Recs: SGA Animal Transformation/AU fic
I have a soft spot for fics where a character is either turned into an animal (Animal Transformation) or written as if they've always been an animal (Animal AU). Part of it is - hey, cute animals! (Which is why a number of these recs prominently include the word "adorable", and the only reason more of them don't is because of judicious editing.) But I also find it very interesting to see how authors combine the canon human personality traits with those that we associate with the animal in question, and (for transformation fics) all of the different ways the still-human characters try to communicate with the newly-transformed animal.
Note: All stories are McKay/Sheppard, unless otherwise noted.
~~~~~~~~~~
Title: Absurdity Theory
Author: julad
Pairing: McKay/Zelenka
Rating: NC-17
Length: ~10,400 words
Genre: Semi-animal transformation, humor, mild angst, first-time
Summary: John held up the recorder again, and pressed play. "Quack quack quack," it said, in Rodney's voice. "Quack honk quack quack honk honk!" "Honk," Zelenka's voice said. "Quack quack honk." "Okay," Rodney admitted, frowning. "Maybe not as impossible as I thought."
This fic doesn't exactly fit into this category, as no one is actually transformed into an animal, but I think the general concept fits and I really enjoyed it, so in it goes. The basic idea is that Rodney and Radek are cursed so that only they can understand each other, but everyone else just hears quacking. To try and undo the curse, they develop a theory of physics that includes the existence of telepathy, numerology, the Tooth Fairy and the "whole Buffy back catalogue," among other theories that don't usually go into academic physics. It was delightfully funny, but also had a nice mix of mild angst in there, which made the ending much sweeter. Personally, I don't tend to read Rodney/Radek, but this was nicely done.
~~~~~
Title: All Places Are Alike To Me
Author: volehole
Pairing: McKay/Sheppard pre-slash
Rating: PG
Length: ~2,800 words
Genre: Animal transformation
Summary: "Where the hell did you get a cat?" Rodney asked. Ronon inspected it critically. "That's what he is? I thought they were supposed to be dangerous."
Ah, those pesky Ancient kitten-rays strike again. I liked the author's kitty!John, he was very much still John through the entire process, and the mechanism used to switch him back was very sweet.
Teyla seemed to have succumbed the urge to pet Sheppard, and was lightly stroking his back while he looked vaguely uncomfortable. Rodney could sympathise with her, though. Sure, it was Sheppard, but he was all cute and fuzzy now.
~~~~~
Title: Animalia Sequence
Author: Leah
Pairings: McKay/Sheppard, mentions of McKay/Jackson & Jackson/O'Neill
Rating: R
Length: ~11,600 words
Genre: Animal transformation, Pegasus-B universe AU, humor, first-time
Summary: It wasn't like Daniel was *suffering*, or anything. So he was small and fuzzy and eating hamburger on a bed. It kind of looked like fun.
First, if you're not familiar with the pegasus_b universe, be sure to read the author's notes at the very beginning of the fic, because otherwise you'll just start off confused and it won't get any better (there's differences such as Jack O'Neill and Daniel Jackson being part of the Atlantis expedition, Rodney and Daniel being on-again/off-again involved, and nearly every major male character being gay). I came into SGA fandom after the Pegasus-B Universe had passed its heyday, but with the author's notes I still found it easy enough to understand, and the fic is funny enough to put in the effort. There are about a half-dozen different animal transformations that occur over the course of the story, but I think my favorite is John and Rodney turning into penguins that end up on the loose in Atlantis. Ford's hero-worship of John, even in penguin-form, is absolutely hysterical.
Zelenka watched in open-mouthed astonishment, as two small penguins appeared where Dr. McKay and the major had been. The slightly shorter one gave a loud, angry *honk*, then immediately pinched the taller penguin in the neck with its beak, while slapping it repeatedly with its flippers. The taller penguin squawked, then yanked itself out of the other penguin's beak, and fled from the room, the shorter penguin in hot, waddling pursuit. They were surprisingly fast. "Oh dear," Zelenka said.
~~~~~
Title: Antarctic Drift
Author: lavvyan
Rating: PG-13
Length: ~1,800 words
Genre: Animal AU
Summary: Lately, though, his world wasn't just white anymore.
This is a simple, marvelous fic that looks at John and Rodney's life as Emperor penguins. The author did a terrific job of balancing between making it seem real, but not simply a remake of March of the Penguins. While it's clear that they are self-aware, in many ways their thoughts were simpler, again a nice balance between the human and animal. The first story is from Rodney's POV, and the sequel (below) is from John's - both are definitely worth reading.
