Tiger, Tiger

[gaiaanarchy]

Title: Tiger, Tiger
Author: Gaia (gaiaanarchy)
Rating: R
Pairings: Sheppard/Vala, plenty of McSheppy subtext
Warnings: Crossover SGA/SG-1
Beta: ellex42Spoilers: SGA: Trinity, Sanctuary, the Hot Zone SG1: Children of the Gods, Flesh and Blood, Morpheus, The Pegasus Project, Counterstrike, Prometheus Unbound, 200th, The Curse, Ascension, the Fourth Horseman

Comments

[viggorlijah]

I really really liked this story but I have one tiny theological qubble! Which is kinda funny, but it's just this is a particular point I was worrying over and looked into - part of the stuff about Mary and why she's considered a perfect human is that she had a choice about conceiving Jesus, and that she did choose to have him, and so forth.

Man, I have a huge weakness for descended!John. And for - this John up against the Ori, for them to see him - he's not exactly nice. He's more of a weapon. Shiny and beautiful and vicious.

[gaiaanarchy]

Thanks! No, your theological quibble is perfectly valid. I certainly get why Mary is special, but am not entirely sure why people think that she can save them. But then again, I'm not christian. Meditated a bunch, but I've never prayed in my life, so it's sort of a tough concept for me to wrap my head around to begin with. Maybe she's a patron saint or something.

I guess what I was getting at with that line was more that Vala will be/has been semi-deified by the followers of Origin even though she had very little choice in the matter. Or maybe that she did have a choice and that they *do* revere her for certain traits that she posesses.

[amothea]

i'm not sure I understood all this story but I couldn't stop reading it. :)

[gaiaanarchy]

Thanks, I think? I guess the story isn't meant to be one hundred percent clear. The relationship between John and Vala and Adria is left up to the reader's imagination. The narrative voice knows the true answer, but isn't exactly going to tell. The first person narrator is definitely supposed to be Ascended, but I'm not going to say which side they're on.

You did get that John is a descended Ori, right? Cause if not . . . uh . . . I fucked up majorly.

Then again, if you get some other interesting viewpoint, that's cool too. The main object of the fic is to get you to think. I hope it succeeded in that much, at least.

[amothea]

You did get that John is a descended Ori, right? that's the part I thought you were getting at but then I started to second guess myself.

Um this is just awesome, the concept.

[dr_dredd]

Hmm. I thought descended Ancient. Was it the bit about him learning of Adria that should have tipped me off?

I did enjoy this! It made me think.

[gaiaanarchy]

Thanks! I'm so glad you liked it.

[maisierita]

Very interesting.

I did get what you were driving at, so no worries there. :) Although I am not very familiar with Vala's backstory and I have no idea who Adria is, so that was a bit of a handicap.

The writing style was very interesting. I couldn't decide in the beginning whether I liked it or not ... probably because I didn't get that the narrator was not actually *you* but an Ascended someone. I got into it by the end, though, so that lack of understanding didn't end up mattering.

Very neat. Very well executed. And I love the thought of John and Vala together, even though I'm mostly a McShepper. But John and Vala? Purty. :)

[gaiaanarchy]

Haha. I admit I completely stole the idea of John/Vala from shusu, who's 'Blackberry Cat' (see footnotes to story) series really inspired this, because seriously? So damn hot.

I'm glad you got it even without knowing too much about Vala. I pretty much outlined her whole backstory. Adria is the leader of the Ori in this galaxy (getting through a loophole because she's not ascended, but has been given the *knowledge* of an ascended being). She's Vala's immaculatly concieved daughter. I guess in this fic I'm sort of implying that she could somehow be John's or at least created using the knowledge the Ori took from him, but it's also kind of a soap-opera-y stretch, so I'm happy to just let the reader sort out what they think is Sheppard and Vala's relationship.

[auntiemeesh]

I love the way the narrator built up the little bits of information that we were given, at first just hinting that John was Descended but then layering in the information that led us to believe he was Descended Ori rather than Ancient, without ever exactly coming right out and saying it crystal clear.

I liked the distinction running all through this between trust and belief, and the examination of John and Rodney's rather complex relationship being held up side to side with John and Vala's different (but also more complex than at first readily apparent) relationship.

[gaiaanarchy]

Thanks! I'm so glad you liked it and that you got it (you're seeing Mark 3, in terms of clarity of explaination, and I think I'm going to keep it this way).

I really am a mcshepper at heart, but I liked exploring other parts of their relationship. The scary part actually is how much influence they have over each other. Yes, we want them to have faith in each other, but is that really the best thing for the (take a look at Trinity)? Maybe not.