Pretty Poison

Phoenix-Verse - Selmak’s War (Stargate SG-1) Now Complete

2025-04-20T09:26:51Z

Title: Selmak’s War (Phoenix-verse)
Fandom: Stargate SG-1
Category: Gen, AU

Summary: Separated from Jacob, Selmak forms an alliance with a disgraced Jaffa. When his host is taken by Anubis, Selmak must stay hidden, or die.

Link: Selmak’s War - all chapters on AO3

Chapter by chapter
Chapter 1: Jaffa Separated from Jacob, Selmak’s new host is a disgraced Jaffa. When Anubis attacks the planet where they are imprisoned, their attempt to escape does not exactly go to plan.

Chapter 2: Reunited The Tok’Ra are scattered following Anubis’s attack; as Daniel and Entar try to plan their next move Selmak finds his way to the Free Jaffa homeworld.

Chapter 3: Alliance Sam proposes a mission that might put an end to Anubis.

Chapter 4: World Enough and Time When the mission takes an unexpected turn, Daniel takes a risk with lasting consequences.

Sorry to take so long finishing this story. I really struggled with this last chapter. I always knew how it had to end, but it was hard to know how much of what’s in my head to include. I hope I struck the right balance.

comments

Phoenix-Verse - Selmak’s War (Stargate SG-1) (WIP)

2025-03-25T20:14:19Z

Title: Selmak’s War (Phoenix-verse)
Fandom: Stargate SG-1
Category: Gen, AU

Summary: Separated from Jacob, Selmak forms an alliance with a disgraced Jaffa. When his host is taken by Anubis, Selmak must stay hidden, or die.

Link: Selmak’s War - all chapters on AO3

Chapter by chapter
Chapter 1: Jaffa Separated from Jacob, Selmak’s new host is a disgraced Jaffa. When Anubis attacks the planet where they are imprisoned, their attempt to escape does not exactly go to plan.

Chapter 2: Reunited The Tok’Ra are scattered following Anubis’s attack; as Daniel and Entar try to plan their next move Selmak finds his way to the Free Jaffa homeworld.

Chapter 3: Alliance Sam proposes a mission that might put an end to Anubis.

(I thought I could finish this in three chapters but the third one turned out way too long. So I need just one more to wrap up the story.)

comments

Phoenix-Verse - Selmak’s War (Stargate SG-1) (WIP)

2025-03-10T13:51:05Z

Phoenix-verse - Selmak’s War (Stargate SG-1) (WIP)

2025-02-24T20:08:03Z

Title: Selmak’s War (Phoenix-verse)
Fandom: Stargate SG-1
Category: Gen, AU

Summary: Separated from Jacob, Selmak forms an alliance with a disgraced Jaffa. When his host is taken by Anubis, Selmak must stay hidden, or die.

Link: Selmak’s War - AO3

Author Notes: Oh, man this one is tough! I was almost at the end of writing it when I realised I screwed up and had to scrap the last chapter. But I know where I went wrong so hopefully the re-write won’t take forever. I think it will be three chapters - but they are long chapters. The first (this post) is purely Selmak’s side of the story I have already told: everything that happened to him after being separated from Jacob. Chapter two will resolve the plot threads left hanging at the end of A New Path and then Chapter three brings the over-arching story to its climax. It’s been a journey.

comments

Fic: Phoenix-verse - A New Path (Stargate SG-1, COMPLETE)

2025-01-23T16:15:14Z

Title: A New Path (Phoenix-verse)
Fandom: Stargate SG-1
Category: Gen, AU

Summary: Freed from the Goa'uld Osiris, Sarah Gardner finds a new life with the Stargate Program. Until an excavation on a distant planet reveals a secret kept buried for thousands of years.

