i am the worst slash fan ever

[xparrot]

*cue the obsessed fangirl* Is it Saturday yet? Or now? Two weeks' wait for "Miller's Crossing"! That's just unfair, yo! And admittedly I spent a good chunk of that time in Taiwan (which was amazing and fun and the food there is better than you can imagine) but now I'm back to work and bored and missing Taiwan's fresh fruit and why is it not Saturday yet? *whiiine*

To fill the eternal void between episodes (oh, I am not looking forward to the upcoming two-parter. And the season finale, not even thinking about it...how did everyone survive until "Adrift" without gnawing off limbs?) I've been reading fic. Lots and lots of fic. Started with the gen h/c, moved onto the slash. Except, well. Yes. Worst slash fan ever. Or pickiest, anyway, because sometimes I will OTP so hard it hurts (Clex, anyone?) and sometimes I can take pairings or leave them, and sometimes... I don't know what's wrong with me when it comes to SGA, but...I just can't do SGA pairings. Any of the team. I mean, I can read the fic, and enjoy and appreciate it, but it ultimately leaves me unsatisfied. I've tried a bunch of McShep, and some Ronon/Rodney (because there's not nearly as much h/c out there between them as there ought to be, gen or otherwise), and OT4 - really good stories, really hot stories, really fun stories; but they almost all tweak me out in the end, in a 'not my chars!' way. I think it's because sex is such a small part of the characters' lives in canon (it's not that they don't want it, they just don't have time for it, what with alternately risking death and saving the galaxy on a daily basis) that making it the center of their existences (as not all but much slash does) just leaves me worrying that Atlantis is going to blow up because McKay's off in bed with someone.

Also because I have a hard time imagining a relationship developing between any pair in the team that wouldn't mess up the team dynamics somehow. Of the four of them, Teyla's the only one I can really imagine having casual sex with friends. Ronon canonically states he isn't ready; Rodney seems the sort who needs an emotional relationship to really enjoy the physical; and Sheppard might be into the casual, but not with anyone he knows (though Sheppard still reads to me as liking flying, Ferris wheels, and big explosions way more than sex anyway). So if any of them got into a relationship, it would soon become a Relationship, and that couldn't help but change things on the team, and I like their dynamics as they are, so. (The other trouble I have with the McShep especially is that one of the funnest aspects of their best-friendship-thing is the way they revert to eight-year-old boys when they're hanging out, which makes slashing them feel like a bizarre variety of pseudo-chan.)

The slash stories that work best for me are the ones which put them in new circumstances, after the Wraith are defeated or such, so the dynamics are shifting already. Then my slash gene starts pinging again, because I get the 'jealousy' reaction of not really wanting to see them settling down with anyone else, so...might as well be each other. OT4 for the win! though I have a natural and unavoidable attraction to McShep, since they're mah faves. But if I'm craving an in-canon-ish thing or an ep tag or the like, try as I might I can't help but twitch when I go to the slash.

Which, just so you know, drives me nuts. I want to be able to slash 'em comfortably, because there is a lot of SGA slash out there, and some of it's mediocre, but a lot of it's good, and some of it's great, and some of it is unbelievably incredible to the point of being intimidating - Speranza's "Written by the Victors" has to be one of the most impressive fanfics I have ever read, in the sheer epic scope; it almost frightens me, how much attention and devotion must have gone into it. (Which is to say, if you can bear graphic slash, and have seen through s3 of SGA, you owe it to yourself to read this one; it's an experience. Futurefic AU from pre-"First Strike", but I've never seen it done quite like this before.)

But none of it satisfies me like a good bit of gen h/c. Which is a problem because there's a lot less of it than there is slash, and I'm running out! I've read pretty much everything by
Sholio (aka friendshipper, aka one of Those Responsible for this obsession, because I'd been tempted for a while to get into SGA just to read her stories. And yup, so worth it - an absolutely must-read if you like the gen, "The Light of a Fading Sun" especially hits my crossing-over-AUs button),
Tipper (great, great team dynamics; she's probably better than anyone at remembering the team is in fact four people - she does more with Teyla than the actual screenwriters, certainly!),
NotTasha (yay for Rodney-hurt!) and
Cybersyd (beautiful writing, characterizations to convince you these might be real people, and such clear prose it sings. "Maybe I'm Dead, I Just Haven't Stopped Moving Yet" is not the sort of story I usually enjoy - such long-term extended h/c can tweak me out - but she handles the chars so wonderfully, it's one of my favorites in the fandom. Also she likes inflicting hurt on poor dear Zelenka as much as I like reading it.)

So, anyone have anymore gen authors to rec? I especially like h/c with happy endings ('put them back the way you found them', more or less) and McKay is my favorite char so I prefer he has a major role, but I like him with any or all of the team. Epically long stories especially appreciated. (Though if you happen to know some good slash h/c, welllll...I never say no to h/c, so feel free to toss that my way as well!)

