Shipper Manifesto: Jess/Becker (Primeval)
Fandom: Primeval
Pairing: Jessica Parker/Captain Becker
(Big thanks to my betaluv askita
Blurb: So once upon a time, I stumbled onto this little British show called “Primeval.” It had a wonderful amount of pretty people and the geeky bonus of dinosaurs. Really, how could I resist? Cue three seasons of fun and games and then a multi-year hiatus that made my little fandom heart just about break.
The upside - Primeval came back for another two seasons. The added shipper bonus - the introduction of the lovely Jess Parker, the perfect brightly colored, utterly adorable techkitten foil for our favorite jack-booted stoic solider boy Captain Becker.
Unfortunately, not all shipping in my life goes smoothly, and by the time the series ended up in indefinite hiatus yet again, Jess and Becker had only progressed to a few hugging moments and a wide variety of longing looks.
Thank god for fanfiction. So, having said that - on to the recs! (BTW did anyone else have a small problem with the distraction of all of their fave fics open online at once? This took far, far longer than it should have…mostly as I kept reading instead of writing this manifesto lol)
Fic Rec #1:“in the valley of my soul”
Author:seren_ccd
Link: http://seren-ccd.livejournal.com/150595.html
Rating: M
Why it must be read:
This is probably the very first Jess/Becker fic I happened to read. I hadn’t seen any of the two new seasons yet, but after Seren (one of my all time favorite fic authors who I have successfully stalked across fandoms now lol) posted this, I was firmly pro Jess/Becker without every having seen the pair of them onscreen.
The mood of this fic is fantastic, and Seren brilliantly handled one of my favorite tropes: the old “Stranded behind the anomaly with only our sexual tension to sustain us” cliché.
There’s such a fantastic feeling of time passing to this fic. Both characters feel so real that the situation seems to fade away somehow. Seriously, this one is almost impossible for me to describe - you’ll just have to read it me thinks!
Fic Rec #2. “Semper Paratus”
Author:taraljc
Link: http://taraljc.livejournal.com/1628237.html
Rating: PG
Why it must be read:
I suppose I should tell you before we get any further that I absolutely love slice of life fics. Like burning, I tell you. So this fic (and several companion fics as it happens) pushes all of my favorite buttons. Taraljc is another author that I’ve read in more than one fandom, and she definitely didn’t disappoint with this pairing either!
This fic is a lovely glimpse at the way these who might have come together in a surprisingly normal way considering the madness of their day jobs. Both voices are spot on, and the scene itself is totally believable.
I totally recommend the rest of the Jess/Becker fics Taraljc has does as well. There’s more to this series plus some truly fantastic smut!
Fic Rec #3: “Not Exactly Wedding of the Year”
Author:
Link: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/7289245/1/Not_Exactly_Wedding_Of_The_Year
Rating: T
Why it must be read:
This fic is absolutely marvelous in that we see Jess both epically fail (with a little hindrance from her friends) and made of epic win when it comes to normal family and relationship drama. The lows to the highs in this fic were fantastically done, and tobin throws in a ton of lovely little details that just totally worked. Plus we have blatant fanservice with Becker in a dress uniform. What’s not to like?
Fic Rec #4 “Meeting the Family”
Author:tobinfic
Link: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/7334765/1/Meeting_The_Family
Rating: M
Why it must be read:
So this is the sequel to the previous fic with Becker and Jess in a delightfully smutty relationship. The real reason you need to read this fic:
Becker was raised in a hippy commune. Nuff said.
Fic Rec #5 “Intervention”
Author: ShootingTigers
Link: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/7390940/1/Intervention
Rating: T
Why it must be read:
Because even Lester ships this pairing!
Fic Rec #6 “Wedding Wednesdays”
Author: phoebenpiper
Link: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/7598746/1/Wedding_Wednesdays
Rating: T
Why it must be read:
This one is just a little more Abby/Connor and a little more pre-ship - but terribly, painfully slowly. What I love about this one though is the friendship between all four of them and the way it both helps and hurts the building relationships on both sides. Cue a good bit of misunderstanding leading to drama, but with the needed fix-it moments.
Fic Rec #7 “Just Pretend”
Author: rubycaspar
Link: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/6741628/1/Just_Pretend
Rating: T
Why it must be read:
So this is one of those WIPs that I will sit and hit the refresh button for. It’s got a delightful plot that really is straight out of rom-com and Becker even admits it when he asks Jess to pretend to be his girlfriend for his sister’s wedding. Hell I don’t even like rom-coms, but this situation and the way rubycaspar brings it together is delightful.
Plus, seeing big bad Becker as “Hil” as the youngest with older sisters ganging up on him just tickles me to death!
Fic Rec #8 “never let me hit the ground”
Author: pathstotread
Link: http://pathstotread.livejournal.com/631344.html
Rating: PG:13
Why it must be read:
This was another of the very first Becker/Jess fics I stumbled on to and it continues to be one of my faves even after the author has gone on to write some truly fantastic smut fic (no really it’s fantastic and has in fact already been recced lol). The descriptions Becker has in his head for Jess are just breathtaking. Truly, I just can’t quite explain why I love this fic so much. I just do!
Fic Rec #9 “Heavy”
Author: WinteryGrave
Link: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/6936813/1/Heavy
Rating: K+
Why it must be read:
This is another pre-ship with a focus on action as well as the UST between these two. I really like how this one always feels like an episode to me. The pacing is very well done, as is the tension of the situation itself!
Fic Rec #10 “Good Enough to Eat”
Author: seren_ccd
Link: http://seren-ccd.livejournal.com/161014.html
Rating: PG-13
Why it must be read:
In which our ship try cakes for Abby and Connor, and wouldn’t you know, Jess and Becker are delicious.
… Now I’m hungry… drat…