Elizabeth Weir/John Sheppard Appreciation/Ship/Discussion Thread

[Falcon Horus]

Bleh... Sanctuary was officially declared cancelled and it looks like I can kiss my once in a lifetime opportunity to go to the biggest Star Wars convention (Celebrations VI already in Orlando) goodbye too... the way things stand at work right now anyway.



Bleh...

[ShipperWriter]

Hello spakies. gateraid thanks for the info. SR dig the cooks point of view. Funny, it seems the little folks have the best gossip.

It would have been nice to see Lizzie do more stuff like she did in "The Gift" during the show. Here's another chapter from my new story. Haven't decided on a title yet though.

[snipped]

Ooh, ooh, ooh!!!

That was awesome!!! So want to read the rest of this! And you captured them perfectly! Love Todd's line about "dropped vegetables aside..." ROFL

[ShipperWriter]

Bleh... Sanctuary was officially declared cancelled and it looks like I can kiss my once in a lifetime opportunity to go to the biggest Star Wars convention (Celebrations VI already in Orlando) goodbye too... the way things stand at work right now anyway.



Bleh...

They cancelled Sanctuary?!?! I thought it was doing well! I mean, I didn't watch it myself but ... gah, what?!

Sorry about work ... I know you really wanted to go to the Star Wars event ... *hugs FH and sets an extra saucer of sugar out for the Lemming*

[Southern Red]

So I drove home from work, squeeing.

Spoiler:

Remember that big, huge rant that I posted on LJ? Well, I called HR and they finally stopped taking their stupid pills and it looks as though I will deefinitely have an interpreting job next year!

Will post more on LJ for those who are interested...



Yeah, more on that later. For now, I am basking in the happy glow that is Sparky. Or the Florida sun, could be that.



Si, muchas gracias, Senora Rojo del Sur (my apologies, going a little nuts with Google Translate. Definitely using all those moments in my video ... whenever it comes to fruition.



I know what you mean about the phantom problems. The A/C on my mother's Prius quit working, but wouldn't you know, as soon as the technician got in, it kicked back on? And you know you can't fix something that's not broken.

Kinda like Sparky. Absitively posolutely nothing wrong with John and Elizabeth. Hee.



Haha, love it!

Yes, I need to relax and get back to Sparky myself. I've neglected it something awful lately while I was down in the dumps. Time to fix that!

Great news! So glad to hear that. And I think I like my new name.

Oh, and this:

This is what my John Sheppard, high school algebra and geometry teacher, looks like:

Spoiler:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...dCon2012-3.jpg

Sans teh wedding ring, of course. And the mike.

In looking at the pics from Germany, I can't help but notice that Joe is a bit less disheveled than usual. Yet another clue that he's not alone. And Martin Firrell just tweeted that he had dinner with Joe, so he must have gone on to London.

Hello spakies. gateraid thanks for the info. SR dig the cooks point of view. Funny, it seems the little folks have the best gossip.

It would have been nice to see Lizzie do more stuff like she did in "The Gift" during the show. Here's another chapter from my new story. Haven't decided on a title yet though.

Love it. *bounces* Want more.

Bleh... Sanctuary was officially declared cancelled and it looks like I can kiss my once in a lifetime opportunity to go to the biggest Star Wars convention (Celebrations VI already in Orlando) goodbye too... the way things stand at work right now anyway.



Bleh...

((hugs)) Sorry about that.

[Lt.Colonel John Sheppard]

i never noticed that Letters From Pegasus, The Gift, and the Siege part 1 all begin with briefing scenes that could have sparky moments in them?

[Scary Kitty]

PK, that is one EVIL cliffhanger you've left us on. And Todd is a total b*st*rd. Not that we didn't already know that, but it needed saying. I wonder if he picked up a few points from Kolya while he was Kolya's pet...

So true. I couldn't even fathom writing a Wraith-centric story, just not my cup of tea, but for those fic writers that do, they have so much to work with. I think sometimes people make their own canon just to make things easier to write or digest. Why bother going to do the research on something when you can just make up your own thoughts about it, right?

