"All That Glitters (Are Not ZPMs)" by Sholio (PG)

[rigel-7.livejournal.com]

*waves to all* I'm back to rec you all a month's worth of my favourite fics that feature the very lust-worthy John Sheppard!

Rec Category: John Sheppard

Pairing: None
Categories: Atlantis, Gen, Humor, John Sheppard, John/Rodney Friendship, Rodney McKay, Team
Warnings: None
Author on LJ: friendshipper
Author's Website: City On The Ocean's Edge

Link: "All That Glitters (Are Not ZPMs)"
Summary: John wasn't sure whether to shoot it before it escaped and tried to destroy the city, or covet it for his very own.

Why This Must Be Read:

John Sheppard is a man who absolutely has to call on that laconic, laid-back-to-the-point-of-being-almost-horizontal attitude that he cultivates. Dealing with Rodney can be a trial at times, and dealing with Rodney when he's in his "There could be a ZPM here!" mode is like herding cats. It's bound to involve "Murphy's Law" (anything that can go wrong, will go wrong), and a healthy dose of "I told you so!"

This is a fic that is guaranteed to make you laugh. Not just at the situation the team manage to find themselves in, but at the wonderful banter and the spot-on character nuances.

friendshipper always writes such wonderful Gen stories. She captures the team dynamic so well, showing the bonds of camaraderie and friendship that tie them to one another. There's so much to love in this fic, from Teyla's exasperated suggestion at breakfast, to John's quip to Rodney as he attempts to give a positive spin to the almost inevitable outcome.

Written for sga_flashfic's Men And Machines Challenge. This is not to be missed!

A Teeny Extract

"I hate the Ancients," Rodney said as John dragged him off for breakfast. "Ooh, waffles."

"So what else is new?" John wasn't much of a breakfast person; he got a cup of coffee, a bagel and a couple of the sectioned, pinkish-orange fruits that always made Rodney flinch even though Carson swore up and down that they didn't contain citrus.

"Personally, if a society can conquer space, time and death, I wouldn't think alphabetic order should pose that much of a challenge," Rodney said as he loaded up his tray. "Obviously, this is one of those rare occasions that I am actually wrong, but only because I expected sense from the civilization that, oh, built the Stargates. Could you not eat that around me?"

"I have it on good medical authority that it won't hurt you," John said, peeling his pseudo-grapefruit and enjoying the way that Rodney nearly dropped his tray in an attempt to avoid being squirted. Teyla and Ronon were already at a table by the big window; Ronon had a stack of waffles nearly as high as his head, while Teyla had a single waffle smothered in so much whipped cream and berries that it was a wonder she could find the waffle in there.

"You don't know that," Rodney snapped, clunking his tray down next to Ronon's. "It's possible to have an allergic reaction psychosomatically, you know, through the power of suggestion. The human brain is a marvelous and amazing thing, and it stands to reason that psychosomatic effects would be stronger in me because I'm smarter than the rest of you. Pass me the syrup, Conan. What was I talking about?"