From the perspective of someone who does sew things for people they love (my husband has so many ridiculous shirts), Garak doing the same for Julian is one of my absolute favourite things in fanfic. Before you make a garment for someone, you have to design it, and design it for them. You have to know the person, what style suits them, what colours suit them, plus what they like in the first place. It’s like a wearable portrait.
If I were a fic writer I’d write a whole piece from Garak’s perspective about designing a gift for Julian. I’d have him sneakily arrange some samples on the cutting table for him to fiddle with, surreptitiously gauging his reaction, figuring out which ones he reaches for, which ones he recoils from, which ones he unconsciously holds up to his cheek.
I’d write about the hours spent poring over the cut of the garment, how much of his Cardassian aesthetic he puts into it, how much of Earth, how much of everything else. Garak would do his research - he’d look into Earth symbolism, to try and tell a story in his embroidery. He’d laugh himself into a coughing fit when he figured out that Earth people had at some point chosen the wrong mythological staff to represent the medical profession, and then decided to just run with it. He’d sew in a branching, tree-like pattern that ascended up each sleeve, repeating seven times, and push down a flutter of nervousness about whether Julian would get the reference.
I’d write about reconciling the Julian he knew with the measurements he’d - not stolen, if such information was so easily found. Tailoring the fit of the garment to him would feel oddly daring, a feeling he’d never encountered when the numbers were just numbers, and the bodies were just bodies. His eyes would follow the tapered lines from the shoulders to the waist and find a strange kind of intimacy in those clean, pressed seams.
When it came time to give him the gift, he’d wait. He’d wait for an opportune moment, when Julian was out wearing some poorly-tailored asymmetrical monstrosity, something that didn’t lie flat along the shoulders, machine embroidered, with a neckline that sat far too high. He’d tell Julian about all of these shortcomings in detail, remarking widely on his awful taste in clothing and his clear inability to dress himself. Then, and only then, he’d tell him to come by the shop later. Don’t leave me waiting for you, Doctor.
I'm 9000% convinced they're gay for each other but I've never actually read a Julian/Garak fic. Could you recommend me one (or several) as an appetiser?
fuck, babe, I’m almost on the same boat, I’ve only just gotten started! I come off strong, but I only finished ds9 a little over a week ago and didn’t start reading fic until finishing A Stitch In Time (which if you haven’t I actually suggest you start there, because it essentially amounts to a 300 page love-letter from Garak to Bashir, lamenting the end of their relationship and hoping they’ll see one another again, AND it’s written by Andy Robinson so it’s just the most)
That being said @conceptadecency does some neat writing from what I’ve seen so far and @sigynpenniman knows way more than me (and may have also written fic in that direction, I haven’t actually checked yet, cos am a slowcoach) - you guys have more, please tag for us poor souls yet to fully indulge in the goodness of Julian and Garak? + anyone else feel free to plug on this post, we are yearning!
also um, this isn’t an appetizer as it is jumping directly into the main course, but I started reading “Under the Blind Moon” by @syaunei yesterday? and it is uhmazing! (I am the person under Damned_Writers who’s splurging comments on most chapters btw, when I’m not just trying to get from one to the next as quickly as possible!) It looks foreboding, but the chapters are super easy to get through, I’m already on chapter 31 and that’s without having the time to just sit and read all day (sigh, if only).
It’s set post-ASIT so again, if you haven’t read hiiiiighly recommend because it gives you such a depth of understanding of who Garak’s character is!
(also as an aside, loving the nursie icon, that takes me back)
Learning to Speak, and pretty much anything by @tinsnip (who likely has a few reccomends too) is really good.
Engage the Dream is also very good. And not just because it was based off a picture I drew. I genuinely loved it before discovering it had been inspired by me.
I’ve got a few more in my bookmarks at home, but I can’t think of offhand.
I also have a few shorts on Ao3, and one long unfinished fic that I keep saying I’m going to get back to….. *cough*
“…so by that logic the whole second canto is obviously a veiled critique of Meroc’s appropriation of the Hebitian epic style for State propaganda purposes, and - uh - Garak?”
“Yes?”
“Are you playing footsie?”
“What a charming term! I’m not familiar with it. But please do continue, Doctor - I’m eager to see how this fascinatingly wrongheaded analysis of yours will play out.”
“Hang on - I’m winning, aren’t I? I’m winning the argument, and you’re trying to distract me.”
“Whatever do you mean.”
