stargateficrec | The Pirate's Prisoner by Eildon Rhymer (PG-13)

Rec Category: John Sheppard & Rodney McKay friendship

Pairing: none
Category: Atlantis, AU, gen
Warning: none
Author on LJ:

rhymer23
Author's Website: Assorted Fanfic by Me
Link: The Pirate's Prisoner

Why This Must Be Read: If "because they're pirates!" isn't enough of a reason ...

Rodney McKay, learned 18th-century scholar and inventor, is abducted by the notorious Captain John Sheppard -- second-most-wanted pirate in the Caribbean -- and his crew, to build a very special machine. Rodney tries to adjust to his new, unexpected and unwanted life, hoping for rescue while slowly getting to know the enigmatic Captain Sheppard and crew, who are not exactly the bloodthirsty killers that their reputation suggests. Brisk-paced, funny and exciting by turns, with swashbuckling high-seas action interspersed with quiet moments on the ship, this story builds an AU version of Rodney's friendship with John and the team that's slow, believable and true to their canon characterizations. It could easily have been total pirate crack, and, well, it kinda is, in all the good ways, but it's so much more.

As the icing on the AU cake, the story includes assorted drawings, diagrams, folk songs and other "found" materials from the era, illustrating and embellishing the crew's adventures.

The preview under the cut is probably my favorite of these -- a scrap of Rodney's scientific plans.

Rodney McKay gifted all his "plans, ruminations, essays and all the astonishing truths contained within my papers" to the nation. Sadly, the nation was less grateful than McKay doubtless expected her to be, and few papers survive. This scrap, however, surfaced last year during refurbishment work, when it was discovered being used as insulation in a loft in Lowestoft.