SGA recs part one: Comfort fics
1/4/09 12:42 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kateSo a while ago I did an informal poll about what people like to reread, and why, and it came to my attention that I reread certain fics over and over again because I mostly read fic when I'm in a particular mood. That mood is in need of comfort. Further rec sets coming because I'm not always in a comfort mood, and there are a million other amazing fics out there that fit other, different, moods.
A lot of these are classics, and really need no introduction. I'll give them a brief one anyway. For the less well-known ones, I'll give a little more. All John/Rodney because that's the way I roll. There will be other pairings and gen in the future, but John/Rodney is my happy place, and thus the comfort. Also, I'm not putting much info on these recs, sorry, it's late and I don't have time, so, assume NC17, though not all of them are, and assume 10k and up. I'll try to label the over 25k ones for you.
There's two types of comfort I need, mindless romantic comfort (I call them quick fixes), which means I want at least 10,000 words, I don't want too much angst, and I want a nice tidy bow on the end (that's not to say that the stories aren't wonderful and well written and emotionally true, just that they're easy on me). The second is comfort that is earned. This type of story tends to be longer, have a higher angst to hope ratio, and doesn't always end with a reset button - a happy ending can be learning to deal with a situation that isn't ideal, or recovery... but there has to be real honest-to-god hope at the end.
Quick Fixes
Strangers on a Six Train by![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
eye_queue. This is one of my all-time favorites in this fandom. One of my favorite things about SGA is the fact that the characters are so distinct that sticking them into even the most absurd places, you can still tell who they are. This fic is Rodney as a physics professor (this is a theme, you'll see - Rodney's a little tough to redefine, I find) and John as... the guy Rodney meets on the train. Steals gloriously from Tao of Rodney and has both a beautifully oblivious Rodney (another theme) and a bonus fantastic Jeannie. This is my number one reread when I need a pick-me-up.
Fashion Victim bylamardeuse. This is my runner-up for reread fic when I am feeling woobie-ish. Rodney's a fashion designer, John's a... John. And Rodney's not really a fashion designer. Fantastically woven into canon, a really nice read, and fashion! I love creative AUs, so anything where the boys do something other than physics and piloting is always fun for me.
Junk Cheap bydevildoll. I love this fic because it's so beautifully low-key. It's like a soothing cup of tea, or staying in bed reading on a rainy day. Rodney's a physics professor (I did mention a theme), and John owns a junk shop. Super-low on the angst, supremely well-written and as comfy as a warm blanket.
A Place on the Corner bycesare. I love cesare's slow build here. It's a story told in holidays, and the inevitable way John and Rodney are drawn together is just gorgeous. It's the Bakery AU, and there are more parts in the series now - I highly recommend every single one. Rodney's a physics consultant that's part of a think tank, and John owns a bakery. The opening scene where John meets Rodney (bonus hilarious Kavanagh smackdown) is hilarious.
101 Ways to Get Lucky in Love byscribblinlenore. There are several names that pop up fairly often in my recs, and anyone that shows up more than once is someone whose index you should take a look at (and then read every story on it). scribblinlenore has a lovely, tongue-in-cheek style with a nice dose of humor. Her fics always make me smile. In this one, Rodney's a scientist-businessman who suddenly realizes that to be truly successful, he needs to have a wife! And a family! And so to get it, he goes to a matchmaker. One John Sheppard. Bonus fantastic kidlet (of John's).
Open Your Eyes bythedeadparrot. Inspired by Friday Night Lights, though I haven't seen it, so I can't speak to it any more than that. You certainly don't need to have seen that to enjoy the easy-to-see-the-appeal concept: John is the football coach and Rodney is a physics professor... who's subbing for Jeannie as the physics teacher. This is just fun all around.
Bell Curve, or Ladies Night at the Boom Boom Room byrageprufrock. We're getting heavier as we go down my list. This isn't angsty enough to go all the way down into the 'hard-earned' comfort area, but there is plenty of angst to go around and it's nowhere near as light as something like Strangers on a Six Train. Rodney is a physics professor and John is... well. Rodney first meets John in a strip club. As the bartender one of the strippers the bartender. Turns out, John's also his TA. This story is just enough emotional gut-punch for me, but there's a clear happy ending (a nice, lengthy epilogue), so it's very cathartic in the end.
