Rodney McKay/John Sheppard Slash/Discussion/Appreciation

[Merlin7]

This taps into a hypothesis of mine.

Have you noticed there have been virtually no plotted (as opposed to PWP and general smut) M/S fics in months? To my reckoning they slowed to a trickle at about the time there was an explosion of posts by people having big problems with Sheppard's bad judgement and derelictions of duty in season one.

As you say, the M/S fics tend to the sincere rather than the playful. My hypothesis is the fanfic writers can no longer quite believe that McKay would be so blind to Sheppard's sins, and therefore he would *not* want to be all that close to him. (Heck, in this light McKay's skeptical look in "Runner" when Ford said "Good for him!" re Sheppard's promotion is rather intriguing.)

Now, normally a new season would have eased these doubts. But instead we've been treated to more examples of the same, albeit less egregious. So those fanfic writers who haven't given up on the show are still feeling quite disconcerted. They don't want to go to the trouble of "fixing" Sheppard for a plotted story only to have him revert to type in the next episode.

I'm not sure how to read this. I mean..what sins? And if it's what I think you mean..then Rodney has equal sins to deal with and it would be the pot calling the kettle black kinda thing. And they certainly seemed FRIENDS in AURORA and LOST BOYS!

I admit to being all about Shep, but I'm not blind to his FLAWS. I don't see him having committed any sins. He's human. Rodney is human and flawed as well.

As for the McShep fanfic. HEll..I read tons of it every day. PWP. WIP. SMutty. Plotty. Tons of the stuff. The McShep love is high and everywhere I go people are loving the McShep. Soo....I still don't get where this comes from.

As a side note. Mckay abused the TRUST/Friends issue in TRINITY! Not Shep.

[Willow'sCat]

As a side note. Mckay abused the TRUST/Friends issue in TRINITY! Not Shep.

I don't agree totally with that, Rodney was in a kind of "zone" he felt like he could do no wrong, I don't think he did what he did out of malice towards John or anybody. He wasn't plotting IMO he was just blind to his own failings. John obviously has realised this too as they do seem friends again.

[Shonaille]

I don't agree totally with that, Rodney was in a kind of "zone" he felt like he could do no wrong, I don't think he did what he did out of malice towards John or anybody. He wasn't plotting IMO he was just blind to his own failings. John obviously has realised this too as they do seem friends again.

I don't think there was any malice involved but McKay did abuse their relationship without realizing it, and we have seen Mckay trying to make up for it since then and John seems to be on his way to forgiving him.

[Shonaille]

Especially Aurora and Lost Boys. That moment in the field in LB was all I needed to see.

I know, it was a great moment

[Willow'sCat]

I don't think there was any malice involved but McKay did abuse their relationship without realizing it, and we have seen Mckay trying to make up for it since then and John seems to be on his way to forgiving him.

Well I concede he may have unintentually used John's position to benefit himself but I think Dr Weir and John should have taken greater control of the situation given their positions. Of course Caldwell didn't help matters. Haha, lets just blame Caldwell!

[Wordsmit2]

I'm not sure how to read this. I mean..what sins?

Since two people asked, the short version:

"The Storm": Had a subordinate brandish a gun at a civilian who was not threatening them.

"The Defiant One": Sent two civilians he was supervising into an unsecured area. Did not go back for the civilians even after he asked McKay if it was possible that there might still be active enemy in the area. And apparently he withheld critical intel after "Rising" that Wraith don't show on the life detector when they're hibernating. Deserted a wounded teammate who was pleading for his protection. Deserted teammates who were unable to leave a hazardous area without his help.

"Hot Zone": Didn't follow established protocols for defining a military situation. Corrupted a subordinate. Insisted on doing a job others were better placed for, failed, and caused the infection of a third of base personnel.

"Instinct": Deserted a wounded teammate when another person was better suited for the action he did take, and when it had been established he had zero chance of succeeding at the action.

"The Lost Boys": Gave permission for his team to be used for medical experimentation against their will. (Whether they consented or not after the fact is irrelevant.

Spoiler:

(Not to mention McKay emphatically did not consent.)

