stargateficrec | The Magical Number Seven (Plus or Minus Two) by General Jinjur (PG)

Show: Stargate Atlantis
Rec Category: John Sheppard
Characters: John Sheppard, Rodney McKay, Teyla Emmagan, Ronon Dex, Larrin, Elizabeth Weir, Samantha Carter
Pairing: none
Het/Slash/Gen: Gen
Warning: character deaths; AU (goes AU from Tabula Rasa)
Author on LJ:

general_jinjur
Author's Website: stuff and things
Link: The Magical Number Seven (Plus or Minus Two)

Why this must be read: This is an absolutely brilliant, mind-bending AU. After Tabula Rasa, the characters don't regain their memories; this is combined with an AU of This Mortal Coil (in which the RepliTeam don't die), and what emerges when these two plot threads are twined together is a really incredible exploration of identity -- of who we are, and what makes us us, and what aspects of our connections to other people can transcend memory and self (and what can't). This is a stunning look at Sheppard from the inside out, an in-depth examination of what makes him Sheppard and what happens when his concept of himself is turned inside out, what he keeps when his world is shattered and rebuilt. His story is woven in and out of the other characters' lives as they, too, try to understand their current situation, deal with what they've lost, and rebuild. I was amazed and impressed at the author's ability to juggle a large cast and complicated plot without losing track of anything, and to maintain the emotional power of the characters' ties in canon when they're having to rebuild those ties from the ground up. And the twists and turns kept surprising me, a rare thing to find in fanfic, where so many ideas have been worn down into predictability. If you want a novel-length fanfic that takes hold of you and won't let go, hopefully this one will suck you in as it did me.