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crack_van2004-01-31 01:25 pm
justacat.livejournal.com) wrote in crack_van2004-01-31 01:25 pm
Beguiled, by Rhi Marzano (NC-17)
Fandom: DUE SOUTH
Pairing: Ray Kowalski/Benton Fraser
Author's Website: http://theburrow.net/
Author on LJ:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
rhiko
Why this must be read:
So the month has come to an end. I've greatly enjoyed the chance to revisit, and share, some of my favorite dS fics. The great majority of those I've rec'ed, though not all, are older stories (at least two years), well-known (or at least known) to dS fans, and written by authors who began in media-based fandom and have been around in one or another such fandoms for some time (it's amazing how many great dS authors started in TS). Some of those authors are still writing dS - dS has had something of a revival in the past year and seems to be thriving now - but many aren't.
So for my swan song, I want to look to the future of dS, and to that end, my last rec is something a little different: an almost-brand-new fic by a young author, relatively new to dS, who appears to have started in anime and Harry Potter. Beguiled was posted in December, but I just read it for the first time about a week ago. It was immediately apparent to me that this was something special - I was gripped from start to finish and left emotionally ... well, maybe full is the best word, in a way that I am only by the best fics (in my view, of course!).
Beguiled is a post-Call of the Wild fic in which Ray and Fraser are sharing an apartment in Chicago, having both decided to return to the city after their adventure. They're just good buddies at this point, but it's clear that they're committed to each other in a pretty deep way. Their lives are proceeding apace - working together, living together - and might have gone on like this indefinitely, who knows, if not for a few life-altering events that come along one on top of the other: Fraser's three-year-old son by Victoria (about which he knew nothing) is thrust into their lives (yes, it's a kidfic, and believe me, I abhor kidfic - so the fact that I'm reccing it is high praise), and Stella tells Ray that she's marrying Vecchio. These events are the catalysts for a change in their relationship that really isn't that much of a change at all - they're already getting just about everything they need from each other, they've set up house with a child, and their lives are entirely intertwined; the step into bed, into a "romantic" relationship, seems somehow the inevitable and natural next step, and it happens without a lot of fanfare or angst.
So what makes this fic work so well for me? I think if I had to put it in a nutshell, it'd be how effectively the author conveys so much feeling without ever being explicit - showing-not-telling again. Like the way she illustrates the depth of Ray's commitment to Fraser, even when they're still "just friends" - he buys a house so Fraser's kid can have his own room, for god's sake, and without telling Fraser. Or the way Ray can read Fraser, understand what he's really saying. It's all so understated, so guy-like, but so obvious - it fills you with warm fuzzies, is moving enough to make you all misty-eyed at times, but it's never, ever schmoopy or sappy.
The other thing that makes this story shine is the incredible Ray voice. He's just so unmistakably Ray throughout the story. I love, for example, his thoughts when he goes househunting:
And what makes Ray so endearing, so appealing, is that even with the prickliness, we always have a sense of his vulnerability, his fear of loss, his depth of feeling. The scene when he and Fraser finally talk, and he finally puts a name to what they've been doing - the last scene of the story before the epilogue - is especially memorable. There are so few words exchanged, so little actually said - he fumbles, guy-like, around the true heart of the matter - and yet it's all there. The scene is so beutifully done, so achingly, exquisitely tender - it just floored me. The epilogue itself is a perfect touch, with some nice parallels to the opening scene of the story. And the more everyday tone of the epilogue helps ease you out of the intense emotion of the previous scene, but it's sweet enough to leave you smiling, and feeling good, and just so wonderfully satisfied.
Beguiled left me just that - beguiled, and enchanted, and thrilled. It'd be a wonderful thing if the author continues writing for the fandom; she's a fantastic writer with a really accurate feel for the characterization and dynamic of the show. So I'm leaving you with this, hopeful that it's a sign of dS's future - and grateful that so many talented authors have chosen to make dS their home, at least for a while.
Thanks for coming along with me on the ride :-)
Beguiled
Pairing: Ray Kowalski/Benton Fraser
Author's Website: http://theburrow.net/
Author on LJ:
rhikoWhy this must be read:
So the month has come to an end. I've greatly enjoyed the chance to revisit, and share, some of my favorite dS fics. The great majority of those I've rec'ed, though not all, are older stories (at least two years), well-known (or at least known) to dS fans, and written by authors who began in media-based fandom and have been around in one or another such fandoms for some time (it's amazing how many great dS authors started in TS). Some of those authors are still writing dS - dS has had something of a revival in the past year and seems to be thriving now - but many aren't.
