More SGA recs!

[kate]

I was going to take a couple of days to organize these recs, because I wanted to reread some things on the list, and read a few other things that I've heard good things about but haven't had time to get to. Unfortunately, my time has run away from me and my recs will have to be just taken from what I already know and love. Here's hoping you do too.

Six categories, because I was planning on doing three posts of two sets over the last couple of weeks, but none of them came to fruition. We'll start with interesting premises and/or character development and then dark fic. The interesting premises are not necessarily happy endings either, so keep that in mind if you're the type of person who needs that. Then, to cheer us up, humorous fic and crack fic (you can't beat SGA for its crack, seriously). I know that crack can be canon based, and it can be pretty much anything that's just sort of wacky, but in my list, I'm going with AUs where John and Rodney (and/or the team, or the whole of Atlantis) are something you really just would never have thought of. Cookies. Cats. Flowers. There's an incredible amount of fabulous crack out there. The last two categories (surprisingly slight, these categories) are sensual and sexual. I read porn, but it's not my favorite thing, so there's not much to that one (though there is A LOT of porn in the fandom, you can't throw a stone without hitting a couple dozen porny fics). I trust that you can find what you want if you go looking. Sensual is not (mostly) about porn.

Because I'm taking this straight out of my bookmarks, they're likely to be John/Rodney of some stripe, as that is my default setting. I'll let you know if it's anything else.


Depth of Character/Interesting Premises

A Hundred Happy Things by busaikko. ~30k words, NC17. Read the warnings, please. A lovely story about real people, doing real things, and just... I love this a lot. John is MtF, I don't think where she is in the process is ever told to us explicitly, so it's not the focus of the fic, but it colors the whole thing, and makes it play even more beautifully. Wonderful Madison, a nicely human McKay, and a not-perfect Jeannie.

The Taste of Apples by auburn. This is quite possibly the most interesting alien idea I have ever come across. It's ten chapters on Wrathbait, keep going, it's worth it.

If you want to kiss the sky by siegeofangels, ~8400. Such an interesting premise, and besides being able to describe it adequately, I'd probably get it wrong. Not a happy fic, but thought-provoking. If you don't need a happy ending, I highly recommend it. And synecdochic's SG-1 fic set in this universe: The Wealth Of Our Nations Fed On Angel Blood, ~4k.

Blink by lavvyan. lavvyan is one of the most interesting writers I know - she's got an incredibly wide range and the ability to switch from hard scifi to fairy tales to outright crack and all the more typical stuff inbetween at the drop of a hat. Seriously, I'm still not through reading her whole index, and there are so many gems in there. This one is outside POV, hard sci fi dystopia, and just. Perfect. Fantastic. One of my favorite SGA fics ever. ~5k, R.

Vita Ante Acta by idyll. ~1900, PG. A truly lovely Ronon, and a really lovely gen team fic. There should be more Ronon fics in the world, especially if they're as sweet as this one.

Joining with the Jackal Pack by fiercelydreamed. A chapter from a novel that doesn't exist; a hardboiled 40s detective novel about Rodney McKay, Private Eye. Quite possibly the only first person POV fic I will ever rec. ~9500, NC17.

Cycle by lavvyan. This wee 800 word fic spawned the community john_farr, a fantastic bunch of meta, and tons of follow up fics. So cool.

Song of Athos by friendshipper. Two great tastes that taste great together: music and Teyla POV. Like Ronon, I wish there were more fics about Teyla. She's just awesome. ~3k, G.

Sheppard's Choice by cupidsbow. There is also a delightful remix by telesilla. I like this fic so much, I did a DVD Commentary on it. I highly recommend reading it in this order: Original, remix, commentary (and perhaps then the original and remix again). Original ~1500, R, remix ~1500, PG13.

Stargazing by lavvyan. John is a bug-dude, Rodney is an android. Inspired by art by mystisblom that is included at the front of the fic. Lovely, as always.

This One's for the Girls by wintercreek. For the flashfic 'Skirt' challenge. I love love love this. Almost as much as I love wintercreek. She has a way with writing women, maybe because her style just suits them, but reading John and Rodney as women in her delightfully comfortable style is just one of my favorite things in the history of ever. ~2500, R.

Little By Little To the Truth; or a Narrative of the Atlantis Expedition by telesilla. Brilliant! Steampunk AU. It's just... gah, I don't think I can really do it more justice than that. ~5700, R.

Male Enhancement (WIP) by lavvyan. I may have a thing for robot fics. Particularly robot!John fics. This one is one of my favorites, and while I doubt it will ever be finished (thought there is the delightful (and complete) remix by taste_is_sweet), I love to read it over and over again.

The Rules of Attraction (WIP) by seperis. Not likely to be finished, since the last installment was posted on 7/31/08. Cracky AU, that is impossible to summarize. John and Teyla (and Ronon?) are FBI agents undercover (and as fucked up as being an FBI agent undercover makes you) and Rodney's a... I don't honestly remember. I know, I know, it seems crazy, and it's hard to find and it'll never be finished, but it's so different from anything I've ever read, I have to recommend it. For Zelenka, if nothing else.


