Entries tagged with fic:wilby

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Author profile: Helens78

Author: Helens78 (

helens78)
Website/link to fic:
On Dreamwidth, as

helensfic
On AO3, with story/content tags. The DW stories include pairing and rating only, so if you want more information about the stories before reading go with the AO3 versions.
Fanlore page: tbc
First DS fic posted: 2010!!!
Full disclosure: We're on each others flists. And of course I'm a fan.
Pairings: Mostly Fraser/Kowalski, with additional pairings.
Style and strengths: Kink! Bingo! Memes!
An amazingly prolific writer (she'll probably post a new story before you finish the end of this profile), Helens is a welcome addition to DS/C6D. She has written most of her Fraser/Kowalski pieces for kink memes and kink bingo, so many of them are very "I'll be in my bunk" hot. The stories themselves cover a wide range of moods, from romantic first-time, to funny and warm established relationship fics, to dark stories that are as incredible as they are painful to read. What they all have in common is insightful and convincing characterization; her Fraser and Kowalski voices are feel very in-character, even as she's exploring and pushing the boundaries of their relationship.

Other DS/C6D activity: BSG (including this excellent story involving Leoben, Anders and pyramid), Canadian RPF, Gunless, and Wilby Wonderful, plus assorted crossovers with Californication, and Shattered. And even while I was writing this, she posted a fantastic Eastwick/BSG crossover. She also mods or co-mods a number of comms, including the

duesouth and the delightful

dreamsheep.

Some favourites:

Have You Performed At This Establishment Before? (Due South, Fraser/Kowalski, NC-17, 5153 words, written for the duesouth_kink meme)
Undercover!Ray's in a punk rock band, and gets a surprise visitor at one of the concerts. Along with being OMG-HOT, this one has some lovely roleplay banter, great Ray voice, and comes with a nice twist at the end.
( Excerpt... )

Branta Canadensis (Due South, Fraser/Kowalski, R, 1565 words) Ray's angry that Stella can remarry while he cannot. Angst, but with a sweet ending.
( Excerpt... )

I'll Show You Mine If You Show Me Yours (Due South, F/K, NC-17, 6032 words, written for kink_bingo) The Fight Club story. The writing is so evocative that you feel every bit of the pain, during and after the fight. Her Fraser and Kowalski voices are spot-on here; you get why Fraser would be doing this, and Kowalski's desire to protect (and then help) Fraser makes me want to hug him.
( Excerpt... )

A Failure Of Survival Skills (Due South, Fraser/Kowalski, NC-17, 2390 words, written for the duesouth_kink meme) A post-breakup story, but they haven't completely ended it. Serious jealousy, anger and self-destruction here, made more heartbreaking with Vecchio there to watch it happen over and over. The final conversation at the end packs so much in just a few sentences.
( Excerpt... )

New Toys (Due South, Fraser/Kowalski, NC-17, 3626 words, written for kink_bingo) The title pretty much says it all. What I love about this story is how comfortable and confident they are exploring this aspect of their relationship. No angst in this one!
( Excerpt... )

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Author profile: slidellra

Author:

slidellra or Sli on DreamWidth
Website/link to fic: Sli's Fic List
Fanlore page: tbc
First DS fic posted: 2006
Full disclosure: Sli and I are flisties. I think she's Awesome. (She may be aware of my existence. ;-)
Pairings: Fraser/Kowalski, Fraser/Vecchio, Kowalski/Vecchio
Style and strengths: White-hot PORN! OMG! Reading a number of Sli's stories in succession is liable to reduce you to a puddle. Apart from that, you get lovely characterisation, briliant humour, wonderful insights and all-round excellent story-telling. She also writes killer snippets.
Other DS/C6D activity: Sli has been a great asset to the DS and C6D fandom, modding

ds_snippets with

omphale and being a DS Match Team Captain. She also writes in a number of C6D fandoms, usually Callum-related.
Some favourites:
Echo, Fraser/Kowalski. Fraser gets hit over the head. Again.

( A brief excerpt )
Cognitive Dissonance, Fraser/Kowalski. Fraser keeps feeling Ray up at inappropriate moments.

( A brief excerpt )
I can only. Fraser/Vecchio femslash, written for the first DS Match.

( A brief excerpt )
Five ways Ray and Ray redefined romance, Kowalski/Vecchio. I really love this. Boys! SMOOSHCAKES!

( A brief excerpt )

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Author profile: malnpudl

Author:

malnpudl
Website/link to fic: Mal keeps her fic in her LJ memories
Fanlore page: tbc
First DS fic posted: 2005
Full disclosure: Mal is fabulous and we all love her!
Pairings: Fraser/Kowalksi
Style and strengths: Mal writes with an emotional intensity that drags you into the stories, into the hearts and minds of the people she's writing. She writes them real and gritty, shows their hard and their soft parts, and yet the reality is no less romantic for the grit. Perhaps moreso.
Other DS/C6D activity: Mal also writes C6D stories for Wilby Wonderful, Slings & Arrows, and CanRPS. She has recorded a number of podfics. She's a wonderful and much-loved community member of the C6D fandom.
Some favourites:
Tacit, Fraser/Kowalski. Tacit is built around the conceit that there's nothing so unnerving as talking about one's feelings, unless you're as brave and determined as Ray Kowalski.
( A brief excerpt )
Sweetly, Swiftly Shift, Callum/Hugh - Hard Core Logo RPS. This rocks so hard. This was one of the fics that blew all my lines about RPS away, because I couldn't resist these guys and their pain and the way they are with each other.
( A brief excerpt )
For a Good Life We Just Might Have to Weaken, Fraser/Kowalski. This was Mal's entry in the 2008 DS Match. Mal wrote for Team Reality, and this is almost painful at times, but so gorgeous and lush.
( A brief excerpt )

