respoftw | Entries tagged with fic recs: 2019

Final part! (For 2019 at least) - All other rec lists can be found here

Title:Introduction Course to Parenting (Genius Level)
Author: Nazmuko
Pairing:: None
word count: 21,417
posted date 05 October 2019
description:Previous experience in caring for young humans or domesticated mammals is recommended but not required.

When the team rescues an orphaned baby girl from a destroyed village, she attaches herself to Rodney McKay and refuses to cooperate with anyone else. Suddenly Rodney finds himself responsible for the care and maintenance of the little thing.

All she needs is food, sleep, clean diapers and an occasional cuddle, though. Perfectly doable.
Besides, she's small and relatively stationary and therefore unlikely to touch things she's not supposed to touch so he can just bring her to work with him.

And it's just until they find her a family. Right?
why this should be read: Ridiculously cute kid fic

Title:a skeleton of something more
Author: callunavulgari
Pairing:: McShep
word count:3,072
posted date 11 October 2019
description:“John?” he murmurs, still coasting on the pain. His head feels like it’s stuffed with cotton, if cotton were also made of glass.

The body at his back stirs, and he feels lips on the back of his neck, dragging against his skin as they part on a shaky sigh. Then, he hears John whisper, “Oh, thank god. You’re alive.”
why this should be read: Beautifully written, whumpy and open-ended which I always enjoy.

Title:We Have A Situation
Author: LogicGunn
Pairing:: McShep
word count: 5,863
posted date 07 November 2019
description:Set when they gang are sent back to Earth by Helia. Rodney's working in Area 51, John's leading SG7, everyone's a wingman.
why this should be read: I'm a sucker for McShep fics based at Stargate Command and this one is excellent.

Title:Amulet of Feelings
Author: ami_ven
Pairing:: McShep
word count: 2,096
posted date 02 December 2019
description:“As a token of our gratitude, please accept this amulet, so that you may always know the warmth and regard others have for you.”
why this should be read:Fluffy and cute

Title:The Handler
Author: RayByAnotherName
Pairing:: McShep
word count: 2,492
posted date 10 December 2019
description:An 4x15 "Outcast" AU in which Rodney went along to the wake and Dave - in true Big Brother fashion - sees through John like he's a wet piece of paper.

Written for xRinsexRepeatx in the Stargate Atlantis Secret Santa 2019 fic exchange.
why this should be read:Two things I would change about canon Outcast: 1) Rodney really, really should have gone with John 2) Dave Sheppard should have been less of a dick. This fic fixes both

Title:Team Rebuilding Series
Author:LadyShelley
Pairing:: None
word count: 231,767 and counting
posted date latest part posted 19 December 2019
description:Take one Air Force Colonel, add a brilliant scientist, an Athosian leader, and a Satedan named Ronon Dex. How do three team members learn to move on after losing Ford and what does it take to convince their new member to stay.

Each story either continues from the end of an episode or fills in a gap between episodes in season two. While the main plots of the stories can stand alone, there are subplots and characters that carry over from story to story. There are also characters and plot points that have carried over from my Team Building series for season one. Reading in order is recommended.
why this should be read: An excellent continuation of Lady Shelley's other gen series which I recommended earlier.

Title:There's No Crop Circles in Hyperspace
Author: melagan
Pairing:: McShep
word count: 21,063
posted date 22 December 2019
description:Without a Stargate, the world has found another way to travel to distant places through hyperspace. There are those brave enough - or foolish enough - to trailblaze new routes through uncharted hyperspace.
Captain John Sheppard and his crew are exactly those kind of people.

The stowaway Rodney McKay was someone that nobody had planned on.
why this should be read: The detail and world building in this fic is off the charts!

Title:Four Times John Hated Having Sentinel Senses, and One Time He Didn't
Author: mific
Pairing:: McShep
word count: 6,743
posted date 23 December 2019
description: John thinks his sentinel senses are worse than useless, but the Pegasus galaxy may prove him wrong.
why this should be read: Awesome sentinel fic. Doesn't read like a 5+1 but still manages to be one.

Title:The Long Dark
Author: LogicGunn
Pairing:: McShep
word count: 46,984 over 2 parts
posted date 28 December 2019
description: John and Rodney crash land on a remote island in Northern Canada. Based on The Long Dark by Hinterland Games, but you absolutely do not need to have played the game to read this fic.
why this should be read: I can confirm that you absolutely don't have to have played the game and I can also confirm that this fic is amazing.

