Great Character Voices, Part 2: Kowalski

[brynnmck.livejournal.com]

It's a source of great angst to me that I find Kowalski's voice harder than almost any other character I've ever written; I think it's partially because CKR's delivery is so unique and so influenced by his physicality, and partially because Kowalski is so delightfully non-linear ("buttplate"?!) and I have a woefully linear brain. So I have deep, deep admiration for writers who can really capture his rhythm and his quirks of speech without making them sound forced—puts a smile on my face as big as Lake Michigan.

In Character, by joandarck (F/K, sorta kinda Fraser/Thatcher, rated R) – For my money, Joan has the best Kowalski voice going; when I first started writing Kowalski and was having some trouble getting a handle on him, I read this fic and almost immediately emailed Joan to help me find my way. She's so good at the rhythm, and the Kowalski-isms ("you're really goin' to run back and forth like a squirrel with no nut, here?"), and the jittery motion. And the Fraser voice is excellent besides. Add that to a sizzling hot roleplay scenario, and you've got a fantastic read.

( An excerpt: )

Love, and a Series of Telephone Calls, by aerye (K/V, rated G) – I will confess that I beta-ed this fic, but really, the beta process primarily involved flailing of the "OMG I LOVE THIS" variety. It takes so many of the Ray/Ray conventions and flips them on their heads, and the result is just wall-to-wall glee that feels fresh and grounded in the characters as we know them, but not necessarily as we're used to seeing them in fic. The bulk of the story is in Vecchio POV, which is awesome, but the eponymous telephone calls are between Fraser and Kowalski, and the Kowalski voice there is gold. I really cannot tell you how much joy this fic has brought me.

( An excerpt: )

Watching the Detectives, by brooklinegirl (F/V/K, rated R) – I also beta-ed this fic (hey, it was a busy winter), and after I first read it, I had lunch with sdwolfpup and found myself quoting about 3/4 of it to her, grinning the entire time. It's hilarious, for one thing—Vecchio saying "Again?", wearily, as he's informed that they're going through the front door—NEVER fails to make me laugh. And the Kowalski POV, especially the part about figuring out Fraser, is worth the price of admission. That the fic is HOT as well as hilarious doesn't hurt, either; nothing like three boys finally figuring out they're made for each other.

( An excerpt: )

Man With a (Fucking Fantastic) Plan, by etben (F/V/K, rated NC-17) – This is one of my favorite FVK fics ever. Etben absolutely nails the balance between these guys, how well they fit together in pairs and then how insanely awesome they are as a trio, as well as anyone in the fandom. And her Kowalski voice is just a joy; easy and natural and never overdone.

( An excerpt: )

Chicago Is So Two Years Ago, by minervacat (second part here) (K/V, rated NC-17) – This is another of my favorite dS stories; I've recced it a ton and I will very happily rec it again. A lovely, long, surefire comfort fic that just makes me insanely happy. This was also the fic that illustrated to me that one of Kowalski's quirks of speech is how he occasionally doesn't use contractions where an ordinary person would (which is kind of hilarious, considering that one thing Fraser-POV writers need to remember is that Fraser DOES use contractions). Of course that's just one small portion of how well the Kowalski voice works in this fic, but it's always stood out to me.

( An excerpt: )

Failsafe, by sprat (F/K, rated PG-13) – This was one of my favorite stories from last year's DS Match. (Sprat was on Team Angst, so be warned, though it's not as angsty as some from that challenge.) The central conflict is so organic and understated, and it's one that I think would necessarily arise in any relationship with Fraser (funnily enough, I've written a fic with this same central conflict from an F/V perspective), and Sprat deals with it beautifully. The fic as a whole is wonderfully tense and intense, not a word wasted. From a character voice perspective, it's extremely impressive, too—sometimes fanon tends to de-dork Kowalski, and that always makes me sad because I LOVE Kowalski's dorkiness. But Sprat manages here to give us a Kowalski who's serious and capable, but who still has that dorktastic side, which is a perfect (and very canon-esque) subtle balance to the angst. Just an all-around brilliant fic.

( An excerpt: )

And that's it for today… please feel free to link your own Kowalski-tastic recs in the comments!