Happy New Year by Jen (NC-17)

[alinewrites.livejournal.com]

Fandom: OZ
Pairing:Beecher/Keller
Author on LJ: not that I know
Author Website: none
Why this must be read: For my last record I chose the darkest story; darker than Dina's Bound; darker than anything I read; and still hot and despaired and perfect IMO from a characterization point of view. We're nearer from Gemma files than any other author here. Beecher is really crazy and violent and ... It's a nice change. And Chris is both cold, unloving (or so it seems) and obsessed. Saïd plays an important part in this fic.

Read it! It's wonderfully heartbreaking.



Keller stayed in my head every day I spent in the infirmary. Those hours without his breath on my neck, eyes boring into my back, I finally acknowledged my feelings for him. That was much harder than the next step, realizing any relationship between us would bring nothing but pain. I was sick of pain, that's what I told him when I got back to Em City. I played up wet eyes and a choked sob, hoping if he really loved me, he'd stay away.

97B412, Beecher."

But he loved me too much. Or not at all. One year ago today, my mentor, my spiritual adviser, my...friend was murdered. Not in that rumored race riot, in a storage room. Tongue cut out, body mutilated. Golly gee Chris, if you wanted to impress me, flowers or candy would've been perfectly fine.



Happy New Year!

Comments

[rowanfairchild.livejournal.com]

perfect IMO from a characterization point of view

Really? See, to me, this story is as wildly OOC on the opposite end of the spectrum as all the "fluffy bunny" B/K stories I hear people complaining about. In fact, this story reads to me like a deliberate "fuck you" to B/K fans, and even though I've liked (and recc'd) several of this writer's other stories, this one bugs the hell out of me.

[alinewrites.livejournal.com]

I don't know... I never thought of it this way, really; I don't even want to; there have been enough fights about that and I wasn't in the fandom at the time, so I'm a very bad judge of it.

Yes, I think the characterization's good . You're right, far on the darkest end of the spectrum but for those who think that the love's not really here, or that it's not love, it's quite true. The question is, can you picture the characters in this situation, and true to themselves? As far as I'm concerned the answer is yes.
I don't think it's more OOC than any of Gemma's story; to me it's an important story because it's the testimony of a disappeared time when you could write the characters *differently*.
Now it's true that every of us has a very different POV on what's OOC or not (to a certain extent at least). I'm much closer to the darkest characters in Jen's story than say... Mr Tobias Keller and *her* dogs? ;)

What's more, I'm not such a fan that I can't stand people making fun or hating the characters I love.

But it's a very very good story.

Are you next reccer? I was a very bad one because RL stepped in the way, and not in a pleasant way, so I couldn't record as much as I wanted. :(

[rowanfairchild.livejournal.com]

Hey, well, sometimes you've just got to agree to disagree. Keeps the world interesting. *g*

I don't compare this with Gemma Files at all, by the way. To me they're very different. As for the litmus test on characterization? No, I *can't* "picture the characters in this situation, and true to themselves?" Not in this story. In other things Jen has written? Yeah. Not this one. ::shrug:: To each her own, right?

Anyway... Yes, I'm taking over as reccer this month. You did a fine job! Sorry you had some rough RL times. :-(

[meganinhiding.livejournal.com]

I actually can picture this happening if Keller had indeed killed Said and I honestly don't think that Jen wrote this as a fuck you. I could be wrong but to me she just didn't seem that bitter towards the B/K crowd. I wouldn't call Keller unfeeling in this piece because of a couple little moments, particularly the "you never call me Chris anymore" moment. I guess I'm just darker in my tastes and I tend to to dislike the domestic fluff genre no matter how well written the story is.

[rowanfairchild.livejournal.com]

I don't like "domestic fluff", either, but... ah, well, I guess this is an agree to disagree too. *g* Something can be *dark* and still be in character, I don't think this particular piece is. YMMV.

[alinewrites.livejournal.com]

It's clear that this fic is very far from the usual but I think it's able to satisfy some readers too; very dark but still very well described -the only fisting scene that didn't make me want to throw up, the sex is hot. And really, considering the changes Keller goes through during season 6, it's not so OOC.
I agree with you.