Comments

(meredith's silly jpop rps account again)

[acchikocchi.livejournal.com]

Have you read synechdochic's Freedom's Just Another Word For Nothing Left To Lose? There's some very faint blink-and-you'll-miss-it slash but aside from, like, one paragraph (from what I remember) it's gen and all about McKay. Just, uh, be ready to cry. A lot. *cough*

Re: (meredith's silly jpop rps account again)

[xparrot.livejournal.com]

...yeaaah, I've seen that one, sort of poked at it nervously and read more of it than I should have and now I'm trying to forget it exists. I like to write death-fic, but I really, really hate reading them; they tend to depress me. Sensitive, yo! ^^;

Re: (meredith's silly jpop rps account again)

[acchikocchi.livejournal.com]

Ahh, I see, okay okay. Sorry for bringing up the trauma again. XD (I just loved the part about McKay and the little state university that could.)

Re: (meredith's silly jpop rps account again)

[xparrot.livejournal.com]

The flashbacks! nooo! XDDD (It was, from what I read, an exceptionally well-written story; there are some intimidatingly good writers in the slash side of SGA fandom. Which means their stories are that much harder to get out of one's head! I think part of my problem with that fic especially was that I like my heroes being all epically heroic, so while McKay's circumstances were convincing and believable...I was all flail-y noooo he needs to be a supergenius superhero still! When it comes down to it, I prefer melodramatic fictional SF h/c angst that can be completely resolved in 42 minutes + commercial breaks to more realistic kinds ^^;;;)

Re: (meredith's silly jpop rps account again)

[sholio]

LOL, "Freedom's Just Another Word" is one that I read back in my early flush of fandom. It is one of the best novellas I've ever read, in fandom or original fic; the author is brilliant and deserves every accolade she's gotten. It also ripped out my heart and stomped it into a thin paste of jelly on the floor, and I doubt if I'll ever muster the courage to read it again. But ... brilliant!

Re: (meredith's silly jpop rps account again)

[xparrot.livejournal.com]

The best stories in this fandom are something...I don't know what it is about a mediocre* bit of action SF TV that inspires such brilliance, but "Freedom" and "Written by the Victors" are just amazing science fiction literature, some of the best I've read, and I'm not talking about fanfic ("Freedom" is barely SF and yet it is, because, yes, xenocide...)

*Mediocre maybe isn't the word, but I don't think anyone's going to argue that SGA is amazingly original or deep scifi, but a few of the derivative works of fiction it's inspired are. Which is sort of fascinating. And makes me wish there were some way fanfic could be published, for the wider audience some of it deserves...

Re: (meredith's silly jpop rps account again)

[xparrot.livejournal.com]

* I feel the need to clarify - "amazing science fiction literature" with hardcore gay porn. God you gotta love fandom XD

Re: (meredith's silly jpop rps account again)

[sholio]

LOL! Oh fandom, how we love you.

... but, yeah, the quality of writers in SGA fandom is really amazing, especially given the relative quality of the source material. >_< I feel like I've genuinely become a better writer just from being in the fandom, reading the fic, and trying to measure up to it -- and that's NEVER been the case in any of my prevous fandoms. I've always generally felt like one of the best writers in the room. Here, I'm definitely a second-tier writer, which is actually refreshing; there's SO much good fic to read!

Re: (meredith's silly jpop rps account again)

[xparrot.livejournal.com]

Heh - see, I need to have that attitude about it being "refreshing" - I'm thrilled by great fic up until the point I start writing for the fandom in question, and then I get all intimidated and sulky and frustrated that I can't do what they can do (...yeah, I can be that terribly insecure. I swear I love Rodney so much because I share most of his bad traits, except I lack his superhuman brilliance to make up for it! >_<)

Though I wouldn't call you "second tier" (...and here I hope this doesn't come out like the most backhanded compliment ever, please forgive me if so, I mean it genuinely! er, as a compliment, not the backhanded part) - You're one of the best gen fic'ers I've read in the SGA fandom, and that top tier is only these few BNF slashers who work on a different level from most of us. Except as brilliant as their writing is, it often tends to leave me unsettled, unsatisfied; it can be too high-concept, in a way, inspiring admiration but not squee. And I like squee.

I guess it's akin to the difference between SGA and, say, BSG or something, that's meatier but not as fun. Especially when it comes to h/c and fanfic, I like it fun; and I like rereading your fic more than a lot of the other fic out there, which may be more brilliant in prose or plot, but ultimately aren't as entertaining...

[naye]

Popping in to say - I did the same thing. And then I kept seeing recs for it. And when I'm depressed, I tend to avoid depressing stories. But something about the way these people were talking about it was just... It made me even more curious. And I read the ending first, and then a bit from the middle, and then I started from the beginning, and it was beautiful. It really didn't kill me with sad, which is what I had expected it to do. It... I'm glad I read it. I am. And now I'm thinking I should rec "String Theory", to make up for pushing for "Freedom".