No Refunds or Exchanges byastolat. Okay, so I have to admit... I have a thing for fake marriage fics. Seriously. I could read every one ever written and then some. I don't know what it is, the whole 'forced together/fall in love' trope is deeply satisfying to me. This is one of the best I've ever read (and note that astolat shows up three times on this list). Rodney's CMO in Atlantis, and too busy for relationships, so he buys a spouse. Too bad he's too busy to specify the gender of that spouse. There's a fair amount of angst, but it's that beautiful harlequin angst that you know, even as it's twisting you up into knots, that it's going to work out beautifully. *sigh*
The Convenient Husband Part One and Part Two (because bizarrely, it doesn't link in the post) bymz_bstone. I will only foist one more fake marriage fic on you. This too is a harlequin, but less obviously so than No Refunds or Exchanges because it has an intriguing subplot behind the reason for their marriage. Rodney's a physicist (who turns into a physics professor in the course of the story) and John's retired (kicked out, maybe?) from the Air Force. A couple of really nice OFCs in John's mom and little sister (obviously this story was written early in SGA, since canon now tells us Sheppard had a brother).
Parts of the farm in Iowa series bysheafrotherdon. The link leads to the index page for the series. I firmly believe everyone should read the original story once, and maybe the whole series. I don't need the whole story, though, and I know which parts are my favorites, so I go straight to them (once you've read it, I bet you do that too). I do love the span of this simple life together (Rodney is a physics professor and John's retired (kicked out?) Air Force... he retires to his grandfather's farm in Iowa). This series is warm and comforting, a really nice reread on a rainy day.
Tactus bytoomuchplor. And now! We come to AUs about music! And dancing! I love AUs about music and dancing (as I've written one so far and am in the middle of two more). This one came from 'Take your fandom to work day' and it is brilliant. If you ever wondered what it feels like to go to music conservatory, this is how it feels. This is exactly how I remember my conservatory days and I simply adore it and want to hug it and squeeze it and call it George.
Waltz, Tango, Foxtrot byout_there. John is a dance instructor. Rodney is a physics professor (yes, yes, I know!). BUT. John is a dance instructor! He does have that sort of lithe build, and thinking of him in some of the tight pants they put the guys in on So You Think You Can Dance, yeah. Um. Yeah. This is one of my favorite concepts ever, and there should be a gazillion more fics where John is a dancer. Or Rodney is. Or they both are. And someone should finish my SYTYCD fic for me so I can read it.
Happily Ever After (the Pegasus remix) bycupidsbow. Canon fic. With everyone in the same places/jobs/characterizations as the show. This fic just makes me deliriously happy. Rodney stumbles across a bracelet that can't be removed until his true love (saiwala gemetta) takes it off. Naturally Rodney asks every woman in Atlantis (and a few off world) to try taking it off. You can imagine how well that works for him. Beautiful banter, a terrific concept (Smirking, John said, "You mean like a soul mate detector?"), and cupidsbow's writing is always lovely.
Ordinary Life byastolat and cesperanza. When I want something a little more action-y and less romance-y, I go for this story. It's canon AU, set first season, and in my mind, this takes the place of the season five episode Brain Storm, because this is awesome, and that? Not so much. Not even with Dave Foley. The boys go home and take some time off. Except with death threats and working on top secret projects and an a nicely easy relationship that is sort of just... there. I like that the angst/emotional hook isn't about their relationship (well, mostly).
Oblivious byastolat. This fic cracks my shit up, then breaks my heart, then makes it better, then makes me laugh again. I love it when one or both of the guys are oblivious, and this is just perfect. I'll just leave you with a couple of opening lines.
The door made a pinging noise and opened when he looked up; John was standing there, hair still damp and curling over his neck, with a bottle of vodka in one hand. "I thought maybe you couldn't sleep either," he said.
Rodney figured he didn't need a translator to know what that meant, and after he spent thirty seconds blinking with his mouth open, he said, "Come in."
A Boyfriend for Christmas byscribblinlenore. One for the holiday season! This is a little cracky, but heartwarming, not without angst, and beautifully pulled together like a gorgeously-wrapped present. It delivers pretty much what the title says it does.
