Fic: Diplomacy in Waltz Tempo (Sheppard/McKay, Adult)

[wickedwords]

Title: Diplomacy in Waltz Tempo
Author: Rachael Sabotini/wickedwords
Other Info: Sheppard/McKay | Adult | 8300 words
Summary: "Get the men inside," Pentau ground out. "This is no place for them."
Notes: Beta by elynross, montanaharper and sherrold. Thank you all so much! This story was originally written for the Surfacing zine published by Duet Press.

Comments

[gryphonrhi]

Man, you are so good at finding kinks I wasn't aware I had... This is great. I love the fabric, and John's reactions (and I really love the bit about 'This is why we said we weren't doing this off Atlantis!' Hee!) and I really adored the whole gender-inversion of the veils from what we're used to. Lovely world-details, and people-details, and the whole festival riot is perfect too.

Sorry to be incoherent, but it comes down to 'Thank you, I loved this!'

[wickedwords]

Oh, man. Writing this story about killed me, and I still feel the ending is a bit rough. But you know how deadlines are, and there was so much that could have gone into this story that there simply wasn't time for. Overall, I liked it, though, and was so excited that other people thought it was hot. *g* Thanks!

[gryphonrhi]

Oh, God, yeah. I always end up with stuff that I wanted to fit into the story, but it just won't go. ::wry:: And endings just about kill me, so you have nothing but sympathy from me there. (And a comment that it didn't feel rough to me.) But yes, very hot, and did I mention I had no idea I had a kink for some of this? Thank you!!

[springwoof]

great worldbuilding! the atmosphere was a little scary in places, and I was afraid that worse things would end up happening than you actually had happen. I also liked the contrast of this world with Earth and similar Earth customs.

[wickedwords]

You know me, I have to have things starting right in the middle of things, with the world having a timeline and everything. I'm thrilled that you liked it, and that the possibilities scared you. That makes me really happy to know.

[labellementeuse]

This is just a fantastic dynamic that you've explored. I genuinely love your reversal of conservative gender dynamics and the way you don't flinch from putting women in as uncompromising a light as we might see men in similar stories. Plus, it was hot!

[wickedwords]

I love all the gender politics that we've been handed in SGA, once they started incorporating ATA-gene holders as 'royalty' within the worlds of the pegasus galaxy, and how that screwed up various cultures. I also got to thinking about what effect the wraith culling would have, and how a small genetic deviation--a planet where slightly more women are born than men--might warp a society over time. There is so much good stuff to farm, and very little chance that TPTB will play with it that I just had to delve in.

Plus, you know, HOT! *g* Thanks.

[tharaist]

Oh, very cool! I like the way you've turned things around, and it's the men who have to veiled and assume passive roles here. John's reactions were really intensive. Thanks for sharing!

[wickedwords]

I've wanted to write a 'gate to women's country'-type story where the women weren't always peaceful and serene, so this gave me a chance to play with that thought. Thanks!

[eleveninches]

This is really interesting. I like the world you've created here, and how John's freaking out turned out to be partially because he was turned on. Great story.

[wickedwords]

I love layers in a story, and I knew I wanted to do something with John's Afghanistan backstory, but I wanted it to be a little bit different. I also hadn't written a lot of kink in awhile, so I wanted something at least a little sexy; so I ended up with a kink story with a lot of world-building required. I so sweated getting it done! Thanks.