DS Recs Redux

Title: "Five Years Ago And Three Thousand Miles Away"
Author: abbybanks
Pairing: Fraser/RayK
Rating: G
Length: 300 words
Why I'm reccing this fic: This is a perfect snippet of pure, undiluted angst. If you think it's impossible to tell a real story in 300 words, take a minute to read this one, and let it sink in.
When I left Ray, and returned to Canada...

Five Years Ago And Three Thousand Miles Away

It seems I have something of a "naive Fraser" theme going here...

Title: Beer and Sports
Author: Moonlon (maryavatar)
Pairing: Fraser/RayK
Rating: PG
Length: ~1,000 words
Why I'm reccing this fic: Straightlaced Fraser finds your big box 'o porn. What happens next?

( A brief excerpt )

Beer and Sports


Title: Five Things That Never Happened To Ray and Ray
Author: cesperanza
Pairing: Ray/Ray
Rating: Not Rated (NC-17)
Length: 800 words
Why I'm reccing this fic: I love a good outing fic. Fraser's five possible reactions to finding Ray and Ray en flagrante delicto are priceless.

( A brief excerpt )

Five Things That Never Happened To Ray and Ray


Title: I Coulda Been a Defendant
Author: alex51324
Pairing: none
Rating: G
Length: ~1,100
Why I'm reccing this fic: It's hilarious. Fraser discovers he's a criminal -- a repeat offender no less.

( A brief excerpt )

I Coulda Been a Defendant

*hands out party hats, throws confetti*

At long last! Oh, you guys, people recced their hearts out for this challenge, and we are so grateful to all of you who did, and to all of you who went on to read and vote in the DS Match. The stories from both teams were fabulous, wildly diverse, and fascinating, and we at Recsredux are so happy we got to share in the fun.

People recced like the wind, definitely, but in the end we can only have one winner. Or, uh, six. We're funny like that. Drumroll, please..

FIRST PRIZE of AWESOMENESS goes to: thady!
It was a tough, close race, but Thady won the day. The marvelous and talented sd_wolfpup will be making a vidlet of Thady's very own in honor of all that rectasticness.

SECOND PRIZE goes to: keerawa!
Keerawa amazed us all with not only a whirlwind of recs, but also by going back over all her posts and putting in the names of the authors after the reveal. For this, she gets a BONUS prize of awesome. She will receive podfics on the stories of her choice from two of our team members, the amazing and world-renowned sexy-voiced slidellra and, well, me.

THIRD PRIZE goes to: jule1122!
Jule's recs have earned (seriously, you'll want a drumroll now) a tiny!person from the uniquely creative sisterofdream. Jule may reserve the right to re-enact the Match stories with said tiny!person.

FOURTH prize goes to: ramen_addict!
ramen_addict was only one rec away from a tie with Jule, so there will be a shiny ficlet prize from one of our Match team members for such distinguished efforts.

And because we could not resist, FIFTH and SIXTH prizes go to:
kyriacarlisle and mlyn!
They shall each receive an icon from the brilliant genius that is simplystars.

Reccers, thank you so much for making the Recvitational a success. Please contact me at dessert_first at livejournal dot com and I'll put you each in touch with your corresponding prize-makers. Congratulations, and thanks for sharing the awesome!

Title: Making the Scene
Author: joandarck
Pairing: Fraser/RayK
Rating: PG
Length: 2725 words
Why I'm reccing this fic: Undercover in a gay bar cliche, with an absolutely hysterical deadpan Fraser. Do not attempt to eat or drink while reading. The arts are no joke, friend.

( A brief taste )

Making the Scene

Title: Gun, with Occasional Kangaroo: A Love Story
Author: Punk
Pairing: Fraser/RayK
Rating: PG
Length: 76k
Why I'm reccing this fic: Well, there's this kangaroo, see, and Dief, well, he ... it ... I ... it's all really ... I just can't describe it. Despite the plotting marsupial, the story's not actually crack.

( A brief taste )

Gun, with Occasional Kangaroo: A Love Story

Title: Detail
Author: sisterofdream
Pairing: Fraser/RayK
Rating: G
Length: 6800 words
Why I'm reccing this fic: This Team Reality entry shines a loving spotlight on the absurdities of due South canon. Perfectly in character. Perfectly ridiculous. I've read it half a dozen times in the last month, and every time, I laugh my ass off.

( A brief taste )

Detail

I had a hard time narrowing my favorite funny fics to just three...

