thequirkyfan

Fandom: Stargate Atlantis
Characters/Pairings: John Sheppard/Rodney McKay, Elizabeth Weir, Aiden Ford, Bates, Patrick Sheppard
Rating: Explicit
Length: 11,848
Content Notes: Author chose not to warn - my take would be that no AO3 warnings apply, although there's dubious consent at times, when John's being harassed as a sub.
Creator Links: Helenish on AO3, Ann ciudad on Audiofic Archive
Themes: Crack treated seriously, BDSM, Complete AU: BDSM, Friends to lovers, Worldbuilding, Trope inversion/subversion,

Summary: John entered the Air Force Academy in 1987; it was only the third year subs were accepted into the flight program. John wasn't the only one in his class, but he was the only one who looked like he did, and it didn't make him any friends.

Reccer's Notes: This story is well known in SGA fandom, and it's also crack treated seriously. The cracky premise is that it's set in a BDSM universe - almost everyone is bi and BDSM relationships are the norm, so there's no homophobia or DADT - but in this AU there is discrimination against subs. Unlike several other BDSM universe fics which are very much idfics revelling in the crack of John/Rodney being Dom/sub and the hotness and romance of their dynamic, Helenish turns the concept around, making John the attractive sub, and making the discrimination and "sexual" harassment he faces lifelong, especially as a sub in the military (and how that affects his character), the core of the story. It becomes an analogy for sexism and gender roles, and his expectations about being badly treated by doms come close to ruining his developing relationship with Rodney, an atypical dom who isn't "sexist", which disconcerts John. The story's complex and brilliantly written, and one I'll always return to. Very much recommended.

Fanwork Links: Take Clothes Off As Directed on AO3
The podfic read by Ann ciudad is also excellent.