Watchful by Laytoncolt (R)

[hooloovoo-too.livejournal.com]

Rec Category: Slash
Pairing: John/Rodney
Category: Slash
Warning: Slash, character death, sinister!Atlantis
Author on LJ: laytoncolt
Link: Watchful
Summary: They say to be careful what you wish for.
Why This Must Be Read:

Considering that the most common slash pairings in the SGA fandom feature a ranking military officer as a prominent member, there are shockingly few fics out there that deal with Don't Ask Don't Tell. And there are even fewer that raise the question of what happens when John is outed as gay, and the discoverer isn't okay with that fact. This is one of that small number.

I like this fic because it doesn't gloss over the reality of John's military designation, but there's more to love here than that. I like it because laytoncolt also gets into issues of whether the Ancients were entirely benevolent, and whether Atlantis is entirely safe. Ever since Hot Zone, I've been a fan of the idea that the Ancients may not be the kind entities that they appear at first glance. This story plays with the idea that perhaps their technology is more neutral towards human life than it might appear, and that human nature might influence Atlantis for both good or ill.

These two themes work to create a fic that I found deeply thought provoking. Often we don't want to imagine what would happen to John's future if he was confronted with DADT, but this fic does a good job of conveying his panic and uncertainty. It's ultimately a story about the most volatile human emotions: love, fear, lust, envy, guilt. I liked the way that in the context of the story, the impersonal regulations and technology become a vehicle for an examination of very human weaknesses in Elizabeth, and in John and Rodney.