Second Verse (Same as the First) by Friendshipper/Sholio (PG-13)

[asugar.livejournal.com]

Rec Category: Teyla
Pairing: None
Category: Teyla, John Sheppard, Gen, John & Teyla Friendship, Non-Consensual, Dark, Rape
Warning: Mention of non-consensual sex and very adult concepts
Author on LJ: http://friendshipper.livejournal.com/
Author's Website: http://friendshipper.laylalawlor.com/
Link: http://community.livejournal.com/sga_flashfic/710889.html

Why This Must Be Read: On a visit to a favorite expedition recreational spot, Teyla discovers how the people of M2X-373, known by the Marines as "the Planet of the Willing Virgins," regard these seemingly innocent interactions. The revelation forces Teyla to re-examine how the people from Earth deal with the people of Pegasus. This story exposes the sordid truth about how the technologically advanced and heavily armed people of Atlantis, and by extension, Earth, deal with less advanced, few in number and vulnerable indigenous peoples in Pegasus and our own galaxy. We like to pretend that these interactions are different from what occurred between the peoples of Europe and the indigenous peoples of the Americas, Africa, Australia and Asia during the colonial period. We hope that, at the very least, the Lanteans are not cheating anyone out of Manhattan with some beads and smallpox-infested blankets. However, too often in fanfiction and in canon that does not seem to be the case. Think back to Sheppard and Aiden's "negotiation" for shelter with Smeadon and the Manarans in "The Storm" for example.

There are many kinds of rape and coercion, both literal and economic. Where there is a disparity of power, either between trading or sexual partners, can there ever be true and willing consent? By allying herself and her people with the Lanteans, is Teyla equally guilty of their crimes? What, if anything, can be done to prevent this from occurring again?

Friendshipper uses Teyla's POV beautifully. Her emotions of growing suspicion, and then horror, guilt, shame, betrayal, anger and fear match the reader's and add much to the story. Her unique role as the only woman on the team and as the leader of the first Pegasus people to ally with the Lanteans, allows the reader to view the situation with her from an unusual perspective.

Night Watch by Pilgrim Soul (PG)

[asugar.livejournal.com]

Rec Category: Original Character
Pairing: None
Category: Original Character, Character Study, John Sheppard
Warning: None
Author on LJ: http://a-pilgrim-soul.livejournal.com/
Author's Website: None
Link: http://a-pilgrim-soul.livejournal.com/2871.html

Why This Must Be Read: I love stories about the military members of the Atlantis expedition. This is a lovely little piece from the first-person-perspective of a newbie Marine on night watch on a lonely pier of Atlantis. A conversation with a melancholy Sheppard, also out in the dark watching the water, reveals as much about the isolated colonel as it does the lieutenant.

( A snippet of the story... )

Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda by liketheriver (PG-13)

[asugar.livejournal.com]

Rec Category: Original Character
Pairing: None
Category: Original Character, John Sheppard, Hurt/Comfort, Gen
Warning: None
Author on LJ: http://liketheriverrun.livejournal.com/
Author's Website: http://www.fanfiction.net/u/755674/
Link: http://community.livejournal.com/sga_flashfic/824414.html

Why This Must Be Read: Sheppard's team are rescued off-world by teams led by Lorne and Major Slater. During their egress, an already injured Sheppard and Slater end up separated from the others and in deep water under a broken floor. Slater must keep his CO alive and get them out of there.

This is a marvelous Sheppard whumper and the author has created a wonderful character in the good-humored and pragmatic Slater. The vividness of his personality and his affection and respect for his teammates, Atlantis and his much-injured CO elevate this story above the standard Sheppard-gets-hurt-and-rescued fic. The wonderful picture drawn of Slater's team and their various misadventures shows that there's more than one Atlantis team who are like family to each other and that we'd enjoy spending more time with. Maybe the author will give us a sequel with more of Slater and his team?

( Read more... )

Turn of the Year by Tielan (PG-13)

[asugar.livejournal.com]

Rec Category: Teyla
Pairing: Teyla Emmagan/John Sheppard (very mild and only at end)
Category: Teyla, John Sheppard, Teyla Emmagan/John Sheppard,
Warning: None
Author on LJ: http://tielan.livejournal.com/
Author's Website: http://www.thedragonborn.net/fanfic/ficindex-tiel.htm
Link: http://tielan.livejournal.com/104579.html

Why This Must Be Read: This story seems very appropriate as we stumble our way through the first weeks of the new year, and after the series finale next week, the beginning of a Stargate-free year. It's rare to see an author delve into Teyla's culture and traditions. In this moving and meditative story, Teyla allows John, Rodney and Ronon to join she and the Athosian children on the traditional New Year's ritual pilgrimage to a sacred off-world site in the early dawn hours for the turn of the year and the feast to follow.