Dark

Kashmir by rinsbane. Gloriously messy and painful and true to character. Heartbreaking; I read the whole thing with my heart in my throat. There are two Johns in Atlantis, and one is... not the John we know. ~25k, NC17, and I'd have some of this humor or romance or something lined up for after.

Moka by Martha. Ouch. Just... ouch. This is emotional John whump and good old 'beat Rodney up' whump and there's a nice, slow reveal on the horrifying truth of the situation. ~15k, R for blood and torture.

Cartography by Touch by rageprufrock. This is one I meant to reread before reccing, because I want to make sure I remembered things correctly. It's a fic about John, and there's a lot of Kate and a small but powerful bit of Rodney, and it's about John working through his issues about something that happened to him offworld. Will rip your guts out and stomp all over them. I love that in a fic. 13k, R? [Post-non-con therapy; there are no warnings on that site, so please be careful if you have triggers.]

The Hard Prayer by rheanna27. Apocafic, but with a relatively happy ending. This is a lovely, slow fic about how fucked up John and Rodney are in the aftermath of the apocalypse, and how they handle being fucked up together. Just amazing, and try the podfic too - the story read in Rheanna's accent is even more brilliant. 30k, PG13.

Your Cowboy Days are Over by M. Big, over 15k, maybe 25k? And NC17, including John/OFC het (AWESOME OFC). I've only read this first story, but there are apparently two sequels I will try to get to some time. Notes from delicious: Angsty, super-mega-angsty. Gorgeous John. Rodney doesn't come in until the end. Some really amazing Sheppard/OFC sex. Not a not-happy ending, but certainly not fluffy. Gorgeously written. Read with care.

Who's Left and Who's Leaving by fiercelydreamed. ~9500 words. This is typically gorgeous, and the uncertainty has you on the edge of your seat for nearly the whole fic. She plays it beautifully. "They're shutting down the expedition?" That night, they make the pact.

The Difference Engine by copperbadge. John is a robot. This fic explains so many inconsistencies in canon, it's really interesting. I have to say that I haven't reread it in a while, but I remember really being struck by it when I read it the first time. R, and big - 25k or more, probably.


Humor

And now, a little humor (and crack!fic next) to cheer you up after you've tackled the dark stuff above. There's a ton more fics out there in the dark category, but my bookmarks are woefullly incomplete. Will have to go searching for more.

What Happens in the Clubhouse by skoosiepants. John, Rodney, Ronon and Larry are turned into kids. Brilliant.

Public Timeline by sabinelagrande and arymabeth. Twitterfic, set during Grace Under Pressure. HYSTERICAL. ~2000 words, PG13.

Jelly Side Up by devildoll. Rodney walks in on John staring at his dick. Seriously. LAUGH OUT LOUD FUNNY. R, ~4800 words.

One Leg at a Time by Mallory Klohn. ~14.5k, NC!7. My notes from delicious are perfect: OMG SO HILARIOUS. John is a pants kinda guy. Rodney isn't. Rodney is fucking perfect. LAUGH OUT LOUD FUNNY and then unbelievably hot.

Do Over by crysothemis. Lots and lots of bad sex. Hilarious. ~19k, NC17.

Rodneysaurus by vileseagulls. Rodney turns into a plushie dinosaur. Really, do you need to know anything else?

Twenty Four Hours with a Rodneysaur by Moonloon and illustrated by spaggel. Rodney's a real dinosaur. And this one has pictures. How can you possibly resist this?

Mission Planning by propinquitine. John makes himself a promise, and he lives up to it. Amusing, but cute and sweet too. And it belongs here for a line that I think so often when I read fic - "I'm not a tauntaun". Brilliant. ~1300 words, PG13.


Crack AUs

Most of these really need more explanation than their basic premise, so that's all you're going to get. All wonderful, all cracky to the extreme, relatively short (under 3k for sure) and mostly g to PG13. The cookie one might be a little higher rated.

The Greenhouse AU by lavvyan. This was my introduction both to crack, and to lavvyan. I've never looked back. I'm only listing a few of her crack!fics here, but she's got more than you can even imagine (and a lot of other stuff besides) which you should check out index. This one? They're flowers. There are four stories, and all just wonderful.

When John Met Rodney by bethynyc. Cats. :D ~1300.

With Feathers by aesc. Wild turkeys. ~1600.

The Bumblebee Myth by bitter_crimson. Bugs. ~12k.

Antarctic Drift by lavvyan. Penguins. <333

Stuck on You by darsynia. Ice cubes.

Quality Assurance by nakedwesley. Sheppard, J. and Rodney, the baby inspector.

The Eternally Unnamed by lavvyan. Rodney and John are peas and ketchup. No, really. And there's a sequel: Five Minutes Later.

Love Among the Inanimate by liketheriverrun. Three inanimate objects stories, my favorite being number two - surge protector/plug.