Happy Ending Earned the Hard Way
Double Occupancy byisiscolo. This fic is so beautifully done, and unexpected. The end, which isn't unhappy, exactly, does have a wistful tinge to it that I simply hadn't expected. Too often authors ignore the unpleasant consequences, and this doesn't. I reiterate that it's still happy, but it's more thoughtful than a lot of the simple AUs above. This one's a canon story where John gets stuck in Rodney's head (like Cadman did in Duet). Nice idea, perfectly executed.
Time in a Bottle byastolat. Another canon story. Beautiful and evocative, and god, the scenes where she talks about them touching each other once a day... whew. I love that more than most things. This is a classic, and really doesn't need much more introduction than this, I think. John and Rodney are stuck in a VR that Rodney designed. The angst comes from where their bodies are while their minds are in the VR, and a little bit at the end.
What Clouds Do byladycat777. This is a short story (under 3k) that packs an emotional punch. Established relationship fic. Rodney observes John off-world and realizes he wants something. Heartbreaking and sweet.
Written by the Victors bycesperanza. This is a big'un. Over 50k words, but beautifully done. The story of Atlantis (futurefic), told alternately from history texts of the future and in narrative. Just gorgeously done, and such an interesting concept. Another classic that doesn't need more introduction than this.
Unidentified byfiercelydreamed. This is the fic that sucked me into the SGA fandom. fiercelydreamed's prose keeps my heart in my throat through most of this story. It's a decently long 60k words or so, and has a beautiful Coda which I highly recommend as it's one of the few fics I've seen that gets the feel of the music right. It's tough to do, and she has such a beautiful way with words. I seriously suggest checking out anything she's ever written. Unidentified is not a reset button fic. Something goes really wrong (Rodney loses his memory), and we're never sure things are even going to get to a place of resolution, much less happiness (which they do in the Coda, I think), but there's hope. There's the hope of learning to live with what you've lost and move on, and love in spite of it all. Gorgeous.
Indelible byshaenie. This is six or so stories woven into one beautiful SGA epic. The thing about shaenie's characters is that you feel what they're feeling down to your bones. You don't just sympathize with them, you ache with them, and her John's just beautifully done. This is a tough read, not just because it's 80k words, but because it's impossible to stop once you start (make sure you have a laptop you can take to the bathroom) and because her characters are so sharply drawn they will cut you if you look away (and I mean that literally - I had to read this in installments and it was never far from my thoughts, no matter what I was doing - including getting stitches under my eye!). Bonus FANTASTIC OFC in Cheema.
freedom's just another word for nothing left to lose bysynecdochic. I don't think this story needs any introduction, and you may be surprised to find it on my comfort recs at all. But the thing about it (and it's another long one - 50k? more? Probably more, if I know synecdochic at all ETA: apparently I don't as I looked it up and it's under 20k. It just feels like 50k. /ETA) is that while it doesn't have a typical conflict/resolution catharsis, it's still extremely cathartic. It's a build to the resolution, a slow opening of Rodney for everyone to see, to come to terms with a lot of things about Atlantis and John and how it all worked out in the end. For those looking for straight-up happy fic, this isn't for you. It's a nuanced drawing of hope and love out of a real life - and there are some tough things in the past of that life. If you need me to vet the story for you, email me. I'll tell you anything you need to know before you read, if you're worried. It's a beautiful read, so I highly recommend it, but it's not for everyone.
A lot of these are classics, and really need no introduction. I'll give them a brief one anyway. For the less well-known ones, I'll give a little more. All John/Rodney because that's the way I roll. There will be other pairings and gen in the future, but John/Rodney is my happy place, and thus the comfort. Also, I'm not putting much info on these recs, sorry, it's late and I don't have time, so, assume NC17, though not all of them are, and assume 10k and up. I'll try to label the over 25k ones for you.
There's two types of comfort I need, mindless romantic comfort (I call them quick fixes), which means I want at least 10,000 words, I don't want too much angst, and I want a nice tidy bow on the end (that's not to say that the stories aren't wonderful and well written and emotionally true, just that they're easy on me). The second is comfort that is earned. This type of story tends to be longer, have a higher angst to hope ratio, and doesn't always end with a reset button - a happy ending can be learning to deal with a situation that isn't ideal, or recovery... but there has to be real honest-to-god hope at the end.
