String Theory, A Concerto for Violin in D Minor

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Fanfiction
Title: String Theory, A Concerto for Violin in D Minor
Author(s): Toft
Date(s): 31 August 2006
Length: 11,709 words / 1:05:34 hours
Genre(s): slash AU
Fandom(s): Stargate Atlantis
Relationship(s):
External Links: String Theory, A Concerto for Violin in D Minor (LiveJournal)
String Theory, A Concerto for Violin in D Minor (AO3)
String Theory, A Concerto for Violin in D Minor (audiobook at Audiofic Archive)
cover by Siriaeve

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String Theory, A Concerto for Violin in D Minor is a slash Stargate Atlantis AU fanfic by Toft.

Described by the author as an Orchestra AU, it features John Sheppard as a troubled violinist living in his father's shadow and Rodney McKay as a brilliant but agoraphobic composer.

Author's summary: Orchestra AU, McKay/Sheppard. "John Sheppard had a son? And he plays the violin too? What is he, a masochist?"

The story won a Puddlejumper Award in the AU category of the McKay/Sheppard Fan Awards 2006. summertea recorded a podfic of the story in 2007.[1]

This story was such a hit when it was first released that readers exceeded the bandwidth on Toft's site.

Teyla's role in the story came under criticism,[2] which could be understood as part of a larger conversation[3][4] about latent racism and misogyny, particularly as expressed by roles in SGA AUs.[5]

DVD Commentary

A fan's 2007 DVD commentary is here.

Recs and Reviews

Unknown Date

The way you can tell this is a good AU is because Sheppard and McKay are very recognisably themselves, even though they're in an entirely different situation. We learn about who these people are and how they've got to where they are in bits, which keeps it interesting. And Sheppard and McKay are quite funny together, as usual really."[6]

An AU, wherein McKay is a world-famous composer and Sheppard is a violinist...and yes, it works beautifully. Excellent feel for the professional music world and all the relationships ring true."[7]

Rodney is a composer/conductor, John plays the violin, other characters have minor appearances as musicians too. I'm completely clueless about music, but still this one drew me in and even made their music and performance meaningful for me."[8]

music AU~! This is how music should be written! Music should translate into words and vice versa this easily, with this much passion and anger and fear! The violin is the closest instrument to the human voice; the piano to the human mind. AGH! I just-- I love good AUs. I think I died a little."[9]

2007

Rodney is a brilliant composer/conductor/pianist. Life would have been good if it hadn't been for the break down at 36 and subsequent Agoraphobia. Then again, a couple of months trapped in his apartment does give him the time to write a pretty awesome piece of music. It made me wish there was a little download link to the finished concerto but... er... it doesn't exist so...[10]

So, here we have Rodney McKay the brilliant composer and conductor and John Sheppard the fuckup violinist. And I just - I have such love for this, because it works. These are recognizably our Friends of Pegasus even as they slot perfectly into the orchestra AU roles. (And Ronon is a percussionist. I was a percussionist once, so I practically collapsed at my keyboard when I read that. Seriously, Ronon was born to play percussion.) And it's just - it works. It's wonderful, and it's fun, and it makes my heart turn cartwheels from happiness.[11]

Wonderful AU where John is a slightly damaged violinist and Rodney is a slightly damaged brilliant composer. I want to draw big sparkly hearts around this story.[12]

The One in Which We Learn That We Must Throw off the Shackles of Superstition, for It Can Stand in the Way of Orgasms. String Theory, a Concerto for Violin in D Minor, by toft_froggy. Stargate: Atlantis, Rodney McKay/John Sheppard. I have a great fondness for the alternate occupation AU. If there's a story where Beecher is a bartender and Chris Keller is the bar's bouncer, I will read it with pleasure, even though there are well-documented problems with taking Beecher and Keller out of a prison setting. Same with, for example, a story about Ray Kowalski and Benton Fraser, zoo employees - I will read that one and likely chortle with delight as I'm doing so. And if you make Batman a ship's captain running down the Dread Pirate Joker, I will not only read it but likely die of unbounded fannish glee in the process. SGA gives me an unusually high dose (even dangerously high, but that's fine: my tolerance is astonishing) of this kind of happiness, because the characters fit anywhere. Seriously. I'm not sure why, but it's tough to think of alternate occupations you couldn't give the SGA crew. (It's just like - I have this game I play with Best Beloved: name a movie, and I'll recast it with SGA characters. Classic romance is especially good for this, but almost anything works. The Matrix! Master and Commander! The Godfather! Pride and Prejudice! No, wait, I think someone already wrote that last one.) So, here we have Rodney McKay the brilliant composer and conductor and John Sheppard the fuckup violinist. And I just - I have such love for this, because it works. These are recognizably our Friends of Pegasus even as they slot perfectly into the orchestra AU roles. (And Ronon is a percussionist. I was a percussionist once, so I practically collapsed at my keyboard when I read that. Seriously, Ronon was born to play percussion.) And it's just - it works. It's wonderful, and it's fun, and it makes my heart turn cartwheels from happiness. What more can I say? [13]

2020

The AU premise for this is great—I love musician/music AUs, and the idea of Shepard as a violinist overshadowed by his (extremely) famous father, with Rodney as a composer and conductor, works surprisingly well. Also you get a great look into exactly how messed up these characters are, but how they can still fit together so perfectly. (Also also: wow, that ending.) [14]

References

  1. ^ String Theory mp3, m4b, at the Audiofic Archive
  2. ^ ciderpress: but you're better then normal. you're abnormal. March 30, 2007, Accessed November 22, 2008
  3. ^ harriet_spy: A small note to SGA fandom September 4th, 2006, Accessed 18th of November 2008. Though the main post is describing a general trend in SGA fandom, the comments contain discussion of String Theory specifically, especially in the thread begun by mecurtin.
  4. ^ Metafandom: Friday, March 30, 2007 post. Accessed November 18, 2008
  5. ^ liviapenn: Atlantis meta: time to stop and think about things Posted March 28, 2008. Accessed November 18, 2008.
  6. ^ Haven Reviews - Stargate Atlantis. (Accessed 16 October 2011)
  7. ^ beth_h. Stargate: Atlantis Recs. (Accessed 16 October 2011)
  8. ^ RatCreature. Through the Looking Glass - Alternate Universe Recs. Alternate Universe Recs for Stargate: Atlantis. (Accessed 16 October 2011)
  9. ^ CRASH AND BURN: Fanfiction Recs. Stargate: Atlantis. (Accessed 16 October 2011)
  10. ^ The Deranged Mckay Master list Part 1, korilian, June 27, 2007
  11. ^ thefourthvine: The One in Which We Learn That We Must Throw off the Shackles of Superstition, for It Can Stand in the Way of Orgasms. from 159: God Does Not Play Dice with the Universe. But We Do. recs post, 2007-01-13 (accessed 15 October 2011)
  12. ^ Merelyn at Massive SGA Recs Set, July 25, 2007
  13. ^ rec by thefourthvine at 159: God Does Not Play Dice with the Universe. But We Do., January 13, 2007
  14. ^ "The Rec Center #254". Archived from the original on 2024-07-22.