String theory is a total AU, and I know you're not always into those, but it's SUCH a beautiful story. Totally, absolutely wow-ed me, and you really MUST check it out. I don't really know what to say about it, except that it is a story that makes words turn into music. Plus - it's one of those stories where everything gets better for the characters. Because they find each other. How could you resist?

...and since I'm reccing wildly anyway - have you seen "Your Cowboy Days Are Over? Future-fic AU with a lovely, lovely John-Teyla friendship (!!) and while it did make me cry, it - it doesn't break what really matters. Trust me. And it's not slash? It's - sci-fi. Pretty damn brilliant sci-fi, if you ask me.

Just in case that's too dark - "But Where Would They Live?". This is - this is IT. The one where Rodney is a unicorn, and John is a rainbow. THE CRACK, I LOVE IT. XD

...well. That was quite the rec-post. Uh. I'm thinking I shouldn't have placed it in the middle of your discussion, but hopefully you haven't read all of these! ♥

[xparrot.livejournal.com]

I've actually read most of "Freedom" - I skimmed some bits, but I went through the whole story. (and most of the writer's commentary, too.) And I can see it's beautiful, and lovely done, but it's...it's not the future I want to see, and it's not how I want to see the characters even though I can see them like that, it makes it plausible...ahhh, I dunno. I can't explain it, but I have a really hard time shaking off stories like that, and when it's that well-written they get lodged deeper than most other fic, somehow become integrated into my personal canon, and then depress me. Umm. I can't explain it. Except I like happy endings? ^^;;;; (have you read "Written by the Victors"? because, yeah, hardcore pr0n, but the scifi alt history epicness of it, maaaaan, thing of beauty! and it's not a sad ending.)

friendshipper just rec'ed Cowboy Days, so yup, on my list! and then rainbow & unicorn and OH DEAR...your fandom scarifies me, hon! XP

Now I just gotta convince myself it's worth trying to write for a fandom that already has people way, way, way smarter and better educated and better writing than me writing for it ^^;;; (it's not that I've got a billion ideas for SGA, it's not even that I want to join the fic community for SGA, it's just that I want to get closer to the chars, I want the intimacy that comes from fic'ing them. And er, wow, that sounds weird, but, uh, you know what I mean, maybe? ^^;;;)

[naye]

The future you want to see... Yeah, I can see that. It's - um. I did have one rec that friendshipper gave me, called "The House That John Built", but now that has been so thoroughly Jossed that I'm afraid it would end up more depressing than cheerful. ^^;;

I have to admit that I was too intimidated by the sheer scope of "Written by the Victors" to give it a shot. Plus, I have this weird thing - actually, it sounds a lot like your thing with the death fic! But even though I love stuff like "Deconstruction of Falling Stars", they DEPRESS me. And "Written" gave off very strong vibes of "Deconstruction", and I just - I couldn't handle that right now. Unless it's a total AU, I actually have more of a problem with "everything changes" future fics than I do with death fic... ^^;; Um. Which means I should really have hated "Freedom", but. Uh. It was the exception to the rule? (Seriously, I don't know what it is, but I feel deeply unsettled by stories where the characters' lives start out as canon, and then veer too sharply off course. If - if they can't ever go back to the way things were, to some degree...

Agh. I'm really not making sense, but. It's - something to do with 'put them back the way you found them' that also covers the city and everything else, for me... But only sometimes, because I'm WEIRD. But that's why I haven't read "East of the Sun, West of the Moon", for example.)

[xparrot.livejournal.com]

*laughs* But see, that's why "Freedom" killed me, because it's not just the death; Atlantis is dead, and the dream is annihilated, all their discoveries just hurt in the end and they're only slowly getting over it...so, yeah, I can understand having that sort of reaction to future fics. But "Victors" is the total opposite of that, because yes, everything changes, but then everything is also going to go on forever; it's about building a future to last for generations. Very much like "Deconstruction of Falling Stars" - I had flashbacks to it reading the fic - and yeah...it can be, not depressing for me, but overwhelming. But when it's a positive future, I sort of love it. (I like Speranza's writing because even though she's into the hardcore pr0n, and is one of the Scary Intellectual BNFs, she's also pretty hardcore into Happy Endings, such that when someone wrote her a deathfic followup to "Victors" she posted it with the emphatic disclaimer that it was an AU to her story, because in her version of the future they basically live forever ^^)

Anyway, yes, I know what you mean; I tend to like the status quo endings the best. Heck, I swear some of the reason I don't care for the slash is because it messes with that status quo... ^^

[naye]

And OF COURSE you should write for the fandom! You silly thing. ♥ You ARE smart and well-read and imaginative! Some of the stuff you've done in other fandoms has been OUTSTANDING and original and just because there is more competition here doesn't mean you're WORSE than them! I know you can do amazing, amazing things, if you put your mind to it. But I also know that you can write the kind of thing that might not have ended up getting literary awards if it was original fic, but that can make thousands of fangirls all over the world squee and coo and feel so, so happy. You have the emotion, and you can write things that fulfil those deepest fannish cravings that the most beautiful prose and the most extraordinary ideas simply don't satisfy.

