ds_recsredux | Entries tagged with category: het

mamaffy.livejournal.com

Last time the fluff, this time the sadness. But in somewhat low doses. My choices are a bit random, it is a broad category.

These fics have something bittersweet about them. They aren't terrifying, they can be light and hopeful, but beware: They might punch you in the gut.

1) From Afar by TrueEnough (F/K, "R with NC-17 aspirations", ~21,700 words)
This is the angstiest of this batch. It has a beautiful and witty Fraser POV, a fascinating look in the head of a weird man. He can turn light-hearted events into misery. It's PCotW, after the quest, Fraser worries about Kowlaski leaving. It's unbetaed but, for me, well worth reading anyway.

2) A Year (More or Less) in the Life by

pir8fancier (Ray/Ray, NC 17, ~25.000 words)
The second-angstiest for me and it fits in many categories. It's a hallmark story for Ray/Ray. IMHO a great fic to hook Ray/Ray-newbies. *winkwink* It's a whole lot of fun and very exciting from the start. It also has some not-so-subtle angst, but the boys handle it with their usual snark. Some intense lines.

3) The Elevator Diaries by

china_shop (F/K, PG, ~3000 words)
It's light, whacky, and fun, which is adorable. Some sad undertones make it even better. The elevator rides of the boys reveal a lot.

4) Using Ray by Kalena/

imkalena (F/K, not rated but written for "porn challenge", ~1000 words)
A short piece of emotionally intense porn.

5) The More Things Change by

zelempa (RayK/Stella, PG-13, ~4700 words)
This is an insta-rec. It's more sweet than bitter, but the bits of bitterness are perfect. Ray's gay, but then there's Stella. Insightful and sensual piece with wonderful voices.

keerawa.livejournal.com

Anyone who knows me knows I have a deep ad passionate love for short-fic. So here are 13 snippet recs for you all!

spuffyduds evoked an intense, sensory-overload moment in Clear. She also wrote an intriguing post-apocalyptic Fraser/RayK piece, The Last Step is to the Side. Not for the faint of heart, but beautiful in it's own way.

( 11 more due South snippet recs )

keerawa.livejournal.com

Title: Makeup
Author:

j_s_cavalcante, with a side of

imkalena
Pairing: Fraser/Kowalski/Frannie, F/K
Rating: NC-17
Length: >50k words! Most of it one big sex scene!
Why I'm reccing this fic: I had a dozen strong contenders for the #2 and #3 recs, but THIS is always and forever the Fic of My Underpants. JS took what seems a ridiculous concept (Fraser, Ray and Frannie are forced to have sex by an evil porn director) and made it not only the hottest thing imaginable, but sweet and true to the characters. I do believe this is the longest extended porn scene I've ever read. It starts yummy, with Ray starting to get really turned on as Frannie puts makeup on his face, and just builds until ... you might need to pace yourself. Lay in supplies. Bonbons, cigarettes, and extra underwear.

You like kink? JS has got it nailed. Mildubcon, genderfuck, threesome, watching and being watched, keeping control and losing it, unreliable narrators who assume the other guy isn't really into it.

Ray, Fraser and Frannie are all heros in this piece, doing their best to protect each other.
And then, after the climax(es. *coughs*) we have an absolutely uplifting resolution.

Read Makeup.

luzula

No one closed the challenge yet, so...

Title: Untitled ficlet
Author:

primroseburrows
Pairing: Bob/Caroline, implied F/K
Rating: PG
Length: 1701 words
Why I'm reccing this fic: This is a post-CotW story from Caroline's POV, and it's written almost as if she's telling it aloud. I love Caroline so much, and

primroseburrows writes her wonderfully--she's practical and has a strong will, but is still a little whimsical and has a great sense of humor. I adore the conversation between her and Bob, and the way they tease each other. I also really like Caroline's attitude to Benton. She obviously loves him, but she also trusts him to take care of himself.

Untitled ficlet

omphale

***

Well, this is it, kids. But I thought I'd try and go out with a bang, or at least an explosion of some sort.

1. Stargate Atlantis.

I know almost nothing about this fandom, other than there is a guy named Joe with experimental hair and a guy named Rodney who is whiny and Canadian and they are very, very gay. Sometimes they are gay together.

