Title: Environmental Factors
Author's LJ/DWJ:  staranise 
Categories: edges of canon
Warnings: none
Link to story: Environmental Factors
Why this should be read: When the SGC rescues a goa'uld host, people like Helen Meyer oversee their recovery. Helen's one of the psychologists dedicated to studying goa'uld symbiosis and treating PTSD. After years of research, she finally gets to ask: what happens to the rescued hosts from other planets? She's not going to like the answer.

Very interesting and thoughtful look at both what the life of an SGC psychologist is like, and what the general fate of former hosts is.

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Title: Truth in Fiction
Author's LJ/DW: cleothemuse
Categories: value of Vala, female friendship, humor, character study
Warnings: none
Author's Website: www.cleothemuse.net
Link to story: Truth in Fiction

Why this should be read: Vala discovers trashy romance novels on a shopping spree with Sam, and the two women share some unexpectedly serious reflections. Great fun, sparkling characterization, and an excellent read!

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Title: Half-Crazy
Author's LJ/DWJ: teand
Categories: character: cameron mitchell, character: daniel jackson, character: samantha carter, character: teal'c, character: vala mal doran, era: season 9-10, team
Warnings: none
Author's Webpage/Fic list: "fic" tag @ LJ
Link to story: Half-Crazy
Why this should be read: Cam's in the hospital, and it's up to his team to make that as painless as possible. Vala eats his chocolates and teaches him about wheelchairs. Daniel brings all of Cam's favorite foods. Sam steals internet access from a General. And Teal'c ... is Teal'c, in all the best ways possible.

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Title: Vala Alphabet Soup
Author's LJ/DWJ: n/a
Categories: valuable Vala, ep related, character study, friendship, humor, angst, drama, pre-series, post-series
Warnings: none
Author's Webpage/Fic list: n/a
Link to story: Vala Alphabet Soup

Why this should be read: It might be cheating a little to rec the Soup as a whole, especially since I organize the Soups and have actually written one of the fics. :) But here's a chance to read twenty-six great Vala fics at once, by 25 different authors! These are funny and painful and insightful and fluffy and thoughtful in turns, and you'll enjoy every last one of them. Don't forget to follow the links to the authors' individual journals and leave them feedback!

Title: Fair Play
Author's LJ/DWJ: penknife
Categories: character: cameron mitchell, character: daniel jackson, character: samantha carter, character: teal'c, character: vala mal doran, era: season 9-10, friendship: teal'c and vala, humor, theme: awesome women, theme: teal'c friendship, theme: valuable vala
Warnings: none
Author's Webpage/Fic list: fic tag @ LJ
Link to story: Fair Play

Why this should be read: This is an excellent look at Vala's early time spent with SG-1, complete with not really fitting in, but even that pales in comparison to the sheer humor running rampant through this fic. Vala cheats. Teal'c lets her cheat. In fact, Teal'c encourages her to cheat and comes up with thieving plans of his own to cheer her up and invents the Tau'ri Right of Gel'a'tin. If anyone can bring out Teal'c's inner troublemaker, it's Vala.

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Title: B is for Betrayal
Author's LJ/DWJ: rachel500
Categories: apocafic, character: cameron mitchell, character: daniel jackson, character: jack o'neill, character: jonas quinn, character: samantha carter, character: teal'c, character: vala mal doran, era: season 9-10
Warnings: none
Author's Webpage/Fic list: Rachel500's SG-1 fic on AO3
Link to story: B is for Betrayal

Why this should be read: Plotty Jonas fic! Jonas comparing his new Langaran anti-Ori team to his old Tau'ri (and Jaffa) anti-Goa'uld team. Jonas being incredibly competent and unsure of his own competence. Plus a very nice appearance by Tomin.

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Title: The Cat Came Back (Again)
Author's LJ/DWJ: thothmes & bethinexile
Categories: character: daniel jackson, character: jack o'neill, character: samantha carter, character: teal'c, character: vala mal doran, character: cameron mitchell, crackfic, era: post-series, team
Warnings: nonpermanent character death
Author's Webpage/Fic list: fic tag @ thothmes & fic tag @ bethinexile
Link to story: The Cat Came Back (Again)

Why this should be read: Daniel Jackson. Is. A. Cat. A cat that can walk through coffee tables and pounce through lit candles. A cat who brings home mice that don't exactly exist. Those damn Ancients and their sense of ... is it humor or justice?

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Title: Of Belonging to Another
Author's LJ/DWJ: pellucid
Categories: female friendship, awesome women, Sam, Vala, Sarah Gardener, angst, character study
Warnings: none
Author's Webpage/Fic list: SG-1 fic tag
Link to story: Of Belonging to Another

Why this should be read: This is the kind of story we never get on the show: the aftermath of events, picking up the pieces of a shattered life. Here is Sam, Vala, and Sarah Gardener, in a meeting of the Ex-Hosts Club. Honest, painful, poignant, and well worth reading.

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Title: Zephyr
Author's LJ/DWJ/AO3: gabolange / gabolange / gabolange
Categories: character study, character: cam, character: daniel, character: jack, character: sam, character: teal'c, character: vala, era: futurefic, team, theme: super sam
Warnings: Secondary-character death
Author's Webpage/Fic list: nextnonsequitur
Link to story: Zephyr
Why this should be read: Set about ten years in the future, when Sam is the general in command of the SGC and the Stargate Program has just gone public, this lovely, pensive fic is a combination of turning-outward (Sam wrestling with the demands of presenting the Program to the world accurately and sympathetically via the unruly media) and turning-inward (the team, coming back together to mourn the passing of a longtime comrade, closing in tight on itself). Outstanding Sam characterization, plausible and poignant extrapolation, 2431 words.