I’m sure everyone’s seen this, but I’ll reblog it anyway because it’s perfect.
i don’t know how to insert a readmore in mobile so you’re going to have to deal with this post. bear with me. i don’t understand why ds9 fandom casts garak as some sort of suave oscar wilde daddy dom when he’s clearly the kind of older man who gets trashed at a casino at 3pm on thursdays and tips dabo boys extra to hold him while he cries
the first thing we ever see him do is beeline over to the very shiniest twink from a nation comprised solely of shiny twinks (while he’s fucked up on space oxy btw) like “hey, i usually don’t approach people from space grindr in crowded public places before noon like this, but i haven’t had sex in nine years, so hmu if you ever want to…. ‘visit my tailoring shop’……… as they say.” he’s not that smooth.
imo that’s the very thing that makes g/b so great. like while garak IS technically a dangerous feminine powerful enemy spy, which as we all know is julian bashir’s charmingly bisexual fetish, even when bashir runs into ops for the first time like “I THINK GARAK IS A SPY AND WE CAN LEARN ALL MANNER OF SPY SECRETS FROM HIM” jadzia is immediately like “bro maybe but i’m pretty sure he mostly just wants to s your d.” and it’s actually incredibly magical that it even works!! ONLY fucking julian “teach for america” bashir would look at this portly middle-aged disaster of lizard man like “holy shit, i finally found my very own bond girl, holy shit, my dream.“ i honestly honestly just don’t think people understand the central themes of star trek: deep space nine at all
“the only issue I have with The Best Post in the World is that Oscar Wilde, while suave, was also the type of older man to get trashed in a casino at 3pm on a Thursday and pay a young man to hold him while he cried”- me
I’m going through my own ds9 tag because its gold and god, its a fuckin’ tragedy that OP deactivated, because they were a visionary
changed my url but im still here and my posts are worse than ever b4
i missed this the first time around but I want to Endorse This Officially.
julian ‘teach for america’ bashir is the greatest thing i have ever heard, nothing will ever top it
I literally can’t pick a favourite part because I’m too busy crying actual tears of laughter
Did you read A Stitch in Time and have a lot of questions love it?
I wrote a sequel for it called Notions, which you can read here. It’s complete, and addresses:
Julian’s response.
The point at which Parmak and Garak are legitimately living together.
Garak using the modified holodeck technology to relive past events.
Kel Lokar.
Different and less depressing ways Garak learns to build memorials.
Reasons Pythas could not stay in contact, and why Garak never went looking for him.
Also, just how in love Garak was with Pythas (and everyone else at the Institute)
Gul Madred’s determination to make everyone (more) miserable.
Self-healing vs. having a support system.
And then some other things I threw in just because:
trans Julian, gnc Parmak
thinly-veiled threats at the Cardassian science/military binary (mostly at the hands of Garak and Parmak.)
Cardassia as a whole coming to terms with the idea of poly relationships instead of all continuing to be unfaithful to each other, like it’s a universal issue over there or something (Parmak has the solution, bless him)
Humans have the first name of their soul mate somewhere on their body and it appears when they reach adulthood (21). Having platonic soulmates is possible (especially amongst twins or very close siblings) but is discriminated against to the same extent asexuality is. Many people have short relationships before 21 but stop altogether when they receive their name. Having a relationship that is not your soulmate is possible, though not looked kindly upon.
Julian has the name Elim appear on the inner wrist of his right hand when he celebrates his birthday while attending Starfleet. He wonders what this Elim would think of Jules, and if it might have been different. Like many young people (most who try to prove soulmates wrong by hiding their name and not revealing it until a relationship is serious), Julian wears a band to cover the name while he’s still training. After he becomes an officer and gets his first posting, the sleeves of his uniform covers the name, he stops. Julian isn’t especially looking for his Elim, he might even be running away a bit because he doesn’t want to deal with the implications of even having a soulmate after what was done to him. Were he any less of a professional or a dedicated doctor, the moment Garak mentioned knowing an “Elim” Julian about passed out. It was why he hesitantly mentioned the name to Tain, he couldn’t resist being so close yet so far. When he discovered the truth, it was as if he knew it could have been no other. He wasn’t sure what to do, so he sat on the knowledge for a long time, merely focusing on saving Garak.
Cardassians have the words said when they feel deep love for the first time somewhere on them since birth, usually the torso or upper arms. It’s a reason all their outfits and military garb cover as much skin as possible, to hid the possible weakness. Garak has had the words “I forgive you for whatever it is you did” over his heart. Since he was a boy able to read what the words said he has wondered at their meaning. When he became an agent, he believed that the words would be spoken by his father, the only person he wanted love from, though he couldn’t imagine what he’d be forgiving. He purposely lived an unrepentant life-style so as to avoid the phrase altogether as a way to protect himself. After all, if the person really knew him, why-ever would they forgive the things he’d done? Would he even deserve it? As he lay in the infirmary after doing his best to try to drive Julian away and leave him to die (and yet also lay the clues the doctor needed to save him if he was brave and foolish), he let himself dream a little. He’d grown terribly fond of the doctor, and the withdrawal was doing hell to his self-control. So he asked for forgiveness. To hear even one of the words for the first time, and to put his stupid dream out of his misery. Then Julian spoke word for word what was over his heart in simple kardasi script. Garak couldn’t breathe. Of course he’d be shown this when he was for sure going to die a horribly painful death. He said nothing, though just before falling into the darkness of slumber he noticed words in standard on Julian’s right wrist…had it always been there?
