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This missing scene
story, set within the time-loop of Window Of Opportunity, gives Jack
the
opportunity to safely explore how he feels about Daniel, how
Daniel feels about him, and to gauge both their reactions towards a
possible sexual relationship without the fear of permanent
consequences.
Once all of that has been established, it also gives him time to decide
if he is prepared to risk his career and to sound out other members of
the SGC on the subject.
Acts Of Consequence
is basically a fun romp that gives the author a chance to play with the
popular format of the "Groundhog Day" scenario, which is a personal
favourite of mine. The underlying theme of Jack's love for Daniel and
his very real concerns about the consequences of a relationship with a
man on his career adds a serious underpinning to the humourous aspects
of the story and balances the overall structure in a way that appeals
to
me very much. It's fun to watch Jack's trepidation and extreme
reluctance as he approaches various members of the SGC to actually talk
about his sex life - it's made clear Jack would really rather have his
nails pulled out one by one than have to talk about his feelings - and
there's a very real humour in some of the conversations he has,
especially the one with Janet. However, there's also an
underlying
pathos as Jack faces the probable consequences that their undeniable
feelings might have on both his and Daniel's careers. What I appreciate
is the way this is treated in a straightforward and subtle manner
within
the text. I also enjoy the lack of angst for a change. Jack recognises
he has feelings for Daniel, is aware enough to notice that Daniel might
feel the same way, understands that doing anything about it might
seriously affect his chances of promotion or keeping his job and yet he
faces all these problems head on.
Although this is one
of my favourite stories to read for sheer entertainment, it does have a
number of small technical faults that might bother some readers. It
hasn't been betaed, which I think is always a mistake, but the story
itself contains no glaring inconsistencies or grammatical problems as a
result. There's a tendency to tell the reader how a character is
feeling
or reacting directly rather than showing her through the character's
actions that unfortunately results in a style that is a little more
obvious in places than I generally like. I also noticed the odd
fannish cliche, such as the ubiquitous "deer in the headlights", when
an
original phrase or description would have increased the impact of the
description but again, this is only a small problem. The prose can also
become a little purple in places, as in the following:
"The effect was spellbinding. Daniel's
eyes fluttered shut, and his lips parted. There was the slightest
exhalation of breath - a prayer of a sound in the space of heartbeat.
Jack was mesmerized, drawn into the composition of still passion
painted
under his fingertips."
However, my tolerance
for hyperbole is quite low so this sort of description may not seem as
over the top to some readers as it did to me; it's all a matter of
personal taste. The characterisation isn't the best I've ever come
across - the two guys talk about each other looking "cute" and
"pouting", for example, which I think is more typical of teenage girl
behaviour - but it's certainly within canon parameters for the most
part
and the majority of readers won't find it a problem at all. At
times the point of view gets wobbly and drifts from its primarily tight
third person focus on Jack to that of other characters but again, I
didn't find this affected my pure enjoyment of the story.
Despite these small
technical faults, I enjoy this story enormously and I reread it often.
There is something to enjoy in all the scenes depicted in Acts Of
Consequence but my absolute favourite is when Jack is out of the
time-loop and the time has come for his "real" attempt to tell Daniel
how he feels and to seduce him - and that is romantic and lovely. I
would definitely recommend this story as a fun read with unexpected
moments of seriousness and a very real sweetness at its core.
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