Marines and Airmen recs - the Atlantis personnel
My apologies if some of these seem to be a retread of recs made elsewhere. Military OCs are my absolute favorite thing so I have many stories I'd love to share. I'll try not to spam you by making multiple recs in one post (LJ length-limits allowing). Here's my first set of recs, this time all OC Atlantis military personnel.
Rec-request theme: Marines and zoomies
Story title: Night Watch
Story link: http://a-pilgrim-soul.livejournal.com/2871.html
Author: Pilgrim Soul
Author's website/journal: http://a-pilgrim-soul.livejournal.com/
WIP/death!fic/other warnings: None.
Why This Must Be Read: I love stories about the military members of the Atlantis expedition. This is a lovely little piece from the first-person-perspective of a newbie Marine on night watch on a lonely pier of Atlantis. A conversation with a melancholy Sheppard, also out in the dark watching the water, reveals as much about the isolated colonel as it does the lieutenant.
Rec-request theme: Marines and zoomies
Story title: Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda
Story link: http://community.livejournal.com/sga_flashfic/824414.html
Author: liketheruverrun
Author's website/journal: http://liketheriverrun.livejournal.com/ or http://www.fanfiction.net/u/755674/
WIP/death!fic/other warnings: None.
Why This Must Be Read: Sheppard's team are rescued off-world by teams led by Lorne and Major Slater. During their egress, an already injured Sheppard and Slater end up separated from the others and in deep water under a broken floor. Slater must keep his CO alive and get them out of there.
This is a marvelous Sheppard whumper and the author has created a wonderful character in the good-humored and pragmatic Slater. The vividness of his personality and his affection and respect for his teammates, Atlantis and his much-injured CO elevate this story above the standard Sheppard-gets-hurt-and-rescued fic. The wonderful picture drawn of Slater's team and their various misadventures shows that there's more than one Atlantis team who are like family to each other and that we'd enjoy spending more time with. Maybe the author will give us a sequel with more of Slater and his team?
Rec-request theme: Marines and zoomies
Story title: Only The Journey Matters
Story link: http://www.wraithbait.com/viewstory.php?sid=14549
Author: ga-unicorn
Author's website/journal: http://ga-unicorn.livejournal.com/
WIP/death!fic/other warnings: None.
Why This Must Be Read: I adore stories about Sheppard flying, the members of the military on Atlantis or Sheppard from the viewpoint of his soldiers; this little gem has all three.
Sergeant Mike Prosser, a Marine with the ATA gene who is a new arrival on Atlantis, has been dreading his mandatory puddlejumper flying lesson. Only officers are pilots and the expedition's break from military convention is one more unfamiliar and just plain wrong thing he must adjust to, just like the annoying humming of the city in his head. When he arrives for his lesson, he is further thrown off balance by learning that he'll be receiving his lesson from his colonel, a Zoomie who commands Marines, another unfathomable part of his new life. Since this is Pegasus and Sheppard has possibly the worst luck in any universe, things of course go very wrong on their routine flight training with much whumping, some great flying action and a battle with giant lizards.
The character of Prosser is fully fleshed out and he rings true as a Marine. It's obvious that the author has done their homework. I really enjoyed reading the sergeant's point-of-view as he shifts from unhappiness and nervousness at the strangeness of his new post and commander to deep admiration and loyalty after their shared experiences and watching Sheppard in action as a pilot, leader and soldier. If you like this story, I would also recommend miss_porcupine's Route 66 (http://www.offpanel.net/dmz/sga/route66.html) in which a season one Sheppard teaches Stackhouse to fly a puddlejumper, albeit with much less crashing and reptiles.
Rec-request theme: Marines and zoomies
Story title: Of Colonels And Cattle
Story link: http://community.livejournal.com/sga_santa/180914.html
Author: Tielan
Author's website/journal: http://tielan.livejournal.com/ or http://www.thedragonborn.net/
WIP/death!fic/other warnings: None.
