Fic Recs Friday, #2

[emansil]

This weeks fic recs is focusing on Generation Kill.

I had hoped to be able to read more, but I'm a really slow reader, and this week was a bit of a long and exhausting one. Anyway here they are.



Yours, Mine and Ours by romanticalgirl fandom: Generation Kill

I love this fic soo much. It’s the perfect Ray voice and character. It’s as if Ray stepped out of the TV screen and appeared in the chair next to you in the pub. Ray is determined to keep Brad from falling for one Lt Nate Fick, because it is Ray’s job to protect the Iceman, who’s much more vulnerable than most people are aware.

It’s a completely Gen Fic and its only 4000 words long, but it packs such a wallop.

“Let me put it this way, sir. You hurt him and all the goddamned stripes in the world aren’t going to fucking save you.” Ray stands face to face with Fick and he can see his own reflection in his eyes, determined and angry.

“I have no intention of hurting him.”

“Doesn’t mean you won’t.”

Fick nods slowly and he tilts his head slightly. Ray gets it, he does. He gets what Brad sees and why Brad fucking likes Fick, but that doesn’t change the foreboding that churns in his gut. A pretty face fucked Brad over once before, and Ray’s not stupid enough to think it can’t happen again. “He’s lucky to have a friend like you.”

Tooth and Claw by, samescenes fandom: Generation Kill

Heat seeking genetic engineering, this fic is so hot! The sex is gorgeous and so comfortable and at ease for them. At first I thought it was going to be some werewolf bite alpha/omega bonding, but no. It was so much more than that. Loved how Brad was always there for him, always up for whatever Ray needed. And the filthy talk--fuck that was fantastic stuff, the whole thing is fantastic!

“If you could get to it a little faster,” Ray says back, never missing an opportunity to be a contrary little shit. Ray’s hips lift up far enough for Brad to get a hand between them, slicking his cock with lube and pouring more in his hand to get Ray wet. Ray seems to enjoy the two fingers Brad puts in his ass, his cock fully hard again, but when Ray says, “Come on, I’ve already bought tickets to this show,” Brad puts his messy hands on Ray’s hips and lets Ray guide himself back down onto Brad’s cock. Ray makes a guttural sound next to Brad’s ear. It must hurt more than a little, Ray’s been fucked raw over the last twenty-four hours, and would be ready to just sleep the slumber of the sex-stupid, if only it weren’t for some damned implanted instinct.

You, Who are My Home by Shoshanna Gold fandom: Generation Kill.

This fic is so fantastic. Ray has gone home to rural Missouri, and Brad doesn’t hear from him for four days. They’ve never gone that long without some type of contact. Brad goes to rescue him form the homophobes of early 2000 rural America. Ray’s fast talking quips, with underlying sensitivity that is just part of who Ray is, though he hides it so well. And Brad being all protective of Ray just makes my blood run warm and happy. And the Sex is slow and perfect.

Ray had picked up the pace over the years, but not the deliberation with which he breached Brad's body, and now his finger moved into Brad at a glacial speed, thrusting up and down until Brad moaned and pushed back into it. Two fingers then, scissoring and loosening, coming back in over and over again covered with more and more lube each time until Brad was so soaked he thought he could feel it oozing out of him. Ray crooked his fingers down every time they were fully seated, sending jolts of pleasure through Brad. After a few minutes, Ray pulled them out all the way and Brad knew he was getting ready to add a third. He was more than ready without it. "Now," he said, reaching back to catch Ray's hand.

Comments

[nia_kantorka]

Sweetheart, the first and last link aren't working for me. If they're on ao3, I'll find them. No worries. Just wanted to let you know.

They are all Brad/Ray right? I might have to check them out. So far I've read mostly Nate/Brad but I just love the whole show very much. :D

[emansil]

Hmm, that's weird. They both work from the LJ Side, and it the DW previews. But I think they're both fixed now. Thanks for pointing it out!