Tielan is the acknowledged master of writing Teyla and this story is no exception. It's beautifully written and our view of the mysterious sacred site, as told from the point of view of the neophyte John, is a dazzling one. There are many laugh-out loud moments, especially concerning Ronon, Rodney and the Athosians. The author calls this story fluffy; I would disagree. There are threads of seriousness throughout in the mentions of John and Teyla's oppositional and often problematic genetic gifts, the expedition's abandonment of the Athosians in "The Return," and the shifting relationship between John and Teyla, which they reappraise as the new year begins.

( A brief glimpse... )

Made to be Broken by Tierney Beckett (PG)

[asugar.livejournal.com]

Rec Category: Gen
Pairing: None
Category: Gen, John Sheppard, Humor, Jack O'Neill, Sam Carter
Warning: None
Author on LJ: None known
Author's Website: http://www.myspace.com/randomravings
Link: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/3851953/1/

Why This Must Be Read: Poor Sam. The fact that John Sheppard and Jack O'Neill are way too alike is demonstrated in this story, which cracks me up every time. John comes to Sam with a proposal for an addition for her next report to Earth since General O'Neill will be minding the store at the SGC. This brief little tribute to the SG-1 episode "Window of Opportunity" is pure crack-tastic fun and completely in character for all three Air Force officers.

Evander's Heir by ShepsReyna (PG-13)

[asugar.livejournal.com]

Rec Category: Gen
Pairing: None
Category: Gen, John Sheppard, Jack O'Neill, Team, SGA, Steven Caldwell, Teyla Emmagan, Elizabeth Weir, Action/Adventure, AU, Hurt/Comfort
Warning: Sheppard Whumping, Battle scenes, Original Character Death
Author on LJ: None
Author's Website: http://www.fanfiction.net/u/1392830/ShepsReyna
Link: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/3828287/1/Evanders_Heir

Why This Must Be Read: The team visits a distant world that is the seat of the throne of Armentarii, ruler of a five planet kingdom that has been sheltered from the Wraith by its unique location for more than 10,000 years. The throne is safeguarded by the Guardians for the one to fufill the prophecy that "Sheppard the son of Evander shall return from Terra after 10 millennia and lead his people to victory.” Evander was an Ancient who established and protected this medieval structured yet technologically advanced society before he was forced to flee to Earth. The IOA and SGC are eager to gain access to the technology and shelter from the Wraith offered and order Sheppard to cooperate with the Guardians to determine if he is Evander's heir. Sheppard must undergo various trials and develop his ATA gene-given latent mental abilities but these tests are the least of his troubles in this fabulous story.

( More about the story... )

Unmanifest Destiny by vain_glorious (PG-13)

[asugar.livejournal.com]

Rec Category: Gen
Pairing: None
Category: AU, Earthside, Gen, John Sheppard, Team, SGA, Episode-related, Steven Caldwell, Sam Carter
Warning: Small mention of a character death
Author on LJ: http://vain-glorious.livejournal.com/
Author's Website: None
Link: http://vain-glorious.livejournal.com/14937.html

Why This Must Be Read: Unmanifest Destiny is hard to recommend without spoiling but it is a story that EVERY SGA fan must read. It is that good and powerful on the subject of our team and Sheppard as both the glue that holds them together so tightly and the sun around which they all orbit. It's one of my favorite stories in the fandom. All I can say is that it a post-"Search and Rescue" AU of the team and Teyla's new baby taking a road trip on Earth.

It's fun to see the characters in such a mundane setting and driving each other amusingly crazy with all the petty annoyances of too many people in a car for too long. John's POV is so startlingly real that I felt little chills of recognition. You may have to read it twice so that you can truly understand it and then marvel at how well it holds together once you do. It evokes such intense emotions that my sister, Bristow1941, threatened to kill me after I recommended this story to her without any warnings, so in the interest of my continued well-being I must say that it contains a small mention of a character death.

