The Borderlands Series
| Fanfiction | |
|---|---|
| Title: | The Borderlands Series |
| Author(s): | Viridian5 |
| Date(s): | 2001 |
| Length: | |
| Genre(s): | slash |
| Fandom(s): | Due South |
| Relationship(s): | Fraser/Kowalski |
| External Links: | Borderlands (One for Sorrow) (AO3) |
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The Borderlands Series is a Fraser/Kowalski story by Viridian5.
The Series
- Amigos
- One for Sorrow
- Long, Long Way from Home
- Nevermore
Reactions and Reviews
Ahhhh. Like a nice handful of snow against my feverish face. This series of three fairly short stories is just right - not silly, a little angsty, filled with a nice, subtle sexual tension. RayK. and Benny go traipsing across the Canadian wilds, and spooky, mystical things happen, and Benny muses about his Ray, and I just liked it. [1]
"One for sorrow, two for joy, three for a girl, four for a boy, five for silver, six for gold, seven for a secret, never to be told, eight for a wish, nine for a kiss, ten for a time of joyous bliss." This is an old 'counting rhyme' that has been around for centuries. It has to do with an old "practice of foretelling the future based on the number of birds you see". Old European versions of this tended to use magpies, but in North America crows tended to be used. Suddenly, I know where the band Counting Crows gets its name from. This story has quite a mystical feel to it. Lots of talk of spirit guides and trickster animals. The first three are really just pieces of the puzzle, where it all starts to be set up. The last fic Nevermore is the culmination of all of it. Where everything gets dealt with. It's like way long. Longer than any of Viridian's fics I've read, about 400k or so. It's really good too. You just get sucked along into this world she paints. Where spirit guides stalk the living making promises you never know if you can trust. One of the scenes I liked the most was one where Ray and Fraser have a big couple's fight. Fraser gets upset and overreacts. Deciding maybe it would be better if they broke up. I've read that scene in a lot of fics. Ray doesn't let it go though. He's had experience with relationships. He knows that if the relationship is important to you then you stay and fight. Work it out. Deal with it. He doesn't let them fall into a pattern of make-up sex without resolving anything first. Been there, done that. He knows they need to deal with their issues first, or they might never. I really liked that aspect to the story. Showed a good bit of maturity on Ray's part. I can understand Fraser running scared, he doesn't seem to have been lucky in love alot and I doubt he's ever had very many long term relationships. So he's running as much from the commitment and realization that this probably is for the long run as anything else. He isn't sure about the long run, but he's mature enough to realize he needs to come back, fix things. I really liked that about the story. It's just a few scenes in comparison to the whole fic, but it really helps establish who the guys are in this story to me. I also liked the aspect of Ray really for the first time dealing with the after effects of his break-up with Stella. Realizing that he gave up a lot to fit into the image of who she wanted him to be. Now he's trying to reclaim some of that. Testing the waters with Fraser to see if he'll say anything. Or if he'll realize Ray needs to do this for himself. Some good dealing with relationships stuff in here. I really liked those aspects to the story. Made the whole thing about more than just sex. About something lasting and you really got the guys wanted it to last, but not pay the price of losing themselves for that to happen. I really loved that, brought a good deal of maturity to the story and helped bring closure to old wounds. Ones inflicted before they ever even met. Truly satisfying in that respect. Gave the whole thing character. The mystical spirit guide stuff is cool too. <g> [2]
This story has a great mystical feel to it that seems to fit right into the Due South universe. I mean Fraser spent a good deal of time conversing with the ghostly apparition of his father. You can slip some mystical stuff into this universe with a certain amount of ease.Ray has stayed in Canada with Fraser after the adventure to make the other man happy. The only problem is that the transition is harder for Ray than he anticipated. Both men start to fear Ray is losing his grip on reality. Either that or a scary trickster crow spirit is stalking Ray. Some call the spirit Raven, Franklin (of the reaching out hand) called him "One for Sorrow". Is Ray really losing it or is a trickster spirit preying on his vulnerability? As always, it's hard to say in this universe.
One thing I really liked about this fic was that at one point Fraser thinks it might be best if he and Ray broke up. Partly out of fear for Ray's mental health, but tinged with an hint of trying to leave before he gets left. It's a scenario that's been played out in many fics, no matter what the fandom. Ray doesn't let him pull away though. He calls it for the bullshit it is. Unlike Fraser he's been in long term relationships before. He know there are good times and bad ones. That you just have to hang on and work things out. Which is something Ray is good at. I really liked that aspect. It really fits with Ray, who never wanted to give up on Stella even though saner men would have. It's a good lesson for Fraser too, who needs to realize that people don't always leave you.
A great series of fics. Like the other series I recced the first few stories really lead up to the later ones. Build the universe and lay the backstory. [3]
References