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Author Profile: waltzforanight

Name:

waltzforanight
Website/link to fic: archive
Fanlore page: TBC
First DS fic posted: 2009
Full disclosure: I’m a fan. I list her as a friend and she has beta-read for me.
Pairings: F/V, K/V, Vecchio/Stella, Fraser/Thatcher, Mike Sweeney/RayK
Other DS/C6 activity:

waltzforanight has written stories for Californication, Flashpoint, Durham County, Wilby Wonderful, Buried on Sunday, The Invisible, and Canadian Actor RPF. She also co-moderates

c6d_universe with

akamine_chan and

sionnain .

Style and strengths:

waltzforanight often writes what I will term “porn with plot and character development.” Sex scenes are steamy and an extension/expression of the characters involved. She writes from a 3^rd person limited point-of-view and has an uncanny way of expressing a character’s thoughts and feelings, often in the short-fic form. I also have found that she has a knack for building a fic around seemingly small but fascinating details.

Some favorites:

sweat baby, sweat baby (Durham County/Due South; "What Else Would You Have Me Be?" verse, Mike Sweeney/Ray Kowalski, NC-17, 303 words)

An intense sex scene is balanced by the way she perfectly captures Mike's vulnerability masked by his tough exterior. She has also mastered the "show don't tell" writing technique here by creating a captivating visual element.

Sunshine (Vecchio/Stella, NC-17, 300 words) I love the sensuality and tenderness of this piece.

Concentric Spirals (Fraser/Vecchio, NC-17, 1622 words) The character voices are absolutely perfect in this humorous, sweet, sexy piece about a seemingly unlikely topic.

Code Words, Diva Fits and Unexpected Arrivals: A Date in Three Cliches (Fraser/Thatcher) This is not a pairing I shipped before I read this tongue-in-cheek piece. Between the excellent, humorous characterizations and the surprise cameo, this piece is wonderful from beginning to end.

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Author profile: Dira Sudis

Author: Dira Sudis (

dsudis or

dira)
Website/link to fic: Words, Words, Words
Fanlore page: tbc
First DS fic posted: 2003
Full disclosure: I have been an ardent and distant admirer since landing in fandom.
Pairings: Fraser/Kowalski, Kowalski/Gardino, Fraser/Vecchio, Fraser/Smithbauer, Frannie/Kowalski, Kowalski/Vecchio
Style and strengths: Dira is probably one of the most talented writers in any fandom. She's equally comfortable with epic, plotty stories as she is with short, emotionally intense stories. Her writing ranges from gen to smoking hot NC17. And she excels at characterization - from Dief to Fraser to RayK to RayV to Frannie - she gets them. But more, not only does she understand what motivates and moves these characters, but she also speaks with their voices, clearly and concisely. It's a rare skill and she uses it to her advantage. My only complaint about Dira is that she left due South fandom much too soon.
Other DS/C6D activity: Dira has written stories in several other C6D fandoms: ReGenesis, Wilby Wonderful, My Life As A Dog, Hard Core Logo, Flower & Garnet
Some favourites:
Hawks And Hands (F/K, F/Smithbauer, K/Gardino, NC17) - the Hockey Fic. Close to 200K words of hockey, angst and sex. This is one of my all-time favorite stories - it's extremely well written and is damn close to perfect. It makes me cry and laugh and smile and hope. And I'm someone who has never watched a hockey game in her entire life. It's also been wonderfully podficced by

issaro (mp3 or m4b).

( A taste... )

Exposures (F/K, R, deathfic) - a painful look at what-could-have-been, an angstful ending to the Quest.

( A taste... )

The Kid (a never-to-be-finished WIP) Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 3a, plus Tea for Three and Favorite Things (F/K preslash, R) - I had read Tea for Three and had fallen in love with it, and only recently discovered (thanks,

neu111!) that there was more. A lovely, realistic kid!fic in which we meet David Robert Fraser, yet another unexpected off-shoot of the Fraser family tree.

( A taste... )

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Author profile: Grey

Author: Grey (

grey853)
Website/link to fic: http://grey.ravenshadow.net/. Most are also posted at the old DS Archive.
Fanlore page: Grey's Fanlore wiki page
First DS fic posted: Some of Grey's stories were published in zines first, but the first one was posted online ~2003.
Full disclosure: just a fan
Pairings: Mostly Fraser/Kowalski, with one Kowalski/OMC. Other C6D pairings include Duck/Dan, Duck/Buddy (implied & friendship) and Canadian Actor RPS.
Style and strengths:
Grey's typical DS works are long, angsty, hurt/comfort stories, the kind that pull you in and keep you reading until the end for that happy ending. But there's also casefic, kidfic and even stress management seminar fic. She captures Ray's energy, his intensity, and how the things that eat at him manifest outward. Ray fights: with suspects, with Dewey, and with Fraser. Grey also does a great job writing Welsh and Turnbull, as well as some good OC's.
Other DS/C6D activity: Some Wilby Wonderful stories, and several Canadian Actor RPS. Grey also makes DS calendars.
Some favourites:
Bygones (DS, F/K, NC-17, 1.22MB, warnings for graphic violence and non-con). Along with parts 2, 3 and 4, the Bygones series is among the largest works in DS fandom.

