SGA Big Bang Recs

Everyone heard the news about Stargate Atlantis.

I have gifts for you. Or rather, the sgabigbang has gifts for you.

SGA Big Bang Recs.

The Price That Life Extracts by cathalin. John/Rodney, NC-17. 66k words.
Wow. Just wow. Cathalin hands us an ever-so-plausible, you'd never imagine it in a million years, angst-ridden situation, then gives us no easy answers. She balances the angst with... kidfic. But kidfic that doesn't pretend that people can't wait to have their lives unexpectedly taken over by a child. I learned from this story the reasons why, although I love kidfic, there's always a voice in the back of my mind waving the "hey waitaminute" flag. Cathalin shows us how Rodney would really react, with the honesty of busaikko's A Hundred Happy Things. In this smart, thoughtful, heart-wrenching fic nothing goes easily or well, and yet the way John and Rodney know each other is what gets them through. Contains the hottest sex scene in the Big Bang so far.

See No Evil by greyias. John, Rodney friendship. Gen. PG-13. 89k words.
Great, balls out action. Is this what SGA Gen is like? Have I been missing some great fics? Greyias is one hell of a writer. Her John and Rodney are burst out laughing funny. In this AU where they work for a military contractor, their friendship does not parallel canon, and builds completely differently. Only these two could turn mutual harrassment into high art and become friends in the process. I believe (and love) John on his motorcycle. Enjoyable banter, digs at corporations (that I could truly appreciate), and a gripping plot whose pacing reminded me of Tom Clancy at his best. There are only a few writers in fandom who write action this well (ltlj comes to mind) and I'm happy to add Greyias to the list. Not slash (except in my mind) but this kind of tight friendship and mutual sacrifice is why we see the slash in the first place.

A Clear And Different Light by friendshipper and naye. John/Rodney. PG-13. 88k words.
I know I recced this already, but in case you missed it: this is a creative, delicately beautiful fantasy story. It is as light as fairy wings, touches canon only occasionally, using it as a jumping off point. John is one of the Fae, who aren't exactly popular back on Earth. Rodney speaks to whales and is researching whale math on Atlantis. Ronon, like all Satedans, has wings. Teyla works the runes and magic of the Athosians. And the Wraith in this incarnation are eerie. This is slash, but at core, A Clear And Different Light is an effective team fic that left mr with the upbeat happy feeling of my favorite fantasy novels.

Life After by velocitygrass. John/Rodney. NC-17. 48k words.
Life After is destined to be a guilty pleasure of mine. I confess, I felt it had way too much exposition as it brushed quickly over the plot. But it lights up my happy buttons. Which is weird, considering the apocolyptic plot. Yet the plot is largely an excuse to bring John and Rodney together in a way we never get to see in either canon or fanon (I brushed quickly over it to get to the JohnandRodney). That pesky DADT is always in the way. Even when it's gone, there's a level of secrecy that precludes an unabashed romance. But here, oh here, they have it all. There is cuddling. With a side helping of my favorite obliviousness. I'll be at the table, eating it up with a spoon.

The Fall of the House of Sheppard by saffronhouse. John/Rodney, non-con, NC-17. 40k words.
No, not perfect. The non-con scene is gratuitous but, then again, would it be Martha if it didn't have non-con? Of course not. The ending has a plot tunnel. But never mind that. This story has the atmosphere of a great Supernatural episode. There's just something truly inspired about Martha's taking John's wealthy background and ditching the glitz. Usually John's portrayed as the black sheep in a white sheep family and the question asked is why would he leave "all that" behind? Here, you wonder how John turned out so normal. Boy, anyone would run. Martha just nails the way a kid who grows up in a bizarre environment handles the strange with aplomb, barely a blink.

The Water Grinds The Stone by auburnnothenna. John/Rodney, NC-17. 250k words (no, that's not a typo).
The longest story in the Big Bang by a long shot. As I read this story, I kept imagining myself as a publisher, reading this submitted manuscript. My conclusion: this massive 242,740 word piece isn't a novel. No. It's the first draft of a trilogy. There are, approximately, three separate books here, and since they've been condensed (yes, condensed) into just 250k words, you can expect too much exposition. In my mind, I made my notes to the author where the three books might be split up, asked the author questions to draw out more complexity in her bad guys, rearranged the books to start at or near the off-world trip to Akanital -- and re-read those amazing off-world scenes, the details (a candy bar dug out of a pack is smushed and melted), the world-building that accounted for the unexpected changes post-declassification. And I found myself unable to shrug off the lingering spell of the intense, star-crossed, galaxy-spanning love affair between John and Rodney. Then I optioned all three books for that last aspect alone.

Stargate Atlantis does "The Onion."

Every now and then, interviews read like they were penned for The Onion:

Despite the cancellation, series creator Brad Wright tells GateWorld that, looking ahead, the Stargate franchise is as strong as it has ever been.

[snip]

"We're excited to tell Atlantis stories on a bigger canvas," series creators Brad Wright and Robert C. Cooper said.

[snip]

"One hundred episodes is the goal of every writer-producer," Wright told GateWorld.

[snip]

The success of those two films not only helps the cast, crew, and fans of Atlantis see a light at the end of the cancellation tunnel, but has also begun to redefine what "cancelled" means. In the future, more television series may give way to direct-to-DVD movies, as a way of keeping the adventure going.

[snip]

"Rob and I have spent several years biting our finger nails over the prospect of renewal, but you've got to respect both MGM and SCI FI for giving us the opportunity to continue both Atlantis and SG-1 in a series of movies," Wright told GateWorld. "This is nothing to complain about -- it's something to look forward to."

Oh god. LOL. Someone write a fanfic about this.

ETA: Oh, I don't do RPF.

I mean some kind of god-awful press conference where the Stargate program is cancelled right after it goes public and the team has to stand up there and be upbeat and happy about it.

McKay: "I mean, of course, there's plenty to discover in the Milky Way galaxy, it's not like the entire realm of scientific opportunity is tapped out, just... vastly reduced."

John under his breath: "Way to go, Rodney. They said 'upbeat' and 'positive.'"

McKay: "Well I tried! But I don't want to stand up there and make excuses for their ignorant short-sightedness!"

The room falls silent.

McKay: "My mic is still on, isn't it?"