#ep. vegas

[dr-futbol-blog]

Our hero, Major John Sheppard is stationed at McMurdo base in Antarctica at the start of the series. We learn that he likes it there. Sheppard himself tells Teyla in Sateda (S03E04): "Well, that [having no social skills] is why I enjoyed flying choppers in the most remote part of my world before all this craziness."

This is what John Sheppard tells us but we learn that what he tells us is not always the truth and certainly not the whole truth.

The alien AI that created a hallucination from Sheppard's own subconscious in Remnants (S05E15) poses him the question: "You're either someone with a death wish or someone running away from something. So tell me: what are you running away from?" Running away to the most remote part of his world, running away to another galaxy.

In fact, he has both been banished to and self-isolated in the most remote part of his world ("You torture yourself every day, John.") due to his "black mark" acquired in Afghanistan. We are never explicitly told what this black mark was, only that it bothered Gen. O'Neill and was something that Dr. Weir could live with. We are left wondering.

While we are shown something of what happened in Afghanistan during the episode Phantoms (S03E09), through the hallucinations from Sheppard's past of him failing to save Captain Holland, it isn't until toward the end of the series that we find out what happened through the mirror of a parallel reality in Vegas (S05E19), where alt!Rodney tells us "You were a helicopter pilot in Afghanistan but were dishonourably discharged for disobeying orders and trying to rescue a field medic trapped behind enemy lines. You were shot down – obviously survived, but unfortunately the crash killed four American soldiers along with eight civilians. You avoided jail time; the record was sealed for various political reasons."

The field medic in the Vegas-verse, one where "infinite variations of our own known reality where alternate versions of you and I play out events", is female; this revealed in a mumbled 'ur' (I didn't even catch it on first viewing even though I knew about the gender swap in advance; it might just as well have been "knew 'em") in alt!Rodney's line: "That field medic – the one you defied orders to go back and try and rescue. You knew her personally. You were... involved."

This was one of the differences between the two realities, perhaps even the most defining one of them, the point of divergence.

Vegas Sheppard dies to the tune of Johnny Cash's Solitary Man because that's what he was, a recluse (and note that the importance of Johnny Cash was underlined in the episode by Sheppard taking nothing but his poster, the same Johnny Cash poster that our Sheppard had in his quarters for all of the five years, with him once he walked away from his job; it carries weight):

I know it's been done havin' one girl who loved me Right or wrong, weak or strong Don't know that I will, but until I can find me The girl who'll stay and won't play games behind me I'll be what I am

But our Sheppard is not a Solitary Man (he has self-confessedly found something of a family in Pegasus). He's the Man in Black (in fact, he is dressed in black throughout the series even in situations where other fatigues would have made more sense; it is only in the very last episode that we see him in lighter colours):

I'd love to wear a rainbow every day And tell the world that everything's okay But I'll try to carry off a little darkness on my back 'Til things are brighter, I'm the man in black

We know the background. When the series begun, DADT was still in full effect, the franchise had a long-standing co-operation with the USAF, Prop 8 was still several years into the future. The non-normative sexual orientation of an All-American Action Hero was never going to be main-text. Even heterosexual romance between characters was mostly eschewed by the franchise. But damn if the subtext doesn't lay it out thick for us.

There are so many obvious parallels and comparisons in the show that I need to write them down somewhere, and while this is a day late and a dollar short, this fandom could do with some meta. So this marks the beginning of my journey through Stargate Atlantis with an eye on its bisexual protagonist.

[fantasmadelaciudad]

i'll be honest thinking about las vegas makes me nauseous.

[counting-stars-gayly]

Book: "I don't know what my mom will do. I just know I'll fight next to you." "Why?" "Because you're my friend, Seaweed Brain."

Show: "You've done more for me in the past few days than my dad's done for me in my entire life. If I have to stick with someone, I—" "Careful. I think you were about to call me your friend."

[t00thpasteface]

okay i will take a break from drawing the sassy bisexual doctor who hates living in an undersupplied camp in an active warzone to draw the sassy gay doctor who hates living in an undersupplied camp in an active warzone. nihil novi sub sole et cetera

[arealtrashact]

You look lost...

[lynx-224]

"dude" but with the subtext of u r my soulmate and i will die and or kill for you

[ichigokeks]

I can't believe I have to go through the Kinnporsche Vegas drama all over again with Ramil from The Next Prince. Another seemingly evil scheming guy who flinches at his father's hand. The new level of cruelty to punish Paytai and make Ramil watch, however, leaves open questions. Does his father know about their relationship? Or what other reasons are there to punish Paytai in order to get at Ramil? Because every time the whip hit Paytai it was Ramil who flinched and looked like he was the one in pain.

[lucky-draws]

a bunch of claras...im figuring out how to draw her

[fromperdition4]

Love that Kinn’s the only one who doesn’t flinch 😂

[gregsanders118]

My favorite part of Appendicitement, besides everyone looking hot, is when Greg macgyver’d the phone 🤓

[dr-futbol-blog]

Allies, Pt. 17

While Sheppard seems to be close to hyperventilating up on the Daedalus having no idea what has become of McKay and Ronon, but grimly aware that their time was running out regardless because Caldwell was about to send a nuke over to the hives to take them out, it was only now that the battle was already under way that the wraith were springing their trap on McKay. He is alerted to something being amiss by the hive shaking around them, and being that he is a cautious fellow and probably had to make some promises to not do anything foolhardy to get Sheppard to agree to let him go, the moment he clocks something being wrong he both advises Ronon to activate his transceiver, taking care of his team mate and making sure he would also be able to escape, and he tries to activate his own at the same time. But push though he might at the button that is supposed to beam him back to the Daedalus, nothing seems to be happening.

McKay: What was that? Activate your transceiver. Oh no! What are you doing? Wraith: I am sorry, Doctor McKay. There's been a... change in plans.