Link: A New Path - All Chapters on AO3

Chapter by Chapter
Chapter 1 - Freed from Osiris, legally dead, Sarah needs help to rebuild her life. Jack offers her a job at the SGC.
Chapter 2 - An off-world excavation brings surprising revelations.
Chapter 3 - SG-1 uncover a terrifying secret.
Chapter 4 - Daniel makes a fateful decision.
Chapter 5 - Daniel seeks help from his friends.
Chapter 6 - As the Tok’Ra gather, danger strikes from a new direction.

comments

Fic: Phoenix-verse - A New Path (Stargate SG-1, WIP)

2025-01-20T17:01:59Z

Fic: Phoenix-verse - A New Path (Stargate SG-1, WIP)

2025-01-13T16:31:04Z

Thoughts

2025-01-07T17:13:25Z

When I write fiction, I often feel like I’m not actually making it up, more channelling something that is real. I guess if you subscribe to the many-worlds theory, it’s at least possible. I can’t “force” a story in a direction I choose.

Sometimes it’s because I know how it ends, so everything in the story is leading to that. I can’t do tangents that might derail the train, no matter how fun it might be.

Other times, I have no conscious idea where it’s going but when the character eventually let me know, it’s exciting to see how it all fits together.

In the story series I’ve been posting, I have mostly known how it ends. The main thread focusses on Daniel and his story, I know. But part of the story was the fate of Jacob/Selmak and in Kali Destroys an unexpected thread showed up. I had absolutely no idea where that was going.

And today I found out what happened. I know all of what happend while they were missing, I know how they ended up as they are, and I know what happens next. I literally wanted to dance when this came to me, because it’s the perfect conclusion to this arc.

But it means I have to decide how to end the current story.

I can end A New Path on a positive note, but leave the Selmak thread “forgotten”. Or I can tie that thread into the end of the current story - but that would require a major cliffhanger ending. I don’t like to do that.

I have a about a month before I’ll post the last chapter of ANP, so I’ve got until then to decide.

Thoughts? Do you like cliffhangers?

comments

Fic: Phoenix-verse - A New Path (Stargate SG-1, WIP)

2025-01-06T19:47:18Z

Fic: Phoenix-verse - A New Path (Stargate SG-1, WIP)

2025-01-02T16:50:02Z

Fic: Phoenix-verse - Kali Destroys (Stargate SG-1, AU, Complete)

2024-12-18T17:35:53Z

Title: Kali Destroys (Phoenix-verse)
Fandom: Stargate SG-1
Category: Gen, AU, Horror

Summary: Daniel and Entar's search for Jacob and Selmak leads them to a discovery that might change everything...if they survive to tell the tale.

Link: Kali Destroys - all chapters on AO3

Chapter by chapter

Chapter 1: Origin - Seeking news of Selmak’s fate, Daniel travels to Kali’s homeworld.
Chapter 2: Oubliette - Trapped underground, Daniel makes a horrifying discovery.
Chapter 3: Broken - Kali's return to her homeworld complicates Daniel's mission.
Chapter 4: Buried - Daniel struggles in the aftermath of an attack on Durga.
Chapter 5: Truth - Daniel must deliver the news to his friends on Earth.
Epilogue - Decisions are made; consequences become clear.

Note: This was always going to be a horror-themed story, but while I was writing it I lost someone very close to me. That put me in a dark place for a while and it changed a few things in my writing. There is no character death but, well, there are worse things than dying. And sometimes leaving it to the imagination is worse still.

comments

Fic: Phoenix-verse - Kali Destroys (Stargate SG-1, AU, WIP)

2024-12-10T19:57:06Z

Title: Kali Destroys (Phoenix-verse)
Fandom: Stargate SG-1
Category: Gen, AU, Horror

Summary: Daniel and Entar's search for Jacob and Selmak leads them to a discovery that might change everything...if they survive to tell the tale.

Link: Kali Destroys - all chapters on AO3

Chapter by chapter

Chapter 1: Origin - Seeking news of Selmak’s fate, Daniel travels to Kali’s homeworld.
Chapter 2: Oubliette - Trapped underground, Daniel makes a horrifying discovery.
Chapter 3: Broken - Kali's return to her homeworld complicates Daniel's mission.
Chapter 4: Buried - Daniel struggles in the aftermath of an attack on Durga.