Also, Claudia Black and Ben Browder were on the show, but not as their Farscape characters.

However, I did promise that we would visit other planets in this set, and I like this ficlet an awful lot, even if I'm not entirely sure what the hell is going on.

Searching for Benton Fraser, by

apetslife. No warnings, although watch out for the crack.

( In which Ray goes on a journey. )

2. Firefly.

Once upon a time, Joss Whedon decided that a cheerleader who fought vampires wasn't wacky enough, and what he'd really always wanted to write was a spaghetti western set in the future, out in space where people randomly spoke Chinese and sometimes wore funny hats.

Because he is Joss Whedon, he got his wish. Firefly was fabulous and funny and got really sort of fucked over by the network in a spectacular way.

But this is not that story. This is the story of a girl visiting earth, and her love for Ray Kowalski's car.

Shiny, by

dsudis. G, Ray/Kaylee implied.

( In which there is a promise of pizza. )

3. Men With Guns.

Another C6D crossover, this time with a movie that is not quite as terrible as Aspen Extreme, although I wouldn't say much more than that. I love it despite being well aware of the flaws, because a)Mamet dancing, b) I like movies with fucked up characters and guns, and c) did I mention Mamet dancing?

Anyway. I think what I love most about MWG is the fabulous fic that people have written for it. And one of my absolute favorites is this crossover, which features a very difficult recasting of the film using Fraser and Ray Kowalski. it's managed beautifully, and even if you dislike the movie (gratuitous violence and drug use aren't for everyone, I suppose) give the rewrite a try.

Out from Under, by

brigantine1. F/K, PG-13.

( In which Fraser goes to find someone he's lost. )

And a bonus rec, just because you're all my favorites:

4. Starship Troopers/Sgt. Preston of the Yukon.

Now, before you get all excited, this is not exactly a dS crossover. But it features a talking dog, and a Mountie from the Yukon who is, FRTDNEATJ, in space, and also Starship Troopers. I couldn't pass that up.

Ichneumon, by camwyn. Gen, PG.

( In which there are alien probes and repressed memories. )

So. It's been fun, thanks for reading, and everyone should feel free to add crossover recs that I've omitted in the comments. There are tons of great ones out there, and unfortunately I couldn’t include even a small subset of the stories I love in a short set of posts. Plus, I never know if I'm missing the Best Crossover Ever.

luzula

Title: And these are all for you
Author:

innocentsmith
Pairing: Fraser/Kowalski, Fraser/other canon characters
Rating: PG
Length: 8200
Why I'm reccing this fic: I'm so impressed that this seems to be the author's first due South story. It offers an insightful perspective on Fraser, and how he tries to make sense of people around him. I love how the fairy tales he read as a child affected him, and how he wrestles with the question of what makes a person attractive. The writing is sometimes poetic and beautiful, and sometimes strikingly funny, and very much Fraser.

Also, the Martha section alone would have been enough to make me love it.

And these are all for you

luzula

This is almost my first time reccing, and go figure, all these recs are Fraser-related (or Fraser-family-related).

Title: A Quiet Morning at Home
Author:

dsudis
Pairing: Bob/Caroline, Buck
Rating: G
Length: 787 words
Why I'm reccing this fic: This story shows Bob on the morning before his wedding, with Buck helping him prepare himself. It's a very thoughtful little story about the similarities and differences between partnership and marriage.

A Quiet Morning at Home

Title: Missing Pieces
Author:

aukestrel
Pairing: Fraser/Smithbauer
Rating: NC-17
Length: 25 pages in pdf format
Why I'm reccing this fic: This is backstory for the (completely and totally awesome) AU "Strange Loops", but it can be read separately, too. I don't know why this pushes my buttons so hard--it's not the hockey thing, because despite being Swedish, I have never watched a hockey game in my life (although between this and Hawks and Hands, my mind firmly associates hockey with gay sex). I think it's that this relationship shows Fraser in a different light compared to his relationship with the Rays. It's not true love so much as buddy-sex, but there's still a trust between them, because they were childhood friends and know each other so well. And my GOD, the sex is hot.

