The author's summary reads "because [Hokuto] deserves the spotlight in fic for a while"--and, honestly, I couldn't think of any better way to bring her into the limelight than with a piece like this. Reading this fic is kind of like eating a strawberry with a firecracker inside: it's sweet and simple, but it carries a hell of a bang.
Hokuto is kind of a slippery character in the X fandom--by the time she appears in X, she's no more than a memory, and in Tokyo Babylon she's mostly there as comic relief, romantic encouragement, and occasionally someone who gives out or prompts some exposition about the universe itself. But in this fic, the author takes the opportunity to use the end of Tokyo Babylon to create a very rich character study.
For one thing, she uses one particular "aspect" of Hokuto very well--her relationship with Kakyou. In X, the one thing we know for sure about them is that they met on Kakyou's dreamscape at least once before Hokuto died. The author takes this one step further: though she still doesn't tell us how Hokuto stumbled across Kakyou's dreams, she has the two share dreams nearly every time Hokuto goes to sleep. And there's where we get to see one of the most inventive things about this fic.
In the X manga, it's pretty clear that Kakyou's feelings for Hokuto are pretty intense--that he lost something very precious when she died. However, as a yumemi, he should theoretically have been able to tell exactly what was going to happen and done something to prevent that. Hokuto, being a smart character (and written smart, for which Meimi-san should get brownie points), realises this--and actually gets angry at Kakyou.
Now, I've never seen this happen in a fic (though if anyone can point out another Hokuto-gets-mad-at-Kakyou fic to me, I'll gladly track it down). And the way her anger is written strikes me as being extremely in-character: she gets mad at the fact that Kakyou just submits to fate to the point of letting it roll over him, instead of getting up and doing something about it.
It makes a lot of sense--after all, when you think about it, Hokuto is one of the few characters in the X universe who really makes her own destiny.
In terms of style, the writing is very enjoyable. Since the story is told entirely from Hokuto's point of view, little snippets of her thoughts and memories pepper the action, and while those are usually no more than half a paragraph, they're complete enough that you can come away with a better understanding of how Hokuto looks at things, at other people and the world around her. The writing is very clear and sharp and simple; the descriptions are concise and eloquent (for example, the Sumeragi clan compound is a place "for whispers and kimono and tradition. [Hokuto] liked to laugh so the whole world could hear her and wear hot pink skirts and outrageous hats"). It's a spare little piece, written without any unnecessary details--very straightforward.
But perhaps best of all, the author has Hokuto's voice nailed down beautifully--she comes across as determined without being bratty; intelligent and ever-so-slightly self-deprecating but never overly sarcastic. One of the most powerful examples, in my opinion, is when she wonders whether or not she should leave her brother a letter explaining her decision to go after Seishirou: But what color stationary do you use to jot down a quick note when walking to your death? It wasn't quite the same thing as see you at five, I ran out to buy more milk, dinner's in the oven.
After the thoughtful and thorough job Meimi-san has done with Hokuto, I can't wait to see if she turns her insight on other X characters.
Wait a minute, you thought this was going to be an "anti blog"? No, not really. You can stop waiting for the other shoe to drop now. ^_~
Post-Christmasy Thornran with foreshadowing at 04:19 p.m., Friday, December 27, 2002
Who We Are
PAI LONG The Bitchy One Forte: Fanfic and Fanart Pet Peeves: Bad lemon, stupid pairings, OOC, Wuss!Subaru Characters: Subaru and Kamui E-mail: pai long at outgun dot com
THORN The Cute One Forte: Fanfic and Media Manipulation Pet Peeves: misuse of Japanese, the "this idea is crack, so of COURSE it must be good" mentality, 1D!Seishirou Characters: Seishirou and Kanoe E-mail: thorn at outgun dot com
"Anything else we wanna say about ourselves, Thorn?"
"...I like swords."
We tell the truth about fanfiction.
And the truth is that some of it is really good. Some it it is really bad. Some of it's overrated and some of it's underread. And that's what we're here to fix. It's time for the unrecognized to be recognized, for the overrecognized to hear some real criticism.
We're not going to bitch to the high heavens about bad spelling or faulty coding. That's not the point.
What we are going to bitch about are the important things. Good characterization. Well carried plots. Clear language. Well-chosen words. Convincing interactions.
That's why we came to the fandom in the first place.
Yes, we will bitch about OOC. Yes, we will bitch about stupid metaphor. And, yes, we will bitch about crack ideas in a fic if they don't make sense.
But we're not going to be all about bitching, either.
No, we're here to bring your attention to the good side of fanfiction, as well. It's easy to complain about what's wrong with X fanfiction. But we want to show everybody what's well-written and satisfying, what's right with it--at least what we think is right.
So sit back, relax, and let us show you the way.
Oh, and by the way, neither of us is one-eyed. That's a line from Elvira Kurt. "Kitten With A Wit". Good stuff.
Also by the way? Flames will be MSTed and posted. Just so you know. E-mail at your own risk.
