McShep Match Top 5

[kate]

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Team Work (this time, my Team gets to go first). So, I'm pretty biased (go Team!), but it was really tough to pick just five fics from Team Work. There was so much good stuff! So much that I am doing two top fives for Team Work fics (I did say I was biased!), one for AUs, and one for canon (and there are still seven or eight stories that I would highly rec that haven't made the list!). If you want more info about a story before you read, ask in the comments, and I will try to answer - assume spoilers in the comments!


Fic

AU

1. Who Could Claim the Sky is my favorite piece of the Match. I loved the worldbuilding in this piece so much - there was an amazing transliteration of the characters into this world, and the premise is so interesting. It's deftly done and just a wonderful read that twists your heart up and then makes it all okay in the end.

2. A Question of Quantum Physics, Molecular Attraction and Timing, a delightful guessing game AU where Rodney tries to figure out what John does for a living, and boy, when he finds out, it's pretty spectacular. This is an AU in the grand tradition of my favorite type of total AU. A great time.

3. Cloud Nine is the Weather Channel AU, with bonus awesome Teyla and a wonderful buildup to teaminess. There's just so many surprising little nuances in this, from Malcolm Tunney to a fun Radek and everything in between.

4. Not Without A Plan is another fun AU where Rodney designs garden mazes and John has a few spare acres. It's a lot more complicated than that, the characters are nicely drawn and not perfect (or ordinary), and there's a brilliantly mopey kid.

5. The World That We Live In (No, We Can't Go Back), a gorgeous and dark look at John and Rodney as kids. This is creepy and brilliant and I can't spoil it for you by writing any more, but let me know if you need me to vet it for you. My penchant for dark stuff isn't for everyone.

Canon

1. The Number of a Man. I don't want to give this one away! It's just brilliant. I love what the author did here, how she handled John and Rodney's reactions to everything, and how she dealt with the plot device in the end. If you want more details, ask in the comments and I will tell you.

2. As Sorrow. John, Rodney, and a bunch of others get trapped in a cave-in. This is a dark fic, folks, with squicky content. I love it, though, it's that darkness and horror that gives it such a gut punch. If you need it vetted, please ask, because if you can handle horror and dark, there is a happy ending, of sorts, with a true light at the end of the tunnel, and no reset button. Gorgeous. Love it.

3. One Step Back is a gorgeous fic about John and Rodney getting stuck together offworld after their messy breakup. It starts out dark and moves out of it. It's so beautifully done; there's so much built up between these characters that they have to work through, there are several gut punches and misunderstandings and false starts, but they make it in the end.

4. So Happy I Could Die is one of the hotly debated fics of the fest! I read it as dark, given the title, and yes, I absolutely loved it anyway. Personally, I feel a character death warning is in order, but I believe the author sees things differently (there is some talk in the comments on the piece and some reader reactions (and mod help) in the comments on my first rec post.

5. Ain't That a Kick in the Head, a double timeline, John POV piece that's both gentle and urgent. There's both a daring rescue and a look back on what makes John who he is. Gorgeous.

Art (In reverse posting order because there are only five, and I liked them all and know nothing about art to try and put them into some kind of heirarchical order).

Beyond the Pale, DVD cover for a GPFG cover starring John and Rodney. A lot of really neat details in this, great screencap choices to tell a story.

When There's Nothing Left to Burn (you have to set yourself on fire), a beautiful and ethereal sort of piece.

Sheppard Farm, a bit of art that is a Pegasus AU! I love the concept behind this one, and the looks on their widdle faces!

Rapid Descent, a very... active? piece of art that is gorgeously drawn and the exact reason why I am so very jealous of people who can draw.

Pie in the Sky, a lovely cover about John and Rodney and how their dreams weren't so pie in the sky after all.

Team Play

Fic

1. Mamihlapinatapai, a lovely canon, world-building bit of a piece. Warm and... soft. These are not always my favorite types of pieces, but when done well, they can catch me in even the grumpiest mood and make me feel better. This one is like that. Well done and gorgeous.

2. Running Tally, a post-canon story that's got great voices and characterization, and I found it nicely enjoyable. We get to see Jennifer and Rodney break up in real time (amicably! like grownups!) which I actually liked. Well, not liked, liked, but it was done well.

3. The Bestiary, a delightful canon piece where Rodney finds a wacky Ancient device (with a brilliantly simple explanation, thank you, author) that turns you into all kinds of animals, and shenanigans ensue. Sexytimes while Rodney's in an animal form; for some this was disturbing.

4. Five Times John Sheppard Won at Sports - and One Time He Lost, a wonderfully woven canon story with an AU ending that's warm and delicious, and has a terrific John POV.

5. Operation Play Time for Rodney, a canon fic that has two big things going for it, I find - a nice understanding of the basic nature of genius, and a perfect understanding (for me, at least), of the way music feels from the inside.

Art

Great Expectations, a funny comic strip about how those wacky Ancients made a few practical things, too.

About Face, Rodney amusing Torren in a way that makes John run away.

Summer Vacation, a lovely piece about a few of John's favorite things: summer vacation, ferris wheels, and Rodney.

The Race, a desert landscape with several interesting elements.

Dreaming, a cute take on what Rodney would do if he had a cloning machine sitting around.

And don't forget, you can guess the authors and artists! Please go read, comment, and vote! Go Team Work!