Fic rec!

[kristen999]

Title: “Devil and the Deep Blue Sea”
Author: Santa
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 33,000
Warning: Contains some relatively mild horror-movie-esque imagery and creepiness
Spoilers: Set post-Enemy at the Gate, potential spoilers for all aired episodes.
Summary: John is dealing with his teammates' love lives just like any other emotional issue: by ignoring the situation and hoping it goes away. But when a mission gone wrong traps John, Rodney and Jennifer a thousand feet beneath New Lantea's ocean -- injured and out of touch with Atlantis, with the clock running down and a mysterious enemy in pursuit -- they're either going to have to work out their differences ... or die trying.

This part of the SGA Secret Santa, so the author will be not be revealed unil later.


Why rec’ed:

This is a very rare gem of a fic, a realistic and spot on exploration on the confusion and miscommunication that can spiral out of control when members of a team develop relationships outside the ‘unit’. This is such a mature and thoughtful look at John and Rodney post EATG. I think many people will be scared off at the ‘het McKay/Keller’ label and I want people to read this! I think the label is mis-leading, as the focus is all about John and Rodney and their bumbling inability to talk with each other.

The characterizations are spot on, and I love the Jennifer voice in this, one of the best I’ve seen. Most of all, this is an exciting action/adventure story with lots of h/c, drama, and it is just plain creepy and fun! I can not stress enough to give this story the chance it deserves. You will not regret it. I saw it late last night, read half of it, then finished it this morning.

Comments

[cazzblade.livejournal.com]

I absolutely despite McKeller, prefer to pretend that it never existed. Is it worth it for the awesome fic?

[kristen999.livejournal.com]

Yes, I think so, but I'm not you. To me this is about John and Rodney, but has a great Keller POV. The focus is not on Rodney and Keller's relationship, but it is there, as it is canon, so the point is the exploration of how their relationship effected John, so of course Rodney and Keller are a couple in this.

That make sense?

[coolbreeze1.livejournal.com]

I saw that fic last night over at SGA Secret Santa and initially passed over it. At the time, I was just reading titles and warnings and saw the McKay/Keller pairing. I don't have any problems with McKay/Keller but I'm not all that interested in reading about just their relationship. Today, I went back and read the story descriptions and immediately realized I should not pass over this story! I'm hoping to get it to tonight, maybe tomorrow. It sounds fascinating.

[kristen999.livejournal.com]

I almost passed over it too, but it was late and I was bored and re-read the summary and took a peak then got hooked. I've been looking for something like this for a while, a semi-study of their lives post EATG, while acknowledging the changes and the ways things could go pear-shaped, but as a background wrapped up in this action h/c plot.

lol

[astridv.livejournal.com]

I second that. Incidentally I'm just writing my own rec for this one. :)

This is such a mature and thoughtful look at John and Rodney post EATG.

Yes, mature! And really emotionally satisfying.

[kristen999.livejournal.com]

I think it is a rare thig, I want this type of exploration, but I want it in the background of something plotty, which this fit the bill :d

[kriadydragon.livejournal.com]

Thanks for rec'ing this as I know I wouldn't have read it otherwise. Pairings alone normally have me skipping a story, but all the more so if it's McKay/Keller, as to me that usually spells McKay-centric fic. But I loved how this story explored the characters equally.

[kristen999.livejournal.com]

This was like the lining of the moon. I was up late writing, looked it, almost skipped it--something about the summary caught my eye and then got caught up in it. Glad you enjoyed it!

[sgafan.livejournal.com]

I normally avoid McKeller, but your recommendation made me take a second look. I'm so glad I did.

I actually felt for John a lot! still single, I've watched all my friends get married and move on (and my coworkers as well) its a tough spot to be in. Wish more people had the sensitivity that the author gave Jennifer in this story.

Very satisfying read!! :D

[kristen999.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I want more of this type of H/C wrapped up in meatier plots.

Very satisfying read!! :D

Heh, don't tell me, tell the author :D

Glad you enjoyed it, glad I was bored.

[sgafan.livejournal.com]

I'd be happy to tell the author, once we get to know who they are. LOL :)

must feed the writers ;)

[x-erikah-x.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the rec. This is something I'd normally skip. It'll go to the pile of bookmarks. Hopefully I'll be able to read it this week.