Link to website. You need to ask for a password to get in, then click on due South stories.

Title: Come With Me
Author:

zabira
Pairing: Fraser/Victoria
Rating: PG-13
Length: about 10.000 words
Why I'm reccing this fic: This is a new story, so you've probably seen it announced, but it affected me so much that I just want to make sure as many people as possible read it.

zabira shows Victoria to be a complex and human character, with a backstory that explains so much about her. It doesn't redeem her completely--she still does what she does--but it makes me heart ache not just for Fraser, but for her too. They are both so young when they first meet, and seen through Victoria's eyes, Fraser just kind of--shines through. He's straight and true and tries so hard, and sees and respects her a way that noone else has before, and he does what he has to do, but he just doesn't see what his actions are doing to her. It made me cry.

Come With Me

green-grrl.livejournal.com

Title: The Small Indian Mongoose Is Not Immune to the Cobra's Venom
Author: Brigantine (

brigantine1)
Pairing: Kowalski/OC, Fraser/Kowalski
Rating: NC-17
Length: ~5,400 words
Why I'm reccing this fic: Beautiful Ray backstory. Woven in between clips of another run-in between our guys and Warfield are snippets of Ray's past, as he transformed himself from a skinny, pants-wetting, geeky Polish kid to someone who knew how to take a punch, then someone who knew how to throw a punch--all in the service of standing up for himself and other people who didn't deserve to get bullied. It's all the bits that went between the bank robbery and Ray's decision to become a cop. And it makes me flail with love for him. (As I do.) Rikki-tikki-tavi, indeed.

( A brief excerpt )

The Small Indian Mongoose Is Not Immune to the Cobra's Venom

Title: Home Schooling
Author: Luzula (

luzula)
Pairing: Gen
Rating: G
Length: ~1,200 words
Why I'm reccing this fic: And now Fraser's childhood--a scene of one afternoon in Ben's boyhood. In a few short paragraphs, Luzula clearly outlines the influences that made Fraser the adult that he was: his grandmother's emotional reserve, intellectual interest and snippiness; his grandfather's discomfort with conflict; his father's inability to connect, or even see him; and his absent mother's assertiveness, coming to the fore in his personality. A truly outstanding character sketch.

( A brief excerpt )

Home Schooling

Title: The Border Between Life and Death
Author: Speranza (

cesperanza)
Pairing: Fraser/Kowalski, Kowalski/Stella, Kowalski/OC, Fraser/OC
Rating: NC-17
Length: ~21,750 words
Why I'm reccing this fic: And what would a recs list be without Speranza? Here is her tour de force backstory piece. Ray, distraught over Stella dating other men, looks back on their history, from childhood friendship through the divorce. Once he pulls his head out of his own grief, he realizes he knows nothing about Fraser's history, and applies his detective skills to discovering things about his partner he had no idea about (including an even angstier piece of personal history than we've ever seen). Only after they share their pains can they move on from the past.

( A brief excerpt )

The Border Between Life and Death

eledhwenlin

This is the second (and last) installment of my guest reccing stint here. It was fun and I hope that you got something out of my recs! Now on to the guys.

( Bob Fraser )

( Mark Smithbauer )

( Volpe )

( The Duck Boys )

Same procedure as last time: now it's time for you to tell me all about your favourite fics with those characters! Or Turnbull. Or Dewey. Or Mort. Or Welsh. All of which I had to leave out because I? Cannot read a calendar. Or, okay, I can READ, but I have a mental disconnect between "May 5th" and "tomorrow" and "this Monday".

I had fun and I hope you had some, too!

eledhwenlin

Hi, I'm

eledhwenlin and I'll be your guest reccer for this week. My theme will be the supporting characters because they need some lovin', too!

( Francesca Vecchio )

( Meg Thatcher )

( Maggie MacKenzie )

I hope you like those recs! Now I'd like to ask you - which are your most favourite Frannie/Thatcher/Maggie recs? What are the most cherished scenes in dS with those ladies! Come and share! :)

(Next installment: the Duck Boys! Welsh! Mort! Bob!)

vsee.livejournal.com

That screeching sound you hear is me skidding across the floor after I ran home from work at lunch to try to squeak in under the wire to make sure I get to rec this podfic. I had a lot of trouble deciding, and in the end I settled on making a single rec, the audiofic I feel captures the elements I love the most.

