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crack_van2006-11-05 06:50 pm
nos4a2no9.livejournal.com) wrote in crack_van2006-11-05 06:50 pm
Passion by Speranza (NC-17)
Passion by Speranza (NC-17)
Fandom: DUE SOUTH
Pairing: Fraser/Kowalski
Author's Website: Speranza’s dS Fanfiction
Author on LJ:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
cesperanza
Why this must be read:
Asjustacat said nearly two years ago, rec’ing a cesperanza fic to the due South fandom is almost redundant. Because...duh. She’s Ces! Her middle name might as well be “master of heartbreakingly well-observed character work.” She’s written the book on long angsty thinky-type fic. And, um, her stuff is also hot. But even the best of the best still have stories that are underappreciated, under-rec’ed, or just plain ignored. And I’d like to bring your collective attention to the stunningly beautiful and potentially polarizing story Passion.
Ces warns in her story notes that this fic isn’t going to be everyone’s cup of tea. She cites adult themes (and no, those "adult themes" aren't of the NC-17 so-hot-your-screen-will-melt Fraser/RayK variety, although manporn is certainly present and accounted for) but that other kind of “adult themes”. Death plays a big role in this story – we get a glimpse of Fraser’s grandfather’s sudden heart attack, and then a long, extremely painful look at Fraser’s relationship with his grandmother as she battles cancer. Very few fic authors have looked at this part of canon - poor Fraser, who’d already lost a mother and never really had a father, is left alone to nurse his grandmother through her final illness. Ces shapes and polishes the fuzzy edges of Fraser’s personal history into a sharp, clear portrait of a man so profoundly isolated and hungry for love, family and connection that it makes you see Fraser in a completely new light. It’s a must-read for those of you tired of seeing Our Favorite Mountie portrayed as the embodiment of self-sufficiency. He’s one lonely, fucked-up guy in this fic, and it’s excellent stuff. If, err, you like that kind of thing. Which you will if you read this story. *nods*
Ces tackles a lot of Deep Dark Issues in this fic. Parenthood, death and sexual confusion are handled with her patented combination of humor, sorrow and bittersweet joy, and it makes for a rich and humane reading experience. The first half of the story deals with Fraser’s few brushes with passion, supplying him with an experimental first love, a disastrous second sexual encounter borne out of grief and compassion, and the inevitable (but expertly-recounted) Victoria debacle. Ces does amazing things with this tired material, infusing it with new relevancy and fresh description. And then RayK enters the picture. Fraser is thirty-eight, lonely, haunted and deathly afraid of the passion he senses within himself. Ray is also a troubled figure – he’s recovering from the aftereffects of a brutal stabbing by a delusional homeless man, and he can’t seem to forgive himself for whatever part he played in the collapse of his marriage. There’s a very sad section in which we are made to feel how alone Ray really is – even more alone than Fraser, in some ways – because even when Ray’s been stabbed and hovers near death he has no next of kin, no one to take care of him. The Vecchio family put in an appearance and Frannie is given a great line, but there’s an underlying melancholy to it all. Ray’s only a place-holder, and in some ways even more of an outsider than Fraser. As Fraser observes: ”He had to remember that Ray Kowalski was only nominally a member of the 27th precinct, and that he hadn't, strictly speaking, been wounded in the line of duty. Ray was among the 2-7 but not really of the 2-7 -- like himself, really. If anything, [Fraser] himself had deeper roots in the precinct.” Ouch.
So it’s a sad story. But it is blessed with a truly romantic ending, and Ces does marvelous things with the Fraser/RayK relationship in between all the h/c stuff and the haunting backstories she gives Ray and Fraser. I think this has to be one of my very favorite examinations of how Fraser and RayK function as a couple – how they love one another, and how they need one another, and how each man really isn’t whole, isn’t complete, unless he’s with the other. It’s remarkably gratifying to see these two lost souls, who come through so much over the course of the story, together and happy at the end. Passion ain’t a fluff piece; it’s a challenging and satisfying read that’ll restore your faith in the potential of love. And hot mansex.
Not sold? Here’s an excerpt: [And extra points for those who pick up on the "crossing a burning river" reference]
“He was surprised by the depth of his passion, though not by hers--she was feral, pushing up to meet him and moaning softly as he thrust into her, egging him on to do it harder... Afterwards, he lay in her arms, shivering and sweating and trying to get his breath back. He had never wanted anything so much, never wanted anyone so much. She was a born survivor. She was a woman who could survive a plane crash, crawl across the tundra, cross a burning river--Christ, how he loved her!
Years later, in the hospital, he told this to Ray Vecchio, and Ray had smiled at him in that fond, sad way he had. "Yeah, Benny," he had said quietly, "she could've crossed, but she would've crossed alone."
That was true, Ben realized; on the outskirts of Fort Resolution, she had begged him to let her go free. "Please, Ben," she had whispered, and she had been holding him tightly in her hand. "Please..." and it had been all wrong, even then. Ten years later, she had asked him to feed quarters into a slot to see her, and this had stabbed his heart with its simple, elegant statement of what he was to her.”
