Do y'all see that as a sort of inherent part of his characterization? I mean, I get that, and it's not that I don't write the hell out of that when I write canon (and some AUs, too). But without it, is he still John Sheppard?
In my head (or possibly heart), the life John leads on Atlantis is his baseline, the ultimate benchmark. I'm not sure if it's just the fact I'm a fan who loves the show but even more so loves John Sheppard the character as portrayed on screen, but deep down I can't help but assume that, for John at least, this is the best of all possible worlds -- fucked-up as this undoubtedly is in many ways. Any alternate universe version of him is a deviation.
'course, I love deviations, and deviants! So that's not saying much. ;)
I've also written a drabble set precisely on this theme, so I too have given it some thought. It's interesting to re-read, actually; after this comment has been typed out, I'll upload them to the AO3...and resist the urge to tinker with them again.
Do y'all see that as a sort of inherent part of his characterization? I mean, I get that, and it's not that I don't write the hell out of that when I write canon (and some AUs, too). But without it, is he still John Sheppard?
The writers' characterisation of John Sheppard has always been haphazard, to put it mildly, and it doesn't -- well, it does! -- help that Joe Flanigan, God bless his lumberjack shirts, took his cues and ran into the exact opposite corner with them half the time. The few elements that have been reiterated and make sense thus tend to stick, and this one more than the rest, you're right. At the same time, is it essential? I think not (with the above caveat), but then again I AUs are a passion of mine precisely for the creativity and canon-affinity authors can actually show through a completely different setting.
Someone else has linked to The Giant McShep AU List, right? A few of them are favourites of mine, and not in a Hey-As-AUs-They're-Great way but as fantastic fanfiction getting John Sheppard.
Do you have a particular John Sheppard recipe? I can look at that laundry list and tell you what dials I turned up to 11 and what items I toned down for any given story of mine (and most of them are different from one another).
This depends more on the concept of writing than on John Sheppard, maybe? I don't tend to write like this but merely envision the character doing things, talking (God, my fics: always so talky, even the SGA ones), although just like you, my John shifts with the story, tone and tale, as obliging as he would be with any alien princess dragging him off to her bedchamber...
Am I missing some vital part of John Sheppard that would make him seem OOC for you?
Some writers will spend a million days writing John Sheppard, and he will never ring true to me, not even a little, but you're not among them. I think writing John (as opposed to writing Rodney; like all of us, my inner Rodney voice always audible when I listen in) requires not so much work as a patience and a rewatch? Before writing fanfic, I tend to watch episodes that feature the core character or pairing I write about, and that allows me to pick up on a million half-remembered and now re-visualised elements.
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In my head (or possibly heart), the life John leads on Atlantis is his baseline, the ultimate benchmark. I'm not sure if it's just the fact I'm a fan who loves the show but even more so loves John Sheppard the character as portrayed on screen, but deep down I can't help but assume that, for John at least, this is the best of all possible worlds -- fucked-up as this undoubtedly is in many ways. Any alternate universe version of him is a deviation.
'course, I love deviations, and deviants! So that's not saying much. ;)
I've also written a drabble set precisely on this theme, so I too have given it some thought. It's interesting to re-read, actually; after this comment has been typed out, I'll upload them to the AO3...and resist the urge to tinker with them again.
Do y'all see that as a sort of inherent part of his characterization? I mean, I get that, and it's not that I don't write the hell out of that when I write canon (and some AUs, too). But without it, is he still John Sheppard?
The writers' characterisation of John Sheppard has always been haphazard, to put it mildly, and it doesn't -- well, it does! -- help that Joe Flanigan, God bless his lumberjack shirts, took his cues and ran into the exact opposite corner with them half the time. The few elements that have been reiterated and make sense thus tend to stick, and this one more than the rest, you're right. At the same time, is it essential? I think not (with the above caveat), but then again I AUs are a passion of mine precisely for the creativity and canon-affinity authors can actually show through a completely different setting.
Someone else has linked to The Giant McShep AU List, right? A few of them are favourites of mine, and not in a Hey-As-AUs-They're-Great way but as fantastic fanfiction getting John Sheppard.
Do you have a particular John Sheppard recipe? I can look at that laundry list and tell you what dials I turned up to 11 and what items I toned down for any given story of mine (and most of them are different from one another).
This depends more on the concept of writing than on John Sheppard, maybe? I don't tend to write like this but merely envision the character doing things, talking (God, my fics: always so talky, even the SGA ones), although just like you, my John shifts with the story, tone and tale, as obliging as he would be with any alien princess dragging him off to her bedchamber...
Am I missing some vital part of John Sheppard that would make him seem OOC for you?
Some writers will spend a million days writing John Sheppard, and he will never ring true to me, not even a little, but you're not among them. I think writing John (as opposed to writing Rodney; like all of us, my inner Rodney voice always audible when I listen in) requires not so much work as a patience and a rewatch? Before writing fanfic, I tend to watch episodes that feature the core character or pairing I write about, and that allows me to pick up on a million half-remembered and now re-visualised elements.