Title: Ich Weiß Nicht (the Eins, Zwei, Drei remix)
Author:

isiscolo
Reader: isiscolo
Pairing: Frannie/M, RayK/M, implied RayK/Fraser
Rating: R
Length: 15 minutes
Why I'm reccing this podfic: Isis wrote a wonderful remix of a wonderful story that mixes up many elements...misunderstanding, longing, and epiphany. This story has a little of everyting...Frannie, Ray, and Frannie and Ray with someone other than Fraser, and yet it all ends up being about Fraser. Isis is one of the strongest readers we are lucky to have in Due South fandom, and this reading is smooth, well done, and very nicely produced. She had assistance from a German speaking man, and I appreciated the extra dramatic aspect of a second character voice.

Ich Weiß Nicht (the Eins, Zwei, Drei remix)

keerawa.livejournal.com

Title: Some Strange Prphecy
Author:

cesperanza
Pairing: F/K
Rating: NC-17
Length: 317K
Why I'm reccing this fic: Victoria is captured, and everyone, from Vecchio to Welsh to Dief, warns Ray that she makes Fraser crazy. And indeed she does. Fraser suddenly decides that the world is his oyster, and that he's going to start making up for lost time. Ray gets dragged along on a long, strange, sexually rambunctious road trip. A hot waitress and the Cyclorama in Atlanta! The leggy blonde horsewoman at the Yellowhammer County Fair who wants a threesome! Seafood and bondage in New Orleans! Fake Eiffel towers and blowjobs in Vegas! How can you resist?

( A brief excerpt )

Some Strange Prophecy

hurry-sundown.livejournal.com

"Theme? I don't need no stinkin' theme!"

Well, that's what I said to

dessert_first, anyway. But I do have one. A theme, that is. The theme for this week is "dS fic that changed my fannish experience."

Today's recs are three crossover stories where you don't need to know anything about the fandom being crossed with dS to enjoy the fic, but after reading it you'll likely be adding a new fandom to your list.

First up is "Don't Drink, Don't Smoke (What Do You Do)" by

minervacat (PG-13).

Hot Fuzz? What is this thing you call Hot Fuzz? Only one of the funniest (and, um, grossest) movies ever. I knew nothing about the village of Sandford, nor about Inspector Nicholas Angel and Constable Danny Butterman, before Fraser and RayK landed on their doorstep. Although you don't need to know anything about Hot Fuzz to fall in love with this story, I predict you'll want to rent it fast, and watch it repeatedly. Implied slash in the story and the movie, which has nearly as much subtext as dS.

Next is "If You Can See Where You're Going" by

isiscolo (PG).

I still haven't actually seen Wilby Wonderful (amazon.com is long sold out) but after reading this fic I went looking for every other story I could find. Plus, it's got Frannie! Who can resist a good Frannie story? This fic trades on WW's casting (Paul Gross as Buddy French and Callum Rennie as Duck MacDonald). Non-explicit het, and a little angsty in places. And if anyone has a copy of WW they're willing to lend out, please let me know.

Last but not least is "The Play" by

sam80853 and

missapocalyptic (hard R, at least).

I had already twigged to Slings and Arrows by the time I saw this, but this one pulled me in. Fraser and RayK travel to the town of New Burbage, where festival artistic director Geoffrey Tennant has come under threats for producing *ahem* "Romeo and Julian" (so yes, slash). And be sure to read the notes at the end, which are hilarious. Surprisingly, this fic does not trade on common casting (Paul Gross as Geoffrey Tennant), which is something I still can't figure out.

These are all longish, and should keep at least some of you busy until Wednesday. Hope you enjoy them, and don't forget to feedback the authors.

ifreet.livejournal.com

Title: Retired Guy Hobbies
Author:

greensilver
Pairing: Vecchio/Stella
Rating: The author didn't specify, but I'd venture PG.
Length: 4,214 Words
Why I'm reccing this fic: Much as I love Fraser and Kowalski riding off into the sunrise on a dogsled, the endings given to the other characters in Call of the Wild have never set well with me. Could Ray Vecchio and Stella Kowalski really be happy running a bowling alley in Florida? And how did they end up with a bowling alley anyway?

greensilver answers with a beautiful, believable piece from Ray's POV.

