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

[kylielee1000.livejournal.com]

I think this is the summary, really: God, yes, the years had passed while Rodney had been working; 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.

This bit ties in the water and the renewal, which are great themes here. I liked that the renewal was hard, because it should be.

[cesperanza.livejournal.com]

Yes, totally, though the problem with summaries--and ratings and warnings and pairings and disclaimers, oh, how I hate them all!--is that it gives too much away; I mean, you want to read the line in context, I think, and not give your hand away before the story starts about who's a virgin and where and why (in fact, in that way, John's almost a red herring; midway through the story, you think, oh, he's the virgin, and I hope there was some readerly surprise when it was revealed that, no, the others all are too.

And yeah, totally, renewal should be hard! These villagers know how to throw a ritual cleansing, by God! *G*

[kylielee1000.livejournal.com]

Oh, no, sorry, unclear--I don't think you should rewrite your summary in any way. I was just saying that, if I had to pick a single line from the story that best expresses it, that would be the line I would choose.

There was indeed readerly surprise at everyone being a virgin, and I liked that bit! I was very taken with Teyla's assertion that chastity made someone a better warrior. All that pent-up sexual tension, I guess.

[cesperanza.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I didn't make that up--and it still holds true in sports, no? No sex before the big game, etc?