Shades of Oannes, by Redbyrd (PG)
Rec Category: Daniel Jackson
Pairing: none
Categories: Daniel Jackson, team, angst, friendship, episode related, gen
Warnings: none
Author on LJ: redbyrd_sgfic
Author's Website: Redbyrd's Stargate Fanfiction
Link: Shades of Oannes
Why This Must Be Read: It's practically a rite of passage for any writer of Daniel fics to tackle Fire and Water. It takes a writer of Redbyrd's caliber, though, to take this episode and come up with a delightfully new slant that makes the story feel fresh and intriguing all over again.
In Shades of Oannes, Redbyrd gives us the unique twist of seeing the events of the episode through Daniel's eyes – a perspective that I've personally never seen before. We witness Daniel's struggles to connect with Nem, and his conviction, once Nem has warned him that he "is lost" to the SGC, that no one is going to come and find him. Even more intriguing, we get to see Daniel's increasingly confused reactions to what he finds waiting for him back on Earth… especially the lingering repercussions of Nem's machine, not for himself, but for his friends.
Any Redbyrd fic is a treat. As always, she does a neat job of filling in the blanks left in the episode, and giving us interesting perspectives to events we thought we already knew so well. With teamy goodness and support, and Daniel discovering a little more about himself, Shades of Oannes is a great retelling of one of the best episodes of Season One.