J/D ficathon ficlet

[maraceles]

I wrote this for the Jack/Daniel ficathon, in response to raedbard's request: "Some use of Latin (which doesn't have to be in any way correct!), first time. Restrictions: character bashing, PWP." I hope this fic fits the bill. *frets*

Comments

[advection]

The tone of this is so perfect. The concept of the cube is way cool. The way the inscription shines on it when it's complete, and the way you describe it, is beautiful. The deceptive opening is great, and all of Jack's daydreams are so exactly Jack, and having Jack translate the words (for the reader, anyway) is awesome, and I love the bit of doubt Daniel feels at the end, and then the last line. Just lovely. :-)

[maraceles]

*blushes*

Aww, thanks! I was a bit worried that the daydreams weren't Jack at all, so your comment makes me very, very relived. And I love Jack being smart, so I had to have him translate. *g*

(And hey, when's your next fic up? I' m always on the look-out for Paian!fic! *g*)

[advection]

They're definitely Jack, IMO anyway. What it would have been like if he'd stayed on Abydos, if he'd chosen to ascend, if sometime on Daniel's (fraught and personal-history-laden) balcony Daniel got what Jack couldn't say and reached out to him ... key Jack stuff. (It is Daniel's balcony, right?)

What I'm just realizing after a second read is the importance of Daniel's statement "I thought that maybe he was the recording, and we were, you know, the watchers, the audience, though obviously we probably contribute some aspect to the content." I'm wondering if what Daniel feels when he experiences those daydreams (in virtual immersion through the cube) isn't all what he's actually feeling but mostly what Jack dreamed he would feel. They're so close to his own natural thoughts and reactions that it's hard to tell, but if they're of the daydream and not just Daniel's realtime responses to experiencing the daydream, then it means that Jack knows him really, really well, which is way cool, and/or says a lot about what Jack hopes is going on

[maraceles]

Eeeeeeee! You got thinky about the fic! That's the best compliment ever! *blushes and cheers wildly*

I'm just so thrilled that you're thinking about this: "I'm just really intrigued by the question of how much is embedded in the recorded fantasy and how much is what Daniel brings with him when it plays back in his head." Because that was almost exactly how I was thinking about it, in terms of embedded fantasies, embedded daydreams, and I was working under a couple of assumptions that you've pretty much nailed

[advection]

The fic so deserves the compliment of thinkiness. I'm glad it didn't bug you! And I love hearing a description of authorial intent. I gather that sometimes writers err to the opposite extreme, claiming that if they didn't intend it then it's just not in there and nobody can claim it is; and I worry about the failure to deliver on intent, too. But I think that fiction is a collaboration between reader and writer, and the author's interpretation is equally valid and valuable. Plus, I just plain enjoy hearing about it. And it seems to me that you delivered exactly what you meant to! Happy. :-)

The other clue I was trying to throw out there is the fact that the cube only works for DanielYes, I did notice that! I didn't know if it was because their dreams and desires were in sync, or because down deep they're a lot more alike than they seem to be on the surface, or because of something else, but the bottom line was that the cube soaked up daydreams from Jack and dispensed the visions only to Daniel, and I just loved what that implied. I