marbleglove (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
marbleglove) wrote2010-02-10 06:58 pm
marbleglove) wrote2010-02-10 06:58 pm
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Plot-bunny: Highlander / Stargate (2 of 3)
When I wrote A Square Peg in a Round Hole, I had a whole set of ideas for how to get Methos in contact with the SGC crew. At request, I’m posting what ideas I had at the time that I didn’t go forward with. Of them all, this was the closest second. I almost went with it a number of times and it wound up being more random chance than any particular reason that I went with Square Peg instead. .
The second of three Methos/Stargate plot-bunnies:
The bar was closed to the public but full of Watchers. They were all trading stories and just generally debreifing each other as they did every couple of weeks. When you had a secret life it was important to find some time to speak freely.
When teh phone rang, Joe Dawson, bar owner and area supervisor, delegated the task of answering it to one of his subordinates both in watcher training and in bar tending. He didn’t even think much of it until the young watcher put his hand over the mouthpiece and called out, “Guys? It’s someone calling for Methos.”
Dead silence.
Joe gave an agonized look at Adam Pierson whom he alone, of all the watchers, knew to be both immortal and that most elusive of the immortals, Methos. But everyone was looking around, confused and worried. Was Methos here? Did someone know they were watchers? Were they in danger? What should they do?
Finally Adam stood up. “Unless someone here is going to admit to being immortal, being my immortal...?” He paused and looked at each person in turn, studying them for some sign. “I’m going to answer and see what I can learn.”
There were nods of comprehension and approval and a few mouthed “good idea”s but everyone sat silent as he took the phone. “Yes?”
The Watchers watched and listened, straining to hear every word.
----------------
The Watchers milled around the bar quietly unhappy. The fact that Adam Pierson was fluent in multiple otherwise-dead languages had never before been so frustrating. Only two watchers, who had had previous assignments in Egypt, stayed still and focused near the bar, trying to understand a language that was like and yet unlike that which they knew.
But everyone perked up again when ADam spoek loudly in English. “If you harm him in any way before I get there I will personally skin you alive with a red hot spoon!”
The Watchers were pretty evenly split between looking appalled at the normally mild and gentle researcher’s threat and looking greatly impressed by it.
The phone back in its cradle, Adam slumped on a stool with his head in his hands. One of the more impatient of the Watchers finally said, “Well?”
Adam’s eyes were tired and his smile weak. “False alarm as far as Methos goes. A contact of mine wanted to get through to me without giving away my name. He doesn’t know who or what Methos is, just that its a word I keep track of, that I would respond to. He’s been arrested by the US military and is slated for execution.”
“I’m sorry, Adam.”
“Harsh.”
“But due process!”
“Who was your contact?”
“Why does a researcher have a contact?”
The responses came more or less at the same time, but the last one had a few of them puzzled. Active watchers might have “contacts” to get them past security checkpoints or into places they couldn’t get on their own but researchers stayed in libraries, right? Occasionally traveled to see the sights but not following dangerous individuals.
“Black market antique rings and tomb raiders. Smuggling weapons on the side. Occasional forgery.”
Adam rubbed his eyes again and they all remembered that it was late at night (or early in the morning, as the case may be) and they'd all been drinking. “The military was almost certainly monitoring that line so the security of this bar has been compromised. I’m sorry, Joe.”
“Don’t worry. It’s not the first time I’ve been investigated and I doubt it’ll be the last.”
“Be careful. That goes for all of you. Something screwy is going on. He had some of the best security I’ve seen but they caught him anyway. And they were just waiting to shoot.”
“Uh-huh,” Joe agreed warily. “And what about you?”
“The name Methos is used in a mysterious situation... I’ll investigate it, of course,” Adam spoke in mock surprise.
“You said it had nothing to do with Methos.”
“Yeah. But it does have to do with my friends and its still a mysterious situation.”
----------------
The SGC agents looked up from Daniels translation of what their most recent prisoner had said on the phone before they had managed to subdue him.
“Seriously?”
“That’s the translation.” Daniel shrugged with some bemusement of his own. “That’s what was said.”
“He is a goa’uld, isn’t he?” Jack asked.
It was a serious question. Sure, their prisoner had the goa’uld voice and the flashing eyes, but still… “the host called his dad?”
-------------------
The plot is that Methos had a son some two or three thousand years ago. He did not want him to die. And he was friends with a goa’uld. So for the last couple of thousand of years Methos has had a friend and a son who are immortal but not part of The Game. He loves having an immortal family and now someone is threatening that.
