Round #1 Challenge #5 - Voting
Read each entry, and comment with the number of the THREE FICS you liked THE LEAST. When voting, you must provide a reason for your selection, the reason the fic didn't work for you. Please provide concrete criticisms, and don't vote strictly by personal preferences (e.g. pairing, POV, etc.) -- however, your reasoning doesn't need to be lengthy.
You may also vote for your most favorite fic, though a reason is not required for that. Please select only ONE (i.e. no ties).
Authors are allowed to vote.
Authors will be provided with any comments their fic receives, upon request; while it will be completely anonymous, please bear that in mind when commenting.
Please include the number AND the title, to eliminate confusion. An example of how to vote:
Least favorite
31) Title - Reason
43) Title - Reason
52) Title - Reason
Most favorite
38) Title
Voting is screened, and will remain open through Monday. Voting is open to anyone, so please feel free to link to this post - but remember authors, DO NOT reveal which story is yours until the voting is finished. Once the winner & eliminations have been announced, you may post your story anywhere you like.
This week, two authors will be eliminated.
If you would like to make comments about any entries which are neither your least favorite nor your most favorite, please do so here.
01. Assumptions- G, no spoilers
“The controls for my shower are backwards,” Sheppard said, dripping water on Rodney’s workbench. “The red is cold, the blue is hot, and it’s driving me crazy. Can you fix it?”
Rodney quickly moved his laptop away from the growing puddle. “Do I look like a plumber? Besides, they’re not backwards. Blue has a shorter wavelength than red, therefore more energy. More energy means hotter water.”
“But-”
Rodney rubbed his eyes and looked back down at the data from the city’s rise off the ocean floor. “We need to rethink a lot of assumptions now that we’re here, Major.”
02. Wedding Colors - PG, no spoilers
Elizabeth struggled not to join in the laughter that was rippling across the 'gate room. "What happened this time?" she asked with a smile.
John looked up at her and shrugged, grinning even though he was covered in bright blue paint. "Just a slight misunderstanding."
Both Teyla and Aiden looked amused, despite their own paint-spattered appearances.
"Oh, please." Rodney rolled his eyes, frowning as some yellow paint went trickling down his face. "We were punished because he left the bride standing at the altar."
Elizabeth stared at them for a second before shaking her head. "This I have to hear."
03. The Lies Inside - spoilers for 'Misbegotten'
There are only a few things in life Carson Beckett is sure of.
The round red droplets staining the floor of his infirmary. Blooms of blue and yellow bruises flowering up underneath skin. These solid testaments to those who put themselves in his hands, who bleed and break and still need him.
He is less sure about the pale faces of the ones he gave birth to; their white heads signaling enemy surrender. Ghosts who should be dead but aren’t yet.
Then there’s the unchanging rainy blue of his own eyes when he faces himself every morning in the mirror.
04. Blue Morning, Blue Day - G, spoilers for 'The Real World'
Normally, the few minutes she stole for herself each morning, when she slipped out to the eastern balcony with her coffee, were the most restful part of her day, but, today, she could find no peace in the wide expanse of sea and sky. Instead, the indigo firmament and cerulean waves are an oppressive reminder of her nightmare.
Mostly, she remembers blue - the walls, her robe, and the uniform of not-O'Neill. It's supposed to be a soothing color, trustworthy, the color of depth and stability - the very things denied her in that life. Now, it just feels cold... and lonely.
05. True Colors - PG, spoilers for 'Conversion'
Iridescent green-blue had faded brown then black. As Carson gently scrubbed John’s arm, black flaked off leaving new, soft, pink skin. The borders were already back to John’s normal, healthy flesh tone. Even better, yellow cat-eyes were fading to green, flecks of gray and brown shining in the light. Carson smiled. The color of John’s unaltered eyes defied a simple color label. Though clearly, yellow wasn’t right and Carson was pleased to see it fade.
Through his now-hazel eyes, John watched; relieved to see the grayness leave Carson’s face, as he began to forgive himself for what Ellia had done.
06. Kaleidoscope - Gen, no spoilers
Fall leaves drifted down onto John's face, a kaleidoscope of orange, yellow-green, and crimson.
"You okay, Sheppard?" Ronon offered him a hand.
