From: spuffyduds (spuffyduds@gmail.com)
Date: 01/17/2008 |
This was so lovely. It had me very worried that the--whatever it WAS--with Stella was going to screw up what was beginning with Ray. And I so loved Stella in this--baffling, but not predatory or evil; the weird sweetness of her just letting him SLEEP, those first few times.
And this was just gorgeous:
learned the planes and contours of a woman who made absolutely no sense and said nothing at all.
Yum.
|
From: Ignaz
Date: 01/03/2008 |
This is incredible ... as others have said, this isn't the easiest pairing to sell, but you did it convincingly and beautifully. (And hotly. Did I mention hotly?)
|
From: Zebra (zebra363@livejournal.com)
Date: 12/31/2007 |
Very interesting story. This made me laugh: He felt guilty, certainly, and he knew very well, despite his lack of normal social experiences growing up, that it wasn't socially acceptable to sleep with your best friend's ex-wife.
But Fraser's still sleeping with Stella at the end?? ::wails:: *g*
|
From: Eledhwenlin (eledhwenlin@gmail.com)
Date: 12/30/2007 |
I may have died a little bit right now. This story is AWESOME. Fraser/Stella is one of my dirty little secrets and this story was done perfectly.
|
From: exeterlinden (exeter@hotmail.com)
Date: 12/29/2007 |
Great last line!
I really liked how you explored the relationship between Fraser and Stella, in relation to the Rays. And the idea that our male main characters are all kind of circling her, that she has had each of them for a little while.
Your way of portraying Fraser's understated yearning for Ray was also a treat to read - I particularly liked the fact that he also sees Stella as an acces to Ray's life, through their shared history.
|
From: Isis (isiscolo@gmail.com)
Date: 12/29/2007 |
An interesting and thoughtful story. I particularly like the idea that Fraser's relationship with Stella somehow completes the circle, the line about them all "falling into orbit" around her. It brings all three men to the same level, in a sense.
|
From: llassah (llassah@gmail.com)
Date: 12/27/2007 |
Wow. God, I love Stella, I really do, and you get her, and how she relates to both Rays, and by association, Fraser, beautifully. I loved the bit about them orbiting her, because in a weird way Fraser and Stella are mirror images of each other in the show- each Ray goes from one to he other *g*. I absolutely loved how simple you made their relationship (and god, how hot) and how...neither of them complicate it or angst over it, because it's like there are two people who are very complicated having straightforward sex. You embrace the existence of both Rays, and make it so that they both...almost contribute to the relationship. This, I dig. *g* And then the Fraser/Ray, and the ending! eeeee! the ending! All movement and hotness and general *awesomeness*! This is a really beautiful story, I am all envy *beams*
|
From: Nos4a2no9 (nos4a2no9@gmail.com)
Date: 12/27/2007 |
Fraser/Stella is a tough sell, or at least I find it to be so, but halfway through this complex, subtle and layered gem I stopped asking myself why it works so well in this, and just enjoyed it. I'm not capable of this kind of emotional work in a story: motivations and reactions and all the things you leave unsaid here (but manage to convey perfectly anyway) are beyond me, and you make clear Fraser's unrequited love, and Stella's kind benevolence, and Ray's uncertainty. History works here to colour in the details, not explain them, and I am amazed by your subtle touch and gift for emotionalism that exists outside of sentimentality.
People and bodies seem to weave in and out of this story, and the physical always seems elusive, even when we get those blistering snatches of sex. Proverbial ships pass as Fraser and Stella come together again and again, and those moments of connection felt exactly like chunks of time and space colliding. Both Fraser and Stella are trying to collapse the distance between themselves and the people they love, and everything in this story seems to echo that theme of physical transference. I loved the unconventional flashback structure, and that last line was sublime. All of the potential meanings of "he came" were realized simultaneously and it was a terrific choice, the absolutely perfect note with which to conclude a story about breachable divides. Lovely work.
|
From: Sage (sageness@gmail.com)
Date: 12/24/2007 |
Thank you, Santa!! And, wow! I'm so happy to get my first-choice pairing!!
("It's a Wonderful Life" is blaring at top volume in the next room, so please excuse any lack of coherence here.)
I love how you show Stella and Fraser sharing Ray in abstentia. They each have such a wealth of history with Ray, but almost none of it overlaps. It's something like "love by association", and I always find that sort of relationship fascinating.
Thank you so much for this! I can't wait to reread when it's quiet. *g*
Happy holidays!
|