Getting To Know You by Bluflamingo (PG-13)
Jun. 2nd, 2009 08:38 pm![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
asugar.livejournal.com posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
stargateficrecRec Category: Major Evan Lorne
Pairing: None
Category: Major Evan Lorne, Gen, Laura Cadman, Friendship
Warning: None
Author on LJ: http://bluflamingo.livejournal.com/
Author's Website: http://bluflamingo.livejournal.com/62695.html or http://bluflamingo.zonezine.net/index.html
Link: http://bluflamingo.livejournal.com/44860.html
Why This Must Be Read: While Bluflamingo may be celebrated for her award-winning slash stories, particularly those featuring Lorne and the pairing of John Sheppard and Cameron Mitchell, her equally wonderful (and many) gen works are sadly less known, particularly to those who prefer gen and therefore might have overlooked the author. I must urge gen fans not to miss out on her sensitive, restrained and highly nuanced writing. I think Bluflamingo has a real gift for shining a bright light on a character and his or her motivations during unremarkable moments, especially those of quiet introspection or humorous and warm friendship and camaraderie. The bonds between her characters are palpably strong and genuine. I particularly like how she writes Lorne, Sheppard, Mitchell and Cadman.
A favorite example of Bluflamingo's gen friendship pieces is the SG1-set Getting To Know You, in which Evan Lorne and Laura Cadman meet under less than auspicious circumstances (he's sneaking out of the SGC infirmary early). Cadman agrees to look the other way (while barely suppressing laughter) and a friendship is born. Bluflamingo quickly convinces the reader that these two could be best friends and support and sustain the other through good times and bad, despite the disparity in rank. As a written here, the two share more than just their wry sense of humor and fantastically snarky sarcastic streaks. They are both loyal, brave, stubborn, smart and unflappable. Bluflamingo leaves me wanting more of them having fun as they try to survive the Milky Way (and later Pegasus) together.
A snippet...
Laura’s first reaction when the door to the infirmary opens and a man in a blood-spattered t-shirt peers cautiously round it is to reach for her radio earpiece, because she’s had six months to get used to working in a place where it’s actually weird *not* to have aliens trying to take over your work-place at least a couple of times a month, and some habits develop fast.
He turns in her direction when her hand is still halfway there, and shakes his head, pressing a single finger to his lips. Laura hesitates, even knowing that hesitation tends to be what gets you killed around here, but there’s something in his eyes that says he’s not been taken over by an alien consciousness, and that she can trust him.
She drops her hand and he nods once in thanks, then slips fully through the door, closing it carefully behind himself.
He’s dressed in off-world BDUs and boots, a line of stitches running down the left side of his face and his left forearm wrapped in clean bandages, stark white against his muddy skin. His jacket is slung over his other arm, but Laura can still see the tear in the sleeve, and doesn’t envy him having to go and beg a replacement from the store keeper.
She can’t remember ever seeing him before, but he’s clearly on a gate team, given the uniform, and he’s older than her by enough that she’s fairly confident he’s senior. “You okay there, sir?”
“I’m fine, thank you.” He looks both ways down the empty corridor again – it’s pretty early for most people to be wandering around, but Laura’s still on M7Y 412 time after just spending two weeks there. “If anyone asks, you never saw me.”
Laura keeps her face completely still, not letting out the laugh that wants to escape. There’s a grin playing round his eyes, but she can do deadpan better than anyone else she knows. “Saw who, sir? I definitely didn’t see a man sneaking out of the infirmary, probably against doctor’s orders, or tell him that General O’Neill is in a meeting down that corridor and would totally turn the man I didn’t see in to the medical staff at a later date.”
He blinks at her, then gestures in the same direction she was pointing. “O’Neill’s down that corridor?”
“Yes, sir. Just, you know, as a passing mention.”
“Right. Thanks.”
“No problem, sir,” Laura said, watching him do a pretty convincing impression of someone who totally has permission to leave the infirmary, before carrying on back to her own quarters.
Pairing: None
Category: Major Evan Lorne, Gen, Laura Cadman, Friendship
Warning: None
Author on LJ: http://bluflamingo.livejournal.com/
Author's Website: http://bluflamingo.livejournal.com/62695.html or http://bluflamingo.zonezine.net/index.html
Link: http://bluflamingo.livejournal.com/44860.html
Why This Must Be Read: While Bluflamingo may be celebrated for her award-winning slash stories, particularly those featuring Lorne and the pairing of John Sheppard and Cameron Mitchell, her equally wonderful (and many) gen works are sadly less known, particularly to those who prefer gen and therefore might have overlooked the author. I must urge gen fans not to miss out on her sensitive, restrained and highly nuanced writing. I think Bluflamingo has a real gift for shining a bright light on a character and his or her motivations during unremarkable moments, especially those of quiet introspection or humorous and warm friendship and camaraderie. The bonds between her characters are palpably strong and genuine. I particularly like how she writes Lorne, Sheppard, Mitchell and Cadman.
A favorite example of Bluflamingo's gen friendship pieces is the SG1-set Getting To Know You, in which Evan Lorne and Laura Cadman meet under less than auspicious circumstances (he's sneaking out of the SGC infirmary early). Cadman agrees to look the other way (while barely suppressing laughter) and a friendship is born. Bluflamingo quickly convinces the reader that these two could be best friends and support and sustain the other through good times and bad, despite the disparity in rank. As a written here, the two share more than just their wry sense of humor and fantastically snarky sarcastic streaks. They are both loyal, brave, stubborn, smart and unflappable. Bluflamingo leaves me wanting more of them having fun as they try to survive the Milky Way (and later Pegasus) together.
A snippet...
Laura’s first reaction when the door to the infirmary opens and a man in a blood-spattered t-shirt peers cautiously round it is to reach for her radio earpiece, because she’s had six months to get used to working in a place where it’s actually weird *not* to have aliens trying to take over your work-place at least a couple of times a month, and some habits develop fast.
He turns in her direction when her hand is still halfway there, and shakes his head, pressing a single finger to his lips. Laura hesitates, even knowing that hesitation tends to be what gets you killed around here, but there’s something in his eyes that says he’s not been taken over by an alien consciousness, and that she can trust him.
She drops her hand and he nods once in thanks, then slips fully through the door, closing it carefully behind himself.
He’s dressed in off-world BDUs and boots, a line of stitches running down the left side of his face and his left forearm wrapped in clean bandages, stark white against his muddy skin. His jacket is slung over his other arm, but Laura can still see the tear in the sleeve, and doesn’t envy him having to go and beg a replacement from the store keeper.
She can’t remember ever seeing him before, but he’s clearly on a gate team, given the uniform, and he’s older than her by enough that she’s fairly confident he’s senior. “You okay there, sir?”
“I’m fine, thank you.” He looks both ways down the empty corridor again – it’s pretty early for most people to be wandering around, but Laura’s still on M7Y 412 time after just spending two weeks there. “If anyone asks, you never saw me.”
Laura keeps her face completely still, not letting out the laugh that wants to escape. There’s a grin playing round his eyes, but she can do deadpan better than anyone else she knows. “Saw who, sir? I definitely didn’t see a man sneaking out of the infirmary, probably against doctor’s orders, or tell him that General O’Neill is in a meeting down that corridor and would totally turn the man I didn’t see in to the medical staff at a later date.”
He blinks at her, then gestures in the same direction she was pointing. “O’Neill’s down that corridor?”
“Yes, sir. Just, you know, as a passing mention.”
“Right. Thanks.”
“No problem, sir,” Laura said, watching him do a pretty convincing impression of someone who totally has permission to leave the infirmary, before carrying on back to her own quarters.
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