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Stargate Rec-list updates
Updated the massive rec-list Stargate Fic Recs:
All The Pens That Ever Poets Held Dorothy Marley
I avoided this story because of the syrupy title, and what a mistake that was. This is graceful, understated, and fond in that frustrated way. Jack and Daniel understand each other yet find it difficult to communicate. Jack ponders as he dials again and again following Nemesis.
The thing that Jack missed most was the sound of Daniel's pen. Every night, for the last six months, the faint slur of ball-point over paper had been a constant, the sound more often than not the last thing he heard before falling asleep. Lying there in the big, soft bed, being with Daniel, sleeping next to him, waking up with him, it was all wrapped up in that one little--very irritating--sound.
Untitled but I called it '9 years of Jack and Daniel' by FBF
A tale told in small details, leaving you warm and happy.
It started off with a pound of Jamaican Blue and a coffee cup stating that Linguists do it with tongue. There was no card or explanation, but Daniel had his suspicions and always used that cup at briefings.
A Thousand Stars by Dorothy Marley
Warning: Daniel rambles in his journal and you're overwhelmed with a Jack-like urge to gag him or take away his pen. But that, irritating as it may be, is completely in character and this story has a fantastic plot. Yes, oh rarity of rarities, this is a fine slash story that's both highly original and Stargate-compliant.
"I do." But Hammond's face remained grave, and he made no move towards the map that usually indicated the team's next destination. Jack began to have a bad feeling. "But I'll tell you right away, this will be a different kind of mission." He took a deep breath. "It has to do with the quantum mirror."
Jack felt a definite twinge of pain. And it had started out to be such a promising day. "I thought we were going to destroy that thing," he said. "I mean, it was one thing having two Carters underfoot, but what if something really screws up and we get two Maybournes?"
Dining Out by Sid
Who is Sid, and can we draft Sid into writing slash? This is brilliantly characterised Jack/Daniel with some of the best Gen dialogue out there. Jack takes Daniel out to dinner and it is, er, badly misconstrued. Gently funny with a slashy vibe although it really isn't slash.
“Hey, Jack,” Daniel replied, shuffling some papers off to one side, and marking his place in one of the books in front of him. “How’s the whole General thing going?”
“Eh,” Jack screwed up his face. “Survived nearly a week of it. Must be doing something right.”
“Well, yes, I suppose that’s possible,” Daniel said dryly.
“Sure wish I knew what it was, though,” Jack sighed.
Daniel looked at him fondly over the top of his glasses. “You’ll figure it out.”
All In The Timing by Jane Devitt
I promise I won't rec too many drabbles (they're like potato chips, only with just one chip in the bag). Plus, it's difficult to quote them at length without giving away the store.
How many times can he walk into Daniel's office, for no reason other than to get a smiled 'hello', before Daniel gives him a puzzled, vaguely expectant look instead?
First Impressions by Kormantic
Ah, strange aliens. You just can't get enough of them. This is a meaty sci-fi piece with a wholesome Jack/Daniel center. Once again, Daniel walks right into trouble, and once again, it looks like he's gone for good.
"The device has some sort of proximity sensor, sir. I think that Daniel coded it to recognize us somehow-- as near as I can tell, after the initial contact, the message won't play if there's anyone in the room with you. I mean, I haven't had the opportunity to measure its range, but--"
"Carter," Jack said softly.
"Yeah. Sorry. I can't seem to stop doing that."
Lack Thereof by Roxie
I love Daniel's shamelessness in this story, so much so that when I lost the link in my computer meltdown I went hunting for it. Took six months, but I finally stumbled across it again. Roxie is a quality writer who takes time to flesh out scenes (cough, cough pun intended) and her minor SGC characters also ring true. Visiting Daniel's off-world dig, Jack notices a suspicious lack of tan lines.
"There are actually three natural pools along the riverbed. Although it’s a bit of a climb to the second, and the third is more than a mile back, the first one is right in our backyard, so to speak. Who knows how many more there are farther into the hills. The water is so clear and cool. You’re gonna love it, Jack." He continues to talk, holding his shorts in one hand; blonde, buff, tanned and totally naked save for his glasses. He’s killing me and doesn’t even know it. Naïve little bastard.
Making Connections by Remma
This scenario could come straight out of an SG-1 episode -- minus the slash of course. It has the what-the-hell-is-going-on helpless feeling of "Foothold" with the embarrassing realizations that come after memory loss.
