Stargate: Atlantis Recs

single stories | series

Single Stories

Academic by Miss Porcupine: McKay, gen. It could be just me with flashbacks to geometry, but that hit me *hard* in the best possible way. He fucked with their understanding of the universe when he fucked up their math. That's so damn *cool*. I mean, that is totally me, sitting there in class, and my teacher just taught me that a triangle's sides do not equal 180. Well, okay, not quite? But damned close. More commentary and complete rec here.
New - An Exchange of Words by kriadydragon: Ronon, John, gen. Set early season two, in the scars challenge. A *good* view of Ronon and John at the beginning of their friendship, still wary and uncertain but learning each other. I just--don't see nearly enough John and Ronon friendship-- well, John and Ronon anything--and this one hit the mark beautifully for both characters.
Cusp by Sealie: Sheppard, Carson, McKay, gen. Picked up the rec on my flist, and SGA being one of the first fandoms I've ever *wanted* to read gen in, I ran ran ran to read. Really interesting plot, use of the control chair, always a plus, and a strong Carson presence that I'm not used to seeing.
Deflection by ltlj: Sheppard, gen. Plotty goodness when John wakes up and can't remember who he is. Or what. There's mystery and adventure and team goodness. Do not miss.
Detox by Jane St. Clair: Post-Siege II, written after season one. Rodney and Zelenka come down from a speed trip and fall to pieces. If ever a story was beautiful and brutal, this is the one, as they slowly pull themsevles back together, via tongue depressors and sheer will.
Earth 2 by ltlj: Sheppard, McKay, Carter, gen. It's so hard to describe this one. Sheppard on the Goa'uld controlled Earth, with two versions of people he's not sure he's supposed to know. It's *plot*. Action. Amazing good time.
New - An Earthly Knight by ltlj: You know, elves. There's this planet of them. And Sheppard thinks he's one of them. I wish this summery could do the story justice, because it's wonderful and sweet and proof there is no good in Ancient artifacts at all. Also, again. Elves.
New - Eat Your Heart Out Peggy Fleming by Miss Porcupine: My glee is hard to textually render, but this had everything. Action! Adventure! Injuries! Derring-do! I love using that word. Very wonderful. Thank you very, very much.
Exingencies by Rivier: It's like she said, oooh, what would be scary and hot? And then she did it. The John from The Storm/The Eye makes a vivid reappearance, and from an outside character observation, wow, *crazy*. But we know he's not crazy. He's just really, really, really focused on getting his things back.
Fellow Traveller by itlj: Okay, *so cool*. They meet this very *alien* alien, and there are Wraith, and it just--God. Action, adventure, better than any episode ever. Highly recommended for fantastic reading.
Five Ancient Devices They Really Shouldn't Have Initialized by Miss Porcupine: All, gen. The title says it all. I just like the entire concept of it. And I loved the fifth one like a lot.
Freedom's Just Another Word for Nothing Left to Lose by Synedochic: McKay. Rodney on earth in a post-Atlantis world. It's a lovely exploration of the person he becomes.
Hockey Night in Atlantis by Canadian Snoopy: I can totally see this. Elizabeth approves the first Atlantis hockey tounament, and it's *fantastic*.
How to Reduce Negativity by Lemonbella: Gen. Keywords are: Incentivise, synergise, faciliate, positive reinforcement, incentivise positive reaction. I cannot do justice to this. I don't think anyone can. Concept of workplace productivity. You will never stop laughing.
I Feel the Earth Move by Janusglance: Sheppard, McKay, gen. How utterly beautiful. I thought it would break my heart, and it didn't, and I thought it would hurt, and it did, but I feel--wondrous. Like I'm flying. Gen, John, Rodney, an extra alien, and a galaxy stretched around them. So highly recommended I just--wow. It's Atlantis at its most brilliant and John and Rodney at their most amazing, and--read. Dear God people, *read*.
New - If You Can't Beat Them by lemonbella: Missions in Pegasus aren't exactly what Lorne expected.
New - Inescapable by ltlj: An AU of the ending of Season Two's Irresistible, this is just--wow. Creepy and scary and possible. Lucius could have totally done this to them. And a hand is totally not enough.
Landshark by Basingstoke: Zelenka and Rodney! Arguing! John! Amused! And then the puddlejumper, and it's just--it's just fun.
