There are people for whom pain is the primary migraine symptom. I am not those people.

[minxy]

Migraines in Oregon involve: temporary aura and tunnel vision. Light sensitivity, inability to speak or move quickly, pain, fatigue. Total time needed to survive migraine: 12 hours (or, until the weather changes again.)

Migraines in Kenya involve: slowly increasing pain, temporary aura and tunnel vision, extreme light, sound, temperature and smell sensitivity. Inability to speak or move quickly, pain, fatigue.Total time needed to survive migraine: 12 hours.

Migraines in California involve: mild headache preceding lingering aura and tunnel vision changes. Temporary inability to speak. Fever symptoms (chills and hot flashes), nausea, mild sound, light sensitivity (just noticable), moderate smell sensitivity, fatigue. Total time needed to survive migraine: 24 hours so far. SO FAR.

Milder migraines are fabulous, but if I'm going to feel like vomiting at the smell of tea, this is not good. Vomiting means I have to reevaluate my medication and possibly switch to injections or nose sprays or something.

On the other hand, the smell of African tea (caramel and sharp) takes me right back there. There was a night in Cape Town where I found out my Dad had had a heart attack and I was jet lagged and Not Sleeping. I didn't have any food with me, so I just drank the complimentary tea (in the full white china tea service) all night. I've had worse nights, actually, considering that my brother emailed me almost constantly, I had wireless access, and my Dad is recovering nicely. Plus, I like red tea.

Anyway. I'm home and still having trouble reading my own notes to actually get anything accomplished work-wise, and thought I would maybe talk a little bit about the remix.

Because my remixee? She has paid me a very high compliment. Yes. She likes the remix enough to be inspired by it, meaning a sequel, or remix of a remix of a canon AU, or something that might just turn into one of those Great Fannish Discussions. This, combined with synedochic's new 'play in my sandbox' community fic_commons makes me think we might just manage a mutual admiration society here one day.

It occurs to me that I might not have ever posted the header here, so here you go for my remix:

Title: All the Infections that the Sun Sucks Up (the Waste Your Breath Remix) (gen or BOB, PG-13 rated)
Remix of: East of Eden by dirty_diana (Jack/Daniel, R rated)
Spoilers (both stories): Absolute Power AU, crossover with Atlantis
Warnings (remix): off-camera slash, off-camera character death, dark
Betas: The extraordinary rydra_wong and ivorygates.
A/N: remix title is from Shakespeare’s The Tempest (II, ii, 1-3): "All the infections that the sun sucks up/ From bogs, fens, flats, on Prosper fall, and make him/ By inch-meal a disease!" (Caliban)

Summary (both stories): There is only one story in the world.

Paraphrased conversation with dirty_diana after the reveal:

d*: Oh, Sam. *ow* Also, you are probably going to laugh at me, but would you mind if I wrote the sequel to this? You brought up many valid points which I would like very much to address (most of them are named Sheppard).

minx: yay for you like!!! You don't need my permission to sequel (though omg so excited,) it's *your* AU!!!

d*: this challenge is really one big love-in. Everyone is all, no, your stuff is more awesome. No, really, YOURS is more awesome. It's cute. And a lovely change from how we are on some other days.

minx: GROUP HUG! (seriously, watch out for John, though, he'll take the microphone and just Talk and Talk and Talk... and never get to the point)

d*: a sequel to a remix of an a AU that's canon! Only in fandom! Also I'm glad you said yes, on account of I already started writing.

minx: OMGYAY! I must warn you that I have this missing scene between Rodney and Martouf that got jossed and recast, but I kinda love it.

d*: *hearts* Martouf and his pretty eyes. Want to see!

minx: Okay, here 'tis:

DVD outtake between Martouf and Rodney (later recast, despite some very fine acting, and Jossed, so.)

Martouf was maintaining his diplomatic façade in the face of Dr. Jackson’s strange impervious court. The change was glaring, to his eyes; glaring, and too like to the Goa’uld for comfort, although there was less gold and more silver.

Still, he felt no sense of a symbiote in the man, and they’d subtly been testing for any other physical manifestation that might explain the shift from the explorer they’d first met to the impervious quasi-dictator currently mingling in his own cocktail party.

It’s not that they came unwillingly; the Tok’ra were as unwelcome as most of Earth’s former allies, and they’d had several feats of negotiation just to rank a ticket to the party. They hadn’t done it without purpose: Martouf and Jacob were charged with seeking intel on former friends and associates.

