Wherein I start in the middle of my thought and just keep going.
You see the thing is that all these lovely stories about John and Rodney coming back to earth and eventually reconnecting and falling in love are supremely bittersweet because from the moment we met John Sheppard he's only fit in one place and that was Atlantis.
This world is not my home, I'm just a-passing through.
John BELONGS to Atlantis. Maybe it was the ATA gene. Maybe it was rich-boy in the Military, running away from Dad. Maybe it was something completely innocuous and I know that some people never really find where they fit perfectly and have to force themselves to fit their situations and circumstances all their lives and never truly click into place the way we all want to.
Jack O'Neill, another ATA gene carrier we know of, is just as floundering, in a way, when we first meet him.
Carson doesn't seem to be as much but we don't know much of his back-story, nor does he get as much screen time.
Carson was grounded by his family (his mum). Jack was eventually grounded by his team. John was grounded by Atlantis and Rodney McKay.
The other ATA gene carriers we don't really see much of. These three had the highest percent/proficiency with the natural ATA gene of all.
I seem to have lost my point. Anyway...
The concept that the ATA is making John feel like he belongs only in Atlantis is definitely a viable concept, but given that Carson and Jack, who have both been on Atlantis and have been exposed to most if not all that John has (less the Bug Virus and the Wraith Virus, and really, it seems that John Sheppard's year is not complete unless he's either adopted a Wraith or has had some sort of species transformation.), it seems that there could be and is another explanation.
Jack and Carson are seemingly more grounded by people than by places, This is not to say that a locale change would not affect Jack or Carson, but as long as Jack had Daniel, and as long as Carson had someone to take care of and a chance to see his mum again...
These lovely, lovely, bittersweet stories I've been reading lately (see! I found the point again!) all seem to deal with this.
But was this truly the case? I know it makes great stories and the brushes have always painted John as a loner, even canonly, but John Sheppard, for all of his extraordinary-ness is just a man. What if he always seemed to find his place, wherever he was, and was the king of adapting.
Let me tell you something about kids that spend their growing up years isolated from their middle-class peers and spend most of their time with adults, family, staff, or otherwise. They either have an affected baby-sense, which from all accounts Patrick Sheppard would have never allowed to happen, or they grow wise and adultish before their time.
Manners are beat into their head. Rudeness, which could cause an account to be lost or a business associate to be offended is intensely discouraged. The ability to slide into any conversation and situation, assess it, and manipulate it is instinctual, but can be, and often is unconsciously taught to those kids. Depending on the personality of the child, they are either loners or leader, sometimes both. Loners, because they have trouble relating to people their own age. Leaders because they've never had to follow anyone else.
You also see this alot in kids that moved around often when they were growing up. Dean and Sam Winchester are fine examples. Chameleons.
All things to all men.
Yeah. I'm gonna stop now. But, consider this. Could John be happy/fulfilled if he never had heard of Atlantis nor met Rodney? Or was it always inevitable?
This world is not my home, I'm just a-passing through.
John BELONGS to Atlantis. Maybe it was the ATA gene. Maybe it was rich-boy in the Military, running away from Dad. Maybe it was something completely innocuous and I know that some people never really find where they fit perfectly and have to force themselves to fit their situations and circumstances all their lives and never truly click into place the way we all want to.
Jack O'Neill, another ATA gene carrier we know of, is just as floundering, in a way, when we first meet him.
Carson doesn't seem to be as much but we don't know much of his back-story, nor does he get as much screen time.
Carson was grounded by his family (his mum). Jack was eventually grounded by his team. John was grounded by Atlantis and Rodney McKay.
The other ATA gene carriers we don't really see much of. These three had the highest percent/proficiency with the natural ATA gene of all.
I seem to have lost my point. Anyway...
The concept that the ATA is making John feel like he belongs only in Atlantis is definitely a viable concept, but given that Carson and Jack, who have both been on Atlantis and have been exposed to most if not all that John has (less the Bug Virus and the Wraith Virus, and really, it seems that John Sheppard's year is not complete unless he's either adopted a Wraith or has had some sort of species transformation.), it seems that there could be and is another explanation.
Jack and Carson are seemingly more grounded by people than by places, This is not to say that a locale change would not affect Jack or Carson, but as long as Jack had Daniel, and as long as Carson had someone to take care of and a chance to see his mum again...
These lovely, lovely, bittersweet stories I've been reading lately (see! I found the point again!) all seem to deal with this.
But was this truly the case? I know it makes great stories and the brushes have always painted John as a loner, even canonly, but John Sheppard, for all of his extraordinary-ness is just a man. What if he always seemed to find his place, wherever he was, and was the king of adapting.
Let me tell you something about kids that spend their growing up years isolated from their middle-class peers and spend most of their time with adults, family, staff, or otherwise. They either have an affected baby-sense, which from all accounts Patrick Sheppard would have never allowed to happen, or they grow wise and adultish before their time.
Manners are beat into their head. Rudeness, which could cause an account to be lost or a business associate to be offended is intensely discouraged. The ability to slide into any conversation and situation, assess it, and manipulate it is instinctual, but can be, and often is unconsciously taught to those kids. Depending on the personality of the child, they are either loners or leader, sometimes both. Loners, because they have trouble relating to people their own age. Leaders because they've never had to follow anyone else.
You also see this alot in kids that moved around often when they were growing up. Dean and Sam Winchester are fine examples. Chameleons.
All things to all men.
Yeah. I'm gonna stop now. But, consider this. Could John be happy/fulfilled if he never had heard of Atlantis nor met Rodney? Or was it always inevitable?