Learning to Breathe by Cesperanza: I've grown to a deep love of John-as-Atlantis fic, mostly because the set-up of the show rides so much on John's ability to have it recognize him. It's completely possible; John's never met a suicidal situation that didn't get him hot and bothered. But it's a hell of a price to pay for it.
Line of Fire by Pouncer: gen Rodney fic, early first season. It's been open since she posted, but I--er, got turkey-distracted, and so. Pouncer does some fantastic plotty things in here in going through Rodney developing into a member of the team. It's an excellent look into Rodney's head.
Long Road Home by Friendshipper: Sheppard, McKay, Teyla, gen. AU. Set in Texas, it's hard to describe really without just giving out what it *is*, but it's a wonderful look at their alternate selves, with retired vet John Sheppard, undocumented alien Teyla Emmagen, and border guard Rodney McKay. Bittersweet and dry and beautiful and as hot and dusty and uncertain as west Texas itself.
The Man Next Door by Saeva and verstehen: Missing scene from Conversion. Sheppard in the middle of his change--both himself and other. It's beautifully creepy.
New - Masquerade by Miss Porcupine: The first time Lorne and Sheppard meet. Second season, fascinating look at Lorne's view of Sheppard and going to Pegasus.
Matter, Form, and Privation by Miss Porcupine: Gen. Oh wow. In the grand tradition of SGA's fantastic gen epics, miss_porcupine brings another one. And no, I don't say this because I had the privilege of looking this over early--I mean, wow. Outsider POV, tight, engaging plot, moves fast, and with an amazing look at the Pegasus galaxy and the things people are pushed to. I honestly cannot do it justice with this rec--it has to be read. Excellent, excellent Sheppard voice, perfect OC voice, great characterization of both Ronon and Elizabeth, and pretty much everyone is note perfect. I literally did not want to stop reading.
New - Minor in Archaeology by Miss Porcupine: A marvelous look at Atlantis post-Intruder, Sheppard, Atlantis, and the beginning of Sheppard and Lorne's professional relationship.
The New Frontier by Sarah T: Sheppard, gen. Highly recommended. In that way that I don't have time to type right now, but usually, I'd include a OMG SO GOOD YES and Christ, why do I call myself a slasher when all my loves are gen, and *thank you*. It's John. It's so John it hurts me, and it broke my heart a little bit and made me love it.
Nightmares by Annie: A snippet of Rodney, who de-ages, and the inevitability of change. It's heartbreaking.
Nothing At All to Do With Henry VIII by Pentapus: Sheppard, McKay, gen. Ancient rave! Except not really. But whoa. Okay, huge points for interesting things done with structure--basically, she and cesperanza get my love for the month for stories that made me sit down and *read* to get it--and wow, once gotten, it got good. For those interested--definite pre-hetishness, *definite* pre-slashiness, but honestly, *cuddly John*.
Old Soldiers Die Hard by Friendshipper: Sheppard, McKay, gen. Summary given on page: The old guy in Room 30B was about the most disagreeable human being that the nurses had ever met. But he did get visitors -- including a retired Air Force Colonel.; I have no intention of spoiling, because it's so rare that I'm genuinely surprised by a fic, so when it happens, I want to share. But I will say this. There is no way you cannot love this.
New - Orientation by ltlj: A wonderful friendship fic between John, Rodney, and Teyla when John's hurt and they have to be comforting one way or another.
Pedagogically Sound by Arysteia: Remix of my Instructional, another look at the scientists rebellion, with an excellent Lorne.
Planet Megalodon Wraith Defense Force by Pentapus: Also wins for coolest title in history, gen-ish teamfic, with sharks and magical squares and God, Rodney the healthiest of the bunch, and it's like being at Schlitterbaun--or a waterpark, for those of you who have never experienced the wonder of Schlitterbaun--but the funnest Schlitterbaun ever. And you will totally understand the comparison when you read. Second season, pre-Runner, post Siege III (roughly) and so so so so cool I can't even stand it.