Sequel: Bipeds and the Deep Blue Sea, PG-13, ~2,000 words, penguin angst - Rodney of course thought the bipeds were fascinating, deciding to study them almost immediately.
~~~~~
Title: But Where Would They Live
Author: thingswithwings
Pairings: McKay/Sheppard, Emmagan/Dex
Rating: G
Length: ~2,700 words
Genre: Humor (crack), animal/natural phenomenon AU
Also rec'd in: Short humor
Summary: Rodney is a unicorn, John is a rainbow, Teyla is a dolphin and Ronon is a spring breeze. And it's a love story.
Yes, I know the summary sounds ridiculous, but you have to read it to believe it. Somehow she manages to make Rodney McKay into a unicorn and while you're reading it, it doesn't seem bizarre at all. Seriously, just go and read it. (It also spawned art by crysothemis, which is adorable and posted at the end of the story.)
Sequel: The Dreams That You Dare to Dream (Or, But What Would the Children Look Like?), G, ~1,700 words - I just don't know where to start. It's now unicorn/rainbow kidfic.
~~~~~
Title: Checkmate
Author: beadattitude
Rating: NC-17 overall, varies by individual fic
Length: 19 fic series
Genre: Animal transformation, humor, angst, first-time
Summary: "Colonel Sheppard," Radek said formally, "You must stop. This backseat playing is unbecoming. And a pain in my ass."
This is a marvelous set of fics where John is changed into a cat during a theoretically routine mission, and it takes awhile for him to change back. The author's cat!John is absolutely dead-on with both John and typical cat behaviors. I think throughout the series I felt the most for Rodney, as we could see just how much he cared for John on multiple levels and how he didn't expect it to be reciprocated. Plus, seeing them talk to each other through English and meows and understanding each other perfectly was very them, since most of the time no one else understands their conversations anyway. :) Parts of it are a bit sappy, so if you like that sort of thing mixed with some mild angst (like I do!), this will be right up your alley.
The series was originally posted as a WIP, and it hasn't been condensed into one file anywhere, so the link above will send you to the author's LJ memories, where each part is listed in the order it was written. Also included there are posts with icons and other art that people created in response to the series, which are really neat. The author suggests (and I agree) that it's best for a first-time reader to go through in written order, but here's a chronological list if you'd like to see the chronological timeline of the series.
~~~~~
Title: Little Bear
Author: kellifer-fic
Rating: PG
Length: ~2,900 words
Genre: Animal transformation, humor, first-time
Summary: "Yes, Rodney?" Elizabeth's voice chirped brightly and Rodney sighed. They'd been having such a good, incident-free week and he hated to ruin it. "Doctor Weir, we have a...slight problem."
John gets turned into a small polar bear cub, with an adorable little spiky tuft of fur between his eyes. And really, all I can say is so cute.
~~~~~
Title: Rodney McKay: Cat Lady of Atlantis
Author: mklutz
Pairing: Gen
Rating: G
Length: ~2,000 words
Genre: Animal transformation, humor
Also recced in: Short humor
Summary: Rodney liked cats. He liked cats a whole lot, but John Sheppard was the most unhelpful cat he had ever met. John liked naps even more than Ronon did and being touched even less than Zelenka.
An adorable fic where people around Rodney keep getting turned into cats. The author does a very nice job of showing us the distinct personalities underlying the cat-like behavior.
Sequel: Belling the Cat: A Mensa AU Remix was also very interesting. It takes place in the Mensa AU universe (the universe that Rod from "McKay & Mrs. Miller" was from), and Rod is turned into a cat. Some of his observations are really interesting, both about cats and "our" Rodney. Gen, ~2,900 words, G
Cats don't have to be everyone's best friend, and no one expects a cat to be nice to everyone. Quite the opposite, they expect to have to earn the trust of a cat. Rod wonders if this is what the other McKay's life has been like, minus the warm monitor naps and the sudden compulsion to bathe several times a day. No pressure to conform, just brutal honesty.
Podfic: Both stories have podfics (mp3 versions) linked at the top of each fic (right below the adorable pictures), and podbooks have been made of them by cybel, and are posted at general_jinjur's audio site. Here's the original story podbook link, and the sequel.
