sholio | Another of my infrequent SGA slash recs

beadtific

As regular readers of my journal are no doubt aware, I'm mainly a gen reader -- actually, I almost never used to read slash at all before getting into this particular fandom, and I still, by and large, prefer gen. Which means that it's a very rare slash story that really grabs my attention. And for NC-17 slash, my usual thing is just to enjoy the emotional stuff and skip the sex scene. Explicit sex = not at all my cup of tea.

But this ... this just pushed ALL my buttons. It's got a neat "hook" for the story plus oodles of team-love, emotional comfort, h/c, prickliness, bickering, tenderness, caring, affection ... John and Rodney acting like two blushing, smitten teenagers, while still being fundamentally *them*, and without marginalizing the other characters or the team dynamic ... and, perhaps rarest of all, a sex scene that didn't squick me. Not to make myself sound like a gigantic prude (though perhaps I am), but I do have a lot of sexual squicks, which is why I very rarely read (or view) porn. But this was sweet and hot and loving without once making me wince.

It's been a week or two since I read this story, and I still get a warm-fuzzy high every time I think of it. I want to huggle it and carry it around with me like a teddy bear. Right now this is quite possibly my favorite SGA slash story *ever*. Highly recommended.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

With that kind of rec, I have to go read it! Slash fics can be really good, a lot of times I find an emotional twist in one that would work well in a genfic. Not sure if a lot of writers are worried about sticking that twist in a genfic for fear that it would upset those against slash, so they slash the story to be safe...but yeah, lots of times there is a greater emotional impact in a friend sort of way. Go figure.

Good god, did that make any sense at all?

Kam :/

No, you make perfect sense. Usually I find that I get the most enjoyment out of slash in which the story really has to *be* slash to work. (I was going to say "I only enjoy them when..." but I can think of a couple of exceptions. But not many.) I've read quite a few slash stories which I think I would have preferred as gen stories, where either the slash was completely gratuitous or, like you said, there were plot elements that I would have preferred to see in a gen story. Because some things *do* work better as gen, just as some plots can only be done as slash.

I've had some conversations with

xparrot about this, as she's another person like me who reads some slash but generally prefers gen. One of our theories is that slash is often the "easy" way to emotional gratification in a scene, and I think that's especially true of SGA, where the characters are so emotionally buttoned down. Gen requires the writer to walk a much finer line to have the scene be emotional without tipping it over into "overtly sexual". It requires the writer to work harder and the emotional bits hit harder because they're fewer and farther between, if that makes any sense at all. At least, that's what I get out of it. And generally I prefer the more restrained tone that's more in keeping with the tone of the series. However, I think that might be one reason why I seek out slash in SGA -- because there are times when I crave more, well, snuggling than you're going to get from gen, at least not without veering into wildly OOC territory.

There are certain scenes I've written into my stories that I really wanted in there, but had to bend over backwards to keep them in character and non-sexual -- the John/Rodney hypothermia scene in "The Killing Frost" is probably the best example of that sort of thing. But I wouldn't have *wanted* to do that scene as slash, because it's too obvious, you know what I mean? It's a cliche. Whereas, in a purely gen fic, it's funny and awkward and not really what you're expecting.

I read this when it first came out and really enjoyed it. As one who avoids slash pretty much most of the time, the tenderness of this one was special.

It's just such a stunningly sweet story. And I think one of the things that really appealed to me about it is that they kept the team-group-friend dynamic, which is one of the problems that I have with a lot of slash for this show -- the OTP aspect of it tends to trump everything else. But this particular story is so full of, well, *love*, all kinds of love.

You know how sometimes you google your own name or user name to see what comes up? Well, this lovely recommendation was buried a few pages back and I have to say, you totally made my weekend. Totally. Made. It. I am honored more than I can say.

I've had sex scene overload myself, and if a story doesn't call for some significant business to come out of the act itself, I tend to fade to black after it's clear where they are going. I've read long version stories that have so many sex scenes that I'm thinking, man, aren't they SORE? Or, geez, naked again? And just skip the sex to get to the next "good bits." There's something wrong with that formula, eh?

Not that you're recommending me for fame and profit or anything, but in token of having cheered me on a lousy afternoon, may I write a ficlet for you to your specificaitons? Please give me three things you want and three things you don't want, a pairing if desired and a rating.

Again, thank you very much! Oh, and also? The sex scene in TSBOT was my first slash sex scene ever. So, yay for it working and not being squicky.

Warmly,
Bead

*glow* I'm glad I gave you a bit of a lift! And your story was well and truly deserving of a rec. It still gives me warm-happies when I reread it.

What a lovely, generous offer! *bounces* I don't think I've ever had anyone offer to write fic for me before! I would LOVE it! I'm going to have to think for a minute here about what I would like. I'll be back shortly with a request.

I'm thinking, man, aren't they SORE? Or, geez, naked again?

*hee hee* There are definitely stories I've read that made me wonder if the author had ever actually *had* sex before, because the logistics of it are just ... not thought out very well!

Generally speaking, I'm all about the emotional stuff, and not so much interested in the sex scenes anyway. Which was why it surprised me that I liked the one in your story so much. I think it was the looking into each others' eyes at the moment of orgasm that really did it. I never realized that was a fetish for me, but ... apparently so.

Okay, off to think of my ficlet requests!

Okay, I'm back with my requests! Thank you SO much for offering! *bounces again*

Here are the three things I want in my ficlet:

- warm fuzzy feeling
- something that fits with in a general winter/coming-in-from-the-cold theme. (So, like ... hot cocoa around a fire, or snowball fights, or body heat & hypothermia, or ... you get the idea.)
- Rodney comfort

And what I don't want ... hm ...

- het pairings
- AU
- a sad ending

As far as pairings, it can be John/Rodney or gen. I'd actually be interested to see what you do with gen with the two of them, as I've been much more into the gen lately than the slash, but it certainly doesn't have to be, since I know I love your slash too.

Milder rating preferred (PG-13 or less).

I've no experience at requesting stories from others, so if you end up with something that doesn't fulfill all of the above, please don't feel as if you have to change it; I know that I like your writing, and I'm sure I would be happy with whatever you come up with.

Thank you again!

On it!

::rubs hands together gleefully:: This should be FUN!!

Hi! I saw this post while looking for this exact fic from another rec list. You don't by any chance have the story saved, do you? The author has deleted their journal, unfortunately.

Ah, I should have read the comments first. Found it, sorry to bother you!

Another of my infrequent SGA slash recs

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