Stargate Fic Recommendations

Rec Category: John Sheppard
Pairing: mention of Teyla Emmagan/Kanaan
Category: John Sheppard, Gen, Angst, Drama, Team, Character Study
Warning: Many, many character deaths, injuries, sadness and tragedy (R rating is for disturbing imagery only)
Author on LJ: http://vain-glorious.livejournal.com
Author's Website: http://vain-glorious.livejournal.com/616.html
Link: http://vain-glorious.livejournal.com/18375.html

Why This Must Be Read: Um...first off, can we just pretend that May has thirty-two days? I apologize both for my lateness and for spamming you with one month's worth of recs in a short period of time. Now that is dealt with, I'm pleased to bring you some more recommendations for the categories of Evan Lorne, Teyla Emmagan and John Sheppard. This rec is for the latter.

Let me warn you from the beginning that The Light of Compassion is not a happy story. Of course, this is vain_glorious, who always plays with readers' emotions with maximum roughness. That said, the author herself has noted that she regards this as one of her saddest and hardest to get through stories. Obey all reader advisories and proceed with caution if you cannot handle what my mother always called "Upsetting Events" (caps implied by tone). This work could almost be categorized as an apocafic. No one walks away unharmed, though some wounds are psychological rather than physical.  It's not character whump just for the sake of hurt/comfort. Rather it is vain_glorious' particular brand of brilliance that in The Light of Compassion, the absolute worst that can occur grinds away each character to insightfully reveal their weaknesses and strengths. She leaves the reader shocked but utterly convinced by just how each person unpredictably breaks or rises to the occasion.

The author evokes a palpable sense of foreboding in what should be the happy opening scene of Torren John's first birthday and events spiral downward from there for the denizens of Atlantis. In this reality, Michael's escape at the end of "Search and Rescue" leads to his enacting revenge on the Atlanteans, particularly Teyla, and as an outcome of events, John. The team absorbs a wound inflicted on one member equally amongst themselves and all suffer greatly. Michael strikes out in ever increasingly horrible ways, escalating both the level and extent of harm. John is the only person left physically unscathed at story end. Yet the reader is left with the conclusion that Michael, circumstances and shockingly, his team, have saved the worst fate for John. He is doomed to torture himself with what might have been as he picks up the few shattered remaining pieces of the only family and home he's ever known and to mourn all those he couldn't or wasn't allowed to save.

There are bright spots here beyond the author's characteristically beautiful and emotional prose, particularly the moments of friendship between the team such as when John awkwardly tries to support and comfort Teyla. I especially love every scene involving John and his namesake, Torren, which are realistic, funny, sad, squirm-inducing and hopeful. If I haven't scared you off, please try this moving, tense and wrenching story. You won't regret it.

( A snippet... )

Rec Category: Teyla
Pairing: Teyla Emmagan/Kanaan, Teyla Emmagan/John Sheppard
Category: Teyla Emmagan, Character Study, John Sheppard & Teyla Emmagan Friendship, Teyla Emmagan/John Sheppard, John Sheppard
Warning: Completely gen for all parts but Parts 5 through 7 which contain explicit heterosexual sex
Author on LJ: http://wedjatqi.livejournal.com/
Author's Website: http://www.fanfiction.net/u/953524/Wedjatqi
Link: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/4656983/1/The_Questioning_Way

Why This Must Be Read: I adore everything Wedjatqi writes but The Questioning Way is easily her best, most sophisticated and emotionally mature story yet. Her characterizations of Sheppard and Teyla are crisp, insightful and achingly true. This is a quiet, deeply moving and meditative character study of how they've changed for the better and the worse over the course of the series; the romance aspect does not emerge until the end. If you despise the idea of John/Teyla, you will still greatly enjoy the strictly gen and ship-free parts one through five.  If you do continue, the later romantic scenes are just as creatively and evocatively written and are burning hot. The palpable warmth, friendship and love elevates their physical connection.

The Questioning Way begins after “The Prodigal” as the scattered remaining Athosians gather for the first time since their diaspora now that they are finally safe from Michael’s machinations. Teyla should find peace and joy in the reunion and her people’s warm embrace of she, Torren John and Kanaan but instead realizes that she is deeply conflicted about whether she should restart the romantic relationship never resumed after Kanaan’s recovery, whether she should stay on Atlantis or the team instead of joining the other Athosians in their new settlement, and whether she wants to stay the person she had to become to survive the last five years. Teyla is sad and confused over the changes she’s noticed in her relationships with her friends, especially John, and the other Athosians, and wonders what her role should be now in their lives. When Halling mentions that he recently walked the Questioning Way, an old Pegasus enlightenment ritual, Teyla recognizes how to end her emotional turmoil and decide how she’d like the rest of her life to unfold.

John tries to forbid her when he learns that the path is on a Wraith planet but is overruled by Woolsey. Her unflappability in the face of John’s increasing agitation and fear broke my heart. The more she pulls away, the tighter and more frantically he tries to hold onto her and retrench into the always safe role of concerned and angry commander. Since the surest way to get John Sheppard to do something is to tell him that he can’t, Teyla is dismayed but not surprised to realize that he’s following her. She moves beyond her anger and realizes that he needs to know she is safe, to protect her and back her up wherever she goes, just as much as she needs this journey and she allows him to follow in the hope it will bring peace and revelation to him as well.

John and Teyla have individually been at spiritual crossroads for most of seasons four and five. John just as desperately needs emotional catharsis but would never undertake a quest like this purposefully. There’s an elegant symmetry in how John must undergo self-reflection despite himself as he observes Teyla in her ritual from a respectful distance. Wedjatqi captures how strong and true their emotional and mental connection is and how that bond allows them to go through and understand so much more together than either could apart. John and Teyla are each other's best friends and confidants first and that sweetens and intensifies their chemistry and any resulting relationship. I love the clear and vivid imagery and their self-examination as they walk through what feels like an enchanted landscape and the realizations that arise. A standout is the scene with the stone ritual, especially the gorgeous and haunting image of the wall one day crumbling and their stones falling and landing together for eternity.

( A snippet of fic... )