Fic help.

[WraithRichard]

SGA, season 5. Characters: Team, with Woolsey and two OCs. I mainly need the beta because of the OCs--I need to make sure the fic holds interest.

I'd beta, but I have no time and less sanity these days. I'd love to read it, though.

One another note, does anyone know where all these galaxies are in comparison to each other?

[iiradned]

I'd beta, but I have no time and less sanity these days. I'd love to read it, though.

One another note, does anyone know where all these galaxies are in comparison to each other?

The only known distance is between the Milky Way and Pegasus which is 3 million light years. This would make the two galaxies part of the Local Group.

[WraithRichard]

The only known distance is between the Milky Way and Pegasus which is 3 million light years. This would make the two galaxies part of the Local Group.

Thanks.

I'm having some OC problems. I was told there's something wrong with my OC and I can't figure out what it is.

Said OC is Andy, a nineteen-year-old host. She inherited ownership of a company that funds Atlantis, though admittedly way earlier than she was supposed to. Due to a mess about how she got her symbiote and the company, she has managed to come in conflict with at least one canon character and eventually needs to see the psychiatrist on Atlantis about blending with the symbiote.

Other than getting pregnant as a surrogate mother while the story focuses mainly on other characters, that's all she does.

I'm not sure what to augment about her or how, so ideas are appreciated.

[iiradned]

Thanks.



Other than getting pregnant as a surrogate mother while the story focuses mainly on other characters, that's all she does.

If the OC gets pregnant, the symbiote will have to go into a state of hibernation otherwise the symbiote will abort the fetus. This will leave to host in total control for the time that the OC is pregnant.

[Whytewytch]

Thanks.

I'm having some OC problems. I was told there's something wrong with my OC and I can't figure out what it is.

Said OC is Andy, a nineteen-year-old host. She inherited ownership of a company that funds Atlantis, though admittedly way earlier than she was supposed to. Due to a mess about how she got her symbiote and the company, she has managed to come in conflict with at least one canon character and eventually needs to see the psychiatrist on Atlantis about blending with the symbiote.

Other than getting pregnant as a surrogate mother while the story focuses mainly on other characters, that's all she does.

I'm not sure what to augment about her or how, so ideas are appreciated.

WR, iiradned's advice sounds plausible. I don't know much about the host/surrogate relationship, being more of an SGA girl, but it makes sense.

One thing really bothers me about what you've said--who "told" you there was something wrong and were they more specific or did they just tell you your OC was "wrong"? If they can't be more specific, then perhaps it is just their opinion and there may be nothing really wrong. I would tweak as iiradned suggested--perhaps Andy is anxious over the sudden loss of communication and seeks out help for that. Beyond that, I would ask your reviewer to be more specific; if they cannot be, then ignore them. Andy's your character.

[SF_and_Coffee]

I agree that we all know that symbiotes and pregnancy are incompatible, but I'm also curiious: does canon ever explain WHY that is? Because it seems to me to have been something the writers didn't think through very clearly when they came up with the whole idea, beyond its being a neat device to use when Sha'are was pregnant.

The reason I wonder about this is because it has always seemed to me that since a symbiote has such utter awareness and control of the host's physiology and biological functions, even to the point of being able to cure disease and heal injuries, that the presence of a symbiote in a host who was pregnant could easily be beneficial, were the symbiote to consciously monitor the health of host and fetus, watching out for problems. Especially in a situation like the Tok'ra, where the host and symbiote are willing partners with each other. (And note that I'm leaving the genetic aspect of host reproduction aside, though from my understanding, the danger of a Harcesis only exists when two hosts procreate, and therefore should not be an issue when only one host does; I even have an idea in mind as to why that would be the case.)

[Sealurk]

I agree that we all know that symbiotes and pregnancy are incompatible, but I'm also curiious: does canon ever explain WHY that is? Because it seems to me to have been something the writers didn't think through very clearly when they came up with the whole idea, beyond its being a neat device to use when Sha'are was pregnant.

