Three (Overcrossed) Pasts John Sheppard Might Be Hiding, by Sophonisba [backstory challenge]

[saphanibaal]

-title- Three (Overcrossed) Pasts John Sheppard Might Be Hiding
-author- Sophonisba (saphanibaal)
-rating- Mostly suitable for general audiences; some foul language.
-spoilers- I'm not sure that a character's name counts as a spoiler. Either one of them.
-characters- Sheppard; guest appearance by Holland and, more subtly, by Rodney and Teyla, as well as

Comments

[bratfarrar]

Well, I got the first crossover, but not the other two. They were still very interesting, but I think I'd probably understand a little better what was going on if I knew the source material.

The third story, even if a little confusing at times, was very cool - particularly the ending. I could feel "John's" desperation and determination as he tried to hang on to himself. And I loved the oblique descriptions of Rodney and Teyla.

[saphanibaal]

The second is... well, partly the original movie starring Boris Karloff as Ardath Bey, partly me trotting out a... very... long-standing interest in Egyptology, and the rest pretty much every mummy movie ever (Sheppard would be, like, the world's most laid-back resurrected killer mummy); the third is Conan Doyle's most famous creation -- I tried to salt it with references to the canon, but I'm not sure how well those came through or not.

Thank you on the third -- do you realize how hard it is to tell a story in third-person limited without ever mentioning the POV character's name, especially when he's interacting with other people?

And I'm glad that Rodney and Teyla came through, because I had fun doing those.

[bratfarrar]

The first time he had stumbled, by fortunate mischance, upon the secret of how to ascend beyond it, only the memories of the people he had left behind, the knowledge of the one villain who had escaped his net, and the losses that his friend had suffered had drawn him back to physicality, to take up his life again with clumsy, faltering explanations of where he had been in the meantime. The second and lasting time, he had outlived all those who would otherwise have bid him stay; he had questions he wanted answered, and affairs of an (unsurprisingly) aging body he'd as soon not have to deal with, and a promise that here, at last, he might find a peace more lasting than the hard-won space between the other inroads on his time, and objects of study more fascinating yet than the social honeybee.Right. How did I miss that? Considering I've read all the books and short stories - some of them many times over. Once I was thinking straight, it was fairly obvious. Please don't take me as a model audience member - when I wrote the comment, I had

back from vacation and answering

[saphanibaal]

//While no. 1 is a neat idea and no. 2 is cool (because Sheppard would be awesome as the world's most laid-back resurrected killer mummy (which makes me think of ninja zombie pirates, for some reason)), no. 3 is UTTERLY BRILLIANT.//

Thank you!

In re no. 2 -- I think it's because "mummy helicopter/spaceship pilot" occupies sort of the same kind of nexus of coolness as "ninja zombie pirate," especially if you decide that you somehow got "elf" in there in a lefthanded sort of way.

//Sheppard as Holmes (or Holmes as Sheppard)? And Watson as Rodney?//

Er, actually, Teyla was Watson. Rodney was Mycroft. I'd tried to make those two clear, but...

This started life as a more complicated and depressing crossover idea, but then I realized that if I put it in reverse and added more people it would be perfect for this challenge. (Although you then do lose the "explanation" for the wild music that doesn't sound like music.)

//But put the same person in a very different environment when they're growing up, and of course they'll end up as

[springwoof]

I liked the first one best. very moving....

[saphanibaal]

Thank you!

And it'd be something he never would talk about, wouldn't it?

[anonymous]

Oh dear. This is one of those that has way too opaque a writing style. I had to give up because I was getting a headache.

[saphanibaal]

I'm sorry you feel that way. Is there anything I could do to make it clearer?

[anonymous]

What was the first one crossed with?

[saphanibaal]

Eric Flint's Grantville series.

[anonymous]

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! Teyla=Watson!

[saphanibaal]

Loyal and deadly and great of heart and gentle of manner and consistently underestimated by at least half the casual consumers...

^_^