So for my swan song, I want to look to the future of dS, and to that end, my last rec is something a little different: an almost-brand-new fic by a young author, relatively new to dS, who appears to have started in anime and Harry Potter. Beguiled was posted in December, but I just read it for the first time about a week ago. It was immediately apparent to me that this was something special - I was gripped from start to finish and left emotionally ... well, maybe full is the best word, in a way that I am only by the best fics (in my view, of course!).
Beguiled is a post-Call of the Wild fic in which Ray and Fraser are sharing an apartment in Chicago, having both decided to return to the city after their adventure. They're just good buddies at this point, but it's clear that they're committed to each other in a pretty deep way. Their lives are proceeding apace - working together, living together - and might have gone on like this indefinitely, who knows, if not for a few life-altering events that come along one on top of the other: Fraser's three-year-old son by Victoria (about which he knew nothing) is thrust into their lives (yes, it's a kidfic, and believe me, I abhor kidfic - so the fact that I'm reccing it is high praise), and Stella tells Ray that she's marrying Vecchio. These events are the catalysts for a change in their relationship that really isn't that much of a change at all - they're already getting just about everything they need from each other, they've set up house with a child, and their lives are entirely intertwined; the step into bed, into a "romantic" relationship, seems somehow the inevitable and natural next step, and it happens without a lot of fanfare or angst.
So what makes this fic work so well for me? I think if I had to put it in a nutshell, it'd be how effectively the author conveys so much feeling without ever being explicit - showing-not-telling again. Like the way she illustrates the depth of Ray's commitment to Fraser, even when they're still "just friends" - he buys a house so Fraser's kid can have his own room, for god's sake, and without telling Fraser. Or the way Ray can read Fraser, understand what he's really saying. It's all so understated, so guy-like, but so obvious - it fills you with warm fuzzies, is moving enough to make you all misty-eyed at times, but it's never, ever schmoopy or sappy.
The other thing that makes this story shine is the incredible Ray voice. He's just so unmistakably Ray throughout the story. I love, for example, his thoughts when he goes househunting:
Skip VanDerHaaganDaas or something, that's the realtor. He smiles constantly, showing off those perfect white teeth of his. Which, of course, just makes me want to beat the crap out of him.Or this wonderful, totally in-character exchange with Fraser:
I find Fraser and Giles in the kitchen -- breakfast time and all. But instead of normal breakfast food, Fraser's getting out unflavored oatmeal from the cupboards. "That is so not right," I declare.Again, that's just so unmistakably Ray - and so Fraser, for that matter; the characterization of both of them is fantastic, though because the story is from Ray's first-person POV, it's his voice that really shines.
"It's a perfectly acceptable meal," Fraser informs me.
"Yeah, for a senior citizen," I snap. "He's a kid and he needs to eat kid food."
"Perhaps a few strawberries wouldn't be amiss, but I see no need to promote tooth decay."
"That's what toothbrushes are for. Besides, he'll be the geekiest kid in school, eating oatmeal and pemmican while everyone else will be eating Super Honey Sugar Bombs and he'll be, whatsit, ostriched."
"I'm sure you mean 'ostracized', Ray, and now you're just being silly."
We settle on Frosted Mini Wheats. Sugar and fiber, what a combo. The kid immediately begins to scarf it down. I give Fraser a Sorry for being a jerk face, and he returns with an At least it's good for his colon face.
And what makes Ray so endearing, so appealing, is that even with the prickliness, we always have a sense of his vulnerability, his fear of loss, his depth of feeling. The scene when he and Fraser finally talk, and he finally puts a name to what they've been doing - the last scene of the story before the epilogue - is especially memorable. There are so few words exchanged, so little actually said - he fumbles, guy-like, around the true heart of the matter - and yet it's all there. The scene is so beutifully done, so achingly, exquisitely tender - it just floored me. The epilogue itself is a perfect touch, with some nice parallels to the opening scene of the story. And the more everyday tone of the epilogue helps ease you out of the intense emotion of the previous scene, but it's sweet enough to leave you smiling, and feeling good, and just so wonderfully satisfied.
Beguiled left me just that - beguiled, and enchanted, and thrilled. It'd be a wonderful thing if the author continues writing for the fandom; she's a fantastic writer with a really accurate feel for the characterization and dynamic of the show. So I'm leaving you with this, hopeful that it's a sign of dS's future - and grateful that so many talented authors have chosen to make dS their home, at least for a while.
Thanks for coming along with me on the ride :-)
Beguiled
no subject
Thanks!
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I'm already embarrassed.
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If JaC got you hooked, there are more good recs at
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no subject
(Anonymous) 2004-01-31 11:41 am (UTC)(link)wad23
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And thank you! I'm glad you've enjoyed the recs.