The reason I wonder about this is because it has always seemed to me that since a symbiote has such utter awareness and control of the host's physiology and biological functions, even to the point of being able to cure disease and heal injuries, that the presence of a symbiote in a host who was pregnant could easily be beneficial, were the symbiote to consciously monitor the health of host and fetus, watching out for problems. Especially in a situation like the Tok'ra, where the host and symbiote are willing partners with each other. (And note that I'm leaving the genetic aspect of host reproduction aside, though from my understanding, the danger of a Harcesis only exists when two hosts procreate, and therefore should not be an issue when only one host does; I even have an idea in mind as to why that would be the case.)

Perhaps the agents a symbiote produces are damaging to an embryo? Goa'uld can heal their hosts with tremendous speed and efficacy - maybe it's hormonal, maybe it's through stem cell generation...either way, it probably isn't going to be good for the comparatively delicate structure of a developing human being.

A host has a much more powerful immune system (Goa'uld can even overcome the plague that killed the Ancients), so perhaps an embryo or foetus is interpreted by this 'supercharged' immune system as a foreign body.

Or it could be related to the Naquadah circulating in the host's bloodstream - it isn't going to be a natural component of the developing child, after all. Maybe the concentration drops sharply when a symbiote hibernates.

[SF_and_Coffee]

Perhaps the agents a symbiote produces are damaging to an embryo? Goa'uld can heal their hosts with tremendous speed and efficacy - maybe it's hormonal, maybe it's through stem cell generation...either way, it probably isn't going to be good for the comparatively delicate structure of a developing human being.

But that doesn't explain why a symbiote just going into hibernation would make it safe for the fetus, then. The biological materials generated by a symbiote would still be in the host's tissues; hibernation is simply the symbiote withdrawing its consciousness. And if the symbiote has to keep certain things in circulation to prevent rejection, it seems to me that the host body would reject the symbiote during the pregnancy if the symbiote doesn't keep those things in the host's tissues/blood.

Also, lots of things don't cross the placental barrier, and a symbiote would -- I imagine -- have enough control over the host's body to actively prevent this from happening.

A host has a much more powerful immune system (Goa'uld can even overcome the plague that killed the Ancients), so perhaps an embryo or foetus is interpreted by this 'supercharged' immune system as a foreign body.

See above. Unless the symbiote actually were to leave the host body during the pregnancy, the immune system shouldn't change any.

Or it could be related to the Naquadah circulating in the host's bloodstream - it isn't going to be a natural component of the developing child, after all. Maybe the concentration drops sharply when a symbiote hibernates.

Again, see above. Even a former host has naquadah in his or her blood, so certainly Sha'are, with a Goa'uld still in her body, would have had it as well. So it can't be naquadah.

(See, this is where my logical, scientific side always gets into conflict with a good story...)

[WraithRichard]

If the OC gets pregnant, the symbiote will have to go into a state of hibernation otherwise the symbiote will abort the fetus. This will leave to host in total control for the time that the OC is pregnant.

While I wondered if it was due to the poison specific to the Goa'uld, the plan was for the symbiote to be in hibernation anyway, as the characters couldn't be sure themselves. I considered the immune system thing, which would make sense given that this is a baby symbiote and has very little control over the human's brain, let alone the rest of the body. Either way, it's taking a nine-month nap.

This would also give the human time to adjust to life on the station and the symbiote time to adjust to her mind as well. This all was definitely going to be mentioned now and then during all this.

I'd rather not mention who said this, but I wanted to bring this up in case others could find the problem or didn't see one at all (or, like with the pregnancy, brought up anything else I needed to address).

I like when scientific minds get a hold of my stories, by the way.

[SF_and_Coffee]

Just bear in mind that while the symbiote is "napping", it won't really be adjusting to anything, since it won't be in communication with its host's mind.

[WraithRichard]

Just bear in mind that while the symbiote is "napping", it won't really be adjusting to anything, since it won't be in communication with its host's mind.

