New SGA story: Term of Service

[resonant]

I've posted a new SGA story to my website.

Term of Service

McKay/Sheppard, McKay/OFC, Sheppard/OFC -- NC-17 -- 19,000 words

"You're telling me that you would sell your bodies for curiosity, orbital shielding, and a quarter-charged ZPM?" "Well, yeah. Who wouldn't?"

Warnings for Dreaded Het, noncon, and the author taking a shameful amount of pleasure in dressing John Sheppard up like a paper doll.

With much help from astolat, cesperanza, giglet, julad, liviapenn, and especially terrio for the immortal line, "extra space between [Rodney] and [breakfast] (and you should never put extra space between Rodney and breakfast)!"

EDITED TO ADD: If you can't get into the story on trickster, I've put a backup copy on skyehawke: http://archive.skyehawke.com/story.php?no=13601

Comments

[villeinage.livejournal.com]

oh, dear. The page won't load correctly. It keeps ending in the midst of a sentence. I'm hoping this isn't deliberate?

[resonant8.livejournal.com]

Oh, I was afraid I'd do that to someone; I keep finding typos, fixing them, and re-uploading. Try now.

[mutecornett.livejournal.com]

Oh man, I love the little details in this, like the Healio animal with the scabbed eye and the lube in the giant plastic dick. And Yohn vs John. ♥ Also, I adore Kellen--she's so sensible and Rodney clearly trusts her and relies on her to bail them out of trouble. I mean, just, I love everything about this story.

[resonant8.livejournal.com]

The canonical alien cultures usually don't have technology, brand names, etc., so I had a lot of fun with these.

Glad you liked it!

[misspamela.livejournal.com]

I just wanted to submit my displeasure at you posting this story JUST as i was about to go to bed. I have to get up at 5am, woman!!!

*sets aside sadly*

[margueritem.livejournal.com]

*bounces* I loved it! *bounces*

[resonant8.livejournal.com]

I'm so glad!

[cat-latin.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much for your excellent writing. I've friended you. I hope that's o.k.

[resonant8.livejournal.com]

Of course it's OK! You have a terrific journal title. I approve.

[shetiger.livejournal.com]

Oh.

Fabulous. :)

[resonant8.livejournal.com]

I'm so glad!

[dracostella.livejournal.com]

I sit in horror that I can see Lija with photographic clarity. Both her and her place. My comfort is that I can see Kellen as well. Wonderful depiction of both of these women. I'm sure I've known a few Lijas.

And poor Rodney, trying to take care of John (who's being pistol whipped by love child of Paris Hilton and Satan.)

[resonant8.livejournal.com]

love child of Paris Hilton and Satan

Hee! In my head, Lija is a Bratz doll come to life. Pity she's so clear in my mind, in fact. But Rodney's a match for her.

[fairestcat]

I really really love this. Your writing is just so vivid, I can really see the world you've created and the original characters are all very real.

I love Kellen. Just, absolutely adore Kellen. I want to meet Kellen, she's just too awesome for words.

And Lija. GAH. I should not have this much anger toward a fictional character, I really should not. But I wouldn't be so angry at her if she didn't read very plausibly. It would be easy for her to be a cardboard villain, but she's not, she's just a spoiled little rich brat without a clue and not much in the way of brains.

[resonant8.livejournal.com]

I liked Kellen a little too much, I admit. I had trouble making myself write the plotty parts of this, because once I had the sex 'n' bonding written, my mind wanted to skip ahead to Kellen coming to visit Atlantis and inviting John and Rodney for a threesome.

I'm glad Lija was at least plausible to you; she's so very, profoundly dumb!

[kickthebeat.livejournal.com]

this was sort of awes.

[resonant8.livejournal.com]

Cool! I'm glad.

[abbylee]

wow.

So much love. You made this world so real, and both terrifying and neat.

Thank you.

[resonant8.livejournal.com]

Glad you liked it!

[general-jinjur.livejournal.com]

that was wonderful. especially, i think, ...like the time they'd gone to the rain planet and brought home the depressant rice.

but really the whole thing, with john's gap in understanding that means he doesn't recognize that he's being abused until it's way too late. and rodney figuring out that he can be friends with a woman, and have sex with her, at the same time. which i think is a huge milestone for him. not that he should be in a position to use that knowledge, but information is still valuable.

anyway, hooray! and thank you for writing it.