~~~~~
Title: Rodneysaurus
Author: vileseagulls
Pairing: Gen
Rating: G
Length: ~690 words
Genre: Animal transformation, humor (crack)
Also recced in: Short humor
Summary: Rodney the plushie dinosaur
Just adorable. Rodney gets turned into a small dinosaur. Not just any small dinosaur, mind you, but a stuffed dinosaur. Imagining a little Rodney-looking stuffed T-rex gnawing on anything he can get his little claws on (coffee mugs, laptops, John's boxers) amuses me every time.
~~~~~
Title: Twenty four hours with a Rodneysaur
Author: maryavatar
Pairing: Gen
Rating: PG
Length: ~4,200 words
Genre: Animal transformation, humor (crack)
Summary: "Rarr!" Lizard-Rodney growled, showing some wickedly sharp little fangs. John grinned, "Oh my God, Rodney. You're a cute little lizard, aren't you?"
Okay, Rodney as a foot-tall dinosaur? I completely would just pick him up and cuddle him. I'd probably get bitten for my troubles, but it would totally be worth it. I loved that he kept trying to eat everything in sight, including cupcake wrappers and John's socks. If nothing else, this fic is worth reading for the pictures that go along with it (they're inline with the text of the story).
"Colonel Sheppard! Is it true that Rodney has been turned into a dinosaur? And if it's true, which I can only assume it is because Nurse Rashid has no sense of humour, why isn't he in sick bay?"
"Uh." John realized he might be getting a little too used to weird things happening, because it hadn't even occurred to him to get Rodneysaur checked out.
This amused me so much, because it's so true.
Podfic: Read by the author, linked on the story page. Listening to it (especially the growls) made me giggle out loud, much to the consternation of people walking by on the street.
~~~~~
Title: Two-color dog happiness
Author: lcsbanana
Pairings: Gen, pre-slash McKay/Sheppard
Rating: G
Length: ~3,400 words
Genre: Animal transformation, humor (crack)
Summary: I asked people to post pictures of cute baby animals and pick someone from Atlantis to be turned into it. Thus resulted the following.
This is actually a collection of 7 separate ficlets where various characters turn into animals (turtles, dogs, baby pandas, small hippos, etc.). Very cute. I have a hard time deciding on my favorite, but I think it's a three-way tie between turtle!Rodney, mice!team, and puppy!John (all he wants out of life is to sit in Rodney's lap, and maybe lick himself).
~~~~~
Title: Untitled (True dinosaur!Rodney)
Author: giddygeek
Rating: PG
Length: ~2,800 words
Genre: Animal transformation, humor (crack)
Summary: Teyla approached Rodney like he was a wild animal, hands out, movements slow. "How could such a thing happen?" She touched Rodney's leg carefully. "I have never known such a people for transformation," she said, looking at John. "Is this much change common on your planet?" "Oh yeah," John said. "Have Beckett tell you about plastic surgery sometime."
This fic cracked me up, just at the very idea of Rodney as a huge, lumbering T-rex-like dinosaur. I felt bad for him smashing the laptops while trying to work, but it was hysterical to see him using "pathetic dinosaur melodrama" to get John to bring him more Powerbars.
~~~~~
Title: What's Yours is Mine
Author: ladycat777
Rating: G
Length: ~2,000 words
Genre: Animal transformation
Summary: Rodney twisted his body easily, giving her a glare of perfect contempt before turning back to Teyla. His eyes were luminous under the fluorescents, reflecting eerily.
This fic is so darn cute it makes me wiggle my toes in delight. Rodney gets turned into a cat and is just as demanding as when he's human. John's petulance at Rodney's preference for perching on Ronon's shoulders is just perfect. Very sweet.
~~~~~
Title: The Wheel, Atlantis, Wars, and So On
Author: cesperanza
Rating: R
Length: ~3,600 words
Genre: Animal transformation, first-time
Summary: "Eeee! Eeeee! Eee-ee!" the dolphin said, and the shell echoed back, "Oh my God! You people are so stupid!"
Just the very idea of Rodney as an irritated dolphin cracks me up, and this fic executes the premise marvelously. Unsurprisingly, John goes after Rodney when he's been gone awhile, and John's utter joy in discovering that swimming feels like flying is just lovely. Plus, there's a sweet ending, which is always nice.