Quick Fixes
Strangers on a Six Train by
eye_queue. This is one of my all-time favorites in this fandom. One of my favorite things about SGA is the fact that the characters are so distinct that sticking them into even the most absurd places, you can still tell who they are. This fic is Rodney as a physics professor (this is a theme, you'll see - Rodney's a little tough to redefine, I find) and John as... the guy Rodney meets on the train. Steals gloriously from Tao of Rodney and has both a beautifully oblivious Rodney (another theme) and a bonus fantastic Jeannie. This is my number one reread when I need a pick-me-up. Fashion Victim by
lamardeuse. This is my runner-up for reread fic when I am feeling woobie-ish. Rodney's a fashion designer, John's a... John. And Rodney's not really a fashion designer. Fantastically woven into canon, a really nice read, and fashion! I love creative AUs, so anything where the boys do something other than physics and piloting is always fun for me.Junk Cheap by
devildoll. I love this fic because it's so beautifully low-key. It's like a soothing cup of tea, or staying in bed reading on a rainy day. Rodney's a physics professor (I did mention a theme), and John owns a junk shop. Super-low on the angst, supremely well-written and as comfy as a warm blanket.A Place on the Corner by
cesare. I love cesare's slow build here. It's a story told in holidays, and the inevitable way John and Rodney are drawn together is just gorgeous. It's the Bakery AU, and there are more parts in the series now - I highly recommend every single one. Rodney's a physics consultant that's part of a think tank, and John owns a bakery. The opening scene where John meets Rodney (bonus hilarious Kavanagh smackdown) is hilarious.101 Ways to Get Lucky in Love by
scribblinlenore. There are several names that pop up fairly often in my recs, and anyone that shows up more than once is someone whose index you should take a look at (and then read every story on it). scribblinlenore has a lovely, tongue-in-cheek style with a nice dose of humor. Her fics always make me smile. In this one, Rodney's a scientist-businessman who suddenly realizes that to be truly successful, he needs to have a wife! And a family! And so to get it, he goes to a matchmaker. One John Sheppard. Bonus fantastic kidlet (of John's).Open Your Eyes by
thedeadparrot. Inspired by Friday Night Lights, though I haven't seen it, so I can't speak to it any more than that. You certainly don't need to have seen that to enjoy the easy-to-see-the-appeal concept: John is the football coach and Rodney is a physics professor... who's subbing for Jeannie as the physics teacher. This is just fun all around.Bell Curve, or Ladies Night at the Boom Boom Room by
rageprufrock. We're getting heavier as we go down my list. This isn't angsty enough to go all the way down into the 'hard-earned' comfort area, but there is plenty of angst to go around and it's nowhere near as light as something like Strangers on a Six Train. Rodney is a physics professor and John is... well. Rodney first meets John in a strip club. As No Refunds or Exchanges by
astolat. Okay, so I have to admit... I have a thing for fake marriage fics. Seriously. I could read every one ever written and then some. I don't know what it is, the whole 'forced together/fall in love' trope is deeply satisfying to me. This is one of the best I've ever read (and note that astolat shows up three times on this list). Rodney's CMO in Atlantis, and too busy for relationships, so he buys a spouse. Too bad he's too busy to specify the gender of that spouse. There's a fair amount of angst, but it's that beautiful harlequin angst that you know, even as it's twisting you up into knots, that it's going to work out beautifully. *sigh*The Convenient Husband Part One and Part Two (because bizarrely, it doesn't link in the post) by
mz_bstone. I will only foist one more fake marriage fic on you. This too is a harlequin, but less obviously so than No Refunds or Exchanges because it has an intriguing subplot behind the reason for their marriage. Rodney's a physicist (who turns into a physics professor in the course of the story) and John's retired (kicked out, maybe?) from the Air Force. A couple of really nice OFCs in John's mom and little sister (obviously this story was written early in SGA, since canon now tells us Sheppard had a brother). Parts of the farm in Iowa series by
sheafrotherdon. The link leads to the index page for the series. I firmly believe everyone should read the original story once, and maybe the whole series. I don't need the whole story, though, and I know which parts are my favorites, so I go straight to them (once you've read it, I bet you do that too). I do love the span of this simple life together (Rodney is a physics professor and John's retired (kicked out?) Air Force... he retires to his grandfather's farm in Iowa). This series is warm and comforting, a really nice reread on a rainy day.Tactus by
