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crack_van2011-09-01 11:27 am
anactoria.livejournal.com) wrote in crack_van2011-09-01 11:27 am
Entry tags:
End of the Beginning by The S (R*)
Hey there! I'll be driving the anime/manga van for Petshop of Horrors this month. The fandom hasn't been recced since 2008, so if you're interested, you may want to re-familiarise yourself with the overview. Most of my recs are going to be from the original run, since there doesn't seem to be anywhere near as much fic for PSOH: Tokyo. (And who knows if we'll get to read the end of it, now Tokyopop's gone under?) Anyway, on with the recs! To kick things off, here's a really old one.
Fandom: Petshop of Horrors
Pairing: Leon/D, D/OC
Length: ~22,000 words
Author on LJ: Unknown
Author Website: FFN profile
Warnings: Uses the real historical events of WWII as a backdrop, including the imprisonment of Japanese Americans during the war. The opening scene could be read as dub-con.
Why this must be read:
This fic is a personal favourite; I read it right at the beginning of my involvement in fandom, and it's the first piece of fanfiction I can remember being truly blown away by.
It uses reincarnation as a plot device, and is based on the idea that Leon is, in fact, the same person (or at least the same 'soul') as a lover D had in Nagasaki during the Second World War. Which in lesser hands could be a convenient excuse to get them together without all of that pesky character development -- but here, both relationships are handled beautifully and feel very natural. The OC with whom D fell in love in the past is, on the surface, very different from Leon, but the author's done a good job of retaining the essential aspects of his character: his stubborn pride; his loneliness; the difficulty he faces in coping with a demanding and often traumatic job; and his fiery temper.
The story also retains the power-play and conflict that makes D and Leon's relationship exciting, without falling into tired seme-uke dynamics. We're never allowed to forget that refined, delicate-looking D is far more dangerous than gruff, macho Leon -- but ultimately, neither of them is quite as immune to emotional attachment as he'd like to think. The psychological barriers against intimacy each of them has built up are very tangible, and even when they begin to move past those, the 'truce' and closeness between them feel painfully fragile.
Most of all, this is a gorgeous, bittersweet love story that demands to be read with a packet of Kleenex to hand. Enjoy.
*It's rated T on FFN, but... I wouldn't read it at work, put it that way.
End of the Beginning
Fandom: Petshop of Horrors
Pairing: Leon/D, D/OC
Length: ~22,000 words
Author on LJ: Unknown
Author Website: FFN profile
Warnings: Uses the real historical events of WWII as a backdrop, including the imprisonment of Japanese Americans during the war. The opening scene could be read as dub-con.
Why this must be read:
This fic is a personal favourite; I read it right at the beginning of my involvement in fandom, and it's the first piece of fanfiction I can remember being truly blown away by.
It uses reincarnation as a plot device, and is based on the idea that Leon is, in fact, the same person (or at least the same 'soul') as a lover D had in Nagasaki during the Second World War. Which in lesser hands could be a convenient excuse to get them together without all of that pesky character development -- but here, both relationships are handled beautifully and feel very natural. The OC with whom D fell in love in the past is, on the surface, very different from Leon, but the author's done a good job of retaining the essential aspects of his character: his stubborn pride; his loneliness; the difficulty he faces in coping with a demanding and often traumatic job; and his fiery temper.
The story also retains the power-play and conflict that makes D and Leon's relationship exciting, without falling into tired seme-uke dynamics. We're never allowed to forget that refined, delicate-looking D is far more dangerous than gruff, macho Leon -- but ultimately, neither of them is quite as immune to emotional attachment as he'd like to think. The psychological barriers against intimacy each of them has built up are very tangible, and even when they begin to move past those, the 'truce' and closeness between them feel painfully fragile.
Most of all, this is a gorgeous, bittersweet love story that demands to be read with a packet of Kleenex to hand. Enjoy.
*It's rated T on FFN, but... I wouldn't read it at work, put it that way.
End of the Beginning
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