It was Sheppard's responsibility to see to the security and well-being of his team and he not only didn't put a stop to it, he gave explicit permission for it to continue.) It could also be argued that he aided the enemy; certainly he did nothing to fight them and helped a lot.

[Merlin7]

Since two people asked, the short version:

"The Storm": Had a subordinate brandish a gun at a civilian who was not threatening them.

"The Defiant One": Sent two civilians he was supervising into an unsecured area. Did not go back for the civilians even after he asked McKay if it was possible that there might still be active enemy in the area. And apparently he withheld critical intel after "Rising" that Wraith don't show on the life detector when they're hibernating. Deserted a wounded teammate who was pleading for his protection. Deserted teammates who were unable to leave a hazardous area without his help.

"Hot Zone": Didn't follow established protocols for defining a military situation. Corrupted a subordinate. Insisted on doing a job others were better placed for, failed, and caused the infection of a third of base personnel.

"Instinct": Deserted a wounded teammate when another person was better suited for the action he did take, and when it had been established he had zero chance of succeeding at the action.

"The Lost Boys": Gave permission for his team to be used for medical experimentation against their will. (Whether they consented or not after the fact is irrelevant.

Spoiler:

(Not to mention McKay emphatically did not consent.)

It was Sheppard's responsibility to see to the security and well-being of his team and he not only didn't put a stop to it, he gave explicit permission for it to continue.) It could also be argued that he aided the enemy; certainly he did nothing to fight them and helped a lot.

Ford didn't brandish a gun in STORM he just set it on the table. And that guy was not innocent by any means.

In DEFIANT he had no choice. They weren't a full contingent team, he was the only military. John had limited options and did what he could. Period

HOT ZONE, Bates decided to open that door because he AGREED with Shep. He's never EVER been quiet about disagreeing with Shep. EVER! He felt it was the best course of action. Would he have done it regardless? As an order? Maybe..but he'd have voiced his objections. He did it because he felt it was the right thing to do. And I agree as well. Had Shep stayed trapped ALOT of people would have died. Even WEir acknowledges that one.

INSTINCT was a set up for him to get wounded so that's a blow off anyway. BUT Had ELIA doubled back around...Shep wouldn't have stood a chance protecting Teyla. By your own words he didn't stand a chance against Elia. Which is what I THINK he was trying to do. PROTECT the WOUNDED. If he couldn't protect himself, how could he protect Teyla? That was a smart decision.


And I'm laughing about LOST BOYS. Ford was going to give the enzyme to Teyla and Ronon regardless. Shep didn't ALLOW it. They already ate the food and Ford had been playing SHep all along. As for Rodney. Shep did what he could to scale it back. Because For wasn't going to stop just cause Shep asked him too. Shep can't control Ford. He's a prisoner as much as the others. Shep was pretty much helpless but did what he COULD to get them out of there. Hence the plan to get the ship repaired to get them all HOME. You did see that part, right?


For someone posting in the MCSHEP thread, I kinda wonder why you are dissing Shep and actually kinda finding ways to do it that do not exist. I mean...why post here if you don't like Shep? Just curious. Cause in the majority of your posts you make it pretty clear you adore Mckay and that he can do no wrong and you don't think much of Shep. As someone who comes in here to post about MCSHEP...I'm not thrilled with the negativity against one of the two characters. Might just be me. But...eh.

This isn't the Mckay ANTI Shep McShep thread, as far as I know.

[Linzi]

Since two people asked, the short version:

"The Storm": Had a subordinate brandish a gun at a civilian who was not threatening them.

"The Defiant One": Sent two civilians he was supervising into an unsecured area. Did not go back for the civilians even after he asked McKay if it was possible that there might still be active enemy in the area. And apparently he withheld critical intel after "Rising" that Wraith don't show on the life detector when they're hibernating. Deserted a wounded teammate who was pleading for his protection. Deserted teammates who were unable to leave a hazardous area without his help.

"Hot Zone": Didn't follow established protocols for defining a military situation. Corrupted a subordinate. Insisted on doing a job others were better placed for, failed, and caused the infection of a third of base personnel.