Title:Equilibrium
Author: MermaidMayonnaise
Pairing:: McShep
word count: 1,332
posted date28 December 2019
description: It probably should’ve bothered him that Sheppard had to do this, do this to him. But today was one of those days where he thought, this might as well happen.
why this should be read: because sometimes only amtdi fic will do

Title:take this longing from my tongue
Author: MistressKat
Pairing:: McLorne
word count: 16,597
posted date 28 December 2019
description: Evan Lorne may have a small, entirely harmless crush on a certain snarky, broad-shouldered, extremely competent head of science. So what? It means nothing. He’s certainly never going to act on it. It’s not like it’s a problem or anything. Except… Maybe it is. And maybe, just maybe, he’s not the only one having it.
why this should be read: One of my top 5 fics of the year and it only posted 3 days ago! Lovely Evan/Rodney fic.

And that's it! This is just a small snap shot of the fantastic fic that was posted this year! Is your favourite on the list? Feel free to shout at me in the comments about all the amazing fic I've missed or forgotten to include! AND HERE'S TO ALL THE AMAZING FIC THAT 2020 WILL BRING!

Happy New Year 'Gaters!

As a bonus: see below the cut for the fics I wrote in the final quarter of 2019:

( Read more... )

Part 3 - All other rec lists can be found here

Title:Just Bruises
Author: LogicGunn
Pairing:: McShep
word count: 6,524
posted date 06 July 2019
description:JWhat happened in the three hours Rodney was missing?
why this should be read: I remember having had a really tough day when I got the notification for this and this fic was a 6k whumpy gift from heaven to soothe my soul.

Title:Feels Like Home
Author: Brumeier
Pairing:: McShep
word count: 1,432
posted date 07 July 2019
description:LJ Comment Fic for Movie Lines prompt: Stargate Atlantis, John Sheppard/Rodney McKay, "It’s there, I know it is because when I look at you, I can feel it. And I, I look at you and…I’m home." (Finding Nemo)

In which John is injured and Rodney does everything in his power to fix things, even though the best fix is just being there.
why this should be read: It's no secret that I like my hurt Rodney flavoured but this one is the exception. This fic broke me! So, so bittersweet.

Title:The Full Value of a Joy
Author: GillianInOz
Pairing:: McShep
word count: 18,480
posted date 01 August 2019
description:‘Grief can take care of itself, but to get the full value of a joy you must have someone to divide it with.’
~ Mark Twain
why this should be read: It's also no secret that I like my new father fic Rodney flavoured but this one is one of the few exceptions.

Title:tacet
Author: estora
Pairing:: McShep, Rodney/Rod
word count: 21,967
posted date 14 August 2019
description:You shot me, McKay tries to say, and in another world where Sheppard was holding something clumsy like a P90 in one hand and the bullet only grazed McKay’s side, Sheppard might reply Yes, Rodney, I shot you and I said I was sorry! It might even be kind of funny. You shot me, McKay wants to say, and all he can taste is blood.
why this should be read: estora is another new writer to come play in SGA fandom this year and this is one of my favourite fics of the year. Mute Rodney is a hard loved trope of mine and this is beautiful (and no magic fix it at the end, yay!)

Title:When In Pegasus...
Author: partypaprika
Pairing:: McDex
word count: 10,970
posted date 20 August 2019
description:“Why do they think that we’re married?” Rodney asked.

Ronon shrugged. “Because I told them that we were.” Rodney waited expectantly for more. When none was forthcoming, he gestured impatiently at Ronon who rolled his eyes. “McKay, I think that we have more important things to focus on here. Namely, getting out of here.”

“No, no, no, no,” Rodney said. “This is the most important thing on my plate right now.”
why this should be read: The world needs more Rodney/Ronon fic.

Title:For The Glory of Atlantis
Author:scarletmanuka
Pairing:: McShep
word count: 10,249
posted date 23 August 2019
description:If you know where to listen, there are whispers and rumours of a place, a place deep in Atlantis, where men who like men can meet for anonymous sex, separated only by a wall. John checks it out, expecting a one off, no strings attached encounter, until suddenly, it isn't anymore.
why this should be read: It's a glory hole fic.

