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crack_van2004-01-06 05:37 pm
justacat.livejournal.com) wrote in crack_van2004-01-06 05:37 pm
How Ray Got His Groove Back (and Epilogue) by Bone and Aristide (NC-17)
Fandom: DUE SOUTH
Pairing: Ray Kowalski/Benton Fraser
Authors' Websites: Bone - http://www.geocities.com/coffeeslash/bone/index.html,
Authors' Websites: Aristide's stories hosted on zen&Nancy's House of Slash - http://hos.slashcity.com/arslash.htm;
Authors on LJ: Bone -![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
thisisbone
I realized that I neglected in my first post earlier this week to introduce myself and give you an idea what to expect. I'm Justacat, and though I admire people who rec stories that they don't personally like because those stories are important to the fandom, I must admit that I am not one of them. What I want is to share the stories that I love, that have made me so passionately love this fandom. So it's only fair to give you an indication of what I like: in a nutshell, the Fraser/Kowalski pairing, good writing, deep emotion, stories that capture the whacky bizarre almost surreal humor of the show, the guys showing a degree of sweetness and tenderness while remaining indisputably guys, and happy endings - by which I mean the guys end up together forever. I often like a bit of hurt/comfort, and I definitely prefer the smuttier end of the slash spectrum, but only so long as the smut is interesting, in-character, and not cookie-cutter. I'm unlikely to recommend depressing or "edgy" fics, or ones that lack a more-or-less explicit sexual relationship.
Fortunately, there is an abundance of wonderful dS fics that meet all my standards, and How Ray Got His Groove Back is the next one on my list.
Why this must be read:
How Ray Got His Groove Back has been called the "ultimate slash story," and though most dS fans will have read it, no rec site worth its salt could fail to mention it. When Bone and Aristide get together, the result is magic, as any who have read their Sentinel fic will know. This is arguably their best story in any fandom, and certainly it's the most often-recommended due South slash story of all (to see the many places it's been rec'ed, you can check out my due South Slash Resources page).
Like all B&A's fics, this one is heavy, heavy, heavy on the smut - it comes by its NC-17 rating honestly. The premise: Ray is jaded and lonely after his divorce, ready to give up on love, and Fraser is longing for him in his uniquely repressed fashion. Somehow, events conspire so that Ray finds himself introducing Fraser to "the coping mechanism of the modern American male":
So Fraser watches porn with Ray - or rather, he watches Ray watching porn, and seeing Ray's reaction finds that his legendary self control has deserted him. The result: a string of the hottest, sweetest, most sizzling sex scenes you could possibly imagine - and the sweet and tentative evolution of, yes, true love.
HRGHGB has been called a PWP, but in my book that label doesn't fit - this is one of those rare stories in which the plot is the relationship, and the relationship is the plot. As I said, I'm a big fan of (well-written) smut myself, but I recommend this fic even to those who don't typically search it out. Because though HRGHGB, like all B&A's fics, is highly smutty, it's also - again like all of B&A's fics - so much more than "just" smut. The relationship and character development are amazing, the voices staggeringly good, the dialogue witty and perfectly in character. It's funny but not farcical, sweet and tender but not sappy. Fraser's and Ray's confusion and fear and hope, and the deep underlying affection they have for each other, are so poignantly and touchingly portrayed, it makes your heart just quiver. The sex scenes are quite explicit, but they're always incredibly sexy and never crude (except when they're supposed to be, like the description of the porn vid Ray's watching). And the sex is integral to the story; through it we see, and come to understand, the characters and their relationship, their motivations and thoughts and deepest feelings.
It's hard to overstate the brilliance of this story. It's truly a classic, standing up to countless re-readings without ever losing a bit of its magic. Better yet: Bone wrote a wonderful little epilogue, which closes the loop, giving us the most satisfying ending imaginable.
The stories are available on Aristide's website with cover artwork by Crysothemis:
How Ray Got His Groove Back and Epilogue
Alternatively, they can be found in text-only format on the due Slash archive.
How Ray Got His Groove Back and Epilogue
Pairing: Ray Kowalski/Benton Fraser
Authors' Websites: Bone - http://www.geocities.com/coffeeslash/bone/index.html,
Authors' Websites: Aristide's stories hosted on zen&Nancy's House of Slash - http://hos.slashcity.com/arslash.htm;
Authors on LJ: Bone -
thisisboneI realized that I neglected in my first post earlier this week to introduce myself and give you an idea what to expect. I'm Justacat, and though I admire people who rec stories that they don't personally like because those stories are important to the fandom, I must admit that I am not one of them. What I want is to share the stories that I love, that have made me so passionately love this fandom. So it's only fair to give you an indication of what I like: in a nutshell, the Fraser/Kowalski pairing, good writing, deep emotion, stories that capture the whacky bizarre almost surreal humor of the show, the guys showing a degree of sweetness and tenderness while remaining indisputably guys, and happy endings - by which I mean the guys end up together forever. I often like a bit of hurt/comfort, and I definitely prefer the smuttier end of the slash spectrum, but only so long as the smut is interesting, in-character, and not cookie-cutter. I'm unlikely to recommend depressing or "edgy" fics, or ones that lack a more-or-less explicit sexual relationship.