[resonant8.livejournal.com]

Hee! Several of the betas mentioned the depressant rice, too. SGA's great for giving the opportunity for stuff like that.

john's gap in understanding -- that's so well put -- I wanted him, at first, to go in with all the habits he's learned from years of being a boyfriend, because apparently, to judge from canon, he pretty much goes along with what his girlfriend wants. And here he can't vanish when it's too much.

[reedfem.livejournal.com]

Oh my, I just love so many things about this. Rodney being all strong and resourceful and poor John falling apart at the seams. You'd think that after paying so much, Lija would take better care of him. I am troubled by my anger at a fictional character.

Wonderful story. Thanks.

[resonant8.livejournal.com]

Glad you liked it!

Today the kidlet hauled the cat into her baby carriage, and then informed me that the cat wanted to be in the baby carriage. This is about the mental level Lija's at. She gave John jewelry! What more did he want?

[panisdead.livejournal.com]

The depressant rice jumped out at me too. :)

I enjoyed this. I feel like there were psychological...things...going on under the surface with both Rodney and John, and I appreciate both their existence and that they weren't fully spelled out. I really liked Rodney's initial faux pas with the water, and how completing the mission with the sub was a partial trigger for the re-emergence of John's personality.

Hot, too.

[resonant8.livejournal.com]

Glad you liked it!

and how completing the mission with the sub was a partial trigger for the re-emergence of John's personality

Oh, I was so hoping that that came through; I didn't really want to belabor it, but I'm always worried that I'm not telling enough.

[pop-scholar.livejournal.com]

Ok, I could go into all the great great great characterizations in this story (Kellen! Vulnerable slave John! Capable slave Rodney!), but instead I want to say that this really delivers on difficult-to-write kinks: dirty talk! delayed gratification! strong female het! (ok, that last one may only be for me...) Thanks so much for sharing this.

[resonant8.livejournal.com]

Oh, good! This really started out as a sex story, for me; the rest crept up on me, and I tried to do it justice, but really I just wanted John necking and stopping, and Rodney being told in detail what to do ... sometimes my stories want to be much less shallow than I really am.

[paian]

I absolutely loved that. Thank you.

[resonant8.livejournal.com]

Oh, I'm so glad! I'm getting lots of hits off your rec, too, so thanks for that!

[whetherwoman.livejournal.com]

"Now, this is one of my favorite fantasies. You -- get the place cleaned up. You -- dial up some dinner."

And the scene with Cadman?

Perfect. Just perfect.

Also I love your OFCs. That was probably the sweetest noncon story ever.

[resonant8.livejournal.com]

I'm so glad you liked it! I imagine Kellen and Cadman might get along very well.

I had to put in the noncon warning because I didn't want anybody to happen upon the "raped a girl" exchange if they had a serious squick -- but if anyone clicked on the story because it had a noncon warning, I'm afraid they must have been deeply disappointed. I'm a big marshmallow.

[lilac-way.livejournal.com]

"I can't -- can't entirely approve of how hot I find this," he said, gathering up a handful of the slippery fabric.

"Yeah?" Sheppard wiggled his ass under Rodney's hand.

"Yeah, but this -- I mean, this is the, the material of your oppression and whatnot."

The "material of your oppression!" Oh, Rodney. This story is shiny and fabulous. You write them such great dialogue -- the problem is then I wait for them to say these witty things on the show and am sadly disappointed.

[resonant8.livejournal.com]

I'm so glad you liked it! Rodney's voice is lots of fun for me to write.

[renenet.livejournal.com]

OMG. OMG. I just. I just OMG.

*loves*

[resonant8.livejournal.com]

Oh, I'm so glad!

[florahart]

Oh, man. So many things to like here.

That Rodney, who isn't exactly the most emotionally intuitive person ever, understands what's happening to John when John doesn't. And essentially is aware of the fine line between taking advantage and fixing him. Sort of.

That you managed two OCs who are very different, one annoying and one wonderful, and still, the story is Rodney and John, even though these characters are so much there. Uh, okay, nearly midnight. That might not've made sense.

That she does, in fact, have Rodney fix things, and also show her stuff. And also has sex with him, but that's just like, for fun, basically, in a way that works out fun for both of them.