You don't have to write the next fandom opus. Really. You don't. I don't even think you want to do that - if you want to write to get closer to the characters, well - that is exactly what I want to read! I want to read to get that emotional intimacy - and, of course, the squee. And you know I'm not alone in this. ♥

[xparrot.livejournal.com]

You are so cute! *snuggles* Please ignore the whiny insecurities, it's all hormonal (with a little bit of SAD thrown in for kicks; you know I never can write well Dec.-Jan...) And expect a bit of fic popping up in your email shortly ^^

[naye]

Why ignore when I can do the snuggling and pep-talking? ♥ You deserve better than being ignored!

Yay, fic! I'll hold you to that! *hugs*

[xparrot.livejournal.com]

(also, if you like the String Theory AU - haven't read but will try it! - there's this AU story by the same author that is sort of gut-punching but also beautiful, and doesn't depress me, exactly, though, yeah, something of a gut-punch. Maaaaan the talent in this fandom is frightening. I think you need a PhD to write the slash >_>)

[naye]

Oooh~! Hadn't read that! Must check it out. Thank you! Recs are good. ♥ (So this whole post has been brilliant!)

[http://users.livejournal.com/_la_la_la/]

I have to rec LTLJ's stories - some are gen and some slash - the Retrograde series is awesome (starts out gen - gen stuff is authored under Martha Wilson, slash under Victoria Custer, except for "Vegas," which has a little slash in it), and pretty much everything there is incredible.
http://www.ltljverse.com/watergate/storyindex.htm

Vee_fic has a really good gen h/c:
http://vee-fic.livejournal.com/3497.html

Another fave gen fic is minnow1212's Necessary Things: http://minnow1212.livejournal.com/204661.html#cutid1

Minnow1212 also has a really good McShep called Face Value (as well as many other stories):
http://minnow1212.livejournal.com/209075.html

Kaneko's Intersections is a wonderful McShep:
http://www.anyroad.org/kaneko/intersections.html

Another wonderful gen adventure is Planet Megadaloon Wraith Defense Force (you gotta love that title!) by pentapus:
http://pentapus.livejournal.com/12658.html
Her other stories are wonderful as well.

For McShep, I'd recommend pretty much everything by Rageprufrock:
http://glitterati.talkoncorners.net/fiction/index.html#sga
The AU ones like Hindsight and Bell Curve start out with a different dynamic, so you might like them better than slash stories set in Atlantis.

Hope you like them!

p.s. um, yeah, you don't know me >_> I recently friended your journal b/c I read your Psych fics, and loved them. I'm hoping you'll continue the WIPs, but of course the Muse may have her own ideas :)

[xparrot.livejournal.com]

Eeeee, thanks for the recs! I've seen some of these authors before but haven't heard of others, looking forward to trying them! Rageprufrock I know from SV, and have tried some of her McShep; she's an excellent author but makes me a bit...nervous to read, as she does both humor and tragedy and the latter...I suffer from this bizarre condition that I require happy endings in my fic. Death-fic doesn't make me cry but it makes me feel ill. Which doesn't stop me from writing it, but...eheh. It's different when I'm breaking others peoples' hearts? ^^;;;

And hi, welcome to the lj! I will be getting back to the Psych fic eventually...am hoping new eps will kickstart me, I am so very fond of Shawn et al, and I left him in some rather bad places there, no? ^^;

[sholio]

Oh, you ought to check out Pru's; she's got some "lighter" slash that might be more to your -- and my! -- taste (the ones you've sampled, Speranza and Astolat, are some of the porniest writers in the fandom). I recommend The Local Atlantis Stitch'n'Bitch Chapter (I mean, just for the name alone, but it's a really fun story that is almost borderline gen) and the incredibly adorable and hilarious Bang!.

And I second the rec for "Planet Megalodon Wraith Defense Force"; not only is it good, but hysterically funny if you've ever played the video games Myst or Riven.

[xparrot.livejournal.com]

Hee, I have read "Bang!" and much love for it (though it's part of a whole selection of stories in which I find the slash jarring, because they work fine as gen stories up until the point the chars are suddenly having sex, and then I'm left feeling out in the cold because I don't see it. In some ways the hard-core porn is easier for me to read, because I'll be in a different mindset for it from the beginning, while as the gen-to-slash gives me whiplash. And SGA seems to have a lot of it, or maybe it's just I'm used to SV slash, where the chars lusting for one another is just a matter of being IC? ^^;)

Myst! Man, that's been years - never did get Riven...

[sholio]

LOL, I know what you mean about the sudden left turn into slash and resultant whiplash. I think I've become sort of inured to it after over a year of actively reading slash; I remember how much it used to bother me at first, and I do still sometimes get a little twinge of "... that story would have been better as gen", but I've almost stopped noticing it, or at least stopped getting whiplash from it. (Bad gen writer! Bad!)