They took it upon themselves to try to deliver a personal message. Martouf had really not expected to be the messenger, though. Still, he’d been approached by a man he’d seen little of in the talks so far (or the party) and abruptly been asked if he had known Samantha.

Martouf wondered if such hubris indicated that he was sure there were no listening devices or people nearby, or if the speaker was just too naïve to consider the possibility. Still, it was the last day, and they’d had few enough reassurances about Samantha.

“I suppose we have something in common, being former flames of the Major,” the man said with pride, “If you add in that we survived the experience, it’s an even more exclusive club, hm?”

Martouf was really unsure how to proceed with the conversation, so he introduced himself. It was only polite, when one was at a loss dealing with strange aliens and their ways.

“Yes, yes, I know. I’m Rodney McKay, chief scientist for this little,” he waved his hand in a jerky and vague manner, “operation.” Martouf's eyes tried to find some object for the random hand motions. He couldn't help himself, he always tried to find meaning in the strange.

“You knew Samantha, then, before,” Martouf kept his voice steady as only years of practice lying can accomplish, “as Doctor Jackson says, she went insane.”

“Yes, well, I haven’t seen the data on that, after all.” The man, McKay, shifted his eyes around, and Martouf turned fully to face him for the first time.

“Samantha and I never shared a romantic relationship,” Martouf said gently, “but I do—“

“Oh really? Hm,” McKay interrupted, “how unfortunate for you.”

The arrogance was nearly palpable, and having lived with the Tok’ra for several lifetimes now, Martouf felt himself somewhat immune to arrogance. Lantesh disagreed, of course, but not terribly passionately. McKay, they were of an accord, was insufferable.

“Her father misses seeing her a great deal,” Martouf continued.

“Yes, I’m sure he does,” McKay interrupted again, “It’s really a sad situation.” The sense of gloating that McKay continued to exude gave the impression that he felt the situation to be anything but sad at the moment. “You really never had a thing? Some of those reports certainly implied… although a lot of that is fueled by rumors, obviously. Maybe that’s why you’re still alive? Huh."

“I miss her as well.” Martouf looked for support to Jacob, but found his compatriot deep in a conversation with Daniel’s primary assistant. “I think often of our time on Eluan. I would very much appreciated it if you would pass that on, should you see Samantha.”

“I’d think it would be obvious that seeing her again is highly unlikely,” McKay looked puzzled, and Martouf could only hope he would remember the message intact without any more blatant maneuvering. He didn’t hold much hope of the man’s picking up on subtle hints, however. “I do think the rumors that she died are wrong, though. For a dumb blonde, she has some surprising skills. Thinks laterally. I bet she’s all commando out in the woods somewhere, which is a surprisingly sexy thought.”

Martouf felt the need to change the subject, for all it was the strongest and most forthright lead he’d had on Samantha. Dr. Jackson was not more than ten meters away, after all, and there were too many other ears in the room to encourage intimations of such a conspiratorial nature. Now that the message had been passed on in the best way Martouf was able to manage it, he wished to avoid drawing attention to the subject.

And he would have been perfectly happy to enter a different conversation with a different party goer, if it could be arranged. “Is Samantha’s absence the reason you have advanced so far among the scientists here, then?” he asked, half hoping his companion would find the subject distasteful.

“I don’t deny that Samantha has skills I don’t have, but then, I have no wish to live as a commando in the woods, do I?” McKay’s chin tilted as his posture changed and grew defensive. “I would have ended up here sooner or later. And, thank you, still sane here, which is more than I can say for a certain former chief scientist.”

He looked far too prepared to continue along that line of thought, so Martouf fell back upon Lantesh's old standard of gesturing to an aid moving away from the refreshments table and announcing that he had been meaning to speak with him. With a barely sincere sounding apology, they escaped.

He had little hope that his message would be delivered, but he also had no wish to continue an acquaintance with Rodney McKay, for all the professed similarities between them.

the end. I need to go lie down now *shivers*. Migraines are almost easier when they are too nasty to handle at all; this "almost functional" thing is kind of pissing me off.

ETA: on the upside, I've announced the last few stories on some community boards, and updated my sidebar and fic post. There's more under the fanfic tag, actually, since I don't tend to feel ficlets belong in the fanfic archive post.

