*enters, with flourish*

[minxy]

Yes, hello, this is me, back with my now functioning computer, Daniel. (I actually really liked Nebari as a name, but y'all were pretty enthusiastic about Daniel, and a mandate from the masses, etc.)

I suspect I missed lots and lots of good stuff whilst away from my easy tagging system, so apologies there. And some of this is neither recs from the archives nor immediately recent, but I think you guys can handle that. I have faith.

I have a couple of novel(la) length recs at the end, but we'll do a nice, slow build, I think.

Quick reads:

grammarwoman once dropped a comment fic prompt that came back a full-grown plot. So here she is, navigating Southern manners and Galaxy-wide acknowledged trading habits (trust and all,) and When Harry Met Sally. This is Vala's voice as true to character as I've seen, extraordinary breasts and all, and this is Cameron just doing his level best to be *good*, seduction scenes be damned. Climbing the Walls, Cameron and Vala, friendship, Vala is never worksafe.

CRACK. You've seen references to this story, now see it for yourself! The one where they sometimes hang out in the same Girl Scout Cookie box: The Epic Tale of Rodney & John, Two Girl Scout Cookies in Love, by bitter_crimson. Deeply cracked, and it would be worksafe, except for the marshmallow thing.

And for something completely different, Teyla being intuitive, fierce, right and nearly at a loss for words. Amazing. And needed. Second Verse (Same as the First) by friendshipper. Teyla and team, gen-ish.

Saving John from nixa_jane is eery and evocative and a lovely connection. Slash or friendship, depending on your goggles. Worksafe. John and Rodney, SGA.

From beatrice_otter, one of my favorite things ever: a Sam and Teal'c Unending Tag. Um, I think it might have been my prompt at choc_fic, come to think of it. This is gen, though, and aching, as Sam and Teal'c spar and don't apologize for not pulling punches. Lovely. The Weight of Non-Existent Years. SG-1, finalefic.

A Mal/Simon (my favorite pairing aside from Zoe/Wash) Firefly fic! Smooth is a job that Simon is oddly qualified for, and it's a bit of a shock, and it certainly goes a bit sideways, and a bit cynical, and a little more sly. It's good times, not worksafe, though.

amidalashari brings the Teal'c and Daniel friendship: White Chocolate Space Egg in which Daniel is earnest and Teal'c is Totally Messing With Him. Worksafe.

Vala and Jonas, of all people, and it really works. From kalquessa for a commentficathon that abyssinia4077 ran, but the story got away from her. Aggravated Destruction of Property, SG-1, Vala, Jonas, S10ish, gen.

From paian, a dark piece that fights as much as it sexes it up: Steal Dancing, Jack/Vala, references to multiple partners and infidelity, both het and slash. Psychologically complex, showcases how brilliant those two characters can be. Not Worksafe.

Another fine story from choc_fic crossed Farscape with Firefly and created Ends in Fire, a Crais & Zoe story that just boggles the mind with how well it suits. From ijemanja, worksafe.

A Sam in Atlantis story from destina: Where You Hang Your Hat. Challenges and kindnesses and second-guessing everything until she doesn't anymore. Beautiful homecoming. Worksafe.

A Wierd Jack and Daniel Snippet from Salieri (troyswann), who, as you know, Bob, has a mind for spaces and atmosphere that few can rival. She's amazing, the way she sets a scene.

Coincidentally, this next story was written *for* Sal (happy birthday to us!) by teand. This is bittersweet Sam and Vala, saying goodbye. Lest Old Acquaintance, worksafe, friendship. Nearly Sam in Atlantis.

A Descension fic, S7, Daniel seeing and not seeing, and Teal'c characteristically not mincing words. Really nice friendship as only Stargate could, really. splash_the_cat's Out of the Loop, gen, Daniel and Teal'c, S7. Worksafe.

Gorgeous post-Unending Teal'c story from paian. Really it's a five things, but the beauty of it is in the sixth thing, the one that turned into a 2,000 word story and just aches with knowledge unshared, and friendship unnamed. Beautiful, says a great deal about all of them. Five Things Teal'c Brought Back in 'Unending, Plus a Coda

Medium length stories (over 10,000 words, less that Walked Right Out of the Machinery.)

There's this thing about Atlantis where they produce some of the cutest AUs known to man. This one is John having left the military, and Rodney too (or never joined) and they are therefore in the fairly likely occupations of junk shop owner and physics professor. As such, it's not a big leap to go there as a reader, and it's very easy to stay in this story once it's begun. Junk Cheap, by devildoll, is Sheppard/McKay, SGA AU, but a close one. R rated.

Weddings, Plural, and a Yak, from cesperanza, is another kind of psychologically complex, the kind where a character's obliviousness seems like it could compete at the olympic level they're trying so hard. It's a speciality of hers, and it just works so well for John. SGA, John/Rodney, not worksafe.

And now the long stories:

Just as a warm-up, synedochic and ivorygates have been posting snippets and continuations in their Mezzanine 'verse. From Syne, Hunter S. Thompson-esque bitch sessions from Jack's clone JD over usenet email, and wierdly, it's so appropriate. And you just know that Jack at any age would bitch like a champion entertainer. things that have pissed me off today, part seventeen in a series , time for the yearly letter to billg@microsoft.com, and alright, maybe you have a point about the delivery thing. IG gives us sweet angst and sweet smut: Walking After Midnight (post-All Cats Are Grey) and Linen Service (post-Laundry Day), respectively. If you need a refresher on post, pre's and where the hell all these stories *fall* in that 'verse, I believe the masterlist is here. The smut from IG? Not worksafe. The rest are.

Next, a triumvirate of win and words from Salieri. Couple of years ago now, she wrote a neat neat neat Due South meets Dystopia story called Real Boys that had me reading despite knowing very little about either Due South *or* Phillip K. Dick, actually. It was and is a riveting story. Sal then went and followed it up with a plotty, alas still in progress, story she charmingly calls Space!Mounties. It's just... I can't even explain how charmed I am by those stories. Slash, most of it is worksafe, but some isn't. The worldbuilding is worth shouting over.

As if you needed more proof that I will read outside canons I know if it's Sal writing them, she also wrote an SG-1 crossover with DaVinci's Inquest (and provides a nice primer for the series if you are also unfamiliar). This is a brilliant outsider's POV of our Stargate heroes that charms absolutely. One in the Play of Many, by troyswann Mostly gen, but there's some Jack/Daniel; I can't remember if that part disqualifies it as worksafe, to be honest.

And finally,

If you can read Walked Right Out of the Machinery and not love it, you might need to defriend me right now. Even if you're not ostensibly a Jack fan, you will love the guy walking around in Jack's skin in this story. It's just... *hand flaily*. (I beta'd this and read it at least three times in the process. Yes, it's a novel; this should tell you something, mah people.) By rydra_wong, aggressively gen, or, it's not really a *safe* story, but it's gen, and worksafe. And extraordinary.

Comments

Re: Heads up

[http://users.livejournal.com/_minxy_/]

....aaaaaaaand, it's fixed. Now actually leads to Steal Dancing (http://paian.livejournal.com/110053.html) by paian. Thanks!