Title: Rites of Passage
Author's LJ/DWJ: randomfreshink
Categories: team, lost episode, drama, hurt/comfort, character study
Warnings: none
Author's Webpage/Fic list: Random’s stories at AllDanielfic
Link to story: Rites of Passage, parts 1,  2, and 3

Why this should be read: Call this Season 1, Episode 2.5. Random treats us to a fantastic lost episode in which Jack, Daniel, Sam, and Teal'c become team, with four individuals coming together to fuse into that wonderful entity known as SG-1. The story includes a literal gauntlet, fascinating challenges, an actual solution to a major contradiction between show canon and movie canon, and excellent shifting POVs throughout. Teamy goodness like this is an absolute joy!

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Title: The Midas Syndrome
Author's LJ/DWJ: Unknown
Categories: Lost episode, team, Jack, season 1-2, drama
Warnings: Some very rotten food, plot-related nudity
Author's Webpage/Fic list: Website, AO3
Link to story: website, AO3
Why this should be read:
Set very early season 1, Jack's attempts at team bonding are interrupted when he comes down with an unfourtunate variation of the midas touch. Rheanna gives us a good Jack voice, a convincing portrayal of a newly formed SGC trying to deal with its very first alien contagion, and an SG-1 that's not quite a team yet. Jack's decision near the end is heartbreaking and very true to character, and in the end SG-1 comes together as a team for the first time.

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Title: now is the winter
Author's LJ/DWJ: vixys
Categories: Jonas, Lost Episode, Apocafic (sort of), season 9-10, hurt/comfort
Warnings: violence, torture, language
Author's Webpage/Fic list: Master fic list
Link to story: livejournal
Why this should be read:
Anyone who has ever wondered what happened to Jonas after Langara fell to the Ori, or who thought he should have gotten more than that one line should love this fic. Vixys gives us a beautifully narrated story that follows Jonas's exile (again) from his people, and his long, slow struggle against Ori domination. The author brings back the powers he gaine from Nirrti at the end of season 6, to very cool effect, and brings Langara itself to life far more than the show ever did. Even if you aren't really a fan of Jonas, give this fic a try. It might change your mind.

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Title: Every Art and Artifice
Author's LJ/DWJ: thestylus
Categories: Janet, Drama, Angst, Pre-Series
Warnings: Violence, medical gore, language
Author's Webpage/Fic list: NA
Link to story: Every Art and Artifice

Why this should be read: This is an amazingly good pre-series fic about Dr. Fraiser during the first Gulf War. Although Janet is perfectly in character, it would stand up on it's own as a story about military medical personnel working near (or in) combat situations.

While not a comfortable narrative, very intense and heartbreaking, it's a beautiful backstory for the Janet Fraiser we meet at the SGC.

---

I will strive always, to excel in every art and artifice of war. I know that I will be called upon to perform tasks in isolation, far from familiar faces and voices, with the help and guidance of my God. I will keep my mind and body clean, alert and strong, for this is my debt to those who depend upon me. I will not fail those with whom I serve. (from the US Army Special Forces Creed)

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Title: Bedside Manners (remix of Bedside Vigil)
Author's LJ/DWJ: minxy
Categories: Janet, Team, Drama
Warnings: none
Author's Webpage/Fic list: Fanfic Archive Post on _minxy_'s LJ
Link to story: Bedside Manners

Why this should be read: Because it made me remember how much I adore Janet Fraiser.

This fic take place during the early years of the SGC and Janet is busy doing what doctors do - while trying to keep her temper under control. (Thanks to one Colonel O'Neill.)

Minxy writes women who are clearly awesome on a daily basis and I think she gets Janet exactly right. It's also a great view of SG-1 being anxious for a sick teammate from an "outsider" POV.

Written for the Remix/Redux Ficathon, about 1700 words.

SG-3 could probably tell she was angry by the way her heels clicked curtly down the bare concrete floor and reverberated through the halls.

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Title: One Dimension Removed
Author's LJ/DWJ: tafkarfanfic
Categories: awesome women, Sha're, Sam, Janet, team, drama, angst, AU, ep related
Warnings: adult themes, violence, assault; includes references to Daniel/Sha're
Author's Webpage/Fic list: tafkar's writing
Link to story: One Dimension Removed

Why this should be read: This fabulous AU retells the story of S1 with one major twist: Amaunet came through the Gate looking for a new host for Apophis, and took Daniel. Sha're joins SG-1 in a quest to get her husband back.

