Diminishing Proximity, by Irony_Rocks (NC-17)
Rec Category: Sheppard/Weir
Pairing: Sheppard/Weir, Teyla/Michael, background slash pairings (Radek/Rodney, Jack/Daniel)
Categories: AU. het. Smut. Elizabeth Weir. John Sheppard. Marshall Sumner. Teyla Emmagan. Ronon Dex. Rodney McKay. Cameron Mitchell.
Warnings: smut. Character death.
Author on LJ: irony_rocks
Author's Website: N/A?
Link: Part One of ten.
Why This Must Be Read: Because it's the best fic I've ever read.
Prepare yourself for a rollercoaster ride. This novel-length fic is... wow, I'm not quite sure where to even begin. It's marvelously well-written, with a grand scope of players, though it's Elizabeth's POV. All the characters are represented and get to shine, and perhaps the best thing about it - despite it being vastly AU, they all have appropriate roles and are pitch-perfect in character. Each one of them is flawed and vulnerable, yet kick ass and strong. The premise of this AU is supernatural - kinda like a mix of Buffy and the Anita Blake vampire books, but then again, Irony_rocks sets up her own world with its own rules. I find all things supernatural very cool, but here, bringing the Atlantis characters into a supernatural setting just somehow works in a way that shouldn't. The entire world and social structure that Irony_rocks builds is amazingly deep and complex.
The characters are all well-written. Elizabeth is vulnerable as she tries to isolate herself from the rest, and oddly despite the setting the story hits a lot of S4 themes regarding her character. John is just... gorgeous and stubborn and hot-tempered. And just plain hot. Rodney is as loveable and awesome as always. Teyla kicks ass more than anybody else. Ronon has a major part to play in this fic instead of just playing second-fiddle to everybody like he usually does in fics.
Then there's other people you wouldn't expect to see: Marshall Sumner, breathed into life like we never really had a chance to see onscreen. Michael Kenmore, and we've even got some great parts played by Caldwell and Cameron Mitchell. I think one of the most entertaining parts of reading this fic was seeing how Irony_Rocks was going to cast the roles. She has a wonderful gift for creating plausible-yet-out-there AUs.
If you're a fan of AUs, read this fic. Action/Adventure. Romance (hot smut, omg. But this is Irony_Rocks, so that should surprise no one). Drama. Mystery. A rollercoaster ride that's worth every cliff-hanger and twist and turn.
Excerpt:
--
Ten minutes later, they were settled into a corner booth and being served by the same waitress that had tended to Elizabeth the previous day. She merely quirked an eyebrow when Ronon began his order that was easily enough to feed three men. Oddly, Elizabeth was reminded of Rodney’s insatiable appetite in that moment. The comparison brought a smile to her lips.
“What?” Ronon grunted.
Lifting her head, she drew a soft, amused breath. “Nothing, just… you eat a lot.”
Ronon apparently had the ability to convey disbelief with barely a flicker of emotion. “Don’t you? Thought that was one of the advantages to being a werewolf. Eat as much as you want and still be a stick-figure like you.”
Elizabeth shook her head. “It’s not all it’s cracked up to be.”
Ronon merely raised an eyebrow.
“I used to be a vegetarian,” she clarified on an exasperated breath.
Ronon grinned darkly, but there was genuine amusement written in his eyes. Oddly, though Elizabeth knew he was laughing at her more than anything, the response made her feel a small kernel of pride. She figured it was hard to produce such a response from him. When the food finally arrived, they ate in silence, though watching the performance of Ronon dig into his steak was an entertaining spectacle she’d thought a person would only get to see on the Animal Channel.
She clasped her hands together and braced her elbows against the hard tabletop. “You’re gonna have to talk to me about the vampires, Ronon. Tell me if you know anything about what Aiden Ford was doing to them.”
Ronon reached for his drink. “That’s not the question you should be asking.”
“What question should I be asking?”
“What was your boy doing to himself,” Ronon answered pointedly. “That’s the thing you gotta look at. He kidnapped some vampires, and yeah, pissed them off. Probably got killed for it, too. But why go through all that trouble? For what? Juicing on their blood?”
Elizabeth shrugged and sat back in her booth. “Our M.D. said the enzymes in the vampire blood had addictive qualities. After a while, Aiden probably had no choice to but to seek out more blood for his cravings.”
“But what got him juicing in the first place?” Ronon countered. “Why go through all that when you’re already a werewolf? You already got more power in you than you normally use.”
It may have been her imagination, but Elizabeth thought she picked up a touch of appreciation in his voice. “You say that like you like the idea of being a werewolf.”
Ronon spoke distractedly, still focused on his food. “From my position, I can appreciate its’ advantages.”
For a moment, Elizabeth stared at him with a quiet sense of anxiety coursing through her. “I don’t think you appreciate its setbacks,” she warned. “It’s best you don’t get any foolish notions about how easy it’d be. Being a werewolf is more than just being an animal three nights a month.”
“What?” Ronon ribbed, sparing her a glance. “You get cramps and bloating a week before?”
“You change,” Elizabeth answered as something loosened her tongue to speak bluntly. “Fundamentally, on a level that has nothing to do with your DNA, you change. You crave things. You need things. Logic doesn’t play a role in it, and you can lose control of yourself so easily.”
