TEAM WHIMSY: Day 3, "I Am a Man Upon the Land"

[china_shop]

Title: I Am a Man Upon the Land
Author: Stars (simplystars)
Team: Whimsy
Prompt: "This is the third time I tried to tell her - she won't listen!"
Pairing(s): Fraser/Kowalski
Length: 13,000 words
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: None.
Summary: Fraser tells Ray a story. Ray doesn't like the ending. They live happily ever after.
Author's Notes: Infinite thanks to kernezelda, who encourages me to write even when she has no idea what I'm writing about – without her, this story would not have been written. Much gratitude and appreciation to zabira, torra, catwalksalone, lamentables, and etcetera_cat for insightful comments and all sorts of help, and to all the Whimsical members of my team and the mods for general awesomeness and support.

Once you've read the story, please take a moment to vote in the poll below. Ratings go from 1 (low) to 9 (high), so all you need to do is enter a single number in that range into each text entry box. You'll be able to see the Genre information in the header above.

More details about the voting procedure can be found here.

I Am a Man Upon the Land

[Poll #1250876]

Comments

[omphale]

SELKIES!

*spins in circles and falls down*

With the poetry, and the stories, and Ray being all Ray-like, and Fraser the SELKIE.

*flails incoherently*

[jule1122.livejournal.com]

This story builds so incredibly beautifully.
The world is older than we know. Long, long ago, fantastical creatures inhabited it, upon the land and under the sea. In those days, the People were blessed. Some could grow wings and fly, should the need arise. Others could change their skin, the better to make their homes in the jungles or deserts, to swim in the sea or live on the ice.
From the moment I read that I so badly wanted Fraser to be one of the blessed People. To be able to experience the world in a way so unique that it explained so much about him.
I love how the story Fraser told could be a metaphor for nothing more than the separation he and Ray face at the end of the quest, for the reality that maybe they are too different, come from worlds too different to stay together. This is what Ray believes. And because Fraser is struggling with that as well as how to reveal his true nature, he cannot find a way to make Ray understand any of it.
Fraser's longing is heartbreaking and beautiful and palpatable throughout, but this, this left me stunned:
"Ray... " The words refused to come. Oh, Fraser had them; he'd been raised by conscientious, passionate librarians. He had thousands of words at his disposal, millions. A lexicon stuffed to overflowing with words and phrases, epithets and endearments, hoarded snatches of poetry and prose read over and over, memorized because of how they called Ray to mind. Words that painted Ray large as life; bold, colorful pieces of the most delightfully fascinating jigsaw Fraser could ever imagine. He wanted to spend every waking minute, hour upon hour – all the days of his life – piecing Ray together, puzzling him out, scrutinizing and savoring all the bits of Ray that made him Ray.

There was so much Fraser wanted to say, but the words were all dammed up, tangled and twisted, snarled in a linguistic log-jam behind the treacherous lump in his throat that nothing could break through.

And then, thank God this is Team Whimsy! Because Fraser gets to be Selkie. And if that is not just perfect and Ray gets to see it and they get to live happily ever after. One of the best declarations of love of all time:
Fraser's heart skipped a beat as long-buried desire burst into life. He could see his own banked passion reflected in the heat of Ray's eyes, and it gave him the courage he needed. "Will you hold onto my skin, Ray? Keep it safe for me?"

Ray's smile spread slowly – wicked, languorous, promising everything Fraser hadn't known he wanted until just that moment. "Benton buddy," he breathed huskily, dropping his head to press his lips against the flutter of Fraser's pulse, "I had my hands all over you. I peeled you out of your fucking skin. And Christ, you were beautiful. No way I'm giving that up now."

Thank you so much for this!

[keerawa.livejournal.com]

Mmmmm.

Ray moved his arms and legs spasmodically. At first it appeared he might be checking for injuries, which had Fraser briefly concerned until he realized that Ray was merely making a snow angel, as he was wont to do. This made me laugh. It's so joyfully RAY.

The poetry was grogeous, and the seal story was in a different voice, one that just ... I don't know, it fit. It made me ache. Lovely.

Vague, echoing sensations, the lingering reverberation of muscle memory. Ray's hands on his body, all over his bodies, both of them, sleek-wet fur and cold slick skin... There is something so very, very intimate about that, about being known and touched in both of his forms.

Thanks so much for writing it!

[bleedtoblue.livejournal.com]

Wow! This was so lovely and so right. Thanks.