"Instinct": Deserted a wounded teammate when another person was better suited for the action he did take, and when it had been established he had zero chance of succeeding at the action.

"The Lost Boys": Gave permission for his team to be used for medical experimentation against their will. (Whether they consented or not after the fact is irrelevant.

Spoiler:

(Not to mention McKay emphatically did not consent.)

It was Sheppard's responsibility to see to the security and well-being of his team and he not only didn't put a stop to it, he gave explicit permission for it to continue.) It could also be argued that he aided the enemy; certainly he did nothing to fight them and helped a lot.

I've read a number of your anti Sheppard posts in certain threads, and as I suggested in another thread you're perfectly entitled to your views, but please don't post them in the incorrect threads. People here are enjoying the Sheppard/McKay dynamic and do not want to read what are, in my opinion, irrational and irate ramblings about a character this thread likes. It is disrespectful to posters here and against forum rules because you are (again!) off topic. Thank you.
As far as McKay/Sheppard ff is concerned, the sites I frequent have more than ever McKay/Sheppard ff. I would say it is one of the most popular ff Atlantis pairings, judging from the numbers of ff's compared to other pairings.

[smushybird]

Personally, I'm glad the writers have had Sheppard make some questionable decisions. He wouldn't be human, nor an interesting fictional character, if all the decisions he made were flawless. Considering the fact that he's been dropped into a whole new world where he's expected to lead and protect a few hundred people through situations unlike any he's faced before, and considering that so far he's kept most of their butts in one piece, I have to think Sheppard's doing pretty damned well. If I lived in Atlantis, Sheppard and McKay are the two I'd want leading the mission. They balance each other well and they're not afraid or particularly hesitant (unlike Liz) to make quick and possibly very risky decisions in order to save lives and protect Atlantis.

I, for one, love the way the writers let the characters make mistakes and react in fully human ways and invariably in character. It's a fantastic group of writers on this show. Even the bit of a slip they made in letting McKay's character slide too much toward buffoonery, I forgive, because they appear to be getting him back on track.

I really like this show. It gets better by the episode.

[Willow'sCat]

I've read a number of your anti Sheppard posts in certain threads, and as I suggested in another thread you're perfectly entitled to your views, but please don't post them in the incorrect threads. People here are enjoying the Sheppard/McKay dynamic and do not want to read what are, in my opinion, irrational and irate ramblings about a character this thread likes. It is disrespectful to posters here and against forum rules because you are (again!) off topic. Thank you.
As far as McKay/Sheppard ff is concerned, the sites I frequent have more than ever McKay/Sheppard ff. I would say it is one of the most popular ff Atlantis pairings, judging from the numbers of ff's compared to other pairings.

Well as someone who seems to post more in this thread these days then most, I don't have a problem with healthy debate about the decisions that these two characters make I find it refreshing and not the least bit off-topic!!

If you want Sheppard love or McKay love for that matter then go to the Thunks. Here I think it is perfectly O.K to debate the decisions of the characters. I don't believe anything Wordsmit2 or myself for that matter have said here, has been Sheppard Hate!! I really love John but not as much as Rodney and not as much as some, I see the flaws in both characters.

Oh and I am glad that at least it has meant more people posting here in the last couple of days! I was beginning to think no-one here was interested in this 'shipp'.

[SGalisa]

gosh, I miss these Sheppard and McKay topics - threads...
didn't dig far enough for the "appreciation" topics... but found this one in the meantime...

been at the bottom of the forums instead... it's too exhausting down there... it's more fun up here, tho!

I just like watching McKay and Sheppard being best friends. Sort of amazing, especially when they started out with McKay having *jealousy* factors over Shep sitting in that ancient chair... and then McKay puppy-dogged Shep all over Atlantis, when they first got there...

"Aurora" definitely seemed like the Hope and Crosby snarky fun days (thinking mostly of the "Road to..." pictures), too!

[Arlessiar]

I don't have a problem with healthy debate about the decisions that these two characters make I find it refreshing and not the least bit off-topic!!
If you want Sheppard love or McKay love for that matter then go to the Thunks. Here I think it is perfectly O.K to debate the decisions of the characters.

