will push a number of your buttons, actually, knowing what your buttons are!) and Thermopylae is another long (good) story in which Sheppard thinks his entire team's been killed. I know there are more, but I gotta get to work so I'll dig you up links when I get home (and ramble more about SGA h/c tropes if you're interested -- although that discussion probably oughta wait until you've experienced more of them firsthand!

[(Anonymous)]

Finally, someone who's actually behind me in watching SGA although if I don't start watching again soon, you'll past me pretty quick. I'm somewhere at the end of season 2 myself, had some RL stuff interfere with my TV watching and now I'm behind in a lot of shows. When Rodney was on SG1, I hated him, but it was instant love on SGA. I have a great desire to cuddle him myself. I also love Beckett, who's my sister's favorite character. (hmm, had a sudden Quantum Leap/SGA crossover flash, with the Beckett thing, that would be interesting...) I also love the whole Captain Kirk gag with Shepperd. I haven't read a whole lot of SGA fic myself (and I don't do slash) but one of my favorite authors wrote an absolutely fabulous fic that I have to recommend called "The Young Ancients" http://www.geocities.com/garnet_tm/cindycombs/ If you like MacGyver and Sentinel, her other series is really great too, though the early ones are a little rough in the writing.

[xparrot.livejournal.com]

We're all caught up now, so...heh, beat you!

McKay is definitely in need of snuggling!

And hee, I remember Cindy Combs way back from Sentinel - she was a bit rough back then, but then I had my own TS fic to shame me, so...! ^^ Will haveta check it out, thanks for the rec!

[stitcher2ficcer.livejournal.com]

Definitely a lemming. Seems you need that "Road to hell is paved with..." wallhanging you mentioned a few weeks ago more than ever. But then, I've known for months that this plague would strike you sooner or later. Wish I had time to join you in this particular pit. As it is, I'm barely getting a start on "Dr. Who," and I've already begun to fall behind on this season's SPN. Adding Psych and SGA will be impossible anytime before the new year. And by then you'll likely have moved on already to something else! Arrrggghh!! You need a life outside fandom! Too many shows way too fast!!

[gnine.livejournal.com]

Oh, did you and dad start on Dr. Who then? Like the good little parental units that you are? ^_^ Can't wait to see you! Two weeks, la!

[xparrot.livejournal.com]

...it's J-chan's fault! (naturally...when in doubt, blame the sister! :P)

I'd rather have you into Dr. Who than SGA or Psych; but they're both fun shows...it's not our fault there's so much good TV about these days. Do hope you enjoy Who, when you've seen more of it...

(And I have been doing original writing, too!)

[petronia.livejournal.com]

Well, this isn't going to be about the SGA post (which is read and appreciated, though XD), but - would you be interested in doing getbacksubrosa with us? ^^

[xparrot.livejournal.com]

Ack, I meant to ask you about that! Can I sign up even if I'm not 100% positive I'll be able to perform? November's gonna be a busy month for me, but...1,000 words isn't that much, and I've been itching to do something with the BanGin...

(thanks so much for the reminder, I'm honored to be remembered! ^^)

[petronia.livejournal.com]

Of course! I'm in much the same boat myself. I've just been going around poking everyone who said previously that they might be interested. XD;