[kisiti.livejournal.com]

Fantastically strange and utterly stunning. Bravo!

[qe2.livejournal.com]

I've just finished reading this, and I don't have a lot of commenting brain available to me at this juncture, but I do really want to say this profound thing: HEART. I have a dreadful weakness for selkie stories, and this just took that and travelled with it. Sweet, honest, sharply observed, and surprisingly believable.

[akamine_chan]

I think a lot of us have a weakness for selkies...*g*

So, the things I loved about this:

The slow building of this story, the gentle, measured pace of it. I loved the language, the faltering of Ray and Fraser's duet, their incomprehension of it. The calmness of Fraser's voice - aware of everything Ray is to him but unsure of how to keep him.

Fraser had made the mistake of answering Ray's question, when he had asked what Fraser and Dief were arguing about; for the next hour Fraser had been subjected to a fond, lengthy reminiscence over Junk Foods Ray and Dief Had Known, Loved, and Eaten.

and

Curled up at Fraser's side, just like one of the sled dogs, Ray fit perfectly into the spaces and planes of Fraser's body. His knees nudged Fraser's hip; sock-clad toes rested in the snug hollow beneath Fraser's knee.

and the innate-Rayness of:

Ray rolled his eyes and scooted around to flop down beside Fraser. "You tell me. One minute you're one crazy Mountie mofo streaking your way across the Arctic, the next you're a furry with fish breath. And like a split-second after that, you were history."

I loved the lyricism and voice of the selkie's tale - like a fairy-tale but not.

This phrase absolutely gutted me: He was alone, and he was lonely. Before the Man came, he would sometimes cry out his loneliness in mournful, guttural barks, but still the other seals ignored him.

This was not one, but two beautiful stories and I loved them both.

Wonderful job.

[akamine_chan]

And you! I can't believe you weren't satisfied with this. It's so amazingly beautiful, stars, and it's one of my favorites from this match.

*hugs you*

[simplystars.livejournal.com]

Eeee! I don't know that it was that I wasn't satisfied with it (though after exchanging emails with Nos there are some things I would tinker with, probably) but by deadline I was just so out of my head I had no idea what I'd actually written. :-p

I only had time to read it through entirely, umm, I think twice before I had to send the final draft - and one of those times was final beta. But more on that later next week. I'm just glad I survived and it didn't entirely suck it's all over. &hearts

YAY FIC MATCH! \everybody/

[basking-lizard.livejournal.com]

*HEARTS*

selkie!Fraser!

I love the mythology and the poems and the descriptions, and I'm so excited that it was a selkie story. :D Beautiful.

[mizface.livejournal.com]

lovely and lyrical. the selkie story was so wonderfully interwoven, and truly felt like a piece that you found and used as source rather than wrote, the voicing was so distinctly different. add to that wonderful voicing of the characters, and everything everyone else ha commented on.

I loved this.

[zebra363.livejournal.com]

Wow, great story. You made it seem quite believable, too, so much so that I probably would have given it a high genre mark even if it had been written for Team Reality! I enjoyed the seal story a lot. This is a nice image:

At night, and when the storms came, they would all three huddle together for warmth, stroking each other's skin for comfort.

Of the many lovely descriptions, I think this was my favourite:

a snapshot of the quintessential Ray Kowalski: hair burnished gold in the glimmering lamplight, persistently exuberant even after long hours squashed beneath a knit cap and parka hood. Weary but not exhausted, with crinkles threatening to curve into the merest suggestion of a smile and restored good humor lurking in the deep, dark blue of his eyes.

And this is just how I imagine Fraser feels about Ray:

He wanted to spend every waking minute, hour upon hour – all the days of his life – piecing Ray together, puzzling him out, scrutinizing and savoring all the bits of Ray that made him Ray.

Thanks for a memorable read!

[mlyn.livejournal.com]

Very nicely done.

[revbiscuit.livejournal.com]

Thank you for a great story. I have to admit I had to come and read it again. I tried it earlier today and couldn't stick with it. The poetry confused me, and the language sort of felt overblown. I think I was tired.

I came back to it after a little rest and I now see it for what it is, a beautiful fairytale.

[malnpudl.livejournal.com]

WOW. This is absolutely stunning. Such a beautiful fable -- two of them, in parallel, in counterpoint -- flawless execution. I am deeply in love.

Without a doubt, this is a story I'll come back and read many times. And I can't wait for someone to podfic it.

