Elizabeth Weir/John Sheppard Appreciation/Ship/Discussion Thread

[SMB_BOOKS]

So, I had a thought last night and wonder what you guys think. This was prompted by the talk a few pages back about whether the Sparky thread is on the decline. What would you say to a mini Sparky reunion one weekend a month? We could encourage everyone to drop in, even if it's just to say hello.

I think there are several categories of Sparkies here:

1. The Regulars - bless you guys for keeping us going!
2. Those for whom real life is being a bitka (yes, I'm watching Buffy LOL) - this is me and many others I'm sure.
3. Lurkers - this might encourage them to post more - don't be shy!
4. Those who are out of the habit - sometimes you just need a reason to start again.

Anyway, we could use the weekend to catch up with old friends and maybe come away with new ways to celebrate Sparky. We could spread the word here and on LJ (there's still plenty of Sparky love over there).

What say you? Should we try once or twice and see how people respond?

*Raises hand as being part of the #2's*

I'm IN!

[Southern Red]

So, I had a thought last night and wonder what you guys think. This was prompted by the talk a few pages back about whether the Sparky thread is on the decline. What would you say to a mini Sparky reunion one weekend a month? We could encourage everyone to drop in, even if it's just to say hello.

I think there are several categories of Sparkies here:

1. The Regulars - bless you guys for keeping us going!
2. Those for whom real life is being a bitka (yes, I'm watching Buffy LOL) - this is me and many others I'm sure.
3. Lurkers - this might encourage them to post more - don't be shy!
4. Those who are out of the habit - sometimes you just need a reason to start again.

Anyway, we could use the weekend to catch up with old friends and maybe come away with new ways to celebrate Sparky. We could spread the word here and on LJ (there's still plenty of Sparky love over there).

What say you? Should we try once or twice and see how people respond?

I say go for it. I'll tell my little flist on LJ and lots of others who never come here are all over there.

I have a theory about the decline in Sparky. I haven't thought it through completely but it goes something like this.

*When there is doubt about what will happen with a ship is when most people want to talk about it. We had that in S1-3.

*When we lost Elizabeth we lost a huge chunk of our shipper community due to anger/disgust/disappointment. Most of them stopped watching completely.

*Those who remained got some encouragement from the S4 eps she was in and also GitM that even though our ship would never happen on screen the feelings between them were obvious even to a lot of non-shippers. Increasingly more posters on various forums made statements about missing her and seeing the connection with John. This encouraged us to keep celebrating our ship.

*Once the show was canceled and we knew she wouldn't be in the movie, if there even is one, we lost another big chunk of Sparky fans leaving only a few oldies and new people who are watching in syndication.

*So basically, my theory is that we are the victims of our own success. What is left to hope and dream about? We don't even need to rant and rave in bitterness and anger. LOL It wasn't a good outcome, but it was an outcome. John is clearly grieving for her. Everybody sees it. Ergo we need a new focus.

That's where I run out of ideas.

[Scary Kitty]

I'm here. But not much is going on. Maybe a pic will help.

Spoiler:

John: I swear Elizabeth. I didn't scare the Sparkies away.
Rodney: She's mad. When her chest heaves like that it's never a good sign.
Liz: !

Oh, she's mad. But rather... perky. If you know what I mean.

[Scary Kitty]

So, I had a thought last night and wonder what you guys think. This was prompted by the talk a few pages back about whether the Sparky thread is on the decline. What would you say to a mini Sparky reunion one weekend a month? We could encourage everyone to drop in, even if it's just to say hello.

I think there are several categories of Sparkies here:

1. The Regulars - bless you guys for keeping us going!
2. Those for whom real life is being a bitka (yes, I'm watching Buffy LOL) - this is me and many others I'm sure.
3. Lurkers - this might encourage them to post more - don't be shy!
4. Those who are out of the habit - sometimes you just need a reason to start again.

Anyway, we could use the weekend to catch up with old friends and maybe come away with new ways to celebrate Sparky. We could spread the word here and on LJ (there's still plenty of Sparky love over there).

What say you? Should we try once or twice and see how people respond?

