See? I do occasionally update this-here-thing.

Vardogr is even newer to the Stargate fandom than I am, and far FAR newer to fanfiction than I. In fact, this is vandogr's FIRST 'fic... though not completed until recently. As with the previously 'recced story, this author's fics are ones I'd normally pass by as a) they are Jonas-centric, and b) the author's profile states "English is not my native language". In my experience, the latter is usually a pronouncement of impending doom for me, the English-phile! But not so for this non-native speaker, who puts pen to paper (or is that pixel to page?) far better than many of my fellow Kentuckians...

Okay, that's not saying much.

Anywho, I'm totally unsure WHY I chose to go ahead and read this 'fic, as Daniel is my absolute FAVORITE SG-1 character and my season 6 DVDs are my least-watched of the entire collection (except the discs containing "Abyss", "The Changeling", and "Full Circle", of course). Nevertheless, I'm delighted I gave this one a chance.

How many folks write original characters well? Sadly, not many. Mary Sues and Marty Stus abound in droves, making me cringe any time I see a story with the "OC" tag... (and don't get me started on stories labelled "Daniel/Other"... unless it's "The Barista", of course *wink wink*, or entirely tongue-in-cheek.) *Ahem* Back on topic with me. Lt. Aidan Edrald is perfectly believable.

Highs: Firstly, Edrald. From the moment he first witnesses Jonas' shunning in the mess hall to his angsting over possibly getting kicked off of SG-2 to his Book Fairy impression leaving novels at Jonas' door... solid gold, through and through. Secondly, Jonas. More specifically, the way Jonas is characterized as a lonely, awkward, barely-more-than-a-kid alien with gaping vulnerabilities because he's never learned to distrust anyone (well, not until his own government forced him to lie about what happened when the naquadria bomb almost went off, anyway).

Lows: Well... it's about Jonas, instead of Daniel. That's really my only gripe!

Final analysis: Simply wonderful! Even folks who aren't fans of Jonas (like me... "just the guy who sorta filled in while Daniel was dead", in my opinion) can certainly appreciate Edrald's efforts to befriend Jonas. It strikes pangs of familiarity to Daniel's early years at the SGC as the lone civilian amongst so many military wolves... except made all-the-worse by being branded "Jackson's Killer". If only all those bad-mouthing and ostracizing Jonas had realized that Daniel himself didn't, wouldn't, and doesn't hold a grudge for what Jonas did or didn't do.

Now if only so-called "loyal" fans of the show could get over Daniel being "dead" for season six, and Jack leaving for Washington for seasons nine and ten... *cough*

Title: "Gathering up the Courage"
Author: vardogr
Category: Fiction
Size: 110 KB (30 pages*)
Synopsis: Not every one feels the same way about Jonas Quinn.

*A 'page' by my reckoning is Arial 10pt with 1" margins.