TEAM WHIMSY: Day 8, "First One Thing, Then the Otter"

[china_shop]

Title: First One Thing, Then the Otter
Author: alex51324
Team: Whimsy
Prompt: “Look at it this way--if we don’t, we’re toast.”
Pairing(s): Fraser/Kowalski
Length: 13,100 words
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: None
Summary: When the guys find signs of a sea otter living in a Chicago pond, Fraser is strangely reluctant to investigate.
Author's notes: Thanks to Team Whimsy for being awesome!

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.

First One Thing, Then the Otter

[Poll #1254857]

Comments

[jadelennox]

\o/! You tie the whimsy into canon, and there is actual PLOT, ftw!

A towel and his hat, he could perhaps brazen out, but his hat was at the Consulate with the rest of his clothing.

Oh, Fraser. ♥

[alex51324.livejournal.com]

Glad you liked it!

The hat has Powers. Fraser *knows*.

[omphale]

\o/ !!!

I'm sorry. I'm failing at coherent commenting these days. But I seriously cannot convey my delight at the thought of were-otters. Or at how well you've fit them into canon.

Also, Ray's attempts at otter seduction (sushi! Of course!) were both awesome and a little disturbing. In a good way, though. Or something.

I'll just shut up now, shall I?

[alex51324.livejournal.com]

Were otters are delightful! Much less scary than werewolves. More sliding, less biting.

I'm not sure that Ray consciously thought of the sushi as Otter Seduction. He was trying to prove that he Understood Fraser's Otterness. Hee!

[secretlybronte.livejournal.com]

I am in love. I am marrying this story. I am not entirely clear as to whether I was supposed to at points, but I think I spent about half of this fic laughing out loud. Your retelling of the ever-so-serious Victoria narrative may be the funniest thing I have ever read in a dS story.

I just so adore the whole otter thing. It is entirely ridiculous and entirely Fraser and actually? Entirely dS. The otter descriptions are completely adorable and, I suspect, accurate. God, I just want to go on and on.

Basically, I give you all the points, because I haven't laughed like this in ages. This has some of the funniest dialogue I have seen recently - it's like something out of a '40s comedy, all wordplay and fast-paced misunderstandings. I think you're awesome, whoever you are. Thank you so much for... you know... entertaining me. I loved it.

[alex51324.livejournal.com]

Well, *most* of it was supposed to be funny. But Fraser is Highly Insulted that you would laugh at the high drama and pathos of Otter!Fraser and Otter!Victoria. Their love is so otterly!

But the love of Fraser!Otter and Ray!Otter is *even more* otterly, so that's OK.

[veronamay.livejournal.com]

OMGCUTE. I just. *flaps* This is such fun! Especially Ray trying to lure Fraser back into the trap with the mussel-trail, and Fraser floating around in the bathtub. Adorable.

[alex51324.livejournal.com]

Glad you liked it! Otter!Fraser likes to float...

[petronelle.livejournal.com]

This is ridiculously adorable and incredibly plausible, as wild flights of whimsy go. I adore the wereotter concept and the splendid mental images it gives. Ray's quiet acceptance of his new freakish nature and the truly bizarre marriage that goes with it make me squee.

As for Victoria's secret being truly Fraser's, I couldn't be more amused and pleased by how logical the illogic is.

[alex51324.livejournal.com]

Isn't it all very plausible? I was pleased by how Completely Reasonable it ended up seeming. Ray-otter + Fraser-otter = Otter OTP.

[snoopypez.livejournal.com]

Oh, this is ADORABLE. I want a were-otter! XD

Slowly, the events of the night before came back to him. He’d been whacked with a frying pan by a killer, tied up in a basement, turned into an otter, escaped, hid in a garage….

It wasn’t the first time for any of that, except the otter thing.

Heeeeee!!

[alex51324.livejournal.com]

Remember, were-otters are for life, not just for Christmas!

Glad you liked.

[shrewreader.livejournal.com]

I really have nothing else to say except \o/!!!

And I know that's been said by several others.

Which is not surprising, as the otter adorableness of this story has probably eaten most of the originality in the known universe.

So I'll just repeat myself. \o/!!!!!

[alex51324.livejournal.com]

*chomp* The story eats originality for breakfast! ....or something. Glad you liked it!

[nos4a2no9.livejournal.com]

Chirping, Fraser turned onto his back, allowing Ray to inspect his furry underside.

Okay, you win everything ever. This is possibly the funniest thing I've read in ages and ages. You, my friend, are a genius! Otters!

I still haven't fully recovered. *dies*

[instantramen]

I was going to hold off on voting and commenting until the end of DS Match for some reason, but this story is completely awesome. Fraser's Hero Luck is good, but not good enough to get him anything so dignified as being a werewolf when were-otterhood is available as well. Ray's weird idea of what passes for a marriage is adorable; I can imagine he'd have some childhood friend with whom he did that blood brothers thing and who he still thinks of as a real brother as a result. Much love, whoever you are!

[j-s-cavalcante.livejournal.com]

So much fun! \o/

I want to give this story awards! Best otter explanation and otter story EVER. Best explanation of why Fraser rubs his eyebrow. Best reinterpretation of the Victoria arc. Best use of seafood.

Reminding himself that he had seen Fraser naked twice that day, so it was only fair, he stripped off. Fraser averted his eyes, and Ray decided that it was probably good, all things considered, that the basement was kinda chilly. At the very least, Fraser would get a nice surprise later.

