bluflamingo | (no subject)

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help!

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If you were looking for a word with the same feeling as 'jeez,' as in 'jeez, McKay, inappropriate much?' but couldn't use it because the person saying it doesn't come from a culture that has Jesus, and hence can't have jeez, what word would you use instead?

(It's not Teyla, despite the icon, but it is someone who was raised in Pegasus, and hence has the Ancients as Gods thing)

It's driving me nuts, to the point of wanting to leave it in, except that now I've noticed, I can't *un-notice* it and it'll bug me every time I look at the story from now on.

My sanity thanks you for any suggestions :o)

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God! Even though jeez is specificially Christian, every culture has a god so that should be safe. Alternatively, grab an Ancient name that's mentioned on the show and use it.

Maybe use "wow" or "whoa" instead?

I vote for 'dang'. Can't go wrong with 'Dang, McKay, inappropriate much?'. It's so useful - 'Dang, those Wraith are annoying!', 'Dang, my sweater is unraveling!', 'This sure is one dang fine day!'

...hahaha, I jest. I don't really suggest dang. But it was amusing for me to imagine it for a minute.

Sadly, I don't have a real suggestion.

Alternatively, grab an Ancient name that's mentioned on the show and use it.

And now I'm thinking how much easier life would be if the show had thought of that (I'm still hung up on Larrin saying 'what the hell, Sheppard?' because it just sounds so Earth-English to me).

Do the residents of Pegasus know of individual ancients, do you think, or are they just a mass of unidentified ancients (which would make a great curse- oh, unidentified ancients preserve me!)

See, I knew someone would have a bright (and obvious, now you've said it) idea.

I don't really suggest dang. But it was amusing for me to imagine it for a minute.

You've made my evening with that suggestion. It probably amuses me even more since I know the context, but now I *really* want to use it.

I had to go look and see if there were other religion-related etymological reasons not to use wow or whoa, because it would totally be like me to be like, "HEY I KNOW, YOU SHOULD USE JIMINY CHRISTMAS INSTEAD".

damn would work.

'Ants': short for 'Ancestors' in the way that 'jeez' is short for 'Jesus' :)

OK, not really. Um, 'gods' would probably be okay...

Somehow, 'damn' in that sentence sounds really camp to me, I have no idea why. I suspect this is just my issue though, so thank you for the suggestion.

ETA: not that camp is inherently a bad thing, obviously, I just can't imagine the person I'm writing sounding that way.

'Ants': short for 'Ancestors' in the way that 'jeez' is short for 'Jesus' :)

I actually really like that, though, yes, I agree that no-one but you and me would get it.

And I so want to write someone cursing by saying 'ancestors preserve us.'

I'm in the "damn" or "Gods" camp. They've never really explained how everybody in the Pegasus galaxy can understand and speak English, have they? LOL!

Different canon, but same problem: I had a fun time making up swear words for Vala. I think had had her say something like "Why in the six hells of Malabar would they......", which is probably a candy or something! But it was fun.

Hee! In the Little Mermaid fusion I'm (not) writing, I have John saying things like, "Ancestors, Elizabeth's going to kill me!" I also have Teyla saying something similar to "ancestors preserve us".

Actually, I'd argue *against* using "gods" to refer to the Ancestors, because while the Ancestors are revered, and possibly worshipped, nobody's ever used the word "god" in relation to them.

I'd bet that some names might still be know, even if garbled. Of course, then you've got the religious wars over the proper name of the Great Ancestor Idiotscientist, which is only aggravated when certain parties come along and tell everyone that not only is neither side correct and that the Ancestor was not so great.

This is kind of old-fashioned, but I've always liked "good grief", myself.

Dang is so versatile! It is a word we should all love *g*

Since "jeez" is a substitution for "Jesus," and the ancients are considered to be (demi)gods/honored ancestors/saints

Moros was the last of the Alteran High Counselors so perhaps he'd have been familiarto the various human cultures. Maybe "Mord" or "Mora" or "Marad."

"Melas" could work for either Moros or Melia.

Some kind of corruption of Chaya Sar.

Amelius is believed to have been the inventor of the stargate, so it's probable that he would be a figure of folklore both ancient and human.

Full wikipedia list is here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_characters_in_Stargate

I agree. I think they occupy a place somewhere between angels/spirits and ancestor worship.

oh precious ancestors, what a delimma you've uncovered...

Agree completely. I think those of us who've grown up in a western/Christian culture don't realise that there are plenty of religions that don't have God or (Egyptian/Roman/Norse as per SG-1 canon) gods at the centre of their "worship".

What I hate is that SGA had this opportunity to explore ancestor veneration, a rich non-"god" religion/way of life, and all we get are prayers around the dinner table that could be from any household in America minus the word "Ancestor". (Not that I don't still cling to whatever scraps of Pegasus culture we get, but oh, I mourn the lost storytelling opportunities.)

And even those religions that do have central deities, of ten have lesser beings with powers. Think of nymphs, satyrs, saints, nature spirits.

I think part of SGA's problem was that they didn't have a regular character, like Daniel, who's purpose is to explore both the differences and the similarities between the various cultures. Elizabeth was the closest they got, but she didn't get the opportunity very often and then they killed her. *is still bitter*

Cool idea! I can certainly see Pegasus natives invoking the names of actual Ancients.

Fwiw, I think "Athar" was Chaya's real name before she ascended, and "Chaya" is just the name she takes on when she pretends to be the priestess. ("Chaya" means "life" in Hebrew, and I think is related to the name "Eve".)

Yeah, good point about the absence of an anthropologist on SGA. But why couldn't we have had a bit of dialogue in which Teyla or Ronon explain what exactly it is they believe about the Ancestors? Or how their two cultures maybe differed. (Because I actually see Ronon having more belief in the Ancestors than Teyla as per "The Return", which is interesting considering Halling's faith.)

*is bitter too*

I can certainly see Pegasus natives invoking the names of actual Ancients.

Thanks. I figure people swear by saints names and on their grandmothers' graves....

I think "Athar" was Chaya's real name before she ascended

Yeah, but they were kinda vague about it. I've always thought that it was perhaps "Chaya Athar," (although I have no logic for that). *shrug* Either way someone decides I'm not really gonna quibble about it. I didn't like the character anyway.

Heh. I'm actually quite fond of Chaya and thought her relationship with John was interesting and kinda sweet :)

But I accept I'm in the minority on that point! *pets John's Ascended girlfriends*

(Edited cuz Teer wasn't actually an Ancient.)

Wow, I go to bed for a few hours and the two of you have had a whole theological debate about the whole thing :o)

The end result of which I can now steal.

They've never really explained how everybody in the Pegasus galaxy can understand and speak English, have they?

Weirdly, *that* I can gloss over, it's the tiny religious-sounding remarks that throw me.

I think had had her say something like "Why in the six hells of Malabar would they......", which is probably a candy or something

Candy or not, it totally sounds like something Vala would say.

I could go for 'good grief' actually, in this context, thanks!

Indeed.

if its ronon, he could say dude. i love the idea that he picks up slang from the marines.

Colloquialisms will raise their ugly heads at the most annoying times!

i love the idea that he picks up slang from the marines.

And me. I mean, he has to hang out with *someone* other than his team, right?

Chaya Sar was known in godly form by the name Athar, though one would suppose that religion was confined to Proculus what with the orbital gate.

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