Being Human: Requiem For a Jerk [Cutler]
Title: “Requiem For a Jerk”
Author: Shaitanah
Rating: PG-13
Timeline: pre-series 4
Summary: Aside from planning to take over the world and missing Hal, Nick Cutler does… absolutely nothing. [Cutler/Rachel, Hal/Cutler]
Disclaimer: Being Human belongs to Toby Whithouse and the BBC.
A/N: I don’t even know what it was supposed to be, let alone what it ( Read more... )
Author: Shaitanah
Rating: PG-13
Timeline: pre-series 4
Summary: Aside from planning to take over the world and missing Hal, Nick Cutler does… absolutely nothing. [Cutler/Rachel, Hal/Cutler]
Disclaimer: Being Human belongs to Toby Whithouse and the BBC.
A/N: I don’t even know what it was supposed to be, let alone what it ( Read more... )
One of the things I love the most about your writing - possibly the single thing I love the most - is the way you manage to say so much in so few words. You always find a wonderfully, deceptively simple, (and always vivid) way of summing up a situation.
E.g. this is the whole Cutler/Rachel relationship in a nutshell: He stares at her. It’s a simple question, should be a simple question but for all the veins, arteries, blood vessels inside her. She is beautiful.
Yay for including Rachel, btw. There aren't enough Rachel fics out there. :)
And Fergus. I really liked that character right from the start, and I like him more and more with repeated viewings.
“It’s you-don’t-make-a-mess-you-can’t-clean-up o’clock!” Fergus snaps. Ha ha! Perfect Fergus dialogue.
Poor Cutler, the eternal loser. T_T And he knows it deep down - which is why even his imaginary Hal puts him down, and tells him his plans won't work - but he just won't stop his dreaming.
The bit about his last day really packed an emotional punch. T_T And the way the ending tied back into the start was so lovely. (You see, this is why I'm always so impressed that you just sit down and write without planning - your stories always feel so well crafted.)
There's so much more I want to say about this story, and how great it is. But I'm crashing badly, so I've got to leave it there. :( Will re-read tomorrow when I've got a bit more energy.
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I wouldn't say I write entirely without planning. I guess it depends on the story. This one took me a few days so it wasn't as spontaneous as, say, 14; 336.
I don't even know why I love Rachel so much!!! She appeared for, like, a second and I can't say she was super-cool or attention-catching there))) But I keep coming up with all sorts of headcanon and stuff about her and I think she and Nick could be really cute together (LOL, that's where all the fluff belongs!)) Though I kind of like shoving angst in there too)))
LOL, Fergus is ttly Cutler's reluctant big brother. XDDDD I imagine a lot of squabbling: You're a copper, clean it up! - No, you clean it up, you're a lawyer! XD
I love writing halluciHal. Or halluciCutler. Damn, I just love making my characters hallucinate ppl who talk to them and say scary stuff. I blame it on Battlestar Galactica, though I think I liked it even before)))
Yeah, human Nick was so cute))) I keep wanting to write a story of how he met Rachel but historical details scare me off. T_T
Thank you for the lovely comment, darling! Was that half marathon today? How did it go? Get reeeest and feel better! <3
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Oh, I adore Rachel as well. And Dennis and Louis. Why do we love these characters so much, when they only had a few seconds of screen time? I nearly wrote a story about Cutler's early life, and how he met Rachel myself. It would be great to see your take on that. Hint, hint! ;)
Getting back to this fic ... I think possibly the quintessential Cutler scene is where he's sitting in his office, jerking off thinking about Hal and daydreaming about Brazil and fast cars etc. That's the whole of Cutler, especially post-Hal Cutler, right there. XD
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Oh! Do write that story! LOL, and then we'll compare.
To be honest, even modern nuances freak me out. F.ex. having seen a lot of med dramas made in America, I got used to American terminology - and then Monroe presents scary words like "registrar" that I hadn't even heard before! How do I not mess up something that takes place in the 30-40s!? T_T
Haha, well, the fic is exactly what it says in the summary: Cutler is just physically incapable of doing anything that is not related to Hal or world domination. XD How did he even exist before Hal? XD
Speaking of our love for such minor characters, I guess it all stems from the headcanon we (for some insane reason) build up for them. (Or in Dennis's case, because he looks funny. XD) At least all these have faces! I like Jacob! And he hasn't even appeared on the show! Wtf brain? XD
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If you ever want any Brit-picking, let me know. Just bear in mind that a lot of British people don't know details about things like different types of lawyer, or the roles of all the people who work in hospitals! ;)
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I tried doing research about schools in the 30s and it broke my brain. XD I can't even begin to imagine everything else. I realize that history professors won't be reading this fic in hopes of finding my epic mistakes, but I still feel uncomfortable if I don't know much... I got bogged down with a little ficlet about Hal's past for the same reason. It's supposed to be set some hundred years after his transformation))) History is evil. T_T
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I'm like you in that I like to know the historical details, even if most of it doesn't get directly used in the final story. And there's nothing like a glaring anachronism to jar a reader out of a story. But most glaring anachronisms are committed by people who not only didn't do their research, but just failed to engage their brains at all. Those are the sort of authors who can't even get canon details right e.g. having Cutler alive during Victorian times etc.
Or the ones who describe Hal being recruited in a battlefield hospital. I did a bit of research about Orsha, and the first and most striking thing I found out was that they didn't really have battlefield hospitals. In those days, unless you were very lucky or someone important - you were left on the battlefield to either die from your wounds or recover in your own time.
Okay, I'm stopping the rant before it goes any further! ;) You're an intelligent human being who's prepared to do a bit of research. That will be more than enough to write a convincing story. The only person who could catch you out would be an expert, and you're never going to be as knowledgeable as them, so don't worry about it! XD
My parents went to school in the 40s, so I know a bit about (and can find out about) that sort of era. If there's anything I can do to help, let me know.
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Those are the sort of authors who can't even get canon details right e.g. having Cutler alive during Victorian times etc. Oh God, I can't even begin to describe how much those people annoy me! It might have been okay before 4x07 but I think canon makes it pretty clear that Cutler is the 20th century boy. XD
Most people are just generally too lazy to do research. Which I can't understand tbh: it's not like they even have to go to the library and inhale dust like Regus. Most information is available online nowadays. Just spend a bit of your precious time and get it right! It's not a history exam for heaven's sake!
Heh, well, maybe I'll get to it. I still need to do some reading. And thank you for your offer of help. It's much appreciated. <3 Likewise, if you ever need to know anything about Russia (though no idea what for), I'm happy to help too. XD
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Always happy to help with Brit-picking or beta-ing, or anything really! :) I'll do anything to tempt you into writing more fic. ;)
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Now that I think about it, I wonder if Hal knocked any chairs over in any pre-1955 movies))) Or he could play the Invisible Man. No make-up or special effects required!
LOL, your evil plan is truly evil)))
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