Listen, Listen + Verbal

[beingothrwrldly.livejournal.com]

My Table.

Claim: The OC, Seth/Ryan
Title: Listen, Listen
Author: ros_fod
Characters: Seth/Ryan
Prompt: Dream
Rating: unrated
Length: Medium
Brief summary: This is a story from a remix challenge, told in first person narrative. Sometimes, this style can be very difficult to pull off and can detract from the story itself, but ros_fod has done quite the opposite - she pulls you in from the very first line, while weaving this beautiful picture of Seth from Ryan's point of view. The way he "speaks" to the reader is so vivid, so beautiful, and it feels very dreamlike, which is why I chose it for this category - it's not *about* a dream, but the style of writing makes it *feel* like one. Her Ryan does a fantastic job talking about himself in a way that's humbling and modest and so true to character, it's as if Ryan is actually telling the story. His observations of Seth are also very, very accurate and in-character. It's also a Ryan/Marissa fic, for much of the story, and the way she describes their relationship - still, through Ryan's eyes - is such an interesting view to take and backs up canon so well.

+ When you win the game, you hoot in uninhibited delight. You're such a child. You do a dance that should be embarrassing, but it isn't. Somehow. You open your mouth and you won't shut up; I can't stop watching you.

At some point, you start drinking coffee in the mornings and I have to change my idea of what you would taste like.

+ Because it's now and you're here. And when you stumble to the bed, I'm frozen. You disarm me with your words, and it's hard to tell if you're even paying attention to me. You close your eyes, and I want to scream. Listen, listen. You lean in and it's just like that night, that first night when I pressed a goodbye from between my lips and you pressed a map into my palm. You were sleep-warm and I wanted to touch the nape of your neck and run my hands down your ridiculously soft skin. And when I came back, Seth, I came back for you.

Link to the story: Listen, Listen


Claim: The OC, Seth/Ryan
Title: Verbal
Author: eolianbeck
Characters: Seth/Ryan
Prompt: Reccer's Choice
Rating: PG13/R
Length: Medium
Brief summary: I wish I had a more specific category for this one, like "Awkwardness" or something. To begin with, eolianbeck's Seth is just *perfect*, so very Sethlike. And this is a story about their first time, ultimately, but also about friendship and new relationships and *awkwardness*. It ends just fine, but so many first time fics happen perfectly, without incident, and this one has that awkwardness and hesitation and uncertainty, which makes me love it that much more.

+ Seth is really crap at nonverbal communication. Mom says it's because he talks so much, but Seth disagrees because she means he talks so much that he never learned nonverbal skills. Seth thinks it's because he talks so much, too, but he means that he talks so much because he didn't have the nonverbal skills in the first place. He tried to explain this to Ryan once, but Ryan just lifted an eyebrow, which Seth interpreted as, "Your mom is right and it's not that I'm too nice to say it, it's just more fun to sit in silence and look at you like this and know that you know that I know that I'm smirking on the inside."

+ It's not like he's not used to taking care of himself. He's pretty damn good at it, at this point. Lots of practice will do that. But he shouldn't have to be taking care of himself anymore, not since he and Ryan are…whatever they're doing with the kissing and the nuzzling and the touching and once or twice, when it was really late and they were both tired and the kissing had turned from frantic and fast to long and deep, snuggling. But they haven't talked about it.
There are a ton of things I could quote from this one, but I'd rather everyone went and read it - it's absolutely wonderful.
Link to the story: Verbal (the story itself) / Feedback Link