i may be a bird in a cage but at least it's your cage

i've made my first pass through the yuletide stories (and good god, that only took THREE DAYS, and i only read in media fandoms where i could name at least one of the main characters), and you can consider these stories my preliminary recs; there is plenty, plenty, plenty to go back and read again (all the lit fandom stories, for one), but that should hold you for now. assuming you care what i think at all.

AND. i was putting this next list together for meganberrieh and oracleasb, but i thought i'd share it with you lot, too - not that most of you interested in sg:a fic haven't already read all these, but just in case you care what i think.


assume, unless otherwise stated, spoilers through the current run (2x15) of new episodes. but not, liek, massive spoilers or anything. just fyi. i think these are all completely enjoyable whether or not you've seen all the episodes, but maybe that's just me. i tend not to keep track of spoilers. so.

intersections by kaneko. pre-canon; antarctica. god, this story. long and meaty and perfect, the way i like to think things happened.

time in a bottle by astolat. the one where rodney builds a virtual reality, and then john buys an island. a fascinating look at isolation driving people to discover truths.

a beautiful lifetime event by astolat and he's having his baby! by rageprufrock. the one where john and rodney have an accident with ancient technology and make a baby, and the one where an weird alien tractor beam knocks john up. both are hilarious and sweet.

thicker than water, by julad. post-siege three. rodney and john, back on earth, with rodney's sister. funny, scorchingly hot, and it's got my favorite rodney-explanation of his relationship theory ever: "I have a really ridiculous crush on you," Rodney blurted, and then started babbling. "This whole thing between us has been so good, but I haven't exactly had the best role models for doing relationship stuff, so I don't know what I'm supposed to do about it except continue to have incredibly good sex with you, but if there's anything else I should be doing you should tell me because otherwise I won't know."

be cool by hth_the_first. the one where they smoke the botanists' pot. and john eats twinkies.

edges by rageprufrock. the one where ... the one where pru breaks my heart into about a million pieces, and it's still probably my favorite story in the whole fandom anyway, because there's this level of tenderness and love and affection that just. yeah. don't read this one without a box of kleenex handy and a couple of free hours to fall apart in. i mean. seriously. i've read this one a couple dozen times, and it never fails to leave me sobbing. i read it outside the library on campus once, and sat in public heaving great sobs over a ratty computer print-out while people walked by and stared at me. it is heartbreaking, and it is beautiful.

abstain by resonant8. the one? where aliens make them not have sex. brilliance.

something more by seperis. the one where john runs away, and rodney goes to find him, and they have sex in mexico. a lot. this is a kind of sad, broken john who's trying very hard to get on with his life, and it just. it makes my stomach turn over all funny.

small primes and square roots by liviapenn. oh, this one, this one is kidfic and from the flashfic harlequin challenge, and it's just basically crack and schmoop and wonderful math geekery all at once. and one of the sharpest, funniest original children in all of fandom ever.

about a lamp by flambeau. The third night, an elbow in the ribs made him blink, and when he did, he saw a shock of dark hair over sharp, pretty features. "You're not supposed to be here," Rodney said. "I'm not," Sheppard said in a sleepy, annoyed, reasonable voice, tucked his head under Rodney's chin, and began to snore peacefully against Rodney's collarbone.

20,000 leagues under the sea (give or take), by merryish. the one with the best tagline ever: pfffffft, science.

instantaneous, by cimorene111. the one where john has a christmas tree ornament in his hand. it's better than that.

nine things john has loved and lost by nifra_idril. the one that, oh, god, makes me despair of ever writing any john sheppard gen at all, because this one cuts so close to the bone of who i believe john sheppard is, and also is infinitely more clever and interesting than i could ever be.

the uncertainty principle, by violetsmiles. okay, or if nifra's fic didn't completely deter me? this one of vi's would. god, such a lovely clear look at john, and just. yes.

given a choice, it would always be sunday by godofwine. if you've ever seen me during finals and heard me say, "oh my god, coffee," it's worth it to know that i stole that from this story. about rodney, and ford post-siege, and coffee, and john sheppard. spoilers through "the lost boys". and worth waiting on reading until you've seen that one.

the secret lives of scientists and absurdity theory, both by julad and both mckay/zelenka. because if i can't read about john and rodney, i want to read about rodney and radek zelenka, who is almost a match for rodney's brain and more than a match for his being an asshole. also there's one about ducks.

still by rageprufrock. john/ronon. the one where ronon gives john a lump of clay. impossibly sweet without being cloying, and a vaguely perplexed but game-for-it-anyway john, who is so funny and charming i just want to squish him.

sensual deprivation, by mirabile_dictu. john/ronon. the one with the best line ever: Ronon shrugs. "You should. McKay needs a cock in his mouth more'n anyone else I know."

the bee-charmer. ronon/teyla. long, plotty, lyrical, and a pairing that i like very much but don't read a lot of, handled very well.


plus, you know, to steal a line from iamsab: SGA is like, what if they built a fandom, and EVERYBODY came? it's pretty much the best thing ever.

OH ALSO UNRELATED: i have very much been enjoying pandora for the finding of new music, but as i want everything in my life to integrate nicely together on the internet, i wish that what i listened to on pandora could be recorded on my last.fm profile. anybody know how to do that?

hi hello hi i am back in chicago, hooray.

p.s. if somebody wanted to send me a copy of ryan adams' 29, i would ... like you a lot.