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rec502006-01-22 12:08 pm
rachael-recs.livejournal.com) wrote in rec502006-01-22 12:08 pm
Entry tags:
Counterpoint
My Sheppard/McKay rec50 table.
Claim: Stargate Atlantis: John Sheppard/Rodney McKay
Title: Counterpoint
Author: nestra (![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
nestra)
Characters: Sheppard/McKay
Prompt: 47 - Reccer's Choice
Rating: Mature
Length: Long
Brief summary: Next up on my list of 'comfort reading' stories is "Counterpoint". What I love about this one is the richness of the detail, and the fluidity of the story. It reads like music feels to me, the way it flows seamlessly from one point to another, the way that there are loud moments and quiet, and how it all builds to something so much larger than it seems like at first.
What else I love: the way the story is anchored in a contemporary setting feels very real and solid; the extrapolation of who the character might be with the given background feels right; the dialog is clever, and that wind big bonus points from me; there's description, so things don't just happen in some nebulous white room; plus the pacing of the changing relationship of Rodney and John is note perfect to me.
The first couple rooms of the house were the sort of clean that came from regular maid service. The man's office, which he led John to, was not. A desk took up about half of the available floor space, with two huge monitors on either end of the desk like bookends. Scattered sheet music and books covered the baby grand piano in the corner. File cabinets were crammed into any remaining space.
"This is what I need," the man said, plopping down on the piano bench. "Someone to run errands for me, handle some of the more mundane tasks in my life, and occasionally lift heavy things. I'm in the middle of a very important project, and I don't have time do deal with these things myself. If my genius was rewarded at a level commensurate with my value to the community, I could afford to pay you more. Although I probably wouldn't."
"Okay," John said, taken slightly aback. On the other hand, his new employer seemed to be a fan of blunt honesty, which had its advantages.
"Great. Consider yourself the Watson to my Sherlock Holmes. You know where the nearest Starbucks is, right?"
"Wait a minute," John said. "Don't you want to know anything about me?"
"Like what?"
"My name? Any references?"
"What's your name, and do you have any references?" He punctuated these questions with a wave of his hand, as if dismissing them as useless pleasantries, and swung around on the bench to face the keys.
"John Sheppard. And no, I don't."
"Kind of pointless to offer them then, isn't it?"
John took a deep, calming breath and reminded himself that he'd faced down worse assholes. The room smelled woody, a combination of all the paper and the piano. "And you're Dr. McKay, right?"
McKay sighed and turned back. "Yes. Dr. Rodney McKay, Dean of Music at the local university. I teach musical theory and composition to students who will never amount to anything. I like long walks on the beach, and I'm a cat person. Anything else you feel like we should get out of the way?"
"Um," John said. "I'm a convicted felon."
Link to the story: Counterpoint
Claim: Stargate Atlantis: John Sheppard/Rodney McKay
Title: Counterpoint
Author: nestra (
nestra)Characters: Sheppard/McKay
Prompt: 47 - Reccer's Choice
Rating: Mature
Length: Long
Brief summary: Next up on my list of 'comfort reading' stories is "Counterpoint". What I love about this one is the richness of the detail, and the fluidity of the story. It reads like music feels to me, the way it flows seamlessly from one point to another, the way that there are loud moments and quiet, and how it all builds to something so much larger than it seems like at first.
What else I love: the way the story is anchored in a contemporary setting feels very real and solid; the extrapolation of who the character might be with the given background feels right; the dialog is clever, and that wind big bonus points from me; there's description, so things don't just happen in some nebulous white room; plus the pacing of the changing relationship of Rodney and John is note perfect to me.
The first couple rooms of the house were the sort of clean that came from regular maid service. The man's office, which he led John to, was not. A desk took up about half of the available floor space, with two huge monitors on either end of the desk like bookends. Scattered sheet music and books covered the baby grand piano in the corner. File cabinets were crammed into any remaining space.
"This is what I need," the man said, plopping down on the piano bench. "Someone to run errands for me, handle some of the more mundane tasks in my life, and occasionally lift heavy things. I'm in the middle of a very important project, and I don't have time do deal with these things myself. If my genius was rewarded at a level commensurate with my value to the community, I could afford to pay you more. Although I probably wouldn't."
"Okay," John said, taken slightly aback. On the other hand, his new employer seemed to be a fan of blunt honesty, which had its advantages.
"Great. Consider yourself the Watson to my Sherlock Holmes. You know where the nearest Starbucks is, right?"
"Wait a minute," John said. "Don't you want to know anything about me?"
"Like what?"
"My name? Any references?"
"What's your name, and do you have any references?" He punctuated these questions with a wave of his hand, as if dismissing them as useless pleasantries, and swung around on the bench to face the keys.
"John Sheppard. And no, I don't."
"Kind of pointless to offer them then, isn't it?"
John took a deep, calming breath and reminded himself that he'd faced down worse assholes. The room smelled woody, a combination of all the paper and the piano. "And you're Dr. McKay, right?"
McKay sighed and turned back. "Yes. Dr. Rodney McKay, Dean of Music at the local university. I teach musical theory and composition to students who will never amount to anything. I like long walks on the beach, and I'm a cat person. Anything else you feel like we should get out of the way?"
"Um," John said. "I'm a convicted felon."
Link to the story: Counterpoint