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crack_van2012-06-29 12:29 pm
liashi.livejournal.com) wrote in crack_van2012-06-29 12:29 pm
Entry tags:
Absence by Serrende (T/PG-13)
Fandom: ONE PIECE
Pairing: None, gen
Length: ~115k
Author on LJ:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
serrende
Author Website: Profile on FF.Net
Why this must be read: This fic ... oh my gosh this fic. Thinking about it here and now, for this rec, brings tears to my eyes. And they are perhaps strange tears, because they are neither entirely tears of sadness or tears of joy, but both mingled together. But then, such is the nature of this fic itself. Quite frankly, I somewhat debated whether to rec one of the author's other works instead of something this heavy, but ultimately I knew I really couldn't choose anything else, that it had to be this one.
What you may have begun to suspect: yes. It is a death-fic. (Or, as even the author suggests might be more accurate, a "grief-fic.")
However, this fic goes far beyond what I would normally expect of a death-fic ... even what I might expect out of most "loyal friendship" or bonds-of-devotion-driven pieces. It's not just a story of a death of one of the Straw Hats, it's also a story about their life; and the fic is all the more powerful for it. When it was finally finished, I was stunned in more ways than one. I was stunned that any fan could bear to take such a story out to its full emotional limit, seemingly without flinching back, not glossing over even small details simply to have the pain over and done with faster. It made me admire the sheer dedication and skill ofserrende as a writer. Secondly, I was stunned emotionally. For a whole day after, I would have to sit there and tell myself: "It's ok. It's a fic. It's not what actually happened in canon ... " as self-reassurance. 'Cause dang if it didn't seem like it could have! serrende didn't just toss out some angsty pain, she also explored what it was that had made this person important and valued to the crew in great detail and with obvious care for the characters and what binds them together. She leaves no one out, and writes everyone so well.
At its heart, this transcends death-fic to become a story about the entire crew's relationship with that person, and on some level, their relationships with each other. It illuminates not just the depth of the loss, but the depth of the love. True, this fic is like grieving, is like saying goodbye. And saying goodbye is hard—so very, very hard—but even when saying goodbye is hard, you aren't sorry you met in the first place. You aren't sorry you knew that person you loved.
So likewise, despite the fact that this fic hits hard, I treasure it highly. It really reminds me of why I love this series and these characters myself, as well as why I love writing. They all take me to places—depths of both joy and sadness—that I never expected to go, but could never regret going to all the same.
Warning, of course, for violent death, grief, major angst.
Absence
Alternate links: FF.Net, AO3
Pairing: None, gen
Length: ~115k
Author on LJ:
serrendeAuthor Website: Profile on FF.Net
Why this must be read: This fic ... oh my gosh this fic. Thinking about it here and now, for this rec, brings tears to my eyes. And they are perhaps strange tears, because they are neither entirely tears of sadness or tears of joy, but both mingled together. But then, such is the nature of this fic itself. Quite frankly, I somewhat debated whether to rec one of the author's other works instead of something this heavy, but ultimately I knew I really couldn't choose anything else, that it had to be this one.
What you may have begun to suspect: yes. It is a death-fic. (Or, as even the author suggests might be more accurate, a "grief-fic.")
However, this fic goes far beyond what I would normally expect of a death-fic ... even what I might expect out of most "loyal friendship" or bonds-of-devotion-driven pieces. It's not just a story of a death of one of the Straw Hats, it's also a story about their life; and the fic is all the more powerful for it. When it was finally finished, I was stunned in more ways than one. I was stunned that any fan could bear to take such a story out to its full emotional limit, seemingly without flinching back, not glossing over even small details simply to have the pain over and done with faster. It made me admire the sheer dedication and skill of
serrende as a writer. Secondly, I was stunned emotionally. For a whole day after, I would have to sit there and tell myself: "It's ok. It's a fic. It's not what actually happened in canon ... " as self-reassurance. 'Cause dang if it didn't seem like it could have! serrende didn't just toss out some angsty pain, she also explored what it was that had made this person important and valued to the crew in great detail and with obvious care for the characters and what binds them together. She leaves no one out, and writes everyone so well.At its heart, this transcends death-fic to become a story about the entire crew's relationship with that person, and on some level, their relationships with each other. It illuminates not just the depth of the loss, but the depth of the love. True, this fic is like grieving, is like saying goodbye. And saying goodbye is hard—so very, very hard—but even when saying goodbye is hard, you aren't sorry you met in the first place. You aren't sorry you knew that person you loved.
So likewise, despite the fact that this fic hits hard, I treasure it highly. It really reminds me of why I love this series and these characters myself, as well as why I love writing. They all take me to places—depths of both joy and sadness—that I never expected to go, but could never regret going to all the same.
Warning, of course, for violent death, grief, major angst.
Absence
Alternate links: FF.Net, AO3