Not, by Tallulah Rasa (estimated PG)

[rydra_wong]

Rec Category: Jack O'Neill
Pairing: none, Jack-Daniel friendship
Category: gen, drama, humour, AU
Warnings: spoilers through "Homecoming"
Author on LJ: not on LJ, alas
Author's Website: Tallulah Abridged
Link: Not

Why This Must Be Read:

Tallulah Rasa writes some of the best character-driven gen around. In this AU, Daniel doesn't regain any of his memories after his descension, and the rest of the team tries to deal (or, in Jack's case, fails to deal).

This is a fascinating and credible portrait of someone who both is and is Not Daniel Jackson, but it's also a poignant and funny look at Jack through the eyes of someone who doesn't know him, as he deals with grief and loss with all the openness, patience, and emotional communication skills that we have come to expect from Jack O'Neill.

Not.

( A snippet )

East of the Sun, West of the Moon by Dossier [R]

[sholio]

Rec Category: John Sheppard

Pairing: background Rodney/OFC
Category: Atlantis, AU, Sheppard, McKay, drama
Warning: supporting character death
Author on LJ: dossier
Author's Website: dossier's story page
Link: East of the Sun, West of the Moon (chaptered) - or all on one page (828Kb)

Why This Must Be Read: East of the Sun, West of the Moon is one of those fanfics that comes along only rarely in a fandom. I really cannot recommend this story highly enough. It's amazing, unique, emotionally powerful, and truly a science fiction novel in every sense, with a tight plot, believable OCs and a detailed, well-realized alien culture and world.

In this canon-divergent AU, the Daedalus fails to stop the rogue F-302 in "Intruder", and is subsequently forced to make a crash landing on the nearest planet, a desert world with no Stargate. Cut off from any hope of rescue, the survivors (John, Rodney, Elizabeth, Lorne, etc) are forced to make a new life for themselves -- but that's not even the half of their problems. I've only had a few fanfics get this deeply into my emotions, or into my head; it made me struggle along with the characters, laugh with them, bleed with them, and when it was over I was left desperately wanting more from this 'verse.

Since I'm reccing this in the John Sheppard category, dossier's characterization of Sheppard deserves a special nod. Despite being very well-represented in fanfic, Sheppard is often portrayed as a somewhat one-note character -- either he's written as a flawless hero (stoic, brave to a fault, never bearing a petty thought towards another person) or as a loveable dork, or, less commonly, there's "dark John", the closet sociopath. But John in East of the Sun is wonderfully multi-dimensional and human. He struggles, he fails, he hurts himself and others, he sometimes gives in to pettiness and emotional cowardice; but he also fights to be a better person, and tries to do the right thing even if it costs him greatly. He's still the recognizable John Sheppard that we know and love, but, like all the characters in this story, he also grows and changes, and part of what makes him a sympathetic hero is that we see him falter, fall and have to pick himself back up again.

This story wow'd me, and seriously, it really deserves to be one of the handful of well-known must-reads in this fandom. It's that good.

While it's difficult to give an impression of a novel-sized story from one small snippet, here's a bit from the first chapter:

( Snippet )

The Tale of John and BunBun by Raisintorte (PG)

[silver_galaxy]

Category: Humour

Pairing: none
Category: Humour, crack!fic, John Sheppard
Warning: none
Author on LJ: raisintorte
Author's website: Baked Goods

Link: The Tale of John and BunBun

Why this must be read:

“Yes, I’ve had a lot of nuts, but they aren’t enough. Especially when there are perfectly good little almost!bunnies hopping around this island just waiting to become Almost!Bunny Stew and you won’t let me eat them!” Rodney poked his finger at John.

This is crack!fic at its best. Whilst offworld John develops a sudden attachment to the almost!bunnies and has a desire to become vegetarian. Of course the rest of the team is quite concerned, especially Rodney & Ronon who are getting hungry! Eventually discover that an Ancient is behind the whole thing, but not before everyone's is ready to put John in a straight jacket 

This is definitely a fic to read if you want a laugh, plus there are Beatrix Potter references :)

( Sneak peek... )