Your laws do not apply to me ([info]fluffyllama) wrote in [info]mcshep_match,
2009-08-25 19:01:00
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TEAM WAR: Tilting at Windmills, "Where the Brave Dare Not Go"

Title: Where the Brave Dare Not Go
Author: [info]telesilla (interview)
Team: War
Prompt: Tilting at Windmills
Pairing: McKay/Sheppard
Rating: NC-17
Warnings: None
Summary: John Sheppard has had over twenty years to come to grips with the fact that every four or five weeks, he turns into a mountain lion. Like most Were, he accepts that that's just the way it is, and so he's not particularly interested when he learns that researchers at the local university are trying to to develop drugs that will help Were control their cycles. Then he meets Dr. Rodney McKay, a brilliant but irascible biochemist with reasons of his own for spearheading the university's Were research and John suddenly finds himself struggling with more than just his attraction to McKay.
Notes: A lot of people helped me with this one, so I'd like to thank: [info]kyuuketsukirui for the initial idea, the Usual Spatula Suspects as well as Team War for the hand holding and cheerleading, [info]darkrosetiger for being amazingly patient with me every time I asked "so, is this working?" (and I asked a lot), and, of course, my awesome Partner In Crime, [info] for taking the time to beta this monster. The title is from "The Impossible Dream," which is, of course, from Man of La Mancha, which is, of course, based on Don Quioxte, who tilted at windmills.

Please note: This story is hosted on a temporary website. If linking to this story please link to this post and not the story itself to ensure you don't end up with broken links after the fest ends. Thank you.

Once you've read the story, please take a moment to vote in the poll below. Ratings go from 1 (low) to 9 (high), so all you need to do is enter a single number in that range into each text entry box. You'll be able to see the Prompt and Team (Genre) information in the header above.

More details about the voting procedure can be found here.

Where the Brave Dare Not Go

Poll #1448771
This poll is closed.
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: None, participants: 162

How well does this entry fit its prompt? Rate from 1 to 9:

How well does this entry fit the team genre? Rate from 1 to 9:

How much did you enjoy this entry? Rate from 1 to 9:

Tags: team war

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[info]wintercreek

August 25 2009, 19:35:39 UTC 2 years ago

Oh my goodness, how totally awesome was that story? Completely totally awesome. You fit everyone so naturally into that world and premise, and the sense of the depth lurking just off camera is tantalizing. It would be easy to build a whole series in this 'verse, and I for one would happily read it all.

Picking everyone's Were forms must have been such fun. They all fit perfectly, but John as a mountain lion is especially satisfying.

[info]telesilla

September 30 2009, 03:07:17 UTC 2 years ago

Thank you! I wanted to take a kind of cracky idea and present it as serious and so I had a whole lot of fun inventing the universe and fitting everyone into their place in it.

[info]danceswithgary

August 25 2009, 19:49:37 UTC 2 years ago

I enjoyed this thoroughly - great characterizations and plotline!

[info]telesilla

September 30 2009, 03:07:31 UTC 2 years ago

Thank you! Glad you liked it!

[info]kassrachel

August 25 2009, 20:50:27 UTC 2 years ago

What a fabulous premise! I love this fandom so much -- I'm pretty sure I've never actually read Were fanfic before, but when it comes to John and Rodney, nothing is too cracktastic for our boys. &hearts!

I like the tense shifting a lot -- how John's always in the moment when he's in Were form, and thinking in past tense when he's human.

[info]ratcreature

August 25 2009, 21:51:44 UTC 2 years ago

I haven't yet read this one, but I maintain a whole thematic list dedicated to SGA wereanimal stories. It's definitely a fairly popular genre:
http://www.ratcreature.net/fannish_stuff/sga_thematiclist_weres.php

[info]emeraldteal

2 years ago

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[info]telesilla

2 years ago

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[info]pennyplainknits

August 25 2009, 20:53:19 UTC 2 years ago

This was really intriguing! I wasn't sure what to expect, but I really like the sense of a bigger history here.

[info]telesilla

September 30 2009, 03:18:24 UTC 2 years ago

Thank you! With AUs, I tend to end up with a lot more background than ever shows up in the story and it's always great when people can sort of feel that background behind the narrative.

[info]elementalv

August 25 2009, 21:58:12 UTC 2 years ago

This was fun, and I love the sense of history behind the story.

[info]telesilla

September 30 2009, 03:18:48 UTC 2 years ago

Thank you! I had a lot of fun inventing the culture; I'm glad that came through. :)

[info]skinscript

August 25 2009, 22:19:24 UTC 2 years ago

This is a fascinating universe. I really enjoyed all the details that hinted at a rich culture and backstory. Thank you for sharing!