I think there IS a lot of it in this fandom, because most of the slashers' work has been done for them -- there's no animosity to overcome, no canon girlfriends (well, aside from Katie, who isn't around much). The characters hang out all the time in canon anyway and even demonstrably love each other in a platonic sort of way, so all the slasher has to do is add the sexual twist to the existing dynamic. Which sometimes works and sometimes just turns into a trainwreck. I've had some SGA slash set off my incest squick horribly, because it played up what I see as a very familial/brotherly relationship between the characters and then suddenly they're having sex and NO. Just NO. (And don't get me started on the AU that had John and Rodney being actual, literal brothers and then having sex. WHY??????)

[xparrot.livejournal.com]

Hee - the thing is, I am a slasher, sometimes (I'm the worst gen fan *and* the worst slash fan ever!) - I gleefully read & watch yaoi, I buy doujinshi, there are some fandoms/pairings which I pretty much won't read gen fic for at all. But SGA...yeah, I think you hit it on the head here, that the slasher's work is mostly done, relationships already there, just add the sexual attraction and stir! But I don't especially like the flavor of sexual attraction on its own, only when it's a necessary part of the recipe; so when it's just tossed in I turn up my nose.

The brother AU - Speranza's, yes? I saw that! Or are there more? Heh...I've read sibcest in some fandoms, but I admit to not getting the incest kink. Wonder if most fen who have it are only children?

[http://users.livejournal.com/_la_la_la/]

Ah, in that case, pretty much all the ones I rec above have happy endings. For Rageprufrock, um, I don't usually like to spoil fic for readers, but since you're very much against death-fic/ sad endings, I'll point out the following:
Avoid, avoid, avoid "Edges," "Dearest," and (oh, God) "Directional Theory" - each of these are incredibly well written, and excellent fics, but man did they rip my heart out and stomp on it. The others are mostly happy endings, though some may not provide full closure of the slashy relationship (e.g. Sky Full Of, Out of West), they all end on a pretty good (i.e. maybe not happily ever after, but with hope) note.

I do have to say you broke my heart terribly with "A Whisper to the Living," but in a good way - I actually like the break-your-heart fic (though sometimes if I'm reading on my lunch break, it's embarrassing to end up bawling in my office) like "Edges" and "Freedom's Just Another Word." I love that you're taking Shawn & Co to darker places in your fic - while I love the comic aspects of canon, I love reading fic that takes the characters more seriously.

Oh, another great fic to read: Unidentified by the Drifter. http://fiercelydreamed.livejournal.com/8714.html It even comes w/ a soundtrack!

[sholio]

Thank you for the rec! ^_^

There are two novel-length gen stories you really must read, if you haven't already: East of the Sun, West of the Moon by Dossier, and Your Cowboy Days are Over by "M". Both are canon-based AUs -- that is, they each follow canon to a certain point and then take off in a new direction.

SkyPig21 (aka iamrighthere) writes fantastic, incredibly unique stories. I especially recommend "The Known World" for your h/c fix and "Twelve" for an amazing, twisty plot. eretria (website here) and Auburn write gorgeous, lush stories together and separately -- gen, het and slash. (I especially recommend Care Packages and the "Make a Northwest Passage" series of ficlets that begins with Fold, Fallow and Plow.

Tipper's "favorite authors" page on ff.net is how I found a whole batch of authors who do McKay or Sheppard-and-McKay focused gen h/c in the SGA fandom: liketheriver, Gaffer42, ga unicorn, sablecain, NebbyJen, Tazmy, emergencyfan, b7-kerravon, Wraithfodder ... oh, I have no doubt I'm forgetting some people here.

There's a whole different set of people doing Sheppard h/c. I love Kodiak Bear Country (actually, she's frequently awful to both Sheppard and McKay, and does great friendship). If you go for really heavy h/c, Stealth Dragon is really good, but she hurts Sheppard hard. (Her story Mercy is the one that hooked me on her work, but oh, it's brutal.) Other good Sheppard h/c writers are rhymer23 (on whose Sheppard-torture WIP "White Walls" I'm currently dangling), Alipeeps, Kristen999, sazz27, Titan5, obsessed1, Merlin71, and Linnzi.

A few other good gen authors who aren't exactly h/c (though their stories may well have h/c elements): Martha Wilson, Meredith Tasaki aka ameretrifle, Tielan, miss_porcupine ... I'm sure I'll think of others.

A handful of other individual h/c stories that pushed my buttons *g*: Scheherazade, Replaced ... aw, heck, I'm running out of characters, but this should keep you busy for a while, and I haven't even started on the slash!

[xparrot.livejournal.com]

Eeee! Sankyuu~! Look forward to trying them all!