I like it! Maybe that's something we could do on our monthly Sparky Day (the 18th), as it seems like we never really have anything special to do that day.

I say go for it. I'll tell my little flist on LJ and lots of others who never come here are all over there.

I have a theory about the decline in Sparky. I haven't thought it through completely but it goes something like this.

*When there is doubt about what will happen with a ship is when most people want to talk about it. We had that in S1-3.

*When we lost Elizabeth we lost a huge chunk of our shipper community due to anger/disgust/disappointment. Most of them stopped watching completely.

*Those who remained got some encouragement from the S4 eps she was in and also GitM that even though our ship would never happen on screen the feelings between them were obvious even to a lot of non-shippers. Increasingly more posters on various forums made statements about missing her and seeing the connection with John. This encouraged us to keep celebrating our ship.

*Once the show was canceled and we knew she wouldn't be in the movie, if there even is one, we lost another big chunk of Sparky fans leaving only a few oldies and new people who are watching in syndication.

*So basically, my theory is that we are the victims of our own success. What is left to hope and dream about? We don't even need to rant and rave in bitterness and anger. LOL It wasn't a good outcome, but it was an outcome. John is clearly grieving for her. Everybody sees it. Ergo we need a new focus.

That's where I run out of ideas.

*cracks up* So much for raging against 'The Man,' eh?

I think you're on to something with this theory. Certainly I've seen a dropoff of interest on LJ among those who used to be really big in Sparky fandom... many of them have drifted away and found new shows and fandoms, though occasionally they'll dip their toes back into the Sparkian Ocean.

A new focus for Sparky fandom? There's something to think about. With the show over and the movie looking less and less likely as time passes, our own focus on canon has lessened to an extent. As I've been working on my Big Bang story, I've begun to shift my thinking toward the AU I'm building and just letting the rest go. Really, who needs canon? The producers think they don't need us, so we don't need them, either.

[Irish Eyes]

*Raises hand as being part of the #2's*

I'm IN!

*high-fives SMB_BOOKS*


Southern Red, I totally agree with your assessment of the state of Sparky. As you say, though, we need a new focus. *ponders*

I like it! Maybe that's something we could do on our monthly Sparky Day (the 18th), as it seems like we never really have anything special to do that day.

I think the 18th would be fine too. The reason I put the weekend thing out there is 1) it would be two days for people to work with and 2) maybe not so much conflict with work and/or school.

Whatever works best for people so they can come join in!

[Scary Kitty]

I think the 18th would be fine too. The reason I put the weekend thing out there is 1) it would be two days for people to work with and 2) maybe not so much conflict with work and/or school.

Whatever works best for people so they can come join in!

Indeed. That's the same reason why I suggested weekends for the episodic post-a-thons, too. But really, whenever is most convenient for the most people is probably the best course.

'Cause we Sparkies have got to party!

[Erin87]

More drabble, ficlet, however long you wanna make it prompts....

Frosty
Baubles

The view from the top.

On a clear day you can see forever.

A bottle of wine and a blanket.

Watermelon

Here I go again. You give some excellent promts SMB_BOOKS!

Spoiler:

Frosty

Elizabeth laughed breathlessly as she ran through the gently falling snow. “Come on, I see it!” urged John laughingly, sounding for all the world like an excited five year old as he ran beside her. He reached out and took her hand, ensuring that they stayed together in this wintery world.

They were out of breath and still laughing when they reached the covered back door to the Hall; they pounded to a stop on the large granite flagstones. “Well,” said John merrily as he turned around to look out at the forest, “this came up out of nowhere.”

Snow continued to fall to the ground and coat everything, reminding Elizabeth strongly of sugar being sifted. The immediate area was lit by a pair of lanterns that hung on either side of the sizeable wooden door that led inside, but outside the pool of amber light the rapidly encroaching dusk combined with the snowy weather to turn everything a soft pearly gray. It was really quite lovely, although admittedly unexpected. After diplomatic discussions had ended for the day, Elizabeth had decided to take a little self-guided tour of the woods surrounding the meeting hall, and John had refused to allow her to go alone. Not that she had put up much of a fight about the matter; she had been happy to have the company. They had been walking along, enjoying the clear and mild autumn day, when it had suddenly begun to snow without any warning.