The wraith take Ronon out with a blaster, seeming well aware that he is too dangerous a man to keep conscious. They take him out immediately so that he has no time to do anything -- but we may note that just as soon as McKay starts freaking out Ronon is trying to guard him, aiming his blaster at both ends of the hallway. It takes two blasts to knock him out, the wraith taking no chances with him.

As the wraith that had been their host previously and had worked on the retrovirus together with Beckett and Zelenka earlier on Atlantis approaches him, McKay indignantly demands for some answers here. He has no more idea than Sheppard what is going on or why the wraith would crap out on their alliance now when they were about to help them test their weapon. The wraith scientist is extremely polite as he tells McKay essentially that they are well and truly screwed, and it is possible this particular wraith had been chosen as their face toward the humans because he knows how to behave in a humane way even if he does not have Michael's insight into humans being anything other than food. They do not knock McKay out like they had Ronon, leaving him conscious, and this may have some bearing on what Sheppard does next.

Caldwell: That's time. Sheppard: You gotta give them a few more seconds. Caldwell: Sorry, Colonel, I can't do that. Hermiod -- deploy warheads when ready. Hermiod: Colonel Caldwell, Doctor McKay's code has failed to breach the wraith counter measures. I am attempting another series of codes.

This scene again brings us back to the beginning of the season. They had managed to destroy two hives before the wraith had figured out how to jam their Asgard beaming technology, and they had gotten the idea of even doing this from Sheppard who had been about to transport a nuke into one of the hives in analogue fashion. There is irony in the fact that they are attempting to use Sheppard's idea to take the hives out now that there is something on one of the hives that he cannot afford to lose, something that he cannot live without.

Sheppard had been willing to fly a nuke up on a hive to save McKay a year ago, and now he is willing to intercept a nuke from getting to McKay, and it seems like he is ready to put himself between the nuke and McKay if need be. He is begging Caldwell for a little more time, believing that McKay will be able to do what he had told him he could do, which is to beam out at the first sign of trouble. But at the same time he is aware that McKay should have done that already if he were able. Somewhere at the back of his mind he knows that something has gone terribly, horribly wrong and that he has to get to McKay. He has to find out what has happened. It is a blessing in disguise that the code McKay and Hermiod had worked on together (for which Hermiod had wanted the credit previously, calling McKay's contribution "assistance," but for which he is willing to give full credit to McKay now that it appears not to work) does not seem to be working, and Hermiod having to figure out how to get through is at least going to buy him some time.

Caldwell: Work as fast as you can! this shield ain't gonna hold up forever. Sheppard: With some 302s we might be able to take out the hyperdrive, save us some time. Caldwell: Do it! Kleinman: Shields are at sixty percent!

Quick on his feet thinking of strategies as ever, Sheppard then makes the suggestion that he take out some of the F-302s, which connects the episode further to The Intruder (S02E02) where we had seen Sheppard and McKay disable all of their navigational computers and Sheppard had then taken McKay out for a spin in his cool new ride. But pay attention to what Sheppard is actually proposing here. He wants to go take out the hyperdrive of one of the hives, not both of them, making sure that the hive will not be able to take off, and he wants to "save time." Neither of these measures is designed to either destroy the hives or to protect the Daedalus from the wraith, of making sure that the Daedalus and its crew get out of here in one piece.

The only thing Sheppard is concerned about is McKay -- of getting to McKay, of making sure that they do not destroy the hive McKay is in, of rescuing McKay, of making sure that McKay is alright. In volunteering himself to take out a squadron of F-302s personally Sheppard is about to literally put his own body between McKay and Caldwell's nukes, between McKay and danger, like we have seen him do many times before. If he had been flying a nuke up to a hive to save McKay a year ago, he was going to fly himself into a nuke to save McKay this time. It does not seem like Caldwell had time or the opportunity to think about what Sheppard had just said to him because if he had any inkling of what Sheppard was about to do and for what reason, he would have put a stop to it. As it is, Sheppard is not intending on saving them time to break the wraith jamming codes, he is doing it to save them some time to get McKay the heck out of there. As soon as he is given leave, Sheppard is running to the fighter bay and is out like the wind.

Sheppard: Delta [/Dagger] Two, on my lead. Get ready to hit their stardrive where the hull is thinnest. Delta Two: I've got incoming. Sheppard: Deltas [/Daggers] Three and Four, try to keep these darts off our six.

Sheppard takes his squadron and flies directly toward the "friendly" hive, the one where he either thinks or senses that McKay is (we had been told earlier that Michael would have been able to sense where Teyla was as accurately as if she had been on a radio) because there is no way Sheppard would be able to tell which hive was which just by eyeballing them. He advises his wing-woman to take out the "stardrive" -- even though he had been talking about the hyperdrive earlier -- and it is not entirely clear whether this is an error, whether Sheppard himself makes an error because he cannot keep his thoughts together, or whether they just wanted to insert yet another reference to the stardrive at the end of the season as foreshadowing for the eventual grand finale.

What has to be acknowledged is that Sheppard has no intention whatsoever of taking the hive out or even damaging it, only to take out their ability to leave the theatre of the battle. He needs to render the hive to a sitting duck until he can figure out what had happened to McKay. And make no mistake: Sheppard's intention here is to fly right into the hive. Earlier on in the season in The Lost Boys (S02E10) he had flown a dart that McKay had fixed up for him, Sheppard quite possibly being the only human that has ever flown any kind of flightcraft into a hive uninvited, and he had even managed to fly his way out of there and live to tell the tale. Also note that Sheppard gives his squadron instructions to hit where the hull is the thinnest, clearly making use of the external weaknesses that Zelenka had shown to him earlier. Sheppard has a weakness for external weaknesses and he had been paying attention when Zelenka had been talking about them while McKay had been up on a hive, because even then his mind had been working on the what if he had to go save McKay from the hive he had been up on at the time.