The second of three Methos/Stargate plot-bunnies:
The bar was closed to the public but full of Watchers. They were all trading stories and just generally debreifing each other as they did every couple of weeks. When you had a secret life it was important to find some time to speak freely.
When teh phone rang, Joe Dawson, bar owner and area supervisor, delegated the task of answering it to one of his subordinates both in watcher training and in bar tending. He didn’t even think much of it until the young watcher put his hand over the mouthpiece and called out, “Guys? It’s someone calling for Methos.”
Dead silence.
Joe gave an agonized look at Adam Pierson whom he alone, of all the watchers, knew to be both immortal and that most elusive of the immortals, Methos. But everyone was looking around, confused and worried. Was Methos here? Did someone know they were watchers? Were they in danger? What should they do?
Finally Adam stood up. “Unless someone here is going to admit to being immortal, being my immortal...?” He paused and looked at each person in turn, studying them for some sign. “I’m going to answer and see what I can learn.”
There were nods of comprehension and approval and a few mouthed “good idea”s but everyone sat silent as he took the phone. “Yes?”
The Watchers watched and listened, straining to hear every word.
----------------
The Watchers milled around the bar quietly unhappy. The fact that Adam Pierson was fluent in multiple otherwise-dead languages had never before been so frustrating. Only two watchers, who had had previous assignments in Egypt, stayed still and focused near the bar, trying to understand a language that was like and yet unlike that which they knew.
But everyone perked up again when ADam spoek loudly in English. “If you harm him in any way before I get there I will personally skin you alive with a red hot spoon!”
The Watchers were pretty evenly split between looking appalled at the normally mild and gentle researcher’s threat and looking greatly impressed by it.
The phone back in its cradle, Adam slumped on a stool with his head in his hands. One of the more impatient of the Watchers finally said, “Well?”
Adam’s eyes were tired and his smile weak. “False alarm as far as Methos goes. A contact of mine wanted to get through to me without giving away my name. He doesn’t know who or what Methos is, just that its a word I keep track of, that I would respond to. He’s been arrested by the US military and is slated for execution.”
“I’m sorry, Adam.”
“Harsh.”
“But due process!”
“Who was your contact?”
“Why does a researcher have a contact?”
The responses came more or less at the same time, but the last one had a few of them puzzled. Active watchers might have “contacts” to get them past security checkpoints or into places they couldn’t get on their own but researchers stayed in libraries, right? Occasionally traveled to see the sights but not following dangerous individuals.
“Black market antique rings and tomb raiders. Smuggling weapons on the side. Occasional forgery.”
Adam rubbed his eyes again and they all remembered that it was late at night (or early in the morning, as the case may be) and they'd all been drinking. “The military was almost certainly monitoring that line so the security of this bar has been compromised. I’m sorry, Joe.”
“Don’t worry. It’s not the first time I’ve been investigated and I doubt it’ll be the last.”
“Be careful. That goes for all of you. Something screwy is going on. He had some of the best security I’ve seen but they caught him anyway. And they were just waiting to shoot.”
“Uh-huh,” Joe agreed warily. “And what about you?”
“The name Methos is used in a mysterious situation... I’ll investigate it, of course,” Adam spoke in mock surprise.
“You said it had nothing to do with Methos.”
“Yeah. But it does have to do with my friends and its still a mysterious situation.”
----------------
The SGC agents looked up from Daniels translation of what their most recent prisoner had said on the phone before they had managed to subdue him.
“Seriously?”
“That’s the translation.” Daniel shrugged with some bemusement of his own. “That’s what was said.”
“He is a goa’uld, isn’t he?” Jack asked.
It was a serious question. Sure, their prisoner had the goa’uld voice and the flashing eyes, but still… “the host called his dad?”
-------------------
The plot is that Methos had a son some two or three thousand years ago. He did not want him to die. And he was friends with a goa’uld. So for the last couple of thousand of years Methos has had a friend and a son who are immortal but not part of The Game. He loves having an immortal family and now someone is threatening that.
Re: Oh I do wish you would write this one
I also have to wonder what part of Methos's adventures would make the kids cartoon, considering how most of history is not kid-friendly when studied in any detail. The only kids show I remember about history is Hysteria, which was mostly songs and catchy ways to remember history. What's a better way to capture kids' attentions that to tell them about the Vomitorium? And who needs to know the names of Henry VIII's wives when they can simply remember, "Divorced, beheaded, died. Divorced, beheaded, survived." Unfortunately, I was never any good at remembering history in any detail.