Title: One Small Thing
Author: arrow00
Pairing: Fraser/RayK
Rating: NC17
Length: ~1,840 words
Why I'm reccing this fic: in spite of (or maybe because of) the twisted humor in this one, it's one of the clearest Fraser-voices I've heard in a long time. This Fraser, down-to-earth and determined, is beautiful. Plus the idea of Fraser trying to plan a seduction is hot, hot, hot.

( A brief excerpt )

One Small Thing

Title: Untitled
Author: beledibabe
Pairing: Fraser/RayK
Rating: R
Length: ~1000 words
Why I'm reccing this fic: because it neatly encapsulates Ray and Fraser's relationship by way of a grocery list, edited, re-edited, and edited again. Funny and sweet and amazingly telling. (Note that Ray's corrections are done in caps.)

( A brief excerpt )

Untitled

Title: Having A Party
Author: ardent_muses
Pairing: Fraser/Ray K
Rating: NC17
Length: ~1500 words
Why I'm reccing this fic: because of two words: phone sex. Even better, phone sex, Northwest Territories style. It's sweet and sexy and funny and it never fails to bring a smile to my face.

( A brief excerpt )

Having A Party

Title: Green Suede Boots
Author: china_shop
Pairing: F/K sort of
Rating: G
Why I'm reccing this: I was laughing through out the whole thing. All right, maybe not through the whole thing but china_shop so totally nailed Frannie here; it's so true to who Frannie really is - I love it.

Hi, all! The recvitational is now over, and while Nos and Dess are tabulating results and doing other admin-type stuff, it's time for our next general theme: the bust a gut challenge! Rec us the funniest stories you've read in this fandom--or the funniest vids, or funniest art, or whatever. If it's dS-related, and it makes you laugh, tell us about it.

This challenge will run until next Monday.

So if there's one thing we can say about Ray Vecchio, it's that he loves to talk. And I love to listen to him talk, with his dry humor and his frequent bitching and his existential honesty. A great Vecchio voice is a rare gem in the fandom (these days, anyway), and I hold those stories close to my heart. (And as a side note, I'm formulating a theory in the course of compiling these recs: Vecchio and Kowalski tend to sound most like their canon selves in F/V and F/K fic: y/n?)

In any case. VECCHIO. I like him okay:

The Eskimo Thing, by merryish (F/V, rated NC-17) – It's so sad to me that Merry has published so little dS fic, because she gets Fraser and Vecchio as well as anyone I've ever encountered in the fandom. This has long been one of my favorite dS fics, and while there's nothing about it that I don't love, Merry's Vecchio voice is a particular joy for me (though her Fraser voice is absolutely brilliant, too). Perfect blend of dry humor and affection and love and hotness, and an awesomely wacky plot, too (as china_shop called it once: "The Inuit made them do it admit they liked each other!"). If you only ever read one Fraser/Vecchio fic, I think it should be this one.

( An excerpt: )


One Man's Kink, by Mallory Klohn (F/V, no rating given, but includes sexing) – OMG this fic is so adorable. Filled to the brim with fabulous UST, and Mallory has a great gift for Vecchio's exasperated/affectionate speech patterns. And it's a bit of an unusual first-time fic in that it's not primarily one guy trying to seduce the other; it's both of them appreciating and wanting each other, teasing, making moves, holding back, trying to get it right. It's a fantastic slow burn that pays off with an scorching hot climax.

( An excerpt: )


Two Meetings in Neutral Territory, by greensilver (K/V, rated PG-13) – Greensilver's writing style tends to be understated, and so is her Vecchio POV; it's a fantastic example of doing a lot with a little. This short fic just crackles with tension and things unsaid, and it builds a vivid backstory that gives us such a sharp picture of Vecchio and Kowalski (and Fraser, which is a great dimension) and their connection. And the end is just LOVE.

( An excerpt: )


Conviction, by china_shop (F/V, rated PG) – I think this was one of china's first F/V fics, and it was one of the first F/V fics I ever read, and it's still one of my favorites. She just gets exactly that canon dynamic (with a great Frannie voice, too), and weaves the slash around it, bringing Fraser and Vecchio exactly where they tend to end up in my head. :) And it's full of wonderful little Vecchio-isms, like:

( An excerpt: )


Ketchup, by catwalksalone (pre-slash, F/V kinda implied, F/K kinda implied, F/V/K totally happening in my head, rated PG) – After you finish giggling over the fact that cat starts this entry by declaring that she doesn't write dS (SO glad you changed your mind about THAT, cat! ♥), you'll get to another of my favorite dS fics. Short and fairly simple, but there's so much character insight packed in, here, Vecchio lost and angry in (an AU version of) his return from Vegas. Plus it's in second-person POV, which is hard to pull off, but cat does it excellently here.