[kristen999.livejournal.com]

:D

[wildcat88.livejournal.com]

Got a chance to read this today (procrastinating? me? whatever could you mean?) based on yours and astridv's rec. Thanks so much for doing that! I really enjoyed the story and I thought your comments in your rec were spot on.

[friendshipper.livejournal.com]

I just wanted to come over here and thank you very much for this fantastic rec (since I haven't gotten to answering feedback yet). I really think that your rec helped this story find its target audience - like you pointed out, it's really more of a John & Rodney story than a Keller/McKay story - which I was very worried that it wouldn't because of the pairing. It really made my day to see this lovely rec, though of course I couldn't say so at the time! :D

[kristen999.livejournal.com]

No problem. I was going to put it on the genrec site, but I was unsure if that was acceptable even though I felt this story was indeed gen, however, there are many people out there who are very strict to their personal definitions.

The story hit the spot for me, it was an interesting way to explore the personal sides of our characters. How their 'outside' lives affect them interpersonally, while wrapped up in this exciting adventure. I love h/c, but sometimes I want a plot outside of the h/c genre to pull me in if you know what I mean. Glad the rec helped, since I felt it might get overlooked because of the label.

[friendshipper.livejournal.com]

I was going to put it on the genrec site, but I was unsure if that was acceptable even though I felt this story was indeed gen, however, there are many people out there who are very strict to their personal definitions.

*nods* Yeah ... I tend to be more liberal in my definitions of "gen" than a lot of gen fans, and I still think I wouldn't personally call this one gen because the McKay/Keller relationship is so central to the issue that John is having in the story. If it were just flat-out action & h/c that happens to involve a canonically involved couple, I would probably call it gen, but it's actually part of the plot so I think I'd definitely lean towards it being het.

And I think your rec definitely helped, and helped a lot; especially with the fandom being so polarized by the pairing, having a rec out there from a gen John fan was hugely helpful in letting people know that this wasn't just a story about the couple. :D

[kristen999.livejournal.com]

I tend to be more liberal in my definitions of "gen" than a lot of gen fans, and I still think I wouldn't personally call this one gen because the McKay/Keller relationship is so central to the issue that John is having in the story. If it were just flat-out action & h/c that happens to involve a canonically involved couple, I would probably call it gen, but it's actually part of the plot so I think I'd definitely lean towards it being het

Yeah, I see what you're saying and I thought the fact that there was room to explore Jenifer and Rodney’s relationship gave it that layer I liked. See, here is where fandom has brain washed me...I enjoyed because of the acknowledgement of the canon pairing and yes, exploring it, but it had nothing do with sex. If there were more het and slash fics out there where the fact that it has pairing and it doesn't overshadow the rest of the fic, I'd be more open to reading them.

[friendshipper.livejournal.com]

I wish there were more stories like that out there! As much as I love gen, I also love stories that take a series look at grown-up relationships, of both the sexual and nonsexual variety. I really like stories in which couple-hood plays a role but the story isn't an excuse to get two characters together -- because adults do have relationships, there's just no way around that, but I'm generally not that interested in reading romance for the sake of romance. Stories that look at how being in a relationship changes people, and affects their relationships with the other people around them, really delight me; I wish there were more of them out there. Some fandoms do go more for that sort of thing than SGA does -- it helps when there are canon couples to work with. But with SGA, having such clear dividing lines between het, gen and slash means that a story which is labeled het or slash tends to be all about the romance, and a story which is labeled gen is utterly devoid of any hint of it; people don't write about the messy border areas very much. I wouldn't want to read that all the time -- I do love my action, h/c and team -- but I wish there was more of it.

[klatubarada.livejournal.com]

I completely and utterly loved this fic.Its a real treat to read and i thought the characterisations were mature and incredibly well thought out. I am in the same position in RL as John is in this fic and its just beautifully observed and written (actually opened my eyes a bit to things in my RL i should sort out!)
The creepiness in this is SO good! loved it and will be reading more of the author
Many thanks!

[kristen999.livejournal.com]

Glad you liked the rec. friendshipper is one of the best SGA writers out there. She just updated her SGA master list on her LJ>