That is the closest term, though. It's not dead, not on vacation, and it's not really in a coma. There's something at least akin to free will that returns it to a state of more awareness or control, either a timing mechanism similar to our sleep or a bear's hibernation, or it chooses for itself.

It's merely unconscious, or something close to that.

[SF_and_Coffee]

Right, it's unconscious. I thought, though, that you were suggesting it could adapt to her mind while it was unconscious, and was just commenting that I don't see how that would be possible.

[Sealurk]

But that doesn't explain why a symbiote just going into hibernation would make it safe for the fetus, then. The biological materials generated by a symbiote would still be in the host's tissues; hibernation is simply the symbiote withdrawing its consciousness.

See, I don't think it is. I think hibernation is exactly what the word implies - a massive reduction in the symbiote's metabolic activity in order to ride out a difficult phase. And that would lead to levels of materials actively produced by the symbiote dropping.

As for the biological materials...okay, you may have something there. I can only speculate that since it's tied in to the host's circulatory system, the symbiote could also act as a sponge and remove as many of these materials as possible from the bloodstream for the duration of its hibernation - perhaps like an animal building up a fat reserve prior to hibernation. The ones that aren't in the bloodstream, for example at the sites of healed injuries, are less likely to be of any concern unless they find their way into the blood.

And if the symbiote has to keep certain things in circulation to prevent rejection, it seems to me that the host body would reject the symbiote during the pregnancy if the symbiote doesn't keep those things in the host's tissues/blood.

But what if the symbiote doesn't have to keep anti-rejection agents in circulation? What if the symbiote creates it's own equivalent of a blood-brain barrier, some kind of biological camouflage, or a permanent, passive defence against rejection in its skin (once it has adapted to the host)? We don't know enough about Goa'uld biology to do more than speculate on how it carries out so many of it's remarkable capabilities.

Also, lots of things don't cross the placental barrier, and a symbiote would -- I imagine -- have enough control over the host's body to actively prevent this from happening.

How, though? When it comes to altering the body of its host, a symbiote probably serves as an additional organ, albeit one that effectively supercharges it's host. So it probably only releases cells and biochemical agents into the bloodstream like any other organ, meaning it probably has no direct control over some systems.

Of course, the key word here is probably!

See above. Unless the symbiote actually were to leave the host body during the pregnancy, the immune system shouldn't change any.

I think that would depend how the whole thing works. A hibernating Goa'uld may well be so inactive it no longer boosts the immune system. Hibernation may be the next best thing to actually leaving the body. This is all speculation of course, and a Goa'uld is after all an alien - my point is we have fairly limited information on Goa'uld biology so absolutes are hard to come by.

Again, see above. Even a former host has naquadah in his or her blood, so certainly Sha'are, with a Goa'uld still in her body, would have had it as well. So it can't be naquadah.

(See, this is where my logical, scientific side always gets into conflict with a good story...)

Tell me about it - the whole balancing act of realism and plausibility versus drama...sheesh.

[WraithRichard]

Right, it's unconscious. I thought, though, that you were suggesting it could adapt to her mind while it was unconscious, and was just commenting that I don't see how that would be possible.

Being unconscious means things get a bit tricky, actually. People in light comas still notice stimuli, they just have little to no way of reacting to it.

I'm going to go over the episode before the pregnancy arc itself to determine things, but my fiance says that Amaunet was aware of what was happening to Sha're while she was pregnant, but gaining dominance over it would kill the child.

Hibernation could mean anything from being brain-dead to merely being in a deep sleep.

[Choo1701]

(See, this is where my logical, scientific side always gets into conflict with a good story...)

I like when scientific minds get a hold of my stories, by the way.

No...no you don't


Creative side of Brain: Oh, oh, maybe to make the combat more interesting we could have the character jump over the chasm and take out the canon fodder action movie style!

Realistic side of Brain: But how could they jump that distance without landing and shattering something vital like, oh their legs!?! And they'll have to land in a place without cover, which means they'll get shot up easily.

Creative Side of Brain: .... .... .... i hate you man.