*snorts*

I don't know about everyone else, but for me, the research is half the fun of writing something, whether it's fanfiction or an original work. It helps me to build the world I'm working with in my head. It's just so necessary a part of the writing process that I can't imagine any serious writer shortcutting that step.

Bleh... Sanctuary was officially declared cancelled and it looks like I can kiss my once in a lifetime opportunity to go to the biggest Star Wars convention (Celebrations VI already in Orlando) goodbye too... the way things stand at work right now anyway.



Bleh...

Aw, man! That stinks! I'm so sorry you can't make it to Orlando, and I so feel your pain about favorite shows getting cancelled. It seems to be the year that everyone's faves are getting the axe.

In looking at the pics from Germany, I can't help but notice that Joe is a bit less disheveled than usual. Yet another clue that he's not alone. And Martin Firrell just tweeted that he had dinner with Joe, so he must have gone on to London.

With probably a stopover in Ireland to pick up some Guinness straight from the brewery. Or maybe Scotland to visit the Lagavulin distillery.

[mandogater]

Here's another chapter from my new story. Haven't decided on a title yet though.

Spoiler:

The sunrise. Focus on the sun rise. Let the warmth cover you completely. Watch the colors flow together. The violets, the yellows, the oranges. Look to the clouds. So soft and serene. They cradle the sun’s gentle rays as dawn breaks. Ignore the pain. There is only peace. The start of another day. These gentle thoughts have kept a man running for years.

Then Ronon slows his pace to an easy jog. He watches as the sun rises over this place on his new home called San Francisco. North, south, and west it’s not any different than where he was in the Pegasus galaxy. But to the east there’s structure. Man-made steel and concrete connecting one end of a large bay to another.

The man called Ronon Dex learned to appreciate the simple things in life. A sunrise, the waves on a beach, and even the taste of cold water on his lips. Running from the Wraith breeds appreciation for simplicity. Which is why Atlantis was the new home he became content with having. Food was plentiful, the roof over his head was sturdy, and the people kind and brave.

After five minutes of cooling down after his run he walks. Ronon looks at where he’s at on the “mall maps” as the crew calls them. Signs saying, “You are here”. Ronon finds he needs to cross a quarter of the main tower to get back to his quarters for a shower. “Maybe I’ll actually take a transporter,” Ronon thinks to himself.

“Incoming wormhole,” an urgent voice comes over the city’s speakers.

“A what? Are you sure?” Dr. Rodney McKay questions as he runs by Ronon. “Hey Ronon. We, umm, need to get upstairs.”

“We?” Ronon deadpans. He hates when Rodney grabs him for the scientific stuff.

“That wormhole is from Pegasus,” McKay raises his voice in irritation and begins to walk backwards.

“Let’s go then.” Ronon knows Pegasus shouldn’t be dialing Earth. And McKay is acting more strung out than normal. So he Ronon has no choice but to follow his friend.

Ronon lengthens his strides to keep pace with McKay’s running. He tries to understand half of a complicated conversation on the way to the transporter.

“Pegasus? There’s no way.”

“I know, I made the program.”

“No, the SGC doesn’t have a real DHD.”

“Yeah, I know. Ya think! Really. I’m on my way.

“No I don’t. Our gate is supposed to be the only one, yes.”

“Just… hell. We’ll figure it out later!”

Ronon watched as Rodney groaned and rubbed his temples. A smirk came across Ronon’s face; one on McKay’s oddities that made Ronon smile. He was glad McKay never noticed. Because if Rodney ever picked up on it he’d annoy Ronon to death. But annoying and abrasive as Dr. Rodney McKay is, Ronon took pride in calling him a friend.

Exiting the transporter the two entered the gateroom. Dr. Woolsey was already there while Chuck was at the gate controls.

“Dr. Woolsey, how nice to see you again,” a Wraith voice came from the speakers. Ronon could feel the blood rise inside him. If Todd was calling something was very wrong.

