some of my best friends ship the rays!

[schmerica]

The first of my very very very slow coming rants.

Hmm, Ray/Ray. I find myself actually pretty much indifferent to the pairing either way, actually -- it's not something that interests me, but it's certainly not something that rankles, either.

I do think, though, I would like the pairing a little more if there seemed to be more of an acknowledgement that it's kind of a really out-there, unconventional, what-the-hell pairing. It kind of weirds me out a little that a pairing with no canon basis and barely a few minutes of screentime is so wildly popular, and just automatically accepted. It's like you can just skip over all these steps, the same as you could with a completely subtext-laden on-screen pairing.

Like ... okay, compare it with Frannie/RayK -- which, as we all know as readers of this journal, is a pairing of my heart. When I was writing my FV/RK story last summer, every person I mentioned the story to was surprised and responded with something along the lines of "Weird! I wouldn't think that pairing could work!"

Which, dude, yes, it's a weird pairing. But the thing is -- how is it all that different from a lot of the stuff I've heard people say they dig about Ray/Ray? Lots of snark. Mutual love/caring/primary connection through Fraser. Police stuff. The main difference is that Ray and Frannie actually a) share screen time, b) are shown to care about each other and c) have evidence of any kind of attraction to each other. All things that I, at least, would think would make it less likely to get a "what the hell?" reaction.

I think the same thing that annoys me about this is what appeals to some people about the pairing -- Kat Allison had that fascinating post about Ray/Ray as fannish alchemy several months ago. For me, though, it's frustrating. Crazy crossovers and wildly unconventional pairings are fun in some ways, and interesting to explore, but I'm never going to find them really satisfying: I'm never going to get the point of a relationship that I can't see as important or vital.

Edit to add: Also, I am very much confused by people who are very much anti-F/V and explain it by saying "Vecchio is so straight!" and then write and/or devour Ray/Ray stuff. I mean, I think Ray Kowalski is a sex god, too, but come on.

Comments

[spainja.livejournal.com]

I'm pretty much of the same mind as you on Ray/Ray. I mean, I read it, and I've enjoyed it, but it doesn't really push my OTP buttons. I see it more as an experiment--a "what if" type of pairing, and I enjoy it when I don't take it too seriously. However, I can see the appeal of the paring:

1. Ray/Ray allows types of sex that you can't get with other DS pairings. That desperate, nasty, snarky, slutty, slam-me-up-against-the-wall-and-insult-my-mama sex that you just can't do with Fraser or Frannie or Turnbull. The Rays can take it, however; they're tough. Good writers can even weave some love into the dirty fucking. Also, the Rays, unlike certain Mounties I can think of, don't require 200k of finesse before getting naked and sticky.

2. The concept of Ray/Ray is rather interesting. You've got here two guys who are nothing alike, but fate has interwoven their live with so many parallels. Both have partnered with Fraser (and lived to tell about it). Both have loved Stella (and lived to tell about it). Depending on the story, both may have loved Fraser as well. Both have spent significant time undercover, living another man's life and suppressing their own identity. They probably understand parts of each other that Fraser nor Stella could ever touch. There's a bizarre appeal in putting the two together--kind of like fucking your alternate universe self.

My favorite Ray/Ray story? "Faster Diefenbaker! Mush! Mush!" by yahtzee63. It's hysterically funny, doesn't take itself too seriously, and has the Rays doing what they do best--bickering and snarking on Fraser and Stella.

[brooklinegirl.livejournal.com]

slam-me-up-against-the-wall-and-insult-my-mama sex

*cracking the hell up*

That's the best description of Ray/Ray sex I've ever seen.

[pearl-o.livejournal.com]

See, number 1? Actually isn't all that interesting to me. I get bored with people whom I don't think *like* each other, you know? Ray/Ray isn't adversary slash by any means, but it's certainly not the bestbuddy/most-important-person kink I love, either.