~~~~~
Title: When John Met Rodney
Author: bethynyc
Pairings: McKay/Sheppard, Emmagan/Dex
Rating: PG
Length: ~1,300 words
Genre: Animal AU, humor (crack)
Also recced in: Short humor
Summary: Three years after Ronon and Teyla started dating, the city offered to buy him out to make room for the Second Avenue Subway. Teyla's two bedroom condo in Chelsea was already a familiar second home. This caused the first major problem in their relationship. Introducing the cats.
This is an adorable fic. The basic premise is that John and Rodney are both cats, owned by Teyla and Ronon. And at first, they don't quite like each other. I liked the characterizations of Teyla and Ronon, and John and Rodney translated perfectly into their cat personalities.
Sequel: Just Another Day in New York, PG-16, ~2,800 words - John pressed his nose to the wire. "You don't understand. There's prey out there!" Also adorably cute, and Rodney's reactions were pitch-perfect, both for a cat and for human!Rodney. Be sure to look for a cameo by yinfic's John from Walk This Way.
~~~~~
Title: With Feathers
Author: aesc
Rating: PG
Length: ~1,600 words
Genre: Animal AU, humor (crack)
Also recced in: Short humor
Summary: Every winter it's the same story: John tries to lead them across the field, over the river, and up the hill through the forest, but the snow blankets every convenient landmark, piling in drifts over the stone walls and bushes and even the long flat path the humans have made.
This is another complete AU where Rodney and John (and a number of other Atlantis characters) are Meleagris gallopavo silvestris (a.k.a. wild turkeys) living in New England. I really enjoy well-done crack fic, so I was delighted at the very premise of the story, and it managed to even go beyond my expectations. The sequel (below) is also delightful, and perfectly translated human!Rodney's scientific curiosity into turkey!Rodney's curiosity about humans and their bright orange coats. In both fics, I really got the sense of seeing the world through the eyes of a turkey, and in general the author did a very nice job of translating the personality characteristics we know from the human characters into their animal counterparts. Also? It's so clear that in whatever incarnation, John will do whatever he can to protect Rodney. ::scritches their heads fondly::
John's been obsessed with climbing to the top of the crabapple tree and balancing on very delicate limbs, flapping his wings while he tosses crabapples down. Usually Rodney has something to say about John's incredible carelessness, but, well, it's crabapples. Rodney loves crabapples.
Sequel: A Bird of Courage, G, ~570 words - John, like the rest of the flock, recognizes that Rodney is very, very smart, even for a Meleagris gallo-whatever, but there are times when John wonders exactly how smart.
Note: All stories are McKay/Sheppard, unless otherwise noted.
~~~~~~~~~~
Title: Absurdity Theory
Author: julad
Pairing: McKay/Zelenka
Rating: NC-17
Length: ~10,400 words
Genre: Semi-animal transformation, humor, mild angst, first-time
Summary: John held up the recorder again, and pressed play. "Quack quack quack," it said, in Rodney's voice. "Quack honk quack quack honk honk!" "Honk," Zelenka's voice said. "Quack quack honk." "Okay," Rodney admitted, frowning. "Maybe not as impossible as I thought."
This fic doesn't exactly fit into this category, as no one is actually transformed into an animal, but I think the general concept fits and I really enjoyed it, so in it goes. The basic idea is that Rodney and Radek are cursed so that only they can understand each other, but everyone else just hears quacking. To try and undo the curse, they develop a theory of physics that includes the existence of telepathy, numerology, the Tooth Fairy and the "whole Buffy back catalogue," among other theories that don't usually go into academic physics. It was delightfully funny, but also had a nice mix of mild angst in there, which made the ending much sweeter. Personally, I don't tend to read Rodney/Radek, but this was nicely done.
~~~~~
Title: All Places Are Alike To Me
Author: volehole
Pairing: McKay/Sheppard pre-slash
Rating: PG
Length: ~2,800 words
Genre: Animal transformation
Summary: "Where the hell did you get a cat?" Rodney asked. Ronon inspected it critically. "That's what he is? I thought they were supposed to be dangerous."
Ah, those pesky Ancient kitten-rays strike again. I liked the author's kitty!John, he was very much still John through the entire process, and the mechanism used to switch him back was very sweet.
Teyla seemed to have succumbed the urge to pet Sheppard, and was lightly stroking his back while he looked vaguely uncomfortable. Rodney could sympathise with her, though. Sure, it was Sheppard, but he was all cute and fuzzy now.
