Comments | fifthmus: Fifthmus Fic: The Good Friend (for flonnebonne, from corbeaun)

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Fifthmus Fic: The Good Friend (for flonnebonne, from corbeaun)

Jan 06, 2009 21:25

Title: The Good Friend
Author: corbeaun
Recipient: flonnebonne, requests
Characters/Pairing: Waya, Isumi/Le Ping
Summary: Not everything can be fixed, but this time Waya Yoshitaka tries to be the good friend.
A/N: Waya Yoshitaka is 22, Isumi is 25 and Le Ping just turned 18.
Word count: 6,200

( Happy fifthmus, flonnebonne! )

Comments 26

painless_j January 7 2009, 03:54:16 UTC

So bittersweet and full of subtle nuances! I liked it. I liked that Waya stopped running at last and made Isumi stop shutting inside himself. Good job! :)

corbeaun January 9 2009, 21:23:06 UTC

Thank you! :) I did try to not be too blatant about the unrequited-ness on Waya's part. I have to wonder though if Waya had stopped running from one thing only to start running away from something else... ;)

issen4 January 7 2009, 04:15:50 UTC

Great characterisation of Waya! It's not always easy to write him as someone who has his own insecurities and shortcomings, but you managed it. Very nice; you make me like him more.

corbeaun January 9 2009, 21:28:08 UTC

Hehe, it's funny actually how I'd held out from writing about Waya for so long because I didn't think I could write him sympathetically -- he wasn't my favorite character in canon, precisely because of his insecurities and shortcomings. His dealing of Isumi and the pro exam comes to mind, as well as his reaction during the prelim for the Hokuto Cup when Yashiro and Hikaru were taking each other down. But writing this made me like him a lot more. :)

mowglimoonshado January 7 2009, 04:22:52 UTC

I really loved the arc of this, how much growing up Waya did within a short amount of time.

And as they stared at each other, maybe they held hands a little longer than necessary.

Yoshitaka let go first and stood up.

Oh Waya...how noble of you.

corbeaun January 9 2009, 21:37:43 UTC

I was trying to go for punctuated equilibrium here: lots of time where nothing changes, and then one sudden shift. ;) No really, I'm relieved the way Waya finally grows up wasn't too unbelievable.

I am interested in how you saw Waya's end gesture as noble. When I was writing it, the gesture felt resigned, finalistic, and in a way relieved. But you're right, letting Ismui go in order for him to find peace with Le Ping -- that is more than a little noble. Thank you for revealing a different side to this. *hugs*

mowglimoonshado January 10 2009, 01:33:05 UTC

Not at all! It was my pleasure. *hugs back*

Oh, btw, I've friended your journal. (I hope you don't mind..)

flonnebonne January 7 2009, 08:05:36 UTC

WWWAAAAAAHHHH!!!! THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS FIC!!!! It was more than I could have ever asked for! I love the way you let us look into Waya's brain and how he messes up and says things he regrets and can be pretty dense but really is a good friend. And I love how you addressed the year that Waya and Isumi weren't talking to each other after the pro exam! And the possibility that friendship/love isn't clear-cut. Yeeesssss.

Again, thank you for the awesomeness.

corbeaun January 9 2009, 21:17:13 UTC

*g* I so happy you liked it. The way Waya dealt with Isumi after the pro exam had really bothered me - it didn't seem like something a friend would do. I really wanted it to have some effect on their friendship. It's just a little too bad for Waya that Le Ping was already there when Waya finally confronted his failing.

I really enjoyed your prompt: honestly, if you hadn't asked for Le Ping and Waya, I would not have thought about writing Waya at all. But now that I have, I feel like I understand him better and maybe forgive him for some of the things he's done/not done in canon. :)

flonnebonne January 9 2009, 23:05:08 UTC

Yeah, I was bothered by Waya's behaviour after the pro exam too! And the way that they never acknowledged it at all! Guy thing, huh? Or maybe just an adolescent thing.

Heh, my prompts were all kind of last-minute things I made up for the sake of having requests at all. I would have been glad to get anything. But I must admit I was absolutely thrilled to get such an in-depth, fantastically-written fic about Waya, who's my favourite character, faults and all. I feel like I understand him better too. :)

chaineddove January 7 2009, 18:12:45 UTC

I really love this! It helps that I have a soft spot three miles wide for this pairing... and oh, Shigeko. Thank you a thousand times for making her a three-dimensional person! I love her.

Really nice characterization of insecure, not-quite-grown-up Waya, and stubborn Le Ping, and stupidly determined Isumi. I thoroughly enjoyed every word of this. Great job!

corbeaun January 9 2009, 21:47:47 UTC

Thank you! *g* It seems as if whenever there's an Isumi/Le Ping pairing, there must also be something explaining away Waya. ^^; I'm not sure I did manage to do Shigeko justice, but I tried -- in the two brief appearances she made. I'm really glad you liked the way I wrote her. And, hehe, Isumi really is as stupidly determined as you say. *g*