McKay: Whoa-whoa-whoa-whoa-whoa! Hold on -- we're supposed to be allies! Wraith: I'm afraid the alliance has been dissolved. McKay: Do you have any idea how much work I have put into all of this? I haven't slept in thirty six hours! Wraith: Perhaps it is better if you rest.

The wraith are placing Ronon and McKay into cocoons to wait for what ever they have prepared for them, and while Ronon is unconscious they have kept McKay conscious so far. We get the very important line about McKay having been awake for 36 hours at this point, and assuming that he is fairly accurate in his assessment and is not exaggerating -- and it does not seem that he is, his whine seems to be coming from a place of genuine exhaustion -- it not only means that Sheppard and McKay had just woken up when we first met them on the bridge of the Orion, it also means that he had been with Sheppard until the early hours of the morning hammering out the plan that he is referring to here. It means that they had been up alone together the rest of the night and until the morning.

He had put a lot of work into fixing up the hive, into making sure they were operable, and he had not been doing any of that for the wraith, he had been doing it for Sheppard. This line about the dissolving of the alliance is important here because it coincides with Sheppard breaking what ever alliance he had made with McKay. In order to reconcile, Sheppard and McKay must have discussed what had happened at the end of the previous season, Sheppard deciding to lay down his life to save McKay without consulting him. And McKay must have extracted a promise from Sheppard that he would not do that again, that he would never throw away his own life to save him. But that is precisely what Sheppard was doing at this exact moment. With the best of intentions, Sheppard was going back on his word. He could not not try to save McKay with everything he's got, he simply does not have it in him. The wraith finally render McKay unconscious and he seems almost peaceful as he sleeps. But this, we have to note, is the moment that Sheppard would have lost "contact" with him, would have been when he was longer able to feel McKay through what ever mental tether they have. And that made his blood run cold.

Caldwell: Colonel Sheppard, get your flight back to the ship. We need to jump out of here as soon as possible. Sheppard: Two minutes. I can shut down their hyperdrive. Caldwell: Unless you can shut down their weapons, it's not gonna do us much good. Sheppard: Damn it!

So let us note the fact Sheppard is given a direct order here by a superior officer to return to the ship. This is how he had received his black mark, as we had learned way back in Rising (S01E01) -- disobeying direct orders while trying to save the lives of three servicemen. Later on we learn about Captain Holland and how Sheppard had gone across enemy lines to try to save a man he seemed to care about very much and whom we later learn in Vegas (S05E19), through the mirror of a parallel universe, that he had been involved with. We had also seen Sheppard willing to sacrifice not just his own life but also that of Zelenka's in Grace Under Pressure (S02E14) to save someone he loves.

It is because of these things that Caldwell seems to believe that Sheppard has some kind of a saviour complex, as he had indicated in Inferno (S02E19) that it was Sheppard's compulsion to save everyone instead of saving as many as was reasonable that had doomed them all -- when that had not been even in the vicinity of what Sheppard had actually been doing, which was mostly worrying about McKay. It is not that Sheppard needs to save everyone, it is that he needs to save people he loves because he thinks that it is because they love him that he has personally put them in danger. And he has to especially save the man that he loves because he believes that it is McKay loving him that has damned him. Sheppard thinks that loving him is a death sentence and he wants to revoke that sentence. He is more than willing to give up his own life it he can save the one person he cannot live without.

In this scene, we get a textualization of the fact that Sheppard is not doing this for the people on the Daedalus. He had not hopped on a fighter jet to save them. Caldwell explicitly says that unless Sheppard takes out their guns, it is not going to do them any good but Sheppard has not concerned himself with the guns on the hives one bit. He is not interested in keeping the people of the Daedalus alive and keeping the ship from suffering damage, he is interested only in stopping the wraith from taking off with his man. They are carrying cargo that belongs to him, and his every effort has gone into damaging their hyperdrive, of making them unable to leave because Sheppard cannot bear the thought of McKay leaving him. Sheppard is not doing this for altruistic reasons and he is not doing it because he has some saviour complex. In this moment Sheppard is thinking of McKay, and only of McKay.

Although he had been ordered to return, Sheppard asks for two more minutes like a child who swears that they are going to bed if they get to do this one thing, even though they intend on going on as long as they are able. Sheppard says two minutes but he was never going to leave without McKay. Whether McKay is on the bottom of the ocean or in the vacuum of space, Sheppard is not leaving without him. And this is the last we hear or see of Sheppard until the beginning of next season, his ultimate fate left as a cliff-hanger between the seasons. Caldwell and his weapons' officer discuss what had happened to him:

Caldwell: Sheppard. Sheppard! Kleinman: I'm not getting anything, sir. Caldwell: Prepare to jump on my mark. Kleinman: Sir! The hives are opening hyperspace windows. Caldwell: Why the hell did they do that? Kleinman: Three of our 302s are returning to Daedalus, sir. Caldwell: Sheppard? Kleinman: His fighter isn't one of them. The only contacts I have on screen are... wreckage. Caldwell: What about his locator beacon? Kleinman: No, nothing, sir. He's just gone. Caldwell: Understood. Set course for Atlantis.

They assume that Sheppard had perished, having no reason to think otherwise. Sheppard had been unable to take out their hyperdrive and the wraith jump to hyperspace, and there is no trace left of Sheppard even though his squadron returns, and so they have to assume that he had died. He's "just gone." Of course Sheppard had not perished, having performed some of the maneuvres that he had called "really difficult" to Caldwell earlier, having hitched a ride from one of the hives because he was not leaving without McKay. It had never been about the Daedalus and its crew to him at all.

