stargateficrec | Indelible, by shaenie

Rec Category: John Sheppard/Rodney McKay
Characters: John Sheppard, Rodney McKay
Pairing: John Sheppard/Rodney McKay
Category: slash, first time, humor
Warning: slash
Author on LJ:

shaenie
Author's Website: Mindless Entertainment With Absolutely No Redeeming Features (I'm not trying to be sly, here; the site is named that by the author! hehe)
Link: Indelible on LJ (index post) Indelible (on the author's website)

 Why This Must Be Read:
This fic is very hard to summarize; so much happens in it that feels organic--a part of the flow of the story and the characterizations within--that it feels like telling a secret or a spoiler to divulge much of it. It's an 'aftermath' story in many ways, a story of realization that shows that realization in a way that most stories can't do without feeling thin and drawn out. It's also very funny and clever, and the character voices were so well done that I could picture them clearly, particularly Rodney.

Long fics are tricky creatures--they have to keep our attention, stay consistent with characterization, provide believable tension in the action/romance--and it helps to have a intriguing plotline and/or a fresh take on a beloved trope. This story does all these things. There was no moment where I felt like I wanted to skip a few paragraphs ahead, and quite a few moments where I felt that elusive but delightful 'oh. OH.' when I figured out where something was headed, or realized the meaning behind a name, word, or phrase.

Part of why I loved this story so much was the complete immersion in John's PoV. I felt as though I was discovering things as John was, and even more importantly, that the story itself was discovering things as it went. Both the reader and John start the story believing things will go the way they always do--typical off-world mission, tricky negotiations with the natives, the whole nine yards. We're both wrong, but the journey to figuring that out is fun and captivating. At the point where I found myself thinking, 'oh, I can't WAIT to see them fall in love,' I knew I was hooked--and the resolution of the mind-bogglingly fabulous UST was everything I was hoping it would be.