Sheppard h/c I've found I'm picky on...I love yours, obviously; but some of the other authors I've tried, Sheppard fans especially, while being good writers, have characterizations that don't jive properly with my own. Yeah, picky! Also I tend to prefer Sheppard hurt as a means to an end - i.e. McKay comforting him - rather than just for the sake of seeing John in pain. Not that there's anything wrong with John in pain, naturally, but... XD

(oh, and I gotta ask, regarding the two long AUs...happy endings, y/n/plz? And by "happy" I mean everyone's alive and best friends still. I really don't care for depressing fics, but especially long ones, hurts more when you're invested, and while I can appreciate an author's ability to tear out one's heart, I don't always enjoy the experience...'sides, am in the mood for 'uplifting' now ^^)

[sholio]

By that definition of happy, then yes, they're happy. *g* The Dossier one is by far the happier of the two. (I've actually fallen completely in love with it; I want the author to write a whole series in that AU.)

I know what you mean about Sheppard h/c writers. It strikes me that a lot of Sheppard h/c is very -- hmm, very physically focused, I guess I'd say. There definitely is a trend in Sheppard h/c to focus very much on the "whump", in great detail, and not so much on the "comfort" or the emotional side of things. Rodney fans go more for emotional angst; Sheppard fans want the physical stuff. (Case in point: a lot of Sheppard fans were disappointed in "Doppelganger" because of the "lack of whump" for Sheppard. I had a whole world of WTF? to that. HELLO, best friend died in front of him? But they're not really into the emotional h/c. I'm really not saying there's anything wrong with that; everyone's h/c buttons are a little different. But it's also very different from what I, personally, get out of h/c.)

[egelantier.livejournal.com]

I still can't make myself watch more than few episodes of sga, but this fandom has more h/c stories than any else, so no choice. have some links:

five people John Sheppard didn't kill on P11-23R (http://sardonicsmiley.livejournal.com/33676.html?format=light) bysardonicsmiley - it can be read as slash, or can be read as gen, but in any case it's intense and scary and vivid and very, very good.

five people who don't tease Rodney about сitrus (http://community.livejournal.com/mckay_sheppard/1111901.html) seikaitsukimizu - Rodney and his allergies and teamwork, all very sweet.

balcony sessions (http://www.wraithbait.com/viewstory.php?sid=9&textsize=0&chapter=1) by leah (http://www.wraithbait.com/viewuser.php?uid=3) - this one is slash, but it features such amazing Rodney in all his crazy heroic glory that it's a must-read.

everything (http://www.stickymanpress.mediawood.net/sga.html) by laceymcbain, starting, I think, with no more dreadful punishment (http://www.stickymanpress.mediawood.net/nomoredreadful.html), mostly because it's almost best this fandom can offer.

blue and knobby (http://ladycat777.livejournal.com/924236.html?format=light) and back (http://ladycat777.livejournal.com/846967.htm) by ladycat777 - gen stories, short and sweet and teamwork-y.

coping mechanisms (http://www.unrealwords.com/thestuff/sga/coping.html) by amireal - slash again (I think Sholio and Tipper and NotTasha sort of write all gen around here), but it's more about slow, terrifying and intense process of recovery and piecing everything back together and learning to lean on people.

[xparrot.livejournal.com]

Heh...the show's not the best show ever, but it's terrifically cute, as long as you remember to deactivate your brain at key intervals. Thank you - recs much appreciated! I've seen a few of these but not most. Ahhhh why must there be so much slash? So much good slash? I end up having to read it in spite of myself! XP

[egelantier.livejournal.com]

I have this feeling from most meta and fic and everything that even fans love what-it-could-have-been in sga more than actual show - not even canon vs. fanon, more like they take setting and characters and then make them into something better and more smooth - fixing 'skanky colonial issues', expanding Teyla's and Ronon's stories etc.etc. and since I've never had problems with taking fanon over canon anyways, and Rodney hits all my OTC buttons with his genius and sarcasm and bravery in accepting cowardice - well, here I am. and stories are just so great ) and it's easier to read slash and gen alike, because I can see it like different AUs or something - different sets, same characters, works both ways.

(if I can ask - since it's you who converted me to psych - are you planning on finishing 'that cannot be perceived' someday? because this story kinda spoiled all other psych fics to me ^^')

[xparrot.livejournal.com]

I actually like the SGA canon much more than some other things I've fanned on (like, say, SV, in which I actively hate the show) but, yeah...there's a lot for fic to smooth over. I'd say you're missing something, but not that much ^_^

Ack, yes, I will be getting back to the Psych fic! ^^;; I just am easily distracted, but I am very fond of the show, and want to finish those stories...am hoping the new eps will kickstart me! (glad you're still interested, apologies for the delay!)

[egelantier.livejournal.com]

on SV - I'm still waiting on fate of your Lexnalysis - whether it'll come true or not. it's way more fun then trying to watch the show itself (which I don't).

and of course, no apologies needed! just waiting patiently )

[kimberlyfdr.livejournal.com]

Random drive-by comment :P

When I was avoiding getting into SGA (I held out for three years!) my pimp-ers kept telling me "McShep is the biggest pairing and that's because Rodney's so obviously gay or bisexual and John's all military, so he's gonna take longer to catch on."