I love that show, and while I know that Brad/Nate is the more common pairing, there is just something about the Ray/Brad dynamic that I just love. (and yes, they are all Brad/Ray)

[nia_kantorka]

Yup, they work fine now.

I have been reading fics in that fandom for ages. It was a rec by noeneon that got me curious and I watched the show only last year (I got the DVDs for my birthday 3 years ago or so). Really am the worst with watching things.

I also read Nate Fick's book which was the weirdest read I've had in a while. This US army specific mentality about 'we're the best but nobody ever gets to use their brains for more than taking orders' is very alien to me. But I'm European and a pacifist so it didn't come as a surprise that it was a challenge at times. I do think it's good to try and see another's pov even if it makes you uncomfortable or you can't relate that much. And he really is a smart guy who writes compelling about war as a topic. I still have Generation Kill (the book) on my tbr pile but I need a bit of a break from the topic (fics don't count because they're set in their own world). Hope that makes sense.

Sorry for babbling, but I've vthought quite a lot about the topic and you're the poor soul whom I'm throwing it at now. Hope you don't mind. :)

[emansil]

Hey, I get it. I understand where you're coming from. I love our troops, or rather the young people that make up our troops. They generally come from the more disenfranchised of our population: POC, Hispanic/Latino, from the small farms in middle America, Appalachia, the inner city. Places where they're not given a lot of opportunity for a future. They join the service, spend the next 2 to ? years being told what to do, when to do it, and how to do it. And if they don't they are insubordinate or dishonorably discharged. So they fall line and do what they are told. Then they are sent home, and they've generally no idea how to manage on their own. And to add to that, we, as a society, treat them as if they are some sort of maggot on society. And everyone here walks around with this "thank you for your service" bullshit on their lips, but no one does anything. (seems I've got some feels on this subject too.) Countries need soldiers to defend their country. I get that, but this sending them to places where they are not needed, putting them in harm's way, then dumping them--that I don't agree with.

I did not know that Nate Fick even had a book.

**'we're the best but nobody ever gets to use their brains for more than taking orders' is very alien to me.** Yep, that's sort of what I'm talking about it the previous paragraph. These soldiers are bright and intelligent and can offer so much, but are never given a chance to show it.

I've looked at the Generation Kill book, but honestly I think, for me, watching it play out on screen would be much more impactful. I think it was Noeneon that had me watching the DVD's, then I started reading fic. And I think you recced to me a Brad/Nate fic "To Shame the Devil" was that you?

Thanks for talking with me about this. I sort of love these sorts of discussions.

[nia_kantorka]

I can relate to you and the points you're making. It's easy to be on a high horse when there've been more than 70 years of peace here. But on the other hand I really hope we (as German population) have learned our lessons from WWII and that there are usually way too many losses on all sides of a war. And don't get me started on wars where one side tries to decimate whole groups of people for whatever obnoxious reasons.

That said, I loved the show and the fics for showing how much a world of its own the military is and how fucked-up it becomes when your superiors suck.

'To Shame the Devil' was definitely a good one. Noeneon's rec that got me into the pairing was 'Sixteen Days in September'. That's a fic I reread with joy (though the East Timur conflict was a clusterfuck as well).

Basically, she got us both into this fandom. Well done, Noe. XD

[emansil]

I so have lots of thoughts and curiosities about Germany and its culture after WW2 and how it might be still impacting it. But I think that best be served through a separate email, so don't be surpised if you get one.


That fic "Sixteen Days in Sept" is on my Bookmarks page. Hopefully I'll get to it soon. there's just so much I want to read, and need to write and do.

You've got a lot of good things in your Bookmarks. I grabbed one of the Dark Is Rising and added it to mine. :)

[nia_kantorka]

Please feel welcome to ask me anything you want to know. It isn't an easy topic but also one shouldn't shy away from.

Awesome. I often use other's bookmarks on ao3 to find fics myself. :)))