Fanfiction Friday (03/03/17)

FANDOM(S) FEATURED THIS WEEK:

“HAKUOUKI,” “YONA OF THE DAWN,” & “PLANETES”

Twelfth Night

IMPRACTICAL DEMON

“HAKUOUKI” — COMPLETED AS OF JAN. 4, 2016; 1 CHAPTER

“A chronicle of the nights that Hijikata spends with Chizuru before realizing that he has something very special to live for at the end of the Boshin War and very little time. If you’ve wondered: why didn’t he make a move? what was he thinking? didn’t he know she loved him? didn’t he love her? This story is Hijikata’s point of view. *Last section revised January 4, 2016.*”
I mean, I am not TRYING to be an Impractical Oni (DEMON–DANG IT, I HAVE TO GET THAT) fangirl, but I guess I kinda am, huh? This (relatively) short but sweet story was written in response to a tumblr request/prompt. Not only does it contain the spectacular level of writing that I’ve grown accustomed to from Impractical, but it also seems to capture a very real, very canonically inspired glimpse into the heart and mind of the Demon Vice Commander. Considering Hijikata is the warrior group’s tsundere, any well constructed view into his psyche is too good to pass up. Impractical takes liberties with the story that aren’t explicit in cannon but also pulls from game sources rather than simply the anime to develop a complete photograph; all this is accomplished by an author who is very skilled at getting into the mindset of her borrowed characters. I highly recommend this fic!

By Jove

pts

“PLANETES” — COMPLETED AS OF Feb. 8, 2011; 1 CHAPTER

“The Von Braun arrives at Jupiter, and Hachirota Hoshino sees the planet with his own eyes.”
I’ll keep this commentary brief. The characterization is simple yet accurate, the scenario anticipated, the moment captured entirely plausible. This piece of fiction is so very believable that it basically should be cannon. The humanity of the piece is present in everything from its interactions to its described visuals, and the story can be perfectly summed up by its final line, “Humanity at Jupiter.”

Suprise

blindlizard

“YONA OF THE DAWN” — COMPLETED AS OF Dec. 7, 2016; 1 CHAPTER

“Yona is faced with something unexpected.”

If you’re repulsed by potentially embarrassing abet natural bodily functions of women, turn away now. I’m not going to pretend that this story is some critically acclaimed novelization that requires the deepest insight into “Yona of the Dawn” lore in order to understand, nor will I claim that it displays the epitome of writing prowess, but… I still recommend it because it is frankly adorable in portions and also hilarious! The characters are accurate unto themselves, as well. To expand upon what was a very brief and frankly uninformative plot synopsis, Yona (being 16) has received her monthly visitor for the first time and, deeply worried, has no idea what is wrong with her or how to proceed. Yun has to become Momma Yun once again and help our heroine out while keeping Hak and the Dragons in the dark. Yes, Yun has to give Yona “the talk.” The author make apologies for the lack of realism in the timing of Yona’s first cycle, but honestly, while the average age is twelve, sixteen is—in my opinion— considered the edge of normal, so I didn’t have to suspend disbelief at all. It was also cannon to the author’s best knowledge at the time, though the manga did contradict the potential accuracy of this scenario. Moving away from technicality, the highly realistic commentary on what a young princess (without a mother, I might add) would know regarding reproduction (at least from a Euro-centric, Renaissance perspective) is brief but notable. I know it might sound cringy to some, but check it out if you’d like if only for these lines that—in context—made me laugh out loud: “‘Yun, does Jae-ha know?’ ‘Oh, definitely,’ Yun replied with relish.'”

We’ve got a lot of shorter fics today! Have you read any of the above? Do you plan to? Any works of fanfiction that you would like to recommend? Let me know in the comments below!

Stay classy (again),

Shoujothoughts