Title: Through the Noise to the Sea
Fandom: Stargate: Atlantis
Pairing: John/Rodney
Categories: AU, Drama, Hurt/Comfort, Romance
Length: Long (18,000 words)
Warnings: N/A

Author on LJ: sardonicsmiley
Author Website: No More Tears

Summary: John has time to realize that those fingers are webbed and then the involuntary laughter about finding a mermaid interferes with his already questionable grip on breathing, and he passes out.

Review: In this fantastic AU, John and the SGA team arrive at Atlantis without Rodney being a part of their expedition from Earth. After a small mishaps with a rotted railing, John soon discovers (or, more precisely, is discovered) Rodney when the merman saves him from drowning in the frigid sea. It doesn’t take long for the alien to incorporate himself into their way of life as he berates them for their lack of intelligence and spends his nights in John’s tub.

This is, without a doubt, one of my most favorite SGA fic and, coincidentally, my most favorite SGA Author. You’ll be hearing about SardonicSmiley quite a bit in my upcoming future SGA recs. Now, for all of you that are fans of The Little Mermaid, prepare to be blown away as you engage in this humorous tail (ha! ) that’s both original and canon.

This fic is gorgeous. I love the way Rodney is a “mermaid” and yet not in the traditional sense of the word. I love that he doesn’t automatically understand English like all of the other aliens seem to-- that he speaks in whistles and clicks and, occasionally, Ancient. I love the fact that despite his lack of language, he still manages to get his point across in a decidedly snarky way that is entirely Rodney. I’m beyond amused that the first few words he learns are “idiots” and “morons.”

SardonicSmiley always seems to weave so much life and magic into the SGA fics she writes. Despite how short some of them are, they’re a delight to read and everything you could hope for in a fic.

Excerpt: When John steps into the room, the merman's gaze darts towards him. The man jerks towards John, recoiling when the cuff on his wrist catches. The whistles and clicks take on a different quality, almost desperate, the merman's gaze fixed and pleading on John.

And, really, there's nothing that John can do at that point but go to him. Carson shouts, trying to catch John's shoulder. John ignores him, sidestepping on his way to the merman. The spines raised across his skin look sharp, tinted blue, and John kneels in front of him.

Carson, from behind John, sounds tense when he says, "Major, I'm not sure you should be—"

John raises one hand, saying, "Sh," and reaches out slowly to the merman's bound wrist. John is inches away when the spines all slide back into the man's body, and his words change, tone and sound, everything, though it still makes no sense to John.

Still, the guy looks scared witless, so John says, "It's okay, buddy, you're fine now," reaching out to the closest soldier without looking away from the merman to order, "Keys," and, after a moments hesitation, he's given them.

The merman pulls his arms up to his chest as soon as his wrist is released, still kneeling, still babbling. Carson steps up and the merman's blue eyes go huge, his voice taking on an angry tone, the spines sliding out again.

John says, waving Carson back, "You might want to stay back. I don't think you made a very good first impression."

Carson makes a huffing sound, "Major, I don't know what you think you're doing, but this...man...was found kneeling over you out on one of the lower docks and—"

"And he saved my life." John rocks back on his heels, rising to his feet and turning to face Carson, raising his eyebrows. "I was, uh, exploring one of the new areas of the city and some of the floor must have been rotted through. I almost drowned."


Through the Noise to the Sea

[Snippet #1, Snippet #2, Snippet #3, Snippet #4]