Elizabeth turned to look at the scene as well and smiled, still trying to catch her breath. “It seems like now I do remember hearing something about how extremely changeable the weather is on this planet.”

“Yeah, and they weren’t kidding.”

They stood in the cold air and watched the snow for several minutes without saying anything. Then Elizabeth was distracted from how pretty everything was by the awareness that she could now barely feel the fingers of her right hand. The left one was fine, and she suddenly realized that that was because John hadn’t let go of it yet. The realization wasn’t an unpleasant one. She clenched and unclenched her right hand, trying to force the blood to flow, and then pulled down the sleeve of her uniform jacket in an attempt to warm her numb fingers. Her efforts didn’t go unnoticed. John looked at her, concern written in his green eyes.

“Hey, are you cold?”

Elizabeth nodded reluctantly. It was freezing out here, but she didn’t want to leave the snow yet. “Just a little.”

Surprisingly, John didn’t suggest that they go inside where it was warm. “Here,” he said, turning to face her and holding out his free arm, “Give me your hand.”

She raised an eyebrow at him questioningly, but complied with the order. He took both of her hands, one cold and one warm, and pressed them together, then wrapped them in his. Elizabeth could immediately tell a difference. His hands were slightly rough, but strong and sure, and, most of all, the source of the wonderful warmth that was spreading through her hand.

“Better?” he asked.

She found herself nodding again. “Yeah, thanks.” She glanced down at their joined hands for a moment, then her gazed wandered upward and she couldn’t help a small smile. Snow had settled in the spikes of his hair, and his black leather jacket was frosty with accumulated ice crystals. She freed her left hand and reached up to wipe some of it off his shoulder. He looked down and laughed when he saw the clinging white.

“Yeah, we both got kinda frosted.” He grinned and she laughed. “It’s even in your hair.” John unthinkingly reached up and began to run his hand across the brown curls at her shoulder to get the snow off, but then he seemed to realize the intimacy of what he was doing and froze, his fingers still in her hair. Their eyes met and Elizabeth felt her breath catch in her throat and her heart start to beat faster, a thousand different feelings swarming through her all at once. They stared at each other for a second that felt like an eternity, the only sound the hiss of the snow as it fell, and then they were both leaning in, their lips meeting in a cautious yet tender kiss. Suddenly the cold and ice seemed to disappear, and the shivering stopped. What snow? It was warm.

Erin, your not a drabble was wonderful. That John always has a plan. I love the drabbleathon and hope more people do one. I may have more later.

Awwww that was really sweet! Thank you for writing!

Thank you! And you're welcome!

...when insomnia strikes, and boredom tags along for the ride:


http://s202.photobucket.com/albums/a...rent=Movie.flv


...lol

Hee! An excellent use of the action figures.

[Erin87]

So, I had a thought last night and wonder what you guys think. This was prompted by the talk a few pages back about whether the Sparky thread is on the decline. What would you say to a mini Sparky reunion one weekend a month? We could encourage everyone to drop in, even if it's just to say hello.

I think there are several categories of Sparkies here:

1. The Regulars - bless you guys for keeping us going!
2. Those for whom real life is being a bitka (yes, I'm watching Buffy LOL) - this is me and many others I'm sure.
3. Lurkers - this might encourage them to post more - don't be shy!
4. Those who are out of the habit - sometimes you just need a reason to start again.

Anyway, we could use the weekend to catch up with old friends and maybe come away with new ways to celebrate Sparky. We could spread the word here and on LJ (there's still plenty of Sparky love over there).

What say you? Should we try once or twice and see how people respond?

I think this is a great idea. *ponders which category I belong to* I'm not really a lurker - it's just the discussions when I don't have much to say- but I'm not quite a regular either (or am I? ) . I'm somewhere in between I guess.

I say go for it. I'll tell my little flist on LJ and lots of others who never come here are all over there.

I have a theory about the decline in Sparky. I haven't thought it through completely but it goes something like this.

