A Thousand Suns (4/4)

[arby_m]

Fandom: Stargate:Aquarium Atlantis
Title: A Thousand Suns (4/4)
Author: arby_m
Pairing: McKay/Sheppard, implied Sheppard/Dex/Caldwell
Rating: R
Spoilers: through Trinity
Warnings: sap
Length: 1621 words
Disclaimer: Still don't own 'em.
Summary: In which events come to a satisfying conclusion. Chapter 1 is here, Chapter 2 is here and Chapter 3 is hereNote

Comments

[srgdgbdaegs]

That is by far the most spectacularly hypocritical, smug, unpleasant, patronising, condescending version of Sheppard I've ever read. Radek wasn't far behind him. The only thing that could possibly have saved this was if Rodney had told John that he wanted nothing more to do with him. "Teaching Rodney a lesson for his own good" is not something that John Sheppard of all people has the right to do, and then to have Rodney actually *grateful* to be patronised in this awful manner...

I'm guessing you will delete this entry if you ever see it, but good grief - Post-Trinity fics lend themselves to nasty characterisation of John at the best of times, but this one is the probably the worst I've read. Mainly down to the way Sheppard is portrayed as being *right* and *reasonable* and *justified* in his actions. The fact that Sheppard was quite happy (and according to this fic) *justified* in sleeping with Caldwell and Dex whilst in the middle of "teaching Rodney a lesson" is just the icing on the cake.

part 1

[arby_m]

First off, a few things:

1) I truly appreciate your taking the time to leave me detailed feedback. Really. Positive or negative, I always want to know what people really think, because if there's something I am missing that perhaps I should have considered (which is entirely possible), how else am I to learn? Are you the same person who left me basically the same comment anonymously two years ago on Wraithbait? If so, I feel I owe you some kind of an answer since it's obviously bothering you. If not, then you're not alone in your reaction to this fic.:) I'm not going to lie, it did hurt my feelings a little then, but I'm over taking it personally now and consciously trying to use critical fb as a learning experience. I received a wonderful (critical) comment on "Five Times Dean Acted Like A Girl" that completely opened my perspective and clued me into the misogyny I had been unconsciously putting in my fic for years. I'm still working on that.

2) Who said the reader always has to like the protagonists (even ones beloved on the

part 2

[arby_m]

About the whole Ronon/Caldwell thing, that was more of a joke, carrying over from "At Ease" where John has a thing for Ronon physically but doesn't want a relationship with him (because he is in love with Rodney), and John being tempted even though he knows it would be wrong. He doesn't actually sleep with Ronon! If he had, the story would have had to take a different turn, because again my John does love Rodney and does ultimately want to be with him. But he can't have/doesn't want to be in a relationship where the other person disregards him to the point that Rodney did. So in his mind sleeping with Ronon would have been cheating on Rodney, even though they were broken up

[caelith]

John is just vile in this. Rodney should have told him where to stick it. Several times.