This is the epic H/C story, and I would also say Bygones Part I is the darkest of Grey's DS stories. There is no quick fix or recovery here, as the aftermath, including PTSD, depression, alcoholism and long-term cost of undercover work, continue to challenge Ray and Fraser throughout the series. Fraser also has his own skeletons they must deal with. But there is closure, and Action!Dead!Bob kicks ass. Give yourself the weekend to read this one.

( Excerpt... )

Star Struck (DS, F/K and K/OMC, NC-17, 176kb). This one is probably my favorite because of Rick Mercy, enough that it would've been cool/hot to have a "what if" Ray/Rick AU.

( Excerpt... )
and

( Excerpt... )

Everybody Loves Buddy (Wilby Wonderful, teen!Duck/Buddy, PG-13, 132KB). I discovered this by way of

rhea314's podfic. A beautiful and bittersweet story that gives you glimpses of the adults that Buddy, Duck and Sandra will become. It's mostly about Duck, his crush on Buddy and his internal struggle over his sexuality, but it's also about Duck's relationships with the people who love him: Sandra and his parents.

( Excerpt... )

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Author profile: Berty

Author: Berty (

bertybertle or

berty)
Website/link to fic: http://www.origin.popullus.net/. Most are also posted at the old DS Archive.
Fanlore page: tbc
First DS fic posted: 2006
Full disclosure: just a fan
Pairings: Fraser/Kowalski
Style and strengths: Berty is a master of the Fraser/Kowalski "first-time" love story. Her works are infused with passion and discovery (and in one story, rediscovery), as well as romance, angst and dancing. The sex between Ray and Fraser is more than hot; it's combustible, at times joyful, and fully employs the other senses. Her DS snippets and shorter stories cover everything from gen to NC-17, wingfic to comedy.
Other DS/C6D activity: Some Wilby Wonderful (Duck/Dan, Duck/Buddy friendship) and Slings & Arrows snippets.
Some favourites:
More Things in Heaven and Earth (DS, F/K, NC-17, 132kb). An AU casefic, and one of Berty's few stories to include Vecchio and Frannie as well. Kowalski is an ex-cop and psychic that Fraser, Frannie and Vecchio (reluctantly) turn to when they need help finding a kidnapped child. I love how Fraser's able to connect with Kowalski here, whose "gift" has forced him to erect even more barriers than Fraser has when it comes to getting close to people.

( Read more... )

The Longest Distance (DS/Last Night, F/K, NC-17, 57kb). Written for Team Angst. Counting down to the final hours before the end of the world. Not surprisingly, Fraser has remained at his post, working on reports, focused on duty to the end but missing Ray and what might have been. And not surprisingly, Ray chooses over duty and is on his way to Fraser to spend whatever time they have left together. The final section always blows me away.

( Excerpt... )
AND

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In Extremis (DS, F/K, NC-17, 43kb). Written for

getfraserlaid. Ray has a major request of Fraser, one that could easily destroy their relationship. This one packs quite an emotional kick, while at the same time may melt your computer. Also available as a fantastic podcast by

nos4a2no9.

( Excerpt... )

A Time in a Man's Life (DS, F/K, PG, 15kb). Dead!Bob is in the doghouse until he set things right romantically between Fraser and Ray, but nobody's cooperating--including Buck and Dief. Bob rocks in this one, though his ability to negotiate with Dief is no better than his son's.

( Excerpt... )

Necktie (S&A, PG, 5kb). Another example of Berty's talent for writing comedy. Anna is trying to get Geoffrey ready to meet with the Prime Minister, only he's being...Geoffrey. Throw in a priceless assist from Darren, and you have Anna at her exasperated finest.

( Excerpt... )

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Author Profile: Speranza

Author: Speranza,

cesperanza
Website/link to fic: Speranza's Fiction
Fanlore page: Speranza's fanlore entry
First DS fic posted: January 2001
Full disclosure: I'm simply another one who loves her stories. In fact, her writing hooked me to fanfiction in the first place.
Pairings: She describes herself as a Fraser/Kowalski slasher with Vecchio friendship. Some flashfiction is Ray/Ray and there is some gen. She posted her last Due South fic in 2005 and is now primarily writing SGA fiction. She also wrote for The Sentinel, The West Wing, Dead Zone, and a couple of other fandoms. The links are on her site.
Style and strengths: She is just a wonderful storyteller. She can take an unusual idea (like Fraser, the criminal mastermind) and develops a detailed and convincing scenario that is true to canon, yet stretches it into something new. Her stories often have a complex overall plot with enough detail to make it unforeseeable. It's like watching the show sometimes, or reading a very good book with beloved characters. She involves crimes, action scenes, backstories, the bullpen, quirky events, and full-fledged OCs. Slash is plentiful and special but not always front and center. Every story has something different to it, and it's worth to read them all.
It's close to impossible to boil down the favorites to 3-5. Among her often recommended classics are also: Eight Sessions (amazingly insightful piece about Fraser and Kowalski in therapy), Passion (excellent Fraser backstory), Chicago's Most Wanted (exciting case-fic with a drift), Juggling Act (hilarious undercover-fic in a circus), and With Six You Get An Eggroll (convincing PCotW kid-fic scenario). Other Stories that I love madly are An Admirable Solution (Fraser seems to like his sex casual), Hanged Man (an affair in a motel), A Dare's A Dare (funny and hot crossdressing-fic), A Moment Of Insight (case-fic with special interference of the FBI), Wildly Dangerous Ways (accidental sex on the job), Interrogation (short and powerful, Kowalski interrogates Fraser), Next Of Kin (interesting Fraser/Stella scenario), and About A Dog (unusual Dief helps to solve a case). She wrote some excellent flashfiction, too, for example Number Eight (the boys in a gay bar).
Other DS/C6D activity: She wrote one Wilby Wonderful Story and a couple of HCL fics. The podfics and fanart for her stories can be found on her site. She also posted vids, but not for DS/C6D.
Community-wise, she is an archivist of the Due South Archive, moderates DS mailing lists, ran challenges, founded

ds_flashback, and used to moderate

dsreporter,

ds_noticeboard, and

ds_flashfiction. She published in the Duet Zines, won the Best Zine Award for The Bodyguard, and the Best Writer Award in 2003.
Some favourites:

Beyond Embarrassment (Fraser/Kowalski, ~11,000 words)
Wonderful spin on the magical realism in Due South. It's angsty, emotional, and very exciting to read.
( an excerpt )
Kowalski Is Bleeding (Vecchio, Fraser/Kowalski, ~40,000 words)
Vecchio rushes to be on Fraser's side when Kowalski goes missing. It's very angsty, has beautiful Fraser-Vecchio friendship, and great Vecchio POV. There is also a DVD commentary for this story that explains some of the decisions behind this fic, f.e. the slightly unusual format.
( an excerpt )
Ping (Fraser/Kowalski, ~6,900 words)
One of her shorter stories, it's hilarious and much fun to read. Fraser pings on another man and Kowalski is not amused.
( first few sentences )
Scrabble (Fraser/Kowalski, ~29,000 words)
At first, I was silly enough to ignore this piece because of the unusual format. The story is told with parallel Fraser- and Kowalski-POVs, presented in a table next to each other. It's just a trip to read, to see how their thinking differs (just look at the exerpt). There are links for two different browser versions to choose from.
( an excerpt )
Some Strange Prophecy (Fraser/Kowalski, Vecchio ~53,000 words)
The arrest of Victoria worries Vecchio so much that he urges Kowalski to keep an eye on Fraser. And that is necessary. This story combines apparent lightness with intense worry. Great Vecchio cameos.
( an excerpt )

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Author profile: exeterlinden

Author:

exeterlinden
Website/link to fic: Exeterlinden's fic on the Archive Of Our Own.
Exeterlinden's fic on LJ
Fanlore page: Exeterlinden
First DS fic posted: 2005
Full disclosure: Linden and I are mutual friends, and I have beta-ed a couple of her stories.
Pairings: Fraser/Kowalski, Fraser/Vecchio, Stella/Vecchio, Stella/Kowalski, Stella/Fraser
Style and strengths: Linden writes character-driven stories that suck you in. They're sometimes sweet and funny, sometimes creepy, always thoughtful; you always feel like you know the characters and their thoughts and emotions better by the end.
Other DS/C6D activity: Linden has written stories for Hard Core Logo and Wilby Wonderful.
Some favourites:
Dinner Date F/V. Ray takes Fraser to dinner. Fraser thinks it's a date. I thought this was adorable when Linden first sent it to me, and I still think it's adorable.
( A brief excerpt )
Say Hello, Wave Goodbye, F/K. After the Quest, it takes them a little while to figure out what they want.

( A brief excerpt )

Rock 'n' Roll Suicide, a Rolling Stone article on Hard Core Logo. This is an awesome story in both concept and execution, and a "must read" for the HCL fandom! The article is actually posted as scans, so no quotes. Just read it.

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author profile: sprat

Author:

sprat
Website/link to fic: sprat's fanfiction
Fanlore page: sprat's fanlore entry
First DS fic posted: 2004
Full disclosure: I'm just admiring.
Pairings: Mainly Fraser/Kowalski, also Ray/Ray and two Frannie/Elaine fics. She wrote in other fandoms, too, most notably American Idol and SGA.
Style and strengths: Her writing is natural, vivid and effortlessly funny. Funny in that I remember stupidly grinning all the way through a couple of her stories. Her characters are true to the show with all their strengths, flaws and insecurities. Also, she is a master of strong openings which makes it hard to stop reading. Usually, one is thrown right into a certain scenario that subsequently enfolds.
There is a lot of yearning in her fics, often Kowalski POV and happy endings. The stories are often heartwarming and charming without being cheesy or over the top. She writes excellent banter and, yes, very hot porn. And as a bonus, sex scenes may include laughing or weirdness.
Many of her stories are comparably short but some feel longer. She wrote a lot of challengefic and as such many different genres or forms, f.e. first time, established relationship porn, casefic, commentfic, or bad!fic. And yep, I totally link them here to sneak in some more of my favorites.
Other DS/C6D activity: One short Wilby Wonderful story (Duck and Dan) and one Men with Brooms (gen). She was co-founder of

ds_workshop, has provided hosting for dS Seekrit Santa (

ds_ssdiscussion) and is one of the coordinators. She also posts screencaps and recs on her site, and meta, recs and icons in her lj.

