Competent!Rodney fic

[allaire.livejournal.com]

I find myself with the strong desire to find and read McKay-centric fic in which Rodney gets to shine and his work/his actions are recognized. Either because of his general work (Atlantis' CSO plus member of a gate team; a scientist braving unknown danger, especially the Wraith) or because of one particular action (a scientific discovery, a risky rescue of others, or some such). The cherry on top would be if the SCG (or SG-1 in particular) admitted that they would have never expected something like that from Rodney McKay.

The second kind of fic I'm looking for is sort of related - I'd like to read stories set post-"Trinity" in which Rodney is treated badly by all (most) members of the Atlantis expedition for what happened with Duranda, but doesn't take it lying down. What I'd love to read most would be stories which feature him quitting, leaving Atlantis and creating a new life (and career) on Earth. If especially John Sheppard got to eat some humble pie over the course of the story, I'd be delighted.

I'd like to ask that any stories recommended were either McShep slash or gen (although, if written extremely well and believable, I guess I could accept any het or slash pairing aside from McKay/Beckett and McKay/Weir).

Thank you!

edit: Now with an extra helping of ranty ranting in the comments! Woo-hoo!

Comments

[rilestar.livejournal.com]

I highly recommend iibnf's "Post-Trinity phenomenon" list (http://iibnf.livejournal.com/1328223.html), which is a collection of post-Duranda stories with a handy rating guide as to just how hated Rodney is in each story. It's great!

[riani1.livejournal.com]

My Competent!Rodney collection on Delicious

http://delicious.com/riani1/CompetentRodney

He may either be competent or just stalwart in the face of adversity--mind the Torture tag--but he shines in these stories.

[debris_k.livejournal.com]

Seconding the above-mentioned list - it's awesome! My favorites from there are perhaps lavvyan's Trinity's Fall (http://lavvyan.livejournal.com/12730.html) and ladycat777's Venia (http://ladycat777.livejournal.com/795245.html), both wonderful in and outside this lovely lemon and China obsessed crack!genre.

[bluflamingo.livejournal.com]

If especially John Sheppard got to eat some humble pie over the course of the story

Obviously, your right to ask for whatever you want, but what's John supposed to eat humble pie *for*? He's not the one who betrayed someone's trust and nearly got them both killed.

[rawa-02.livejournal.com]

I've been looking for your second request also.

[allaire.livejournal.com]

That list is awesome - thank you very much! I'd have replied sooner, but first I had to make serious inroads into the stories on the listing. *g*

[allaire.livejournal.com]

I totally agree. And the whole 'China' thing has been kind of in the back of my brain ever since the episode first aired - tropes are tropes because they're tropes, right? *g*

[rilestar.livejournal.com]

Ahaha! I understand completely - I opened the link to copy the url and was nearly late for work, I just wanted to start reading them all again!

[allaire.livejournal.com]

Thank you! Now I know what I'll have to go through next... *g*

[allaire.livejournal.com]

Let's just agree to disagree on that, okay?

I've just deleted - unposted - my first reply to this because it was a rant. I just want to say that I hated the hypocrisy of John's actions after Duranda, because - in glaring contrast to everyone else - apparently Rodney wasn't allowed to make any mistakes, ever.

[allaire.livejournal.com]

Oh, hi - well, then enjoy the replies (like I do *g*).

[(Anonymous)]

McKay was treated like shit (sometimes he deserved it, sometimes he didn't) in the whole series, but the reaction after Doranda was extreme. Everyone did make mistakes, big mistakes - or due to some really unfortunate events caused bad things to happen. Sheppard woke the Wraith (sure, he didn't mean to do that, he was only doing what's best for everyone, right?), Carson and the Hoffans, Carson and the retrovirus and we could continue...Well underlined - only Rodney got shit for what he did...well, sorry. Didn't want to get so in detail.

[allaire.livejournal.com]

Those are exactly the points I'd wanted to make before I stopped myself. *g*

[bluflamingo.livejournal.com]

only Rodney got shit for what he did

Well, Rodney got yelled at by Elizabeth and then John said he'd have to re-earn his trust, which seemed to have happened by the next episode. That's not that serious for what happened. And there's a difference between making a mistake through lack of knowledge, like Sheppard and Carson in your examples, and making a mistake because you're convinced you know better despite evidence to the contrary, which is what Rodney did.

[bluflamingo.livejournal.com]

I think it was less Rodney wasn't allowed to make mistakes and more Rodney made mistakes that could have been avoided if he hadn't been so arrogant, and John was hurt that Rodney abused his trust (not that Rodney made a mistake, actually). But yes, we should probably agree to disagree on this.

[allaire.livejournal.com]

The whole "abused his trust" thing is actually the height of hypocrisy for me. Sheppard could have aborted the mission any time he wanted (or rather, any time he had a good explanation for Weir, Caldwell and the SGC). Until the end, they - and he - kept hoping that the project would work, and they'd get their super-duper weapon (they could have listened to Zelenka's "doubts", but they didn't).

Blaming Rodney's just the easy way out that absolves them of their own complicity. They basically demanded that he'd give them a written guarantee on a scientific project light-years beyond their own level of technology, and then were pissed when he failed despite it. Rodney shouldn't have been so dead certain he'd be able to deliver, but he's not to blame for the others' delusions (and greed). The damn weapon created an environment where the laws of physics ceased to apply.

There's plenty of blame to go around on this. I still say they picked a scapegoat for their own bad judgment.

But before we hijack this thread, as you said - let's just agree to disagree. *g*

[allaire.livejournal.com]

And what about that cutting little remark several episodes later? No, John hasn't forgotten (and possibly not forgiven, either). Not that anyone ever made little sarcastic asides mentioning the fact that, oh, hey, the Wraith should still be asleep, right?

On that first Hive, John stormed in without sufficient knowledge of what situation he'd face (he could have gotten a crash course on the Wraith from the Athosians if he'd bothered to take a few of them along on his rescue mission), and the whole galaxy paid the price for his arrogance and ignorance. He cared more about following his own moral code in order to feel good about himself ("We don't leave our people behind!") than about getting crucial intel.
Carson failed to look beyond the immediate present to the implications of the research on Hoff (Stupidity? Nearsightedness? Arrogance?), and later repeated the damn mistake with Elia and again with Michael. By then, he should have known better.

Rodney didn't have "evidence to the contrary". He had (strong) indications, but in my opinion, the (no matter how small) chance of success by far outweighed the repercussions of failure, especially since they'd be risking a mere two lives and an empty solar system versus a weapon to kill the Wraith.

And as for Elizabeth's qualities as a leader? She was never shown as an able diplomat, and certainly should have known that you don't yell at other people's superior within the range of their hearing. She was well within her rights to dress him down, but so that everyone could hear? Major leadership fail.

/rant

Sorry. Shutting up now.

[brasslizard.livejournal.com]

*gleeful cackle* Oh, this is marvelous! Thank you!

[riani1.livejournal.com]

I've also got a tag for Military McKay. Not enough links in that one.

[riani1.livejournal.com]

Word.

[mckay-s-geek.livejournal.com]

Thank You so much I've been looking for that list for weeks.