This is SO GOOD. Fantastic friendship for Sha're with Sam and Janet. The story twists and turns to reflect her cultural upbringing, her connections with her teammates, and the differences she brings to SG-1. You will love every bit of this, and one certain chapter will break your heart. Settle back for a long and wonderful read!

(Note: Tafkar rated this as PG; the PG-13 rating is my own. And there is one R-rated chapter that I did not read, because Tafkar generously added a PG-rated version for those who prefer it.)

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Title: The Knife's Edge of Madness
Author's LJ/DWJ: none known
Categories: au, drama, episode related, awesome women, repercussions, super sam
Warnings: None
Author's Webpage/Fic list: Strix_varia25
Link to story: The Knife's Edge of Madness
Why this should be read:

In Desperate Measures, what if the team hadn't found where Sam was being kept?  That's the premise of this well-written AU.  Instead, Sam escapes on her own ... but with a traumatic brain injury that leaves her disabled and with only fleeting memories of who she is and where she comes from, and what she does for a living.  This is a Sam stripped of everything she takes for granted: her status in the Air Force, her team, her body, even her mind.  This is a Sam struggling with the frustration of trying to relearn the basics of every-day life.  This is a Sam trying to reconcile memories of impossibilities--wormholes, aliens, starships--in a world that doesn't know about the Stargate Program.  Yet through it all, she remains the Sam we know and love.

 

( The physical therapists descended like locusts )

 

The Knife's Edge of Madness

Title: Determination
Author's LJ/DWJ: Otter's Rock
Categories: character: Sha're, alternate universe, awesome women, drama
Warnings: None
Author's Webpage/Fic list: On LJ
Link to story: Determination and Determination: Practicality
Why this should be read:

These are the fics that first made me love Sha're. In a world where Daniel was taken by Apophis and Sha're joined the SGC to look for him, beatrice otter follows Sha're as she fights for a place on SG-1 and responds to Teal'c's guilt over what happened to Daniel. Beatrice does a wonderful job of giving life to a character we only see glimpses of in canon.

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Title: Look to the Heavens and Number the Stars
Author's LJ/DWJ: minervacat
Categories: awesome women, original character, Daniel, Jonas, team, episode related, Janet, character study, angst
Warnings: spoilers through S9, including canon character deaths
Author's Webpage/Fic list: when the floods roll back
Link to story: Look to the Heavens and Number the Stars, parts one and two, and The Silent Language of the Star (a companion fic)

Why This Must Be Read: Minervacat introduces us to a superbly-realized original character, Claire, who is recruited to the SGC by Jack at Daniel’s behest. Claire slowly takes over the staggeringly difficult task of cataloging the artifacts that accumulate over the years. With time, she befriends the characters we know and love - especially Janet, her main source of gossip, and Daniel, who never returns her books. Yet Minervacat cleverly evades the Mary-Sue trap for Claire; this original character remains quietly on the sidelines, interacting only enough to be a part of the story without interfering in the events as we know them, or knowing more than she should.

Covering some seven years of SG-1 history - including a fascinating side-trip into the AU of Moebius - these two fics are elegantly written, with just the right touches of humor and distress to make Claire amazingly real.

A librarian at the SGC, with all that entails. Both these stories are too wonderful to be missed!

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Title: Tarantella
Author's LJ/DWJ: gooligan
Categories:  team, suspense, era: season 3-5, character: original
Warnings: language, creepiness, violence
Author's Webpage/Fic list: fanfiction.net
Link to story: fanfiction.net
Why this should be read:

During a scientific mission gone wrong, SG-1 plus Daniel find out that the uninhabited planet they're studying isn't quite as empty as they first thought. Now, chased by something through the ruins of a jungle city, Daniel and the sole surviving member of SG-10 must make it back to the gate alive. Meanwhile, rescue is having problems of its own and radio contact is sketchy at best.

Everyone's characterization here is just perfect, including the original characters. Daniel is true to form, trying to unravel the mystery and understand their pursuers even when he's just as terrified as everyone else. The rest of SG-1 shine as well, as they balance concern for their teammate with the duties of a rescue team. The emotions are very well written; you can feel the desperation as they try to keep calm and try to stay alive in a situation that is way over their heads. And the pace doesn't let up until the story is over, keeping you on the edge of your seat until the very last chapter. A note, though: if you find the premise of the series Alien too freaky to watch, you might want to tread carefully.