He put down the pie, looking around suspiciously to meet several equally confused glances. Well this was odd. His reason for being here had completely slipped his mind, and more to the point, he was equally clueless about where here was. Equally worrying was the fact that, at present, his own name escaped him.
Lifting the two metal tags, he examined them carefully, then reviewed all he now knew about himself: He was O'Neill Jonathan C, his social security number was 824-93-9283, he had O Positive blood, he was catholic, and he liked pie.
No particular title: a string of Jack and Daniel ficlets by Stellahobbit
Ta-da! More fic from Stellahobbit, unconnected pretty drabbles like a scattering of gems.
"Ah, but," Daniel replied, sitting up straight and gesticulating expansively. "You were the one that said we needed a set of ground rules. I agree. Rules are good. Rules are something I can work with."
"Picked a fine time to start listening to me."
Ouside The Box by Paian, aka Komos
Did I say Komos could do no wrong? Let me just second myself on that. This hasn't the angst I've grown to expect from Komos, but instead is playful pornographic fluff. Jack gets distracted in packing during The Lost City. Yes, yes, on the verge of possibly dying -- I didn't say was angst-free. This is Komos after all.
"You really have to do that?" Daniel said, coming into the bedroom, where Jack was packing the last of his porn collection into a cardboard box around the smaller box he'd pulled out of the back of the closet.
Taking Care by Dorothy Marley
I'm fast becoming a Dorothy Marley fan, enjoying her gently observant stories, rich with meaning packed into simple every-day actions. This one's Gen: an exhausted Jack gets some well-deserved TLC.
"Hey, Jack." The bench vibrated slightly with the sudden addition of Daniel's weight, and Jack closed his eyes. Great. Just when he really, really wanted to be by himself, to haul his own sorry, tired, aging ass into the shower and stand there for about an hour. Alone. In silence.
Temenos by Seanchaidh
Add another one to the "Aliens Made Them Do It" stack. Very believable attitudes and reactions from Jack and Daniel, with an interesting and unusual setting. I never believe the sex-as-native-spiritual-tradition cliche, but this one comes close to convincing me. Oh -- and an added benefit. She's obviously been climbing in the mountains before; even gets the sound right.
"This treaty had better be worth it," he grumbled before yelling up at his teammate. "Daniel, are we there yet?"
One hand on the rock to keep his balance, Daniel glanced behind him. His legs were steady despite the steep incline. There was a smile on his lips that spoke of the thrill he felt at challenging the mountain, a change from the archaeologist who had a problem with heights just a few years ago. Go figure.
"We don’t have far to go," Daniel said, pitching his voice a bit louder to make it carry on the wind.
Thawing by Kres
This isn't usually my style. It's artsy and disconnected, bouncing back and forth in time in a way that's not easy to follow. Also, it's a threesome fic: Jack/Daniel/Sam. But the atmosphere and unique setting plus the genuinely exhausted and... old... characterisation of Jack impressed me, along with the physical descriptions of illness and all the different to-be-expected effects of their tough situation. Kres makes this story credible and real, though life there isn't pretty and boy, I hate being cold.
When the sun sets in this place, you could almost believe that the world is flat.
Cutting into the white of the ice, the patches of pine forests are nearly black in the sleepy landscape. The sky is hanging low above them, the clouds heavy with a promise of snow. Monochromatic against the pale, foggy blue - the beauty of this land is unexpected in its simplicity.
The Last Man On Earth by Meridian
Most of the Stargate classics I read first, so they appear at the bottom of this list. I've held this classic in abeyance because there's one part of the story that frustrates me and yet... I've read the story several times now. That tells me all I need to know. I've decided that few have written the Jack-and-Daniel-are-telepathically-linked storyline as well as this. Jack's reactions to the lack of privacy are priceless.
"There, you see?" Jack was looking guilty and frowning. Then he sighed heavily. "I didn't speak it."
"But you thought it?" //Can you hear me?// Daniel thought at him.
"Yes. I can hear you just fine. You don't need to yell." Wincing, Jack touched his head, and then shook it as if to clear it.
"I didn't speak."
Jack looked at Sam again. "He didn't, sir."
"Daniel Jackson said nothing," Teal'c confirmed, looking from one to the other, his frown more pronounced than usual.