Why This Must Be Read: Whenever I drive past yet another feedlot on a seemingly endless drive for work through California's agricultural heartland to various isolated state facilities, I remember this story and chuckle again to myself. It's a short and sweet sketch of female friendship, competence and camaraderie. Teyla and Sheppard appear on the periphery but I love how tielan allows some little seen and OC female members of the Atlantis military to shine, including the posthumously controversial Captain Vega and Amelia Banks. The reader shares their pleasure in a sunny Pegasus day and an enjoyable mission as they joke and attempt to aid Teyla negotiate access for Atlantis to some Ancient devices for something other than the very embarrassed Sheppard's stud services.
Rec-request theme: Marines and zoomies
Story title: Barbershop
Story link: http://kristen999.livejournal.com/116841.html
Author: Kristen999
Author's website/journal: http://kristen999.livejournal.com/ or http://www.fanfiction.net/u/74013/Kristen999
WIP/death!fic/other warnings: None.
Why This Must Be Read: While I'd read any story focused on Sheppard and his hair, this almost drabble is a standout. Kristen999 excels at writing Sheppard and gen. Barbershop showcases her ability to make mundane life and the military routine on Atlantis (my not-so-secret vice) fascinating, funny and surprisingly angsty. With just a few words, the author fully fleshes out Malcolm, the Marine cook and sometime barber, a great original character, and exposes several insights about Sheppard in the process. Everything she writes is well worth reading; follow this with the very funny and charming Fluff and Fold, (http://kristen999.livejournal.com/116673.html) in which Sheppard does laundry. Yes, laundry.
Rec-request theme: Marines and zoomies
Story title: Operation: Keep Your C.O. Oblivious
Story link: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/3365281/1/
Author: Diamond-Raven
Author's website/journal: http://www.fanfiction.net/u/150394/Diamond-Raven
WIP/death!fic/other warnings: None.
Why This Must Be Read: Everyone on Atlantis from Elizabeth down to the lowest ranked (OC) Marine is conspiring to keep a secret from John. Their attempts at subterfuge and excitement at being in on the scheme are a hoot. While the reader is in on what's going on long before John, there's a lovely building sense of anticipation and the emotional payoff of the big reveal is very sweet. I teared up a little at how the author shows how much the denizens of Atlantis all love, respect and know John Sheppard, more even than he realizes. And the surprise itself made me squeal for him....
Rec-request theme: Marines and zoomies
Story title: Light Up, Light Up
Story link: http://community.livejournal.com/sga_genficathon/8488.html
Author: briar-pipe
Author's website/journal: http://briar-pipe.livejournal.com/ or http://briar-pipe.insanejournal.com/
WIP/death!fic/other warnings: None.
Why This Must Be Read: Light Up, Light Up cleverly expands of the meaning of the word "team" into every member of the city and shows just how vital every person is to the well-being of the whole. It's well established that I'll read anything with mundane life on Atlantis but this story feels a bit like the author had a checklist of all my likes and loves. briarpipe even satisfies my secret yen for the Atlantis kitchen staff! The author pulls together the many disparate vignettes of what's happening in the lives of both minor and major characters into such a touching portrait of the Atlantis community that the slowly building and quite suspenseful mystery snuck up on me.
I highly recommend this story, which is full of laugh-out loud funny lines (the Zelenka-McKay slap fight is a must-read) and sentences that make me ache with their beauty. The list left on the wall in Bravo Company's barracks caused me to chuckle and cry at the very same time. Teyla's scenes are heartbreaking. Each character is fully fleshed out, allowing me sneak peeks into their back stories. Many favorites appear such as the Athosians, Zelenka, Miko, Marie Ko, the Marines, even the city of Atlantis. I love John interacting with the various members of the military and using the chair. I especially adore the author's Lorne voice; it's as wistful, snarky, sensitive and insightful as I always imagine.
Rec-request theme: Marines and zoomies
Story title: Eurydice Turns Left
Story link: http://vee-fic.livejournal.com/3497.html or http://www.wraithbait.com/viewstory.php?sid=7189&i=1l
Author: Vehemently
Author's website/journal: http://vee-fic.livejournal.com/
WIP/death!fic/other warnings: None.
