Cam/John fic: 'When Your Story is Untold' [moved to AO3]

[collswan]

This journal is closed

x-posted to the Archive

Comments

[gaffsie]

I don't think I'm strong enough for a relationship like John and Cam's. All that uncertainty...

[collswan]

This pair is just so capable of angst - I don't know who would be strong enough for it, honestly.

[carolyn_claire]

That's so terribly sad, in part because it's so true.

[collswan]

I usually like them happy, I'm not sure where all the angst is coming from lately. But yes, if they were involved, I doubt anyone would have a clue.
Thank you for commenting.

[skieswideopen]

Ooh, poor John! I love stories that address the difficulties of their relationship--galaxies apart, and not being able to tell anyone. And this is really nicely done--so much angst in such a small space!

[collswan]

Thank you.
Didn't I say several months ago that I didn't like so much angst with these two - that I wanted happy endings? Something like that. The more I dwell on it, the more difficult happiness seems for these two. *whimpers*

[skieswideopen]

The problem is that they're both portrayed as highly career-focused, and their careers are in different galaxies. So they're always going to have to choose between SG-1/Atlantis and physically being with each other. That makes it tough, unless you go AU and even then, it's hard to write AUs without SG-1 and Atlantis. The best I can come up with for genuine, untarnished happiness is set it in the future, when they've had their time with SG-1 and/or Atlantis, and are content to do something new that lets them be together. (DADT is a problem too, of course, but it's easy enough to write that away.)

[collswan]

I so agree with you. Although I don't know if John would ever allow himself untarnished happiness - he seems to have such a guilt complex. Cam would be tenacious enough to keep pushing him, though, IMO.

The next one in this 10_fic challenge is leaning towards AU because I need some fluffy fun happy stuff after all this angst. LOL!

[skieswideopen]

I'm not sure if John feels guilty or just responsible, but he's certainly emotionally complicated. Personally I enjoy angst--or at least certain types of angst--so I'm mostly okay with that, but it does make harder to write them happy.

So are you going all-out AU, or just slightly veering off-course?

[collswan]

Complicated for sure.

So are you going all-out AU, or just slightly veering off-course?
I really have no idea. I've been thinking about one of the prompts you left on comment_fic about WWII for some time now, although I don't have much of a plot fleshed out. I'm thinking John a RAF pilot that gets shot down and Cam is a French Resistance fighter. It's not exactly like your prompt, but it did spark that idea.

My other thought is to keep going with these 10_fics as a loosely-related set. They can't really be a set b/c I've contradicted myself between the first one and this one. But between Cam's angst and John's angst, I really want them to talk about it.

Ugh, I don't know! *headdesk*

[skieswideopen]

Well, you've got room to have them talk and still do an AU. And I'd love to see a WWII AU, in whatever form. But I can see the aesthetic appeal of keeping them linked, and that does sometimes make things easier.

(Speaking of angst, did you see today's comment_fic theme? I couldn't resist leaving a John/Cam prompt, but I went with a different twist this time.)

[collswan]

I haven't played around at comment_fic for a while. *rushes over*

ANGST! oooo... I like your shared grief prompt. :)

There are way too many story threads possible - how is that when there was only one teeny little scene? Or is it because there was only one teeny little scene? ;)

[skieswideopen]

That's what gives power to drabbles and short fic, right? Everything they suggest and don't say?

[scrollgirl]

Yeah, that's what I usually do, because I fail at writing angst.

[skieswideopen]

I find angst the easiest thing to write. But I'm very glad other people write other things, because I like seeing them happy.

[collswan]

While really fluffy-fluff isn't my cup of tea, I didn't think I would ever want to write angst. skieswideopen had a point when she said it's easy to do with these two, now I believe her.

[scrollgirl]

This was perfect, seriously perfect. I love the wedding photos, and how the one of young John and Cam is both a couples photo and a buddies photo. Their relationship is unspoken, blurring the boundaries of friendship and romantic love. It must eat away at them, never being able to talk about who they are to each other, nobody knowing or respecting that connection.

Wonderful story!

[collswan]

Thank you! I'm glad to hear that I seemed to capture all that stuff, because that's what I intended. :)

[ninja007]

I loved your POV and it struck me the same time as John, that who would tell Cam? Great fic and so marvelously written.

More? I'd love to read Cam's POV.

Thank you!

[collswan]

Thank you! I'm so glad you enjoyed it.

[jimpage363]

This was a tight moment of illumination for Sheppard, or at least the possibility. I found myself hoping that he follows up on it, although he could still leave it at not knowing what to tell Cam. I really enjoyed this.

[collswan]

Thank you! I think he does need to follow up on it, otherwise it'll distract him too much.

[sid]

I loved this, and the ending is perfect!

[collswan]

Thank you so much for reading and commenting!

[mirror_mirrin]

Ok, wow. This is just so heart-wrenching. Why are they on the edge of death all the time? Not that I'm complaining, mind you, you write it so nicely and give us a happy ending. :) Please write more john/cam! Thanks, hun, loved this story.

[collswan]

Why are they on the edge of death all the time? Because they're Big Damn Heroes? ;)
I'm glad you're enjoying it!