"Houston, we have a problem." Despite the joking words, Jack looked grim, frightened almost. //Big honking problem.//
Therefore, Let Us Drink by Otter
I still poke Otter's stories with a stick warily because, although Otter is a reliably excellent writer, she has a tendency to pull the run out from under you -- soo-prise! Some people like that. I hate being tricked. But there's no trickery here. Sam gets Daniel drunk at a get-together and gains a little more insight into Jack. Otter's unpredictability comes in handy with completely unique discription... Daniel's foot, Sam's bleary worries. You'll see.
By the time Sam got back out to the porch, with four sweaty-cold beers dangling from her hands, Daniel was the only one still out there. He smiled at her, the endearingly ingenuous smile that only graced his lips when he had a nice buzz going, and took two of the bottles from her hand. He twisted the top off of one of them, and drew a long, deep pull from the bottle as Sam was straddling her chair and asking, "Where did the General and Pete go?"
Unacknowledged Legislators by Quercus
What is it about Quercus that makes you feel like you've stepped into a Russian novel? Like the Russians, Quercus takes her time to draw you into the scene, never explaining what or why until much later. The worlds are always vivid, stark, and described in intimate detail and you learn, learn, learn a great deal about your hosts, invariably feeling in-over-your-head. (I have a theory that Quercus wrote the episode "2010.") Here, the hosts are more benign than usual and ease Jack and Daniel into new layers of their friendship.
The MALP had rolled a few feet from the stargate and appeared to be sitting in an open-air Grand Central Station. It was late afternoon on planet PX-whatever, the sun's rays a mellow red-gold as they slanted across the tall grasses immediately around the stargate. That wasn't unusual. What was unusual was the number of people striding purposefully past the MALP, glancing at it with small curiosity. A group of kids bounced by and one ran up and apparently hugged it, then dashed back laughing as some adult gestured and called to her.
Wrong by Mara Celes
You have to admire the glee with which Jack and Ba'al hate each other. Yes, this is Jack/Ba'al slash, don't look so shocked.
When they are captured, they first try to kill each other.
The fight doesn't last very long, even though it should have. On the field, they're pretty much even stevens--Baal is much stronger than Jack, but Jack is quicker and used to fighting his own battles--and Jack's been wanting to do this for ages. He wants to take his time. Baal, he thinks, does the same thing for the same reason.
ETA: *counts* Cool. 127 fics.
All The Pens That Ever Poets Held Dorothy Marley
I avoided this story because of the syrupy title, and what a mistake that was. This is graceful, understated, and fond in that frustrated way. Jack and Daniel understand each other yet find it difficult to communicate. Jack ponders as he dials again and again following Nemesis.
The thing that Jack missed most was the sound of Daniel's pen. Every night, for the last six months, the faint slur of ball-point over paper had been a constant, the sound more often than not the last thing he heard before falling asleep. Lying there in the big, soft bed, being with Daniel, sleeping next to him, waking up with him, it was all wrapped up in that one little--very irritating--sound.
Untitled but I called it '9 years of Jack and Daniel' by FBF
A tale told in small details, leaving you warm and happy.
It started off with a pound of Jamaican Blue and a coffee cup stating that Linguists do it with tongue. There was no card or explanation, but Daniel had his suspicions and always used that cup at briefings.
A Thousand Stars by Dorothy Marley
Warning: Daniel rambles in his journal and you're overwhelmed with a Jack-like urge to gag him or take away his pen. But that, irritating as it may be, is completely in character and this story has a fantastic plot. Yes, oh rarity of rarities, this is a fine slash story that's both highly original and Stargate-compliant.
"I do." But Hammond's face remained grave, and he made no move towards the map that usually indicated the team's next destination. Jack began to have a bad feeling. "But I'll tell you right away, this will be a different kind of mission." He took a deep breath. "It has to do with the quantum mirror."
Jack felt a definite twinge of pain. And it had started out to be such a promising day. "I thought we were going to destroy that thing," he said. "I mean, it was one thing having two Carters underfoot, but what if something really screws up and we get two Maybournes?"
Dining Out by Sid
Who is Sid, and can we draft Sid into writing slash? This is brilliantly characterised Jack/Daniel with some of the best Gen dialogue out there. Jack takes Daniel out to dinner and it is, er, badly misconstrued. Gently funny with a slashy vibe although it really isn't slash.
“Hey, Jack,” Daniel replied, shuffling some papers off to one side, and marking his place in one of the books in front of him. “How’s the whole General thing going?”