New - The Pledge and the Turn by Miss Porcupine: Remix of my What I Look for on the Sides of Mountains.To me, ideally, a remix is the author taking the original story as their own, doing what the author can't. And in this case, it's utterly true; [info]miss_porcupine does everything I can't and never thought of--the part of Altantis that's reports and explanations and carefully worded summaries and politics, in a very subtle way. And how Lorne does his own kind of remixes, which amusees me a lot on some level. And I love, love, how Lorne connected the dots using minimal data and a lot of very smart conjecture. And I love how Lorne's learned to read Sheppard by reading his team. It's great. Short version--it's good. It's awesome. It's pretty much *fantastic*. And Lorne is so perfect he makes me smile.
Predatory by Frostfire-17: If there was ever a time for Sheppard to turn flirtation into a mechanism of war, this is the time, and if ever anyone was ever qualified to make it an art form, that would be Sheppard. That was weirdly and so inappropriately hot.
New - PX7-501 by ltlj: A lovely teamfic where there is disaster! But everyone is okay.
New - Qui Habitat by Miss Porcupine: It's--wow. I started reading at work and kind of didn't *stop*. The casual mix of humor and daily Atlantean life with wartime, the various character pov's, the expansion of the universe, the interesting hints of a possible future--miss_porcupine uses words deliberately and the word 'dominion' in reference to Atlantis and its planet(s) was interesting when paired with use of imperialism. Like ltlj, she really *buils* her worlds right down to the floors and the OCs, each one recognizable and more complicated than expected and interesting. The situations are complex and so are the decisions made. Practical and survival is balanced against right, and it's intersting to watch how the chips fall.; Flawlessly plotted and book one of hopefully many, but pretty complete in itself with anticipation of more to come. This is *good*. It's what I hope for in this fandom to read.
New - Raiders of the Seven Systems by ltlj: Oh hell yes. SGA AU with John and Teyla and Ronon the space pirates and then it just gets more amazing. Crossover, but you guess the fandom. This is deliciously awesome, with adventure and misunderstanding and a wonderful new world.
New - Refraction by ltlj: The team finds a quantum mirror and something goes wrong. And the world on the other side is the worse than they could have imagined.
Relative Positions by Merry: A first night on Atlantis fic. Everyone's adjusting, and John and Rodney kind of bond, and it's just sweet.
Scheherazade by In Wintertime: Sheppard, McKay, gen. Gorgeous. Memory, identity, and how they meld. For meta and discussion, read here.
New - The Second Terrace of Purgatory by Miss Porcupine: I keep circling back to the point and flail and rescue Sheppard! Which is almost my favoritest thing ever. There is plot and traps and complexities and of course, rescuing. And Lorne, being awesome. And so good.
See the Possible by Pouncer: John Sheppard, gen. I cannot recommend this highly enough; each piece is self-contained, beautiful, and *sharp*. God, I love gen in this fandom.
Seven Circles Twisting by Brighid: It was written for one of the flashfic challenges, and wow, it delivers a punch in implications. This is probably the best actual horror I've read in fandom for a long time.
New - Somnus by Sealie: Also author of Cusp. This is so fun. Long, long, long, all plot and mystery and not a little creepy. No season three spoilers. Did I mention fun? 'Cause it totally is. And totally kept me up until two in the morning. Which is not a good idea when next day is work? Yet so worth it.
The Start Line by sdraevn: A fantastic bit of Ronan pov as he considers Atlantis, joining the team, and his interaction with his potential team members. But seriously, the best part, for me, was his view of John. That *worked*.
The Things That Are Caesar's by Wintertime: Five gods John Sheppard never worshipped. Okay, just read, it's far easier and far better than explaining. Wow.
New - The Towers On The Heights Reach To Heav'n's Own Blue by Minervacat: I have to admit, the title is what drew me in. I can and do read on the strength of a really awesome title, and she's one of the most creative titlers in the fandom. The story is SGA/SG1 crossover, Sheppard and Cameron (via email) and sports and building relationships and it's--really good. It's almost a slice of life Atlantis. I love how she writes Sheppard, but she does every character justice.
New - Walk Out of the World by ltlj: SGA/Firefly. River and Kaylee stumble between worlds and discover SGA1 and the Wraith. Dreamy, sharp edged River pov. It's gorgeous.
We Invented the Internet: Email by Jane St. Clair: Heh. In which John knows the email is a bad idea, does it, and regrets it. A lot.