Why This Must Be Read: There's great gen action and whump in the suspenseful Eurydice Turns Left. The team and some of John's marines visits a planet of strange stone mazes and is attacked. Everyone but Ronon is captured by the natives and buried alive in a cave. Can they dig themselves out and survive with no provisions or water and Ronon bring back a team to find them before they lose John, who grows more and more ill the longer he spends on the planet? Teyla caring for John is particularly affecting. She and his very loyal (OC) soldiers refuse to let him give up or force them to leave him behind for their own good. I also love Ronon's POV as he embarks on a frantic quest to get back to Atlantis and retrieve enough marines to help him get his team back.
Rec-request theme: Marines and zoomies
Story title: Physics of the Spin series
Story link: The author seems to update inconsistently on the various places the story can be found, so rather than miss a part, I check all three of these links regularly and suggest you do the same: http://mhalachaiswords.livejournal.com/tag/physics+of+the+spin or http://mhalachaiswords.com/writing/viewstory.php?sid=253 or http://www.tthfanfic.org/Story-15147/Mhalachai+Physics+of+the+Spin.htm
Author: mhalachaiswords
Author's website/journal: http://mhalachaiswords.livejournal.com/ or http://mhalachaiswords.com/writing/index.php?PHPSESSID=7798274c6063d5f4ba6eb257a8aed726
WIP/death!fic/other warnings: None other than major canon mucking with.
Why This Must Be Read: Ah, crossovers. I both pity and admire the authors that take on this task. I imagine that it's similarly difficult as being one of those people that come up with new ice cream flavors. Sometimes odd and creative combinations work beautifully and other times....well, the less said the better. One of my favorites crossovers is the improbably wonderful and straight-faced Gilmore Girls/Stargate Atlantis/SG-1 mash-up, Physics of the Spin by mhalachi. You needn't be terribly familiar with Gilmore Girls to be sucked in and enjoy it but if you are, your reading enjoyment will exponentially increase. I must admit that I approached it as a skeptic. When my sister, bristow1941, explained to me the premise, I literally said, "WTF, are you kidding me?!?!" I shouldn't have doubted her though. The appreciation of intellectual curiosity, learning for learning's sake, wit, the socially maladjusted and clash of personalities that were central themes on all three shows make this so tone-perfect and genius a combo that I can't help but wonder why no one came up with it sooner. Probably the same way people reacted after the first time they tried mint chocolate chip or cookie dough ice cream.
In this story, Rory Gilmore finds out that she is not in fact Christopher's daughter as she was always told, but actually the product of a one-night stand between Lorelai and a Canadian exchange student. Yes, Rodney McKay, the one person on Earth (okay, not currently) who possibly talks more and even faster than the Gilmores. Rory struggles to understand her identity now that her worldview has been rocked so completely. She tells no one, not even the unsuspecting Lorelai, what she has learned and turns inward. Rory quits her job, lives at home and teaches herself the math, physics and all the science she needs to understand her mysterious father's work. Eventually, she draws the attention of the NID with her computer searches and Jack O'Neill is sent to check her out and eventually recruit her.
Once you get beyond the disbelief of the idea of the rebellious, Bangles-obsessed Lorelai sleeping with an awkward 16-year-old Rodney, this story works. Rory fits into the Stargate world like she was there from the beginning, turning her brilliant and unstoppable curiosity, powerful intellect and thirst for knowledge on the science of the Stargates and ZPMs. She forms an intense friendship with Vala that is a highlight, bonds with fellow geek Daniel, crushes hard on the gorgeous and charming Cameron Mitchell (with whom she has astonishingly fabulous chemistry, I hope the author isn't just teasing us), and blowing away Dr. Lee and the other SGC personnel with how quickly she picks up everything they throw at her (actually she surpasses them even before she arrives at the SGC). The story is not complete but Rory has finally reached Atlantis and met her father, who took the news with his usual grace. Of course, John Sheppard plays a part in the story from the very beginning and when Rodney finds out about his involvement, he is less than pleased. John's thrown too by his reaction to Rory and the knowledge of how much angrier Rodney will be with him if he ever figures out that John might look at her in less than an uncle-ish way. The characterizations are wonderful and everyone gets time to shine in often hilarious but angsty at the same time ways, a specialty of this author. Teyla, Lorne, Woolsey and a vivid cast of original characters keep things hopping as do the usual Pegasus shenanigans. This series also features some fabulous Marine OCs, particularly the memorable Staff Sergeant Carlos Herrerra, who becomes a close friend to Rory. I can't wait for the next installment and I must warn you that once you start this story, you'll be addicted too!