( An excerpt: )


Such a Pathetic Pair, by spuffyduds (F/V, rated R) – I still remember when I first found Spuffyduds' fic; I was SO thrilled to see someone new writing F/V with such sensitivity and depth. This fic is part of a (sadly still unfinished!) series, and all the stores in it are excellent, but this is one of my favorites. Spuffy has Vecchio's post-VS guilt and loyalty with heartbreaking clarity, and the tentative attempts to re-establish his connection with Fraser are just… oh, RAY. Painful, but beautiful, and there's honesty and solace at the end.

( An excerpt: )


If you don't love me, let me go by belmanoir (F/V, rated PG) – Vecchio-in-Vegas is maybe the saddest genre of fic for me, and this story absolutely breaks my heart. But it's so filled with gorgeous Vecchio insight, and with the ways that Fraser and Vecchio changed each other's lives… gah. I adore it, even through the tears.

( An excerpt: )


And that's it! Please feel free to add your own Vecchio-tastic recs in the comments, and thanks to the mods for letting me rec this week!

It's a source of great angst to me that I find Kowalski's voice harder than almost any other character I've ever written; I think it's partially because CKR's delivery is so unique and so influenced by his physicality, and partially because Kowalski is so delightfully non-linear ("buttplate"?!) and I have a woefully linear brain. So I have deep, deep admiration for writers who can really capture his rhythm and his quirks of speech without making them sound forced—puts a smile on my face as big as Lake Michigan.

In Character, by joandarck (F/K, sorta kinda Fraser/Thatcher, rated R) – For my money, Joan has the best Kowalski voice going; when I first started writing Kowalski and was having some trouble getting a handle on him, I read this fic and almost immediately emailed Joan to help me find my way. She's so good at the rhythm, and the Kowalski-isms ("you're really goin' to run back and forth like a squirrel with no nut, here?"), and the jittery motion. And the Fraser voice is excellent besides. Add that to a sizzling hot roleplay scenario, and you've got a fantastic read.

( An excerpt: )


Love, and a Series of Telephone Calls, by aerye (K/V, rated G) – I will confess that I beta-ed this fic, but really, the beta process primarily involved flailing of the "OMG I LOVE THIS" variety. It takes so many of the Ray/Ray conventions and flips them on their heads, and the result is just wall-to-wall glee that feels fresh and grounded in the characters as we know them, but not necessarily as we're used to seeing them in fic. The bulk of the story is in Vecchio POV, which is awesome, but the eponymous telephone calls are between Fraser and Kowalski, and the Kowalski voice there is gold. I really cannot tell you how much joy this fic has brought me.

( An excerpt: )


Watching the Detectives, by brooklinegirl (F/V/K, rated R) – I also beta-ed this fic (hey, it was a busy winter), and after I first read it, I had lunch with sdwolfpup and found myself quoting about 3/4 of it to her, grinning the entire time. It's hilarious, for one thing—Vecchio saying "Again?", wearily, as he's informed that they're going through the front door—NEVER fails to make me laugh. And the Kowalski POV, especially the part about figuring out Fraser, is worth the price of admission. That the fic is HOT as well as hilarious doesn't hurt, either; nothing like three boys finally figuring out they're made for each other.

( An excerpt: )


Man With a (Fucking Fantastic) Plan, by etben (F/V/K, rated NC-17) – This is one of my favorite FVK fics ever. Etben absolutely nails the balance between these guys, how well they fit together in pairs and then how insanely awesome they are as a trio, as well as anyone in the fandom. And her Kowalski voice is just a joy; easy and natural and never overdone.

( An excerpt: )


Chicago Is So Two Years Ago, by minervacat (second part here) (K/V, rated NC-17) – This is another of my favorite dS stories; I've recced it a ton and I will very happily rec it again. A lovely, long, surefire comfort fic that just makes me insanely happy. This was also the fic that illustrated to me that one of Kowalski's quirks of speech is how he occasionally doesn't use contractions where an ordinary person would (which is kind of hilarious, considering that one thing Fraser-POV writers need to remember is that Fraser DOES use contractions). Of course that's just one small portion of how well the Kowalski voice works in this fic, but it's always stood out to me.