"Touch football, remember?" Standing without help, John brushed himself off. "No tackling."
Ronon shrugged. "More fun this way."
"For you."
"Dinner's ready," Rodney yelled, and instantly, John's mouth started watering as the scent of roasted yalnuk reached him.
Near the fire, Teyla greeted him with a pleasant "good harvest" and handed him a wine flask, their fingers brushing.
Sipping from it, he passed the flask along to Rodney, letting their fingers brush too, and settled down to eat.
07. Aliens Made Them Win the World Series - General, no spoilers
"Oh, my God," John said, face two inches from the latest databurst from Earth.
"What? What?" Rodney asked.
"Do you follow baseball?"
"Well, it's no hockey, but it's better than football."
John let that heresy slide for now. This was more important. "The White Sox won the World Series."
"Are you serious? First the Red Sox, then the White Sox?"
Teyla and Ronon exchanged looks of "strange humans and their strange obsession with colored clothing, don't ask."
Rodney said in all seriousness, "If the Cubs win next season, we should have the SGC investigate for alien influences."
"Absolutely," John said.
08. Atlantis Communicates - G, no spoilers
Atlantis communicates, as much as it is able, in math and sound and colour in dreams that Rodney never quite recalls. He only knows he wakes to new ideas and sharper theories, yesterday's ephemera swept away to show a clearer path. He thinks the sea air might be beneficial to his sleeping brain.
In reality, once consciousness retreats, the city uses every trick he knows to teach him where to go and what to do and how to get there faster. Perfect math expressed in note and tone, in hue and saturation; grand symphonic lightshows for an audience of one.
09. No Regrets - Teen, Future AU
Thinking back, he probably should have pulled the red crystal instead of the blue one. Should have drawn power from the shield to establish one last wormhole back to Earth, set the self-destruct, and taken whatever assignment the SGC would have given him next.
Instead, he'd disabled the city's DHD, set the self-destruct, and had Sheppard dial the Gate from a jumper, watching as the expedition stumbled out of Atlantis' pastel colours into the stark white of the Alpha Site's winter.
But, as John snuggles closer to escape the cold, Rodney refuses to feel guilty.
After all, no one's complaining.
VOTING IS CLOSED; RESULTS WILL BE POSTED SHORTLY.
You may also vote for your most favorite fic, though a reason is not required for that. Please select only ONE (i.e. no ties).
Authors are allowed to vote.
Authors will be provided with any comments their fic receives, upon request; while it will be completely anonymous, please bear that in mind when commenting.
Please include the number AND the title, to eliminate confusion. An example of how to vote:
Least favorite
31) Title - Reason
43) Title - Reason
52) Title - Reason
Most favorite
38) Title
Voting is screened, and will remain open through Monday. Voting is open to anyone, so please feel free to link to this post - but remember authors, DO NOT reveal which story is yours until the voting is finished. Once the winner & eliminations have been announced, you may post your story anywhere you like.
This week, two authors will be eliminated.
If you would like to make comments about any entries which are neither your least favorite nor your most favorite, please do so here.
01. Assumptions- G, no spoilers
“The controls for my shower are backwards,” Sheppard said, dripping water on Rodney’s workbench. “The red is cold, the blue is hot, and it’s driving me crazy. Can you fix it?”
Rodney quickly moved his laptop away from the growing puddle. “Do I look like a plumber? Besides, they’re not backwards. Blue has a shorter wavelength than red, therefore more energy. More energy means hotter water.”
“But-”
Rodney rubbed his eyes and looked back down at the data from the city’s rise off the ocean floor. “We need to rethink a lot of assumptions now that we’re here, Major.”
02. Wedding Colors - PG, no spoilers
Elizabeth struggled not to join in the laughter that was rippling across the 'gate room. "What happened this time?" she asked with a smile.
John looked up at her and shrugged, grinning even though he was covered in bright blue paint. "Just a slight misunderstanding."
Both Teyla and Aiden looked amused, despite their own paint-spattered appearances.
"Oh, please." Rodney rolled his eyes, frowning as some yellow paint went trickling down his face. "We were punished because he left the bride standing at the altar."
Elizabeth stared at them for a second before shaking her head. "This I have to hear."