Title:Kept By Ourselves In Silence And Apart
Author: The Spike
Pairing:: McDex
word count: 7,263
posted date 27 August 2019
description:Rodney McKay and Ronon Dex, in extremis.
why this should be read: It's Rodney/Ronon and the whump is out of this world.

Title:better without olives
Author: dedkake
Pairing:: McShep
word count: 13,674
posted date 02 September 2019
description: John doesn’t let himself imagine coming out anymore, but if he ever did let himself wonder, he never would have thought it would be like this.

Or, John uses pizza as a metaphor to explain his sexual and romantic orientations to Rodney.
why this should be read: Asexual representation, yo.

Title:What to Do When You Don't Know You've Been Shot
Author: NephilimEQ
Pairing:: McShep
word count: 4,122
posted date 22 September 2019
description: The team comes back from a mission and all is well...until Rodney realizes later that he's been shot. Using the one of the five useless brain cells he has, he makes a stupid decision about the whole situation.
why this should be read: I am physically incapable of not reading a hurt Rodney story. And this one is good.

Title:the house is burning (better run for cover)
Author: estora
Pairing:: McShep
word count: 6,140
posted date23 September 2019
description: McKay looks lost, an expression Sheppard has seen on his face only once: John, I’ve never been so scared, I’m slipping away, I’m slipping away and I can’t stop myself.

How do you escape a time loop when you don't even know you're in one?
why this should be read: THIS FIC IS SO GODDAMN GOOD. This, right here, might be the fic of the year for me. It fucked me up beyond words.

Title:And All The Rest
Author: LogicGunn
Pairing:: McShep
word count: 17,955
posted date 23 September 2019
description: “After you, Rodney,” he says.

“If this is some ladies first nonsense, Colonel, you can shove it up your-”

“It’s procedure, Rodney. Don’t make a scene.”
why this should be read: Genderswap is normally a hard nope for me but LogicGunn (who incidentally is another writer who has joined the fandom this year (according to AO3 anyway)) has fast become a writer who I will click on any sort of SGA fic for. I'm glad that I gave this one a go.

Part 4 will follow on 31 December covering months October, November and December

As a bonus: see below the cut for the fics I wrote in the second quarter of 2019:

( Read more... )

Part 2 - All other rec lists can be found here

Title:Finding God
Author: McKayRulez
Pairing:: McShep Teyla/Rodney
word count: 5,727
posted date 15 April 2019
description:John is dying, and Rodney is out of options to save him. In his desperation, McKay's forced to turn to the one thing he's never expected.

Prayer.
why this should be read: In a fandom as established as SGA it is incredibly rare to find a fic that is unlike anything you've read before.

Title:A Critical Conversion Divergence
Author: ananova
Pairing:: McShep
word count: 52,855
posted date 24 April 2019
description:When Colonel Caldwell takes command and orders lethal force to be used against the mutated John Sheppard, simultaneously preventing Ronon and Teyla from joining the search, Rodney McKay realizes he is the only one able to prevent a tragedy. But events quickly spiral out of his control with permanent consequences.
why this should be read: I was lucky enough to get to beta this. I adore fics that deal with John remaining blue and this one was great. And it's by another first time SGA writer - who said this was a dying fandom?

Title:Command me to be well
Author: xRinsexRepeatx
Pairing:: McShep
word count: 2,950
posted date 03 May 2019
description:The circle of people thinned in front of him, their shoulders clad in hardened leather, shuffling against each other as they made space for Rodney to fall on his knees in the dusty dirt. Rodney’s hands were tied behind his back, hard, making his t-shirt stretch over his chest. There were dirt streaks on his face, but no blood. Panic on his face, but he looked up and saw John and held his gaze like a lifeline.

John focused on the facts. One. This was a show. People who played with their food weren’t quick on the trigger. Two. Teyla had made it. There would be backup.

They just had to make it that long.
why this should be read: I love AMTDI and this one, while 100% dub/non con, is handled really well.

Title:The Road Home
Author: Maxine_Gold
Pairing:: McShep
word count: 27,200
posted date 09 May 2019
description:McKay gets captured and is forced to work on Ancient Tech. Everyone on Atlantis believes he's dead, until he manages to get a message to them. When they rescue him, John finds a beaten, broken, and far too-quiet Rodney. Can John help put him back together? Is there enough of Rodney left to heal?