[info]telesilla

September 30 2009, 03:24:30 UTC 2 years ago

Thank you! I love taking an AU and looking at how one difference slots into our current culture and history; I'm so glad that came through behind the story. :)

[info]foolish_m0rtal

August 25 2009, 22:21:05 UTC 2 years ago

interesting and unique AU

[info]telesilla

September 30 2009, 03:24:40 UTC 2 years ago

Thank you!

[info]anatsuno

August 25 2009, 22:22:02 UTC 2 years ago

I LOVED IT!

[info]telesilla

September 30 2009, 03:24:59 UTC 2 years ago

YAY! *twirls*

[info]ribbon_purple

August 25 2009, 22:48:01 UTC 2 years ago

That was *AWESOME!*

[info]telesilla

September 30 2009, 03:25:54 UTC 2 years ago

Thank you!!

[info]ratcreature

August 25 2009, 23:15:49 UTC 2 years ago

This was great. I liked the sense of hinted backstories, and that the universe seemed larger than what we saw in the story. And I liked that the were myythology of this universe wasn't magical or really supernatural, but seemed almost mundane (in a good way), and the way the society deals with this realistic. And of course I love wereanimal stories in general.

[info]telesilla

September 30 2009, 03:52:28 UTC 2 years ago

Thank you! I really wanted to write something that all hung together and so there's a lot of world-building in the back of my head that never actually made it into the fic but was still there as I wrote. And I did want it to be modern; there are, of course, magical stories and myths built up around the Were, but, like myths about other natural phenomena, they're part of the past.

I'm so glad you liked it and thank you so much for the rec at the time! :)

[info]aqua_eyes

August 25 2009, 23:27:49 UTC 2 years ago

<3

[info]telesilla

September 30 2009, 03:52:37 UTC 2 years ago

Thank you!

[info]aqua_eyes

2 years ago

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[info]altyronsmaker

August 26 2009, 00:02:12 UTC 2 years ago

that was really cool! I like the ear scritching. Makes me want my own John Sheppard Mountain Lion. Heee!

[info]telesilla

September 30 2009, 03:56:20 UTC 2 years ago

*grins* Yeah, he's probably a lot more cuddly in cat form than as a human. Of course there's always the shedding....

Glad you liked it!

[info]elizaria

August 26 2009, 00:38:25 UTC 2 years ago

I really enjoyed this - a well done creature AU. Like someone already said, I liked that it was built as something normal rather than magical.

[info]telesilla

September 30 2009, 04:05:24 UTC 2 years ago

Thank you! I don't mind the fantasy aspect that you see in a lot of werecreature stories, but I really wanted to look at it as if it were just another natural, genetic, physical trait. Glad that came through and you liked it!

[info]helsmeta

August 26 2009, 01:11:17 UTC 2 years ago

So much win! I loved it. :) I love the way you write John when he's in mountain lion form, and that he's definitely not human at that point, but he's still John. There are so many things about this I loved! \o/

[info]telesilla

September 30 2009, 04:07:17 UTC 2 years ago

Thank you so much! I really wanted to balance the animal side with the fact that he's still a sentient being and still himself, so I'm really glad that worked. And I'm thrilled you read it and liked it! *hugs*

[info]reddwarfer

August 26 2009, 01:23:27 UTC 2 years ago

I remember seeing the premise on the team comm and thinking..."ohhkaaay" but you really did an awesome job. This was excellent. And the sex, oh yeah, that was pretty damned hot.

[info]telesilla

September 30 2009, 04:10:00 UTC 2 years ago

*grins* To be honest, if I'd seen the premise all by itself, I'd have been doubtful too. I'm glad you gave it a chance and liked it!

Thank you!

[info]almostnever

August 26 2009, 01:57:38 UTC 2 years ago

I love it. The shifts into present tense when John is in were form-- that works so well.

I also admire how you combine character insight with world building. When John believes his possessive behavior has put Rodney off, his thoughts and reactions don't just tell us about John, they tell us about the world John inhabits. I liked how the concept of Alpha was introduced through that, too. Once that angle is exposed, some of the earlier things in the story, like the coffee shop being a Were hangout and the weight Rodney put on John's participation, make sense in retrospect, and it also becomes clear that John didn't acknowledge the significance of those things earlier because he's uncomfortable with the role people assign to him.

It's such a believable, grounded AU, a good character piece for John and a sexy love story, all at once.

[info]almostnever

August 26 2009, 02:07:56 UTC 2 years ago

Also, nice job with the prompt! I was nearly to the end and wondering how the story fit with "tilting at windmills" until the final scene, when the Were drug doesn't work out. The abduction and fight were so exciting, I'd almost forgotten the larger plot, and how everyone involved in the study is tilting at the windmill of a drug to help Weres control their cycles.