The Epic Tale of Rodney & John, Two Girl Scout Cookies in Love by bitter_crimson. The original fic, the epic love of two cookies from different sides of the baking rack, by rain_dances and minor_fifth, has been deleted, along with rain_dances's journal... but luckily we have this hilarious picture remix by bitter_crimson.

But Where Would They Live by thingswithwings. Rodney is a unicorn, John is a rainbow, Teyla is a dolphin and Ronon is a spring breeze. It does not get better than this.


Sensual

Some of this fic is NC17, but not all, and it's not all sensual in a sexual sense - some of it is just beautifully evocative.

All Dressed Up And... by icarusancalion. A slow, sensual look at John crossdressing.

A Complicated Friendship by sheafrotherdon. My notes from delicious: SHAVING FIC. *drooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooools*

sing this song (and i ain't gonna sing no more) by fiercelydreamed. In general, everything fiercelydreamed writes is simply amazing, and has this richness of language and vividness of images to it, and this is no different. Tattooing fic. Gorgeous.

Call Soft Enough by torch. This could easily go into the Hot Hot Sex category, but the writing is evocative and sensual, and it's more the sensation than the porn that's the focus.

New by hestia_lacey. This could also go under the Hot Hot Sex category, because guh, but really, it's the lusciousness of the language that makes me love this story so very much.

Sleeping Arrangements by beachlass. This is such a warm, lovely look at the team; I really love how simple and gorgeous it is. Short, but perfect, and there's a followup linked at the bottom that is also warm and lovely, though much more complicated (and you all know how I like complicated).


Hot Hot Sex

All NC17, mostly kinky. If you like these, check out the following authors - most of their stuff is amazing and they all have several fics up this same alley - shaenie, telesilla, wolfshark, and thingswithwings.

Target Practice by cathalin. ~5k of gun kink.

Harmonic Function by shaenie. I was in a tailspin for about a week after this one. It was my introduction to kink and the only porn I reread on a regular basis. It's subtle, and gorgeous, and really gives an interesting take on War and Peace. ~8k.

Read My Mind by thingswithwings. Tentacle porn (bonus excellent characterization and non-easy resolution of issues). ~7300 words.

Cabin Fever by blueraccoon. This fic is a wee bit rough around the edges, but pretty much mashes every one of my porn buttons (I really don't have many, and I can't even say what they are - just that this totally hits every one of them). John/Rodney/Ronon, stuck in a jumper in a blizzard. D/s. ~3800 words.

Hanging by a Thread by telesilla. This one put me in a tailspin for a couple of days. I've had a really interesting path to kink. And I'm still pretty vanilla, but I'm learning to enjoy a lot of things I never would have guessed. This one is a very intense scene of play piercing. ~2400 words.

Healing Station Argh by toft. This could easily go into humor, except that by a page and a half in, we're into ridiculously hot porn, starting Teyla/Ronon, and getting all the way to OT4 by the end. On top of ridiculously hot porn, it is lovely and sweet and wonderful Teyla and Ronon POVs (in addition to Rodney and John). ~13k words.

Comments

[lavvyan]

and while I doubt it will ever be finished

Funnily enough, I started writing 8B two days ago. :>

Thanks for the recs! *squishes*

[kate]

Funnily enough, I started writing 8B two days ago.

\o/

You're welcome for the recs - thanks for writing such fantastic stories. <333

[were_duck]

Hooray, best Solstice rec set ever! I've read and loved many of these, and am looking forward to the ones I haven't read yet! Thank you.

[kate]

You're welcome! I love reccing things I love.

Eeeeeeep, edited to correct my bad bad bad grammar. Clearly I was asleep when I originally answered you. D:

[beachlass]

I was so excited to see a long rec post from you this morning! And I skimmed down it with a cup of coffee, looking at all the lovely stories to read or reread.

And I think I stopped breathing for a moment when I saw my name on your list. I'm slightly bewildered by happiness that you would rec me. Thank you for that, and thanks for your solstice posts - they've been such a ray of sunshine this month.

[kate]

Oh sweetheart! I like a lot more of your fics than the one that's recced here, but this one is so lovely and perfect for the Sensual section. <3

I'm glad you enjoyed them - I had a lot of fun putting them together. :D

[twistedchick]

Thank you so much for these links -- they are truly a gift. Atlantis fandom is so huge now that I only read from recs, and you have many that I haven't even seen, along with some of my very favorites (Healing Station Argh, the cookies, Rodneysaurus, Male Enhancement.) I've tabbed this post and won't close the tab until I've read all of them.

[kate]

Excellent! I love giving people things to read.

And it looks like lavvyan is working on Male Enhancement - so it may be finished after all! :D

[wintercreek]

Thank you kindly for reccing me, and for doing it in such a lovely way, and for the great reading list! ♥ ♥ ♥

[kate]

Oh, can't believe I didn't answer this. You're welcome for the rec - I would generally rec everything you write - your style is just one of my favorite things ever. <3