[meresy.livejournal.com]

Beautiful. ♥

[pdxscaper.livejournal.com]

WOW! This is such an incredible story. I don't know if I have the words to adequately describe how much I adore it. From the Selkie myth to the poetry to the banter between Fraser and Ray, and the slow build, it's all just about perfect.

But what struck me the most about this story was the intimacy of it and the longing. Oh...the longing. It made my heart ache for Fraser.

And this:
Siouxsie (Fraser was careful to spell it properly in his head, because while he had never heard of the singer or her music, the dratted dog would ignore him completely if he called her 'Susie')
So very Fraser. It really made me laugh so hard.

There were numerous other bits of the story that made me laugh out loud, if I were to write them all down, I'd be here all night.

Excellent...just excellent.

[brigantine.livejournal.com]

Oh, I like this very much! \o/

What a secret Fraser's been carrying around with him all this time. I mean, when Ray teases him that he's a freak, Ray really doesn't know the half of it. Heh.

[chalcopyrite.livejournal.com]

Oh, YAYCAKES! I love how you used the two stories together, and the bits of poetry, and how it all knitted together to make this lovely thing. The tone of the selkie story was just beautiful. Add me to the list of people with a weakness for selkie stories, who is currently very, very happy. ::beams::

[mondschein1.livejournal.com]

OH man. I didn't even know what selkies were before I read this. MOST excellent.

"You'll be back in civilization tomorrow, Ray," Fraser said, in his most obnoxiously cheerful Mountie-voice. "Our destination this afternoon is just a few miles from Tuktoyaktuk proper."

"Civilization," Ray snorted in derision.

"Hot water, a real bed, cable television. Pizza and beer, Ray."

"Civilization," Ray repeated appreciatively.

Aw, man, so them, even if they are having communication issues. Good job, whomever you might be.

[the_antichris.livejournal.com]

Beautiful! \o/

[secretlybronte.livejournal.com]

God, what a story you have written. I just want to wrap myself in this. The flow of the language is seductive and enthralling and perfect. You manage to accomplish this beautiful fairy-tale of a story, while still introducing these humorous touches of Ray, while showing us the growth of a relationship, the realization of love. The fact that it all works this well is such a credit to your talent as a writer (whoever you are and it is so frustrating, because I am certain I know who you are and it is just tapping away at the back of my head).

You know, the funniest thing about this story is that it's the last type of story I generally enjoy, but I never wanted it to end. Thanks for a wonderful read.

[thady.livejournal.com]

From my rec:

There are many ways a story can impress me. This one does it at first glance through its language. It has enough poetry to be lyrical and enough prose to not be flowery. It flows and ebbs, and I was so captivated I didn't know I was reading. I slipped into Fraser's head.
Fraser is so very much himself. His longing and need is clearly visible without becoming overbearing, I could practically taste it. I love how he views Ray, how we see him through Fraser's eyes.

But then there is the story itself, the plot. Interesting take on an old theme, with the touch of due South to make it specific, and not just generic. I loved its pacing and the slow and steady build-up. And I loved how Fraser and Ray's story was interwoven with the story of the selky.

Stunning.

[springwoof.livejournal.com]

lovely language in this story. wonderful selkie story. And Ray and Fraser were very much themselves here, very in character and charming. And I loved Dief! so vividly there, even bribed with marshmallows, and in his echo in the selkie story.

very cool

[0walking-naked0.livejournal.com]

Wow :D Selkies and really amazing stories and brilliant character voices! I love this so much. Especially the more lyrical parts, where Fraser is telling the stories.

[nos4a2no9.livejournal.com]

I'll say here what I said *cough* privately: this is a terrific story. The language is lush and beautiful and evocative, and I adored the way you blended mythology and poetry and the wacky world of due South to create such a beautiful narrative about devotion and sacrifice. The echoes to canon are wonderfully well observed, and I adored the passages that blend the Selkie legend with our contemporary cop characters. This story was a true pleasure to read, and it clearly was the result of a lot of very careful construction and forethought. Nicely done, Anonymous! ;-)

[petronelle.livejournal.com]

The multifaceted nature of this fairytale really sings with your narrative voice. I love the way it builds through the metaphysical metaphor, and the way Ray pieces everything together enough to react well to Fraser's two disclosures. It's heartwarming.

[mergatrude.livejournal.com]

Yaaaay! Great story!

