The Day After, by Danvers (PG-13)

Rec Category: Daniel Jackson

Pairing: Daniel/Sha're
Category: Daniel Jackson, gen, episode related, angst
Warnings: canon character death
Author on LJ: 01100100
Author's Website: 01100100
Link to Story: The Day After

Why This Must Be Read:  This creepily beautiful story takes place sometime in the middle of Daniel's ten-second/two-week vision that Sha're gives him in the moments before her death. Metaphor upon dreamscape upon nightmare, Danvers paints possible visions that Daniel might have experienced, all leading to the two things that mattered to Sha're most: finding her son, and forgiving Teal'c.

Like Daniel, we're not quite sure what's real and what isn't, but it's all riveting. There's team support, even if all Teal'c can manage is to send a message, "Tell Daniel Jackson…" There's dizzying flashes of Sha're in the most bizarre circumstances, including dressed as a 50's housewife or cooing over the Harcesis child with Daniel's dead mother. Most powerful, however, is Daniel's eventual acceptance of the real difference between Ammonet and Sha're, and what he himself might have been willing to do if his and Teal'c's roles had been reversed.

Forever In a Day was a confusing enough episode that I've seen many fanfic writers make the mistake of insisting that canon includes Daniel actually leaving the SGC while he mourned for Sha're's death. Danvers takes that confusion several steps further, and it's great fun to go along for the ride.

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The Wine of Dionysus, by ELG (PG-13)

Rec Category: Daniel Jackson

Pairing: none

Category:  Daniel Jackson, gen, team, friendship, Jack/Daniel friendship, drama, episode related
Warnings: violence, sexual situations, whumping
Author on LJ: elgrey
Author's Website: ELG at Bunnyfic
Link to Story: The Wine of Dionysus

Why This Must Be Read:  On to Season 3 today – lots of angsty moments for Daniel, and some really, really wonderful fanfic. I hope no one feels I'm spamming their flists with so many stories, but there are so many that are impossible to ignore! I kept it down to four with a major effort and many regrets at missed stories; some of  my favorites, though, are already recced here.

Can't rec the Daniel Jackson category without including an ELG fic, can you? After seeing what's already included in the category's memories, I chose The Wine of Dionysus, a favorite of mine for its emphasis on the lasting events of canon events on the characters, even months or years after they've happened.

In this story, a still-shaken Daniel, recovering from the events of Legacy, gates with the rest of SG-1 to a planet that is, unquestionably, an archeologist's dream come true, albeit with local Goa'uld included in the package deal. This particular Goa'uld, though, seems harmless… or does he? 

In the days that follow, Daniel and Jack do a lot of soul-searching, not quite sure if their distress over past events, particularly those of Need, Legacy and The Broca Divide, is entirely their own or somehow influenced and amplified by Dionysus. Sam and Teal'c play strong, supportive roles, but the story is mostly Daniel's and Jack's, as they both seem sure – or are they? – that the best thing for Daniel would be to leave SG-1 and return to his archeological roots. But those same skills seem to be warning Daniel that things aren't as they should be, and that Dionysus is a lot more dangerous than they thought. And when things suddenly become very personal and up-close, it's up to Daniel to overcome the Goa'uld's manipulations and save not only Earth, but the entire galaxy from the madness of Dionysus.

 Jack is in his element here as CO, period, protecting his team in every way, particularly in an amazing scene with Janet. (I miss Janet!) Sam is at her scientific best, Teal'c is… Teal'c, and Daniel, especially in the final confrontation with his fellow archeologists, is just plain wonderful.

 A long, satisfying Daniel story, with lots of Jack/Daniel interaction and teamy goodness… What more could you want?

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Whipping Boy 101, by Lex (PG-13)

Rec Category: Daniel Jackson

Pairing: none
Category:  Daniel Jackson, Jack/Daniel friendship, drama, humor, episode related
Warnings: some language, some violence
Author on LJ: unknown
Author's Website: Lex at The Tablet
Link to Story:  Whipping Boy 101

 
Why This Must Be Read: In New Ground, Daniel was forced to face two new things: being tortured by human beings, and being made solely responsible for the safety of his teammates. In this fun episode tag, Lex adds another component to Daniel's frustration: being singled out as the weakest link.

To be fair, Rygar probably targeted Daniel because he'd been the one to identify himself by name in the first place, before they went through the Stargate at all. But when Jack is summoned to deal with an angry Daniel late at night, he understands Daniel's frustrations and deals with them the way Daniel wants.

Or, perhaps, doesn't want, by the end of the story. :)

Highlights include Jack's attempts to pretend to be a Goa'uld, Daniel's POV to the scene in the locker room, and some wonderful Jack/Daniel friendship and banter that makes this story a truly wonderful read.

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Symptomatic, by Sneezy (PG-13)

Rec Category: Daniel Jackson

Pairing: none
Category:  Daniel Jackson, gen, episode related, drama, hurt/comfort
Warnings: some language, Daniel and team whumping
Author on LJ: unknown
Author's Website: Sneezy at Heliopolis
Link to Story: Symptomatic

Why This Must Be Read:  There have been a thousand stories told of Daniel's appendix, some attached to Crystal Skull, others not. This one is the only fic I've read which picks up from the final scene of Crystal Skull and takes it from there, and it's the only one that offers a really plausible connection between the planet and Daniel's condition.

Sneezy gives us a terrifying return to the SGC, even more hazardous than SG-1's first trip to the planet. Daniel seemed all right when he first phased fully onto the alien's plane of existence, but does that mean that he wasn't actually affected by the deadly radiation on the planet? By the time SG-1 is back in the SGC, with some very timely help from Teal'c, no one is quite sure what's wrong – or what needs to be done to fix things.

 While Daniel does very little in this story except try to stagger along in Jack's wake, it's still very much about Daniel, especially in the infirmary, when Janet is convinced he's delirious and only Jack realizes that he's actually still thinking faster than everyone else. There's no real happy ending to Daniel's concerns about Nick, but at least Jack feels assured that SG-1 can look forward to some downtime… right?

 Nemesis, here we come. :)

 

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