Some favourites:

Ray Is Not Actually Graphing His Relationship To Fraser... (Fraser/Kowalski, ~6200 words, explicit)
Probably her hallmark story, and rightfully so. You might think that the two of them are happy, once they did the nasty, but you'd be wrong. What follows are lots of misunderstandings and hilarious back and forth. If you like the pairing and you don't know the story, go read. There are pretty graphs.
( first few sentences )
April After All (Ray/Ray, ~2800 words)
A love-sick Kowalski goes cruising - with some unexpected consequences. I'd love a sequel for this, but I often do.
( first few sentences )
Cuffs (Fraser/Kowalski, ~2000 words, explicit)
Kinky and exactly how I'd imagine the two of them to experiment with handcuffs. It's a game, it includes lovely weird thoughts and it's really hot.
( first few sentences )
Housesitting (Ray/Ray, ~2800 words, explicit)
Wonderful Ray/Ray banter followed by porn.
( first few sentences )
Untitled (Fraser/Kowalski, ~2300 words, explicit)
This time Fraser is longing for Kowalski and it shows that she writes excellent Fraser POV also.
( first few sentences )

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Author profile: mondschein1

Author: Giulietta/

mondschein1
Website/link to fic: Giulietta's Lair, Giulietta at DSA, fic by category
Fanlore page: tbc
First DS fic posted: 2005
Full disclosure: I've just read a lot of her stories
Pairings: mostly Fraser/Kowalski, one Fraser/Kowalski/Vecchio, occasional gen or het (Vecchio/Angie, Fraser/Victoria, Kowalski/Stella, Vecchio/Stella).
Style and strengths: Due South is her primary fandom but she also writes original stories and fic in C6D, Earth: Final Conflict, Stargate: Atlantis, Torchwood or Doctor Who. She's a prolific writer, she likes to explore adventurous paths, playing with format or colors and writing in different genres, whether they're crossovers, scifi, kid!fic or crack!fic or a mix of them. Her writing range goes from snippets to epic series, from slash to gen, be it preslashy or not. She's got a clever hand at her characters, making them even more alive with a generous use of dialogues, and she creates full-fledged OC's. She writes angst, lots of angst, often with happy endings but she's not afraid to go to darker themes - sometimes but not always soothing the pain with humor, ghosts or guardian angels. She can do heart-warming fluff all the same. She also experiments in other domains, like podfic, fan art and she has produced a smart due SOUTH Meme.
Other DS/C6D activity: fics for Hard Core Logo, Wilby Wonderful, Slings & Arrows

Some favourites:

Vigilante and its sequels Visiting Hours and Passing the Gun (Fraser and Kowalski, gen or "dubious and futile preslash" for the second one, R for violence, ~160 k)
A dark AU of Ray Kowalski turned gun for hire in his youth. His encounter with Fraser forces him to reflect on his actions, and these are not happy thoughts although Fraser is sympathetic to his motives. A subtle depiction of Fraser/Vecchio friendship. Sort of unfinished but definitely worth reading as is.
( Excerpt )

The Koosh Series (F/K, slash, PG, 80 k)
Often recced, this is a happy-making alien!kid!fic in four parts. A baby Hrung lands in Fraser and Kowalski's lives while they're working out their first time.
( Excerpt )

Catching Fish and Killing Grizzlies (F/K, slash, PG-13, 56 k)
First time quest story told in Fraser's POV first, then Kowalski's. As the author put it, "Ray heads up north and, because he is just that chivalrous, confesses his highly tactless attraction to Fraser. Fraser isn't cooperating, as usual, and actually doesn't seem to mind. This freaks Ray out. They settle in for a nice, long, stand-offy period of angst -- and then Bolt shows up and foils their plans. Fooey. "
( Excerpt )

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Author profile: Estrella30

Author: Estrella/

estrella30
Website/link to fic: Estrella's due South fanfiction, her fic on DSA
Fanlore page: Estrella on fanlore
First DS fic posted: 2004
Full disclosure: Estrella was kind enough to beta for me a few times back when I was a newbie
Pairings: Fraser/Kowalski, Kowalski/Vecchio, Kowalski/Frannie, Kowalski/Billy Tallent, Kowalski/Stella, Kowalski/Gardino, Frannie/Welsh, gen.
Style and strengths: Estrella's character voices are spot-on. She writes humour and tension and hawt porn, and she's a mistress of the bickering-as-foreplay genre. She often includes action and/or references to cases, which help ground her fic in canon.
Other DS/C6D activity: Estrella has also written two Men With Brooms fics (one a crossover with Hard Core Logo), and one Wilby Wonderful story. Her C6D fic is on her Other Fandoms page.
Some favourites:

Mr. Cool (F/K)
I think this was one of the first of Estrella's stories that I read, and I adore it. It was written for the Fraser Fucks Up challenge on

ds_flashfiction, and it shows a Kowalski who's tough and irritable and smart, and a Fraser who... fucks up. :-)
( Excerpt. )

All Talk Ray/Ray
Snarking and sex. <3
( Excerpt. )

Lipstick (F/K)
Porny pornish porn! Established relationship. Summary: "Work just didn't get any better than this. He'd get to hang out with Fraser all night, in a strip club, guarding a porn star, and get paid to do it."
( Excerpt )

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author profile: pir8fancier

Author: pir8fancier
Website/link to fic: pir8fancier's ship
Fanlore page: fanlore page
First DS fic posted: February 2006
Full disclosure: I’m just a fan.
Pairings: Fraser/Kowalski, Ray/Ray, one F/K/V story
Style and strengths: pir8fancier writes long, well-paced stories with excellent dialogue. She also has a way of making one fall for the characters.
Other DS/C6D activity: pir8fancier has written two Wilby Wonderful stories.

Some favorites:

A Year (More Or Less) In the Life (Ray/Ray, NC-17, 25,464 words) This is the first story in “The Year” verse, which I love. This is Ray/Ray snark at its finest. This piece also has a nice mix of humor, angst, and steam, and I am always fascinated by the post-Vegas and post-COTW versions of Vecchio and Kowalski here.