Dex: You OK? McKay: No. No, I think this is the most not OK I have ever been. Wraith: I see you have awakened. McKay: Really? I was sort of hoping this was just a nightmare. Dex: Why aren't we dead? Wraith: The Queen wants you to live long enough to witness the fruits of your labour. If it wasn't for you, Doctor McKay, we would never have been able to get there. McKay: What are you talking about? Get where? Wraith: Earth.

The episode and the season finishes with Sheppard seemingly dead and McKay and Ronon captured while the wraith are bearing toward Earth. We have seen McKay dissociating before but rarely if ever to the extent that he dissociates as he learns the full horror of what has happened, and his personal responsibility in facilitating it. Sheppard may have had his hand in rousing the wraith but now it was him that had led them right to their doorstep, putting everyone not just on Earth but in all of the Milky Way galaxy in jeopardy. Sometimes he really was the stupidest man alive.

It is important that Ronon is here with McKay in two regards. For one, it obscures the role of McKay in motivating Sheppard's actions. Sheppard's actions are entirely driven by McKay but because there is another guy there, another one of his team members and someone he cares about, is friendly with, it creates a thin veneer of plausible deniability. A viewer can tell themselves that Sheppard was doing what he did for the both of them when it is McKay that is at the heart of every one of his decisions -- even having recruited Ronon in the first place at the start of the season. We see the role that Sheppard has given him here, the way he immediately upon waking checks up on McKay. This is a personal nightmare for Ronon. Terrible things had been done to him on a hive and his personal nightmare had started on one but still he asks McKay how he is doing, checks to see if he is alright.

The second thing to note is that this is Sheppard talking through Ronon, just like it had been Sheppard talking through him earlier when he had told the wraith that no one touches McKay. His protection of McKay is through being a proxy for Sheppard, of being there when Sheppard cannot be there himself, and through what Ronon does we can guess at what Sheppard had told him, what kind of instructions he had given him. It is obvious that Ronon had failed in the task that Sheppard had trusted him with and he was very much kicking himself up about it. But let us recall the words that Ronon and Teyla had spoken to each other recently -- as long as they were breathing, there was still hope. They were still alive and he was going to get them out of here because he was not going to let Sheppard down. Where McKay is concerned for the Earth, Ronon is concerned for McKay and the motivation for his concern is Sheppard.

McKay's response to Ronon's question betrays just how terrified he is. What he says here is similar to what Sheppard had told the Genii Ladon in Coup d'État (S02E17) when he had asked how he was feeling: "I'm a lot of things right now -- fine isn't one of them." What McKay says may also contain echoes of the famous line from Pulp Fiction that Marcellus Wallace speaks as he is about to embark on revenge following his brutal violation by another man. Men dominating other men through sexual violence has very little if anything to do with sexual orientation but the unfortunate truth is that for many men (both straight and gay) this scene, as well as the infamous "Don't drop the soap" scene from Escape from Alcatraz especially for men of their age group, is where they learn about homosexuality and it colours their perceptions for the rest of their lives. As a man who wants and loves other men McKay would have felt awful on many levels watching this scene that he has undoubtedly seen, and it is entirely possible for him to be reminded of it, of how he had felt watching it, and for him to purposefully invoke it now that he is feeling violated himself. Enclosed in the cocoon with the organic ship doing who knows what to him, McKay has never felt as violated as he does in this moment, and that is not even the worst of it.

They end the season with a reference to sleeping and nightmares, and McKay waking up here has to be in diametric opposition to how he had woken up all those 36 hours ago. Sheppard had told Weir earlier that he honestly did not think this would be happening when he had woken up that morning, the implication being that he had a very good morning when he had woken up with McKay, alone together on the Ancient warship following their last night together before returning to Atlantis. What is happening to McKay here is the opposite of that. The two of them had gotten to share a dream for a moment but it had now turned into a nightmare, and McKay feels like his carelessness had cost them everything. He did not deserve to be happy. He should never be allowed to be happy if being happy made him so reckless as to result in this. He had promised Sheppard he would stay safe and here he was, betraying his trust again. This truly was the darkest hour.

So to wrap this up, as already mentioned, this episode centres around allies. "Allies," "no man's land" and "the misbegotten (war)" are all terms connected to the First World War, and I will discuss the connection of these episodes to the Great War and WW I literature together with the final installment of the trilogy. But for now, in this episode Sheppard has three major scenes with characters where they are shown to be allies to him: Zelenka acknowledging his relationship with McKay, Weir looking up at him when he mentioned his grandkids and Sheppard explicitly asking for Teyla to "be alright" with it. Even though Sheppard and McKay have tried very hard not to let anyone in on the fact that they are more than friends, it is impossible for anyone who is near them for any amount of time not to notice it.

While they may not even know it, they have allies all over the place, and while Weir has been running interference for Sheppard from the very beginning of the show, had decided to give him a chance even knowing what had led to his "black mark," during this season we have also watched Caldwell come around. After his possession by the Goa'uld, after having watched both Sheppard and McKay save everyone again and again, after watching the sacrifices they had made most of all for each other, he was willing to look the other way. There were many occasions where Caldwell could have ratted Sheppard out and turned him in, and he would likely have been rewarded by being given his job, but he knows that he would not be able to fill those boots as well as Sheppard has whether he is light in them or not. He knows he does not have it in him. Allies come in many different forms.

Toward the end of the previous season in Letters from Pegasus (S01E17) Weir had record a message to the families of their fallen soldiers in which she had said the following:

I wish I could tell you more about what your loved ones are doing--and some day I hope you find out, because you will be amazed. But I will tell you that I could not be more proud of each and every one of them. Their heroism has amazed me. Their resourcefulness has staggered me. We face a terrible enemy and an uncertain future, but if we are never heard from again, know that your loved ones did not face that uncertainty alone. We are facing our future together.

Weir has been an ally to Sheppard and McKay from the beginning and their connection would likely have been impossible if she had not facilitated it, if she had not given them space and opportunity to find each other and to forge this bond that is deeper than words that exists between them. Allies are crucially important because relationships do not happen in a vacuum and in order to be successful they require the support and acknowledgement of community.

