Diving to Drown by Tafkar (NC-17)

[paian]

Rec Category: Daniel Jackson
Characters: Daniel Jackson, Sha're
Category: Alternate universe, angst, Daniel Jackson, dark, explicit sexual situation, het, non-consensual, rape, SG-1, torture, violence
Warnings: Rape, torture, violence, language, explicit sexual content, dark psychological themes
Author on LJ: tafkarfanfic
Author's Website: tafkar's writing
Link: Diving to Drown

Author's summary: The colonization of desire.


Why This Must Be Read:

Today and tomorrow morning in the Daniel Jackson category, two AU fics. In this one, it wasn't Skaara and Sha're who were captured by Apophis; it was Skaara and Daniel. Apophis took Daniel for a new host, and Sha're joined SG-1.

This fic is remarkable not just for its brutal psychological honesty and the brilliance of its flip-one-critical-element premise but for its development and follow-through. In another writer's hands, this story might have been a tearful angstfest, heartachey but ultimately shallow. In Tafkar's hands, the narrative digs deeply and painfully under the skin, reaching down into the viscera of the psyche to show how it adapts in order to survive -- and how it learns to hide pieces of itself, from saviors as well as from abusers.

Most awful and appropriate of all is that it's Daniel -- in so many ways the heart and soul of the Stargate story. Which makes the fic one of the most effective and affecting nightmare inversions of canon that I've ever read. It's like an X-ray film on a lightboard in a pitch-dark room, illuminating the bones of the character with a cold glare that hurts the eyes. The development of Sha're into an experienced gate-team operative is a triumphal recasting and redirection that twists the knife even more deeply. An outstanding, unforgettable fic.

About 8000 words. Pay attention to the warnings.



( excerpt )

Uncommon Threads, by Dira Sudis (PG)

[sg-fignewton.livejournal.com]

Rec Category: Episode related
Pairing: none
Categories: episode related, gen, Sam
Warnings: none
Author on LJ: dsudis
Author's Website: Words Words Words
Link: Uncommon Threads

Why This Must Be Read: Dira has been writing a series of ficlets, one missing scene per episode, that pass the Bechdel test: two women conversing together about something other than a man. The experiment is fascinating in its own right, but this particular ficlet, set in the hugely unpopular Emancipation, is definitely my favorite.

This is the conversation between Sam and Moughal's unnamed wife, when she leads Sam away from the others to give her "more appropriate" clothing. I can't find the words to describe it properly, but it fascinating and fantastic. Sam faces preconceived notions, on both her own part and Abuez, and - like us - comes away from the encounter with a lot on her mind. This is poignant and moving and thought-provoking, and what else do you need in a fic?

"We spent a whole moon on this, last winter," Abuez said, and now her voice was stern--proud, and warning. Sam forced her attention to the gown, and took in all the tiny stitches. They'd all been done by hand, after the cloth had been dyed--after it had been woven--after the thread had been spun--after the fibers had been harvested...

Through the Noise to the Sea by Sardonicsmiley and Sherriaisling (R)

[cathliu.livejournal.com]

Rec Category: AU
Pairing: McKay/Sheppard
Category: AU, John/Rodney
Warning: Slash
Author on LJ: Sherriaisling
Author's Website: Smiley's No More Tears
Link: Through the Noise to the Sea

Author's Summary: John has time to realize that those fingers are webbed and then the involuntary laughter about finding a mermaid interferes with his already questionable grip on breathing, and he passes out.

Why This Must Be Read:

I'm an avid fan of Smiley's SGA stories. She can whump Rodney like no one can. And she weaves her stories with both finesse and gusto. I feel that all her stories are golden; you can not go wrong with any of them. This story has a special place in my heart because I was there during it's evolution. It started out as a comment fic between Smiley and Sherriaisling. If memory serves, Smiley was responding to a comment to one of her lj entries and this thing just sorta blossomed from there. Ideas flew fast and furious between those two, as they fed off each other. It was a blast following their comments and seeing the story come to life in real time.

One of the things that I love about Through the Noise to the Sea  (and really, all of Smiley's stories) is the details that Smiley sprinkles throughout the story. Little glances and gestures that makes her characters real and "human". And as always, her Snarky Rodney is a total turn-on -  Rodney is so himself, even when he isn't. The story is a fun and fascinating read. I hope you give it a try.