Forget Me Not
| Fanfiction | |
|---|---|
| Title: | Forget Me Not |
| Author(s): | maisierita |
| Date(s): | |
| Length: | ~47,000 words |
| Genre: | slash fanfiction |
| Fandom: | Stargate Atlantis |
| External Links: | Small Primes and Square Roots (LiveJournal) |
Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
Forget Me Not is a Stargate Atlantis Sheppard/McKay story by maisierita.
Reactions and Reviews
This is a very interesting story. You read the first few paragraphs, you think, oh, this is some kind of weird AU. You read more and recognize things like steak and pizza, which is even more weird because the story is set in an alien world with food ingredients that you've never heard of. And then something finally clicks, and you're like: Ah!, which was about 3/4 of the way through chapter one (with five chapters in total) for me. This is a first-time story, but somehow it didn't really feel like it. It just seemed so natural for John and Rodney, probably because of the deep affections and trust they have for each other prior to memory loss. I really liked the characterization of both John and Rodney--without memories yet still the same person. Pretty fascinating alien culture/society with great alien!OCs. Okay, the OCs are quite minor, but interesting nonetheless. [1]
The One Where We Learn About the Persistence of Pizza. In the Memory, I Mean. Forget Me Not, by maisierita. Stargate: Atlantis, John Sheppard/Rodney McKay.
I love amnesia. I just - I really do. (When it happens to fictional people, I mean.) Someone on my friends list was talking about her incredible folly of starting a story with everyone with amnesia and lost in the dark, and I was like: that is an awesome idea. I would love to read that! What's wrong with starting out with everyone amnesiac and lost in the dark?
(Answer: hard to write. Apparently. Whatever.)
I'm not sure what I love more about amnesia - that you get to see everyone without their internal history (who I am, where I hurt, what I've learned) or that you get to see folks interacting without their interpersonal history (who you are, what we fight about, why I like you). Fortunately, in this story, I don't have to choose. Because, okay, Rodney and John may not be lost in the dark, but they definitely both have amnesia. And they're in an unfamiliar world. And not only do they stay that way a good long time, but John gets extra amnesia, which is, obviously, extra awesome. (Also just like him - always taking the largest share of the pie, as long as the pie is made of pain, suffering, time on his knees, or emotional maladjustment!)
I love watching them renegotiate their relationships when they're missing most of the pieces of the puzzle, and figure out what the hell is going on, and deal with the circumstances of their capture. And, equally, I love watching them manage the little stuff - like, they have to reinvent pizza and ice cream and coffee. I think we can all agree that would be a major priority for anyone stuck on an unfamiliar world. (I'm only surprised they didn't reinvent Kraft Macaroni and Cheese. Seems like every American who goes to a distant land sends back pathetic pleas for suitcases full of Kraft. Even when they did not eat it at all in the US.)
Basically, this story takes two classic fan fiction tropes (Imprisonment! Amnesia!) and does them up right, in an intensely satisfying story that I re-read at least four times a year.
(Note for readers who happen to be [livejournal.com profile] best_beloved: Yes, [livejournal.com profile] maisierita also wrote that one really sad story. This one is not sad. Authors are allowed to have many facets. READ THIS. You will like it, I swear.) [2]
This actually read so, so quickly that I couldn't believe it was over. The story was perfectly constructed, paced, and characterized with enough innovation in plot and character insights to guarantee that it sticks with me for a while. This was pretty much the perfect blend of everything I love in the Stargate universe: a really interesting/creepy world, strong and believable Rodney and John characterization, and of course, a great building of the Rodney/John relationship.[3]
The one where Rodney and Sheppard are prisoners with no memories. Soooo much to love in this one.[4]
References
- ^ jane_elliot at Epic Recs, 2008
- ^ rec by thefourthvine at 199: Long Is the Way, November 19, 2009
- ^ "recs: supernatural, top gun, stargat atlantis, harry potter". Archived from the original on 2023-06-10.
- ^ "Library Two (SGA)". Archived from the original on 2023-06-10.