Note: This was always going to be a horror-themed story, but while I was writing it I lost someone very close to me. That put me in a dark place for a while and it changed a few things in my writing. There is no character death but, well, there are worse things than dying. And sometimes leaving it to the imagination is worse still.

comments

Writing

2024-12-09T12:23:55Z

Loving the TS Secret Santa so far this year. My secret work is all done and ready to go.

So now I’m back on the Stargate story. The next chapter of Kali Destroys is almost ready to post. Then I think I have one more chapter to go. And at least one more story to tell after that which will resolve the ongoing arc.

And then I may be done for a while. Or maybe not. Who knows? I don’t currently have any fic ideas beyond the current one. Something might come to me.

comments

I need a Christmas icon

2024-11-30T08:34:23Z

It’s almost December. Social media is full of Thanksgiving, which is a holiday we don’t have in the UK and not one I really get. I mean, we celebrate an assassination attempt on our king every November, so I guess it’s not that weird to celebrate a genocide…but I don’t get it.

1 December is Mum’s birthday. Was Mum’s birthday. Gonna be tough this year. Sis wants us to go out to dinner. Maybe because that’s what we did most years for Mum. She was impossible to buy gifts for so unless there was something specific she wanted we would pick a really great restaurant and treat her. I don’t want to spend that much to be miserable, but I told Sis okay if we go somewhere a bit less pricey.

Then there’s just the rest of the month to get through. Thank goodness for the TS Secret Santa. That’s gonna keep me going if things are difficult at home. My contribution is submitted and I’m really looking forward to seeing what everyone else has come up with.

I need to make myself post here more often. I don’t know how many people read my ramblings, but feeling like someone does helps me feel connected. It’s much too easy for me to isolate myself these days. I’m naturally introverted and self-sufficient but it’s not good to have no connections.

LJ is impossible to use now. I don’t know what they’ve done to their interface but I’m not going to post there any more. And I can’t access LJ from work (probs because it’s Russian and I work for the govt.). I also killed my twitter account because it’s now the land of hate. So I’m here, I’m on Insta (but rarely post) and on BlueSky…where I haven’t been posting but maybe need to start. Also AO3, which isn’t technically a social network but is feeling more like one for some reason - not in a bad way!

comments

Man, is it December already?

2024-11-24T19:40:56Z

My TS Secret Santa fic is done, ready for posting. Just need the collection to open so I CAN post. I have time to maybe write another story or two for the challenge. I really do enjoy Sentinel; it’s such a comfort-blanket of a fandom. None of the angst and fandom wars that seem to be everywhere else, and I still love the characters after all these years.

Still working on the Stargate WIP; I just had to put it on hold because the secret Santa had a deadline. Getting back to that one soon.

comments

Fic: Phoenix-verse - Kali Destroys (Stargate SG-1, AU, WIP)

2024-11-11T17:46:22Z

Title: Kali Destroys (Phoenix-verse)
Fandom: Stargate SG-1
Category: Gen, AU, Horror

Summary: Daniel and Entar's search for Jacob and Selmak leads them to a discovery that might change everything...if they survive to tell the tale.

Link: Kali Destroys - all chapters on AO3

Chapter by chapter

Chapter 1: Origin - Seeking news of Selmak’s fate, Daniel travels to Kali’s homeworld.
Chapter 2: Oubliette - Trapped underground, Daniel makes a horrifying discovery.

Note: This was always going to be a horror-themed story, but while I was writing it I lost someone very close to me. That put me in a dark place for a while and it changed a few things in my writing. There is no character death but, well, there are worst things than dying. And sometimes leaving it to the imagination is worse still.

comments

Fic: Phoenix-verse - Kali Destroys (Stargate SG-1, AU, WIP)

2024-11-04T19:19:01Z

Pondering a fic idea

2024-09-16T14:35:02Z

…And realised I’m missing a key fact.