( Excerpt )

Retired Guy Hobbies

Title: Exposures
Author:

dsudis
Pairing: F/K
Rating: PG
Length: 12 k
Why I'm reccing this fic: This is an odd one for the "fics of my heart" rec, I know, being a death fic and all. But since the challenge asks for the ones that stay with you, I couldn't leave it out. I think Exposures was the first death fic I read in dS; I'm sure I read it well before I'd watched Call of the Wild, which is probably part of why it got such a grip on me. The other part would be how much of a whallop is packed into so few words.

( Excerpt )

Exposures

Title: The Teeth of the Hydra
Author:

resonant8
Pairing: Kowalski/Stella, F/K
Rating: NC-17
Length: 140 K
Why I'm reccing this fic: Here's another one that I read early on and that has stuck with me. I've told friends about this story and promised to send them a link, in blatant attempts to suck them into the fandom. Unfortunately, I tend to forget that "that awesome Ray and Stella history" is also "that serial-tattooing casefic wherein Ray comes to some Realizations and gets together with Fraser," and, as a result, I've sometimes talked it up to people who won't read slash--and then I am sad.

( Excerpt )

The Teeth of the Hydra

bluebrocade.livejournal.com

Title: Simply Ray
Author:

ardent_muses
Pairing: Fraser/Kowalski
Rating: NC-17
Length: 12,000 words
Why I'm reccing this fic: The angst! Oh, the angst! I can't read this fic without tearing up. It's so deliciously heartbreaking and so very plausible -- afraid of getting hurt, Ray and Fraser stop talking to each other, make wrong assumptions and end up making things so much worse. Oh, boys!

( A brief excerpt )

Simply Ray

Title: Some Strange Prophecy
Author:

cesperanza
Pairing: Fraser/Kowalski, Fraser/various OCs
Rating: NC-17
Length: 53,000 words
Why I'm reccing this fic: I hated this fic the first time I read it. I didn't understand Fraser's actions. I found the whole thing depressing and anti-romantic. But I couldn't stop re-reading the damn thing! Once I finally got a handle on it, I loved it madly. This fic has a very bold concept of Fraser -- but also a very specific one. He may at first seem OOC, but there are very in-character motivations for his actions.

( A brief excerpt )

Some Strange Prophecy

Title: Sestina (the series)
Author:

basingstoke
Pairing: Fraser/Kowalski, Vecchio/Stella
Rating: Not Rated (I'd give it an R)
Why I'm reccing this fic: I love how Ray and Fraser are written in this series. They're equals. They're not perfect. They're human. I love the domesticity of it, the little details of their post-CotW 'out but not advertising it' life. I love Vecchio's portrayal as well, his uneasy acceptance of Ray and Fraser and his relationship with Stella. This fic is a crossover with 'Homocide: Life on the Streets' but no knowledge of that show is required.

( A brief excerpt )

Sestina: Zen. Tidal Waves. Cigarettes. Baby's Breath. Collision. North.

viciouscats.livejournal.com

It never hurt anyone to re-read great fic, so I decided to go with fandom classics. Here are (some of) The Fics of My Heart:

Title: Kowalski Is Bleeding
Author:

cesperanza
Pairing: Fraser/Kowalski, Vecchio/Stella
Rating: NC-17
Length: ~39500 words
Why I'm reccing this fic: All right, what to say about this story? You've all read it, right? Now, go and do it again! *g* Seriously though, how much do I love Vecchio here? I love him like whoa! :) This is my favourite Vecchio out of all Vecchios possible. And Fraser, woobie-ish and so stubborn, determined to find his Ray no matter what. *hearts* Remember that scene with RayK's glasses? Breaks my heart every time. And the structure of the fic? All those flashbacks that show us the relationship backstory? A work of genius, no doubt here. Honestly, I could go on forever, listing things I love about this fic, so let me just say that this is the story I re-read the most in due South. I return to it again and again, finding something that I crave at the moment each and every time (angst, hurt/comfort, friendship, love, slash, het, first time, established relationship, plot, a bit of AU, even humour, etc - you name it).