03. The Lies Inside - spoilers for 'Misbegotten'
There are only a few things in life Carson Beckett is sure of.
The round red droplets staining the floor of his infirmary. Blooms of blue and yellow bruises flowering up underneath skin. These solid testaments to those who put themselves in his hands, who bleed and break and still need him.
He is less sure about the pale faces of the ones he gave birth to; their white heads signaling enemy surrender. Ghosts who should be dead but aren’t yet.
Then there’s the unchanging rainy blue of his own eyes when he faces himself every morning in the mirror.
04. Blue Morning, Blue Day - G, spoilers for 'The Real World'
Normally, the few minutes she stole for herself each morning, when she slipped out to the eastern balcony with her coffee, were the most restful part of her day, but, today, she could find no peace in the wide expanse of sea and sky. Instead, the indigo firmament and cerulean waves are an oppressive reminder of her nightmare.
Mostly, she remembers blue - the walls, her robe, and the uniform of not-O'Neill. It's supposed to be a soothing color, trustworthy, the color of depth and stability - the very things denied her in that life. Now, it just feels cold... and lonely.
05. True Colors - PG, spoilers for 'Conversion'
Iridescent green-blue had faded brown then black. As Carson gently scrubbed John’s arm, black flaked off leaving new, soft, pink skin. The borders were already back to John’s normal, healthy flesh tone. Even better, yellow cat-eyes were fading to green, flecks of gray and brown shining in the light. Carson smiled. The color of John’s unaltered eyes defied a simple color label. Though clearly, yellow wasn’t right and Carson was pleased to see it fade.
Through his now-hazel eyes, John watched; relieved to see the grayness leave Carson’s face, as he began to forgive himself for what Ellia had done.
06. Kaleidoscope - Gen, no spoilers
Fall leaves drifted down onto John's face, a kaleidoscope of orange, yellow-green, and crimson.
"You okay, Sheppard?" Ronon offered him a hand.
"Touch football, remember?" Standing without help, John brushed himself off. "No tackling."
Ronon shrugged. "More fun this way."
"For you."
"Dinner's ready," Rodney yelled, and instantly, John's mouth started watering as the scent of roasted yalnuk reached him.
Near the fire, Teyla greeted him with a pleasant "good harvest" and handed him a wine flask, their fingers brushing.
Sipping from it, he passed the flask along to Rodney, letting their fingers brush too, and settled down to eat.
07. Aliens Made Them Win the World Series - General, no spoilers
"Oh, my God," John said, face two inches from the latest databurst from Earth.
"What? What?" Rodney asked.
"Do you follow baseball?"
"Well, it's no hockey, but it's better than football."
John let that heresy slide for now. This was more important. "The White Sox won the World Series."
"Are you serious? First the Red Sox, then the White Sox?"
Teyla and Ronon exchanged looks of "strange humans and their strange obsession with colored clothing, don't ask."
Rodney said in all seriousness, "If the Cubs win next season, we should have the SGC investigate for alien influences."
"Absolutely," John said.
08. Atlantis Communicates - G, no spoilers
Atlantis communicates, as much as it is able, in math and sound and colour in dreams that Rodney never quite recalls. He only knows he wakes to new ideas and sharper theories, yesterday's ephemera swept away to show a clearer path. He thinks the sea air might be beneficial to his sleeping brain.
In reality, once consciousness retreats, the city uses every trick he knows to teach him where to go and what to do and how to get there faster. Perfect math expressed in note and tone, in hue and saturation; grand symphonic lightshows for an audience of one.
09. No Regrets - Teen, Future AU
Thinking back, he probably should have pulled the red crystal instead of the blue one. Should have drawn power from the shield to establish one last wormhole back to Earth, set the self-destruct, and taken whatever assignment the SGC would have given him next.
Instead, he'd disabled the city's DHD, set the self-destruct, and had Sheppard dial the Gate from a jumper, watching as the expedition stumbled out of Atlantis' pastel colours into the stark white of the Alpha Site's winter.
But, as John snuggles closer to escape the cold, Rodney refuses to feel guilty.
After all, no one's complaining.
VOTING IS CLOSED; RESULTS WILL BE POSTED SHORTLY.