~~~~~
Title: Animalia Sequence
Author: Leah
Pairings: McKay/Sheppard, mentions of McKay/Jackson & Jackson/O'Neill
Rating: R
Length: ~11,600 words
Genre: Animal transformation, Pegasus-B universe AU, humor, first-time
Summary: It wasn't like Daniel was *suffering*, or anything. So he was small and fuzzy and eating hamburger on a bed. It kind of looked like fun.
First, if you're not familiar with the pegasus_b universe, be sure to read the author's notes at the very beginning of the fic, because otherwise you'll just start off confused and it won't get any better (there's differences such as Jack O'Neill and Daniel Jackson being part of the Atlantis expedition, Rodney and Daniel being on-again/off-again involved, and nearly every major male character being gay). I came into SGA fandom after the Pegasus-B Universe had passed its heyday, but with the author's notes I still found it easy enough to understand, and the fic is funny enough to put in the effort. There are about a half-dozen different animal transformations that occur over the course of the story, but I think my favorite is John and Rodney turning into penguins that end up on the loose in Atlantis. Ford's hero-worship of John, even in penguin-form, is absolutely hysterical.
Zelenka watched in open-mouthed astonishment, as two small penguins appeared where Dr. McKay and the major had been. The slightly shorter one gave a loud, angry *honk*, then immediately pinched the taller penguin in the neck with its beak, while slapping it repeatedly with its flippers. The taller penguin squawked, then yanked itself out of the other penguin's beak, and fled from the room, the shorter penguin in hot, waddling pursuit. They were surprisingly fast. "Oh dear," Zelenka said.
~~~~~
Title: Antarctic Drift
Author: lavvyan
Rating: PG-13
Length: ~1,800 words
Genre: Animal AU
Summary: Lately, though, his world wasn't just white anymore.
This is a simple, marvelous fic that looks at John and Rodney's life as Emperor penguins. The author did a terrific job of balancing between making it seem real, but not simply a remake of March of the Penguins. While it's clear that they are self-aware, in many ways their thoughts were simpler, again a nice balance between the human and animal. The first story is from Rodney's POV, and the sequel (below) is from John's - both are definitely worth reading.
Sequel: Bipeds and the Deep Blue Sea, PG-13, ~2,000 words, penguin angst - Rodney of course thought the bipeds were fascinating, deciding to study them almost immediately.
~~~~~
Title: But Where Would They Live
Author: thingswithwings
Pairings: McKay/Sheppard, Emmagan/Dex
Rating: G
Length: ~2,700 words
Genre: Humor (crack), animal/natural phenomenon AU
Also rec'd in: Short humor
Summary: Rodney is a unicorn, John is a rainbow, Teyla is a dolphin and Ronon is a spring breeze. And it's a love story.
Yes, I know the summary sounds ridiculous, but you have to read it to believe it. Somehow she manages to make Rodney McKay into a unicorn and while you're reading it, it doesn't seem bizarre at all. Seriously, just go and read it. (It also spawned art by crysothemis, which is adorable and posted at the end of the story.)
Sequel: The Dreams That You Dare to Dream (Or, But What Would the Children Look Like?), G, ~1,700 words - I just don't know where to start. It's now unicorn/rainbow kidfic.
~~~~~
Title: Checkmate
Author: beadattitude
Rating: NC-17 overall, varies by individual fic
Length: 19 fic series
Genre: Animal transformation, humor, angst, first-time
Summary: "Colonel Sheppard," Radek said formally, "You must stop. This backseat playing is unbecoming. And a pain in my ass."
This is a marvelous set of fics where John is changed into a cat during a theoretically routine mission, and it takes awhile for him to change back. The author's cat!John is absolutely dead-on with both John and typical cat behaviors. I think throughout the series I felt the most for Rodney, as we could see just how much he cared for John on multiple levels and how he didn't expect it to be reciprocated. Plus, seeing them talk to each other through English and meows and understanding each other perfectly was very them, since most of the time no one else understands their conversations anyway. :) Parts of it are a bit sappy, so if you like that sort of thing mixed with some mild angst (like I do!), this will be right up your alley.
The series was originally posted as a WIP, and it hasn't been condensed into one file anywhere, so the link above will send you to the author's LJ memories, where each part is listed in the order it was written. Also included there are posts with icons and other art that people created in response to the series, which are really neat. The author suggests (and I agree) that it's best for a first-time reader to go through in written order, but here's a chronological list if you'd like to see the chronological timeline of the series.