This is a long, slow burn about healing from trauma. None of the torture is shown and only some of it is described after the fact. This is not a story about torture, it is a story about surviving, about picking up the pieces of yourself and moving forward.
why this should be read: Another new writer to SGA this year and they kick us off with a really beautifully done piece that tackles difficult subject matter.

Title:The Realtor, The Contractor, and the Single Dad
Author: Brumeier
Pairing:: McShep
word count: 6,908
posted date 23 May 2019
description:Rodney needs to move out of his condo and into a bigger house before the baby comes. It'll take the Sheppard brothers - one a real estate agent and the other a contractor - to help make his dreams come true. In more ways than he could imagine.
why this should be read: Light, fun and happy making.

Title:Today I Am Wise
Author:McShipIt
Pairing:: McShep
word count: 10,446
posted date 06 June 2019
description:In simple words: John's path to self-discovery.

In not so simple words: While Atlantis is grounded on Earth, everyone, including Rodney, is moving on with their lives and John realizes he's the one being left behind.
why this should be read: Beautiful and a wonderfully written John focused fic.

Title:Stages
Author: the-wandering-whumper
Pairing:: McShep
word count: 9,060
posted date 07 June 2019
description:John and Rodney tag along for a seemingly innocuous visit to an uninhabited planet. But things are amiss and it will take everything John and Rodney have to leave that planet alive.
why this should be read: Whumptastic

Title:Funnel of Love
Author: scareletmanuka
Pairing:: McShep
word count: 6,720
posted date 09 June 2019
description: After having an allergic reaction on a mission, John attempts to take Rodney back to Atlantis for medical treatment. Then there's a tornado, and a crash landing, oh, and then there's only one sleeping bag...
why this should be read: Yet another first time writer in this fandom - and this tropey fic is soooo satisying.

Title:Series: Alpha
Author: Ladyhawk_Ihflu
Pairing:: McShep
word count: 7,378 to date
posted date ongoing
description: Part 5 - The next Wraith attack becomes a learning experience for Rodney.
why this should be read: There were a few new parts of this ongoing series posted in 2019 - a series where Rodney is a struggling Alpha trying to hold Atlantis together and I find the world of this series so fascinating.

Title:The Plan
Author: LogicGunn
Pairing:: McShep
word count: 2,013
posted date 25 June 2019
description: Who better than the self-proclaimed smartest man in two galaxies to be the first addition to the team?
why this should be read: This is a fic that deals with one of the scenes that I really, really wish we had gotten to see in canon - Rodney joining John's team.

Title:Decision Point
Author: esteefee
Pairing:: McShep, McKeller
word count: 23,324
posted date 26 June 2019
description: esteefee: *starts to write a story where Rodney stays on Earth and John goes back to Pegasus*
esteefee: hmmm, I'm on 15K+ words, and John still refuses to leave Earth. I don't understa—
Narrator: esteefee did, in fact, understand.
why this should be read: Another great pining John fic.

As a bonus: see below the cut for the fics I wrote in the second quarter of 2019:

( Read more... )

As is traditional I humbly present a rec list of wonderful SGA fics that were posted in the past twelve months.

I am still wowed and amazed by the talent that this fandom still has to give. So, without further ado:

Title:The City That Never Sleeps
Author: devra
Pairing:: McShep
word count: 1,980
posted date 07 January 2019
description:Like the Big Apple, Atlantis was the city that never slept though at oh three hundred hours, while the coffee pots were full and the food service trays consisted of cellophane wrapped sandwiches, cookies and fruit, Rodney was the only person occupying the room.
why this should be read: Devra was a first time writer in the fandom and got the voices super spot on.

Title:Team Building Series
Author: LadyShelley
Pairing:: None
word count: 357,796
posted date completed 17 February 2019
description:
Take one Air Force Major, add a Marine Lieutenant, an Athosian leader, and a brilliant scientist; blend well until you make a team. Sounds easy right?

Each story either continues from the end of an episode or fills in a gap between episodes in season one. While the main plots of the stories can stand alone, there are subplots and characters that carry over from story to story. Reading in order is recommended.
why this should be read: I think this series made it on to my 2018 rec list but there were two further installments in the first quarter of 2019 and they're excellent additions to the gen fic arena for SGA.

Title:Creature of Habit
Author: mezzo_cammin
Pairing:: McShep
word count: 1,000
posted date 27 January 2019
description:Rodney isn't moving in. He's just kind of invading John's personal space. With his stuff.
why this should be read: Super cute and excellent voices!