“Eh,” Jack screwed up his face. “Survived nearly a week of it. Must be doing something right.”
“Well, yes, I suppose that’s possible,” Daniel said dryly.
“Sure wish I knew what it was, though,” Jack sighed.
Daniel looked at him fondly over the top of his glasses. “You’ll figure it out.”
All In The Timing by Jane Devitt
I promise I won't rec too many drabbles (they're like potato chips, only with just one chip in the bag). Plus, it's difficult to quote them at length without giving away the store.
How many times can he walk into Daniel's office, for no reason other than to get a smiled 'hello', before Daniel gives him a puzzled, vaguely expectant look instead?
First Impressions by Kormantic
Ah, strange aliens. You just can't get enough of them. This is a meaty sci-fi piece with a wholesome Jack/Daniel center. Once again, Daniel walks right into trouble, and once again, it looks like he's gone for good.
"The device has some sort of proximity sensor, sir. I think that Daniel coded it to recognize us somehow-- as near as I can tell, after the initial contact, the message won't play if there's anyone in the room with you. I mean, I haven't had the opportunity to measure its range, but--"
"Carter," Jack said softly.
"Yeah. Sorry. I can't seem to stop doing that."
Lack Thereof by Roxie
I love Daniel's shamelessness in this story, so much so that when I lost the link in my computer meltdown I went hunting for it. Took six months, but I finally stumbled across it again. Roxie is a quality writer who takes time to flesh out scenes (cough, cough pun intended) and her minor SGC characters also ring true. Visiting Daniel's off-world dig, Jack notices a suspicious lack of tan lines.
"There are actually three natural pools along the riverbed. Although it’s a bit of a climb to the second, and the third is more than a mile back, the first one is right in our backyard, so to speak. Who knows how many more there are farther into the hills. The water is so clear and cool. You’re gonna love it, Jack." He continues to talk, holding his shorts in one hand; blonde, buff, tanned and totally naked save for his glasses. He’s killing me and doesn’t even know it. Naïve little bastard.
Making Connections by Remma
This scenario could come straight out of an SG-1 episode -- minus the slash of course. It has the what-the-hell-is-going-on helpless feeling of "Foothold" with the embarrassing realizations that come after memory loss.
He put down the pie, looking around suspiciously to meet several equally confused glances. Well this was odd. His reason for being here had completely slipped his mind, and more to the point, he was equally clueless about where here was. Equally worrying was the fact that, at present, his own name escaped him.
Lifting the two metal tags, he examined them carefully, then reviewed all he now knew about himself: He was O'Neill Jonathan C, his social security number was 824-93-9283, he had O Positive blood, he was catholic, and he liked pie.
No particular title: a string of Jack and Daniel ficlets by Stellahobbit
Ta-da! More fic from Stellahobbit, unconnected pretty drabbles like a scattering of gems.
"Ah, but," Daniel replied, sitting up straight and gesticulating expansively. "You were the one that said we needed a set of ground rules. I agree. Rules are good. Rules are something I can work with."
"Picked a fine time to start listening to me."
Ouside The Box by Paian, aka Komos
Did I say Komos could do no wrong? Let me just second myself on that. This hasn't the angst I've grown to expect from Komos, but instead is playful pornographic fluff. Jack gets distracted in packing during The Lost City. Yes, yes, on the verge of possibly dying -- I didn't say was angst-free. This is Komos after all.
"You really have to do that?" Daniel said, coming into the bedroom, where Jack was packing the last of his porn collection into a cardboard box around the smaller box he'd pulled out of the back of the closet.
Taking Care by Dorothy Marley
I'm fast becoming a Dorothy Marley fan, enjoying her gently observant stories, rich with meaning packed into simple every-day actions. This one's Gen: an exhausted Jack gets some well-deserved TLC.
"Hey, Jack." The bench vibrated slightly with the sudden addition of Daniel's weight, and Jack closed his eyes. Great. Just when he really, really wanted to be by himself, to haul his own sorry, tired, aging ass into the shower and stand there for about an hour. Alone. In silence.
Temenos by Seanchaidh
Add another one to the "Aliens Made Them Do It" stack. Very believable attitudes and reactions from Jack and Daniel, with an interesting and unusual setting. I never believe the sex-as-native-spiritual-tradition cliche, but this one comes close to convincing me. Oh -- and an added benefit. She's obviously been climbing in the mountains before; even gets the sound right.