( A brief excerpt )

Kowalski Is Bleeding

Title: Playing Wolf
Author:

kelliem
Pairing: Fraser/Kowalski
Rating: NC-17
Length: ~84300 words
Why I'm reccing this fic: I adore kidfic, no secret here. And this is a kidfic with a twist, which just makes it so much more delicious. [btw, dear strange non-kidfic people, your ways are foreign for me but I love you anyway, so I'll mention that you won't find any babies or children here; come on, don't be afraid! :)] I also have a great weakness for established relationship post-CotW F/K fic and this story satisfies that need perfectly. Add a bit of misunderstanding, a bit of jealousy, some angst about things long past, hot sex, interesting original characters and Kellie Matthews' brilliant writing, and you'll get one happy me. That is why I'm reccing this fic. :)

( A brief excerpt )

Playing Wolf

Title: The Vigil Series
Author: Elaine Walker and Mitch Hudson
Pairing: Fraser/Vecchio
Rating: NC-17
Length: ~135000 words
Why I'm reccing this fic: Four years ago I discovered slash and this was one of the first stories that I read in any fandom. And you know what they say about your firsts: they always stay with you, no matter what. :) So yeah, I have a soft spot for this story, nevermind that, imho, it isn't perfect and I've read better F/V fics since then. If you like long, epic stories (this one covers about 20 years of Fraser and RayV's life together), angst, kidfic, hurt/comfort, fics dealing with coming out and homophobia issues, then this story is for you.

( A brief excerpt )

The Vigil Series (or here (scroll through); Mitch Hudson's parts of the series are here)

nos4a2no9.livejournal.com

Title: Now I've just come ashore
Author:

slidellra
Pairing: Fraser/Kowalski
Rating: R
Length: short
Why I'm reccing this fic:

slidellra has a true gift for language, pacing and storytelling: she's able to convey so much in a small space that even her shortest snippets have great meaning and resonance. I adore her writing, and I'm particularly taken with this piece. I return to it again and again, in both text and podfic form, and it always gives me a warm-squishy-happy glow of contentment. (As opposed to one of her other fabulous stories, such as Practicalities, or Ray and his thinking/feeling/wanting cock which just makes me feel, uh, glowy in other ways). S marries the best kind of erotic fiction with a poignant statement about intimate love in this fic, and sure, the sex in this is smokin' (blowjobs at the breakfast table, anyone?) but it's also tied to a sense of warmth and security. The last line leaves me breathless each and every time.

( A brief excerpt )

Now I've just come ashore

Title: East O' The Sun, West O' The Moon
Author: Hth
Pairing: Fraser/Kowalski, Vecchio/Stella, Fraser/Vecchio
Rating: R
Length: long
Why I'm reccing this fic: Hth's ability to capture character voice using first-person narration is a pretty amazing achievement, and I think that particular skill is on perfect display in this trilogy of stories. Each piece is narrated in first-person POV by Fraser, Vecchio and Kowalski, respectively, and each piece is pitch-perfect in the way it captures each man and his complicated sexual and emotional connection to the other two. I think it's probably my very favourite due South fic (at least from a technical angle) and I re-read it at least three times a year. The subject matter is fascinating: Hth explores grief and terminal illness, unexpected parenthood, love, sex and sexuality, and Fraser and his Rays are revealed to be deeply flawed and brave men who seek connection and redemption at a high cost. I'm still a little awed by the narrative talent on display, but the story itself is a fascinating and involving read that should fill anyone's requirement for angst. I know there's a criticism to be made here about the use of the hated "Stanley" moniker, but I find it makes sense given the context and the explanation Hth's Fraser supplies. It's the only downside in a truly marvellous story, and I hope everyone who hasn't already read it (all two of you) will give this story a chance.

