SGA 3.16: The Ark

[trinityofone]

Well, that was definitely a Willow-song episode. Fill-er! There were some okay character moments though. In brief:

*Rodney's "should've used a Mac." !!!! I almost died. You could tell Hewlett got a huge kick out of it. Also, this Mac user approves!

*Ronon! Man, I loved Ronon in this. The way he wrenched his arm back into his socket was so hard core, and you could tell that John thought it was way hard core. "I don't like waiting." Ronon, you have won my heart with your impatience. I also loved their vow to go down fighting by fighting each other to the death. Awww! Boys. *smishes*

*John's shirt. Hot.

*John's little emo collapse when the doors shut. Dorky!

*John in welding goggles and gloves. Really dorky. (And also strangely hot.)

ETA: *John's "I don't want to die." I mention this only because I've seen a lot of "John's suicidal!" in things like fic summaries lately. Um, no. Being willing to die and wanting to die are two separate things. Please let's not rehash the post-'The Gift' BtVS fandom debate.

*Rodney's "we don't leave men behind!" and Lorne's reaction to it. Can we have some Rodney/Lorne bonding fic please? (Er, not like that. Or like that, whatever!)

*Um. The suicidal guy was kinda hot?

Mostly though: blah. Yawn. And why do they always have to have jokes like the "except Rodney" line? I mean, obviously John's kidding—canon has shown this. And possibly, it is a case of John PROTESTING TOO MUCH TO THE POINT OF HILARITY, MR. MY PLANET OF KINKY BONDAGE FETISH PEOPLE HAD HEARTS ON THEIR LEATHER TUNICS. But, man, as someone who has always worried that her friends don't really like her that much, and that they talk smack about her behind her back—as the team has been shown to do to Rodney; hello, parts of 'McKay & Mrs. Miller' that make me wince and want to hide behind the couch—why? Seriously, why? Why do a bunch of writers who were almost certainly outcast dorks themselves want to take the side of the cool kids ragging on the geek? I mean, I'm fully willing to admit that my own issues are coloring my interpretation of this, but jeeze. I was ready to leave this episode having been, y'know, just sort of bored (and note: giving Teyla more lines does not equal giving her something to do, if said lines could just have easily been spoken by Bob Redshirt); instead I left it with a sour taste in my mouth.

I'm probably making too much out of nothing, and should go back to pretending that when Rodney said, "Any last thing you want to say?" he was really asking, "Do you love me, Sheppard?" And when John answered, "You owe me a week's pay, Rodney," that was secret code for "Yes, and you owe me a blow job." THE END.

Also...anyone want to buy my Peg2 ticket? Please? trinityofone AT livejournal DOT com. Reasonable rates! Will throw in a story or something! I have to go to the dentist tomorrow and I need money!

Okay, that was just pathetic. Please ignore.

ETA2: Well, apparently they're non-transferable. I hate my life.

Comments

[siria]

I hesitate to point this out, but, um.

[randomeliza.livejournal.com]

*Rodney's "should've used a Mac." !!!! I almost died. You could tell Hewlett got a huge kick out of it. Also, this Mac user approves!

This also made me squee in a crazy way. And I totally thought of you. Rodney approves of our computery habits! WOOT.

I mean, obviously John's kidding—canon has shown this. And possibly, it is a case of John PROTESTING TOO MUCH TO THE POINT OF HILARITY, MR. MY PLANET OF KINKY BONDAGE FETISH PEOPLE HAD HEARTS ON THEIR LEATHER TUNICS.

This is totally how I read it. And how Teyla seemed to read it too, from what I could tell. Her "uh huh, yeah, whatever, I think we both know how you feel about McKay" response kind of indicated that.

Oh, John. You're really not fooling anyone.

I have to go to the dentist tomorrow and I need money!

Yay! This is good. Now I don't have to nag you about it.

[trinityofone.livejournal.com]

Fuck. Just...fuck.

*is not going to start crying at work*

[setissma.livejournal.com]

Okay, okay, I give in! I give in horribly! Please forgive me if this is awful because I am on heavy duty cold meds. But you sound so sad! And dentists are no good.

-

The first time Rodney realizes that having sex with John has changed their relationship is also the first time they fight, the first time he realizes that there are consequences to this, like dependent variables and errors in code. They’re out in the field and he sees something – glowing, he thinks, maybe ancient, and it’s easy enough to slip away from John and Ronon, who are arguing over which trail to take. Teyla sees him, and he thinks she’ll tell them, follow him, but when he comes back half an hour later (having discovered absolutely nothing save a tree) it’s to find Teyla with an arrow in her shoulder. John’s white-faced and a little wild, eyes a shade Rodney’s never seen before, and he thinks for the first time that maybe he’s done something wrong.

John doesn’t say anything until that evening, sitting in the dull light of the infirmary.

“John,” Rodney begins, but John doesn’t look up from his book – still War and Peace.

