SGA Big Bang Recs

[icarus]

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.

Comments

[ladyflowdi.livejournal.com]

Just a quick note to bounce in and tell you: SGA Gen is the stuff of candy canes and lollipops. Awesome. If you haven't read them already, pretty much every story by tipper_green is a good story. There's more, if you ever want some links :)

I've read every story on your list already, save the gen piece which I'm going to read today (today, TODAY, is a day where I need a smile for my fandom, because I just know as soon as Joe Mallozzi posts I'm going to start crying again), and they've all been wonderful. They all have unique elements and a unique spin on the characters. All of them have been incredible, but at the end of the day, The Price That Life Exacts has a special place in my heart. I just... babies. Babies named *Amelia*. I can't help it.

[katmaxwell.livejournal.com]

Oh, I love you for these links. Thanks.

[astridv.livejournal.com]

Thanks for posting these recs! With fic this long, and so many of them, it's nice to have an idea what kind of story one's gonna find. Makes picking the next one much easier. :)

[eta: there's fantastic SGA gen out there, and lots of it. A good way to start is pretty much everything by friendshipper. I got recs over at my LJ.]

[crownglass39.livejournal.com]

Thank you for the recs! How the heck did you get through those so fast? I'm in awe!

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

Last weekend I avoided life by sitting behind my computer, pulling a blanket around me, and living there. John and Rodney's reality was better than my reality, by a long shot.

[sobelle.livejournal.com]

you give good reviews and commentary, thanks!

[frogspace.livejournal.com]

Is this what SGA Gen is like?

Yes, yes it is. \o/

Have I been missing some great fics?

Have you read anything by rhymer23? I recommend The Pirate's Prisoner. John is a pirate who abducts Rodney because he needs his help. Awesome! :D

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

You're welcome. The Big Bang kept me alive last weekend when all hope was lost. /melodrama

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

I'm very impressed with friendshipper. I think I've also read Supernatural Gen by her.

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

You're welcome. I try to make my reviews rich, though I think the best reviewer out there is thefourthvine. She makes me want to read fandoms I've never heard of.

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

Thank you. I'm surfacing from finals now. I've never read anything by tipper_green -- and I'm looking forward to it.

Oh, and *Amelia.* That was so.... *heart-strings twang*

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

If I've read anything by rhymer23, it would have been in another fandom (Supernatural, perhaps?).

As for the The Pirate's Prinsoner -- aye, aye, sir, I'll check it out. ;)

[ladyflowdi.livejournal.com]

I really, really recommend her fic, she's utterly fantastic. I'd start with Failure to Communicate (http://megtipper.tripod.com/failure.htm) and Down Came A Spider (http://megtipper.tripod.com/spider.htm), then work your way from there. Believe me when I say, this woman should be writing either scripts for the show, or tie in novels. She has the characters so down it's like watching the show right on your screen. And what I love is, she has her own universe, so characters in early stories can and will show up in later fic. It's just utterly wonderful, I can't recommend her enough.