( A brief excerpt )

East O' The Sun, West O' The Moon
Ashes, Ashes, We All Fall Down
The Steadfast Tin Soldier

Title: Written on the Body
Author: Colleen
Pairing: Fraser/Kowalski, Mark Smithbauer/OMC
Rating: NC-17
Length: Long
Why I'm reccing this fic: This four-part story is probably an unusual choice for "due South fic of my heart" because it only tangentially involves Fraser and Kowalski and the world of due South: I'd say it actually skirts the line of original fiction. Mark Smithbauer, the hunky hockey player and Fraser's childhood friend from "The Blue Line," is the central figure in this tale about an unexpected May/December romance. Further complicating things is the fact that it's an AU: "The Blue Line" never happened, and when Fraser appears midway through this story it's as shocking to the reader as it is to Mark Smithbauer. The spectre of Dira's Hockey AU looms large here, but I think Colleen does a great job of creating her own unique story about the highs and lows of a career spent in professional sports. Smithbauer is still in the NHL when this story begins, and he is trying to hold his life together and conceal a devestating secret. He's also determined to be alone, and sex for him has always been about satisfying a need, not about making connection. Into his life comes a young farm-team rookie named Todd, who seduces Mark with an easy, sensual charm and soon installs himself in Mark's bed and heart.

Their road to romance is a rocky one and is full of unexpected twists, complications and disappointments: the first half deals with Mark's selfish inability to connect, Todd's inexperience, and the difficulties and insecurities both men feel over establishing a long-term relationship. Once Fraser and Kowalski enter the picture things seem to shift into another gear, and by the end the story reveals itself to be a beautifully elegiac statement about the nature of undying love. Like Hth's story, this one plays with theme and character to produce a fully-dimensional portrait of a human life in all its beauty and complexity. And despite the nature of Mark's secret (I don't want to spoil it for anyone who hasn't yet read this wonderful story) "Written on the Body" is, at the end, a celebration of life. Colleen could have easily recast this as an original novel, and I feel so lucky to have come across it in the due South fandom. It's an amazing read, and I hope you'll give it a shot if you haven't already.

( A brief excerpt )

mark's story, written on the body
interlude: contact
todd's story, written on the bones
epilogue: find the river

green-grrl.livejournal.com

Thank goodness this week's other reccers and my own past recs for this comm have covered some of my ♥ fics! Here are three more I just can't leave out.

Title: All the Comforts of Home
Author: Denise Raymond (

rattlecatcher)
Pairing: Fraser/Kowalski, Vecchio/Stella
Rating: NC-17
Length: ~53,300 words
Why I'm reccing this fic: I adore this future for Fraser and Ray! They're on their way to happily ever after in remote British Columbia, until Vecchio stumbles into the middle of a Salish ritual they're participating in and potentially disrupts their lives. We get to watch as Vecchio slowly comes to terms with his best friend's new relationship, and even turns to Kowalski for Stella advice. Fraser and Ray are so wonderfully, deeply in love, here, and have found a true home in the community. Denise describes wonderful, realistic original characters like Elder Mike Bluemountain and his daughter Peggy, and rotates the POV between the two Rays and Fraser, all perfectly in character. (I have to confess I'm especially taken with Kowalski's quick temper he's constantly reining in, in order to process, but then I'm particularly taken with Kowalski. ;-) There's even more in the followup Chicago Tales, in which the rest of the couple's old friends deal, or not. The two stories describe intense emotions believably, and deliver a happy ending that's realistic rather than syrupy.

( A brief excerpt )

All the Comforts of Home

Title: Ten Things to Get Used To
Author: Speranza (

cesperanza)
Pairing: Fraser/Kowalski
Rating: NC-17
Length: ~6,900 words
Why I'm reccing this fic: Speranza has pulled together ten exquisite portraits of life in the Northwest Territories for Fraser and Ray. Ray's adjusting to life in the north, and Fraser's adjusting to life with a lover—with this lover. The vignettes range from cute and sweet, to wonderfully porntastic, to piercingly insightful about these characters or about small town life. And every single one feels fresh and absolutely real.

