The Anywhere But Here challenge

[china_shop]

Hi. This pounced on me. *g*

Wellington
Fraser/RayK, PG, 1172 words (plus the, um, educational note).
Set a few months ago.
Warning: May contain traces of politics. :-)

Many grateful thanks, as ever, to Miriam for beta.

Comments

[delurker.livejournal.com]

...despite Ray explaining that the exchange rate here meant they were practically gods.
Hee! *Loved* this line. (I'm an Aussie, so my experience with exchange rates tended to go along the lines of 'please don't hurt me'. *g*)
This is really sweet. A nice look at their relationship, good characterisation, a feeling of New Zealand... much goodness.

(Also have to say: have been to NZ, and it was great. Friendly people, beautiful scenery.)

[china_shop]

*beam* Thank you kindly. My country thanks you too. *g*

[lynnmonster.livejournal.com]

I wish I was in Wellington, the weather's not so good
The wind it cuts right through you and it rains more than it should
But I'd be there tomorrow, if I only could...

(Sorry, had to sing a little Mutton Birds, there, in honor of your fic!)

Anyway -- sweet and funny story! I love the ways Fraser kept successfully putting Ray off, and I love that Ray's actually not going to let him get away with that this time.

[china_shop]

Yay Muttonbirds! I was thinking of using a line from that song as a quote, but it didn't really fit. :-)

Thank you for the kind words. *beam*

[engenda.livejournal.com]

Ahh Wellington. I love Wellington, I want to go back to Wellington. Fraser would love the Kapati Coast. And the Hutts. Lovely storey. And yes with the exchange rate they would be gods.

I didn't have enough time in Wellington. I really wanted to go to Te Papa.

[china_shop]

Yay, Wellington rocks (although, being on a geological faultline, it may be tempting fate to say so). *g*

[wildmachinery.livejournal.com]

I've never been to Wellington, but that has no effect on the great love I have for this story.

[china_shop]

*beam* Thank you kindly.

[buddleia.livejournal.com]

Ha! Sweet and to the point. Very nice.
And dammit I've wandered around Wellington at three in the morning with 14 dollars and five hours to kill. I STILL liked it. I talked to two hookers(one of whom bought me a coffee) and several backpackers and seriously wondered why I was leaving the country.

[china_shop]

Very nice.

Thank you kindly. *beam*

seriously wondered why I was leaving the country

You could always come back and pretend you never left. A sort of "and then she woke up" thing, maybe? *g*

[laylee.livejournal.com]

Maybe they should pop across to Melbourne while they're in the hemisphere. The weather here has been great!

Love it, BTW :~)

[china_shop]

Hm, maybe... or they could buy a cute 1900s cottage in Aro Valley and settle in. I'm sure there's plenty of scope for wacky hijinks in these parts...)

(And then they could take vacations in sunny Melbourne.)

Thanks! :-)

[engenda.livejournal.com]

Sydney's not too shabby either. We have a pretty pond.

[china_shop]

*nod* And an excellent zoo. (Though I was sad I didn't get to see the platypi; I think they were hiding from the noisy school kids.)

[nowlive.livejournal.com]

Very nice southern hemisphere type story. I liked it very much. Thanks for posting.

[china_shop]

Thank you kindly. *beam*

[theodosia.livejournal.com]

I'm so loving people placing Ray & Fraser into their virtual backyards! The Wellington details are so fun, and now I want to hear more about them touring Kiwiland and fighting crime along the way!

[china_shop]

Glad you liked it. :-)

[akite.livejournal.com]

"So what you're saying," said Ray, his gaze locked with Fraser's, "is that our love can, like, change the world."

I'm smiling now because, yes, I do think love like theirs change the world. Neat story.

[china_shop]

So glad you liked it. *beam* And, yes, I think I got a bit meta there, because fictional relationships can maybe change the world almost as much as real life relationships. :-)

[china_shop]

the assumption that gays have stereotyped roles annoyed him in to no end

*nodnodnod* I was in a same-sex relationship for a number of years, and was actually kinda bewildered/scornful when people would ask which of us was the "man". I mean, what does that mean? It's like a denial of the complexity of people, you know? That we couldn't just be ourselves, we had to be a role. Pah!

So glad you liked the story. *beam*

[sprat.livejournal.com]

It's like a denial of the complexity of people, you know?

Totally! Because as if all straight couples adhere to traditional "boy/girl" roles all the time...So much for, you know, give and take and mutuality and all that. Sheesh!
Okay, I'll stop butting in now. But again, great story! :)

[china_shop]

Because as if all straight couples adhere to traditional "boy/girl" roles

Oh yeah. If my current (diff-sex) relationship relied for sustenance on me cooking, we'd be like little malnourished stick figures by now (or long since broken up). :-)

::melts happily::

[qe2.livejournal.com]

Oh, I really love this. In addition to my myriad other kinkier kinks, I've got a major "RayK and Fraser in the midst of an LTR" kink, and this fed it like mad. And because in my mind and heart every relationship has a political facet, I've long thought that the most powerful argument for legalization of same-sex relationships (if an argument really has to be made!) would be simply the presentation of a cross-section of such relationships working, as the boys' relationship clearly does here.

And - although I don't know what this says about my weather desires - you have now made me want to take a trip to New Zealand.

Re: ::melts happily::

[china_shop]

Yay! So glad you liked it. *beam*

you have now made me want to take a trip to New Zealand

It'll be summer in a month or two... *lure, lure*

Re: ::melts happily::

[qe2.livejournal.com]

Yay! So glad you liked it. *beam*

Very much so, yes :-).

