Title: Magnificent Desolation
Author's LJ/DWJ: abyssinia / grav_ity
Categories: other media, Sam, Jack, Jack and Sam friendship, pre-series, character study
Warnings: none
Author's Webpage/Fic list: : Masterlist of Fanfiction / Gravity Not Included
Link to story: Magnificent Desolation

Why this should be read heard: Abyssis lovingly, eloquently traces the history of space travel on Earth, and how it has intertwined with Sam and Jack's lives. She deftly weaves past events with show canon, showing us the unique bond that they share, with their love of flight and the stars that shine above them. And Grav_ity takes this gorgeous character piece and reads it with all the quiet and powerful intensity that it fully deserves.

One of my all-time favorite Stargate fics, podficced brilliantly. This is just under half an hour of SG-1 at its best.

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: Next Steps
Author's LJ/DWJ: paian
Categories: Five Things, Cassandra Fraiser, AU
Warnings: None
Author's Webpage/Fic list: Stargate Fic Index
Link to story: Next Steps

Why this should be read: Paian creates 5 different wonderful, horrible, sad, scary, amazing futures for Cassie and I believed every one of them. (2856 words)

Five ways Cassandra Fraiser left Colorado Springs, and what happened then.

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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: 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: Please Hang Up And Try Again (five phone calls Daniel Jackson never got)
Author's LJ/DWJ: abyssinia4077 / abyssinia
Categories: Angst, AU, Five Things, Drama, Team, Daniel Jackson
Warnings: language, off-screen violence
Author's Webpage: Masterlist of fanfiction
Link to story: Please Hang Up And Try Again

Why this should be read: This wonderful fic is a collection of brilliant and heart breaking au snippets, interspersed with voice mails left for Daniel while he was ascended. I'm not usually a fan of angst - no matter how brilliant it is, I usually can't bear to reread. (Because I'm a wimp.) Maybe it's the au elements that make this one different, but I have had no problem reading it many times.

Daniel got a lot of phone calls over the years. Here's five he didn't.

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Title: Teal'c's Five Favorite Board Games
Author's LJ/DWJ:paian
Categories: Teal'c, humor, character study, team, friendship
Warnings: none
Author's Webpage: Fic Index or at AO3
Link to story: Teal'c's Five Favorite Board Games

Why this should be read: This may be my favorite Teal'c fic. It is beautifully written, funny and moving. I actually choked up at the ending the first time I read it. Starting with "Checkers" and ending with "Chutes and Ladders" each game gets longer, more involved and more interesting.

Plus it has wonderful illustrations! And links to some of the games mentioned! (I'm a geek about background stuff.) Really an amazing fic in only 2800 words.

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ETA: I hit enter by mistake before I finished most of it, sorry about that.

Title: Wherever She Prospers
Author's LJ/DWJ: mrspollifax
Categories: Cassie, 5 Things, Character Study
Warnings: None
Author's Webpage/Fic list: Fic Masterlist on LJ
Link to story: Wherever She Prospers
Why this should be read: Because it's an insightful glimpse into a character we don't get to see much of on the show, and into the issues that surround coming from another planet.

Title:The Friday Night Colonel's Club
Author's LJ/DWJ: ziparumpazoo
Warnings: none
Author's Webpage/Fic list: Archive Of Our Own--upload still in progress
Link to story: The Friday Night Colonel's Club
Why this should be read:

Because Jack is spot-on. Because it's nice to see the other people at the SGC, people who aren't SG-1, but are there and doing their jobs day in and day out. Because watching Jack relax with his peers is fun and interesting. This is not a flashy story, it's a quiet fic that fills in background details in such a way that makes it seem flawlessly blended into the show.

Title: Five Things Jack O'Neill Left Behind
Author's LJ/DWJ: reccea
Categories: angst, character study, character: jack o'neill, era: multiple seasons, era: seasons 9-10, team, theme: joy of Jack,
Warnings: sexual themes, references to both het and slash (though none in the story)
Author's Webpage/Fic list: none known
Link to story: Five Things Jack O'Neill Left Behind
Why this should be read: Because it's a look at Jack through Jack's own eyes, marvelously in character, heart-breaking at times and yet always truly spot-on. This is a Jack who is realistic (and somewhat pessimistic) about life in general, and yet realizes just how special his team is and all the possibility there.

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Title: The Bullet Struck Hard, But I Do Not Bleed
Author's LJ/DWJ: abyssinia4077/abyssinia
Categories: Daniel&eal'c friendship
Warnings: none other than canon events
Author's Webpage/Fic list: fanfic index
Link to story: The Bullet Struck Hard, But I Do Not Bleed
Why this should be read: Um, because Daniel&Teal'c friendship is awesome? Did I mention how I suck at these questions? It's not that long, so anyone in search of Daniel&Teal'c with a good bit of Team thrown in should go and read :)

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Title: Scenes From a Blending
Author's LJ: astrogirl2
Categories: episode related, Jacob, Selmac, character study
Warnings: none
Author's Webpage: http://maximumverbosit.blogspot.com
Link to story: Scenes From a Blending

Why This Must Be Read: Astrogirl offers a lovely, insightful retrospective into Jacob's mind as he and Selmac blend into something that is gloriously more than the sum of their parts.

Jacob's mental voice is delightful, as he slowly grows to learn, to understand, to joke and even to argue with the Tok'ra that is living in his head. There is his fear of the unknown and his courage to face it, and the wry humor of Selmac as they get to know each other better. There's thoughtful consideration of their joint changes in attitudes and ideals, and the peaceful acceptance of the life they've agreed to share... and the promise of a wonderful future.

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