Slashy Nominations 34: Happy Together

[thefourthvine]

The first-time story is so common in FF that it's a cliche. Much less common is the long-time story, an episode in an established relationship. I suppose, in a way, I can understand the preference for first-times; the drama and emotion and sexiness is all there on the surface. But my heart really belongs to the long-times - the glimpses at what love looks like after one year, or two years, or ten, or twenty. And these stories are my favorites in that genre.

Best FF That Reminds Us That It Isn't the First Step That's the Hardest, It's the First Year: Habitation, by livia. Galaxy Quest, Fred Kwan/Laliari. Yes, it's het. But it's interspecies het, which helps raise the perv factor a bit. And yes, I am nominating a fan fiction story based on a movie that wonderfully skewers fandom and fannish behavior, and yes, there is some irony there. So, now that we've covered the mandatory objections, would you please go read this story right now now now? Because it is just so right, people, no matter how wrong it also is. This is FF at its best. Because, see, every marriage is marriage to alien creature. The marriage becomes real when you've become a species of two. (Help! Went too deep! Drowning in metaphor and simile! Send friendly, intelligent, anthropomorphic dolphin to save me and teach me important lessons about friendship!)

Best FF That Reveals Some Shocking Inside Information about the Magical Publishing World: Who Wrote the Book*, by Canis M.. Harry Potter, Sirius Black/Remus Lupin. HP established-relationship stories tend to feature endings - deaths, breakups, betrayals. And that's no surprise; in Rowling's world, it's hard to imagine a happy future, because everything's so hazy. Even assuming both halves of a couple do survive, it's hard to know how things will be in that still-nebulous Time After Voldemort. (Tell you what, though; I'd love to see a long-time story about Ron and Hermione with a houseful of kids. I'm convinced Ron would be another Molly and Hermione would be just like Arthur.) What I love about "Who Wrote" (yes, there was an actual nomination here - scan back up if you've forgotten) is the glimpse of Remus and Sirius without the Shadow of Doom; the SoD has come to permeate all FF about these two. I prefer to think of this as the start to an AU world, where Peter was caught, Sirius stayed free, and Harry went to live with Remus and Sirius.

Best FF That Explains the Wily Inner Workings of the Canine Mind: Likewise, by AuKestrel (no link for her, sorry). Due South, Benton Fraser/Ray Kowalski. I realize that this story may be too sweet for some people. But to me, it's a remarkable example of the long-time story; this is what it's really like when ten years have passed and it's still good. I smile whenever I read this. And, hey, she quotes my favorite REM song at the end, so the story must be good, right? (Note for the grammar-fixated, my sisters in pedantry: the comma splices must imitate the voice of Kowalski on the show. I've read other stories by this author, and she doesn't write like that most of the time, so it's a stylistic choice. Take a deep breath and go with it for a bit. I think you'll find it works.) This is just a nice look at the happier, mellower future editions of Ray and Benton, and I for one think they totally deserve this fate.

Best FF That Will Enhance Your Tolerance by Making You Wonder, the Next Time You See an Intergenerational Couple, If One of Them Is a Vampire: At a Glance, by Dira Sudis, aka dsudis. Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Spike/Xander. I've said vampire/human relationships can't work in the Buffy world, and I stand by that. But Dira Sudis has somehow found the best-case scenario here. And then some. I found myself wanting to buy into this version of Spike and Xander. I even found myself formulating strange theories to explain their relationship. ("Hmmm. Maybe they share a soul?") This is a Buffyfic that manages to be touching without angst, that is realistic and yet (I think) in canon. My early survey of this fandom shows that that is about as rare as the Questing Beast, so enjoy this one. Even if the ending is a bit ambiguous.

-Honorable Mentions (i.e., Previously-Nominated Stories That I Can't Shut up About)-

Best FF That Answers the Question "What Do You Do With an Aging Superhero?" (Take Him to Rural Areas.): I Still Believe, by Dasha (sorry, no link for her). The Sentinel, Jim/Blair. This is my favorite Sentinel story, so much so that for a while after I found this one I stopped reading in the fandom altogether. This story resolves everything so well that it made every other story seemed superfluous. I got over that, luckily for my self-image as an obsessed multi-fandom reader (for as a dog returneth to his vomit, so does this fan fiction reader return to her old fandoms), but I still re-read this one from time to time. It's wonderful.