( An excerpt: )


Failsafe, by sprat (F/K, rated PG-13) – This was one of my favorite stories from last year's DS Match. (Sprat was on Team Angst, so be warned, though it's not as angsty as some from that challenge.) The central conflict is so organic and understated, and it's one that I think would necessarily arise in any relationship with Fraser (funnily enough, I've written a fic with this same central conflict from an F/V perspective), and Sprat deals with it beautifully. The fic as a whole is wonderfully tense and intense, not a word wasted. From a character voice perspective, it's extremely impressive, too—sometimes fanon tends to de-dork Kowalski, and that always makes me sad because I LOVE Kowalski's dorkiness. But Sprat manages here to give us a Kowalski who's serious and capable, but who still has that dorktastic side, which is a perfect (and very canon-esque) subtle balance to the angst. Just an all-around brilliant fic.

( An excerpt: )


And that's it for today… please feel free to link your own Kowalski-tastic recs in the comments!

Hello, I am brynnmck and I have somehow conned the mods into allowing me to guest-rec this week! The theme I've chosen: Great Character Voices. Because while there are all different flavors of great characterization, canon gives us such amazing and distinct voices—for all the characters, but especially the main three—that it gives me extra glee to see those nailed in a fic, whether it's through dialogue or POV or both.

Today I bring you a few recs from the Fraser side of things. I know a lot of people are intimidated about writing Fraser, especially Fraser POV. And in a way it makes sense, because I think the show is set up for the Rays to be the audience viewpoint characters—we're rolling our eyes in exasperation/adoration right along with them, and they're a natural place to go when we sit down to write. Still, I really adore a good Fraser POV; as a writer, it gives you much more poetic license than (either) Ray POV, and while I wouldn't necessarily want to be Fraser 24 hours a day, spending a bit of time in his head and seeing the world in Fraservision is something that makes me incredibly happy, as a writer and a reader.

So: MOAR FRASER POV PLZ. I know it's a bit unorthodox, but I'd like to start by reccing primroseburrows' ds_workshop post on writing Fraser —I found it fascinating, and Prim's ability to provide practical, concrete advice on something as slippery as character voice is something I deeply admire. Check it out!

And now some fic:

Soluble, by Basingstoke (F/V, no rating given, maybe PG-13ish) – Fraser's silence actually speaks quite loudly in this short fic (which is highly appropriate), but the narrative voice is excellent, too; it strikes me that Fraser's voice, in particular, has to do with his unusual thought processes, which are on great display here. Bonus points for a terrific Vecchio voice, and for packing a lot of sweet and sexy punch into a very short fic.

( An excerpt: )


Counting the Ways, by joandarck (F/V, rated PG) – I adore this fic beyond words. Not only is the Fraser POV fantastic (he writes Ray a sestina! in GREEK! ♥), but the entire fic is just relentlessly adorable and hot, so incredibly hot for a PG-rated fic. A brilliant twist on the usually angsty "we must hide our love!" trope, and the way Joan weaves the first-rush-of-love goofiness in with Fraser's highly rational voice is fabulous.

( An excerpt: )


Sign Language, by sdwolfpup (second part here) (F/V, rated R) – This is one of my very favorite dS fics, and I've recced it a million times, and I will very happily rec it again. SDW has a gift for the cadence and poetry of Fraser's POV, and her Vecchio voice is tremendous, too (I think of "What are you going to do to Jesus?" ALL THE TIME when I think of Vecchio), and when combined with the just-wacky-enough plot, the fic reads exactly like an episode… only there's bonus sexing. \o/ BEST EVER.

( An excerpt: )


And I'll Believe Thee, by joandarck (F/V, rated G) – I think this fic actually made me swoon (off-sides use of Shakespeare, Joan!). And it could go equally well under the "great Vecchio voice" category, but I'm putting it under the Fraser section because of the glorious lines: "He'd broken a rule. Maybe love always was associated with some form of transgression. Maybe that was its nature." which is one of my favorite moments in a dS fic ever, and so beautifully Fraser it makes me want to cry. Lovely, lovely, lovely fic.

( An excerpt: )


Upon the Feast of Stephen by kormantic (F/V, rated NC-17) – This dual-POV fic boasts a delightful Vecchio voice, but because great Fraser POV is so hard to find, I'm categorizing it there (and there is genius Bob Fraser voice, too, OMG). Kormantic extends Fraser's gift for understatement even to his inner monologue, and it's tremendously fun… and of course it's even more fun when he gets caught up in the moment. *g* Plus, though it's a Christmas-themed fic, it's a perfect sexy, cozy fall (in this hemisphere) read.