Rec-request theme: Marines and zoomies
Story title: Night Watch
Story link: http://a-pilgrim-soul.livejournal.com/2871.html
Author: Pilgrim Soul
Author's website/journal: http://a-pilgrim-soul.livejournal.com/
WIP/death!fic/other warnings: None.
Why This Must Be Read: I love stories about the military members of the Atlantis expedition. This is a lovely little piece from the first-person-perspective of a newbie Marine on night watch on a lonely pier of Atlantis. A conversation with a melancholy Sheppard, also out in the dark watching the water, reveals as much about the isolated colonel as it does the lieutenant.
Rec-request theme: Marines and zoomies
Story title: Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda
Story link: http://community.livejournal.com/sga_flashfic/824414.html
Author: liketheruverrun
Author's website/journal: http://liketheriverrun.livejournal.com/ or http://www.fanfiction.net/u/755674/
WIP/death!fic/other warnings: None.
Why This Must Be Read: Sheppard's team are rescued off-world by teams led by Lorne and Major Slater. During their egress, an already injured Sheppard and Slater end up separated from the others and in deep water under a broken floor. Slater must keep his CO alive and get them out of there.
This is a marvelous Sheppard whumper and the author has created a wonderful character in the good-humored and pragmatic Slater. The vividness of his personality and his affection and respect for his teammates, Atlantis and his much-injured CO elevate this story above the standard Sheppard-gets-hurt-and-rescued fic. The wonderful picture drawn of Slater's team and their various misadventures shows that there's more than one Atlantis team who are like family to each other and that we'd enjoy spending more time with. Maybe the author will give us a sequel with more of Slater and his team?
Rec-request theme: Marines and zoomies
Story title: Only The Journey Matters
Story link: http://www.wraithbait.com/viewstory.php?sid=14549
Author: ga-unicorn
Author's website/journal: http://ga-unicorn.livejournal.com/
WIP/death!fic/other warnings: None.
Why This Must Be Read: I adore stories about Sheppard flying, the members of the military on Atlantis or Sheppard from the viewpoint of his soldiers; this little gem has all three.
Sergeant Mike Prosser, a Marine with the ATA gene who is a new arrival on Atlantis, has been dreading his mandatory puddlejumper flying lesson. Only officers are pilots and the expedition's break from military convention is one more unfamiliar and just plain wrong thing he must adjust to, just like the annoying humming of the city in his head. When he arrives for his lesson, he is further thrown off balance by learning that he'll be receiving his lesson from his colonel, a Zoomie who commands Marines, another unfathomable part of his new life. Since this is Pegasus and Sheppard has possibly the worst luck in any universe, things of course go very wrong on their routine flight training with much whumping, some great flying action and a battle with giant lizards.
The character of Prosser is fully fleshed out and he rings true as a Marine. It's obvious that the author has done their homework. I really enjoyed reading the sergeant's point-of-view as he shifts from unhappiness and nervousness at the strangeness of his new post and commander to deep admiration and loyalty after their shared experiences and watching Sheppard in action as a pilot, leader and soldier. If you like this story, I would also recommend miss_porcupine's Route 66 (http://www.offpanel.net/dmz/sga/route66.html) in which a season one Sheppard teaches Stackhouse to fly a puddlejumper, albeit with much less crashing and reptiles.
Rec-request theme: Marines and zoomies
Story title: Of Colonels And Cattle
Story link: http://community.livejournal.com/sga_santa/180914.html
Author: Tielan
Author's website/journal: http://tielan.livejournal.com/ or http://www.thedragonborn.net/
WIP/death!fic/other warnings: None.
Why This Must Be Read: Whenever I drive past yet another feedlot on a seemingly endless drive for work through California's agricultural heartland to various isolated state facilities, I remember this story and chuckle again to myself. It's a short and sweet sketch of female friendship, competence and camaraderie. Teyla and Sheppard appear on the periphery but I love how tielan allows some little seen and OC female members of the Atlantis military to shine, including the posthumously controversial Captain Vega and Amelia Banks. The reader shares their pleasure in a sunny Pegasus day and an enjoyable mission as they joke and attempt to aid Teyla negotiate access for Atlantis to some Ancient devices for something other than the very embarrassed Sheppard's stud services.
