Threshold Missing Scene, by Lex (PG-13)

[sg-fignewton.livejournal.com]

Rec Category: Teal'c

Pairing: none
Category: Teal'c, episode related, Daniel Jackson, drama, angst, friendship
Warning: brainwashed!Teal'c, some violence
Author on LJ: unknown
Author's Website: The Tablet
Link: Threshold Missing Scene

Why This Must Be Read: This story takes place between the end of Enemies and the beginning of Threshold, when Teal'c is still thoroughly brainwashed by Apophis and doing everything he possibly can to escape the evil Tau'ri and get back to his master. Told from the point of a view of a hapless newcomer SF, who gets a very much unwanted indoctrination into the insanity that is life in SG-1, Lex gives us a clear idea of just how difficult it is to deal with a brainwashed Teal'c who doesn't want to cooperate.

I love a good OC - probably because they're so difficult to find. Too many authors, when writing from the POV of a minor character from the show or an original one of their own, tend to allow their own creation to overshadow the characters most fans want to read about. Lex deftly avoids that pitfall. Sergeant Mark Wilkins makes an excellent voice, a fresh angle by which we can observe Daniel and Teal'c in a most unusual situation. Teal'c, despite his situation, is shown to be highly intelligent - something that too many fanfic writers (and all too often, the writers of the show!) forget. Add in some gratuitous McKenzie bashing (and who doesn't enjoy that?) and a perfectly-in-character cameo from Jack, and you've got yourself a real keeper.

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Assess This, by Betacandy (PG)

[sg-fignewton.livejournal.com]

Rec Category: Janet

Pairing: none
Category: Janet Frasier, episode related, humor, team
Warning: none
Author on LJ: betacandy_sgfic
Author's Website: The Hathor Legacy
Link: Assess This

Why This Must Be Read: Betacandy is one of the reigning queens of Stargate gen fiction, with a deft hand at characterization and dialogue. In this fic, Janet is thrown straight into the SGC madhouse, when she meets SG-1 for the first time after the events of Emancipation. Janet's reactions to SG-1 are perfect; she is still an outsider, after all, struggling to understand new experiences like the alien "Mr. Teal'c." Throughout the medical exam and debriefing, Betacandy leads us through Janet's initial snap judgements and her cautious reassessments of Jack, Daniel, Teal'c, and Sam. It's not only Janet's first impressions that matter, but SG-1's first impressions of her... and by the end of this short story, it's clear that all five can look forward to a lasting, rewarding friendship.

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Endeavor Series, by Redbyrd (PG)

[sg-fignewton.livejournal.com]

Rec Category: Gen

Pairing: none
Category: gen, original character, humor, drama, episode related, Sam Carter, Daniel Jackson
Warning: some language
Author on LJ: redbyrd_sgfic
Author's Website: Redbyrd's Stargate Fanfiction
Link: Desperate Endeavor, first part of three; links to next part at the end of each section

Why This Must Be Read: Not only does Redbyrd write the most wonderful gen stories, but she is also an absolute master of writing good-quality fic from the POV of a minor or original character - a truly rare talent among Stargate fanfic authors. Her stories are all episode-based, and many of these are from classic perspectives; but she also cleverly gives us the points-of-view of those minor characters that wander into the episode, look around in bemusement, then wander out again. Nyan, Krista, Stephen Raynor, Ferretti, the Tok'ra Kanan - all these serve as the narrators in various Redbyrd fics, giving us unique perspectives on the episodes we know and love so well.

In the Endeavor series, Redbyrd goes for a truly unique POV: the astronauts who rescue Jack, Sam, Teal'c, and Bra'tac from the crippled death gliders at the end of Serpent's Lair. Bewildered at the rapid change of events and fascinated by the four people they rescue, the four crewmen of the shuttle Endeavor go searching for the people they'd met and the wondrous, terrifying world that they'd glimpsed. By the time the series has ended, Redbyrd has delightfully woven the events of Message in a Bottle into the story, giving her own original character a perfectly legitimate cameo on the actual show.

While the Endeavor series might seem to start a bit slowly to some readers, it's well worth reading for a fun and different perspective on SG-1.

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You Can't Always Get What You Want, by Betacandy (PG-13)

[sg-fignewton.livejournal.com]

Rec Category: Gen

Pairing: none, although there are allusions
Category: gen, episode related, humor, drama, angst, team, time travel
Warning: references to deaths on show, emotional whumpage, clashing of timelines, some language
Author on LJ: betacandy_sgfic
Author's Website: The Hathor Legacy
Link: You Can't Always Get What You Want

Why This Must Be Read: While this story has been recc'ed before, it was then a WIP. Since then, Betacandy has moved her stories to a different URL and completed this wonderful, angsty, emotion hitting fic. This story does an incredible job of wrapping up all the loose ends of Season Eight, starting from Moebius and finishing with Threads (well, it is a time-travel story!), with an extra Season Seven thread neatly knotted, too.

If you felt horrified at the idea of Daniel stranded alone for five years in Ancient Egypt, only to be saddled with the dysfunctional AU Jack and Sam; if you ever wished that someone would help Daniel recognize his own worth and essential value; if you want to see a realistic happy ending for a lot of people who really deserve it, then this fic is definitely for you.

If you're looking for the rest of Betacandy's fics, now that she's changed URLs, she has a permanent link on her LJ to all her stories: story index

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Downgraded by Brenda Anders (PG)

[janedavitt.livejournal.com]

Rec Category: Jack
Pairing: None.
Category: Gen
Warning: Set after 'Upgrades' spoilers for that episode
Author on LJ: Not known.
Author's Website: Bunnyfic.com
Link: Downgraded
Why This Must Be Read: This fic shows Jack as team leader, dealing with the letdown three of them are feeling, as well as Teal'c's sense of isolation as he didn't get to wear an armband. Jack's abilities as a motivator and leader are vital to the success of every mission and I love fics that explore that side of him, as this one does.