Ahahahahahahaha!

Otterly wonderful. :)

[teaphile.livejournal.com]

All I can say is: Of course. The world makes sense now.

[zebra363.livejournal.com]

Great story. I especially liked the way you made the Fraser-otter an otter, not just Fraser in a different shape:

There was the usual moment’s disorientation as he tried to fit human thoughts into an otter’s brain, then human thoughts sank away.

He hadn’t, for instance, defecated on the carpet.

About halfway through it looked like he got distracted, and he started chasing his tail.

This is my favourite line from the challenge so far:

"Mostly I gambol.”

Very entertaining!

[jule1122.livejournal.com]

I am so filled with love for this story! I love that Ray's reaction to fraser being a were-otter(still laughing about that) was bascially I want to be one too. It was the funniest, sweetest thing I've read in a long time.

[wihluta.livejournal.com]

He walked in on the otter sliding across the bottom of the tub. When it hit the side, it went head-over-tail, then picked itself up and climbed up onto the edge to launch itself down the sloping side again.
AAAWWWW!!!

I really love that Fraser isn't just Fraser in a pelt when he's an otter, but a real otter.

“Sardines in tomato sauce. I have a terrible weakness for them, when I’m an otter.”
A fish out of it's element wrapped in something red. Why am I not surprised. *gg*

And it's so Ray to want to be a were-otter too.

This was lots of fun to read! Thank you, anonymous. :-)

[waltzforanight.livejournal.com]

Oh my. Brilliant. This had me in hysterics at 6:30 in the morning, which is not an easy feat, lol.

WERE-OTTERS. HEE. ♥

[suchthefangirl.livejournal.com]

When I saw that this was going to be a story about were-otter Fraser, I um, actually put off reading it. I'm not sure what I was afraid of, but I'm really glad I didn't put it off for to long, cause this was brilliant. And so not whatever I thought it was going to be.

I think I might have woken up my husband with the giggling I was doing while reading it.

I loved the way that Ray dealt with the Fraser's big secret. He was so not the least bit fazed by it.

Ray stared at him. “Fraser, that’s, uh--” He ducked his head and ran a hand through his hair. “Have you been crazy long?”

“For about three years, quite possibly,” Fraser admitted. “But I’ve been a were-otter for more than twenty-five.”

I laughed so hard at the whole thing.

If I had time, I would probably quote half the lines and then talk about how brilliant so much of it is, but I don't and you know, you've already read it, but I will say Thank You. Thank You!

[vsee.livejournal.com]

It blows my mind that such a preposterous hook was worked so skillfully through a very workable case story. *blinks*

*rereads*

[leonandra.livejournal.com]

Fraser as an otter is really cute. I love your descriptions your him and his behaviour. The eye-brow rub as a carry-over from being otter fits perfectly and his bond with Victoria makes so much more sense now.

Thank you for this story. *goes to re-read

[pdxscaper.livejournal.com]

This was very cute and sweet and fun.

[kyriacarlisle.livejournal.com]

Is there any animal that fandom, as a whole, appreciates more than the otter? (Extensive research suggests: the penguin. maybe.)

I'm extremely impressed that you managed to make it plausible for Fraser to use both 'gambol' and 'frolic' in describing his usual activities.

Or, in other words: yay!

[akamine_chan]

I love this story so much, because it takes what should be ridiculous and absurd and makes it work.

I loved the reference to An American Werewolf In London and I love that as an otter, Fraser gambols, like it's his job or something. Not something he does because he's a fun-loving otter.

There was so much greatness in this story: Fraser's otterness while he's an otter, his weakness for seafood and sardines in tomato sauce, he's unwillingness to turn Ray into a were-otter.

Funny and sweet and entertaining and just the tiniest bit sad...*pets otter!Fraser*

Thanks for a wonderful story.

[springwoof.livejournal.com]

I am in LOVE with this story. So *much* fun shouldn't, technically, be legal.

I think everyone already commented on most of the parts I'm still squeeing over, but I wanted to add extra-squee for Romantic!Ray, who thinks becoming a were-otter is not too big a sacrifice to be with someone he loves:
“You understand that this is forever.”

Ray smiled lazily up at him. “Yeah, I know. Great, huh?” Fraser licking his scratched hand while they were tied up in a basement wasn’t exactly romantic, but it was still a sort of a marriage. They were the only two were-otters in the greater Chicago area. They were meant for each other.

“I meant the--as you put it--otter thing.”

“That, too.”

::HUGE grin!::

[meresy.livejournal.com]

I can't even deal with how adorable this is. ♥

A towel and his hat, he could perhaps brazen out, but his hat was at the Consulate with the rest of his clothing.

Oh, Fraser. *loves*

[sisterofdream.livejournal.com]

WEREOTTERS! WEREOTTERS THAT FIT INTO CANON!

I lack words to describe the adorable brilliance of this, but be warned that once I find out who you are, mystery writer, I totally intend to steal your brain.


WEREOTTERS!

[chalcopyrite.livejournal.com]

Wereotter casefic. I think you just won everything, ever, because that makes so much sense! (Rewriting the Victoria train-crash as wereotterism? Genius.) As others have said, I love how Fraser-as-otter is an otter, not just a fuzzy and water-enabled Mountie. (The sliding in the tub? Adorably otterish.) (And Ray being worried about the murdering psycho doing something evil to his car is so very, very Ray.)

In conclusion: *\o/*