crack_van | This Hard Land by True Enough (Adult)

Fandom: THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN
Pairing: Chris/Vin
Author on LJ:

true_enough
Author Website: M7Slash.com
Why this must be read: True Enough writes the Old West as if she's been there and the characters as if they're people she actually knows, and all in a beautiful, poetic writing style. Each one of her stories is a masterpiece of storytelling and This Hard Land is no exception. Simply awesome.

Vin collects two cups of coffee from Miz Kent who always talks to him as if he is a wild animal who will not eat out of her hand if she raises her voice. He appreciates the gesture with the self knowledge that she is not too far off the mark. Hands full, he tips his head to her, “Ma’am,” and carefully navigates the stairs to Chris’s room. Using the toe of his boot he knocks and with the other tenants in mind calls out quietly, “Don’t shoot, Chris.”

Chris answers the door, pants and shirt on but unbuttoned. His eyes are still bleary with sleep with one side of his short hair pressed flat to his head. Defenses down, he accepts both the coffee and Vin’s teasing, nonverbal assessment of him. “Give me a minute,” Chris tells him in an irritable voice that only tickles Vin more. Chris takes a sip of the hot coffee and then lets it sing through his body before he goes to the wash basin to wash his face and dampen his hair. When he faces Vin again he is visibly clearer and more alert, his hair standing on end to confirm it. Vin smiles into his coffee cup, knowing from the beginning that Chris, being a man of abrupt extremes, never endorses himself to anything halfheartedly whether it’s his temper or a cup of coffee. He lets Chris enjoy it as he does his own and wanders over to the window while Chris buttons up for the rest of the world.

This Hard Land

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

A good friend pointed out that I was rec'd here and I *beamed* and then I find out that you're the one reccing me and now I'm finding it extremely hard to stop *beaming*. This is not a complaint, by the way. ::grin:: I'm so very happy that you enjoyed the story. Lemme tell you that if I displayed any affinity for the west or the characters (and especially the horses which are still very exotic animals to me) then it's because I had a lot of very patient people providing thoughtful information to simple questions. It was a wonderful writing experience for me which doesn't always translate into a good story so I really am absolutely delighted that you like it.

Thank you! Thank you!

*throws self at you in shameless display of joy*

I am so glad to 'see' you, well, of course not see you in the traditional sense, but it's lovely to know that you are still around - now I'm the one *beaming*, this has made my day! :D

Although I love all of your M7 fics, This Hard Land holds a special place in my heart because of the horses (I've been around horses for about 24 of my 28 years and they are still exotic to me!), and the way you write Chris and Vin interacting with the horses, it's just so real and awesome and *swoonflailsquee*!

Edited 2008-04-02 01:27 (UTC)

*throws self at you in shameless display of joy*

OK. Now I'm giddy and *beaming*!

When I first expressed interest in writing about Chris working with horses I had several people express how upsetting and wrongheaded it was for Chris to "break" a horse by riding it until it exhausts itself or throws him off. I got a real education on the more practical and humane way to train a horse. The story that Thomas tells Vin about Daniel taking his time to work with a horse until he could ride it without so much as a crow hop came from them and I very much wanted to instill that practice in Chris. The scene where Chris picks up TomMoore to show him who's boss (without trying to break his spirit) came from a story that

cattraine told me about a man she worked with who did just that. I really wanted to capture those moments that I could suddenly see so clearly through these stories that people were sharing with me. Without them I really would have had no idea which end was up - or front or back.

Hmmm... ::makes mental note for future reference that

_elvie has good horse sense::

You know, I complain, and complain often, about LJ taking fanfic away from the more easily navigable site archives, because no matter how comfortable I get with communities, they still seem like paniful mazes to me. That said, I have to admit that I have become as spoiled as anyone by being able to comment rather than having to email. Thus, I'm going to swallow my pride and take advantage of this obvious opportunity.

This story is just freakin' gorgeous, from the first word to the last. It's never overwrought, but it's real, built with elegant details that carry the story and the character's emotions almost effortlessly. So effortlessly, in fact, the reader barely notices until the impact of the very end, when you sadly realize that the story's over but have to acknowledge that it's said all that it needs to say.

Like I said, freakin' gorgeous.

That's all I wanted to say.

I love - and miss - and cling to - the use of archives but, I have to say that such nice feedback is very happily received, no matter the medium. I'm especially hanging onto to the words "never overwrought" and "elegant" because it's what I hope for but am rarely sure of. Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts with me. Very much appreciated!

The scene where Chris picks up TomMoore to show him who's boss (without trying to break his spirit) came from a story that cattraine told me about a man she worked with who did just that.

That scene felt so real, and now I know why! Thankfully the people who taught me all about horses were of a similarly humane point of view. The difficult birth was also a scene where I thought 'Yes, that's real, I've been right there!'

Hmmm... ::makes mental note for future reference that _elvie has good horse sense::

I don't really - even after all these years I am still a complete klutz around them, and the horse always knows that it is the boss and I am just a wibbling wreck who is grateful just to be in its presence. I just flap around and hope for the best (actually this sentence sums up my attitude to practically everything! :p) I have been known to completely forget how to, say, put on a saddle, despite having done it a frillion times *facepalm*

*shameless plea*
Will you come back to us soon, even if it's just one little post once in a while? I miss you, and I know I'm not the only one! ♥

I just flap around and hope for the best (actually this sentence sums up my attitude to practically everything! :p)

LOL! I can relate to that in more than one way, too.

I've ridden a horse exactly 2 times and both times I felt like I was on the back of a flying dragon - which I don't mean in a bad way. One time I remember getting jostled around pretty good when we were trotting along and then when he went into a gallop - which initially took the breath out of me - it was just like flying. I hope one day to be around them on a more routine basis although I don't think I will ever look at them as anything but wonderfully exotic.

I appreciate the plea more than I can say. I'm working a long post - just a lot of blah, blah, blah but I think I got you all use to that by now. ::grin:: Believe me, I've missed you, too. Very much.

This Hard Land by True Enough (Adult)

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