Anonymous

2 years ago

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[info]kyuuketsukirui

2 years ago

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[info]almostnever

2 years ago

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[info]fluffyllama

2 years ago

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[info]telesilla

2 years ago

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[info]telesilla

2 years ago

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[info]almostnever

2 years ago

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[info]chkc

August 26 2009, 02:21:22 UTC 2 years ago

This story is awesome! It is so action-filled (emotionally or physically) and exciting. I especially loved the world-building, and that strong sense of community the were-people have with each other.

[info]telesilla

September 30 2009, 04:26:55 UTC 2 years ago

Thank you! I had a lot of fun with the world building; there's a lot of stuff that never made it into the actual story. And while I didn't want to draw too many obvious parallels between any other minority group, I did want to give the Were a strong sub-culture.

I'm so glad you liked it!

[info]leyna55

August 26 2009, 04:19:33 UTC 2 years ago

This is a fascinating AU. I really enjoyed seeing the various characters and their Were forms (the image of Zelenka the were-fox chasing his tail, fills me with glee *g*), and I also loved the heat between John and Rodney, John & Ronon's friendship, and Teyla's quiet wisdom and knowledge (I loved the concept of Teyla the were-otter).

[info]telesilla

September 30 2009, 04:33:14 UTC 2 years ago

Thank you! Going back through the cast and choosing Were forms for everyone was a lot of fun. :) I'm thrilled that you like the John and Ronon friendship; I wish I'd been able to do more with that (and with Teyla and her background), but I ended up running up against the deadline. And I'm glad the John/Rodney attraction worked. I wanted to balance between the idea of a real attraction between two people and John's sort of extra-sensory perception of Rodney as a potential mate.

I'm so glad you liked this!

Also, OMG, let me say again how much I loved your Match art. Such a gorgeous piece!

[info]badwolf36

August 26 2009, 05:58:48 UTC 2 years ago

This was awesome. I love the dynamic you created. Go team!

[info]telesilla

September 30 2009, 04:33:43 UTC 2 years ago

Thank you! I had fun playing with the Were/Human dynamic. :)

[info]brasslizard

August 26 2009, 06:29:02 UTC 2 years ago

*cheers* Very well thought out story - I love the world you built around the characters. Fun read.

[info]telesilla

September 30 2009, 04:37:24 UTC 2 years ago

Thank you! I had a great time playing around with the world building; I'm really glad you enjoyed it.

[info]argosy

August 26 2009, 09:28:18 UTC 2 years ago

Very cool. Gripping throughout and the world you've built is amazing. I really enjoyed this!

[info]telesilla

September 30 2009, 04:37:55 UTC 2 years ago

Thanks! :) I had a lot of fun with it and I'm glad you liked it!

[info]lysambre

August 26 2009, 12:29:40 UTC 2 years ago

This is such an interesting and well developed AU.

I loved it :)

Thank you

[info]telesilla

September 30 2009, 04:38:51 UTC 2 years ago

Glad you enjoyed it! I had a lot of fun playing with the world building. :)

[info]the4ts

August 26 2009, 18:26:55 UTC 2 years ago

An interesting story and a good read to boot! Thank you.

[info]telesilla

September 30 2009, 04:39:08 UTC 2 years ago

Thank you! Glad you liked it!

[info]rosiepaw

August 26 2009, 22:19:45 UTC 2 years ago

One of the many things I enjoyed about this story was the attention to detail. For example, when John's in were form, the story shifts into present tense. That makes complete sense to me, because as far as I can tell, my cat lives in a sort of eternal present. :-) John in human form keeps telling the staff at the ranch that they don't have to keep the best room for him. But the moment he changes, his thinking shifts along with his body - he gets irate because someone else has been in the room since the last time he was there and scent-marks everything.

The bit at the end, with the suggestion of domestic life with a Were cougar who leaves fur all over his mate's clothes, is another example of a lovely touch. This is the kind of thing that makes the story real to me.

[info]telesilla

September 30 2009, 10:22:00 UTC 2 years ago

*grins* I was totally going with the idea that cats live in the now when I decided to use the tense shift like that. And yeah, he's still sentient and aware as a cat, but his thinking does shift enough that he's concerned with different things.

Glad you liked it! Thanks for the great feedback. :)

[info]emeraldteal

August 27 2009, 01:32:58 UTC 2 years ago

Oh, um... this story hit so many of my kinks I almost thought it was my birthday and I forgot. *g* Let's see: we have animal transformation, reluctant!alpha!John, pushy-bottom!Rodney, coffee, chess, lovely lovely banter (the boys' exchange before John's duel - FTW!), John marking his territory (!!) and some hot sexing. Also we have Teyla (an otter, EEE!), Ronon, Radek, John scratching Teldy's back, and that awesome fight scene at the end.

So much love. *bg* Thank you.

[info]telesilla

September 30 2009, 10:23:33 UTC 2 years ago

Wow, thank you! I'm glad I managed to hit so many buttons. It's not a story I'd have written if not for Match, but I had a lot of fun writing it. :)
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