“Todd, I’m not sure I can say the same,” Dr. Woolsey replied. Ronon could hear the trepidation in his voice. He had to agree with his boss, seeing Wraith was never nice in Ronon’s experience.

“I have some news for you. Good or bad depends on your point of view.” Finally a visual came up on the screen at the gate controls. Ronon could swear he saw a snicker escape Todd’s mouth at the last part.

“Well, we’re all waiting,” Richard Woolsey did his best to sound impatient. He came off more petulant than anything else.

“We’ll wait until everyone’s arrived.” Todd stalled. “Ah, Dr. McKay. Glad to see you’re doing well. And Ronon, it appears your new home suits you.” Rodney and Ronon exchanged beleaguered looks at Todd’s pleasantries.

“Since we’ve got time, how in the hell did you dial earth?” Rodney asked. Ronon had to stifle a laugh at the angry look McKay was giving Todd.

“Dr. McKay, your Atlantis DHD is special correct?” Todd responded with a question.

“Todd, ol’ buddy what’s new,” Colonel John Sheppard flippantly interjected. Ronon decided Todd and Sheppard used to spend too much time together. “Oh, it’s really not all that great,” John turned his attention to answering Todd’s question. “We do try and polish it once a week though.” Ronon sensed John didn’t want to reveal the dialing capabilities of Atlantis.

“We have developed our technology to be compatible with Atlantis’. We even took over a series of stargates.” Todd mentioned. Ronon remembers fighting Teal’c more than anything.

“That’s because you hacked my Midway program,” Rodney pointed out. The bitterness that one his projects was hijacked was obvious.

“Any Wraith could manipulate such primitive work,” Todd grinned at Rodney, “but that’s another discussion.”

“Yeah. Now answer my first question; how did you dial our gate from Pegasus?” Ronon wasn’t sure if Rodney sounded angry or curious.

“I’ll admit modifying Ancient technology is harder than the child’s toys you humans use. But we know Atlantis has the control crystal to enable its gate to dial earth. We simply made our own.” Todd said with pride. Rodney looked jealous while Ronon noticed John and Woolsey seemed worried.

“So why didn’t you just do that from the very beginning instead of trying to take Atlantis?” John asked.

“This has been an ongoing project. The Wraith decided it would be easier to defeat some humans and capture our enemy's stronghold.” Todd replied.

“How’d that work out for you guys?” John taunted. Ronon smiled knowing the Wraith suffered one of their most embarrassing losses.

“True, we did underestimate the stubbornness of you humans. But be that as it may, we were able use our technology to duplicate the program your gate uses that allows it to dial Earth.” Todd informed the group.

“It’s obvious you’re not going to try and turn Earth into your own personal buffet. So why did you call Atlantis.” Richard asked. Ronon was kind of hoping a few Wraith did come through the gate. He worried his skills were becoming rusty.

“We need your… assistance here in Pegasus.” Todd made sure he didn’t use to word “help”.

“Why should we help you guys?” John made sure he used the word help.

“Because the problems all started when you came to my galaxy. The Wriath fed on humans then returned to slumber. This was the way things were done. After you came Wraith fought Wraith for food that your Dr. Beckett didn’t taint. We did not have to fight machines whose only urge is to destroy everything. You are the reason Pegasus is in turmoil.” Todd pointed out. Ronon thought Wraith starving and fighting each other was reaping what they sow.

“So you’re saying we have to help because it’s our fault. Real mature oh superior race,” Rodney replied. He bowed down in mock admiration.

“Dr. McKay I see Earth has treated you well. You look like you’ve been indulging in some home cooking. More to feed upon,” Todd responded back. The threat ended McKay’s joking.

“Look Todd, that’s not good enough,” John answered. Ronon could tell John was getting tired of the games being played.

“Colonel Sheppard. I have some interesting… ‘scuttlebutt’ I believe your people call it.” Todd began.

