pepper | Yet another British Museum ficlet

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Yet another British Museum ficlet

For

sg1danny, who asked for room 64, and Daniel taking the team to the museum. Room 64 is early Egyptian stuff, from before the pyramids were built. Daniel would love it. I got a kick out of every label for 'during the Naqada II period'.

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"Okay," said Daniel, nose buried in the map, "if we go through the Great Court, through the antechamber at the back, up the north stairs and to the left, we should come to..." He looked up. Vala lifted her eyebrows with interest, hands clasped behind her, beret perched on the back of her head. "...the Sackler galleries. Er." He glanced quickly around. "Where are the others?"

"Daniel," said Vala, chidingly, "you weren't really expecting them to stick around for this little school trip, were you?"

"Well, yes, actually," said Daniel, acidly. He waved. "I offer to show them around one of the world's great museums – give them their own tour, the benefit of my years of experience, the insider knowledge of how this relates to our work, and they – they just wander off?!"

Vala shrugged. "Sam saw a sign about some exhibition of..." She trailed off, looking thoughtful. "Actually, I wasn't listening to that part, but she and Teal'c headed off to look for it. Cam went up those stairs to the left, when we came in, he said he... Nope, wasn't listening to that, either. And your General O'Neill-"

"Don't tell me. The coffeeshop?"

"Souvenir shop, I think."

Daniel rolled his eyes. "Oh for... And why are you sticking around? Want me to show you where they keep all the treasure?"

Vala looked hurt. "Actually, I was keeping an eye on you. Someone has to, when you're not paying attention. Three people have tried to pick your pockets already." Daniel patted his jacket in alarm. "Only one of them succeeded, though."

Daniel snatched his wallet back from her outstretched hand. "Your help is much appreciated," he said, irritably. When he stalked off, Vala put her hands on her hips and didn't follow.

---

"...Well, he has to be in here – we've looked everywhere else."

"It's a big place, Carter."

"He might've slipped past us on the-"

"No, look, there he is!" Vala bounded up to Daniel and pressed her nose to the glass case he was deeply engrossed in studying. "Ew. Dead bodies," she said, with distaste. "Seen enough of those." Having said that loudly enough to get looks from all the other tourists in the room, she grinned. "Having fun?"

"It's amazing," said Daniel, his enthusiasm launching him into lecture mode, "before they built the pyramids – before you-know-who arrived - the dead were buried directly in the sand, and that helped to preserve skin really well. Then they invented the coffin – you see the skeletons over there? They're much less well-preserved, because they were able to rot. And then, of course, mummification was established, perhaps in commemoration of the Goa'uld methods of using the sarcophagus, and-"

"Oh, he's having fun," said Cam, dryly.

"How is this a holiday, Daniel?" demanded Jack. "You see crap like this every day." Daniel glanced irritably at the General, but his gaze was drawn upwards, his words arrested. He stared at the top of Jack's head in disbelief. Jack frowned. "What?" he asked, defensively.

"Oh, dear lord," said Daniel. "Jack. In public?" Then he flinched violently when hands descended, cramming a similar object on to his own head. He reached up to touch it tentatively, and looked at Teal'c. "Just what I've always wanted," he said, faintly. "A plush Pharoah's headdress." Teal'c grinned at him. There was a flash, and Vala winked at him over the top of a camera. "Vala!"

"C'mon, Daniel – we need to feed you," said Vala. "You're getting cranky."

"But I'm not-"

"I'm starved!" declared Jack, displaying the first sign of enthusiasm they'd seen all day. "Think there's anywhere 'round here that does a decent burger?"

"But I'm-"

"Where're we going next?" asked Cam, disappearing into the folds of a huge map of London.

"But I haven't-"

"Science Museum!" said Sam, excitedly. There was a chorus of groans.

"But I don't-"

"I would suggest that you cease to protest, Daniel," said Teal'c, smoothly. "Resistance is futile."

"I've been assimilated," groaned Daniel, as the others steered him towards the exit.

---

END.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

*laughs* Poor Daniel. No love for the archeology geekery.

(

izhilzha went with me and my sister to the LA Museum of Art last year and we kind of giggled every time "Nagada" made an appearance on some tag. Heh.)

Heh, no love for the archaeology geekery - but he can take revenge on Sam, at least, when they go to the Science Museum. *g* (And, for that matter, Jack and Cam - there's a whole 'history of flight' area that will no doubt have all three Air Force people geeking out.)

And, for that matter, Jack and Cam - there's a whole 'history of flight' area that will no doubt have all three Air Force people geeking out.

Oh, good point. Yes, there is going to be truly embarrassing historical-plane-lust in the Flight section.

