Another Trinity Rant

[kriadydragon]

I am so tired of coming across "Poor, picked on woobie McKay" Trinity stories. Yes, I know it's a kink for a lot of people and who am I to argue against kinks. But it's all we have - Rodney's side of the story. What about Sheppard's side? Because we know he has one. If Sheppard forcing McKay to re-earn his trust after Doranda was just Sheppard being a jerk, then why did jerk-Sheppard go to bat for Rodney when Rodney asked him to trust him before Doranda?

Sheppard's side is something I've wanted to write, but can't for the life of me figure out how to go about it. I don't want to make him a woobie, I don't want to make anyone the bad guy, but that's where my brain wants to go (I think in retaliation for all those woobie Trinity fic I've come across). I also feel that Sheppard does have trust issues, and that him giving his trust to Rodney was his attempt to break himself of that pattern. I want to explore said issues, as I imagine it's something that developed over time, but that means delving into his past - possibly a lot of past - and the thought always ends up discouraging the muses. Nor do I want the story ending with Sheppard apologizing, as I felt it was his right to make Rodney re-earn his trust.

My lazy side is hoping someone else will write this :P

Either way, someday I would love there to be a Trinity story that explores Sheppard's side of the matter. Unless there already is one and I just don't know about it. In which case, plase, point me in it's direction (unless it's slash or het, then forget it).

Comments

[parisindy.livejournal.com]

gads i would love to read it
i wouldn't even mind offering to write... but i am frell out of time at the moment.

[kriadydragon.livejournal.com]

How ironic. I have time, just not the plot :P

[parisindy.livejournal.com]

sorry hehehe November is a crap month for me for many reason

its why i have never been able to do the nanowrimo

if you get no answer.. ask me again in January hehe

[kristen999.livejournal.com]

Gads, I'd love to write this as I've run into the same issue with the fics I have read. There are a couple that show much sides, but none that show mostly John's.

Alas, Secret Santa is next and I gave an oath to the fic not yet finished. But I'll store this away if the genficathon prompt generates anything that I could use for this.

[kriadydragon.livejournal.com]

I like the stories that focus on the gray of the incident rather than the black and white, but even those are rare.

At the rate I'm going, and with a full plate as well, it'll probably be a year or two before I come up with anything (though I should say "if" I come up with anything.) I think it would make for a good character-study piece. Over all, though, it would just be nice to have something that didn't make John look like he was merely being bitter and insensitive.

[black-raven135.livejournal.com]

"...would just be nice to have something that didn't make John look like he was merely being bitter and insensitive."

Concur.....
He is definitely not insensitive or bitter, he is in the reality mode.
Too bad some cannot seem to see the situation for what it is.
Was he suppose to just blow it off and let Rodney waltz away as though nothing had happened?
That would demean his position as CO of military expedition
and would in some ways redefine his friendship with Rodney. Sometimes friendship is a learning experience.

[karri-kln1671.livejournal.com]

*nods* I can't even bear Trinity fiction because no one ever looks at it from Sheppard-perspective, and thus when I read it, I end up in a grumpy, defensive mood.

[kriadydragon.livejournal.com]

Usually Trinity fics are easy to avoid but some authors have a way of sneaking the issue into a larger work. It drives me crazy

[lauriel01.livejournal.com]

I loved Trinity. To me, Rodney wasn't so much being arrogant as desperate. His nature certainly has some arrogance in it, and this showed through, but I always thought his overriding reasons to be so adamant were more from desperation. He saw a way to get home, to stop the wraith, to protect atlantis, to end the fear he'd been living under. He thought he could do it. Especially after being thrown into such a warrior world. John had, as you said, a more realistic view of the situation. I have never thought he was being mean to Rodney, just realistic. Rodney was in over his head, and didn't see it. As you said, John has trust issues, and at this early stage his trusting Rodney and backing him was a huge leap for him. He was hurt and disappointed that it backfired the way it did. I never got the impression he was trying to punish Rodney, quite the opposite. That final scene at the transporter, to me, was him telling Rodney that there was a breach of trust there, and he was willing to heal it, but it would take some time. That's honesty, not cruelty.

I agree about the fanfic - I've not seen any that deal with Trinity in this manner. Maybe I saw a different show to some? Ah well. Would love to read some too, as I truly loved this ep. I'd love to read it if a plot bunny happens to sneak up on you. :)

[kriadydragon.livejournal.com]

I can totally see the desperation, though I also think personal gain did play some part (wanting the Nobel Prize) Either way, Rodney had a lot of motivation behind making the weapon work.

I always found the extreme sympathizing toward Rodney and making John the bad guy by authors rather insulting. Rodney made a massive mistake, let his own brilliance and that desperation blind him, and almost killed himself and John in the process. He needed to be called on it so that next time he would know to keep himself in check. But to write it as Rodney in the right and everyone else in the wrong, to me, smacks of letting Rodney get away with what he did, and that annoys me to no end.

Even one of the published SGA novels kind of did that, I thought - Mirror, Mirror, in which the tables were turned: Rodney was against a project to activate a weapon and everyone else was for it. I had found this odd, a little OOC on Rodney's part, and it felt like the author was going for a more subtle Trinity fic approach. Could have just been me, though.

Whether I'm the one who writes it or someone else, I just hope it one day gets written. It would be nice to have a fic that studied Sheppard's side, and without woobifying McKay in the process.

[sholio]

Over on genrequest, I remember saying that I'd try to write your request for a Sheppard-centric Trinity story, and then getting completely sidetracked with other stories and general lack of fannishness last winter. But it *is* something I'd like to try; I like the idea of taking an episode that's been ficced to death and giving it a fresh look.

And this is despite having written not just one but two novel-length stories that deal with the aftermath. *g* I think that's the big problem in my case ... a Sheppard-based Trinity tag would really work with just about any plot idea, but it's something that would need a lot of space to develop.

[kriadydragon.livejournal.com]

I believe your two stories the only ones I knew of that looked at the matter in shades of gray rather than black and white. Thus being the only Trinity tags I enjoyed ;)

Someday, someone will write a Trinity tag based on Sheppard. Someday... ;) But, yeah, I think there would be a lot to it, which is why I think I keep shying away from it myself. I want to write a short tag, but every time I try to think up a plot it ends up encompassing a lot, so I get discouraged. I'm at a point where, with longer works, I have to be really excited about the plot in order to write it. I have a lot of ideas, but not a lot of desire to write those ideas.

[sholio]

Thank you. :)

I really like dealing with shades-of-gray situations in fic -- conflicts with no good guys and bad guys, or right answers. One of the things I like about SGA is that there are so many different viewpoints and personalities among the cast, which really lends itself to exploring realistic interpersonal conflict. And I like all the characters, so I have no desire to paint any of them as villains.

[(Anonymous)]

I can only remember reading one story that told Trinity from Sheppard's side, and it was one small section of a 5 things fic, and maybe slash. I do remember that I loved that part of it, and it dealt with Sheppard's trust issues and the line about knowing pilots who did the same thing.

[kriadydragon.livejournal.com]

Darn. The only story with Shep's side and it might be slash :( I think Trinity would be excellent fodder to explore Sheppard's trust issues.

[ninja007.livejournal.com]

I agree with you there. I would LOVE to read one myself. I just wish I didn't have writer's block...

[kriadydragon.livejournal.com]

Someday it will be written *kicks muses* Someday.