My only complaint was that I wanted to know how Fraser's story - the one he was telling Ray - ended. Also, it was too short! I want moooooooaaaarrr!

[suchthefangirl.livejournal.com]

Ok, first of all, I have a thing for Selkies so Yay!

But, oh this was so sad a lovely. The idea that Fraser is so caught up in his own fears that he's not able to see past them just makes my heart ache.

And I love how the Washed Up on the Shore Man has a dog, so there is a part of me reading it thinking that he should be the Fraser of the story, except that the Selkie is so very Fraser that my head is spinning trying to figure it all out, but it's ok cause Ray is there and he gets it, and he can make it all better and he does, and, ok, I kinda loved this a lot.

Thank you for writing. Can't wait till I finish reading them all so that I can come back to reread them...

[wihluta.livejournal.com]

My first reaction to this was: OMGYAY SELKIES!!!

I love Selkie stories and this one is a wonderful addition.

I love how Ray/Fraser's story is interwoven with the story of Man/Selkie. The story itself felt so peaceful and calm. A pleasure to read.
And it fits Fraser. It really does. Now I want him to be a Selkie. LOL Oh you Whimsies... you definitely know your stuff. :-)

[luzula]

I love the idea of Fraser as a selkie! And I love the quiet yearning in the story, too.

This is a great turn of phrase:

the words were all dammed up, tangled and twisted, snarled in a linguistic log-jam

[sisterofdream.livejournal.com]

I love this legend! Thrilled to see it used here!

Lovely story. Loved poor, tragic, lost Fraser and calm, easily accepting of the wackiness Ray. Well done.

[renenet.livejournal.com]

Oh! Oh oh oh oh OH! That was-- I just-- SO LOVELY!!! Magical! I was transported! I feel all floaty in my insides! Wonderfully done! Thank you!

[akite.livejournal.com]

Fraser as a Selkie is whoa! Great story.

[leonandra.livejournal.com]

I love fairy tales and the way you let Fraser tell the story is hitting every of my buttons. It is heart-breaking and poetic and the ending is just perfect.
I love this story because it's like those darker fairy tales (the ones where you are just not sure what the ending is going to be, never mind if there is a happy ending at all), which feel real and grab you by your heart without you realizing it.

Thank you for writing this story.

[j-s-cavalcante.livejournal.com]

Fraser had made the mistake of answering Ray's question, when he had asked what Fraser and Dief were arguing about; for the next hour Fraser had been subjected to a fond, lengthy reminiscence over Junk Foods Ray and Dief Had Known, Loved, and Eaten.

HEE! So perfectly them, all of them. :)

And this is one of the best descriptions of RayK I've ever seen:

the quintessential Ray Kowalski: hair burnished gold in the glimmering lamplight, persistently exuberant even after long hours squashed beneath a knit cap and parka hood. Weary but not exhausted, with crinkles threatening to curve into the merest suggestion of a smile and restored good humor lurking in the deep, dark blue of his eyes.

Persistently exuberant hair FTW! \o/

I love the framing Quest story. Ray's misapprehension of the point of the selkie story was charmingly angsty, and Fraser's misapprehension of Ray's comments was so like him, too. Most interesting new fannish take on Fraser's subcutaneous fat. :)

Yay for a happy ending and...skin. :)

[mlyn.livejournal.com]

Fabulous execution of the selkie myth!

[kyriacarlisle.livejournal.com]

I'm so used to thinking of a selkie story as sad - you know, all about the captive seal whose skin is stolen - that it's a nice change to read a version with so much trust and love in it.

All the detail you've written (like The way he curled his toes inside his socks) is lovely.

(And Lurch is my new favorite dog name. Lurch the sled dog! Awesome!)

[simplystars.livejournal.com]

Wayback Machine link, until I get it uploaded somewhere else: Clicky! (http://web.archive.org/web/20080914152053/http://www.sageness.com/iamamanupontheland.html)

:::pauses for moment of fond nostalgia::: &hearts

[bghost.livejournal.com]

Ah! Wayback. TYK.

[bghost.livejournal.com]

Ah! Wayback. TYK.

[bghost.livejournal.com]

No! I can't find the story. (Headbangs headbangs headbangs.) Do you have another link? The world feels poorer of a sudden, I've heard such good things about this story.

[bghost.livejournal.com]

No! I can't find the story. (Headbangs headbangs headbangs.) Do you have another link? The world feels poorer of a sudden, I've heard such good things about this story.