Thsi may or may not fall under the stranded off-world category. There's nothing actually wrong with the Stargate and the SGC even sends help, but the characters are several days away and there's a horde of creatures between them and it.

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Title: Challenging Fate
Author's LJ/DWJ: n/a
Categories: Kidfic, Drama
Warnings: language, violence
Author's Webpage/Fic list: Stories by Danielle
Link to story: Challenging Fate

Why this should be read: An old school - fun with all the tropes - kind of fic. It starts when John Sheppard from an alternate universe shows up at area 51 seeking refuge for a Daniel Jackson who was kidnapped from his reality's past. This fic has quantum mirrors, time travel, the Fates from Greek mythology, Lya of the Nox, life sucking monsters - and they never even leave the SGC. About 17,520 words.

You can't outrun fate, but sometimes you can outwit it.

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Title: Fostering Relations
Author's LJ/DWJ: aelfgyfu_mead   aelfgyfu_mead
Categories: Kidfic, Team, Drama, Hurt/Comfort
Warnings: mild language, violence
Author's Webpage/Fic list: Aelfgyfu's Mead Hall
Link to story: Fostering Relations

Why this should be read: Kidfic with a little twist. While I really enjoy many of the standard tropes, it's also fun to read a fic that deconstructs some of them. Plus, this is a satisfying off world story with an emphasis on character relationships, including Janet and Bill Lee. The fic is set in season 7, between "Death Knell" and "Heroes" and deals with some of the repercussions from "Evolution". About 52,000 words.

A desert planet, a Fountain of Youth device, and SG-1; what could possibly go wrong?

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Title: Daniel of Abydos series
Author's DWJ: nightspear
Categories: Daniel, team, friendship, drama, novel, AU, kidfic
Warnings: various minor character deaths (and survivals)
Author's Webpage/Fic list: List of Stories
Link to stories: begins with Translations, available as entries on LJ or as single page file; links to subsequent novels at link

Why this should be read: One of my absolute favorite AUs, and definitely my favorite kidfic!

My personal problem with downsizing characters is that they are almost inevitably infantilized. Nightspear deftly avoids this problem because her Daniel is starting out younger in the first place -- it was Melbourne and Claire who deciphered the Gate back in '82, and Daniel was actually born on Abydos. Yet despite his youth and his alienness (he's just as unfamiliar with Earth as Teal'c!), he is unquestionably the Daniel we know and love.

This long, intricate series covers seven seasons of fabulous twists and turns through canon. Some people die who survived in canon; others survive who died. Gaping plot holes are closed, repercussions are realistically faced, and the friendships (Daniel and Teal'c! Daniel and Jack! Daniel and Sam!) will absolutely blow you away.

I adore this series beyond reason. So give yourself several hours of reading time, kick back, and enjoy!

( excerpting seven seasons' worth of fic with a few paragraphs? can't be done, but here's a fun snippet anyway )

Title: Walkabout
Categories: apocafic, stranded, Jack, character study
Warnings: none
Author on LJ/DW: cofax7
Author's Website: alchemy, mouldiwarps, and coprophagy/Cofax at AO3
Link: Walkabout on LJ/Walkabout at AO3 and mini-sequel

Why This Must Be Read: This is fabulously Jack, pared down to absolute essentials as he escapes Earth in the wake of Ori domination and Goa'uld occupation. Always moving, always searching, wary and skilled... and thinking that maybe, on the next planet, he can find a reason to hope.


Ingara follows PMW-957, and Walloon follows Ingara. It's like fishing, Jack decides as he hunches over a damp and fizzling fire a couple of klicks up the valley from the Stargate on Walloon. You can't really tell whether the fish is there, you can only cast the line out there and hope to get a strike. A good fisherman can tell where fish are likely to be, but you can't know for sure.

Story: Solidarity
Categories: stranded, episode related, Sam, character study
Warnings: none
Author on DW: dira
Author's Website: Words Words Words
Link: Solidarity

Why This Must Be Read: Okay, so Sam only thought she was stranded off-world in this one. But the struggle of dealing with being stranded fits perfectly, even if it's actually on the same planet.

This marvelous character study of Sam at the nadir point of Solitudes is full of despair and courage and sheer stubbornness, as Someone -- or Something -- will not let her give up.

Bleak, beautiful, breathless. Go read!


You're not dead yet. Wake up and get to work.

"Yes ma'am," Sam whispered. She staggered up to her feet, saluted with her burned fingers and then swiped the half-frozen pain-tears from her eyes and headed back over to the DHD.