Great Character Voices, Part 3: Vecchio

[brynnmck.livejournal.com]

So if there's one thing we can say about Ray Vecchio, it's that he loves to talk. And I love to listen to him talk, with his dry humor and his frequent bitching and his existential honesty. A great Vecchio voice is a rare gem in the fandom (these days, anyway), and I hold those stories close to my heart. (And as a side note, I'm formulating a theory in the course of compiling these recs: Vecchio and Kowalski tend to sound most like their canon selves in F/V and F/K fic: y/n?)

In any case. VECCHIO. I like him okay:

The Eskimo Thing, by merryish (F/V, rated NC-17) – It's so sad to me that Merry has published so little dS fic, because she gets Fraser and Vecchio as well as anyone I've ever encountered in the fandom. This has long been one of my favorite dS fics, and while there's nothing about it that I don't love, Merry's Vecchio voice is a particular joy for me (though her Fraser voice is absolutely brilliant, too). Perfect blend of dry humor and affection and love and hotness, and an awesomely wacky plot, too (as china_shop called it once: "The Inuit made them do it admit they liked each other!"). If you only ever read one Fraser/Vecchio fic, I think it should be this one.

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One Man's Kink, by Mallory Klohn (F/V, no rating given, but includes sexing) – OMG this fic is so adorable. Filled to the brim with fabulous UST, and Mallory has a great gift for Vecchio's exasperated/affectionate speech patterns. And it's a bit of an unusual first-time fic in that it's not primarily one guy trying to seduce the other; it's both of them appreciating and wanting each other, teasing, making moves, holding back, trying to get it right. It's a fantastic slow burn that pays off with an scorching hot climax.

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Two Meetings in Neutral Territory, by greensilver (K/V, rated PG-13) – Greensilver's writing style tends to be understated, and so is her Vecchio POV; it's a fantastic example of doing a lot with a little. This short fic just crackles with tension and things unsaid, and it builds a vivid backstory that gives us such a sharp picture of Vecchio and Kowalski (and Fraser, which is a great dimension) and their connection. And the end is just LOVE.

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Conviction, by china_shop (F/V, rated PG) – I think this was one of china's first F/V fics, and it was one of the first F/V fics I ever read, and it's still one of my favorites. She just gets exactly that canon dynamic (with a great Frannie voice, too), and weaves the slash around it, bringing Fraser and Vecchio exactly where they tend to end up in my head. :) And it's full of wonderful little Vecchio-isms, like:

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Ketchup, by catwalksalone (pre-slash, F/V kinda implied, F/K kinda implied, F/V/K totally happening in my head, rated PG) – After you finish giggling over the fact that cat starts this entry by declaring that she doesn't write dS (SO glad you changed your mind about THAT, cat! ♥), you'll get to another of my favorite dS fics. Short and fairly simple, but there's so much character insight packed in, here, Vecchio lost and angry in (an AU version of) his return from Vegas. Plus it's in second-person POV, which is hard to pull off, but cat does it excellently here.

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Such a Pathetic Pair, by spuffyduds (F/V, rated R) – I still remember when I first found Spuffyduds' fic; I was SO thrilled to see someone new writing F/V with such sensitivity and depth. This fic is part of a (sadly still unfinished!) series, and all the stores in it are excellent, but this is one of my favorites. Spuffy has Vecchio's post-VS guilt and loyalty with heartbreaking clarity, and the tentative attempts to re-establish his connection with Fraser are just… oh, RAY. Painful, but beautiful, and there's honesty and solace at the end.

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If you don't love me, let me go by belmanoir (F/V, rated PG) – Vecchio-in-Vegas is maybe the saddest genre of fic for me, and this story absolutely breaks my heart. But it's so filled with gorgeous Vecchio insight, and with the ways that Fraser and Vecchio changed each other's lives… gah. I adore it, even through the tears.

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And that's it! Please feel free to add your own Vecchio-tastic recs in the comments, and thanks to the mods for letting me rec this week!