We Invented the Internet: Porn by Jane St. Clair: Semi-follow-up/sequel/shared universe: Rodney and the underground Atlantis porn trade.
Your Cowboy Days Are Over (Momma, Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys by Samdonne: My favorite fic, ever. Long rec here. This is, and I do not exaggerate, a must-read, period.
New - Summerland by Samdonne: Sequel to Your Cowboy Days Are Over. A startlingly powerful piece of writing, short and painful and as brilliant as the first.
Zelenka's Still by Auburnnothenna: Genfic, just the most fun you can have, like, ever. There's fruit, porn, mushrooms, and I have no idea how you even *describe* this, okay? None. But you have to read it *now*. It's. An experience. Cookie icon for being fabulous. Wow.

Series

The Jenny Code by Miss Porcupine: New - The Jenny Code
New - Poppies in November
New - In Abeyance; miss_porcupine fills a gap that no other SGA writer does, in a strong and clear focus on the military side of Atlantis. She brings them to life in a way that makes it accessible to the non-military of us (which is, face it, way too many of us, with preconceived and often horrifically stereotyped notions of what being in the military is and what soldiers are like), and writes, to me, the best, most well-rounded Lorne in the fandom. This one is--it's relatively straight forward; a hostage situation, a mission, getting everyone back. But the people that make those decisions, how they're made, the interpersonal dynamics and differing, conflicting loyalties, the complexities of a war that's mostly undeclared and with vague edges that don't quite meet--it's amazing. It's simply, utterly amazing in simple, clean pros that unfolds an amazingly complex story beneath it all of life in the Pegasus Galaxy, a war that isn't quite declared, and balancing what's right and what's necessary.; I cannot recommend this highly enough. Heavy plot, heavy action, a lot of wonderfully realized characters. This is among the best of what our fandom has to offer in fiction.; Special rec for In Abeyance - [info]miss_porcupine has said before she's not quite comfortable writing Rodney. It can't be proven by this story. A very non-military man viewing a very military operation, with the near-visible changes that Pegasus has wrought on how he thinks and reacts. It's--it's *good*. He's used to being with Sheppard, going on these missions, and his barely restrained desire to go when he knows that in this operation he can only be a liability, the need for this very civilian man to be part of it--it's wonderful. Tightly restrained Rodney, angry and terrified and watching helplessly because he knows there's nothing he can do here--I just don't have words. It has to read.
The Geeks and Goons series by Koschka: Scientist, Wraith Killer, Space Pilot
Double O Geek
Geek Protocol
Geeks and Goons
Goonius Americanus
Supergeek
The Once and Future Goon
A Geek in the Grass; It's like, the fantastical adventures of John and Rodney, picked up after The Defiant One and going straight on from there. Very, very gen, with a small AU detour into slash for Supergeek. All together *wonderful*. This Rodney I can totally see.
Retrograde series by ltlj: Main Series
Retrograde
Recovery
Movie Night
New - Least Resistance
Tropic of Cancer
New - Colorado Springs
Vegas (Sheppard/McKay/Teyla)
New - First Impressions
New - Lorne in Atlantis; More
Expatriate (Sheppard/Mitchell)
New - Exile (Sheppard/Mitchell)
Sojourn (Sheppard/Teyla)
Five Joint Missions, Post-Retrograde
New - Trading Day; Extras
New - Jack and Daniel
New - When Your Job Description (You Announce Chevrons!) Is a Total Lie by SVMadelyn; I--this is one of those times I just can't figure out what to say about it. It's this sprawling, beautiful, fantastically written SGA AU. And it's one of those stories I'll carry with me for freaking *ever*, saved in my hard drive, that I'll measure all fic against. It's perfect. It's action and adventure and so much perfect characterization my teeth would hrut if they didn't already for the, yes, dental work I just had. It's just--God. I can't even put it into words. It pissed me off and made me cry and happy and inspired me and I just fell in love with SGA all over again, like I wasn't already its whore, but it's--I'm never going to say this right, okay? I just want to have an icon better than cookies to symbolize *how much* this story rocked.; I'm going to just think how supremely happy, how utterly fulfilled I am, and go with that. I'm *high*. It's wonderful. It's probably the very best fic I've read in this fandom. It's one of the top I've read in any, ever.; Longer rec here.