I went into watching the show and after about three eps I go "what should were YOU watching?" Because Rodney has never struck me as gay, no way. Bisexual I can see, very open to it, but the canon on the show shows him very obviously interested in a whole lot of women.

John, on the other hand, I figured out within three eps that he is so obviously in love with Rodney that it hurts. And it's not all "I love this man and I want to be with him forever and ever" but more the fact that John doesn't show his emotions very well and the fact that he's instantly bonding with Rodney is just...it's striking. Rodney's his equal in command, his fellow teammate, his best friend.

That's translated into something else that the writers have begun to pick up on and put in which is John's need to cockblock Rodney. Inferno was the first blatant example of it (he begs Elizabeth to let him go back to the planet because this girl was interested in Rodney), but now in the fourth season John's not even trying to hide it anymore. The whole fruit basket thing in Reunion was just...John is purposely sabotaging Rodney's attempts and whether that's because he wants Rodney for himself (which I can see) or he just like screwing around with him as friends sometimes do.

So, that was a long-winded way to saying...I can see the canon support for a McShep (or at least John's love of Rodney and Rodney's obliviousness to it). That may be why I zeroed in on the pairing as workable for me.

[xparrot.livejournal.com]

*laughs* Hey, I held out on SGA until 2 months ago, despite desperate attempts from multiple sources. It took an evil individual burning and mailing me DVDs to get me watching ^^

My pimpers were mostly gen fen anyway, but I came into it expecting to see the slash, and was surprised when I didn't really. But if I do try to see it, my interpretation jives almost exactly with yours. I have a hard time seeing Rodney as openly bi - repressed, possibly; but he is so terribly bad at hiding his attraction to various women, if he was crushing on a guy, I think we could tell. Rodney doesn't lie, and he wears his heart on his sleeve...if his father were homophobic, perhaps he's denying that part of himself, but otherwise...doesn't work for me.

John, on the other hand...canonically John seems pretty okay with the gay (what with asking Ronon "Girlfriend? Boyfriend?") and he is so weird with women...McKay calls him Kirk, but most of the time Sheppard comes across as asexual to me. His easygoing personality can appear casually flirtatious, but he always seems so shocked when women fling their naked bodies at him...yeah. I can see him as gay and closeted (for the sake of his military career) pretty easily. And, yeah, he does bond awfully quickly with Rodney...(and the fruit basket thing, heh, yeah...other than bad writing, cockblocking is the only way I can really read it. Sheppard does screw with Rodney, but sabotaging his chances with a new commander is pretty out of line...!) I like seeing them as "just friends" (platonic guy friendship, smarm, has been a kink of mine forever) but yeah, Sheppard loving Rodney isn't a long jump for me to make...(don't know if I've read a slash fic that has John trying to seduce Rodney? as you said, most of the fandom seems convinced of Rodney's gayousity...)

[kimberlyfdr.livejournal.com]

I finally got Crossroads to load so I could answer this :)

don't know if I've read a slash fic that has John trying to seduce Rodney?

Here's the genre listing for GayJohn/StraightRodney: 51 different fics

Then there's the unrequited love genre: 13 fics to choose from

Hopefully some of these fics will hit the spot.

[slob-child.livejournal.com]

Dec. 1st, 2007 01:51 am (UTC)
Hi! Uh, I followed you to your lj from your account page at the PsychFic archive ~ I love your writing, btw ~ and I saw your request for gen-fic recs (though I also second all of the slash recs posted here so far... seriously, SGA is a powerhouse for all the good writers it has in its fandom).

I'm not sure if you ran across Jane St. Clair yet. She writes a terrifically awesome dynamic between Rodney and Zelenka; one of my favourite gen pieces is Detox (http://www.ravenswing.com/~mirrorgirl/detox.html), and her PostSecret: Atlantis (http://www.ravenswing.com/~mirrorgirl/postsecretatlantis.html) is really wonderful as well. And Pi Throw (http://www.ravenswing.com/~mirrorgirl/pithrow.html) is just hilarious.

And I know you didn't want to read slash, but The Secret Life of Scientists (http://yearningvoid.net/stories/julad/000082.html) is mostly gen - and is just a really cool piece of writing for all of its characterizations, so you might want to give it a shot. All of Julad's stuff is awesome. (I especially like Absurdity Theory (http://yearningvoid.net/stories/julad/000083.html) - which is hilarious.) Incidentally, the two I recc'd by Julad are McKay/Zelenka - but the focus isn't on the relationship... I don't know if the 'ship aspect will jar you or not.

And, er, Counting the days (http://seekergeek.livejournal.com/24966.html) is humorous mpreg without the slash (an anomaly in and of itself), The Pegasus Postscript (http://quasar273.livejournal.com/3242.html) is just really cute, as is Infinite Recursion (http://ivy03.livejournal.com/193117.html) which is a great John/Rodney friendship piece; and for general hilarity, Zelenka's Still (http://www.eternalvox.net/~auburn/zelenkasstill.html). All those by varying authors.

