No, not the warm fuzzies, pleease!

[icarus]

Sweet jesus, all my favorite SGA pimps recc'ers have been hit by the sweet tooth today. Pink sparkly bunnies coming out of our ears.

Help. Recs, please?

I want John/Rodney. Or Rodney/Radek, even. Serious, plotty stories, any rating.

Anything but fluffy cotton candy. I've been reading Jack O'Neill today, and I want my John sharp enough you could shave with him.

*off to dig through rec-lists*

Also, personal request? Someone turn off the fucking sun. It is 97 degrees in my apartment and we're melting. Fans whirring, nothing helps.

Comments

[tonicollins.livejournal.com]

You may wish to try Entangelments by linaerys over at reel_sga; it's based on the movie Notorious and while it does have a happy ending, it isn't fluffy at all.

A Farm in Iowa by sheafrotherdon (which I found on the McKay/Sheppard slash lj) is a nice au - more of a parallel uni actually - again with the lack of fluff.

I'll stop here and let you decide if this is what you're interested in.

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

Thank you, I'll check them out. *nods*

Icarus

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

Thank you, Entanglements was pretty good, though I kept picturing Ingrid Bergman instead of John. ;)

Icarus

[tonicollins.livejournal.com]

Glad you enjoyed it; if you liked that you could try An Affair to Remember also at reel_sga; it's by Tira Nog and does an excellent job of following the movie without, in my opinion, being quite so emotionally over-wrought.

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

An Affair To Remember was both addictive and drove me bananas. The shipboard romance was fun, and John as the international playboy is great, but once they got back to NYC and the car accident -- oh, there's no saving that plot. I couldn't take it any more.

I like both of those writers, but what I'm beginning to notice is a tendency take John's passivity and feminize him. I'm looking for a John who's edgier, more military, one you can imagine hopping into a puddlejumper with a nuclear bomb or killing 70 Genii without a drop of remorse.

Icarus

[tonicollins.livejournal.com]

I'm looking for a John who's edgier, more military, one you can imagine hopping into a puddlejumper with a nuclear bomb or killing 70 Genii without a drop of remorse.

Hm, I'm very happy with that characterization myself and can't, off the top of my head think of any recent stories that fit that description.

Have you read any of Dasha's stories (http://dashamte.livejournal.com/)? They are more Rodney-centric but well-plotted and characterized. Her most recent, Salt of the Earth has generated some interesting feedback re: John's characterization and since I was looking for, er, happier stories I just haven't read it. It's probably not as edgy as you're looking for but, for what it's worth, I can recommend the author.

Er, sorry about the lack of cut-tag's; my html-fu is not up to it at the moment.

[tonicollins.livejournal.com]

Well, son of a bitch, it worked when I posted. Huh.

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

Softly, almost ashamed, "I want more. I want...with you....Rodney, we can do anything." Urgent now, a soft breath against Rodney's cheek. "I don't mean that in the idiot, 'we can't lose' way, I mean....Rodney, we have no idea what we'll be doing tomorrow. It could be anything. We came here looking for technology to beat the Goa'uld. Maybe a few more ZPMs. And there were pretty good chances that we'd just, you know, die. Here. For nothing. But, *Rodney*, there is just an outside chance that we can save this whole galaxy from the Wraith. And you--you might be able to *make* ZPMs by this time next year. Every place we go is different. Everybody we meet is an opportunity I can't even begin to guess at. And doing it with you....You ask more of me than anybody I've ever met. And you never make it easy. I don't want things...easy. This isn't making any sense...."

Weirdly, Rodney could feel Sheppard shaking. He didn't know why. He wasn't sure he even understood what he was saying.

"I want more. No, it's not the same, and I'm...so sorry it hurts you that it's not the same. That I can't want you the way you want me. But I don't want *that*. I want *this*. I wouldn't trade what I have with you for something small and empty and easy."

Rodney was very glad for the darkness. He didn't now whether it would be better to present a cold or an amused front, and anyway, he didn't have it in him to carry off either of the options convincingly. "High marks for creativity. And kindness. But you go into negative numbers for plausibility."

Sheppard sighed. "Yeah. I know. It's really weird. And I don't know what kind of man that makes me. I mean, I like helicopters and puddlejumpers and Atlantis and *you* better than girls. Okay, I still like girls, but...It's just not normal."

Stunned, more confused than he'd admit to, even under these circumstances, Rodney said, "So, what--you mean you don't want to be in love?"

"Of course I...maybe not. I want the life I have. Not some cute fantasy. And the point is, I think...the reason it can be so wonderful is a lot to do with you. And you need to know that."

Rodney swallowed hard. "You have a really nice 'just friends' speech," he said.

"We're not *just* friends. I don't know what we are. But we're not just friends."

This is a wonderful story and John's characterization is spot-on. He's irritable, impatient, loves Rodney and gives him shit at the same time.

You know what the problem is? Fanon!John. This soft and mushy John that is so convenient for slash has eclipsed the tougher John we see in canon.

Icarus

[tonicollins.livejournal.com]

Okay, this story just got put in the queue to read; lots of long fanfic this time o' year, not that I'm complaining....