Fic Update: "By Any Other Name"

[mark_asphodel]

It was one of those days in which I looked at my WIP-pile and said, "Dammit, finish something."

So, here 'tis: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5572950/1/

Well, then, what is it?

It's the love story of George and Minerva, of course. But, ah, I'm supposed to be a canon purist, so where the heck did this come from? Hey, it's post-game 'fic. I have leeway. See, a while back, shimizu_hitomi noted that the dynamic between George and Minerva was one of the better things about the FE1 manga adaptation. I hadn't given much thought to George as a character before; he's not much use in FEDS, and he just struck me as another one of these Archanean ego-trippers (see: Astram). Then I went back and read his scenes in FE3. Nuh-uh-- George is awesome. He's smart. He does things. Useful things. And hey, he has a backstory in the designers' notes (he's kind of a "Levin" figure, as in he's the prototype for an FE character who comes from a noble/royal background and doesn't want to deal with it). And he's allowed to be all these things without ever really signing up for Marth's fanclub, which otherwise tends to be the dividing line between the sheep and the goats. George totally merited some exploration and exposure.

[No, I don't spell it "Jeorge." I'd also use "Niena" for Nyna if I could get away with it.]

And Minerva needed to get out of that convent. Her official character ending is one of the most craptacular in FE, up there with "Canas died in a snowstorm." Anyway, this is another post-war snippet of my "Tales of the Unified Kingdom" series; it actually originated as a spit-take scene in "Wandering Planets," this M-rated thing I wrote to see if I could actually depict Cain/Catria in a positive sense (jury's currently out on that one). As with too many ideas, it ultimately took off on its own.

Also, I have strong (negative) opinions about romance stories elsewhere in FE fandom, and I thought it worthwhile to demonstrate the kind of relationship I find interesting. I don't know how well this succeeds as romance, but it does star actual adults, which IMO is a nice starting point.

Comments

[penandpaper71.livejournal.com]

I agree with you about Minerva's ending. It always struck me as a giant cop-out. Like they weren't quite sure what to do with her after they handed the continent to Marth and simply wanted her out of the way (Which strikes me as completely unnecessary anyway. If Marth really needed to rule the entire continent at the end of Book 2, which I suppose goes along with the whole "Prince of Light" thing even if the whole thing leaves me feeling a bit uneasy, there was still plenty more that Minerva could have done for her country outside of the convent then she could hidden away in it). Instead, she abandons her responsibilities and runs away, which... is not like Minerva.

I agree with myaru that Minerva's not the type to simply bail on her responsibilities. If she was then she wouldn't have insisted on being the one to stop her brother or taken a throne that she didn't want in the first place. Whenever her country needed her, Minerva was there, trying her best. So, having her run off at the end strikes me as horribly out of character. "True Leader" Minerva became anything but and I can't deny that I don't like what they did to her character.

... I'll stop now, before this turns into a long, drawn-out rant. I'm sorry. FE3 is a good game, but it did some things that I really don't like to a few of my favorite characters, which makes me cranky.

On a side note, news of a Cain/Catria fic is very relevant to my interests, even if it never comes to anything. ^_^ I'm sorry. I couldn't resist saying something. I'm a very shameless shipper. I'll go away now. I'm sorry to trouble you.

[mark-asphodel.livejournal.com]

Like they weren't quite sure what to do with her after they handed the continent to Marth and simply wanted her out of the way.

That seems to be it in a nutshell, yeah. Now, why couldn't Minerva simply have stepped down as a claimant to Macedon's throne, sworn fealty to her new overlord, and continued to serve Macedon as a general-- which is something she's actually good at?

I think the idea of the Red Dragonknight giving up the air is just incredibly sad.

FE3 is a good game, but it did some things that I really don't like to a few of my favorite characters, which makes me cranky.

Preach it.

I'm a very shameless shipper. I'll go away now. I'm sorry to trouble you.

Heh. No worries there-- we all want to see our favorite pairings come to life, don't we? It's incredibly disheartening to run a search for Palla/Abel, or Catria/Marth, and come up with my own stuff and not much else.

[penandpaper71.livejournal.com]

That seems to be it in a nutshell, yeah. Now, why couldn't Minerva simply have stepped down as a claimant to Macedon's throne, sworn fealty to her new overlord, and continued to serve Macedon as a general-- which is something she's actually good at?

I think the idea of the Red Dragonknight giving up the air is just incredibly sad.

I agree. Minerva deserved better. :(

Preach it.

Don't encourage me. :P

Heh. No worries there-- we all want to see our favorite pairings come to life, don't we? It's incredibly disheartening to run a search for Palla/Abel, or Catria/Marth, and come up with my own stuff and not much else.

That is quite true.

Personally, I've been trying to write something for them myself, so there would be at least one Cain/Catria fic buried somewhere on FF.net (Which no one would ever read, but at least it would be there), but... I really can't write the characters in this game. Not even a little. I've tried a few times and it usually ends with me deleting what I had in disgust. :( It's all a bit depressing because, while my writing isn't great, I can usually manage something reasonable if I play with the characters long enough so that I can learn them well enough to write them, but I've seen no improvement with my attempts in this fandom (And I've experimented with more then just Cain and Catria, just in case that helped get my feet wet. No luck).