Does Jim Ellison have a canon date of birth?

comments

Any paradox can be paradoctored (?)

2024-08-30T15:32:52Z

Peter Jackson’s King Kong came out in 2005. I remember something he said in the promos about his film vs the original. There’s a scene where the characters fall into a chasm and find it full of giant insects and worms. Yuck. But he said that in the original, important bits of that sequence were cut, so you never found out how they climbed out of there. The characters who fell just showed up later, with no explanation and no idea what happened to the ones who didn’t make it. In creating his version, Peter Jackson deliberately decided to have the whole cast fall, so he had no choice but to explain and include how they got out of the chasm.

Off the top of my head, I can’t remember how they got out 😉 But then, it’s a long time since I’ve watched it.

Anyhow, to my actual point. I’m writing a story and I don’t know how to get my characters out of the chasm.

The chasm is important. It’s a dark story and I need to go into the dark. It’s not that there are no options for getting out. I have several. But none of them work for me. It feels too easy.

My instinct says to go with one of the easy choices but have it go badly wrong. The problem is, if I do that, then I have to go to an even darker place and I don’t think there’s a way back from that. In the past, I wouldn’t blink: if I had a plot that had to end in death or worse, I would go there. But that’s not where I want to go with this story. I need an ending that’s, if not happy at least positive.

So…I need a way out of the chasm that’s not one of the options I currently have on my table.

😔 🤔

comments

Two new fics

2024-08-21T15:13:46Z

A couple of short stories written for fan_flashworks prompts.

Title: Emotional Archaeology
Fandom: Stargate SG-1
Category: Gen, Episode tag

Summary: Coda to Show and Tell - Jack wants to be alone; Daniel doesn’t agree.

Link: Emotional Archaeology - on AO3

Title: Pride is Protest
Fandom: The Sentinel
Category: Slash

Summary: Pride is protest. In Cascade, that matters.

Link: Pride is Protest in fan_flashworks.

comments

Fic: Phoenix-verse - Resurrections (Stargate SG-1) Now Complete

2024-08-09T12:46:47Z

Title: Resurrections (Phoenix-verse)
Fandom: Stargate SG-1
Category: Gen, AU

Summary: The return of an old enemy spells danger for SG-1, and Daniel turns to the Jaffa Rebellion for aid when he uncovers disturbing news about an old friend.

Link: Resurrections - all chapters on AO3

Chapter by chapter
Chapter 1: Rescue Mission - The Tok’Ra bring news of a missing SG team.
Chapter 2: Scars - SG-1 must battle a hurricane as well as enemy Jaffa.
Chapter 3: Treasure - Jack and Daniel spend some time together, and Thor asks the Tau’ri for help.
Chapter 4: Trap - As the team takes on a mission on a frozen planet, Teal'c has misgivings.
Chapter 5: Unknown Enemy - Daniel and Entar’s investigation isn’t going well; Jack worries when he can’t contact the off-world team.
Chapter 6: Discoveries - The mysterious enemy reveals himself.
Chapter 7: Home - Daniel asks Jack and Teal’c for help with his search.
Chapter 8: Negotiation - At Cal Mah, Daniel and Entar encounter an old friend.

comments

Tattoo

2024-08-08T07:32:39Z

( Pic )

Last summer I added a tat to my left arm; this summer I finally have a new one on the right - this is a cover-up, getting rid of an older tat that had been damaged. The scar is covered, too. Really happy with this one.

comments

Fic: Phoenix-verse - Resurrections (Stargate SG-1, WIP)

2024-08-05T17:29:29Z

Fic: Phoenix-verse - Resurrections (Stargate SG-1, WIP)

2024-07-30T17:27:38Z

Fic: Phoenix-verse - Resurrections (Stargate SG-1, WIP)

2024-07-25T16:52:03Z