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Title: Joint Mission to Aessuma (The One With the Shiny Rocks)
Author on LJ/DWJ: nomadicwriter
Categories: awesome women, Vala, Teyla, team, humor
Warnings: none
Author's Webpage/Fic list: Nomad at AO3
Link to story: Joint Mission to Aessuma (The One With the Shiny Rocks) / Podfic read by cantarina and lunchy_munchy

Why This Must Be Read: Vala and Teyla, both writing reports for the same mission. We need both Teyla's cool diplomatic wording and Vala's blunt and easy manner to get the real picture of what happened, but when you put it all together, you'll find it hard to stop laughing!

Teamy goodness, snark, and just the right amount of silliness to make this an absolute delight.

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Title: Comparing Scars
Author's LJ/DWJ: cofax7   cofax7
Categories: Sam, Vala, Friendship, Episode Related, Bechdel Passage
Warnings: None
Author's Webpage/Fic list: alchemy, mouldiwarps, and coprophagy
and a more complete list of works on AO3
Link to story: Comparing Scars

Why this should be read: This well-written and insightful ficlet has the first meeting between Sam and Vala that we didn't get to see in "Beachhead". With a wonderful Sam POV, it addresses, (among other things), the extremely rare and life changing experience that these 2 very different personalities have in common. There's an amazing amount going on under the surface, all packed into this tiny snippet.

Even if you've read it before, it's well worth rereading. (508 words)

A missing scene from "Beachhead" (season 8).

Sam had never before spoken to someone who'd been a Goa'uld host, and survived. Sarah had been too traumatized for questioning. And Kendra had died even before Jolinar happened. Jolinar, who hadn't asked, for all the Tok'ra spoke of only taking willing hosts.

Title: It's All Fun and Games Until...
Author's LJ/DWJ: randomfreshink, randomfreshink 
Categories: Vala, Sam, humour, awesome women
Warnings: None
Author's Webpage/Fic list: No current fic list
Link to story: LJ
Why this should be read:

This fic features Sam and Vala out on a shopping trip off-world, with a bit of a twist at the end. It's got good description and the awesome characterization that Random's known for, but I particularly love her portrayal of Vala. Her voice is spot-on, from her ability to spin any situation to her advantage to her gleeful mangling of Earth culture. This is the Vala who survived on her own in a galaxy out to get her; who was taken as a host and then abandoned and still kept fighting. All in all, and excellent read.

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Title: Point of Intersection
Author's LJ/DWJ: sixbeforelunch 6beforelunch
Categories: Women being awesome, secondary characters, tok'ra, recovery
Warnings:
Author's Webpage/Fic list: sixbeforelunch 
Link to story: Point of Intersection
Why this should be read:

"Of all the amoral former hosts I've spent time with, I wanted to kill you the least."

Anise/Freya got a really bad rap in fandom; there was more than a little misogyny in the "Tok'ra Barbie" label.  And okay, she was annoying, but just because Our Heroes didn't like her doesn't make her Evil.  This is the fic that fleshed her out and made her real to me, with all her flaws and all her strengths.  And this fic is about Vala, too, another character who sometimes gets a bum rap in fandom.  This fic is about their friendship, two very different women who learn to value one another.  This fic is about Vala, recovering from her time as Qe'tesh's host and the immediate aftermath.  I would never have imagined these two together, but I am so glad sixbeforelunch did, because this is an awesome story, about awesome women.

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Mods, can I get a tag for Anise/Freya?

Title: The To-do List
Author on LJ: rachel500
Categories: humor, team, Sam and Vala friendship, awesome women
Warnings: none
Author's Webpage/Fic List: Stargate Fanfic Index
Link: The To-do List

Why This Must Be Read: Teamy goodness, delicious snark, and Sam participating in an off-world motorcycle race with Ancient technology as the prize. The gang's all here, from Jack to Mitchell to Ba'al, as Sam and Vala hunt for their missing teammates and deal with blackmail, "Blue Barbie," and various death threats. Team glee and ladies for the win!


Siler cleared his throat. ‘What are we going to do, ma’am?’

Her blue eyes glittered with determination. ‘We’re going to find the rest of SG1, win the race despite…Blue Barbie, keep our prize and kill Ba’al.’ She thought for a moment. ‘Maybe not in that order.’

Title: Point of Intersection
Author's DWJ/AO3: sixbeforelunch   sixbeforelunch
Categories: Vala Mal Doran, Anise, Freya, Pre-Canon, Tok'ra, Friendship
Warnings: Off-screen character death, off-screen sexual assault and off-screen torture
Author's Webpage/Fic list: sixbeforelunch at Archive of Our Own
Link to story: Point of Intersection

Why this should be read:
In this story Vala is cared for by Anise and Freya immediately after being freed from Quetesh. It's a strange mix of personalities that I would never have thought to put together and the results are both sad and funny. And - an explanation is finally provided for Anise's unusual wardrobe choices.

"Of all the amoral former hosts I've spent time with, I wanted to kill you the least."

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