Title:Bullying
Author: aravenwood
Pairing:: None
word count: 1,214
posted date 08 February 2019
description:John knew that something was seriously wrong when McKay failed to turn up for lunch.
why this should be read: aravenwood and I share a love for whumped Rodney and they write it so well.

Title:Offfuu
Author: pir8fancier
Pairing:: McShep
word count: 4,880
posted date 11 February 2019
description:This is post-canon. John and Rodney. Pretty much it. No smut.
why this should be read: It's pir8fancier. That means it's wonderful. Sorry, I don't make the rules.

Title:Worry Stones
Author: escriveine
Pairing:: McShep
word count: 5,216
posted date 21 February 2019
description:WWhen the local political leader injects an obligatory, unspecified ceremony into the schedule, John believes that a certain level of concern is warranted.
why this should be read: A different kind of off-world ritual fic.

Title:Spectrum
Author: pebbles1971
Pairing:: McShep
word count: 2,066
posted date 21 February 2019
description:Rodney gets a diagnosis and reevaluates his life
why this should be read: The first part of a much longer series. This first one is epistolary and I think it works really well. The idea of Rodney as autistic really resonated with me.

Title:Touching and Touched
Author: ami_ven
Pairing:: McShep
word count: 6,837
posted date 28 February 2019
description: Half-Vulcan security officer John Sheppard joins the crew of the USS Atlantis on a mission to the Beta Quadrant and meets his match in human science officer Rodney McKay.
why this should be read: ami_ven writes so many wonderful fics but this one really stood out to me. Come on, it's a Star Trek AU - of course you need to read it!

Title:Unspecified Variables
Author: Seaward
Pairing:: McBeckett, Carson/Rodney/John
word count: 32,360
posted date 04 March 2019
description: Only after1 Atlantis returned to Pegasus did Rodney, Carson, and John discover the bonds that would hold them together. The rest they're not ready to name, but they might have more to offer than they ever guessed.
why this should be read: Part 1 of a three part series. The dynamic between Carson and Rodney was very appealing to me and I really enjoyed watching it evolve as John joined in.

Title:Beauty is in the eye of the beholder
Author: CaremKefo
Pairing:: McShep
word count: 4,675
posted date 14 March 2019
description: Rodney's never had much luck with relationships - if you can call his sexual encounters that. He knows his petty, arrogant nature keeps people from getting too close and, given his insecurity about his looks, he's learned be okay with that. But that was before he fell for Sheppard, and before Sheppard kissed him. Now his insecurities have come flooding to the fore and he's afraid of being hurt in a way his arrogant front has protected him from for all these years.
why this should be read: Did someone tag self-esteem issues? Did they mean it in relation to Rodney? I am 100% there.

Title:Margin of Error
Author: Brumeier
Pairing:: McShep, John/Nancy
word count: 8,372
posted date 25 March 2019
description: John is the Vice President of the United States, but he wants more, both professionally and personally. When campaign manager Rodney McKay comes back into his life maybe he can get everything he wants.
why this should be read: If there's one fic this year that I wish were a 700k epic that I could never leave, it's this one. I loved it so much and while I want to be greedy and demand more it's pretty damn perfect as is.

Title:Masturmate
Author: CaremKefo
Pairing:: McBeckett
word count: 3,674
posted date 07 March 2019
description: When Dr Carson Beckett jerks off with a stranger online, he notices there's something not quite right with his companion.
why this should be read: I read the summary and knew this would be great. Spoiler; it was.

Title:how do you like your blueeyed boy
Author: nagi_schwarz
Pairing:: McLorne
word count: 18,289
posted date 20 February 2019
description: Rodney McKay, genius engineer, has been so focused on his dream of building The Atlantis, the fastest ether ship to ever exist, that he has not realized that one of his assistants, Evan, is not in fact human. He’s an automaton. And that changes everything.
why this should be read: It's beautiful. And so, so bittersweet. Have something happy to read afterwards!

Title:Compatability
Author: Hyx_Sydin
Pairing:: McShep
word count: 1,114
posted date 12 January 2019
description: Rodney would change everything about himself if it meant he could keep John.
why this should be read: This one punched me hard in the feels.

All other rec lists can be found here

As a bonus: see below the cut for the fics I wrote in the first quarter of 2019:

( Read more... )