But at the same time, Sheppard and McKay are also allies to each other. We had seen in this episode that they had reconciled their differences, had overcome the things that had driven them apart and had formed an alliance, a partnership -- the closest thing to a marriage that the two of them would ever be allowed to get. It is for maximum angst that they had the two of them finally reach this place in their relationship only to put them through the wringer again, and for the second time it is McKay's anguish over being separated from Sheppard that is left as the final image of the episode that closes the season, is left to linger between the seasons.

Of course the titles do often contain an actual reference to some cultural artifact, so there is a song called Allies by Heart from 1983 that contains lyrics that might be relevant for the occasion:

In troubled times it's hard to get straight answers Between the lines that border wrong or right The homeland cries, it struggles with confusion But this feeling still remains like shelter from the rain

We live on faith in the hands of those who guide us And tear the page on the fear we left behind We set the pace for every born survivor Don't turn the other way when I need to hear you say

Allies, with our backs against the wall I will answer when you call And take on the odds for what we believe is true Allies, in a world of too much choice I only need your voice Tell me you care, I'll be anywhere for you

Allies, we search our hearts to justify the reason And draw the line to meet somewhere halfway If faith is blind, through darkness it will guide us 'Cause the spirit still remains with the keepers of the flame

[dr-futbol-blog]

WIth tags: #Sheppard/Holland#John Sheppard#Charlie Holland#or Lyle Holland if you please#SGA legacy novels#these are basically fanfic so I guess take them as canon or not#but they're pretty fun (at least the first few)#LtCol Mel Hocken is John's lesbian friend from college who is the 302 squadron commander on Sam's ship#Hocken says John was a sweet awkward kid in college if anyone cares to know

The tie-in novels might be semi-canon at the best of times but it does go to show that several people have made the same, actually rather obvious, connection. I mean, I made the reading immediately still half-way through watching Phantoms for the first time, but Vegas only confirmed it by swapping the gender. The only possible reason for it would have been to confirm what many had already suspected of the other Sheppard.

Also, and I'll return to this later, the timeline of his court martial, divorce and falling out with his father are not made explicitly clear but Vegas also suggests that the thing was swept under the rug for political reasons, and Outcast, an episode that is 100% about the prodigal gay coming back home (Jesus Christ, it's in the title; and while they're all very polite about it, everyone at the funeral thought that he brought this beefcake boytoy with him to rub it in, a final act of defiance), suggests that John's father would have had both the clout and the motivation to make this happen. Also, Sheppard, bitterly if I may say so, describes his brother with: "That's what he does – he handles things."

My heart breaks for this man.

Thought I'd post some of the interesting Holland/Sheppard stuff from the SGA Legacy novels by Jo Graham as we're chatting about them on @dr-futbol-blog's brilliant post here: https://www.tumblr.com/dr-futbol-blog/749734927874113536/stargate-atlantis-s01e01-rising-1-on-make-a-gif

As some background, in novel #2 (The Lost) Teyla & John are in a cave after John makes a typical rash Sheppard-style decision and bad things happen (it was to potentially find Rodney who is missing, so honestly what's new.) John has a nightmare about his attempted rescue of Holland and he and Teyla talk about the events of Phantoms:

Teyla talks with Major Tyrone Franklin who was in Afghanistan at the time Sheppard's court-martial was going down and talks about some other charges:

Then in novel #4 (The Furies):

Sam ends up (rightfully) giving a sharply worded warning to Major Franklin, who is her First Officer, and Lorne is the best.

Sam and John also have a discussion about frat rules and DADT:

[feelingtheaster99]

Grover iconically giving zero fucks about how the freed animals might harm people

[epikhightechnology]

Chi cheng cooked all that?????? Ok vegas

[spicyvampire]

[heart-of-ep]

Elvis: Through Her Lens (Chapter One)

(Elvis Presley × OC Reader)

Character/Fandom: Elvis Presley

Read More Here: Elvis: Through Her Lens - Click here!

Prompt: You are Minnie Jones, an aspiring photographer working for the LA Sentinel. Your chief editor is looking for a story that will help boost the popularity of the paper, so an opportunity comes knocking when Colonel Tom Parker approaches him with a new 'snowjob.' After a tentative first meeting with the Colonel, and his star Elvis Presley, you are hired on to follow Elvis around as his personal photographer in an attempt to catch lightening in a bottle twice with the earlier success of the Alfred Wertheimer photos. Along the way, you develop a close bond with Elvis, leading to complications in your relationship when the issues of his marriage and eventual drug usage start to put a strain on your relationship. Constantly fighting your ever-growing feelings for him, you are swept up into the whirlwind of Elvis' world, which forces you to see the King of Rock 'n' Roll through a new lens.

Tags: Slow burn. Angst. Drama. Friends to lovers (sort of).

Rating: PG-13 (ish) (may get spicy but won't be explicit as I don't enjoy writing smut lol but cursing, possible violence, prescription drug use, and infidelity will appear throughout the story.)

Word Count: 3.6k

Author's Note: Hey everyone! My name is Mari (aka heart.of.ep on here and Instagram!) and I'm so excited to finally be diving into the world of Elvis fanfiction after being a hard-core fan for almost three years now. This is my first time writing in a long while, and it's only my second time writing a fanfiction, so I hope I'm able to entertain you with this story and I hope everyone has a fun time reading it!

I did create an OC for this story as I have an easier time writing with a specific character in mind, but I kept it in second person as to give readers the opportunity to self insert in a way. Wasn't a fan of this POV at first but its really grown on me so hopefully I've done it well haha.

This story will begin by following Elvis in 1970 (my favorite year 🤭) but will continue on throughout the early 1970s! There may be some historical inaccuracies along the way to accommodate the presence of Minnie Jones, but of course I'm always striving to keep things as accurate as I possibly can.

