burn the shoes and boil the rice
Five times Daniel and Vala got married, and one time they didn’t.
My notes:
This one makes me tear up it’s so lovely. All of the fake marriage scenarios are inventive and delightfully amusing – their antagonistic banter is just on point. In contrast, the last ‘scenario’ squeezes my heart so brilliantly, even after having read this quite a few times. Vala pushes as she does,... Read more
The Unending Story
Stories of life aboard the Odyssey while SG-1 and General Landry were stuck in the time-dilation bubble of the episode “Unending”.
My notes:
A 3-part series that starts by following Daniel and Vala during “that scene” in Unending in part 1 (A Love-Hate Thing), then showing the rest of the team observing the changes in D/V’s relationship in part 2 (Cats, Candles, and Confessions), culminating in the meatiest part of this series (part 3 – I... Read more
No Turning Back
I’d been battling Daniel to see who had the greatest self-control for far too long, and I wanted to surrender.
My notes:
I love this. I 100% know they eventually collided after a moment similar to the one in Unending – just like it happens in this story. Vala will finally need to make a move because while she’s as scared as Daniel, she can’t help but feel her feelings. Daniel will shove what is happening down into his comfor... Read more
Walls
Vala breaks down walls. Jack approves. Set post-Counterstrike, pre-The Quest.
My notes:
Love this little slice of Jack’s perspective on Daniel and Vala. This quote is beautifully put, and exactly why I think Vala is so good for Daniel: It wasn’t that he liked seeing Daniel taken down a notch, though, of course, he did. It was that Daniel had, over the course of the decade Jack had known him, manage... Read more
Judge of Character
General Hammond has always believed himself to be a good judge of character, which is why, after an alien space pirate hijacked the Prometheus, he decides to offer the eccentric space pirate a chance to join the SGC, using Daniel Jackson as an incentive to persuade her. He is also interested to see how things play out between her and a certain archeologist. D/V, smidge of J/S.
My notes:
Really well-paced and has excellent mission storylines. I love the premise of Vala being drawn into the fold right after Prometheus Unbound by Hammond. I always thought we never got to see enough of Vala and the way she so seamlessly integrated into SG-1. I love how this slight venture into AU territory makes the beginning... Read more
Broken Things
Somehow I had managed to trick myself into believing that that would be all there was. All that she would expect. All that I wanted. That we weren’t on the verge of something I couldn’t control. Couldn’t handle.
Rediscovering Odysseus
The memories still didn’t quite feel like hers – like she was watching a film of another person’s life, knowing how they felt and why they felt it, but never quite actually living it. Spoilers for all of SG-1, AU as of the end of S4 of SGA.
My notes:
I love this AU so hard. I love the idea of SG-1 following Daniel to Atlantis, and Sam and Vala starting to remember their years on the Odyssey because of the naquadah in their blood. The way Vala responds to all of this new insight into her life with Daniel is quite nuanced and in character, and how she eventually confronts... Read more
The Many Paths of Daniel Jackson
Every possibility, every choice I had ever made, even choices I hadn’t, led to an entirely different life until I could no longer tell reality from its alternates.
My notes:
Daniel touches a mysterious crystal (which is just so Daniel) and starts experiencing various alternate realities and timelines his life might take. Not being able to discern what’s real as he’s living each moment, it sends him spiralling gradually into madness as SG-1 (plus Jack) tries desperately to save him. ... Read more
Partners with Benefits
Mulder and Scully try being friends with benefits. Will it work out, or will their feelings for each other complicate things?
My notes:
One of my all-time favorite tropes, and one of my all-time favorite authors. I’ll be rereading this forever, I’m sure.