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: Mafdet, Slayer of Serpents
Author's LJ/DWJ: alias_sqbr
Categories: other media, humor, pre-series
Warnings: none
Author's Webpage/Fic list: Sqbr at AO3
Link to story: Mafdet, Slayer of Serpents

Why this should be read: This hilarious comic strip (complete with full transcription) had me crying with laughter as it tells the real story behind the rebellion against Ra!

Not to mention the deep dark sekret about why cats can have eerily reflective eyes...

My favorite panels are the first two of page 6, but this is all great fun. Go read, giggle, and enjoy!

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.

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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: When Narnia and SG-1 Collide
Author's LJ/DWJ: cofax7
Categories: era: pre-series, horror, theme:crossover
Warnings: crossover with Narnia
Author's Webpage/Fic list: Alchemy, Mouldiwarps, and Coprophagy
Link to story: When Narnia and SG-1 Collide
Why this should be read: Cofax gives a short, sharp, horribly plausible explanation for a certain person's character assassination in the Narnia books. Oooh, this hurts. And it's good.


If any of her siblings had been there, she would have noted it on her pad and packed it carefully away; but they weren't, and so she thought, "Well, it couldn't hurt to open it and peek inside, just a little."

It did, in fact, hurt. A great deal.

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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Title: Damage Control
Author's LJ/DWJ: redbyrd_sgfic / redbyrd
Categories: drama, missing scene
Warnings: some bad language
Author's Webpage/Fic list: Redbyrd's Stargate Fanfiction
Link to story: Damage Control

Why this should be read: One of my favorites, I have reread this story so many times that it's characterization of Steven Raynor has become cannon for me. Part of the fun of this fic is the view of Daniel through Steven's eyes and his comparison of pre-Stargate Daniel to the changed person he meets during "The Curse". But I also became very fond of Steven and really felt for him by the end.

Redbyrd brings some sanity to the Stargate world and the stakes in war against the goa'uld, the loss of Sarah and Dr. Jordan feel more real because of it. She writes "I wanted to tie up some of the loose ends in this episode and to try developing Steven's character into something a bit more complex than the very limited view we got from the show. I felt he couldn't be all bad if his first thought when they find him injured at the end of the episode was to apologize to Daniel."

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Title: 1969 Prime and Prime-Minus One
Author's LJ/DWJ: redbyrd
Categories: theme: time travel, Hammond, drama, episode related, angst, pre-series, team
Warnings: temporary major character deaths
Author's Webpage/Fic list: Redbyrd's Stargate Fiction
Link to story: 1969 Prime and 1969 Prime-Minus One

Why this should be read: 1969 turned into a closed loop, but what about the timeline that took place the first time SG-1 went back -- before Hammond met them and was inspired to write the note to himself? And what about the timeline before that, when Lieutenant Hammond never met four displaced time travellers in the first place?

With her usual attention to detail and stellar characterization, Redbyrd takes us through two alternate versions of George Hammond's life. You will enjoy his bemused perspective of the four strangers that take him hostage, his careful manipulation of events to match his future with his past, and the honor and courage that affect his choices every step of the way.

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Title: Indiana Jones and the Ring of Ra
Author's LJ/DWJ: Fiery Fred
Categories: Crossover
Warnings: none
Author's Webpage/Fic list: Stories by Fiery Fiend
Why this should be read:

It's 1939. Europe is on the brink of war. Indy's dad asks him to help out an old colleague. And the adventure begins...

Seriously, how awesome is this?  I'm surprised there aren't more crossovers on this premise; the Stargate was in Egypt in the late '30s, right when the Nazis and Indiana Jones were chasing each other across Northern Africa and Europe; of course the most intrepid (and likely to stumble across supernatural/scifi artifacts) archaeologist of his day would have been involved!  It's not a perfect story (the Langfords were Swedish, not German, for example), but it's a fun adventure no less plausible than any Indiana Jones movie (or Stargate episode, for that matter).  Also, it has Catherine Langford being awesome, too.

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Indiana Jones and the Ring of Ra

Title: The Husband of Sha'uri
Author's LJ/DWJ: jedibuttercup 
Categories: Crossover
Warnings: none
Author's Webpage/Fic list: Jedi Buttercup, although her fic index or her AOOO account are generally more up-to-date.
Why this should be read:

This is one of the most innovative crossover mechanisms I've seen in a long time. It makes perfect sense, though. (Hint: it's post-Moebius, for Stargate canon.) It was just posted today, and I love it already. Very well done, and definitely worth the time to read.

The Husband of Sha'uri

Title: Remember Me This Way
Author's LJ/DWJ: azarsuerte 
Categories: Crossover
Warnings: none
Author's Webpage/Fic list: Probable Impossibilities, Fantastic Visions (vids),
Why this should be read:

When Sam Leaps into Jack O'Neill, a man whose son is dead and whose marriage is crumbling, he thinks his mission is clear. Or is it?

This was the best fic to come out of The Stargate/Quantum Leap Ficathon.

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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: Once Upon a Time in Egypt
Author's LJ/DWJ: ljs_lj
Categories: pre-series, Sam, AU, episode related
Warnings: none
Author's Webpage/Fic list: A Little Sign That She Cared
Link to story: Once Upon a Time in Egypt

Why this should be read: We can understand why Moebius!Daniel Jackson, who got shot down in his last presentation and never got hired by Catherine to unlock the Stargate, might end up teaching ESL eight years down the line. But how can we explain Sam's alternate history, and her failure to join the Air Force?

LJ, with lovely elegance, gently traces the ripples and swirls in history that led to the changes in Sam's backstory. Twisting tenses, the butterfly effect, shifting events, and a crucial moment... LJ tracks it all, and then lets it spool outwards all over again to the reality we know so well.

Thoughtful, unique, and beautifully done.

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