DS Recs Redux

china_shop invited us to rec three older stories for Fandom Appreciation Week. I'm on a 'Vecchio in Vegas' kick right now, so I decided to rec three shining examples of the genre.

Title: Little Ray
Author: Giulietta mondschein1
Pairing: gen
Rating: PG
Length: 2625 words
Why I'm reccing this fic:

This story gives me chills each time I read it. The author uses some unique formatting to give us a glimpse into Ray's head in a pivotal moment during his time as Langouistini. It's utterly in character, and makes me wish that Benny was there to save him.

( A brief excerpt )

Title: Luck
Author: Kat Allison katallison
Pairing: F/V
Rating: PG
Length: 3544 words
Why I'm reccing this fic:

Kat Allison shows us what happens when Vecchio runs into Victoria Metcalf in Vegas. So plausible, I have to remind myself it's not canon.

( A brief excerpt )

Title: One Two Three Two One
Author: spuffyduds
Pairing: RV/SK, F/K, F/V, F/V/K
Rating: NC-17
Length: 7600 words
Why I'm reccing this fic:

Spuffyduds gives us a heart-wrenching portrait of Vecchio trying to come back from Vegas. It has an intricate, layered structure, building and destroying things in all three men's voices. This piece digs it's teeth into you from the first breathless paragraphs and never lets go.

( A brief excerpt )

So today I am going to flail about my favorite established relationship fics.

... wait, please don't run away! I know that they are not everyone's cuppa (especially if they are not sold 100% on a pairing) but for me they are actually some of the most interesting stories for examining my favorite relationships. I am sold enough on Fraser/Kowalski/Vecchio that I really believe that just about any scenario could be worked to at least get them into bed together, if not planning a long term committed relationship. But why would they stay together? What would keep them working to keep a relationship that is so unconventional and how could they ever balance it with work? These are some wonderfully compelling questions and I think that these next few stories that I am reccing today do a wonderful job at getting at the answers to them.

( Here be Fic Recs )

As always, please feel free to poke holes in my categories and squee about your favorite established relationship fics in the comments. I am here to squee along! :o)

Title: Photograph
Author/reader: Giulietta (mondschein1)
Pairing: F/K
Rating: Not porny
Length: 7 minutes 16 seconds
Why I'm reccing this podfic: This is always the first story that comes to mind when I'm pimping podfic, and, really, this is possibly a deeply flawed strategy. Because this story is heartbreaking and the reading makes me cry every time. Photograph was maybe the first dS podfic I listened to and I wasn't sure I could buy an amateur female reader voicing first-person Fraser narration. I bought it, I buy it, I am SOLD. Gah, this story. It defies reason: as a rule, I dislike music under the reading; here it is wonderful and devastating. Most of us fumble around a bit when starting out recording podfic; this was her very first and it's absolutely stellar. Not only is the story superb and the recording technically solid, but she reads it beautifully, with powerful, utterly convincing emotion. So, yes. RATHER A LOT OF LOVE HERE.

Working link at Jinjurly's index. (Giulietta's original post)

Title: And Indeed There Will Be Time
Author: riverlight
Length: Longish
Rating: PG
Why I’m Reccing This Fic:

Okay, so this was my Seekrit Santa gift from last year. And yes, I requested kidfic. Because riverlight is made of awesome she came up with this warm, bittersweet story that isn't quite kidfic. Instead it's about an epiphany (well, okay, two of 'em) when Ray realizes that it's possible to have even more than everything he's always wanted. There's a moment in here when everything shifts and the world opens up and Ray emerges a changed man; here's a little taste of that.

( Excerpt from And Indeed There Will Be Time )

And Indeed There Will Be Time

Title: "Ray and Sunshine sounds like a disco band, Fraser, so come up with something else" and its sequel Sex and Cartoons
Author: omphale23 and slidellra
Length: 6300 words total
Rating: PG-13 (first part) NC-17 (second part)
Why I’m Reccing This Fic:

Well, not only do omphale23 and slidellra rock my world (seriously, have you read their AU Masquerade?) but when these two take on kid!fic it's kid!fic as it should be done: realistic, funny, sweet, and a little bit gross. Ugh, ketchup in the salt shaker *shiver*. And also there is sex. And cartoons, if titles are to be trusted.

