Great Character Voices, Part 1: Fraser

[brynnmck.livejournal.com]

Hello, I am brynnmck and I have somehow conned the mods into allowing me to guest-rec this week! The theme I've chosen: Great Character Voices. Because while there are all different flavors of great characterization, canon gives us such amazing and distinct voices—for all the characters, but especially the main three—that it gives me extra glee to see those nailed in a fic, whether it's through dialogue or POV or both.

Today I bring you a few recs from the Fraser side of things. I know a lot of people are intimidated about writing Fraser, especially Fraser POV. And in a way it makes sense, because I think the show is set up for the Rays to be the audience viewpoint characters—we're rolling our eyes in exasperation/adoration right along with them, and they're a natural place to go when we sit down to write. Still, I really adore a good Fraser POV; as a writer, it gives you much more poetic license than (either) Ray POV, and while I wouldn't necessarily want to be Fraser 24 hours a day, spending a bit of time in his head and seeing the world in Fraservision is something that makes me incredibly happy, as a writer and a reader.

So: MOAR FRASER POV PLZ. I know it's a bit unorthodox, but I'd like to start by reccing primroseburrows' ds_workshop post on writing Fraser —I found it fascinating, and Prim's ability to provide practical, concrete advice on something as slippery as character voice is something I deeply admire. Check it out!

And now some fic:

Soluble, by Basingstoke (F/V, no rating given, maybe PG-13ish) – Fraser's silence actually speaks quite loudly in this short fic (which is highly appropriate), but the narrative voice is excellent, too; it strikes me that Fraser's voice, in particular, has to do with his unusual thought processes, which are on great display here. Bonus points for a terrific Vecchio voice, and for packing a lot of sweet and sexy punch into a very short fic.

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Counting the Ways, by joandarck (F/V, rated PG) – I adore this fic beyond words. Not only is the Fraser POV fantastic (he writes Ray a sestina! in GREEK! ♥), but the entire fic is just relentlessly adorable and hot, so incredibly hot for a PG-rated fic. A brilliant twist on the usually angsty "we must hide our love!" trope, and the way Joan weaves the first-rush-of-love goofiness in with Fraser's highly rational voice is fabulous.

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Sign Language, by sdwolfpup (second part here) (F/V, rated R) – This is one of my very favorite dS fics, and I've recced it a million times, and I will very happily rec it again. SDW has a gift for the cadence and poetry of Fraser's POV, and her Vecchio voice is tremendous, too (I think of "What are you going to do to Jesus?" ALL THE TIME when I think of Vecchio), and when combined with the just-wacky-enough plot, the fic reads exactly like an episode… only there's bonus sexing. \o/ BEST EVER.

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And I'll Believe Thee, by joandarck (F/V, rated G) – I think this fic actually made me swoon (off-sides use of Shakespeare, Joan!). And it could go equally well under the "great Vecchio voice" category, but I'm putting it under the Fraser section because of the glorious lines: "He'd broken a rule. Maybe love always was associated with some form of transgression. Maybe that was its nature." which is one of my favorite moments in a dS fic ever, and so beautifully Fraser it makes me want to cry. Lovely, lovely, lovely fic.

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Upon the Feast of Stephen by kormantic (F/V, rated NC-17) – This dual-POV fic boasts a delightful Vecchio voice, but because great Fraser POV is so hard to find, I'm categorizing it there (and there is genius Bob Fraser voice, too, OMG). Kormantic extends Fraser's gift for understatement even to his inner monologue, and it's tremendously fun… and of course it's even more fun when he gets caught up in the moment. *g* Plus, though it's a Christmas-themed fic, it's a perfect sexy, cozy fall (in this hemisphere) read.

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The Art of Far and Near, by china_shop (F/V, rated PG) – This fic honestly had me at "Fraser and Vecchio and a kitten." But for all the adorableness inherent in that premise, china injects just enough of that good dS wackiness and emotional grounding to keep things from getting saccharine. I love china's Vecchio in this, but I'm most impressed with what a lovely job she does with Fraser's sense of humor, and how she combines his analytical nature with his depth of feeling in a way that feels exactly right.

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So those are a few of my favorite Fraser-tastic fics. Please link to some of yours in the comments! (As a side note: if anyone's got Fraser-POV F/V/K recs, PLEASE speak up. One of my greatest joys, and quite a rare beast, considering the logistical difficulties. *g*)