"This treaty had better be worth it," he grumbled before yelling up at his teammate. "Daniel, are we there yet?"
One hand on the rock to keep his balance, Daniel glanced behind him. His legs were steady despite the steep incline. There was a smile on his lips that spoke of the thrill he felt at challenging the mountain, a change from the archaeologist who had a problem with heights just a few years ago. Go figure.
"We don’t have far to go," Daniel said, pitching his voice a bit louder to make it carry on the wind.
Thawing by Kres
This isn't usually my style. It's artsy and disconnected, bouncing back and forth in time in a way that's not easy to follow. Also, it's a threesome fic: Jack/Daniel/Sam. But the atmosphere and unique setting plus the genuinely exhausted and... old... characterisation of Jack impressed me, along with the physical descriptions of illness and all the different to-be-expected effects of their tough situation. Kres makes this story credible and real, though life there isn't pretty and boy, I hate being cold.
When the sun sets in this place, you could almost believe that the world is flat.
Cutting into the white of the ice, the patches of pine forests are nearly black in the sleepy landscape. The sky is hanging low above them, the clouds heavy with a promise of snow. Monochromatic against the pale, foggy blue - the beauty of this land is unexpected in its simplicity.
The Last Man On Earth by Meridian
Most of the Stargate classics I read first, so they appear at the bottom of this list. I've held this classic in abeyance because there's one part of the story that frustrates me and yet... I've read the story several times now. That tells me all I need to know. I've decided that few have written the Jack-and-Daniel-are-telepathically-linked storyline as well as this. Jack's reactions to the lack of privacy are priceless.
"There, you see?" Jack was looking guilty and frowning. Then he sighed heavily. "I didn't speak it."
"But you thought it?" //Can you hear me?// Daniel thought at him.
"Yes. I can hear you just fine. You don't need to yell." Wincing, Jack touched his head, and then shook it as if to clear it.
"I didn't speak."
Jack looked at Sam again. "He didn't, sir."
"Daniel Jackson said nothing," Teal'c confirmed, looking from one to the other, his frown more pronounced than usual.
"Houston, we have a problem." Despite the joking words, Jack looked grim, frightened almost. //Big honking problem.//
Therefore, Let Us Drink by Otter
I still poke Otter's stories with a stick warily because, although Otter is a reliably excellent writer, she has a tendency to pull the run out from under you -- soo-prise! Some people like that. I hate being tricked. But there's no trickery here. Sam gets Daniel drunk at a get-together and gains a little more insight into Jack. Otter's unpredictability comes in handy with completely unique discription... Daniel's foot, Sam's bleary worries. You'll see.
By the time Sam got back out to the porch, with four sweaty-cold beers dangling from her hands, Daniel was the only one still out there. He smiled at her, the endearingly ingenuous smile that only graced his lips when he had a nice buzz going, and took two of the bottles from her hand. He twisted the top off of one of them, and drew a long, deep pull from the bottle as Sam was straddling her chair and asking, "Where did the General and Pete go?"
Unacknowledged Legislators by Quercus
What is it about Quercus that makes you feel like you've stepped into a Russian novel? Like the Russians, Quercus takes her time to draw you into the scene, never explaining what or why until much later. The worlds are always vivid, stark, and described in intimate detail and you learn, learn, learn a great deal about your hosts, invariably feeling in-over-your-head. (I have a theory that Quercus wrote the episode "2010.") Here, the hosts are more benign than usual and ease Jack and Daniel into new layers of their friendship.
The MALP had rolled a few feet from the stargate and appeared to be sitting in an open-air Grand Central Station. It was late afternoon on planet PX-whatever, the sun's rays a mellow red-gold as they slanted across the tall grasses immediately around the stargate. That wasn't unusual. What was unusual was the number of people striding purposefully past the MALP, glancing at it with small curiosity. A group of kids bounced by and one ran up and apparently hugged it, then dashed back laughing as some adult gestured and called to her.
Wrong by Mara Celes
You have to admire the glee with which Jack and Ba'al hate each other. Yes, this is Jack/Ba'al slash, don't look so shocked.
When they are captured, they first try to kill each other.
The fight doesn't last very long, even though it should have. On the field, they're pretty much even stevens--Baal is much stronger than Jack, but Jack is quicker and used to fighting his own battles--and Jack's been wanting to do this for ages. He wants to take his time. Baal, he thinks, does the same thing for the same reason.
ETA: *counts* Cool. 127 fics.