Passion
Remember to tell Ces what you think of the story. I hear authors like that sort of thing.
Fandom: DUE SOUTH
Pairing: Fraser/Kowalski
Author's Website: Speranza’s dS Fanfiction
Author on LJ:
cesperanzaWhy this must be read:
As
justacat said nearly two years ago, rec’ing a cesperanza fic to the due South fandom is almost redundant. Because...duh. She’s Ces! Her middle name might as well be “master of heartbreakingly well-observed character work.” She’s written the book on long angsty thinky-type fic. And, um, her stuff is also hot. But even the best of the best still have stories that are underappreciated, under-rec’ed, or just plain ignored. And I’d like to bring your collective attention to the stunningly beautiful and potentially polarizing story Passion. Ces warns in her story notes that this fic isn’t going to be everyone’s cup of tea. She cites adult themes (and no, those "adult themes" aren't of the NC-17 so-hot-your-screen-will-melt Fraser/RayK variety, although manporn is certainly present and accounted for) but that other kind of “adult themes”. Death plays a big role in this story – we get a glimpse of Fraser’s grandfather’s sudden heart attack, and then a long, extremely painful look at Fraser’s relationship with his grandmother as she battles cancer. Very few fic authors have looked at this part of canon - poor Fraser, who’d already lost a mother and never really had a father, is left alone to nurse his grandmother through her final illness. Ces shapes and polishes the fuzzy edges of Fraser’s personal history into a sharp, clear portrait of a man so profoundly isolated and hungry for love, family and connection that it makes you see Fraser in a completely new light. It’s a must-read for those of you tired of seeing Our Favorite Mountie portrayed as the embodiment of self-sufficiency. He’s one lonely, fucked-up guy in this fic, and it’s excellent stuff. If, err, you like that kind of thing. Which you will if you read this story. *nods*
Ces tackles a lot of Deep Dark Issues in this fic. Parenthood, death and sexual confusion are handled with her patented combination of humor, sorrow and bittersweet joy, and it makes for a rich and humane reading experience. The first half of the story deals with Fraser’s few brushes with passion, supplying him with an experimental first love, a disastrous second sexual encounter borne out of grief and compassion, and the inevitable (but expertly-recounted) Victoria debacle. Ces does amazing things with this tired material, infusing it with new relevancy and fresh description. And then RayK enters the picture. Fraser is thirty-eight, lonely, haunted and deathly afraid of the passion he senses within himself. Ray is also a troubled figure – he’s recovering from the aftereffects of a brutal stabbing by a delusional homeless man, and he can’t seem to forgive himself for whatever part he played in the collapse of his marriage. There’s a very sad section in which we are made to feel how alone Ray really is – even more alone than Fraser, in some ways – because even when Ray’s been stabbed and hovers near death he has no next of kin, no one to take care of him. The Vecchio family put in an appearance and Frannie is given a great line, but there’s an underlying melancholy to it all. Ray’s only a place-holder, and in some ways even more of an outsider than Fraser. As Fraser observes: ”He had to remember that Ray Kowalski was only nominally a member of the 27th precinct, and that he hadn't, strictly speaking, been wounded in the line of duty. Ray was among the 2-7 but not really of the 2-7 -- like himself, really. If anything, [Fraser] himself had deeper roots in the precinct.” Ouch.
So it’s a sad story. But it is blessed with a truly romantic ending, and Ces does marvelous things with the Fraser/RayK relationship in between all the h/c stuff and the haunting backstories she gives Ray and Fraser. I think this has to be one of my very favorite examinations of how Fraser and RayK function as a couple – how they love one another, and how they need one another, and how each man really isn’t whole, isn’t complete, unless he’s with the other. It’s remarkably gratifying to see these two lost souls, who come through so much over the course of the story, together and happy at the end. Passion ain’t a fluff piece; it’s a challenging and satisfying read that’ll restore your faith in the potential of love. And hot mansex.
Not sold? Here’s an excerpt: [And extra points for those who pick up on the "crossing a burning river" reference]
“He was surprised by the depth of his passion, though not by hers--she was feral, pushing up to meet him and moaning softly as he thrust into her, egging him on to do it harder... Afterwards, he lay in her arms, shivering and sweating and trying to get his breath back. He had never wanted anything so much, never wanted anyone so much. She was a born survivor. She was a woman who could survive a plane crash, crawl across the tundra, cross a burning river--Christ, how he loved her!
Years later, in the hospital, he told this to Ray Vecchio, and Ray had smiled at him in that fond, sad way he had. "Yeah, Benny," he had said quietly, "she could've crossed, but she would've crossed alone."
That was true, Ben realized; on the outskirts of Fort Resolution, she had begged him to let her go free. "Please, Ben," she had whispered, and she had been holding him tightly in her hand. "Please..." and it had been all wrong, even then. Ten years later, she had asked him to feed quarters into a slot to see her, and this had stabbed his heart with its simple, elegant statement of what he was to her.”
Passion
Remember to tell Ces what you think of the story. I hear authors like that sort of thing.
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