“Nioke,” John murmurs, and Nioke almost looks apologetic, if the emotion were possible, but then Tyk is out of his pocket and bristling on the infirmary floor, and Nioke slides down the leg of John’s chair.

As a child, Rodney never let his daemon fight – he won every battle with her kept away, like a treasured secret, and after they chose, it was always too awkward. No scientist wanted to pit their daemon against a mouse. Someone had tried it once, in Siberia, and Tyk had met the fox before he could stop her. “You were brave,” he told her, later, when the physicist had crept away in generalized shame. “You were stupid,” Tyk replied, and that was the end of that.

This is impossible, but somehow calculable, and Rodney remembers that imaginary numbers are only used for electricity, current and voltage. Nioke curls around her, tight, simple, and Rodney can’t breathe either. John looks tense and miserable, feeling it, and then it’s over. Tyk pretends nothing has happened, grooming herself – paws over her face and ears, smoothing fur back. Nioke loops around John’s chair again, an odd shade of blue under a heat lamp, and he looks at Teyla sleeping, at the floor, counts ceiling tiles.

“I’m sorry,” Rodney says, finally, and John looks up.

“I’m not going to lose you like that,” he replies, and that’s all, the end of it – he goes back to reading. Rodney goes back to his room.

“I won’t fight for you when you’re wrong,” Tyk says, finally, at one in the morning, the only thing she’s said all night, and Rodney realizes she’s not thinking, she’s unhappy.

“You love them,” he says, half way through an integral calculation, almost startled (as if Rodney McKay ever failed to predict the results of an experiment).

“You do, too,” she replies. He finishes his problem and she climbs in his palm, a safe place to ride until they get there, and at least John’s awake too.

“Maybe - ” Rodney begins, when he opens the door, glowing in the backlight, but Tyk merely jumps, climbing up John’s t-shirt to settle at the curve of his shoulder, watching Rodney across the gap of the door.

“We won’t do it again,” she interrupts, firmly.

“We won’t,” Rodney agrees.

“Well,” Nioke says, and Rodney’s alone for a moment before John reaches out to cup his face, drawing him in.

“Just so long as you take us with,” John says, simply, and kisses him. Nioke winds around his wrist, warm, and John draws him in further.

“Aren’t you going to come in?” Tyk murmurs, coy but hardly subtle, and John laughs, soft.

“Come on,” he says, and Rodney does, until it's just the four of them, again.

[siria]

*hugs* Perhaps if you e-mail them, they might refund your money? Or agree to let you transfer the ticket to someone else? I think I saw something somewhere on the site about them transferring tickets if they were purchased as a gift, so maybe if you bullshit them?

I, on the other hand, have just found out that letting my mother and my sister use my credit card has pushed me over my limit, and I now cannot book my flights--so I can go to the bloody thing, but might have no way of getting over the sea.

I declare this Tuesday a LOSS.

[(Anonymous)]

Here from friendsfriends. I sold mine last year, by the simple expedient of emailing the email ticket I received to the person who purchased it and suggesting that if they were asked by any of TPTB to pretend to be me. It meant they knew my RL details, but, well, they knew those anyway. *g* I sold it to someone I already knew.

However, they were never asked to confirm identity, just presented the printed out email ticket when first attending the con and all was fine. The email tickets haven't been sent out yet, but it's easy to send it on once received, given that it's all done by email anyway.

Er, I've deliberately made this comment anonymous, just in case. You might want to do a friendslocked post offering the ticket for sale, and asking people to spread the word.

[trinityofone.livejournal.com]

Thank you. This is delicate and wonderful, again, although you're really not helping me with the "no-crying-at-work!" Though this is a much better, nicer kind of crying.

I can't express how much I've appreciated both of these ficlets. Just...a lot.

[wychwood]

You can probably get away with transferring the damn thing anyway - how are they going to *tell* it's not you turning up? It's not like you've provided them with Top Sekrit Information, or anything.

*pets*

[setissma.livejournal.com]

I totally know what it's like to have a really lousy week, and you totally seem to be having a bit of one, so if I can help a bit, I'm happy to! Just in case tomorrow is rotten too (or a bit better, hopefully!) is there anything you'd like to see, in case I manage to write more?

Also, no crying! It was intended to be cheerful! *offers kleenex, since she has about five hundred of them*

Yaaaaaay. Faint hope.

[miscellanny.livejournal.com]

Mostly I came away from that episode with 'Holy crap, it's Cyrus Bolt!' and 'Ronon's wearing trainers? Where did he find them? Who else's feet are that big?!'

Also, SGA should not do reaction shots. McKay looked admirably worried, but this is nothing new. Ronon looked bored, Lorne looked like he was posing for an underwear catalogue, and Carson went for the usual air of faint constipation.

Not a bad episode, just not what I'm becoming used to. I think I'm spoiled.

