Stewardess Fanfiction

Hmm.. I see what you mean regarding John not keeping Rodney on his team, but if this was "real life" (and let's face it, SGA is not very real-life compliant) Rodney would really never have been on Johns team in the first place. Highly trained soldiers never take highly strung, out of shape, undertrained civilians on dangerous military ops with them (at least I would hope they don't!)

I have read one other story inspired by this prompt, don't know if thats the one you were referring to, and I didn't find that one abusive at all. What bothered me about this one was not really Johns actions (although as you know, in any safe BDSM environment they would be considered dangerous) but more the overall tone of "John knows best". I just can't see how John could think that the way to get Rodney to trust him in the field is to completely betray Rodneys trust in the bedroom. He takes something that should be enjoyable and rewarding for the both of them and turns it into a terrifying object lesson. Now that (in real life) would be a major deal-breaker for many people. What I couldn't get past in the fic was not so much Johns actions, because it is just fiction and I neither want nor need my favourite characters to be paragons of virtue, but rather the overall tone that because John had Rodneys safety and best interests at heart, it's all ok. To use your parent/child analogy from further up the page, it's like a parent beating the crap out of their child to stop them fighting in the schoolyard. It may have the desired effect, but that doesn't mean it's the right thing to do, or that you're not a deeply shitty person for doing it (general you of course, not you personally). For Rodney to just accept this type of unsettling behavior from John without any kind of censure is where the feeling of abuse comes in (for me). I just can't help feeling that John needs to experience some consequences from Rodney, trust has to work both ways after all. You mentioned that your ending left open the possibility that Rodney may be angry in the morning, or that BDSM may be off the cards from now on. I have to say I didn't really see that at all (although that may just be my interpretation). I think if that was more evident I wouldn't have had a problem with the fic at all.

Reading the other comments on this page, I don't really think it needs a non-con warning (although different people have wildly different ideas of what "non-con" actually entails) but maybe some kind of "look out, unsafe BDSM and possible triggering issues within" warning? I don't know, it's hard to categorize something like this. It's also your story, and you don't have to do anything that you don't feel is applicable, but you've got some really polarised responses here. :)

Fitz