Re: Oh I do wish you would write this one
Re: Oh I do wish you would write this one
Chibi-Methos's favorite drink will probably be milk, and he'll talk about how even Immortals should take care of their bodies. Cue the hysterical laughter from everyone who actually knows Methos. Methos himself will seriously consider taking action at this point, either against the show or by leaving Earth until all this dies down. I also have this idea that the SGC is smirking about how the stealing of the StarGate has been avenged.
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Also, in all the confusion caused by the release of Methos's journals, I have to wonder what role the fake Methos will play. Sure, he's dead, but a number of Immortals have met him as Methos so that should at least cause some more confusion about Methos's appearance. Many of the ticked-off Immortals will be looking for the fake one instead, especially if they think that he was only pretending to be nice and pacifistic.
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Plus, I hadn't thought about different countries' thoughts on kids stories, but of course that makes a great deal of sense. It's perfect.
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especially daniel who is an orphan expert on ancient languages...
Sam really doesn't like that Mackay got to be the Methos of Phisycs
and then internet awards start to elect every year a methos of something, maybe even working backwards in time
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"Well, you did come back to life, more than a few times. Come on, you can tell me, are you really Methos?"
"No," through gritted teeth, "I am not."
And McKay isn't sure whether to take it as his due or to be insulted. After all, he doesn't shun the spotlight, it's just that he's been in another galaxy. If he could get a spotlight, he definitely would. His friends laugh at him, talking about how self-effacing he is, how humble, how shy in stating his thoughts.
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As for Hysteria, I remember it coming on before school. I was probably above the targeted age range, but in my family, all the kids ended up watching the same shows and movies. As the oldest, I was watching kids shows long after I probably should have grown out of them, and the younger kids were allowed to watch higher-rated shows and movies at younger ages than I remember being allowed to watch such things (though probably at older ages than most kids these days). The show would pick a topic and explain in easy-to-remember ways with lots of songs about historical figures. It also included a lot of potty humor, as one of the main characters was a baby who'd frequently mess up his diaper. Unfortunately, I've forgotten most of the details of this show.
Re: Oh I do wish you would write this one
and how every main historical character was played by the main ones
also kind of lke wishbones
well, now that im thinking about this, methos would likely try to flood the infomational venus so that he couldnt be tracked through the journals
maybe releasing some journals of other immortals and copies of supposedely lost works such as socrates and archimedes
this way thelinguists who could help translate his works are mostly busy with ther more important things... except the idiots online who keep creating memes and scanlating the journals into the gutenberg project
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he can use his minions to do that... I am firm beliver in Methos having minions,
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I have this idea that there's some apparently-60-year-old matronly woman who's a librarian in the same small town she grew up in. It's just that she's been the librarian there for as long as anyone can remember, and she's training in sword-fighting of all things with that nice young man who comes through once a month.
And maybe there's this one large mafia family that the police are always investigating in one way or another. But there are a couple of oddities. One of them is that they do weapons smuggling, but it's almost all small-scale. And odd weapons, like swords and daggers and things. And one branch of the family is almost always fostering a preteen girl. There's always some girl, somewhere in the family, who didn't grow up from an infant and doesn't go on to grow up into an adult. Why is this mafia family always opening themselves up to strangers in the house? And her "tutor" is someone no one has been able to track.
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I also waiver or whether or not the Watchers are in fact Methos' minions. What are your thoughts?
Re: Oh I do wish you would write this one
minion wise i think the Students would be the one with immortal plans but he also has safeguards in place within other organizations...
have your ever seen La femme nikita?
there is a great x-over which kind of has my point of methos in it
http://www.thesplitpersonality.net/lfn/writers/stories/rita009.htm
by Rita
though he kind of is a terciary character there
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Can't you just see him watching kids' cartoons and being mocked by Duncan? Then he explains that he needs to know this for when he changes identities. Mac is struck by the sense of it, so he starts watching it. Then Dawson comes in, sees them both watching cartoons, and nearly falls over he's laughing so hard.
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I'm reminded of a story that I'm not sure is even online anymore, "Save the Last Dance for Me" by Dayspring.
Completely paraphrasing the conversation after Methos is conned into giving a history lesson to a bunch of third-graders:
"Do you know how many questions a 100 third graders can ask? Why did the men in Egypt wear dresses? How did they go to the bathroom? Did Cleopatra really get bit on the breast?"
Joe and Mac are laughing. "Well, did she?"
Methos shrugs. "Sure. It was large, and conveniently bare."
"I don't think you'll have to worry about being invited back."