Fanfiction: The Machine Unmakes the Man (Princess Tutu)

Title: The Machine Unmakes the Man
Fandom: Princess Tutu (anime version)
Character(s): Edel and Fakir
Pairing(s): None
Rating: PG (for implied character death and the manner thereof)
Word Count: ~1625
Warnings: Spoilers for episode 13
A/N: I would not pry a minute out of episodes 12-13 of the Princess Tutu anime, but it has always troubled me, artistically speaking, that the animators failed to storyboard in even a hint of [spoiler]'s rescue. That character's abrupt reappearance seems more cheaply theatrical than it ought to be in a story which is otherwise much better about managing plot consequences. So here, for anyone interested, is a deleted scene from episode thirteen to fill in the gap. Crossposted from nebroadwe to princesstutu and tutufic.
Dedication: For Katie the Elder, who also feels the lack.

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Once upon a time there was a man who had no children.
One day he tripped over a piece of wood that groaned when he kicked it.
So he carved it into a puppet and called it his son.
( Read more... )

Recommendation: Two Good 'Fics

Just when I thought s/he had fallen over the Fandom Event Horizon, the incomparable tobu_ishi returns with a small gem. IMO, FMA needs more well-written, silly genfic, so I must recommend "Pointless": a first-person narrative from Al's POV as he mother-hens Ed through an unexpected visit to the infirmary. The character voices are dead-on and the joke beautifully constructed (with bonus points for the comic deployment of accurate period detail). Delightful stuff!

Another recent discovery in the Princess Tutu fandom: voodoobob's post-series piece "And After". With a few notable exceptions, I don't normally enjoy stories that bring Duck back as a human after the dénouement, because they tend not to engage fruitfully with the series's final thematic point (post-series Escaflowne 'fic gives me similar headaches). "And After," however, just slides right past my objections by, first, being quite smoothly written, rejecting sloppy sentiment in favor of poignant detail:

And then, just to make matters worse, one night she begins to itch, her feathers falling out in clumps, and doesn't it just figure that this would be the time she finally begins to molt? Fakir, his arm heavy with weariness, reaches out to console her, but all she can do is peck irritably at his hand and retire to a corner, miserable and picking at her feathers. She falls to a fitful sleep, squirming and itching, and comforts herself with the thought that at least now she'll finally grow that lovely white plumage she's been waiting for.

-- and second, by grasping onto one of the other themes of the anime and using it to justify the plot:

Once upon a time, there was a story. It was a good story, with a knight and princesses and a perfect prince, and it was also a tragic story, with an ending that left everyone in pain. But the characters in the story did not want a tragedy, and refused their fate. And so, against the storyteller's wishes, they lived happily ever after.

And so they do and I can't say, while I'm reading, that I mind a bit.

Share and enjoy!