Rec-request theme: Marines and zoomies
Story title: Barbershop
Story link: http://kristen999.livejournal.com/116841.html
Author: Kristen999
Author's website/journal: http://kristen999.livejournal.com/ or http://www.fanfiction.net/u/74013/Kristen999
WIP/death!fic/other warnings: None.
Why This Must Be Read: While I'd read any story focused on Sheppard and his hair, this almost drabble is a standout. Kristen999 excels at writing Sheppard and gen. Barbershop showcases her ability to make mundane life and the military routine on Atlantis (my not-so-secret vice) fascinating, funny and surprisingly angsty. With just a few words, the author fully fleshes out Malcolm, the Marine cook and sometime barber, a great original character, and exposes several insights about Sheppard in the process. Everything she writes is well worth reading; follow this with the very funny and charming Fluff and Fold, (http://kristen999.livejournal.com/116673.html) in which Sheppard does laundry. Yes, laundry.
Rec-request theme: Marines and zoomies
Story title: Operation: Keep Your C.O. Oblivious
Story link: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/3365281/1/
Author: Diamond-Raven
Author's website/journal: http://www.fanfiction.net/u/150394/Diamond-Raven
WIP/death!fic/other warnings: None.
Why This Must Be Read: Everyone on Atlantis from Elizabeth down to the lowest ranked (OC) Marine is conspiring to keep a secret from John. Their attempts at subterfuge and excitement at being in on the scheme are a hoot. While the reader is in on what's going on long before John, there's a lovely building sense of anticipation and the emotional payoff of the big reveal is very sweet. I teared up a little at how the author shows how much the denizens of Atlantis all love, respect and know John Sheppard, more even than he realizes. And the surprise itself made me squeal for him....
Rec-request theme: Marines and zoomies
Story title: Light Up, Light Up
Story link: http://community.livejournal.com/sga_genficathon/8488.html
Author: briar-pipe
Author's website/journal: http://briar-pipe.livejournal.com/ or http://briar-pipe.insanejournal.com/
WIP/death!fic/other warnings: None.
Why This Must Be Read: Light Up, Light Up cleverly expands of the meaning of the word "team" into every member of the city and shows just how vital every person is to the well-being of the whole. It's well established that I'll read anything with mundane life on Atlantis but this story feels a bit like the author had a checklist of all my likes and loves. briarpipe even satisfies my secret yen for the Atlantis kitchen staff! The author pulls together the many disparate vignettes of what's happening in the lives of both minor and major characters into such a touching portrait of the Atlantis community that the slowly building and quite suspenseful mystery snuck up on me.
I highly recommend this story, which is full of laugh-out loud funny lines (the Zelenka-McKay slap fight is a must-read) and sentences that make me ache with their beauty. The list left on the wall in Bravo Company's barracks caused me to chuckle and cry at the very same time. Teyla's scenes are heartbreaking. Each character is fully fleshed out, allowing me sneak peeks into their back stories. Many favorites appear such as the Athosians, Zelenka, Miko, Marie Ko, the Marines, even the city of Atlantis. I love John interacting with the various members of the military and using the chair. I especially adore the author's Lorne voice; it's as wistful, snarky, sensitive and insightful as I always imagine.
Rec-request theme: Marines and zoomies
Story title: Eurydice Turns Left
Story link: http://vee-fic.livejournal.com/3497.html or http://www.wraithbait.com/viewstory.php?sid=7189&i=1l
Author: Vehemently
Author's website/journal: http://vee-fic.livejournal.com/
WIP/death!fic/other warnings: None.
Why This Must Be Read: There's great gen action and whump in the suspenseful Eurydice Turns Left. The team and some of John's marines visits a planet of strange stone mazes and is attacked. Everyone but Ronon is captured by the natives and buried alive in a cave. Can they dig themselves out and survive with no provisions or water and Ronon bring back a team to find them before they lose John, who grows more and more ill the longer he spends on the planet? Teyla caring for John is particularly affecting. She and his very loyal (OC) soldiers refuse to let him give up or force them to leave him behind for their own good. I also love Ronon's POV as he embarks on a frantic quest to get back to Atlantis and retrieve enough marines to help him get his team back.
