Pure Bodies and Clean Hearts by Speranza (Virgin Challenge)

[cesperanza.livejournal.com]

Title: Pure Bodies and Clean Hearts (26k)
Author: Speranza
Pairing: McShep
Summary: John gets a do-over.

Thanks to shalott, giddy, and res for beta beyond the call of duty.

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

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And the rest of the file is similar, ending with:


I"Oh, puarse! ou mh rewadirgin"tor aentaingute ;w'm ned ng aa ift -ing sdry



Is this only me? Help!

[tharaist.livejournal.com]

Clever idea, love the story. Yay!

[http://users.livejournal.com/_minxy_/]

Oh wow, with this virgin challenge, there's been a running theme of whoever it is feeling isolated and like no one understands what it means or they ought to be ashamed, so I love that you have this understanding between John and Rodney, an 'oh, I get it,' and that it's Teyla and Ronon who don't get why it's a big deal, and even wierdly celebrate it.

I love the distiction between sleep and bed. I love that John compares credentials with Rodney and finds him wanting. I love that the love part, the being wanted the next morning part, really is new ground for John, so they both really do cross a bridge.

Awesomeness. What a great challenge.

[grand-sophy.livejournal.com]

Funny, and charming, and a wonderful evocation of the joy of being alive. Thank you.

[bluebrocade.livejournal.com]

I love how you have 3 of them as virgins. That's a new twist. And Rodney's "sketchy credentials". Hee! Terrific story.

[mahoy.livejournal.com]

*eep*
The cuteness kills me.
Of course John would almost immediately lose his virginity ... again.

Makes me wonder what the planet's people will say in the morning when the unpure, unchaste John and Rodney show stumbles from their tent. They are in the sacred forest, right?

I'm sensing a long, hard run back to the stargate.

[renenet.livejournal.com]

and suddenly the village elder was hobbling through the crowd, her face transfixed with joy, and then John felt it, too-- the sun on his face, the ground solid beneath his knees, and Teyla and Rodney warm on either side of him, their arms around him, and Ronon Dex ready to kill for him, and holy crap, he was in the Pegasus galaxy, he was the military commander of Atlantis and the luckiest man alive. He felt scraped raw, aching, but reborn somehow, and suddenly he was hiccupping and maybe crying a little, because he was alive, and still sort of young, and he could do anything he wanted, now; anything at all.

OMG, this *hit* it for me, and everything after was yummy, sexy love frosting on my delicious cake. I love you, man!

[diluvian.livejournal.com]

Hee!

"I, uh--I mean, I'm stunned, and really kind of confused, but I'm pleased--I mean, like, really, really pleased--and uh, also very horny at the moment, so maybe--"

Ah, that's perfect.

[mousewrites.livejournal.com]

Aww, this was too sweet. It made me happy in all the places that are grumpy today.

:D

[snarkymcsnarker.livejournal.com]

*the stream of time had dragged Rodney down and battered him against its own sort of rocks, and now it had brought him to John, gasping for breath and brand new*

I'm a little bit in love with that phrase. I re-read it about six times, and something about it just sticks in my head. Lovely.

[lilysaid.livejournal.com]

This resonated just right with me. It's immediately become one of my favorites, and I even got teary at the end. Just wonderful!

[crownglass39.livejournal.com]

Oh! HELL yes!

[rivkat.livejournal.com]

What I really like here is Rodney's narration of his emotional state at a moment when almost anyone else would be equally stunned, but with fewer words.

[imkalena.livejournal.com]

AWWWW! So much love!!!

[sage]

Oh. Oh, gorgeous.

I don't have words for how wonderful this is. It's all amazing, but I especially love the vividness of the trip through the rapids and John's realization of the sublime as he surfaces.

*loves*

[merelyn.livejournal.com]

He. This was all beautiful and giddy and just cute. Loved it!

[troyswann.livejournal.com]

Wow, that is lovely. I particularly like, for some reason, Ronon stretching out his legs and his amused smile as John goes after Rodney. There's something about that tacit approval that makes this moment between John and Rodney also about the team, too, and what they are to each other as a unit. Oh, also, the water in John's lungs being beautiful, that's wonderful.

Most excellent.

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

Mmmm. Joyous and sweet, and talk about slurpingly hot.

Thank you, and thank you for this challenge. Man, it's been good.

Icarus

[http://users.livejournal.com/tesserae_/]

Remarkable, and I loved the whole notion of rebirth through John's eyes. One wonders what Rodney would have made of that experience....

[irishdf]

This just made me incredibly happy. I love the team aspect of it. How they understand one another's foibles and complicated histories. How they don't judge one another, but rather simply listen with affection and respect.

The idea that Teyla and Ronon, growing up in the Pegasus Galaxy, under extremely trying circumstances, practice celibacy rang true and real. It
would be difficult to indulge in love when the world is in constant danger of falling apart around you.

And I was truly struck by Rodney's quiet revelation about the difficulty of beginning university at 14, and how that left him vulnerable to all sorts of unsavoury attention. I've often thought that that would be a pitfall of being a child genius. Because people often want to be associated with greatness and keep it for themselves. And the fact that he would be so young would, in the eyes of certain predatory people, make him an easy target. (That probably wouldn't last once they actually met Rodney.) I appreciated that there was a genuine reason for Rodney's celibacy, and not simply the usual 'He's no good with people, a social buffoon' excuse.

And John's willingness to embrace his new-found purity, and be so completely open and honest with Rodney, was just too delightful for words. The sex was hot, and sweet at the same time. And I have to say that I love, love, loved Ronon's amused smile when John was running after Rodney. It shows that he knows exactly what goes on around him, at all times, and that he approves. And just shows, once again, the affection that he feels for them.

This is a small gem of a story. Thanks so much for sharing it. :)

[adannu.livejournal.com]

This virgin thing, it makes me grin madly. And I can completely see the near-death experience affecting John like it did. *solemn nod*

(go, Ronon, go!)

[stellahobbit.livejournal.com]

Everytime someone in one of my OTPs says "I love you" and I believe it? I get teary.

[melagan.livejournal.com]

Aw man. I started smiling at the begining and by the end I was grinning from ear to ear.

You just make my heart happy. /vbg/

Born Again Sheppard

[kensieg.livejournal.com]

This is a wonderful story. John seen and done a lot; I like the fact that he was "born again" and could now appreciate things more and really connect with everyone.

I'd like to see more of this changed John. He seemed happier. As if now that his emotional scars were erased he had more emtional mobility. No pain, no baggage, no scars, just wonder at life.


as usual very well done!

[beeej.livejournal.com]

This is magical and wondrous and I love it to pieces! :)