Kauoha ("to order or command") by ember_firedrake (NC-17)
Title: Kauoha ("to order or command") by ember_firedrake
Fandom: Hawaii Five-0
Pairing: Steve/Danny
Categories: AUish, angst, drama
Length: 30,200 words
Warnings: a bit of (completely consensual) powerplay during sex
Review:
All his life, Danny's been cursed with obedience: he literally has no choice but to follow orders. And if there is anyone on the planet who gives more orders than Steve McGarrett, Danny has yet to meet him. (The author calls this a fusion with Ella Enchanted, but other than the bare premise of an obedience curse they don't really have anything in common.)
I'm still having a tough time getting into H50 fics; unless there's some sort of AU aspect to them, they all seem to sound the same to me. This one, however, takes a unique premise that changes very little in the way of canon events, but puts a whole new spin on Danny's character. It's an interesting exploration of power dynamics and of why Danny might be the way that he is and it's quite fascinating. I also really like the way that other characters handle finding out about Danny's curse; not everyone is a saint, but you also don't have too many complete assholes. My favorite might be Rachel: she isn't perfect, but she's a good person and she tries her best. It's very easy to see why Danny married her (and there's clear reason for them to get divorced, which is more than we got in canon.)
My only quibble is that ember_firedrake uses quite a bit of canon dialogue in the fic. I understand that she's doing so to demonstrate the plausibility of her premise, but the downside is that it highlights just how awful canon H50 dialogue can be (at times it's positively painful to read). The author's original dialogue is vastly better written.
If you're a fan of fics that play with power dynamics or just a big fan of Danny, this is a fic for you.
Kauoha ("to order or command")
Fandom: Hawaii Five-0
Pairing: Steve/Danny
Categories: AUish, angst, drama
Length: 30,200 words
Warnings: a bit of (completely consensual) powerplay during sex
Review:
All his life, Danny's been cursed with obedience: he literally has no choice but to follow orders. And if there is anyone on the planet who gives more orders than Steve McGarrett, Danny has yet to meet him. (The author calls this a fusion with Ella Enchanted, but other than the bare premise of an obedience curse they don't really have anything in common.)
I'm still having a tough time getting into H50 fics; unless there's some sort of AU aspect to them, they all seem to sound the same to me. This one, however, takes a unique premise that changes very little in the way of canon events, but puts a whole new spin on Danny's character. It's an interesting exploration of power dynamics and of why Danny might be the way that he is and it's quite fascinating. I also really like the way that other characters handle finding out about Danny's curse; not everyone is a saint, but you also don't have too many complete assholes. My favorite might be Rachel: she isn't perfect, but she's a good person and she tries her best. It's very easy to see why Danny married her (and there's clear reason for them to get divorced, which is more than we got in canon.)
My only quibble is that ember_firedrake uses quite a bit of canon dialogue in the fic. I understand that she's doing so to demonstrate the plausibility of her premise, but the downside is that it highlights just how awful canon H50 dialogue can be (at times it's positively painful to read). The author's original dialogue is vastly better written.
If you're a fan of fics that play with power dynamics or just a big fan of Danny, this is a fic for you.
Kauoha ("to order or command")