( An excerpt: )


The Art of Far and Near, by china_shop (F/V, rated PG) – This fic honestly had me at "Fraser and Vecchio and a kitten." But for all the adorableness inherent in that premise, china injects just enough of that good dS wackiness and emotional grounding to keep things from getting saccharine. I love china's Vecchio in this, but I'm most impressed with what a lovely job she does with Fraser's sense of humor, and how she combines his analytical nature with his depth of feeling in a way that feels exactly right.

( An excerpt: )


So those are a few of my favorite Fraser-tastic fics. Please link to some of yours in the comments! (As a side note: if anyone's got Fraser-POV F/V/K recs, PLEASE speak up. One of my greatest joys, and quite a rare beast, considering the logistical difficulties. *g*)

Okay, it's time to close up shop and say adios to our dS Match Recsvitational Challenge. Thanks to everyone who contributed Match recommendations and participated in our little contest. As soon as we finish tabulating the results we'll make an announcement about the contest winners and what faaaaaabulous prizes they've scored. So watch this space for more info!

In the meantime I'll hand things over to brynnmck, who's going to grace us with a week's worth of awesome due South recommendations. Take it away, Brynn!

Title: The Best Thing to Say
Author: Team Reality Memmber wihluta
Pairing: Fraser/Kowalski
Rating: PG-13
Length: 2600
Why I'm reccing this fic: I'm not sure why I didn't rec this before. I read in multiple fandoms, and I always say Due South is my comfort fandom. I read Due South when I need a hug, and this is exactly the type of story I turn to on those days. In just a few words, we learn how Ray and Fraser began their romantic relationship and how over time it is revealed and received by those around. These are necessarily short glimpses, but they are so perfectly written that I not only felt a part of each moment, but I can feel and see what happens in between them. The world of this story left me smiling and content, and I will be visiting it often.

( A brief excerpt )

The Best Thing to Say

Title: And these are all for you
Author: innocentsmith
Pairing: Fraser/Kowalski, Fraser/other canon characters
Rating: PG
Length: 8200
Why I'm reccing this fic: I'm so impressed that this seems to be the author's first due South story. It offers an insightful perspective on Fraser, and how he tries to make sense of people around him. I love how the fairy tales he read as a child affected him, and how he wrestles with the question of what makes a person attractive. The writing is sometimes poetic and beautiful, and sometimes strikingly funny, and very much Fraser.

Also, the Martha section alone would have been enough to make me love it.

And these are all for you

Title: The Harder They Fall
Author: to be revealed
Pairing: Fraser/Kowalski
Rating: NC-17
Length: 22,500 words
Why I'm reccing this fic:

This story takes what it almost a cliché - Fraser gets hurt while pursuing a suspect - and transforms it into something real. It never gets too sentimental, but stays very true to both characters. And while I can understand Fraser here, I love RayK here, strong and brave and scared and so very himself.

( A brief excerpt )

The Harder They Fall

Title: Detail
Author: to be revealed
Pairing: Fraser/Kowalski
Rating: G
Length: 6,800 words
Why I'm reccing this fic:

This story takes all the whimsical and strange things about due South out in the light and lets the characters comment on it. It's almost meta-esque, but the story never stops being a story. It is in turns hilariously funny and heart-breaking. And I love the ending. Brilliant!

( A brief excerpt )

Detail

Title: Truths Like Gravity
Author: to be revealed
Pairing: Fraser/Kowalski
Rating: R
Length: 3,800 words
Why I'm reccing this fic:

Because I loved it. Warm and comfortable and hopeful and full of love. And full of the difficulties that can plague parents trying to raise their children. Although there's love among them not all is perfect. And while it's not exactly like my relationship with my parents, I can see things there that reminds me of it. It rings so very true to me.

( A brief excerpt )

Truths Like Gravity

Title: Lift
Author: spuffyduds
Pairing: K/V, F/K/V
Rating: R
Length: 6,200 words
Why I'm reccing this fic: There are lots of things to like about this story. It's the first wing-fic I've seen that captures the creepiness of the concept, as it slots neatly into Ray's nightmares of being an inhuman freak. Fraser's reaction when he realizes that his Rays are together is strikingly in character.

But the thing that makes me keep coming back and re-reading 'Lift' is the author's vision of Ray Vecchio, post-Vegas