I don't think I will have a specific upload schedule or regular time for posting, but I'll try my best to be as frequent as I can with uploading chapters. Any comments, thoughts, reblogs, etc are very much appreciated and I genuinely hope everyone loves this story as much as I do. 🙏

If you'd like to be tagged in any chapters going forward, just comment and let me know!

Thank you once again and I hope everyone enjoys!

February, 1970

Los Angeles, CA

~*~*~*~*~*~

Elvis Presley.

The most photographed man in the world, and for good reason it seemed. Impossibly blue eyes that swirled like the depth of an ocean, statuesque like features that even a Greek god would most likely be jealous of, and a brilliant smile that sent millions of girls and women all around the world into a complete frenzy whenever he flashed it their way.

It made perfect sense then why his face was pretty much plastered on every magazine you ever came in contact with. Not to mention the various movie posters you would often see at the theater throughout the years. You could even recall being just about twelve years old when Love Me Tender first hit theaters. Even at such a young age, you could see why everyone sitting around you in that dark theater were either crying or screaming. His beauty seemed to transcend the realm of normal.

As hyperbolic as it may seem, no one in the world looked like Elvis Presley, that much was certain.

Unfortunately, while many photos exist, most are heavily curated, either on a movie set or in a studio with lighting and makeup. It didn't make him any less beautiful, but it did give the fans and the public a very specific view of the King, one controlled by Hollywood and his manager, Colonel Tom Parker.

In the early days, there were hundreds of photos of Elvis that appeared in newspapers from fans and those photographers who were lucky enough to capture a picture of lightning in a bottle. But those days were far gone, and nothing like it has surfaced since.

And that's exactly why you had been brought to your editor's office early one morning in February of 1970. You had been busy working on gathering photos for a local political campaign, which was a real bore, but someone had to do it and you didn't exactly have the seniority to say no. But when your manager called you about a new project, you were practically chomping at the bit to accept. Of course, you wanted to hear him out first.

“You've been doing great work, Minnie. These shots are truly some of the best this paper has seen in a while.” Your editor, Mr Pierce, said as he looked over the pictures you had submitted this morning.

“Thank you, sir. Though, I think there's only so much I can do to make a rally look interesting.” You said jokingly.

Your boss snorted. “You're right about that.” He sighed before sitting the folder down on his desk. “Which is exactly why I called you here. I think your talents are being wasted on shit like this.” He said bluntly. Your boss never did sugarcoat. “I was recently brought an opportunity from a rather…private sort of individual, and I think you would be the perfect fit.”

You raised an eyebrow, now rather curious. Usually your paper only covered public events or individuals. “Who exactly is it?”

Pierce seemed hesitant at first to tell you, but eventually he decided to just come right out and say it. “Elvis Presley.”

Your eyes widened in disbelief. "Elvis Presley?” You weren’t sure if you had cotton in your ears or if maybe you were imagining it, but Pierce noticed your surprise and quickly added some context to explain.

“Yes, Elvis Presley. I can’t say I had a very different reaction when his manager called me a couple days ago.” He said as he sat down in the chair behind his desk. “I’m sure you know that Mr Presley has been taking a step back into live performances this past year, which means every photographer worth a damn is chomping at the bit to capture the ‘best’ photo of him possible for their respective news outlet. So far they’ve been doing a damn good job. Meanwhile, we’ve got nothing.” He grumbled in frustration. “Needless to say, Presley is the hottest talk in town, and we’re failing to keep up.”

You furrowed your brow a bit. “I don’t understand…why did his manager contact us?” If there were already dozens of papers covering Elvis’s shows from all across the world, then why contact a somewhat small paper in Los Angeles?

Pierce seemed to light up at your question. “I had the same question, my dear.” He stood up again, unable to sit still. “Are you familiar with Alfred Wertheimer?”

The name was instantly recognizable. Any real photographer knew of Wertheimer’s work, especially if you knew anything about Elvis Presley. “Of course I know about him. His work with Presley is still amazing even now.” You said, trying your best to keep your adulation in check.

“Well, no photo of Elvis Presley has been taken like that since Wertheimer almost fifteen years ago.” He frowned a bit. “Seems as though his manager,” and apparent publicist, “wants to change that. With all this new buzz surrounding Presley, he wants to see if he can capture lightning in a bottle twice.”

It quickly began to dawn on you what this all meant exactly. “Shit.” You muttered under your breath.

Perhaps Alfred Wertheimer didn’t mean much to the uninitiated, but the photographs of Elvis were completely unprecedented. Just at the cusp of fame and without the glitz and glamor that would soon overtake him in Hollywood, Wertheimer was able to capture a view of Elvis that was both intimate, but also honest and revealing in a way that didn’t feel voyeuristic in the slightest. It was the picture and story of an Elvis Presley that still felt entirely obtainable and human. It was truly a special form of artistic expression that only a photographer with a great deal of talent could accomplish.

Which is precisely why you were sitting there staring at your boss like he had completely lost his mind. “S-sir...you’re not suggesting that I…?”

Pierce smiled at you and nodded. “I knew immediately that you’d be the perfect candidate, my dear. After all, it was your photos covering the Nixon inauguration that sparked Mr Parker’s curiosity to begin with.”

You practically felt your heart leap in your chest, leaving you utterly speechless for a long moment. This was definitely a step up from a local mayoral campaign.

The prospect of photographing someone as famous as Elvis Presley was exciting on its own, but from how your boss explained it, this wouldn’t be a simple snap and go for a quick column on page four of the paper. To compare it to Wertheimer’s work made you realize just how important this opportunity was. This side of Elvis hadn’t been captured in over a decade, and no doubt it would catapult your career towards opportunities you’ve only ever dreamed of covering.