*sigh*

[turtlespeaks.livejournal.com]

I still haven't seen this line, as the only version I have seen so far has been the one where the last minute is cut off. What is this line that John says that is so bad?

And when I watched this early in the morning hours, i was very exicted to see Teyla having lines, but as I rewatch this, your right. Besides looking pretty and having some things to say, she didn't really do anything. Though I am grateful she got a bigger part then normal.

[trinityofone.livejournal.com]

They might ask to see ID, though. I mean, I did tell them my name.

[trinityofone.livejournal.com]

WHAT DID WE DO TO LIFE SO THAT LIFE HATES US?

[roaringmice.livejournal.com]

The risk then is on the poor person who buys it from her. They'll hand Trin the money, she hands them the "ticket", and then they can't get in? Not so cool. Not that Trin wouldn't reimburse them - of course she would - but they'd be left standing at the gates if the show sells out.

Re: Yaaaaaay. Faint hope.

[trinityofone.livejournal.com]

Dude, Cyrus Bolt! No wonder that dude was creeping me out so bad. *is slow at recognizing actors*

The whole episode was just kind of...flat. It felt very regurgitated—I mean, I know I've seen THAT EXACT SAME PLOT many, many times before. Sigh.

[wychwood]

This is true. But - I mean, if I go, and I don't happen to have proof of ID on me? Are they going to just turn me away because I didn't bring my library card or something? I actually quite often go out without formal ID. And I've never had anyone check at a con / similar gathering - if you have a valid ticket, hurrah, you're in.

...which is not to say that it couldn't happen, just that I don't think it's likely.

[trinityofone.livejournal.com]

The last bit goes something like this (heavily paraphrased):

Teyla: Thank you for doing that for me.
John: Well, don't start feeling all special!
Teyla: You would do it for any of us, I know.
John: Yes, I would. Well...maybe not Rodney.
Teyla: I think even for Rodney.

End.

To which I say: pooh.

I'm grateful Teyla got lines, too—but how about something that illuminates her character, y'know? We know almost nothing about her—about her background, beliefs, likes & dislikes. We know more about John—even if it's just superficial, even though he's the one who's supposed to be all mysterious and hiding stuff. Grr.

[trinityofone.livejournal.com]

Exactly. I'm not comfortable with that. This is all my stupid fault anyway.

[trinityofone.livejournal.com]

I appreciate the advice, but as roaringmice said downthread, if something goes wrong, then the burden is on whoever bought the ticket from me, and I just don't feel comfortable with that. I'll think about it, but it just doesn't feel right to sell someone a ticket unless I can confirm that they'll be able to get in.

[trinityofone.livejournal.com]

I'll try contacting them and see what happens. Or I could just fucking QUIT.

What did your mom and your sister DO? They should reimburse you, STAT, and pay for your flights if they made the problem. Grr.

Tuesday officially sucks. It's like that bit from 'Once More With Feeling,' in a way.

[trinityofone.livejournal.com]

Teyla's so on to John. I loved her tone when John & Rodney radioed her in the jumper at the beginning. She was all like, "Can't you two flirt on your own time?"

Now I don't have to nag you about it.

True. However, the appointment's 1) painfully early in the morning, and 2) gonna hurt, I know it, ow.

[randomeliza.livejournal.com]

Yes, but it will be worth it! I say this as one who has suddenly gone back to being able to eat raw pasta and Haribo Goldbaren and drink really really cold drinks without screaming pain. It'll hurt, maybe multiple times, but in the end it will be better. And your teeth will look good. And that is worth a great deal of pain. (The having it all be better, not necessarily having the teeth look good. I'm not nearly that vain.)

[(Anonymous)]

I can see that you wouldn't want to take the risk with someone who has to spend vast amounts to get there. In my case the person I sold the ticket to lives in London and therefore the worse that would have happened would be that they'd be out by only about £2 tube fare and they were happy to take the risk.

If you make it plain that there's a very slight risk they'll be asked to confirm identity (I think it very small because I've never been asked for ID at a con and there was no request to confirm ID at Peg One last year. In fact I doubt very much that any Brits would be able to confirm ID anyway, unless they happen to have their driving licence on them), then it's their risk to take. Ideally, if you can find someone who's in London anyway, and is content to travel to the con each day rather than stay over, then all they're risking is the tube fare and obviously the waste of time in getting there.

[trinityofone.livejournal.com]

Well, it's really sweet of you (and AWESOME), so...

I can't think of anything in particular, although I'd love more of John talking to Tyk and Rodney talking to Nioke. (The sequel-I'll-never-write involved John&Tyk and Rodney&Nioke tapped on either side of a wall—close enough not to hurt, but still unfamiliar and scary, and I love that dynamic, the vulnerability and intimacy inherent in it.)

And yay! I just saw that you posted these on your own journal. I'm gonna link...

[trinityofone.livejournal.com]

Well, that's true. I guess I can continue searching for someone under those terms. Thanks.