For non-London people reading these comments:

http://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/visitmuseum/galleries/flight.aspx

I'm thinking that Teal'c would drag them to the Sponge-Bob Squarepants movie/simulator thingie, just as a deadpan joke.

No, I didn't take my eight-year-old niece to the Science Museum in September, why do you ask?

Love Vala's remarks about not listening to where everyone else wandered off to.

I think Jack would love a Spongebob Squarepants movie/simulator thingy. Heck, so would I...

:) Thank you! Vala pays attention when it suits her.

I think Sam would have wanted to see the Babbage mechanical computer, too. I know I did!

Oh, wow - yes, she absolutely would!

Damn, I wish the Science Museum were a little closer - I'd do a follow-up to my British Museum prompt-fest. :)

Whee! So fun! Poor Daniel! You know, I was thinking all the British museum fics would be in the museum. I've been liking what you've done with all the prompts so far. Hee!

So Teal'c is into Star Trek now as well as Star Wars? I think Mitchell's been influencing the others. LOL

Heh - I think it would kill me to do *counts* 13 prompts actually at the museum. *g* Glad you're liking them!

And you know Teal'c - he loves his Earth pop culture. A heck of a lot more than Daniel does. Plus - bored, not allowed out of the Mountain, given a television... :)

I love how Daniel knew instantly who had successfully picked his pocket!

Naqada period? Really? Oh, SG-1. :)

(so why do we spell it "naquadah," then?)

(so why do we spell it "naquadah," then?)

a) Because transliteration of Ancient Egyptian is a somewhat approximate art; and (more likely):

b) Because Stargate Spelling is Speshul. Really, just count yourself lucky it doesn't have an apostrophe in it. *g*

just count yourself lucky it doesn't have an apostrophe in it

::giggles uncontrollably::

But to be fair, yes, transliteration can be tricky, especially if one language has sounds that the other doesn't. I am infinitely amused at some of the spellings I see on a day-to-day basis.

What rydra_wong said. Honestly, a walk through the Egyptian galleries is quite a squee-fest for a Stargate fan. I keep looking out for Seth jokes in the hieroglyphs. *g*

London pickpockets have nothing on Vala. :)

Cam went up those stairs to the left, when we came in, he said he...

Because I am a sad person, I immediately started trying to work out where Cam ended up.

(My mental map says Greek And Roman Life, probably trying not to snicker at the penis windchimes.)

"Science Museum!" said Sam, excitedly. There was a chorus of groans.

But there are excellent burgers there! With activity boxes for distractable small children. Which would, you know, totally work on Jack.

The five of them watched. Daniel had actually stopped in mid chew. They couldn't help but watch.

"Vroooooooooom!"

"Daniel?"

Daniel swallowed and looked at Sam. "Yeah?"

"How did he make General?"

They both continued to watch as Jack played with his Snoopy Red Baron toy that he'd received with his Happy Meal.

Bwah! Awwwww... *ruffles his hair* He's very special. *g*

I think Cam was very sensibly going away from the archaeology lecture. The 'where' was a purely secondary consideration. :)

(Mediaeval Europe? Lots of Viking swords and stuff?)

I can just imagine Jack in the Launch Pad... Eesh.

Mediaeval Europe? Lots of Viking swords and stuff?

Perfect! And also reachable by the stairs on the left when you go in. (Yes, this matters to me *g*.)

Cam just needs to say a prayer of thanks that he wasn't with Sam and/or Jack when the penis windchimes were spied. Because the big penis with wings and with more wings on its own little penis and another little penis on its tail is just possibly the Best Artifact in London, and the determined avoidance of eye contact it would have engendered would have had someone walking into glass cases.

OMG they have it online:

http://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/highlights/highlight_objects/gr/b/bronze_phallic_wind_chime_tin.aspx

And yes. Teal'c would maintain an air of serene calm with only the slightest corner-of-the-mouth twitch at the others' reactions, Daniel would discourse seriously about the erect phallus as a symbol of good luck in Greco-Roman culture, Vala would think it was darling and be terribly disappointed that there weren't copies to be purchased (or otherwise acquired) in the gift shop, Jack would develop a sudden overwhelming interest in the bronze gladiator's helmet over on the other side of the room, and Sam would smirk.

N.B. For the record, when acting as tour guide to London, I did take

robynbender to see things other than the penis windchimes.

They're just ... memorable.

OMG, that settles it. *friends you immediately* That's priceless. (I'm with Vala - where can I buy one?! *g*)

Because the big penis with wings and with more wings on its own little penis and another little penis on its tail is just possibly the Best Artifact in London

I have somehow managed to miss it, until now, but I am SO going to see it, asap.

