Slumber Far Below Blue Waters

[havocthecat]

Title: Slumber Far Below Blue Waters
Author: havocthecat
Fandom: Stargate: Atlantis, Stargate: SG-1/Lovecraft Mythos
Pairing: Evan Lorne/Vala Mal Doran, various other permutations
Rating: NC-17
Warnings: Character death.
Summary: As a former Old One herself, one who'd not been found lacking and is therefore in possession of a rather terrifying and complete

Comments

[hariboo]

VALA, QUEEN OF MY HEART. I fucking loved this and what you built from. Seeing darker!Vala is such a rare treat and you write her so well. The deep knowledge she has but doesn't let anyone see. Her constant awareness of her surroundings that she hides behind smiles and flirtation. Vala, I <3 you. What you let Vala play with in this was amazing it all turned out to be. I have to say though as amazing as I found this whole thing I had extra flail when you brought up Jolinar, Sam and more of Vala's plans.

[havocthecat]

I love dark!Vala, and I wish we got to see her more, because how do you spend uncounted years as a Goa'uld host and not end up dark and scarred from it? She's so incredibly self-aware and aware of everything around her, because I feel like she has had to be. Her survival - even Qetesh's, when she was a Goa'uld - depended on a high level of vigilance. (Constant vigilance! Sorry, had a Potterverse moment there.)

OMG, I am so glad you liked this, because you're definitely one of the litmus test people for Vala fic on my friendslist. :)

I have to say though as amazing as I found this whole thing I had extra flail when you brought up Jolinar, Sam and more of Vala's plans.

OH MY GOD, I KNOW. She blindsided me on this, and I honestly didn't see it coming until I was in the middle of typing that part out. Remember that post I made a while back about how Vala surprised me by plotting behind my back? And I said she was fictional, and celli said it didn't matter, because she's Vala? (Which, good point.) This is the fic

[hariboo]

Me too! Dark!Vala is so interesting to explore, because there's so much there. So many years of being Qetesh that the show just leaves to our imaginations. She survived by herself on pure skill and instinct for years before, during, and after Qetesh. In a way I love how the show tapers that fact down by letting her play her act, but at the same time it a shame that they didn't explore it more.

Oh! And I meant to mention this before: hinting at Vala having a past as an Ancient or Old One is pure brilliance.

[havocthecat]

The thing about Vala's darker aspects is that they're all underneath the surface. If you just look at the surface, she's shallow, but that's protective coloration. If you look at the shallow bits, then you underestimate her, and you don't really get to know her.

I think Claudia is, frankly, entirely fucking brilliant to take the writing they did for her (which was 97 or 98% the shallow parts) and give Vala all the depth and breadth of her experience.

Hehe. Technically, the Goa'uld are Elder Gods masquerading as Old Ones, but where's the fun in being truthful about it? (Er, my Inner Vala came out to play there.)

[ultranos_fic]

*flails madly*

Oh. My. God.

You know what one of my favorite things about this AU is? I'm cheering for the Wraith. Because, yes, the Alterans are homicidal and bugfuck nuts and creepy. And this is all so very, very Lovecraft, with the lurking horror out of the corner of your eye, and the strange things beyond human comprehension out in the stars.

I love this Vala so very, very much. And I wanted to punch Daniel, but it makes sense with his denial and coming back wrong, and his canonical love of the Ancients.

But the very end, well, I might have made an incoherent noise of glee.

[havocthecat]

I know! How is it that the Wraith have turned into the good guys? Or at least, if not the good guys, the guys who are better than these other guys here? God, I love this universe.

Yay! I got the Lovecraft vibe down (without the skeevy gender/racial/religious issues) and hopefully now it's a very, very clear in this AU why the ancient Egyptians buried the Stargate.

This Vala is one of my favorites. She's so resilient, bending just far enough not to break! And, um, Daniel. Yeah, this isn't the kind of universe where you can Ascend (with tentacles, no less!) and come back in any way, shape, or form that's entirely right. He's broken too, just no one wants to admit it, I think.

Poor everyone. They all end up either insane or inhuman, except for poor General Hammond, whom I could not actually bring myself to be evil to. (It's a Lovecraft AU. Death? Actually a kindness.)

But the very end, well, I might have made an incoherent noise of glee.

That's because Jolinar and Qetesh are going to take over the planet. Isn't it

[enochiansigils]

There's incoherent squeeing going on over here, because I adore Lovecraft and you just did this all so well and THERE ARE NO WORDS.

Plus you win bonus points in my heart for Michael showing up. I have more love for him than is healthy. Far more.

[havocthecat]

Thank you so much! Oh, Lovecraft. So much fun to rework.

Michael is...oddly intriguing. And I find him compelling in his first couple of appearances.

[enochiansigils]

Know what's hilarious? Even Connor Trinneer was tired of Michael by the time the arc was over.

[havocthecat]

*splorfle* Oh, that is hilarious. Poor Michael. He started out as a fascinating villain, and then he kind of devolved into your typical mad scientist.

[havocthecat]

Thank you! :)

[anna_sg1]

This is just pure WIN! Your Vala is SPOT ON and Lorne and her are very awsome together. :)

The creepiness of the Alterans is amazingly written and I love it. :)

[havocthecat]

This story was going to be Vala/Daniel, but apparently Vala decided that Lorne was going to serve her purposes better. The problem with Vala is that she takes a story and runs away with it, and you don't know where it's going until the end (and maybe not even then).

The creepiness of the Alterans is amazingly written and I love it. :)

That was SO MUCH FUN to write. So much.