“Well?” Pierce’s voice snaps you from your thoughts. “Of course, we would still have to meet with Mr Parker and Mr Presley.” He said as he sat back down in his chair.

You parted your lips, not sure what to say at first before you finally pushed your excitement down and immediately stood up. “Well? Of course I want to!” You said, practically grinning from ear to ear. “Jesus, Pierce, this is amazing!”

He smirked a bit. “I take it you’re an Elvis fan?”

You rolled your eyes. “Everyone likes Elvis, but that’s not what matters. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity.” You had to stop yourself from jumping with joy.

He laughed a little before standing up again as he dialed a number on his phone. “Presley just finished up his current residency in Las Vegas. According to Parker he’ll be back here in Los Angeles before leaving for a string of concerts in Houston.” He held the phone up to his ear. “We can plan a meeting between you two beforehand. After all, this whole thing is dependent on Elvis Presley liking you enough to let you follow him around.”

You felt your smile dissipate a little at that realization. You hadn’t exactly considered that part in the few minutes you had to think about everything. You were charming enough, but this was Elvis Presley. Enough wouldn’t cut it. You swallowed a bit, but nodded, ignoring the sudden flurry of nerves that swarmed in your stomach.

This is your one shot, Minn. Don’t screw this up.

The next few hours felt like a whirlwind. You spent the majority of that time researching anything and everything about Elvis Presley. As it turns out, a lot had happened since his pictorial debut in Love Me Tender. You hadn’t exactly been keeping up with his career, and now all of it seemed a bit overwhelming. You weren’t sure what to expect from a man like him, especially since any other celebrity you had the opportunity to meet usually turned out to be a total asshole. You didn’t think he would be any different. After all, the humble southerner with perfect manners and an award winning smile just felt too good to be true.

You flipped through a magazine from the stack on your desk, biting your lip in concentration as you read over the raving reviews from Elvis’ previous engagement at the International Hotel in Vegas last summer. You vaguely remember one of your girlfriends at the time mentioning it in passing, but you hadn’t thought much of it. Now you wondered if you were completely insane for having overlooked the entire thing.

The photos of him were truly magnificent, picturing him in a slim fitting two piece jumpsuit that seemed inspired by the style of a karate gi. It alternated between black and white depending on the night of the show, and you couldn’t help but think about how well the black complemented his dark chiseled features. It was a much different look than his earlier appearances throughout the sixties. The greased back hair was now loose and untamed, a reflection of the evolving style in the entertainment world, and the button ups and blazers now seemed to be replaced by a bare chested look accompanied by a stylish scarf around the neck.

Quite frankly, it was hard not to get caught up in the image of him, but you quickly reminded yourself that even though he was Elvis Presley, world famous superstar, he was also just a subject for you to photograph at the end of the day.

A very beautiful subject, indeed.

You practically chewed off all of your fingernails by the time Pierce came out of his office in the early afternoon, approaching your desk with an optimistic look in his eyes. “Good news, Minn, it looks like you’ll be meeting Elvis Presley tonight.”

Your heart leaped in your chest as you stood up from your desk, prying your eyes away from the papers on your desk. “Really? He agreed to the meeting?”

“He sure did, though I doubt that manager gave him much of a choice.” He snorted. “A real carny, that one, but it’ll all be worth it if we can secure this job. Our paper will practically fly off the stands if you can snap those photos.” He grinned.

“Right, no pressure.” You mumbled, trying to ease your growing anxiety as you imagined all the ways this could possibly go wrong.

“Don’t worry, Minn. You’re charming and pretty. Knowing Presley’s reputation, that’ll surely be enough.” He smirked, nudging you a bit before turning on his heel toward his office.

You shot him a glare before letting out a deep breath as you quickly gathered up your portfolio, shoving the photographs inside the binder before standing up and pulling your coat on. You refused to let your nerves get the best of you, after all, this is your job. And as such, you weren’t going to let this opportunity slip through your fingers.

The ride over to Beverly Hills felt long and seemingly endless. You kept staring out the window, focusing your gaze on the large mansions that you drove past, frowning as you realized just how out of your league you really felt. After all, you hadn’t exactly been to this side of LA. The few times you had gotten the chance to photograph a celebrity, it had always been at some sort of public event like an awards show or some kind of charity fundraiser. This, however, felt like a strange new world that you were entering.

You briefly wondered why Elvis and his manager didn’t just come down to the office to conduct this whole ‘interview’ or set up a meeting somewhere on Sunset Blvd, but when you asked Pierce about it, he simply explained the logistics of having Elvis Presley go somewhere so public. You didn’t think much of it, assuming that since it’s Los Angeles nobody would care very much about a celebrity walking around, but then you recalled the different articles you had read and figured maybe Elvis didn’t quite fit into that category.

You chewed on your fingernails, watching as the mansions grew larger before you finally descended upon a set of cast iron gates blocking a long driveway that kept a house just out of view. Much to your surprise, there was a fairly large group of fans already stationed outside, giggling amongst themselves as they took photos with their polaroid cameras. You glanced at Pierce, giving him a skeptical look to which he simply shrugged. He pulled up to the gates, and without having to push a doorbell of any kind, the gates buzzed and suddenly opened up, the crowd of fans quickly dispersing out of the way.

It surprised you to see that they didn’t try following the car inside, but they stayed respectful and stuck to the exterior as the gates closed shut behind you and Pierce pulled forward, parking his car next to a small, but impressive, collection of Cadillacs. You figured if everything fell through with Elvis, maybe he’d be okay with you snapping a few photos of his cars as a consolation gift.

Once again, you pushed down the flurry of nerves that settled in your stomach, realizing it was stupid to feel so nervous over a simple meeting. After all, it’s not like you were the one who set the whole thing up, if they weren’t really interested, they wouldn’t have gone through all of this trouble. That thought helped qualm the uneasiness you felt as you stepped out of the car, looking up at the gorgeous home that overlooked the rolling hills below.