Minor Characters: Odd Man Out by RowenaR (PG-13)

[asugar.livejournal.com]

Rec Category: Original Character
Pairing: Original Character/Original Character UST
Category: Original Character, Action/Advenure, Hurt-Comfort
Warning: None
Author on LJ: http://gelbes-gilatier.livejournal.com/ (in German for most part)
Author's Website: http://www.fanfiction.net/u/33876/RowenaR
Link: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2385639/1/

Why This Must Be Read: RowenaR, best known for her exquisite Lorne/Cadman angst and action/adventures stories, has created the very memorable and vivid team of SG-10 in Minor Characters: Air Force Major Tom Moore, the arrogant, sarcastic, super-competent and capable team leader, his friend from childhood, the wry and a tad wild medical doctor, Captain Laura Greenspan, Master Sergeant Simon DeLisle, an explosives expert with a dry sense of humor, known as Dee, and the newcomer to their team, Marine Lieutentant and linguist Maureen Reece, known as Mouse for her shyness and clumsiness.

The author quickly pulls you into the interpersonal dramas and relationships of the team as they recover from a mission gone bad: Moore's impatience for the newbie Reece's lack of knowledge or skill, the bonding between fellow female soldiers Greenspan and Reece as the older officer mentors and tries to improve the confidence of the younger officer, Moore and Greenspan's teasing brother-sister friendship, the unspoken mutual and completely forbidden attraction (and perhaps love?) between officer Greenspan and enlisted Dee, and Moore and Dee's camraderie from years in the Special Forces together. There's also much more to Moore's reactions to Reece than impatience, not that he's willing to admit it. Things get even more interesting and intense between all of them when they are sent on an undercover mission to bust a rogue cell of ex-Marines running an off-world bio-weapons lab in which many things go wrong and some startling revelations and conspirators come to light.

It takes a talented and bold author to get a reader this invested in the relationships and careers of a group of entirely original characters in a series in which actual canon characters appear only peripherally (although Jack O'Neill as the commander of the SGC and Lorne as a longtime buddy of Moore and Greenspan gets some hllarious moments). RowenaR, as always, exhibits a deft hand with characterizations, action, humor and angst. Check out the sequel, Minor Characters II: A Little Change, (http://www.fanfiction.net/s/4597056/1/Minor_Characters_II_A_Little_Change) also for the further adventures of these characters.
( Snippet of fic.... )

Mission Omission, by Signe (G)

[sg-fignewton.livejournal.com]

Rec Category: Daniel and Cameron friendship
Pairing: none
Categories: Daniel and Cameron friendship, Cameron Mitchell, Daniel Jackson, gen, humor
Warnings: none
Author on LJ: oxoniensis
Author's Website: Grooves as Spirals
Link: Mission Omission

Why This Must Be Read: This fic is short, sweet, and hilarious.

Cameron begs Daniel to allow for a few "omissions" on his report. Then he discovers exactly why that's not necessarily a good thing...

Snark and humor and deft characterization, all in one delightful ficlet. Go read and laugh!

"I hardly think that the future of the Earth, or mankind for that matter, will ever depend on knowing that we were forced to wear dresses — mini-dresses — for a ceremony."

My Father Before Me by Telleer (R)

[cathliu.livejournal.com]

Rec Category: Rodney McKay
Character: Rodney McKay, John Sheppard, Other
Category: Angst, futurefic, Kidfic
Warning: Slash, Character Death (past), Kidfic
Author on LJ: telleer.livejournal.com
Author's Website:
Link on LJ: telleer.livejournal.com/326670.html
Link:  www.wraithbait.com/viewstory.php


Summary: Even after twenty years, Rodney still has no idea how to raise children. 

Why This Must Be Read: 

There are many wonderful kidfics starring Rodney as the clueless, but determined, father who manages to give his children the emotional support that he lacked as a child. This is not one of them. Instead, My Father Before Me brings you face to face with a clueless Rodney who raised two children on his own while hauling around some very heavy emotional baggage. Despite the best of intentions, Rodney's relationship with his son, Patrick, can only be termed emotionally crippled. The story takes place during a rare visit from Patrick.  Rodney was hoping for a peaceful visit, but Patrick brings news that burst wide open the closet into which Rodney had stuffed all his baggage. Accusations, both voiced and not, are brandied about and some heart breaking truths are revealed. But as the saying goes, the truth will set you free. 

Telleer has written a  very human story full of emotional turmoil, confusion and frustration. I cried buckets during the "family game" scene. But the aspect that lingered with me the most was the age old struggle between parent and child - how do you protect a child from the very characteristics that makes him his father's child? History repeats itself and apparently so does genetics.