Homeward Bound (Fraser/Kowalski/Vecchio, NC-17, 19,205 words) Again, fascinating characterizations. Fraser seems to be the force that pulls Ray and Ray together, but he actually functions more as a stable background character while Ray and Ray piece themselves back together and find their way to one another and to Fraser. Excellent use of plot as well, with a gritty casefic element.

Say Anything (Wilby Wonderful, Duck/Buddy, Duck/Dan, Buddy/Sandra, NC-17, 4360 words) Beautifully paced story that kind of book-ends the film with a perfect blend of bitter and sweet..

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Author Profile: Mizface

(with cringing apologies for lateness due to interweb explosion)

Author:

mizface
Website/link to fic: mizface on lj, where her tags will lead you to her writing. Her snippets are to be found under the tag author:mizface at

ds_snippets
Fanlore page: right here
First DS fic posted:mid-2008
Full disclosure: miz and I are mutual flisters and she has beta'd for me
Pairings: Fraser and both Rays, in all permutations
Other DS/C6D activity: miz is active in C6D (including Harper's Island, Wilby Wonderful, Tin Man, HCL). She has also written in Dresden Files, The Sentinel, Buffy and Scarecrow and Mrs King.
Style and strengths:

mizface does pretty much everything: snippets, mid-length fic, commentfic, kink memes, crossovers and longfic. miz works the advantages of each category to the full. This versatility is definitely a strength, as is her world-building in the longer fics, and her ability to squeeze bucketloads of emotion into the short fics.
Some favourites:

I wanted to look at either Kate & Leopold, Retold: a due South remix or A Winning Hand, both of which are AUs, and both of which showcase Miz's ability to create atmosphere, and to slot dS characters into believable AU situations. I've chosen A Winning Hand, in the end, because Ray Vecchio in this gives me the severe shivers. Miz isn't afraid to take the characters to dark places, and she does so subtly and convincingly. Other key features of the story: the world-building, which reflects both study and insight; the gradual development of a warm, convincing relationship between Fraser and Ray Kowalski; fun cameos by the supporting cast. This world is very appealing.

With Apologies to Poe, a remix of Poe's The Raven, written for

ds_flashfiction's "spooked" challenge - this is just so much glee I can't stand it. Not only is it spooky as per spec, but miz's pleasure in the writing is evident in every line.

Yet he still refused to speak. He only stared at me so bleak
And tired I feared whatever awful fate had brought him to my door.
Taking time to really look I couldn’t help but see he shook
With fear or cold I had no clue and hated feeling so unsure
Worst of all for me this awful night was being so unsure
Of who I was, whose name I wore.

This was podficced by

luzula - download details here.

mizface is a prolific writer of snippets, ranging from fluff to angst and everything in between. Choosing one is difficult, but The Function of Life is Survival is one that will stick with me for some time. Miz works the snippet like a pro, condensing a thousand words of disquiet into a mere 300. Warning: those words are counted as 300 unsettling words.

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Author profile: Sageness

Author: Sage/

sageness
Website/link to fic: Sage's Due South and 6 Degrees Fic
Fanlore page: Sage's fanlore.org wiki page
First DS fic posted: 2005
Full disclosure: Sage and I are very good friends and mutual betas. IOW, Sage is awesome and I'm not the least bit objective. She and I also share the Gloriaverse, in which Ray Vecchio is a part-time drag queen.
Pairings: The bulk of Sage's Due South fic is Fraser/Kowalski, but she's also written Ray/Ray, Fraser/Kowalski/Vecchio, Fraser/Vecchio, gen, and a few other pairings
Style and strengths: Sage writes intricate, eloquent stories, often showing the rough edges of characters scraping up against each other. She doesn't shy away from angst, and some of her fic is pretty dark, but her love of the characters always shines through. She's written several awesome (and carefully researched) AUs, and also a fair amount of case fic, but her writing is always driven by the characters and their relationships.
Other DS/C6D activity: Sage has also written in Hard Core Logo, Wilby Wonderful and Men With Brooms.
Some favourites: I've chosen some older favourites that new readers might not have come across.

Current
This Fraser/Kowalski AU is set during the Spanish Civil War, rated R for violence as well as sex. It's dark and desperate, but also beautifully wrought and it ends on a note of hope. It's vivid and stark, and has stuck in my mind ever since I read it.
( Excerpt. )

Sliding
Another Fraser/Kowalski story, this is a classic quest!fic. It's a lovely slow burn, as both men shake off the layers of Chicago and find themselves and each other.
( Excerpt. )

Vinculum
This is a pre-movie Wilby Wonderful fic, which charts Dan's coming out to himself. It starts with Dan's marriage and is a compassionate portrayal of mistakes and loss and separation, while giving Dan (and Duck, and the other gay men on the island) a community to grow into.
( Excerpt. )

(Perspective's a Bitch) Negative Feed
This is one of the most incredible Hard Core Logo stories I've read. It's fantastic and epic, and so very painful and broken. In other words, perfectly in keeping with the characters. It follows Billy into his new life with Jennifur, and it follows Joe into his afterlife, until somehow they find each other again -- but it's not an easy happy ending. Nothing's simple.
( Excerpt. )

It also comes with DVD commentary. \o/

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author profile: exbex

Author:

exbex
Website/link to fic: her lj this way
Fanlore page: right here
First DS fic posted: mid-2009
Full disclosure:

exbex and I are mutual flisters. We beta and write for each other, and she profiled me in the last round.
Pairings: Kowalski/Vecchio, Fraser/Kowalski/Vecchio, Fraser/Kowalski, Fraser/Vecchio, Stella/Kowalski.
Other DS/C6D activity:

exbex is active in the C6D fandom, including Harper's Island, BSG, Wilby Wonderful and Last Night.
Style and strengths:

exbex 's affection for the characters is a particular feature of her writing. This doesn't mean it's all fluff all the time, because she's more than capable of turning the screws, but this just gives her an opportunity to let them flourish under adversity. She'll pack a punch, or cause a tear or a laugh in a handful of words, and she plays angst for despair and for wistfulness. She'll also write comfort!fic to beat the band.