~~~~~
Title: Little Bear
Author: kellifer-fic
Rating: PG
Length: ~2,900 words
Genre: Animal transformation, humor, first-time
Summary: "Yes, Rodney?" Elizabeth's voice chirped brightly and Rodney sighed. They'd been having such a good, incident-free week and he hated to ruin it. "Doctor Weir, we have a...slight problem."
John gets turned into a small polar bear cub, with an adorable little spiky tuft of fur between his eyes. And really, all I can say is so cute.
~~~~~
Title: Rodney McKay: Cat Lady of Atlantis
Author: mklutz
Pairing: Gen
Rating: G
Length: ~2,000 words
Genre: Animal transformation, humor
Also recced in: Short humor
Summary: Rodney liked cats. He liked cats a whole lot, but John Sheppard was the most unhelpful cat he had ever met. John liked naps even more than Ronon did and being touched even less than Zelenka.
An adorable fic where people around Rodney keep getting turned into cats. The author does a very nice job of showing us the distinct personalities underlying the cat-like behavior.
Sequel: Belling the Cat: A Mensa AU Remix was also very interesting. It takes place in the Mensa AU universe (the universe that Rod from "McKay & Mrs. Miller" was from), and Rod is turned into a cat. Some of his observations are really interesting, both about cats and "our" Rodney. Gen, ~2,900 words, G
Cats don't have to be everyone's best friend, and no one expects a cat to be nice to everyone. Quite the opposite, they expect to have to earn the trust of a cat. Rod wonders if this is what the other McKay's life has been like, minus the warm monitor naps and the sudden compulsion to bathe several times a day. No pressure to conform, just brutal honesty.
Podfic: Both stories have podfics (mp3 versions) linked at the top of each fic (right below the adorable pictures), and podbooks have been made of them by cybel, and are posted at general_jinjur's audio site. Here's the original story podbook link, and the sequel.
~~~~~
Title: Rodneysaurus
Author: vileseagulls
Pairing: Gen
Rating: G
Length: ~690 words
Genre: Animal transformation, humor (crack)
Also recced in: Short humor
Summary: Rodney the plushie dinosaur
Just adorable. Rodney gets turned into a small dinosaur. Not just any small dinosaur, mind you, but a stuffed dinosaur. Imagining a little Rodney-looking stuffed T-rex gnawing on anything he can get his little claws on (coffee mugs, laptops, John's boxers) amuses me every time.
~~~~~
Title: Twenty four hours with a Rodneysaur
Author: maryavatar
Pairing: Gen
Rating: PG
Length: ~4,200 words
Genre: Animal transformation, humor (crack)
Summary: "Rarr!" Lizard-Rodney growled, showing some wickedly sharp little fangs. John grinned, "Oh my God, Rodney. You're a cute little lizard, aren't you?"
Okay, Rodney as a foot-tall dinosaur? I completely would just pick him up and cuddle him. I'd probably get bitten for my troubles, but it would totally be worth it. I loved that he kept trying to eat everything in sight, including cupcake wrappers and John's socks. If nothing else, this fic is worth reading for the pictures that go along with it (they're inline with the text of the story).
"Colonel Sheppard! Is it true that Rodney has been turned into a dinosaur? And if it's true, which I can only assume it is because Nurse Rashid has no sense of humour, why isn't he in sick bay?"
"Uh." John realized he might be getting a little too used to weird things happening, because it hadn't even occurred to him to get Rodneysaur checked out.
This amused me so much, because it's so true.
Podfic: Read by the author, linked on the story page. Listening to it (especially the growls) made me giggle out loud, much to the consternation of people walking by on the street.
~~~~~
Title: Two-color dog happiness
Author: lcsbanana
Pairings: Gen, pre-slash McKay/Sheppard
Rating: G
Length: ~3,400 words
Genre: Animal transformation, humor (crack)
Summary: I asked people to post pictures of cute baby animals and pick someone from Atlantis to be turned into it. Thus resulted the following.
This is actually a collection of 7 separate ficlets where various characters turn into animals (turtles, dogs, baby pandas, small hippos, etc.). Very cute. I have a hard time deciding on my favorite, but I think it's a three-way tie between turtle!Rodney, mice!team, and puppy!John (all he wants out of life is to sit in Rodney's lap, and maybe lick himself).