ETA2: Ongoing discussion with rydra_wong has led to this Tok'ra based ficlet (Jacob, Selmak, Martouf and Lantesh. And Sam and Jolinar. Gen, worksafe)

Comments

[dirty-diana.livejournal.com]

Martouf! Thanks for sharing it even though it didn't make the cut, it is seriously cute and I love the whole Sam business. At least Sam wasn't there to witness the bullfight. And Martouf trying to get his message across, hee. Though Rodney is perhaps a bit more perceptive than he makes himself sound?

Thanks for pointing me towards fic_commons. That is cool, obviously I find that kind of thing neat. Not that I have time to mess around in all the sandboxes that I would like.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_minxy_/]

I'm tempted to do an intro writers' post, but I'm waiting until I have a fic to contribute, and that's not going to be any time soon, really.

I adored Sam's part of the story like whoa, and this little interlude felt like more about her to me, so that was attractive. And it was sad to leave Martouf on the cutting room floor, really. *dusts him off apologetically*

[rydra_wong]

And it was sad to leave Martouf on the cutting room floor, really. *dusts him off apologetically*

But you know, a Tok'ra-centric story set in this universe would be awfully interesting ...

(Never let it be said that I don't own my biases.)

[http://users.livejournal.com/_minxy_/]

I'm pretty sure the sandbox is open to all.

YES, I KNOW THAT'S NOT PRECISELY WHAT YOU MEANT.

(also. crap. I'm supposed to be doing science writing right now.)

[http://users.livejournal.com/_minxy_/]

Jacob stands among the counsel and talks about his mission, though he cages it with words like 'we' and 'danger' and 'information' and 'critical'. Jacob looks at the High Counsellor and he talks about the Goa'uld-like dicatator of Earth, and of former allies, and he uses names.

Selmak looks at Lantash and Martouf out of the corner of her eye as Jacob scans the room; he is playing to the crowd, she can afford the details. So they both know when Martouf shifts his weight forward to take the floor, and Jacob is already moving back into the standing circle of counsel members to yield it.

"We will support Jacob Selmak in this endevour," Martouf begins, voice soft and soothing even as he proposes deceit and antagonism. He goes on to detail the many ways their ally's turn was alarming, and then supported Jacob's proposed overture of trade with a thoughtful tone and strong language.

Selmak feels Jacob's relief that Martouf uses generic terms like 'leader' and 'ally' to present the big picture argument. She also feels his surprise when Lantesh offers to go on the mission too.

Selmak is not surprised. Lantesh is hers as much as any of them ever were; her legacy, her prodigy, her student. She has watched him embrace, more than any other Tok'ra, partnerships, loves and compromise, teamwork. His triumph is doing this when most of them cannot-- a legacy of their mother's passion for the cause, no doubt, and her stubborn independance.

Lantesh is an independent thinker, though. Some of his partners, his hosts, were more rebellious than most, and maybe that's where he learned it. But Selmak is proud of him; proud of his choice in Martouf, proud of his choice in Jolinar, proud of what he has taught them and learned from them. She loves him.

Because of him, she loved Sam before she knew her; because of Lantesh, and because of Jolinar.

She has never had a host who had living children before, though; there was only Maren, who outlived her two brave boys before she was old enough to have grey in her hair. It distracted Selmak until she understood it's strength. Now she loves Samantha and encourages Jacob to do the same, to maintain the connection to Earth, and to her.

She never doubted that Martouf and Lantesh would come with her and Jacob as well. These men have become her family and her legacy. She is not blind, and she knows they will likely outlive her by lifetimes and generations (well, Jacob maybe only by a few dozen years, but she knows she will never take another host, and she knows she will do everything in her power to protect this one. It is remarkable how the Tau'ri value life so.)

She sometimes worries, though, that she has done Jacob a disservice by giving him a lifetime longer than his children's. She is watching him, too, seeing his panic that he can't confirm their well-being, and she can't bear to tell him what it means for a parent to outlive a child. She can't whisper the possibility that Sam will die fighting, or of old age, or may already be gone, or may wish to be.

Jacob values life, as do Martouf and Lantesh; they want to survive and they want everyone they love to survive in some way as well. It is only Selmak who is wise enough to also value death, the release and the inevitability and the blessing of not seeing those you love fall.

She only hopes Sam has not learned this lesson yet.

[rydra_wong]

Oh, this is lovely.

[dirty-diana.livejournal.com]

Oh, yay!