Pairing: Sheppard/Weir, Teyla/Michael, background slash pairings (Radek/Rodney, Jack/Daniel)
Categories: AU. het. Smut. Elizabeth Weir. John Sheppard. Marshall Sumner. Teyla Emmagan. Ronon Dex. Rodney McKay. Cameron Mitchell.
Warnings: smut. Character death.
Author on LJ: irony_rocks
Author's Website: N/A?
Link: Part One of ten.
Why This Must Be Read: Because it's the best fic I've ever read.
Prepare yourself for a rollercoaster ride. This novel-length fic is... wow, I'm not quite sure where to even begin. It's marvelously well-written, with a grand scope of players, though it's Elizabeth's POV. All the characters are represented and get to shine, and perhaps the best thing about it - despite it being vastly AU, they all have appropriate roles and are pitch-perfect in character. Each one of them is flawed and vulnerable, yet kick ass and strong. The premise of this AU is supernatural - kinda like a mix of Buffy and the Anita Blake vampire books, but then again, Irony_rocks sets up her own world with its own rules. I find all things supernatural very cool, but here, bringing the Atlantis characters into a supernatural setting just somehow works in a way that shouldn't. The entire world and social structure that Irony_rocks builds is amazingly deep and complex.
The characters are all well-written. Elizabeth is vulnerable as she tries to isolate herself from the rest, and oddly despite the setting the story hits a lot of S4 themes regarding her character. John is just... gorgeous and stubborn and hot-tempered. And just plain hot. Rodney is as loveable and awesome as always. Teyla kicks ass more than anybody else. Ronon has a major part to play in this fic instead of just playing second-fiddle to everybody like he usually does in fics.
Then there's other people you wouldn't expect to see: Marshall Sumner, breathed into life like we never really had a chance to see onscreen. Michael Kenmore, and we've even got some great parts played by Caldwell and Cameron Mitchell. I think one of the most entertaining parts of reading this fic was seeing how Irony_Rocks was going to cast the roles. She has a wonderful gift for creating plausible-yet-out-there AUs.
If you're a fan of AUs, read this fic. Action/Adventure. Romance (hot smut, omg. But this is Irony_Rocks, so that should surprise no one). Drama. Mystery. A rollercoaster ride that's worth every cliff-hanger and twist and turn.
Excerpt:
--
Ten minutes later, they were settled into a corner booth and being served by the same waitress that had tended to Elizabeth the previous day. She merely quirked an eyebrow when Ronon began his order that was easily enough to feed three men. Oddly, Elizabeth was reminded of Rodney’s insatiable appetite in that moment. The comparison brought a smile to her lips.
“What?” Ronon grunted.
Lifting her head, she drew a soft, amused breath. “Nothing, just… you eat a lot.”
Ronon apparently had the ability to convey disbelief with barely a flicker of emotion. “Don’t you? Thought that was one of the advantages to being a werewolf. Eat as much as you want and still be a stick-figure like you.”
Elizabeth shook her head. “It’s not all it’s cracked up to be.”
Ronon merely raised an eyebrow.
“I used to be a vegetarian,” she clarified on an exasperated breath.
Ronon grinned darkly, but there was genuine amusement written in his eyes. Oddly, though Elizabeth knew he was laughing at her more than anything, the response made her feel a small kernel of pride. She figured it was hard to produce such a response from him. When the food finally arrived, they ate in silence, though watching the performance of Ronon dig into his steak was an entertaining spectacle she’d thought a person would only get to see on the Animal Channel.
She clasped her hands together and braced her elbows against the hard tabletop. “You’re gonna have to talk to me about the vampires, Ronon. Tell me if you know anything about what Aiden Ford was doing to them.”
Ronon reached for his drink. “That’s not the question you should be asking.”
“What question should I be asking?”
“What was your boy doing to himself,” Ronon answered pointedly. “That’s the thing you gotta look at. He kidnapped some vampires, and yeah, pissed them off. Probably got killed for it, too. But why go through all that trouble? For what? Juicing on their blood?”
Elizabeth shrugged and sat back in her booth. “Our M.D. said the enzymes in the vampire blood had addictive qualities. After a while, Aiden probably had no choice to but to seek out more blood for his cravings.”
“But what got him juicing in the first place?” Ronon countered. “Why go through all that when you’re already a werewolf? You already got more power in you than you normally use.”
It may have been her imagination, but Elizabeth thought she picked up a touch of appreciation in his voice. “You say that like you like the idea of being a werewolf.”
Ronon spoke distractedly, still focused on his food. “From my position, I can appreciate its’ advantages.”
For a moment, Elizabeth stared at him with a quiet sense of anxiety coursing through her. “I don’t think you appreciate its setbacks,” she warned. “It’s best you don’t get any foolish notions about how easy it’d be. Being a werewolf is more than just being an animal three nights a month.”
“What?” Ronon ribbed, sparing her a glance. “You get cramps and bloating a week before?”
“You change,” Elizabeth answered as something loosened her tongue to speak bluntly. “Fundamentally, on a level that has nothing to do with your DNA, you change. You crave things. You need things. Logic doesn’t play a role in it, and you can lose control of yourself so easily.”