toomuchplor. And now! We come to AUs about music! And dancing! I love AUs about music and dancing (as I've written one so far and am in the middle of two more). This one came from 'Take your fandom to work day' and it is brilliant. If you ever wondered what it feels like to go to music conservatory, this is how it feels. This is exactly how I remember my conservatory days and I simply adore it and want to hug it and squeeze it and call it George.Waltz, Tango, Foxtrot by
out_there. John is a dance instructor. Rodney is a physics professor (yes, yes, I know!). BUT. John is a dance instructor! He does have that sort of lithe build, and thinking of him in some of the tight pants they put the guys in on So You Think You Can Dance, yeah. Um. Yeah. This is one of my favorite concepts ever, and there should be a gazillion more fics where John is a dancer. Or Rodney is. Or they both are. And someone should finish my SYTYCD fic for me so I can read it. Happily Ever After (the Pegasus remix) by
cupidsbow. Canon fic. With everyone in the same places/jobs/characterizations as the show. This fic just makes me deliriously happy. Rodney stumbles across a bracelet that can't be removed until his true love (saiwala gemetta) takes it off. Naturally Rodney asks every woman in Atlantis (and a few off world) to try taking it off. You can imagine how well that works for him. Beautiful banter, a terrific concept (Smirking, John said, "You mean like a soul mate detector?"), and cupidsbow's writing is always lovely.Ordinary Life by
astolat and cesperanza. When I want something a little more action-y and less romance-y, I go for this story. It's canon AU, set first season, and in my mind, this takes the place of the season five episode Brain Storm, because this is awesome, and that? Not so much. Not even with Dave Foley. The boys go home and take some time off. Except with death threats and working on top secret projects and an a nicely easy relationship that is sort of just... there. I like that the angst/emotional hook isn't about their relationship (well, mostly).Oblivious by
astolat. This fic cracks my shit up, then breaks my heart, then makes it better, then makes me laugh again. I love it when one or both of the guys are oblivious, and this is just perfect. I'll just leave you with a couple of opening lines. The door made a pinging noise and opened when he looked up; John was standing there, hair still damp and curling over his neck, with a bottle of vodka in one hand. "I thought maybe you couldn't sleep either," he said.
Rodney figured he didn't need a translator to know what that meant, and after he spent thirty seconds blinking with his mouth open, he said, "Come in."
A Boyfriend for Christmas by
scribblinlenore. One for the holiday season! This is a little cracky, but heartwarming, not without angst, and beautifully pulled together like a gorgeously-wrapped present. It delivers pretty much what the title says it does.Happy Ending Earned the Hard Way
Double Occupancy by
isiscolo. This fic is so beautifully done, and unexpected. The end, which isn't unhappy, exactly, does have a wistful tinge to it that I simply hadn't expected. Too often authors ignore the unpleasant consequences, and this doesn't. I reiterate that it's still happy, but it's more thoughtful than a lot of the simple AUs above. This one's a canon story where John gets stuck in Rodney's head (like Cadman did in Duet). Nice idea, perfectly executed.Time in a Bottle by
astolat. Another canon story. Beautiful and evocative, and god, the scenes where she talks about them touching each other once a day... whew. I love that more than most things. This is a classic, and really doesn't need much more introduction than this, I think. John and Rodney are stuck in a VR that Rodney designed. The angst comes from where their bodies are while their minds are in the VR, and a little bit at the end.What Clouds Do by
ladycat777. This is a short story (under 3k) that packs an emotional punch. Established relationship fic. Rodney observes John off-world and realizes he wants something. Heartbreaking and sweet.Written by the Victors by
cesperanza. This is a big'un. Over 50k words, but beautifully done. The story of Atlantis (futurefic), told alternately from history texts of the future and in narrative. Just gorgeously done, and such an interesting concept. Another classic that doesn't need more introduction than this.Unidentified by