*When there is doubt about what will happen with a ship is when most people want to talk about it. We had that in S1-3.

*When we lost Elizabeth we lost a huge chunk of our shipper community due to anger/disgust/disappointment. Most of them stopped watching completely.

*Those who remained got some encouragement from the S4 eps she was in and also GitM that even though our ship would never happen on screen the feelings between them were obvious even to a lot of non-shippers. Increasingly more posters on various forums made statements about missing her and seeing the connection with John. This encouraged us to keep celebrating our ship.

*Once the show was canceled and we knew she wouldn't be in the movie, if there even is one, we lost another big chunk of Sparky fans leaving only a few oldies and new people who are watching in syndication.

*So basically, my theory is that we are the victims of our own success. What is left to hope and dream about? We don't even need to rant and rave in bitterness and anger. LOL It wasn't a good outcome, but it was an outcome. John is clearly grieving for her. Everybody sees it. Ergo we need a new focus.

That's where I run out of ideas.

Bravo on the excellent theory. It makes sense to me!

I like it! Maybe that's something we could do on our monthly Sparky Day (the 18th), as it seems like we never really have anything special to do that day.

*cracks up* So much for raging against 'The Man,' eh?

I think you're on to something with this theory. Certainly I've seen a dropoff of interest on LJ among those who used to be really big in Sparky fandom... many of them have drifted away and found new shows and fandoms, though occasionally they'll dip their toes back into the Sparkian Ocean.

A new focus for Sparky fandom? There's something to think about. With the show over and the movie looking less and less likely as time passes, our own focus on canon has lessened to an extent. As I've been working on my Big Bang story, I've begun to shift my thinking toward the AU I'm building and just letting the rest go. Really, who needs canon? The producers think they don't need us, so we don't need them, either.

Hear hear!

[pkprd869]

I missed some important stuff...
SK I do like how both teams wear their home jerseys. But the pomp and circumstance and tradition of Army/Navy is unrivaled. I get torn because I have friends and family who served (or are serving) in all the branches.

SR I find absolutely nothing wrong with Lizzie and chest heaving. I think SK is right; there is a certain perkiness.

LtCdrFlygirl Dig the sig and avatar. Nice stop motion too.

Irisheyes I would put myself in the second category. When I first started posting at GW I lurked for a while. When I started posting this thread I was a regular. But returning to the mill and our screwed up turns moved me into the second grouping. I only post here now. (I find the general and show specific threads get too antagonistic, I would like some people to say some of the stuff they type to my face and see if they don't leave bruised, broken, and bleeding.)

I also feel like we got treated like a red-headed step child. (No offense to red-heads, I love red-heads.) TPTW dismissed us, and gave us the big honkin' middle finger with writing off Lizzie. The season 4 eps with Lizzie gave us some hope, but seemed like we got stuck in Dante's hell chasing around a flag. Then GiTM was like a final M*****F*****! That's how I felt anyways.

To be positive, I think long as we keep the thread alive we can keep our ship going. I know the odds of Ms. Higginson returning to SGA is up there with me dating Stacy London. But dreams are what make life bearable. Sharing what we enjoyed and the wistful, "what ifs" and "should've beens" is fun. I might preview something I've been thinking of doing. Or maybe on a bit of whimsy I'll just write something.

[Scary Kitty]

Here I go again. You give some excellent promts SMB_BOOKS!

Spoiler:

Frosty

Elizabeth laughed breathlessly as she ran through the gently falling snow. “Come on, I see it!” urged John laughingly, sounding for all the world like an excited five year old as he ran beside her. He reached out and took her hand, ensuring that they stayed together in this wintery world.

They were out of breath and still laughing when they reached the covered back door to the Hall; they pounded to a stop on the large granite flagstones. “Well,” said John merrily as he turned around to look out at the forest, “this came up out of nowhere.”