“That’s the navy but whatever. Spill the beans, Todd.” John placed his hands on the console. Ronon observed it was a tell his friend was growing impatient.

“Dropped vegetables aside, some of my scouts found this,” Todd’s face disappeared and a scratchy video segment appeared on the screen. The gate was from the Pegasus galaxy and a wormhole had been established. Ronon saw Rodney write down the symbols from the gate address.

Four Wraith soldiers with odd weaponry entered from the left side of the screen. Ronon took note of the wedge formation they had taken. In the center was a lone figure in black. Their hands were bound and head was down. Ronon felt a ping of sympathy for the poor soul. He’d been in that position too many times to forget the despair of being a Wraith prisoner.

As the group was walking up the steps to the gate, the prisoner stopped for a moment. They lifted their head and looked around. The face looked too familiar. For a moment Ronon didn’t want to believe it.

“Elizabeth…” John said out loud. The mixture of emotions strained his voice.

“Yes, Colonel Sheppard. Your friend has somehow escaped the destruction of the replicators. Which is surprising considering she’s one of them.” Todd’s face reappeared on the screen.

“She’s not a replicator,” Ronon spat back. He couldn’t fight the anger of his friend being some soulless machine boiling to the surface.

“I see. I saw some copy of Elizabeth Weir was floating in some cold part of space. Who was it that put her there?” Todd already knew the answer.

“Todd you rotten son of a *****,” Rodney hissed back. His shoulders slumped and he balled his hands into fists.

“Todd, if this is some trick I will kill you,” John spoke calmly. The slow, deliberate tone made the fact he meant every word stick into all their minds. Even Ronon could feel a shiver down his spine.

“I have no doubt you would. But our scans indicate she is mostly human,” Todd pointed out.

“We’ve seen that before. The replicators built organic versions of Dr. Weir and Colonel Sheppard’s team. This isn’t enough to convince us.” Woolsey replied.

“But I do believe those replicators were destroyed, correct? We have not detected any nanite technology until now. But it seems your human loyalty is greatly over exaggerated. Too bad for Dr. Weir she looks so… sullen.” Todd tried to convince the group. Ronon did admit that he brought up several strong points. After the space gate debacle there has been absolutely no replicator activity of any kind.

“Todd, there is something you’re not telling me. You wouldn’t build up all my hopes for getting Elizabeth back unless you had some other angle. What is it you really want?” John asked putting aside his feelings.

“Well, Sheppard. The Wraith are at war again. Some new hive has built an impressive alliance. They will lead the Wraith to the feeding grounds of Earth. Same old story I know. But this one might be able to do it. I’m sending some data on new technology we’ve encountered. It has Atlantean modifications.” Todd admitted the truth. Ronon shook his head; he knew Todd had some self-interest in mind.

“And you think Elizabeth is responsible for those modifications. She would never help the Wraith take Earth,” McKay dismissed Todd’s acusations.

“Perhaps, but the Wraith have ways to make even those hate us the most bend to our will. Why don’t we just ask Ronon?” Todd suggested. Ronon could feel the slap across his face a galaxy away. “They are decimating planets for their resources. Raw materials, technology, and of course food for the war we are fighting.”

“You mean they’re culling humans again?” Woolsey clarified.

“I did say food. Now, are you going to help us fight and clean up your mess?” Todd folded his arms waiting for an answer.

Woolsey and John were wrapping up their discussion with Todd telling him they’d talk more tomorrow. Ronon knew what it was like to be held by the Wraith. As a runner and worshiper. He made a choice at that moment. Ronon was going to save his friend and kill as many Wraith as he could doing it.

That is genius, pkprd869!!! You went a totally different direction than I thought you would. I like this even better!!

[mandogater]

Bleh... Sanctuary was officially declared cancelled and it looks like I can kiss my once in a lifetime opportunity to go to the biggest Star Wars convention (Celebrations VI already in Orlando) goodbye too... the way things stand at work right now anyway.



Bleh...

