First off, I have to say, I'm not sure how coherent this is going to be because you basically could not have hit my narrative kinks any harder with this story: I love the Classical underworld and I love new takes on it; I'm fascinated by the crazy-quilt mythology dS uses, how everything may be possible but how it's open to interpretation. I've always wanted to see some kind of exploration of WTF was going on with that episode, with the Borderland and with Fraser's really very worrying willingness to put himself in a life-threatening coma for great justice. This was exactly the story I never knew I wanted to read, and it does really just an amazing job of putting all those things together.
I love that you used the full cast. There's Turnbull being Turnbullish, and Mort being awesome and wise but not all-knowing, just as he should be; there's Frannie who's just as much a problem for Fraser as in canon, but also being, like, helpful and loving. There's Dead!Bob, and I can never get enough Bob-RayK interaction. And even the little bits of Welsh appearing were great.
Also, Dief FTW. Always.
It's so very in the right tone for dS, too - there's this terrible emotional stuff going on, but it's not a wallow in angst or in darkness: it's a hero story and a love story and, just, ♥ Understated and doesn't over-explain, things just are.
And I have so, so much love for this RayK. I love his way of seeing the Underworld; I love the bit about him making revisions to what he thinks is possible - because that's it, that's exactly what he does in canon when faced with the impossible, you can just see him crossing things out and scribbling notes in his head - and I love how he's scared but so very determined and willing to put himself out there. I love the warmth and almost...innocence of the way he's thinking about Fraser - I don't want to get into a full-scale theirloveissopure thing, but...yeah, it is. And still he's off-handedly snarky/bitchy, because that's just the way Ray communicates. But he is a poet on the inside. He really, really is. *dissolves into ♥ ♥ ♥ again*
Just, wow.
Also, this: through hell and high water, and we are talking more literally than usual here
*flails*
First off, I have to say, I'm not sure how coherent this is going to be because you basically could not have hit my narrative kinks any harder with this story: I love the Classical underworld and I love new takes on it; I'm fascinated by the crazy-quilt mythology dS uses, how everything may be possible but how it's open to interpretation. I've always wanted to see some kind of exploration of WTF was going on with that episode, with the Borderland and with Fraser's really very worrying willingness to put himself in a life-threatening coma for great justice. This was exactly the story I never knew I wanted to read, and it does really just an amazing job of putting all those things together.
I love that you used the full cast. There's Turnbull being Turnbullish, and Mort being awesome and wise but not all-knowing, just as he should be; there's Frannie who's just as much a problem for Fraser as in canon, but also being, like, helpful and loving. There's Dead!Bob, and I can never get enough Bob-RayK interaction. And even the little bits of Welsh appearing were great.
Also, Dief FTW. Always.
It's so very in the right tone for dS, too - there's this terrible emotional stuff going on, but it's not a wallow in angst or in darkness: it's a hero story and a love story and, just, ♥ Understated and doesn't over-explain, things just are.
And I have so, so much love for this RayK. I love his way of seeing the Underworld; I love the bit about him making revisions to what he thinks is possible - because that's it, that's exactly what he does in canon when faced with the impossible, you can just see him crossing things out and scribbling notes in his head - and I love how he's scared but so very determined and willing to put himself out there. I love the warmth and almost...innocence of the way he's thinking about Fraser - I don't want to get into a full-scale theirloveissopure thing, but...yeah, it is. And still he's off-handedly snarky/bitchy, because that's just the way Ray communicates. But he is a poet on the inside. He really, really is. *dissolves into ♥ ♥ ♥ again*
Just, wow.
Also, this: through hell and high water, and we are talking more literally than usual here
HEE. And also YAY.