Some favourites:

Epiphanies
I beta'd this fic, and it grabbed me from the start. A series of short character studies, it focusses on one epiphantic and revelatory moment for each major character. Not only does

exbex provide canny insights, but she does it from unexpected angles. Frannie's determined pursuit of Fraser is, here, not a ditzy failing but a demonstration of the strength of her personality and belief in following her dreams. Thatcher's antagonism towards Fraser isn't cliched sublimated desire, but has roots in a much deeper issue of chauvanism and respect. I could talk about each of these sections in depth, and at length. Their brevity shows just how well

exbex works the snippet format to reveal much in a few, shrewdly-chosen scenes and words.

exbex has a way of writing about Stella that I really enjoy - there's a smart, sassy, passionate woman there, with a sense of humour and depth to her character that can often be neglected in fanfic. Two favourite glimpses of Stella:
The Morning After
An affectionate, gentle (and teasing) look at Stella in her ex-husbands' house one hungover morning.
Because Well-Behaved Women Seldom Make History
A realistic and sensual look at Stella and RayK's relationship when it was still good.

It's a good thing we have that full disclosure thing, because I'd hate to look biased, but to round off the set I'm picking another one I beta'd: Ordinary Heroes. Without melodrama,

exbex shows us a post-Vegas Vecchio who has given up on himself entirely. Determined that something good should come out of the mess of the past few years, he sets about fixing the rift between Fraser and Kowalski. His own quiet surrendering of his life is subtle and unsettling, and although there's a definite dramatic irony in the sense that Vecchio will find redemption through mending the relationships of his friends, again it's subtle. There are some particularly pleasing nuggets in this, ideas of the practicalities of Vecchio returning to his life in Chicago, what he would do and where he would live. I relish the end: there's no third wheel, and nobody left out in the cold - instead there's a clear foundation for everyone to start rebuilding their lives.

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author profile: simplystars

Author: Stars (

simplystars)
Website/link to fic: Her fic is archived at her fic journal,

stars_fic. There is a masterlist by fandom that is very useful.
Fanlore page: here
First DS fic posted: June 2007
Full disclosure: Stars and I are good friends, I love her very much and we often beta for each other.
Pairings: Fraser/Kowalski, Fraser/Kowalski/Vecchio, gen. Stars often writes Dief and Turtle viewpoints (wonderfully, btw) as well.
Style and strengths: Stars is a unique writer in that she can easily adapt between extremes. She can write absolutely heartbreaking angst as well as hysterically funny stories that are believably canon. Her snippet sized stories often pack an emotional wallop and her longer pieces are perfectly paced and pitched. She likes the remix format, taking the original author's story and spinning it carefully to make something as good or even better than the original. Her storytelling skill is excellent and she has an uncanny ability to get into the heads of her characters and give them voices. She often takes risks with her stories by writing gen, or death fic, or zombie apocalypses and it always pays off in the best ways.
Other DS/C6D activity: Stars has dabbled in other C6D fandoms including Wilby Wonderful, Hard Core Logo, Battlestar Galactica and Slings & Arrows.
Some favorites:

I Am a Man Upon the Land (Fraser/Kowalski, 13,000 words, PG13)

This was one of the best stories to come out of the last ds_match. I shouldn't say that because I was on the opposing team. But I think that losing to stories like this brings no shame.

This is a fairy tale, and Stars does a wonderful job building the story slowly, carefully, picking out a gentle pace and sticking to it. She uses such a deft hand, a sense of timeless lyricism tempered with a hint of discord as Fraser and Ray struggle to understand what it is they mean to each other.

Freaks & Geeks (To Say Nothing of the Goat) (Fraser/Kowalski, 5,800 words, NC17)

This story is really about the sheer unadulterated wackiness that is canon in due South.

Fraser's in Canada, Ray's in Chicago, and nothing is as it should be. Until it is.

Turtle thoughts. A goat witnesses a murder. An Evil Kitty named Yossarian (or maybe Snowball). Cherished feather pillows not-so-accidentally rent asunder. The Incident with the clown car. Fraser and Ray moving to Poland. Frannie. Welsh. Hijinks. So Much Love.

About a Girl (Thatcher, 2,900 words, G)

An absolutely lovely character study of Inspector Meg Thatcher - not the shrewishly drawn caricature we saw on the show - but the intelligent, talented woman we knew had to exist between the lines of canon. Here is a Meg Thatcher well worth knowing, and loving, from precocious girl to commanding woman.

God Says Nothing Back (Five Times Fraser's Heart Was Broken) (Fraser/Kowalski, 1,500 words, PG13)

Five moments in Fraser's life, five things that can't be undone. This story is not a long one, but it still absolutely stuns me with the power of the emotions behind it. The words are elegant and spare, but razor-sharp. This was the first story of Stars' that I read and it remains one of my favorite stories in the entire fandom.