*Hugs FH*

Maybe, Claire will do a convention somewhere in Europe when you have time off in the future.

[Southern Red]

I don't know about everyone else, but for me, the research is half the fun of writing something, whether it's fanfiction or an original work. It helps me to build the world I'm working with in my head. It's just so necessary a part of the writing process that I can't imagine any serious writer shortcutting that step.

That one little word in bold says so much. But doing research and sticking to canon is so limiting. For example, if you have certain ideas you want to write about that are in no way supported by canon, then you will probably choose to ignore canon and manipulate facts in order to work your ideas into your story. If you're writing fanfic, it's no biggie. But I can't imagine anyone reputable doing this in an official capacity and actually getting it published without inside help. It probably wouldn't fool very many people though aside from those who wanted those ideas in the first place.

[Scary Kitty]

Good morning, Sparkies! Happy Smutty Tuesday!

That one little word in bold says so much. But doing research and sticking to canon is so limiting. For example, if you have certain ideas you want to write about that are in no way supported by canon, then you will probably choose to ignore canon and manipulate facts in order to work your ideas into your story. If you're writing fanfic, it's no biggie. But I can't imagine anyone reputable doing this in an official capacity and actually getting it published without inside help. It probably wouldn't fool very many people though aside from those who wanted those ideas in the first place.

Well, I don't know about anyone else, but if I was writing in an official capacity in a sandbox that had been created by someone else and I wanted to write about an idea that wasn't supported by the canon rules for that sandbox, I'd try to make my idea fit with established canon facts, instead of manipulating/ignoring canon to shoehorn my idea in. That's all part and parcel of the research step of the writing process, making sure that your original ideas will work hand-in-hand with canon. After all, no truly professional writer would be caught dead insulting the intelligence of the very knowledgable fans in that sandbox. In a genre like, say, science fiction, where the fans are by their own admission some of the nitpickiest people on the planet , doing something as silly as breaking the canon rules of a particular created universe (and it's not deliberately intended to be an AU) is the proverbial kiss of death, as far as the hardcore fans are concerned. Heck, you should see some of the mental gymnastics that had to be undertaken to get some of the Babylon 5 novels to fit into that universe, and those were written with the approval of The Man (J. Michael Straczynski). Wacky!

This is certainly the approach I try to take with my fanfic (unless I'm deliberately going for crack!fic, in which case, all bets are off). It's just more sensible that way.

[Southern Red]

Good morning, Sparkies! Happy Smutty Tuesday!



Well, I don't know about anyone else, but if I was writing in an official capacity in a sandbox that had been created by someone else and I wanted to write about an idea that wasn't supported by the canon rules for that sandbox, I'd try to make my idea fit with established canon facts, instead of manipulating/ignoring canon to shoehorn my idea in. That's all part and parcel of the research step of the writing process, making sure that your original ideas will work hand-in-hand with canon. After all, no truly professional writer would be caught dead insulting the intelligence of the very knowledgable fans in that sandbox. In a genre like, say, science fiction, where the fans are by their own admission some of the nitpickiest people on the planet , doing something as silly as breaking the canon rules of a particular created universe (and it's not deliberately intended to be an AU) is the proverbial kiss of death, as far as the hardcore fans are concerned. Heck, you should see some of the mental gymnastics that had to be undertaken to get some of the Babylon 5 novels to fit into that universe, and those were written with the approval of The Man (J. Michael Straczynski). Wacky!

This is certainly the approach I try to take with my fanfic (unless I'm deliberately going for crack!fic, in which case, all bets are off). It's just more sensible that way.

Wait, let me get this straight. Are you saying that you should use the facts to reach a conclusion, not take your desired outcome and change facts to fit? What a novel concept. Did you study that in school? Because that sounds so educated and wise. I'm willing to bet you would avoid a lot of fan criticism and outrage if you, oh let's say, wrote a tie-in book using that principle.