I hope those are to your taste!

[xparrot.livejournal.com]

Eeee, thanks for the links! I've read "Detox" but haven't seen the others. I'm very fond of Zelenka, and the Rodney-Zelenka dynamic...not sure how it will play slashwise for me, but I'm willing to give it a whirl!

[egelantier.livejournal.com]

wow, thank you for The Secret Life of Scientists rec - I start to think that it may well be best sga fic ever written, with all details and great characterisation and whole claustrophobic feeling. incredible.

[slob-child.livejournal.com]

*g* The scene that bought it for me was the one where Rodney has that minor melt down at the thought of someone else using Zelenka's silver pen. And the end... 'you gave me time. that is the lamest pun ever.' GAH! hah!

But yes, it's all just... so, so good. It's an older fic, though, so it's sort of buried beneath all the rest of the epics that have come after. If you ever want more recs, I'd be happy to toss some at you - just lemme know your preferences.

sorry for hijacking the thread -_-

[egelantier.livejournal.com]

Rodney is excellent here, but Zelenka shines - and oh, oh, all of them, and that woman who died from nanites. priceless fic, twisty and sad and hilarious at the same time.

(also, I did a double take at 'Yebanat Prezrenniy' and laughed for ten minutes straight, because nobody ever gets russian obscenities right, and this one just did, in entirely awesome way.)

I'm reading her other stories now, and they make me very, very happy. so if you have any other recs - scientists and geekiness and Zelenka and everyday life on Atlantis - I'll be very, very grateful. thanks!

[luminare-ardua.livejournal.com]

Don't have much to add, but Auburn's In the City of Seven Walls (slash)is a famous fic utilising the good ol' captured!enslaved!John and Rodney theme.

It probably has been recced to death, and is seriously one of the great works of fic in the fandom, I reckon.(Auburn also has other stories in the same 'verse)

However, if you can't stomach mostly-bitter endings or don't like stories that don't restore the status quo (at least kinda)in the end, I'd suggest avoiding this one. I skimmed the beginning, read part of the middle, then jumped rapidly to the end, because reading the thing hurt like hell so much I couldn't sit through it for an hour without feeling like I needed to scream and cry for the tension.

Oh poor John and Rodney! (has flashback to reading the fic and bawling)I didn't break while reading synedochic's Freedom , but this just broke me without even trying.

I saved it to my drive for a later date, and till now I'm still so traumatised by the sheer heartbreak that I haven't dared sit down and read it properly yet. Auburn writes great darkfic, but she unsettles me with it for weeks after, sometimes.

If you don't mind McShep, go read Leah and Springwoof's story Aegis (along with the other related stories), a fantastic AU that's really quite well done. And if you haven't come across them yet, also by the same author(s) are Left To Fend and its (huge) sequel/remix The Body Holographic, AU futurefic and another heartbreaker with a happy ending, in spite of (or is it because of?) the character deaths. Mind you these are unsettling as well, but in a good way. Leah and Springwoof's stories can be found at Wraithbait. Seriously, it's pretty good stuff.

[xparrot.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the recs! For now I'm gonna avoid the hardcore break-your-heart fics...maybe try 'em later when I've got a little more distance from the chars. I appreciate that unsettling that good darkfic can do, but I don't always enjoy it, so... ^^;;

The others sound fun! I'm slowly being dragged into the McShep just because there's so much good slashfic out there, even if I wish there were more in the way of gen! XP

[luminare-ardua.livejournal.com]

One wishes that too, nadi, but since there is little in the way of gen, one has decided that slash will be on the menu as well from now onwards. The things one does for good fic... (and the realisation that one really, really doesn't mind slashfic after all...)

To aid in your quest, one notes that floolowing people's favourites on fanfiction.net has led to the discovery of some really good stuff. And I'll go home and dig up some of the better stuff on my drive when I get my comp back... I always thought I should make a recs list of my own.

In the meantime, try searching for SGA gen recs. There are quite a number here, seen some myself and how I got started on my wild reading ride through fandom--along with the comms (try SGA Flashfic, rokeon's answer to the documentation challenge is an absolute screamer, and Google does the rest, down to hunting down elusive recs on del.i.cious. Happy hunting!

[leesa_perrie]

Haven't had chance to read all the comments, but has anyone pointed you towards Jumper Bay? All gen and most of the writers are of a good quality.

Also, Thought Reflex has done two great Rodney-centric fics on ff.net.

I write Rodney fic, though it tends to be more angst than h/c. Still, if you want to check me out, feel free HERE

[xparrot.livejournal.com]

I've read Reflex's stories, enjoyed them muchly; she does such fun things to and with Rodney. Thanks for the other links, I look forward to checking out the archive, and your own fic!