FIC: Surprise (Master and Commander, Aubrey/Maturin, PG)

[cruisedirector]

Title: Surprise
Author: cruisedirector
Fandom: Master and Commander: The Far Side of the WorldPairing: Aubrey/Maturin

Comments

[not_fledged_yet]

*glee!*

beautiful. exactly the moment from the movie that I would have picked for this challenge. and only two minutes ago I was thinking that I would have to post "reason #708 not to slash Jack and Stephen: Diana Villiers" (I am currently reading "The Surgeon's Mate". omg Diana marryhimalready).

I think this is the right sort of touch for this pairing - nothing hot and heavy, but oh so clear that the emotional bond is there.

[cruisedirector]

Thank you so much! Being only halfway through the first chapter of the first book, I have no tangible reasons for not slashing Jack and Stephen (strong women sometimes being a good reason, but these days more often just leading me to write happily polyamorous people, especially when long separations are involved). The challenge picked the moment, thankfully, though I have had the image of Jack standing in that tent playing the violin crawling around in my brain for days...

[not_fledged_yet]

no tangible reasons for not slashing I have this very must-slash/no-they're-just-friends teeter-totter going in my head. When I was reading the books, I was not slash-aware and it didn't jump off the page at me. Okay, maybe it did a bit, but since I was being introduced to the series by a guy I was with at the time, I pretended I didn't notice - I don't remember. (In contrast, I was also not slash-aware when I read LOTR the first time, but I felt that I absolutely couldn't ignore the Sam/Frodo-ness). And Diana is a very strong character. And I honestly think that (I've said this so many times before, probably even to you...) it's set in a different time, and it was written in a different time, when people didn't automatically assume that a close relationship was necessarily a sexual relationship

[cruisedirector]

I first read LOTR in my extreme youth, before it had even occurred to me that Kirk and Spock were in love, so I had no slash-sense there until I saw the film (and then reread the books and said, "Wow, Tolkien very nearly came out and SAID that Boromir preferred men, I just didn't notice") but I have never read O'Brian so the film was all new to me. I suppose I should not admit that when we walked out, I told my husband that it was the gayest movie I'd seen since FOTR. I mean, NO WOMEN with speaking roles...had I not been slashing, that would have frustrated me!I think it's absolutely true that in previous eras people didn't automatically assume that an intimate relationship was by definition a sexual relationship, but at the same time I know there were a hell of a lot of sexual relationships that were simply never acknowledged as such. I haven't read enough of these characters to have any feeling about whether I think they're repressing or in denial about anything, as opposed simply to being best friends who aren't at all interested

[ashinae]

There are simply no words. This is lovely. Sigh! :)

[cruisedirector]

I wrote it for you, so I am terribly glad that you like it. *g* But I was so overtired by the time I posted it that I forgot to crosspost to perfect_duet! Eek! Forgive me! *g*

[przed]

Concentrating on Jack's caring for Stephen and the importance of their music to both of them is sheer genius. Lovely.

[cruisedirector]

I was afraid it was a bit too much of the hurt/comfort cliche but then that was built into the movie; I didn't make it up. The music as well. Thanks so much!

[sakurazukakami]

*squees* Beautifully written. It seems you really don't even need to slash Jack and Stephen, their friendship is enough. Don't get me wrong, slashing Jack and Stephen is quite fun.

[cruisedirector]

Thank you, and I love your icon! I couldn't slash characters with this much history effectively in 90 minutes if I wanted to, and I knew this was going to be set in movie-time so it was never intended to be erotic, though believe me I played with the idea of other things Jack might have done to make Stephen feel better. *g*

[beizy]

Oooh, this was so beautiful! Stunning and flawless from beginning to end. You wouldn't be able to direct me to M&C fic of this caliber anywhere else, would you?

[not_fledged_yet]

the only other person I know of who is writing M&C fic is astolat. I'd highly recommend her stuff! There is some stuff out there by other authors predating the movies, but I'd have to call it all badfic.

[cruisedirector]

Someone from perfect_duet recommended this story, which is gen but quite moving, set years after the end of the book series. I need to hunt through that archive more carefully!

[not_fledged_yet]

oh, yeah, that one was really good. I think I actually had tears in my eyes when I finished reading that one. The problem with the archive that that one comes from, though, is wading through all the badfic. I have to be in a certain mood to do that, and right now, given that I am about halfway through "The Surgeon's Mate" (have just got to the part where Stephen is maligning lawyers, tee hee), I'll leave the wading to others and read the recommendations.