dSSS, Travel and Why I Can't Read Can Lit Anymore
Hey guys, guess what? In a little over twelve hours I'll be boarding a bus bound for Victoria, BC, where I will meet zabira and we will spend three fun-filled days sightseeing, gossipping, reading the dSSS stories and watching 6degrees stuff. It's going to be a very fun fangirl weekend, and I plan to pretend that I've done all my prep stuff for the new course sections I'll be teaching in the new year. All prepared for the winter semester, that's me. *winces*
On to a more pleasant new subject, namely dS plotbunnies. I received a whole pile of Canadian literature this Christmas, and I started reading Elizabeth Hay's Late Nights on Air this afternoon. The novel is set in 1975 Yellowknife, and follows the adventures of a ragtag group of explorers and exiles who man the town's small radio station. Naturally, it's given me a plot bunny for post-CotW story wherein Ray becomes a radio announcer/late-night DJ in whatever small Arctic town he and Fraser have come to call home. Because what if he can't find work as a mechanic or snowmobile repairman or a short-order cook or an RCMP liaison? Why not a late-night radio host?
Ray would be so nervous before the interview. He really needs this job because if he can't find work he'll be deported, and this thing between him and Fraser is so new. He needs to give it some time, give them some time, to see if it'll work out. And okay, maybe he's not the most talkative person in the world, maybe he sometimes forgets words or uses the wrong ones, and maybe he doesn't know much about radio. But he's willing to learn. He thinks he might have a knack for the technical stuff. Plus he knows music, knows his New Wave from his New Order. He could program a kick-ass playlist and handle the weather and sports.
There would be kooky characters, and maybe a mystery to solve (what the hell happened to the late-night guy?) and Fraser could visit Ray after midnight and bring him hot coffee and sandwiches and they could sit and listen to old jazz recordings spin out into the dark Arctic night. In the warm, secure little control booth Fraser would take Ray's hand and squeeze it, and when Ray would cut in to intro the next song or do a time/temperature check his voice would be scratchy and tight with happiness.
Yes, I'd like to write that story, but the bunny is free to a good home if anyone wants it.
I'm going to leave you with some dSSS recs. I haven't even come close to reading through the whole archive (in fact, I think I've only managed about fifteen stories) but these are definite insta-recs. I hope to put more recs up soon.
We'll Sweep Out the Ashes in the Morning
I love dark, realistic casefic stories, and this fic delivers on so many levels. Terrific Vecchio, twitchy and mysterious Kowalski, and a damn satisfying read, this Ray/Ray story shouldn't be missed.
So This Is Not the Place
Short but brilliant F/K story packed full of sensual detail and great characterization.
Guns Don't Kill People
So far this is the toughest read in the challenge, at least on an emotional level, but I was absolutely amazed by the tough-minded characterization of Fraser, and the way Ray uses love and soul-deep understanding to combat his lover's depression.
About a Girl
Thatcher-centric gen piece that completely rehabilitates the character and turns her into a likable and realistic human being. I can't say enough good things about this one.
if there was a reason, it was you
Pretty much the best Fraser/Stella story I could have imagined. Lush, lyrical, beautiful, this story turns Fraser's unrequited love for Ray into art. Amazing structure and a terrific last line.
Apartment Story
Another story about Stella and Ray, and Stella and Fraser. Great characterization of the Wife of Many Rays, and a believably look at what kind of relationship she and Fraser might have.
Fledgling
A great F/V/K wingfic story that deals in metaphor as much as it does romance.
Please remember to contribute to china_shop's Rec as You Go post - it's a great secondary source for feedback, and it's also a lot of fun to see what everyone else is reading and enjoying. I gave up on anonymity a while back (damn those spam challenge tests!) but I think I know who most of the authors of the above stories are. I'll put up my guesses after zabira and I have had a chance to put our coconuts together. (That sounds like a dirty euphemism, doesn't it? Maybe I should put that in the Ray as a radio host story!) Anyway, catch you kittens later!
On to a more pleasant new subject, namely dS plotbunnies. I received a whole pile of Canadian literature this Christmas, and I started reading Elizabeth Hay's Late Nights on Air this afternoon. The novel is set in 1975 Yellowknife, and follows the adventures of a ragtag group of explorers and exiles who man the town's small radio station. Naturally, it's given me a plot bunny for post-CotW story wherein Ray becomes a radio announcer/late-night DJ in whatever small Arctic town he and Fraser have come to call home. Because what if he can't find work as a mechanic or snowmobile repairman or a short-order cook or an RCMP liaison? Why not a late-night radio host?
Ray would be so nervous before the interview. He really needs this job because if he can't find work he'll be deported, and this thing between him and Fraser is so new. He needs to give it some time, give them some time, to see if it'll work out. And okay, maybe he's not the most talkative person in the world, maybe he sometimes forgets words or uses the wrong ones, and maybe he doesn't know much about radio. But he's willing to learn. He thinks he might have a knack for the technical stuff. Plus he knows music, knows his New Wave from his New Order. He could program a kick-ass playlist and handle the weather and sports.
There would be kooky characters, and maybe a mystery to solve (what the hell happened to the late-night guy?) and Fraser could visit Ray after midnight and bring him hot coffee and sandwiches and they could sit and listen to old jazz recordings spin out into the dark Arctic night. In the warm, secure little control booth Fraser would take Ray's hand and squeeze it, and when Ray would cut in to intro the next song or do a time/temperature check his voice would be scratchy and tight with happiness.
Yes, I'd like to write that story, but the bunny is free to a good home if anyone wants it.
I'm going to leave you with some dSSS recs. I haven't even come close to reading through the whole archive (in fact, I think I've only managed about fifteen stories) but these are definite insta-recs. I hope to put more recs up soon.
We'll Sweep Out the Ashes in the Morning
I love dark, realistic casefic stories, and this fic delivers on so many levels. Terrific Vecchio, twitchy and mysterious Kowalski, and a damn satisfying read, this Ray/Ray story shouldn't be missed.
So This Is Not the Place
Short but brilliant F/K story packed full of sensual detail and great characterization.
Guns Don't Kill People
So far this is the toughest read in the challenge, at least on an emotional level, but I was absolutely amazed by the tough-minded characterization of Fraser, and the way Ray uses love and soul-deep understanding to combat his lover's depression.
About a Girl
Thatcher-centric gen piece that completely rehabilitates the character and turns her into a likable and realistic human being. I can't say enough good things about this one.
if there was a reason, it was you
Pretty much the best Fraser/Stella story I could have imagined. Lush, lyrical, beautiful, this story turns Fraser's unrequited love for Ray into art. Amazing structure and a terrific last line.
Apartment Story
Another story about Stella and Ray, and Stella and Fraser. Great characterization of the Wife of Many Rays, and a believably look at what kind of relationship she and Fraser might have.
Fledgling
A great F/V/K wingfic story that deals in metaphor as much as it does romance.
Please remember to contribute to china_shop's Rec as You Go post - it's a great secondary source for feedback, and it's also a lot of fun to see what everyone else is reading and enjoying. I gave up on anonymity a while back (damn those spam challenge tests!) but I think I know who most of the authors of the above stories are. I'll put up my guesses after zabira and I have had a chance to put our coconuts together. (That sounds like a dirty euphemism, doesn't it? Maybe I should put that in the Ray as a radio host story!) Anyway, catch you kittens later!