Fortunately, there is an abundance of wonderful dS fics that meet all my standards, and How Ray Got His Groove Back is the next one on my list.
Why this must be read:
How Ray Got His Groove Back has been called the "ultimate slash story," and though most dS fans will have read it, no rec site worth its salt could fail to mention it. When Bone and Aristide get together, the result is magic, as any who have read their Sentinel fic will know. This is arguably their best story in any fandom, and certainly it's the most often-recommended due South slash story of all (to see the many places it's been rec'ed, you can check out my due South Slash Resources page).
Like all B&A's fics, this one is heavy, heavy, heavy on the smut - it comes by its NC-17 rating honestly. The premise: Ray is jaded and lonely after his divorce, ready to give up on love, and Fraser is longing for him in his uniquely repressed fashion. Somehow, events conspire so that Ray finds himself introducing Fraser to "the coping mechanism of the modern American male":
"The movie," Ray said, trying not to fidget against the doorframe. "It's a blue movie."
"Ah."
One beat, two. He waited. Fraser just stared at him, almost smiling and flushed, looking like it all made sense to him now. Ray knew better. "You have no idea what that means, do you?"
"Well, no."
"It's the coping mechanism of the modern American male."
Ha. For once, he had Fraser looking at him the way he was forever looking at Fraser—like there were words coming out of his mouth, but he'd be damned if they sounded like English.
"Coping -"
"With this," and Ray made the universal pull-the-hotdog motion with his hand.
Fraser just stood there, fondling his hat. That not-quite-smile looked frozen in place, and that was kind of funny, yeah, but still - unbelievable. He'd just done the jerk-off sign in front of Fraser. Christ, he was losing it.
So Fraser watches porn with Ray - or rather, he watches Ray watching porn, and seeing Ray's reaction finds that his legendary self control has deserted him. The result: a string of the hottest, sweetest, most sizzling sex scenes you could possibly imagine - and the sweet and tentative evolution of, yes, true love.
HRGHGB has been called a PWP, but in my book that label doesn't fit - this is one of those rare stories in which the plot is the relationship, and the relationship is the plot. As I said, I'm a big fan of (well-written) smut myself, but I recommend this fic even to those who don't typically search it out. Because though HRGHGB, like all B&A's fics, is highly smutty, it's also - again like all of B&A's fics - so much more than "just" smut. The relationship and character development are amazing, the voices staggeringly good, the dialogue witty and perfectly in character. It's funny but not farcical, sweet and tender but not sappy. Fraser's and Ray's confusion and fear and hope, and the deep underlying affection they have for each other, are so poignantly and touchingly portrayed, it makes your heart just quiver. The sex scenes are quite explicit, but they're always incredibly sexy and never crude (except when they're supposed to be, like the description of the porn vid Ray's watching). And the sex is integral to the story; through it we see, and come to understand, the characters and their relationship, their motivations and thoughts and deepest feelings.
It's hard to overstate the brilliance of this story. It's truly a classic, standing up to countless re-readings without ever losing a bit of its magic. Better yet: Bone wrote a wonderful little epilogue, which closes the loop, giving us the most satisfying ending imaginable.
The stories are available on Aristide's website with cover artwork by Crysothemis:
How Ray Got His Groove Back and Epilogue
Alternatively, they can be found in text-only format on the due Slash archive.
How Ray Got His Groove Back and Epilogue
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Thank you kindly. ::g:: I thought it appropriate to the story being recommended. ;)
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I only joined crack_van recently, but have already found many, many fics to enjoy, in fandoms I might not have tried without the thorough descriptions members have taken the time to write.
Seeing the rec was like getting a Christmas present well into January. Thank you.
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I have both of those gems in my very own "Slash Story" Chest at home.
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I just keep it by my nightstand so I can re-read it whenever the urge strikes :D
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Bone and Aristide just don't seem to have produced a single fic that is less-than-unbelievable, actually. I don't know whether Out of Whack has been rec'ed over in the Sentinel section, but I think it is certainly the best TS slash fic ever, and right up there with HRGHGB in the all-time greats.
Treasures, every one - we're lucky to have them!
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