It's pretty cool that this thread has so many new posts now, but I'm always confused because there are two McKay-Sheppard threads that are hard to tell apart. I always thought that the ship thread is mostly for the sometimes serious, sometimes funny appreciation of the pairing - may it be slash or friendship. It doesn't have to be exactly like the Rockett or the Shex, but I thought it's rather about liking or worshipping the pairing, seeing great ship moments in the eps and posting pics of them and less about discussing all the aspects of their actions which might have an influence on them or others or Atlantis, for which there is the Sheppard McKay discussion thread.
http://forum.gateworld.net/showthread.php?t=11662
What do you think? I know it's hard to distinguish one thread from the other, but I would so like to see both threads filled with life again, that's why I'm mentioning it.

Concerning Wordsmit2: I think it's absolutely ok that she sees the Sheppard character with a critical eye, although I don't agree with her in every aspect. But this isn't the Sheppard discussion thread, and although I don't think this thread here is classified as a protected thread I can understand it if some people say that this topic doesn't fit here.

But enough of that, back to THEM!
Two McShep pics:





Bye, A.

[Linzi]

Well as someone who seems to post more in this thread these days then most, I don't have a problem with healthy debate about the decisions that these two characters make I find it refreshing and not the least bit off-topic!!

If you want Sheppard love or McKay love for that matter then go to the Thunks. Here I think it is perfectly O.K to debate the decisions of the characters. I don't believe anything Wordsmit2 or myself for that matter have said here, has been Sheppard Hate!! I really love John but not as much as Rodney and not as much as some, I see the flaws in both characters.

Oh and I am glad that at least it has meant more people posting here in the last couple of days! I was beginning to think no-one here was interested in this 'shipp'.

Who said anything about Sheppard hate? I said anti Sheppard thoughts should be posted in another thread as it is off topic. This is the McKay/Sheppard shippers thread is it not? Posts discussing court martialling and the general dislike for one character surely are off topic, aren't they? What have they got to do with Sheppard or McKay's relationship or the fact that people here appreciate that relationship? I have nothing against people expressing their views, whether I agree or not, I just think it should be in the correct thread. Those are the forum rules, after all. I'm all for healthy debate, but I come here to read about Sheppard and McKay as a pair, not somebody listing what they perceive as how corrupt or flawed one of the characters in the pairing is! Sorry if I offended anybody with my opinions.

[smushybird]

It's pretty cool that this thread has so many new posts now, but I'm always confused because there are two McKay-Sheppard threads that are hard to tell apart. I always thought that the ship thread is mostly for the sometimes serious, sometimes funny appreciation of the pairing - may it be slash or friendship. It doesn't have to be exactly like the Rockett or the Shex, but I thought it's rather about liking or worshipping the pairing, seeing great ship moments in the eps and posting pics of them and less about discussing all the aspects of their actions which might have an influence on them or others or Atlantis, for which there is the Sheppard McKay discussion thread.

Ohh, is the Sheppard and McKay "shipper" thread (this thread) supposed to be a friendship thread? I though it was solely a 'ship (as in slash, tho' on my page I don't separate relationships by 'ship and slash. It's all 'ship to me. I think people need to become accustomed to taking same sex relationships as for granted as they take opposite sex relationships. ) I know there is that Sheppard and McKay friendship thread. So this one is surely a "relationship" thread?

Btw, niiiiiiiice pics. They're always cute as two peas together.

[strivaria]

Who said anything about Sheppard hate? I said anti Sheppard thoughts should be posted in another thread as it is off topic.

Some of the points Wordsmith made about Shep are valid. In any (theoretical) Sheppard/McKay relationship, they'd have to deal with those flaws.. just as they'd have to deal with Rodney's flaws. So, no, I'd have to say that such posts aren't off topic... especially when people were asking for clarification of a vague statement made earlier. But, that's just me.

I always thought that the ship thread is mostly for the sometimes serious, sometimes funny appreciation of the pairing - may it be slash or friendship.

I think this thread was originally about the slashy relationship of the two characters. Or to the point, asking if anyone actually shipped for them... then segue'd into an explanation of why we shipped for them... then... it kind of drifted.