The Pirate's Prisoner by rhymer23 (PG-13)

[astridv.livejournal.com]

Show: Stargate Atlantis
Rec Category: Alternate Universe
Characters: Rodney McKay, John Sheppard, Teyla Emmagan, Ronon Dex, Kolya
Het/Slash/Gen: gen
Warning: none
Author on LJ: rhymer23
Author's Website: Assorted Fanfic by Me
Link: The Pirate's Prisoner

Why this must be read:
Summary: Rodney McKay hadn't realised he was being abducted by pirates at first. (If he had, he would, of course, have resisted with proud defiance, willing to die rather than submit.) Now he finds himself on the ship of the second most notorious pirate in the Caribbees, immured in a dank prison (well, a fairly spacious cabin, but that's not the point), forced to prostitute his intellect in the service of evil. And there's a savage on board, and a woman – an actual woman, in man's clothes, would you believe? Will Rodney ever escape and make it back to London to receive the Royal Academy Fellowship that is surely awaiting him? 42,000 words, plus ten illustrations

Sometimes a fic is so good that I sit, fingers hovering over the keyboard, thinking how the hell do I do I come up with a rec that does this story justice when I just want to blurt out, "This is so AWESOME, go read STAT one!eleven"

If you like suspenseful genfic with a fine sense of humor, I can't rec this one enough. It's fun to see the characters in this setting... particularly to see Sheppard's rogue band of misfits through Rodney's eyes (I always dig a well-done outsider POV). Excellent worldbuilding: Rhymer did a ton of research for this fic, and it shows in the historical accuracy and the detail of the writing. You get an authentic feel of the era. To round it off, the story comes with a chock full of bonus material: an addendum with songs and historical documents and some very neat illustrations of Pirate Sheppard and his merry band. As someone who didn't use to see the appeal of AU fic, I was surprised how well this story works on both levels, both as an SGA fic and a riveting pirate tale. The characters feel so real, my first impulse was to wish for fic written in this 'verse.

This story has a sequel that's also a lot of fun to read: The Price of a Pardon
gen; team; 49,000 words, plus drawings, maps and photos.

Snow Men by Mahoni (R)

[kristen999.livejournal.com]

Hello, I’m Kristen and I’ll be recing John and Ronon friendship this month!

Show: Stargate Atlantis
Rec Category: John Sheppard and Ronon Dex Friendship
Characters: John Sheppard, Ronon Dex
Het/Slash/Gen: gen
Warning: Rated R for language.
Author on LJ: mahoni
Author's Website: “Fanfic”
Link: “Snow Men”


Why this must be read: This was one of the first stories that I’d ever, featuring John and Ronon without the rest of the team. Trapped in an ice crevice with very little room and way too much time; it features wonderful voices, especially for an early season two Ronon who was still testing and finding his boundaries with his new CO. There’s humor and vivid imagery, and a sprinkling of what made these two ‘click’ into the bond we’ve all grown to love.