( Excerpt from Ray and Sunshine sound like a disco band )

"Ray and Sunshine sounds like a disco band, Fraser, so come up with something else"

Title: The Koosh Series
Author: mondschien1
Length: Four-part series (~8000 words total)
Why I’m Reccing This Fic: Fraser and Ray. Adopt an alien. Who looks like this. And the alien-kid is sorta like a pet, and this whole series is surprisingly moving and silly and wonderful. I'm sure you've all read it, but if not, do yourself a favour and check it out.

( Excerpt from The Koosh Series )

The Koosh Series

Title: King of Love
Author: lalejandra
Pairing: Fraser/Kowalski
Rating: PG-13
Length: 1600 words
Why I'm reccing this fic: My favorite drunk!Ray ever. He's a cuddly and licky drunk, and Fraser handles him quite well.

( A brief excerpt )

King of Love


Title: Spring Cleaning
Author: omphale23
Pairing: Fraser/Kowalski
Rating: PG-13
Length: 6500 words
Why I'm reccing this fic: Oh this is a kick in the gut. They try SO hard, but all the trying in the world isn't going to make it work. But don't worry, there's a happy ending. And this Dief is awesome.

( A brief excerpt )

Spring Cleaning


Title: Catching Fish and Killing Grizzlies
Author: mondschein1
Pairing: Fraser/Kowalski
Rating: PG-13
Length: 10,000
Why I'm reccing this fic: I love the first part, Ray trying to find his place, Fraser trying to figure out how to make Ray happy, and then it goes action adventurey! I love the use of the Bolt brother.

( A brief excerpt )

Catching Fish and Killing Grizzlies

Title:Six Months on Vulcan
Author:Giulietta
Pairing:F/K
Rating:PG-13
Length:3000+ words
Why I'm reccing this fic: I love dS and I love Star Trek, and this has both. Our heroes have an adventure on Vulcan, Fraser doesn't know anything about Star Trek, and Ray tries his luck with his very own take on pon farr. There's love, pointy ears and space ships. What more do you want?

( A brief excerpt )

Six Months on Vulcan

Title:Oddness
Author:bertybertle
Pairing:F/K
Rating:PG-13
Length:3700+ words
Why I'm reccing this fic: I have to feel the luurve, you see? And there's plenty of it here, all mixed up with Ray's confusion and a healthy dose of our favourite brand of magical realism. Dead!Bob has a starring role, too, and why not; the bloke was not much use to Ben while he was alive, it's only fair he should do his share in the afterlife.

( A brief excerpt )

Oddness

Title:The Voyage Home
Author:Blue Champagne
Pairing:There isn't one *really*
Rating:I know it says R, but it's mostly for language, so...
Length:34000+ words
Why I'm reccing this fic:I have a deep love for all things strange. Now, if you haven't seen this before and you just look at the title, you could be forgiven for thinking "Bloody Hell, she's going on about ST again!" Only I'm not. This story is brilliant. It's sf, it's crack, it's dS all rolled into one. The actors are somehow lost in fanfic, and have to get out and home. Well, yes, I did say I like strange. It's got more funny lines and nods to canon and fanon than I can even begin to describe to you, and it's got the best description of Ray Kowalski I've ever seen anywhere. And Fraser's reaction when he thinks he's got yet another long-lost sibling? Priceless.

( A brief excerpt )

The Voyage Home

Title: Myerp
Author: mondschein1
Pairing: Fraser/Kowalski
Rating:PG13
Length:Short to middle
Why I'm reccing this fic:

Okay, I'm totally cheating because I'm not only reccing Myerp, but also its sequels Moirrp, Myerp Myerp and Koosh, Meet Park. But you have to read the entire series because of its awesomeness. The entire series makes me happy and that's why it is one of my favourites.

Why do I rec it? Well, it is basically alien!kid!fic with a serving of first!time!relationship. Yes, it is crack!fic. But only the premise is crack - mondschein1 writes the story so well that you're sucked in it and you have to love it. See the excerpt:

( A brief excerpt )

Myerp, Moirrp, Myerp Myerp and Koosh, Meet Park