It really did feel like the perfect place for a superstar like Elvis to live.

“Come on, Miss Jones, we’re about to make history.” Pierce grinned as he took the lead, following the brick pathway up to the front door of the mansion.

You self consciously kept messing with your hair, tucking the loose strands behind your ear and pushing your glasses up the bridge of your nose as you anxiously awaited for the door to open. When the door opened, you and Pierce were met by a rather short fellow with a goofy smile.

“Mr Pierce?” The man in front of you inquired.

Your boss nodded and smiled. “Yes, and this is my associate Miss Jones.” He said as he gestured toward you. “I believe Mr Parker is expecting us?”

The fellow nodded and smiled again as he quickly stepped aside to let the two of you in. “Right this way.” He closed the door behind him and then led you down the long hallway that acted as the entranceway before spilling out into a rather lavishly decorated and open floor plan. You briefly considered how many rooms the house had before realizing it was probably too many to count from this juncture.

“The Colonel is waiting in the office.” The man said, interrupting your thoughts as he led you and Pierce down another hall towards a beautiful sculpted oak door.

“What about Mr Presley?” You asked without thinking.

“Elvis will be down shortly.” He replied, once again with a lopsided grin before he knocked on the door to the office and pushed it open. “Colonel? Those two journalists from the Los Angeles Sentinel are here.”

“Send them in.” You heard a strange sounding voice say from inside the office.

The man stepped aside, letting Pierce and you step into the room. Your gaze immediately fell upon the robust man sitting at the desk, a large almost comical sized cigar sticking out of his mouth, and a stylish looking barét that clashed with the rest of his ensemble. His steely gaze landed on both you and Pierce the moment you stepped into the room, regarding the two of you with a frown before he removed his cigar and put it out in the ash tray.

Pierce glanced at you, giving a look that said more than enough, before looking at the somewhat unsettling man. “Uh, you must be Mr Parker–”

“Colonel.” The man huffed, his accent a strange mix of southern and something else you couldn't quite identify.

“Excuse me?” Pierce asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Colonel Tom Parker.” The man repeated himself before smiling, though it seemed off and not at all genuine.

Pierce cleared his throat. “Right. Colonel Parker. My name is Steven Pierce, I'm the editor of the LA Sentinel. We spoke over the phone a few times.” He said before gesturing to you. “This is my associate, Minnie Jones. She's one of my best photographers and the one responsible for the portfolio I sent you.” He explained.

The Colonel glanced your way, regarding you for a long moment. If you weren't self conscious already, you certainly were now, but you refused to let yourself show how nervous you were.

“Hi, it's a pleasure to meet you.” You said, stepping forward and extending your hand for him to shake.

The Colonel snorted, which struck you immediately as rude, but he shook your hand regardless. You did your best to hide your frown, making sure this man didn't pick up on your displeasure at his general demeanor. “I have to say, Miss Jones, I'm quite impressed with your photos here.” He said as he sat back in his seat, opening up a binder in front of him. “I can't say I was super eager at the idea of someone following my boy around, least of all someone working for a lousy tabloid. But it seems like any publicity is good publicity, my dear.”

You glanced at Pierce for a moment, quickly registering the anger that flashed across his face, before cutting in. “Yes, well…I think this could be very beneficial for Mr Presley. After all, a picture is worth a thousand words. And with all due respect, the LA Sentinel is a newspaper, not a tabloid. We just want to publish the truth, not lies.” You said calmly.

"Truth is subjective.” The Colonel shot back. “But it's true that my boy needs some good publicity. After all, a good thing can't last forever.” He said before standing up. “I'll make it simple for you, Miss Jones. All photos taken must be submitted and approved by me before printing. If I find out they're not, you won't have a story to tell anymore.” He said bluntly.

You swallowed a bit before nodding.

“Secondly, Elvis appreciates his privacy as you might imagine, so you will be working according to his schedule and his requests. Simply put, if he doesn't want you there, you won't be there.” He said as he picked up his cigar and stuck it back between his lips.

That's when Pierce cut in. “With all due respect, Colonel, my employee isn’t going to work at the whim of your client. This is still a job at the end of the day.” You shoot him a glare, not wanting him to ruin the opportunity for you, even if you knew he was right.

“Don't worry, Mr Peers,” The Colonel said, purposely mispronouncing his name, “Miss Jones will be accommodated, but if you two want the story you're looking for, you'll have to work with my boy’s fluctuating schedule.” He explained. “That won't be a problem, will it?”

Before Pierce could say anything, you stepped forward. “Of course not. I'm sure we can work with whatever his schedule may be.” You said firmly.

“Good.” The Colonel smiled, much to Pierce's chagrin. “We’ll write up a proper contract with all the logistics before you leave, but I think now is a great time for you to meet Elvis.”

Suddenly all your nerves instantly returned, but before you had much time to even think about what was happening, the Colonel was walking out the door and down the hall. Both you and Pierce quickly followed, keeping with his surprisngly fast pace as he limped with his cane towards the living room area you had passed by earlier.

“Minn, are you sure about this?” Pierce hissed by your ear as he leaned over to you. “This isn't exactly what I thought you were signing up for.”

You looked up at him, biting your lip for a second before nodding, standing firm with your decision. “C’mon, Pierce. We both know this is too good to pass up.” You whispered before the three of you entered the room.

The man who had let you into the house earlier was there with a couple of other guys you hadn't seen. You saw that Elvis wasn't there, frowning a bit as you folded your arms and looked at the Colonel. “Where's Mr Presley?” You asked, feeling a little impatient and maybe a little excited.

“Right here, honey.”

You froze, goosebumps rolling over your skin for some inexplicable reason, as if some kind of force you didn't recognize had suddenly entered the room. You slowly turned around, coming face to face with the most famous man in the world.

Shit.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

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