Best FF That Answers the Question "What Do You Do With an Aging Dwarf?" (Take Him to Valinor.): Sky as Grey as Your Heart, by afrai. Lord of the Rings, Legolas/Gimli. This one is another essentially perfect long-time love story. And it converted me to a pairing I'd previously hated, canon or not. So if you've been avoiding this one - and you'd have to be not to have read it by now, 'cause it's been rec'd everywhere - now would be a good time to try something new. And if you've read it before, why not read it again? It'll give you something to remember the next time you read a story about Legolas weeping for the lost love of Aragorn and writing bad poetry ("To a Lost King" and "Sweet Man-Kisses" by Legolas Fangirl Greenleaf) and embracing his pillow at night.

-Footnote-

* Thanks to switchknife for her merciless pimping and helpful, custom-fit recommendations. This woman is determined to drag me kicking and screaming into the deep end of HP fiction, and of course I love her for it. Though I imagine my loved ones are wanting to have a few words with her right about now.

Comments

[thefourthvine.livejournal.com]

Yeek. I didn't know about the more, um, serious episodes; I couldn't for a single instant stand, for example, that one about the dogs being sold to research labs. So, OK, DS is not as light or humorous as I'd thought, though apparently it still has humorous elements, and the cheery backchat that seems to be key to any cop show.

And I totally agree that it's hopeful. That's why I like the FF so much; things start out so bad for these guys - Fraser, as you noted, is pretty much kneecapped by his own strengths, and F and K both seem so lost, so adrift - and then get better. But because of that bad beginning, I really need a happy ending. I need to see them in the Arctic, as you said, ordering from Pottery Barn catalogs. (Actually, I would like to see that. God only knows the horror that would be Benton Fraser and Ray Kowalski trying to engage in yuppie-style interior decoration.) So I can handle the angst (to the degree that I can handle angst in any fandom, which is to say I'm right there with it up to a point, and after that point I find myself rolling my eyes and making sarcastic comments under my breath) - as long as there's a good resolution.

And, actually, I've never seen any DS. I had been reading DS FF for more than a month before I even saw pictures of the characters. (Dief wins for cutest. No question.) Which is why I admitted that my impressions of the characters might be way off base; I went by Kat Allison's excellent summary (http://www.livejournal.com/community/crack_van/81668.html), Real Due South, and a DS FAQ that I found. (I'm a big non-canon FF reader when it comes to TV shows; I've never seen The Sentinel or The Professionals or Smallville, either, and the two episodes of Buffy I've struggled through to date required endless skipping backward and many careful footnotes and explanations from my Best Beloved. I'm not very good at watching TV.) I would like to see an episode, though, if for no other reason than to get a feel for how the guys talk. That's the hardest thing to judge when you're reading TV FF and you don't know the canon.

Glad you like the focus on the good stuff; it wasn't actually optional. I just can't do the making-fun-of-bad-FF thing. I know several sites that do it, and do it well, but the thing is - I know how hard it is to write anything, even a total piece of crap. When I see bad FF, I tend to think of it as sad instead of funny; someone put a lot of time and effort into this, and it's bad, and that's just - well, to me it's sad. That's all I can say. Plus, it's excruciating to read bad FF, and I have to read something several times before I can write even the little bits I do here. So I can really only write about FF I love. I suppose you could say this LJ is a prolonged, snarky love letter to FF. What a scary thought.

[ardent-muses.livejournal.com]

I think, especially for someone working from fan fiction alone, you nailed the more painful elements of the show in a very articulate way. I'm just glad to be able to tell you that it's a good, healthy mix of light and dark.

I'd be glad to send you a tape of some of the better eps so you can see the balance. I'm overdue on sending out a few Man From UNCLE tapes, so I can't do it immediately, but it would be my pleasure. Why don't you send me your address if you're interested at ardent_muses@livejournal.com If you're not up for it, that's cool too, although I don't promise to stop pimping. *G*

The thing about DS, unlike Sentinel, for example, is that it's actually really good. Well-written, interesting, fun. Slash is not the be-all and end-all of the show's appeal. Some of my favorite episodes are from the first two seasons, where Fraser's partner was Ray Vecchio. I don't see them as a viable slash couple, and yet I still love watching. Fraser all by himself would be reason enough to watch. And then in S3, when Callum Keith Rennie comes on the scene? The appeal just shoots off the scale. *G*

Like you, though, I want happy endings with my stories. I don't want to read sad stuff, especially in DS. And fortunately, in DS, the slashy happy ending *is* canon. :)

I may have to add that Pottery Barn story to my list. That's just hilarious. :)

Giving you my Dief icon since you clearly prefer him to Fraser. *G*