It'll be summer in a month or two... *lure, lure*

Ooh, summer. I used to hate summer - I'm a family-sized girl, and I didn't like the sweaty stickiness of it - but the older I get the less I care, and also the colder I get at the drop of a hat.

No luring necessary, really. Just have to figure a cheap way to get there!

::is craving the biscuits Fraser bought Ray::

[sam80853.livejournal.com]

Oh yes, their love WILL change the world!

So what you're saying," said Ray, his gaze locked with Fraser's, "is that our love can, like, change the world."

[china_shop]

Yes! And there will be dancing in the streets! *beam*

[sprat.livejournal.com]

Oh! This was so sweet! And totally the way I'd imagine these two would interact in a relationship.

This was my favourite bit:
"I sorta love you, you know." He said it casual, like it didn't matter. Like it wasn't a miracle that he could say it at all.
Because, aw, that's so Ray. :)

[china_shop]

Yay! Thank you so much. :-)

[elmyraemilie.livejournal.com]

You left me with a big ol' grin on my face. Thanks!

[china_shop]

So glad you liked it. *beam*

It's so true!

[errante.livejournal.com]

"Yes, well—" Fraser looked out the window at the people struggling against the gale force norwester. "Don't they look almost—Canadian to you?"

Okay, have you met a lot of Canadians? Because the whole time I was in NZ, I was struck by how similar the Canuck and Kiwi views of the world are.

Not to mention the whole overshadowed-by-big-neighbours, what-do-you-mean-you-have-your-own-country annoyances...

Teenager from Auckland: But your President's George Bush, right?
Me: Ghhhkkk!

Cabdriver in Christchurch: I hear there's some trouble between French Canada and American Canada.
Me: American Canada? That's like me saying "Australian New Zealand."

p.s. loved the story

Re: It's so true!

[china_shop]

*g* I've met a few Canadians, and yes, I think we share many traits: that kind of nice, socialist-leaning, wide-eyed expecting-the-best-of-people-ness, yeah? *g*.

Cabdriver in Christchurch: I hear there's some trouble between French Canada and American Canada.

Me: *cringes*

p.s. loved the story

Thanks! :)

Re: It's so true!

[errante.livejournal.com]

that kind of nice, socialist-leaning, wide-eyed expecting-the-best-of-people-ness, yeah?

Yeah. Although Fraser is perhaps an extreme example.

[the_antichris.livejournal.com]

OK, so woolly_socks linked me to this just now, and I was squeeing at her about how wonderful it was, and I realised I should be telling that to you. *cuts and pastes for flavour of initial reaction, and also because lazy*

OMG, that's so lovely. How did I miss it? Testifying for the select committee! Afghan biscuits! Gale-force nor'westers! And they're so bickering and in love and married. They should come to NZ, they fit so well here. Except for the whole fictional thing, but you know.

And then woolly said it had made her feel better after being at the protest against Brian Tamaki's goon parade, and then me again:

You're so right about the story. It makes me all warm and happy and uplifted.

LOVE. Just LOVE.

[china_shop]

Woooooooooot! Thank you! *beam*

[bakaknight.livejournal.com]

I should go looking through people's archives more often.
-whimpers-
I miss the wind now...


Thank you for this. :D

[china_shop]

Aww, thank you! *beams* (Are you a local? You just missed our annual slash mini-con.)

[bakaknight.livejournal.com]

I first came to Canada attached to the New Zealand High Commission, and for reasons that don't require explaining at this juncture, I missed the slash mini-con, but got to see Passchendaele. This is probably a fair trade-off.

...
I couldn't think of any way to appropriately end that sentence, so it seems the flow is a tad off...

I saw those pictionary clues. Oh Dear.

[china_shop]

Hee! Just like Fraser. Do you solve crimes wearing a black singlet and gumboots? ;-)

Passchendaele is good, then, I take it?

The slash mini-con is an annual event. If you happen to find yourself in these parts next year... I can guarantee some more traumatising pictionary clues.

[bakaknight.livejournal.com]

No, but I learn how to solve crimes while wearing a skivvy and tramping boots.

Passchendaele is great. It was an honour to see it, and it was an utter amazement to watch. Stunning, in every sense of the word. Really.

At the moment, being back in Aotearoa is looking like it could go either way for this time next year; the posting's been extended, and all manner of interesting things could happen in the interim.

[bakaknight.livejournal.com]

Also:
It was almost five when you wrote that.
Go to bed.

[china_shop]

I had/have a headache and stumbled out of bed briefly to take panadeine and check my email.

[bakaknight.livejournal.com]

Awww....
-hugs-
On that note: Painkillers here SUCK. The closest thing to Panadol is not only cherry-flavoured, but comes in bottles with barely-adequate child-proof-caps, and are both red and cherry-flavoured.
The bottles can contain 500 or more of the little buggers.
Not impressed, here.

[china_shop]

Cherry-flavoured Panadol? *tries to imagine* Yuck.

I miss Neurofen, but I'm not allowed it. :-(

[bakaknight.livejournal.com]

It's also approximately 1/2-2/3-strength of the stuff you get at home too (based on personal findings), and if you want it cut with anything else to make it stronger/faster (caffeine, codeine, etc), you need a script.
So, no panadeine for me. TT_TT

[azamiko.livejournal.com]

Canadian maple sap! ^_^