Snow continued to fall to the ground and coat everything, reminding Elizabeth strongly of sugar being sifted. The immediate area was lit by a pair of lanterns that hung on either side of the sizeable wooden door that led inside, but outside the pool of amber light the rapidly encroaching dusk combined with the snowy weather to turn everything a soft pearly gray. It was really quite lovely, although admittedly unexpected. After diplomatic discussions had ended for the day, Elizabeth had decided to take a little self-guided tour of the woods surrounding the meeting hall, and John had refused to allow her to go alone. Not that she had put up much of a fight about the matter; she had been happy to have the company. They had been walking along, enjoying the clear and mild autumn day, when it had suddenly begun to snow without any warning.

Elizabeth turned to look at the scene as well and smiled, still trying to catch her breath. “It seems like now I do remember hearing something about how extremely changeable the weather is on this planet.”

“Yeah, and they weren’t kidding.”

They stood in the cold air and watched the snow for several minutes without saying anything. Then Elizabeth was distracted from how pretty everything was by the awareness that she could now barely feel the fingers of her right hand. The left one was fine, and she suddenly realized that that was because John hadn’t let go of it yet. The realization wasn’t an unpleasant one. She clenched and unclenched her right hand, trying to force the blood to flow, and then pulled down the sleeve of her uniform jacket in an attempt to warm her numb fingers. Her efforts didn’t go unnoticed. John looked at her, concern written in his green eyes.

“Hey, are you cold?”

Elizabeth nodded reluctantly. It was freezing out here, but she didn’t want to leave the snow yet. “Just a little.”

Surprisingly, John didn’t suggest that they go inside where it was warm. “Here,” he said, turning to face her and holding out his free arm, “Give me your hand.”

She raised an eyebrow at him questioningly, but complied with the order. He took both of her hands, one cold and one warm, and pressed them together, then wrapped them in his. Elizabeth could immediately tell a difference. His hands were slightly rough, but strong and sure, and, most of all, the source of the wonderful warmth that was spreading through her hand.

“Better?” he asked.

She found herself nodding again. “Yeah, thanks.” She glanced down at their joined hands for a moment, then her gazed wandered upward and she couldn’t help a small smile. Snow had settled in the spikes of his hair, and his black leather jacket was frosty with accumulated ice crystals. She freed her left hand and reached up to wipe some of it off his shoulder. He looked down and laughed when he saw the clinging white.

“Yeah, we both got kinda frosted.” He grinned and she laughed. “It’s even in your hair.” John unthinkingly reached up and began to run his hand across the brown curls at her shoulder to get the snow off, but then he seemed to realize the intimacy of what he was doing and froze, his fingers still in her hair. Their eyes met and Elizabeth felt her breath catch in her throat and her heart start to beat faster, a thousand different feelings swarming through her all at once. They stared at each other for a second that felt like an eternity, the only sound the hiss of the snow as it fell, and then they were both leaning in, their lips meeting in a cautious yet tender kiss. Suddenly the cold and ice seemed to disappear, and the shivering stopped. What snow? It was warm.

Eeeeeeee! Another awesome ficlet! Sparky and snowy moments just seem to go together so well!

And I say you're a regular; you're here posting often enough!

[Scary Kitty]

I missed some important stuff...
SK I do like how both teams wear their home jerseys. But the pomp and circumstance and tradition of Army/Navy is unrivaled. I get torn because I have friends and family who served (or are serving) in all the branches.

Oh, definitely! There is nothing quite like military ceremony.

SR I find absolutely nothing wrong with Lizzie and chest heaving. I think SK is right; there is a certain perkiness.

Heheheh...

I also feel like we got treated like a red-headed step child. (No offense to red-heads, I love red-heads.) TPTW dismissed us, and gave us the big honkin' middle finger with writing off Lizzie. The season 4 eps with Lizzie gave us some hope, but seemed like we got stuck in Dante's hell chasing around a flag. Then GiTM was like a final M*****F*****! That's how I felt anyways.

To be positive, I think long as we keep the thread alive we can keep our ship going. I know the odds of Ms. Higginson returning to SGA is up there with me dating Stacy London. But dreams are what make life bearable. Sharing what we enjoyed and the wistful, "what ifs" and "should've beens" is fun. I might preview something I've been thinking of doing. Or maybe on a bit of whimsy I'll just write something.

That's the spirit!