fiercelydreamed. This is the fic that sucked me into the SGA fandom. fiercelydreamed's prose keeps my heart in my throat through most of this story. It's a decently long 60k words or so, and has a beautiful Coda which I highly recommend as it's one of the few fics I've seen that gets the feel of the music right. It's tough to do, and she has such a beautiful way with words. I seriously suggest checking out anything she's ever written. Unidentified is not a reset button fic. Something goes really wrong (Rodney loses his memory), and we're never sure things are even going to get to a place of resolution, much less happiness (which they do in the Coda, I think), but there's hope. There's the hope of learning to live with what you've lost and move on, and love in spite of it all. Gorgeous.Indelible by
shaenie. This is six or so stories woven into one beautiful SGA epic. The thing about shaenie's characters is that you feel what they're feeling down to your bones. You don't just sympathize with them, you ache with them, and her John's just beautifully done. This is a tough read, not just because it's 80k words, but because it's impossible to stop once you start (make sure you have a laptop you can take to the bathroom) and because her characters are so sharply drawn they will cut you if you look away (and I mean that literally - I had to read this in installments and it was never far from my thoughts, no matter what I was doing - including getting stitches under my eye!). Bonus FANTASTIC OFC in Cheema.freedom's just another word for nothing left to lose by
synecdochic. I don't think this story needs any introduction, and you may be surprised to find it on my comfort recs at all. But the thing about it (and it's another long one - 50k? more? Probably more, if I know synecdochic at all ETA: apparently I don't as I looked it up and it's under 20k. It just feels like 50k. /ETA) is that while it doesn't have a typical conflict/resolution catharsis, it's still extremely cathartic. It's a build to the resolution, a slow opening of Rodney for everyone to see, to come to terms with a lot of things about Atlantis and John and how it all worked out in the end. For those looking for straight-up happy fic, this isn't for you. It's a nuanced drawing of hope and love out of a real life - and there are some tough things in the past of that life. If you need me to vet the story for you, email me. I'll tell you anything you need to know before you read, if you're worried. It's a beautiful read, so I highly recommend it, but it's not for everyone.
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on 12/4/09 08:51 am (UTC)no subject
on 12/4/09 02:23 pm (UTC)no subject
on 12/4/09 11:00 am (UTC)I thought I'd point out since you mentioned the running theme of physics-prof Rodney that in the Bakery stories, Rodney's not a physics professor; he has a consultancy/think tank that primarily works for the DoD and SGC. (At some point, hopefully, I'll explain in the series why he doesn't work directly for the SGC.)
Radek is a professor, though. :-)
I agree with all your recs, which makes it particularly nice that there are a couple of stories on here that I don't think I've read! I'm sure they'll become new faves too. Thank you for the list, and thanks again for the mention. :-)
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on 12/4/09 02:27 pm (UTC)I remember Radek is a professor because of Ronon, weirdly. I love what you did with Ronon - he may well be my favorite secondary character in your story.
I'm always glad to introduce people to my favorites... whenever I hear someone hasn't read Strangers on a Six Train, I am sad, because I just love it to bits, much like I love your series, too. <3
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on 12/4/09 02:46 pm (UTC)I'm so glad you like Bakery Ronon. He and Radek show up some more in the Bakery fic I'm writing as we speak. :-)
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on 12/4/09 04:01 pm (UTC)no subject
on 12/4/09 11:21 am (UTC)Well, ok, maybe I can pull some will-power out of my empty tea-pot or something, but really. *wibble*. Ok, save post, come back to it in several week's time, unless i'm unbelievably productive with my essay...
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on 12/4/09 02:29 pm (UTC)Well, there are a lot more recs coming, but not for a while now, so you'll have some time. And fics stored up for winter break! <3333
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on 12/4/09 03:42 pm (UTC)Also, I think it is time to read Junk Cheap again--I'm on an every-six-months schedule with that fic. <3
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on 12/4/09 03:59 pm (UTC)And yay - I love introducing people to new fic.
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on 12/4/09 04:05 pm (UTC)no subject
on 12/4/09 07:09 pm (UTC)no subject
on 12/9/09 11:14 am (UTC)no subject
on 12/9/09 04:41 pm (UTC)And thank you for permission, sweetheart, I'm hoping to finish the sequel soon (by Christmas for sure). <333
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on 1/11/12 04:47 am (UTC)no subject
on 1/11/12 04:27 pm (UTC)no subject
on 1/12/12 05:09 am (UTC)