Heehee, yes, it would definitely bring out the 14-year-old side in certain members (ahem) of SG-1. *g*

Indeed. [vbeg]

As a tour guide (as in so many other arenas) r_w ROCKS. I never made it to Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, or the Tower of London, because THE DAYS WERE JUST PACKED with key and amazing stuff.

Several of my favorites were at the Petrie, including a wonderful clay statue, just a few inches big, of a round and happy seated woman, um, "touching her pudendal area," as the label put it.

The Petrie collection would put a lump in Daniel's throat, actually, because it has the artifacts of everyday Egyptian life. Things like a child's sandals and toys, a man's shirt, women's tools, household dishes, little personal gods. Very familiar everyday stuff to him, and not so distanced and academic as the gold and the monumental paintings.

There was an immediacy to the Petrie -- they had a letter from the supervisor of a weaving shop to her boss, reporting in exasperated tones that there were difficulties achieving production goals and quality standards because the girls working for her were clumsy, frivolous, careless, slow to learn, and uninterested in improving. Which might not have caught SG-1's eyes, but cracked *me* up in a spirit of supervisory sisterhood.

The Petrie collection would put a lump in Daniel's throat, actually

It really would.

pepper_field, I must have babbled at you about the Petrie, right? I spent a lot of time there when I was writing "Scotoma", scrounging details.

Yep, you mentioned the Petrie - I've got it down as a place I must go visit, but haven't as yet got around to organising myself. I have bookmarked their webpage, though. :)

Ooh - the Petrie. Long time since I have been there but I do need to go to see if they have a scribe's palette to photograph. I am having one made for my birthday so when I go to do my teaching bit with 150 kids and hieroglyphs in the summer [scary scary] I will have something to wave about.

Can I invite myself along and volunteer to translate a few hieroglyphs for you?

*chortles* I loved this. Everyone is spot on and it is great to see Jack back with the team!

"I've been assimilated..." A looong time ago, Daniel. *g*

Hee, thank you! Yeah, Daniel has no hope of escape. I don't think he really hates that, though. :)

Thank you!! *Squishes ficlet tightly*

Aw, you're welcome! I spent the time picturing them all there, and it was oddly entertaining for me. *g*

That was too cute.

Daniel in a place he loves and Vala watching his wallet for him.

Teal'c quoting the Borg is awesome.

Vala "watching" his wallet... Yes, I'm not sure I'd trust her to watch anything financial of mine. :)

Heh, glad you liked! Teal'c is so very much a hidden geek, I think. :)

Oh my goodness, that was absolutely brilliant! The interaction was spot on, and I'm so happy that you somehow got Daniel in a foam Pharaoh's headdress. *diez*

Thank you for adding a little sparkle to my otherwise mundane and sluggish day.

The headdresses are real, too! I saw them at the Tutankhamun exhibition, and they popped into my brain for this, as the sort of thing that Jack would love to embarrass his teammates by wearing. *g*

I'm glad it helped - I hope the rest of your day is, er... less mundane and sluggish. :)

Hee! Loved Vala's "ew, dead bodies." bit!

You capture them all so well! I'm loving this little series!

Thanks!

:) I do love Vala, but I almost never write her. I'm glad they worked - I struggle with Cam, and Vala, and getting them all in one fic... well, I was tempted to boot some of them out, but they wanted to play. *g*

Thank you!

"Oh, dear lord," said Daniel. "Jack. In public?" Then he flinched violently when hands descended, cramming a similar object on to his own head. He reached up to touch it tentatively, and looked at Teal'c. "Just what I've always wanted," he said, faintly. "A plush Pharoah's headdress."

BWAH!
You are awesome! Very, very awesome! *loves*

He'd look so cute. They should get one as a present for Thor. :)

Heehee, thank you! :)

Oh, you are a genius!!! This is so much fun and every line is grin inducing. :0)

Aw, thank you! It's nice to be appreciated. *g* It looked for a while like Daniel was going to be serious and thinky, but... well, the rest of the team had other ideas. :)

I was there a year ago (already!?) and that mummified body and the skeleton in the casket - really stuck in my mind. you just made me relive it - thank you!!!

and yes, I was walking through the whole place looking for Stargate references ;o)

gonna go find my pics of these scenes in the museum now...

Heh, they're pretty stunning, aren't they? I do love the Egyptian rooms. And not just for the Stargate squee. *g*

Glad I could remind you! Thanks for the feedback. :)

Me too! If I hadn't been an SG fan I don't think I would have enjoyed the museum half as much...

So fun, thank you! They were all great, my favorite parts were Vala picking Daniel's pocket and Jack being bewildered at why this is special for Daniel

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Yet another British Museum ficlet

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I remember this room!

Re: I remember this room!

Re: I remember this room!

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