I am cracked up beyond words about the boolean search thing. And the certification in sex massage therapy. And I love the image of John and his spiky hair drop drop dropping down, and then there's fixed-it John being all Colonel-y.

I find that very true, for what it's worth: that someone in emotional crisis, who might seem to need "rest," actually needs a task she or he cares to do right, you know?

And of course, really, there's not a lot to hate about John in his tights, so.

Really I need to do something about this lack of SGA iconage. Alas. You get generic cheerleading instead.

[resonant8.livejournal.com]

I'm so glad you liked it!

I've gotten more comments about Lija and Kellen than about John and Rodney, alas; maybe I need to give the poor guys some more attention.

that someone in emotional crisis, who might seem to need "rest," actually needs a task she or he cares to do right, you know?

Yes, exactly -- I've obviously never been a kept woman, but it's very unpleasant to live day in and day out feeling like you do nothing to justify the oxygen you use up. And if it's bad for me, how much worse for Action Hero Sheppard!

[buddleia.livejournal.com]

Oh, lord, what a story. Amazingly horrible things for poor Sheppard- "I thought you loved me!" was appallingly recognisable from a couple of the more pyschotic princess-y women I've met. Trust Sheppard to be completely phased by pouts and tears. The rape thing was really horrific. I would have said it was too much, but this was not a fluffy story, and pyschotic manipulative princesses are not themselves fluffy. After the wincing, I actually liked that her behaviour was treated seriously. The ten year old in me loved that she got her comeuppance.

And! Kellen as well as John for Rodney. Lucky Rodney. Kellen is my new favourite OC, I seriously hope she turns up again. Terrific story.

[resonant8.livejournal.com]

I'm so glad you liked it! I totally think Lija believed she had herself a really hot boyfriend who loved doing all the things she asked him to do for her. We can only hope that the high bidder for her services is cut from the same cloth.

As for Kellen -- I told someone above that I wrote all the sex 'n' bonding first, and then when I needed to be working on the plot, I kept getting distracted by thoughts of a John/Rodney/Kellen threesome!

[anitac588.livejournal.com]

Loved it!
There's something about idea of John and Rodney being sex slaves that it's terribly exciting and attractive; especially this combination, John as a misused slave and Rodney helping him to hang on to sanity.
God. Hot, very, very hot. Thank you!

[resonant8.livejournal.com]

Glad you liked it! Thanks so much.

Great icon, too!

[fiamaya.livejournal.com]

What a great story! I loved Rodney trying to figure out the line between taking advantage of suddenly-touchy John and giving him what he needed -- and that he didn't fuss over what would happen when they got home, but just set out trying to fix things.

[resonant8.livejournal.com]

Glad you liked it! Rodney really isn't equipped for this kind of emotional challenge, is he? -- I just try to put him in positions where bumbling around can actually hit upon the right answer by accident.

[norah.livejournal.com]

Oh, oh oh, that was lovely. Poor John. Thank you so much - all the h/c I could want all in one delightful package. I'm still a little misty-eyed about the sweetness but simultaneously disturbed for John, and I liked Kellen a lot.

There was no FB link from the story back here, nor an email link directly on the page - you might want to fix that, as fangirls are easily distracted and might forget to squee at you if they have to click *counts* three times to do it.

[resonant8.livejournal.com]

Oops -- thanks -- I changed that right away. I thought my template had a link in it.

Glad you liked it! John has some serious therapy ahead of him, but when doesn't he?

[wychwood]

Awesome!

*loves*

Plotty Res story: what more could I want? :) I love Kellen. And the scary, scary immaturity of Lija! John gets really messed up. Just as well Rodney's there for him :) I love the scene at the end where Rodney makes him go in the sub, and he shifts back from "Yohn" to "Lt Col Sheppard" again. Yay!

[resonant8.livejournal.com]

Glad you liked it! I had a good time with Kellen and Lija, and was happy John was up to the challenge at the end; in a way he rescued himself, which I hope helps him get un-screwed-up afterwards!

[snpdiva.livejournal.com]

You evil woman, you made me sit here and read the whole story instead of doing this very important work I should have been doing.

I absolutely loved it. Unbelievably well-written, as usual. Not to mention very hot!

[resonant8.livejournal.com]

Hee! Glad you liked it. Thanks!