[ShipperWriter]

*snorts*

I don't know about everyone else, but for me, the research is half the fun of writing something, whether it's fanfiction or an original work. It helps me to build the world I'm working with in my head. It's just so necessary a part of the writing process that I can't imagine any serious writer shortcutting that step.

If anyone came across the folder on my computer with all the research I've done for fics, or the scrap pieces of paper stashed away in a folder someplace, one might think I'm building a WMD.

With probably a stopover in Ireland to pick up some Guinness straight from the brewery. Or maybe Scotland to visit the Lagavulin distillery.

*iz jealous* If it really happened, that is.

That one little word in bold says so much. But doing research and sticking to canon is so limiting. For example, if you have certain ideas you want to write about that are in no way supported by canon, then you will probably choose to ignore canon and manipulate facts in order to work your ideas into your story. If you're writing fanfic, it's no biggie. But I can't imagine anyone reputable doing this in an official capacity and actually getting it published without inside help. It probably wouldn't fool very many people though aside from those who wanted those ideas in the first place.

*snorts*

I try to make my fics as canon as possible, but that's why that all important word is in the genre. Fiction. But if you're a biased fanfic writer who becomes published ... *trails off*

And yeah. I went on the StargateBooks website and some of the titles and reviews scared me. I think I might have found two books I wanna read.

Good morning, Sparkies! Happy Smutty Tuesday!

*grins* Speaking of which, I'll have a spoiler posted from M51-936 when I get home. Keep in mind, it was written when the fic bunnies stole my laptop last week ...

Well, I don't know about anyone else, but if I was writing in an official capacity in a sandbox that had been created by someone else and I wanted to write about an idea that wasn't supported by the canon rules for that sandbox, I'd try to make my idea fit with established canon facts, instead of manipulating/ignoring canon to shoehorn my idea in. That's all part and parcel of the research step of the writing process, making sure that your original ideas will work hand-in-hand with canon. After all, no truly professional writer would be caught dead insulting the intelligence of the very knowledgable fans in that sandbox. In a genre like, say, science fiction, where the fans are by their own admission some of the nitpickiest people on the planet , doing something as silly as breaking the canon rules of a particular created universe (and it's not deliberately intended to be an AU) is the proverbial kiss of death, as far as the hardcore fans are concerned. Heck, you should see some of the mental gymnastics that had to be undertaken to get some of the Babylon 5 novels to fit into that universe, and those were written with the approval of The Man (J. Michael Straczynski). Wacky!

This is certainly the approach I try to take with my fanfic (unless I'm deliberately going for crack!fic, in which case, all bets are off). It's just more sensible that way.

Wait, let me get this straight. Are you saying that you should use the facts to reach a conclusion, not take your desired outcome and change facts to fit? What a novel concept. Did you study that in school? Because that sounds so educated and wise. I'm willing to bet you would avoid a lot of fan criticism and outrage if you, oh let's say, wrote a tie-in book using that principle.

ROFL!!!

[Brie]

Hello everyone!

I’m sorry to hear about your trip Falcon Horus.

Such interesting conversation Scary Kitty and Southern Red, I just had to say that what you wrote are things that I've reacted to as well.

I’m looking forward to reading more of your story ShipperWriter.

I try to make my fics as canon as possible, but that's why that all important word is in the genre. Fiction. But if you're a biased fanfic writer who becomes published ... *trails off*

And yeah. I went on the StargateBooks website and some of the titles and reviews scared me. I think I might have found two books I wanna read.

Ahem, I don’t know why I quoted that but yeah…this *lol*

[Scary Kitty]

Wait, let me get this straight. Are you saying that you should use the facts to reach a conclusion, not take your desired outcome and change facts to fit? What a novel concept. Did you study that in school? Because that sounds so educated and wise. I'm willing to bet you would avoid a lot of fan criticism and outrage if you, oh let's say, wrote a tie-in book using that principle.

Yup! I learnt dat in skool! I iz edjukated!

LMAO. Seriously, though. It's nothing more than the scientific method, put into practice for writing fiction. Who'da'thunk it?