[Janet Fraiser]

*pokes head in*

Hey, how is everyone? It's been a while, I think. School started Wednesday for me and I am already so busy with homework and stuff. I have so many ideas for Sparky fic, but no time to write them down, let alone come here to see what's happening here. D:

I should not even be on here right now, so I'll cut this short and come back later to read all of your wonderful posts.

[Probie]

Hi Vixen! Good to see you here.

I just received "Exogenesis". I don't work this week so I will be happy to spend my time reading this book. Moreover, I can move because I played Rugby yesterday. My back is killing me.lol

[Southern Red]

Erin, you've done it again. Wonderful fic. I particularly love this line: Snow had settled in the spikes of his hair, and his black leather jacket was frosty with accumulated ice crystals. Such a mental picture.

And after I do a few mile on the treadmill and get the wash started I have plans to do some writing.

[Eri13]

So, I had a thought last night and wonder what you guys think. This was prompted by the talk a few pages back about whether the Sparky thread is on the decline. What would you say to a mini Sparky reunion one weekend a month? We could encourage everyone to drop in, even if it's just to say hello.

I think there are several categories of Sparkies here:

1. The Regulars - bless you guys for keeping us going!
2. Those for whom real life is being a bitka (yes, I'm watching Buffy LOL) - this is me and many others I'm sure.
3. Lurkers - this might encourage them to post more - don't be shy!
4. Those who are out of the habit - sometimes you just need a reason to start again.

Anyway, we could use the weekend to catch up with old friends and maybe come away with new ways to celebrate Sparky. We could spread the word here and on LJ (there's still plenty of Sparky love over there).

What say you? Should we try once or twice and see how people respond?

I'm game.

I say go for it. I'll tell my little flist on LJ and lots of others who never come here are all over there.

I have a theory about the decline in Sparky. I haven't thought it through completely but it goes something like this.

*When there is doubt about what will happen with a ship is when most people want to talk about it. We had that in S1-3.

*When we lost Elizabeth we lost a huge chunk of our shipper community due to anger/disgust/disappointment. Most of them stopped watching completely.

*Those who remained got some encouragement from the S4 eps she was in and also GitM that even though our ship would never happen on screen the feelings between them were obvious even to a lot of non-shippers. Increasingly more posters on various forums made statements about missing her and seeing the connection with John. This encouraged us to keep celebrating our ship.

*Once the show was canceled and we knew she wouldn't be in the movie, if there even is one, we lost another big chunk of Sparky fans leaving only a few oldies and new people who are watching in syndication.

*So basically, my theory is that we are the victims of our own success. What is left to hope and dream about? We don't even need to rant and rave in bitterness and anger. LOL It wasn't a good outcome, but it was an outcome. John is clearly grieving for her. Everybody sees it. Ergo we need a new focus.

That's where I run out of ideas.

I agree with your assessment, and in general, too, when a 'story' ends, it generally takes a large chunk of the fandom with it. SGA is over, so casual viewers and casual shippers not interested in the SGU have gone. Sparkies aren't the only ones who've gone down in numbers; all the Weir-based ships have lost members. I'm sure Sheyla has too. I just think Sparkies had a rather strong, large base to begin with, and as Killdeer pointed out earlier this week, we're an interesting ship because it wasn't really a 'canon' ship but we saw a huge following rise up despite that during the early years.

But I saw the same 'changing of the guard' happen in the Potter fandom, even before the 7th book. It was as though HBP answered everyone's shipper questions, so a lot of the shipper aspect of that fandom dropped away by Deathly Hallows.

We will eventually move on--my guess is once the impact of SGU is felt (people will either become fans of that show and spend more time talking about it, or it won't succeed) and once the decision about the movie is made. If the movie is made, some of you loyal guys who've watched despite Elizabeth's exit will pep us up a bit to see what Sparkiness we can glean out of it, but after that, it'll probably feel like finality.

Anyways, this is sad and I don't want to talk about it anymore.

Erin, that was an adorable fic! Thanks!

I'm currently working on Testament still and I think I'm over my block! I've written some scenes I'm quite proud of, and when all is said and done I'm going to have a Big Bang length fic without entering Big Bang *LOL*.