Les Revenants (or in English, thank you, Fraser – Zombies, Zombie Town, Zombie Nightmare, Zombiegeddon…) (Fraser/Kowalski, 3,450 words, R) - bonus rec: check out

bluebrocade's awesome remix Belle de Jour (The Goodness and Mercy Remix) (Thatcher, 2,581 words, PG13)

As stated before, I have a love of zombie stories, and this is one of the best out there. In spite of the humorous title, this story is deadly serious. Zombies loose in Chicago, wrecking havoc, as zombies tend to do. Here we watch as Ray and Fraser deal with the ravenous walking undead as well as the horror that slowly consumes them. One breaks, and the other finds the strength to hold them both up and keep them going.

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Profile: Isiscolo

Author:

isiscolo
Website/link to fic: HierolgyFICS
Fanlore page: here
First DS fic posted: January 2006
Full disclosure: Isis and I are mutal flisters and beta for each other.
Pairings: Fraser/Kowalski, Ray/Ray, Fraser/Kowalski/Vecchio, and, if I may quote the author directly, "many of my stories are difficult to categorize and/or have multiple, background, or implied pairings, particularly the "other" stories."
Style and strengths: Isis makes fanworks in many forms. She writes long, plotty stories that drag you in. She writes great PWPs, often with a twist to them, or an unusual point of view. She writes excellent drabbles. She remixes other fan's stories. She makes vids. She records podfic. All of these bear her trademark eye for detail and pursuit of technical mastery.
Other DS/C6D activity: Isis has written fic and made vids for Slings and Arrows, Wilby Wonderful and Hard Core Logo, including crossovers with due South.
Some favourites:
Third Date Rule, Ray/Ray, PG. Ray thinks they're dating, which comes as a surprise to Ray. This has such a lovely, relaxed, low-key feel to it.
( A brief excerpt )
Unexpected Hazards of Global Warming Fraser and RayK, gen. This is a piece of art Isis created for the

ds_northernnews challenge, and it never fails to make me giggle.

Five Extraordinary Encounters That (Probably) Never Happened, Slings and Arrows/various crossovers, gen. This is awesome and hysterical and incredibly satisfying, particularly the last of the five.
( A brief excerpt )

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Author profile: A. Kite

Author:

akite
Website/link to fic: Tales of A. Kite
Fanlore page: A Kite's fanlore.org wiki page
First DS fic posted: 2002
Full disclosure: A. Kite and I are mutual flisters, and I have betaed for her.
Pairings: Fraser/Kowalski, Vecchio/Kowalski
Style and strengths: A. Kite has produced two dozen or so stories in the fandom since 2002. She writes slash almost exclusively; her first stories were Fraser/Kowalski and then she expanded to Vecchio/Kowalski, as well as tackling a few other pairings. She is one of a few authors who have written "Teen Rays" stories, which posit that the Rays knew each other as teenagers in high school. Her writing is straighforward, frequently explicit (yum) and often humorous. In addition, she is an active member of the fandom, taking part in fiction challenges, chats and the general mayhem.
Other DS/C6D activity: She has written a number of stories in the wider C6D, including Hard Core Logo, Wilby Wonderful, and some crossovers featuring these, Buried On Sunday and Whiskey Echo.
Some favourites:
Kowalski Investigations is a Chandleresque AU in which Constable Benton Fraser seeks the services of Ray Kowalski, PI. ( excerpt )
Shards. Two Rays with issues picking up the pieces together. ( excerpt )
Henry's Place. Ray Kowalski learns how to fit in up in Canada. ( excerpt )

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Author Profile: pearl_o

Author:

pearl_o
Website/link to fic: but george you're a communist
Fanlore page: This way!
First DS fic posted: 2004
Full disclosure:

pearl_o and I are mutual flisters.
Pairings: F/K, F/K/V, K/V, and a whole assorted bunch of other more uncommon pairings.
Style and strengths: If I had to pick one thing about Pearl's writing that I love, it's her ability to write characters that come across as only human. Yes, they're on TV; yes, they have vastly improbable lives; yes, they are frikkin' gorgeous. But they're still just people, with bad habits and insecurities and normal human desires. And she takes those ordinary humans and just lets beautiful things happen to them.
Other DS/C6D activity: Wilby Wonderful, Hard Core Logo, Men With Brooms, Twitch City, Slings & Arrows.
Some favourites:
I'm Only Gonna Say This Once

I have to say, it took me a while to go for Ray/Ray. What about Fraser, said I, and his tragically perfect Mountieness? What's better to infuriate Ray or Ray than perfection? And annoyance is totally exactly the same as love, right? Right? Yeeeeah!

But I distinctly remember reading this fic when Pearl first wrote it, and saying, Whoa. Whoa. I get it. Because at least for me, the amazing thing about Ray/Ray is that both of them are imperfect, in some similar ways and some completely different ways, and the beauty comes from showing that those imperfections complement each other. This fic does this wonderfully and quietly, with a classic too-tough-for-romance Kowalski voice that makes all the tenderness almost unbearably subtle.

( Excerpt )

Your Hands, Clasped

Beautiful, lyrical Fraser POV narration, walking through the steps of trying to start a relationship when the odds are impossible and there is only everything to lose by trying. The whole story has an intimate kind of rhythm to it, with sparse dialogue that packs a punch.

( Excerpt )

How Many Ways (and sequel, Merry Bells Keep Ringing)

I love kidfic, and this is one of the best pieces of kidfic I have seen in dS: messy and angry and adorable and all of the things that happen when two people try to incorporate a young human into their lives. Just the right amounts of every ingredient.

( Excerpt )