Reveille

Fanfiction
Title:	Reveille
Author(s):	Lady of Shalott
Date(s):
Length:
Genre:	slash
Fandom:	Stargate SG-1
External Links:
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Reveille is a Jack/Daniel story by Lady of Shalott.

Reactions and Reviews

As I've said before, this story sucks people into SG1 fandom so fast that sometimes it happens in the middle of conversations. You'll just be casually chatting to a fangirl, and then there's a WHOMP, and suddenly she's in SG1 fandom. That's pretty much what happened to me, anyway. (Not to worry; the WHOMPing doesn't leave marks, except, you know, a sudden love of a new fandom.)

Why? Well, this story is fun. And it really shows off the delightful perfection of the Jack and Daniel dynamic (and why it's so very appealing to turn that into a Jack/Daniel dynamic). There's intoxication and telepathy and humor. And, best of all, you need no canon knowledge to read it. The first time I read this, I'm pretty sure I still thought Sam was a boy. So, seriously: it's a delightful romp with no prerequisites besides a love of slash. Why aren't you reading it already?

Jack and Daniel wake up in bed together on another planet and what happens after that makes for a fascinating and interesting look at two of our favourite members of SG-1 as they try to remember how they got there. As a result of what they uncover they find themselves forced to tackle a significant change in their relationship that neither could have predicted or expected. The Lady of Shalott's plotline hits one of my major kinks and I enjoyed this story very much. I was only sorry it wasn't quite a bit longer and I wished it could have explored the complexities and ambiguities of this situation in much greater detail. As it is, I think it fails to do adequate justice to its thematic concerns: the writing is a little too spare and there is so much left unsaid that I wanted to know.

The story is told from Jack's point of view and as the two struggle against accepting the the situation they find themselves in, Jack has the most trouble accepting the truth. Much of the angst in the story comes from Jack's refusal to face the reality of their situation and the truth of his own feelings for Daniel. Daniel is seen very much through Jack's eyes but, as usual, the Lady of Shalott can be relied upon to produce accurate characterisations and to avoid dealing even with canon cliché situations in anything less than an original and entertaining manner. I especially loved the appearance in this story of a strong, independent Daniel figure, both as a character in general and as a lover. A strong Daniel is not a common characterisation in fan fiction so I tend to enjoy it all the more when I come across an example.

I have to warn any potential reader that this is one of those stories that has an ending that won't please everybody because it offers no concrete conclusion to the major dilemma Jack and Daniel face. One is left with the inference that the two have made their decision and are at peace with that but what that decision might be is not told within the framework of the story. It is up to each reader to decide for herself which solution she prefers and some people will find that incredibly frustrating, even though, in my opinion, there is really only one solution most readers will want to come to. The final two paragraphs were my favourite in the whole story and, without giving too much of the plot away, I decided that Daniel and Jack refused. The tranquillity of that final scene was for me an indication that they had finally made their peace with the situation.

I would definitely recommend the Lady of Shalott's Reveille as a thoroughly enjoyable story. She handles what could have been a cliché fanon situation - Jack and Daniel waking up in bed together - in an original and thoughtful manner.

jack and daniel wake up in bed together on a mission and discover that they can hear each other’s thoughts after drinking too much of the local hooch. this is a well-written take on an old cliche, with great character voices and a satisfyingly bittersweet conclusion.