Rec-request theme: Marines and zoomies
Story title: Physics of the Spin series
Story link: The author seems to update inconsistently on the various places the story can be found, so rather than miss a part, I check all three of these links regularly and suggest you do the same: http://mhalachaiswords.livejournal.com/tag/physics+of+the+spin or http://mhalachaiswords.com/writing/viewstory.php?sid=253 or http://www.tthfanfic.org/Story-15147/Mhalachai+Physics+of+the+Spin.htm
Author: mhalachaiswords
Author's website/journal: http://mhalachaiswords.livejournal.com/ or http://mhalachaiswords.com/writing/index.php?PHPSESSID=7798274c6063d5f4ba6eb257a8aed726
WIP/death!fic/other warnings: None other than major canon mucking with.
Why This Must Be Read: Ah, crossovers. I both pity and admire the authors that take on this task. I imagine that it's similarly difficult as being one of those people that come up with new ice cream flavors. Sometimes odd and creative combinations work beautifully and other times....well, the less said the better. One of my favorites crossovers is the improbably wonderful and straight-faced Gilmore Girls/Stargate Atlantis/SG-1 mash-up, Physics of the Spin by mhalachi. You needn't be terribly familiar with Gilmore Girls to be sucked in and enjoy it but if you are, your reading enjoyment will exponentially increase. I must admit that I approached it as a skeptic. When my sister, bristow1941, explained to me the premise, I literally said, "WTF, are you kidding me?!?!" I shouldn't have doubted her though. The appreciation of intellectual curiosity, learning for learning's sake, wit, the socially maladjusted and clash of personalities that were central themes on all three shows make this so tone-perfect and genius a combo that I can't help but wonder why no one came up with it sooner. Probably the same way people reacted after the first time they tried mint chocolate chip or cookie dough ice cream.
In this story, Rory Gilmore finds out that she is not in fact Christopher's daughter as she was always told, but actually the product of a one-night stand between Lorelai and a Canadian exchange student. Yes, Rodney McKay, the one person on Earth (okay, not currently) who possibly talks more and even faster than the Gilmores. Rory struggles to understand her identity now that her worldview has been rocked so completely. She tells no one, not even the unsuspecting Lorelai, what she has learned and turns inward. Rory quits her job, lives at home and teaches herself the math, physics and all the science she needs to understand her mysterious father's work. Eventually, she draws the attention of the NID with her computer searches and Jack O'Neill is sent to check her out and eventually recruit her.
Once you get beyond the disbelief of the idea of the rebellious, Bangles-obsessed Lorelai sleeping with an awkward 16-year-old Rodney, this story works. Rory fits into the Stargate world like she was there from the beginning, turning her brilliant and unstoppable curiosity, powerful intellect and thirst for knowledge on the science of the Stargates and ZPMs. She forms an intense friendship with Vala that is a highlight, bonds with fellow geek Daniel, crushes hard on the gorgeous and charming Cameron Mitchell (with whom she has astonishingly fabulous chemistry, I hope the author isn't just teasing us), and blowing away Dr. Lee and the other SGC personnel with how quickly she picks up everything they throw at her (actually she surpasses them even before she arrives at the SGC). The story is not complete but Rory has finally reached Atlantis and met her father, who took the news with his usual grace. Of course, John Sheppard plays a part in the story from the very beginning and when Rodney finds out about his involvement, he is less than pleased. John's thrown too by his reaction to Rory and the knowledge of how much angrier Rodney will be with him if he ever figures out that John might look at her in less than an uncle-ish way. The characterizations are wonderful and everyone gets time to shine in often hilarious but angsty at the same time ways, a specialty of this author. Teyla, Lorne, Woolsey and a vivid cast of original characters keep things hopping as do the usual Pegasus shenanigans. This series also features some fabulous Marine OCs, particularly the memorable Staff Sergeant Carlos Herrerra, who becomes a close friend to Rory. I can't wait for the next installment and I must warn you that once you start this story, you'll be addicted too!