TEAM COOL: top dog, "The Casualties of Truth"

[fluffyllama]

Title: The Casualties of Truth
Author: trillingstar
Team: Cool
Prompt: top dog
Pairing(s): McKay/Sheppard
Rating: NC-17
Warnings: Dark. Dub-con, implied non-con. Consent is valued at a different standard in this alternate reality.
Word count: 4,900
Summary: A body is a body is a body, but blood and brains... now, those are special. Vital. The soldier,

Comments

[goddess47]

That's... truly f*cked up.... in all the best ways, of course....

[trillingstar]

Thank you :D

[fanficfan123]

The emotional as well as physical brutalities of this dystopic AU are chillingly conveyed. Any emotional attachments and sexual needs have been stunted and twisted, shaped to what this Earth's society claims is the pinnacle of progress, patriotism, and global defense, rather as bonsai are shaped into an unnatural form according to a specific definition of beauty. This John's full-range of potential needs and desires have been trimmed and shaped as well as Rodney's--though it is obviously Rodney (and other civilian resources) who bear the full brunt and burden of this system. John here seems to have some innate, very forbidden masochistic as well as sadistic tendencies; whether Rodney left to his own choices would be masochistic at all is unclear. He does right at the beginning ask to have the chastity device unlocked. But that is denied him . . . John is too good a soldier to shirk his duty and step outside his role in 'stress management,' though at the story's very end we hear John's unvoiced wish that Rodney could know more of

[trillingstar]

Oh yes. Twisted doesn't begin to cover it, lol. I like your analogy to bonsai trees. Looking in, we're horrified, but they all think it's totally normal to bend and break... or be bent, and get broken. John parrots the standard politics but still has stray thoughts that question the norm (even though he's been socialized to feel guilt over it). I wanted John to be completely unreliable as a narrator, so I'm glad that worked.

It did occur to me that it could be difficult to qualify 'liking' the story, but, it's what I wanted to write :) Thank you for your thoughtful comments, they're always appreciated.

[fanficfan123]

You are very welcome. Responding helped me articulate my reactions for myself, as well.

[inu_spockya]

fuuuck... this one sent a shiver down me spine for sure. bit too much like some shit going on right now to be entirely comfy -- which just makes it better, really. Brrr!! now me bones are all cold, gotta go get me something to warm 'em up again.

gotta wonder though, if the scientists could ever break free of the system...

brrr!!!

[trillingstar]

Good! Hee. Shivers down your spine was my goal, so thank you! *wraps you up in a fleece blanket* Cuppa? :)

gotta wonder though, if the scientists could ever break free of the system...
I think sometimes that things can be so indoctrinated, so 'normal,' that they're not questioned because - well, it's just the way things are. Which doesn't make it "right," of course. But right according to who? And whose norm? And if it really was an all-out war against the Wraith, what might people be willing to do in order to protect humanity? (Hah, "humanity"!)

To sum up: YES, they absolutely broke free and brought about world peace. But probably not. *brrrr*

[popkin16]

What a chilling, fascinating AU this is. Everything is so twisted, so dark and uncomfortable, but at the same time it's all so interesting. I don't like the idea of Rodney getting "the disease" and eventually slipping into a coma, but given how hard he works, how far he's pushed, it's bound to happen. The stress management bits were hot, but overlaid with that sense of twisty darkness of the verse. I wish the boys would get a happy ending, but that seems very very unlikely. Still, a fantastic read! Wonderful world building and hot sex!

[trillingstar]

Awesome, I'm so pleased that you liked it, even with the prospect of their crap futures. Thank you for your lovely comments!

[mific]

Ooof - that was seriously hot and packed a hell of a punch. I really loved the dark distorted 'verse you created here - great worldbuilding in a relatively brief fic, amazing. The horror was in how trapped they all were in their roles - John by his lineage and culture's expectations and taboos, as much as Rodney. It had a very Orwellian feel of two people caught in the system, connecting in ways they're not supposed to, but still in the end locked into their places in the dystopia. Loved all the echoes of canon you wove in - especially Ma Beckett - that's the first dark Mother Beckett I've ever read I think and now I want more fics where she's a machievellian evil genius! Great stuff.

[trillingstar]

Thank you so much! I'm thrilled that you enjoyed the worldbuilding. Your reference to Orwellian undertones is spot-on; certainly I wasn't trying to be subtle with the mix of imperialism, nationalism (planet-ism?), and twisted perceptions of freedom. Still, it's difficult to know that you've hit the right notes until a bit of feedback comes in, so I'm really glad that worked, and oh -- dark Mother Beckett deserves stories. She has tricks up her sleeves. Her evil sleeves.