If anyone came across the folder on my computer with all the research I've done for fics, or the scrap pieces of paper stashed away in a folder someplace, one might think I'm building a WMD.

Or planning attacks on nuclear power plants worldwide. *snorts* (That's actually for my original novel. And it's more about figuring out where all the irradiated zones will be when civilization goes belly up years before the story begins. Yay for fictional post-apocalyptic scenarios! )

As for my Stargate fic, I've looked at everything from the US Antarctica Program's website and field guides, the Air Force's e-publishing site for all sorts of manuals and guides on uniforms and regulations, the Army Quartermaster's website for food service in the military (complete with recipes sized to feed an army. Literally.), and to scientific articles on everything from triple-helix DNA theory to cosmic background radiation (aka the "God signal" from SGU). Yes, I am nuts, why do you ask?

*snorts*

I try to make my fics as canon as possible, but that's why that all important word is in the genre. Fiction. But if you're a biased fanfic writer who becomes published ... *trails off*

And yeah. I went on the StargateBooks website and some of the titles and reviews scared me. I think I might have found two books I wanna read.

Stick with the books written and co-written by Elizabeth Christensen (Exogenesis and Casualties of War are excellent, The Chosen was okay but not as good as the other two). Mirror, Mirror is also quite good, Reliquary is downright creepy (and gets bonus points for being set in Season 1. Yay, Ford!), and the novelization of Rising is a win.

*grins* Speaking of which, I'll have a spoiler posted from M51-936 when I get home. Keep in mind, it was written when the fic bunnies stole my laptop last week ...

Heh! Silly bunnies!

[Falcon Horus]

They cancelled Sanctuary?!?! I thought it was doing well! I mean, I didn't watch it myself but ... gah, what?!

No news turned into bad news. However, they had a brilliant 4 years and it didn't end on a huge cliffhanger. As far as I'm concerned I felt they came full circle.

Sorry about work ... I know you really wanted to go to the Star Wars event ... *hugs FH and sets an extra saucer of sugar out for the Lemming*

Yup, it's official now (like Sanctuary) - my boss didn't want to grant me this holiday. Though I have to admit I'm not exactly one of his favorite employees (I'm the union rep which they rather fire than have, but can't) so I think would I have been more of a suck-up they might have considered it more.

The worst part of it all... they told me that I should have taken the trip into account so that I could have used my other holidays for this. However, I couldn't have planned for this trip since I had no idea until last week I was one of the lucky ones.

I was so pissed off that I smashed my fist into the desk... my colleagues thought I was just annoyed with our stupid computerprogram again (for which they don't have enough licenses so half the time we can't do our jobs properly).

((hugs)) Sorry about that.

Thanks.

I don't know about everyone else, but for me, the research is half the fun of writing something, whether it's fanfiction or an original work. It helps me to build the world I'm working with in my head. It's just so necessary a part of the writing process that I can't imagine any serious writer shortcutting that step.

I agree, research is an important step in the writing process. It can literally make or break a story.

Aw, man! That stinks! I'm so sorry you can't make it to Orlando, and I so feel your pain about favorite shows getting cancelled. It seems to be the year that everyone's faves are getting the axe.

I managed to not curse very loudly at my stupid bosses... whom I hate with a vengeance.

Yeah, a lot of shows are getting the short end of the stick it seems.

*Hugs FH*
Maybe, Claire will do a convention somewhere in Europe when you have time off in the future.

As far as I know she's only ever appeared at one convention, Dragon Con 2006 (I think - Don Davis was still alive cause he was on that panel too). And that's it, so I'm not keeping my hopes up there.

It would of course be cool to meet her ... and I'd be a puddle of goo and totally incoherent... but I doubt that'll happen unless there's a con-organizer out there whom could be convinced to invite the Atlantis angels (my version). I doubt it though...

Quite honestly, I don't know anyone who has met her... except for the people who were at that panel of course.

I’m sorry to hear about your trip Falcon Horus.

I'll get over it... or not.