~~~~~
Title: Untitled (True dinosaur!Rodney)
Author: giddygeek
Rating: PG
Length: ~2,800 words
Genre: Animal transformation, humor (crack)
Summary: Teyla approached Rodney like he was a wild animal, hands out, movements slow. "How could such a thing happen?" She touched Rodney's leg carefully. "I have never known such a people for transformation," she said, looking at John. "Is this much change common on your planet?" "Oh yeah," John said. "Have Beckett tell you about plastic surgery sometime."
This fic cracked me up, just at the very idea of Rodney as a huge, lumbering T-rex-like dinosaur. I felt bad for him smashing the laptops while trying to work, but it was hysterical to see him using "pathetic dinosaur melodrama" to get John to bring him more Powerbars.
~~~~~
Title: What's Yours is Mine
Author: ladycat777
Rating: G
Length: ~2,000 words
Genre: Animal transformation
Summary: Rodney twisted his body easily, giving her a glare of perfect contempt before turning back to Teyla. His eyes were luminous under the fluorescents, reflecting eerily.
This fic is so darn cute it makes me wiggle my toes in delight. Rodney gets turned into a cat and is just as demanding as when he's human. John's petulance at Rodney's preference for perching on Ronon's shoulders is just perfect. Very sweet.
~~~~~
Title: The Wheel, Atlantis, Wars, and So On
Author: cesperanza
Rating: R
Length: ~3,600 words
Genre: Animal transformation, first-time
Summary: "Eeee! Eeeee! Eee-ee!" the dolphin said, and the shell echoed back, "Oh my God! You people are so stupid!"
Just the very idea of Rodney as an irritated dolphin cracks me up, and this fic executes the premise marvelously. Unsurprisingly, John goes after Rodney when he's been gone awhile, and John's utter joy in discovering that swimming feels like flying is just lovely. Plus, there's a sweet ending, which is always nice.
~~~~~
Title: When John Met Rodney
Author: bethynyc
Pairings: McKay/Sheppard, Emmagan/Dex
Rating: PG
Length: ~1,300 words
Genre: Animal AU, humor (crack)
Also recced in: Short humor
Summary: Three years after Ronon and Teyla started dating, the city offered to buy him out to make room for the Second Avenue Subway. Teyla's two bedroom condo in Chelsea was already a familiar second home. This caused the first major problem in their relationship. Introducing the cats.
This is an adorable fic. The basic premise is that John and Rodney are both cats, owned by Teyla and Ronon. And at first, they don't quite like each other. I liked the characterizations of Teyla and Ronon, and John and Rodney translated perfectly into their cat personalities.
Sequel: Just Another Day in New York, PG-16, ~2,800 words - John pressed his nose to the wire. "You don't understand. There's prey out there!" Also adorably cute, and Rodney's reactions were pitch-perfect, both for a cat and for human!Rodney. Be sure to look for a cameo by yinfic's John from Walk This Way.
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Title: With Feathers
Author: aesc
Rating: PG
Length: ~1,600 words
Genre: Animal AU, humor (crack)
Also recced in: Short humor
Summary: Every winter it's the same story: John tries to lead them across the field, over the river, and up the hill through the forest, but the snow blankets every convenient landmark, piling in drifts over the stone walls and bushes and even the long flat path the humans have made.
This is another complete AU where Rodney and John (and a number of other Atlantis characters) are Meleagris gallopavo silvestris (a.k.a. wild turkeys) living in New England. I really enjoy well-done crack fic, so I was delighted at the very premise of the story, and it managed to even go beyond my expectations. The sequel (below) is also delightful, and perfectly translated human!Rodney's scientific curiosity into turkey!Rodney's curiosity about humans and their bright orange coats. In both fics, I really got the sense of seeing the world through the eyes of a turkey, and in general the author did a very nice job of translating the personality characteristics we know from the human characters into their animal counterparts. Also? It's so clear that in whatever incarnation, John will do whatever he can to protect Rodney. ::scritches their heads fondly::
John's been obsessed with climbing to the top of the crabapple tree and balancing on very delicate limbs, flapping his wings while he tosses crabapples down. Usually Rodney has something to say about John's incredible carelessness, but, well, it's crabapples. Rodney loves crabapples.
Sequel: A Bird of Courage, G, ~570 words - John, like the rest of the flock, recognizes that Rodney is very, very smart, even for a Meleagris gallo-whatever, but there are times when John wonders exactly how smart.