( A brief excerpt )

Ten Things to Get Used To

Title: Pas de Deux
Author: Sihaya Black (

sihayab)
Pairing: Fraser/Victoria, Fraser/Kowalski
Rating: R
Length: ~48,600 words
Why I'm reccing this fic: What makes this an AU of my heart? I mean Ray and ballroom dancing, that's always beautiful. But Ray being stuffed full of food at Stosh's, and then rocking the floor with his polka and zbojnicki? Is pure Polish gold. Plus Sihaya has done a wonderful job of weaving into this alternate universe Stella-the-ex, Turnbull-the-fanboy, Vecchio-the-partner, and a painfully vicious Victoria, with both her criminal and amorous deceptions of Fraser. And even though this Ray isn't a cop, his integrity, courage, loyalty and open heart are the Ray we know and love.

( A brief excerpt )

Pas de Deux

vsee.livejournal.com

There have been some great stories that explore character posted in the past few weeks.

Here is a trio that looks at a more calm, mature Ray K post- COTW, Stella, and Welsh.

Title: The Price of Distance
Author:

nos4a2no9
Pairing: F/K
Rating: NC17
Length: 6476 words

Why I am reccing this story: This is a fresh, original, sometimes heartbreaking post -COTW story. After a period of Ray living with Fraser in Canada, he loses his immigration status and must return to the US. They do their best to remain together while living in two countries. This story follows Ray on a weekend roadtrip to meet Fraser. This story has some of the best descriptive/sensory details I've read in awhile. The threads of travelogue through lonely territory, of angsty romance, and of true love twist together into a very satisfying story.

( A brief excerpt )

The Price of Distance

Title: Nothing but Love
Author:

kill_claudio
Pairing: Stella/Ray K
Rating: PG-13
Length: About 1000 words

Why I am reccing this story:
Here is a different, sympathetic take on Stella that I can believe. The author turns many accepted points of fanon sideways, and the new viewpoint is intriguing. She reminds me how much I accept what Ray has said and what Ray-centric authors have reinforced and filled through fic as *real*.

( A brief excerpt )

Nothing but Love

Title:Good Lieutenant
Author:

spuffyduds
Pairing: None. Everyone at the station appears.
Rating: PG-13 for language
Length: 750 words

Why I am reccing this story: This is a lighthearted appreciation of Welsh, as shown through a typical day at the station. As always,

spuffyduds manages to make me smile, while giving small, keen glimpses of insight into the characters. I became aware of her fic in early April, and she's become one of the authors I return to again and again. She's funny, she's got a great ear for dialogue, and she's always digging up something I've never thought of before about my favorite characters.

( A brief excerpt )

Good Lieutenant

sansets

Title: Fun and Games
Author:

madsciencechick
Pairing: Frannie/various
Rating: NC-17
Length: 1400 words
Why I'm reccing this fic:

In a word, FRANNIE!! This is my darling Frannie as the writers of Due South would never let her be. Luckily, we have fic to fix that! And this series of 7 double drabbles is just AWESOME. Frannie grows and matures and explores and just has fun and by the end, I defy you to not be just a little bit in love with her.

( A brief excerpt )

Fun and Games

Title: Thursdays
Author:

spuffyduds
Pairing: Kowalski/Vecchio
Rating: NC-17
Length: 5,100 words
Why I'm reccing this fic:

*sighs happy sigh* These are my Rays, just how I like them - a little bit broken, a lot bit snarky, and just full of love for each other.

spuffyduds warns for dub con, which is normally my one big turn off in a fic, but she just made it work in the context of the story. A little bit edgy, and a little bit tarnished, but just so meant for each other!

( A brief excerpt )

Thursdays

Title: Untitled F/K Genderfuck
Author:

llassah
Pairing: Fraser/Kowalski
Rating: NC-17
Length: 2174 words
Why I'm reccing this fic:

Because even over and above my kink for genderfuck, this is SO much more than a PWP. This is a fascinating assessment of the difficulties that an unexpected sex switch would entail. This is Ray Kowalski, freaked as fuck out about being a female, and yet resigned to it enough to think of himself as a female. This story is just ... I've never read anything quite like it before! (Actually, this entire 'verse is just astounding, and this is just the middle! If you want to read the rest, the first story, which is Kowalski/Starbuck, is here and the last story, which is Kowalski/Vecchio, is here.)

( A brief excerpt )

Untitled F/K Genderfuck