LEGEND OF THE SEEKER FIC: Cara/Kahlan
Title: Battles Won and Friendships Lost: Global Conflicts and Quidditch [Whisp, K.]
Cast: Cara/Kahlan, but with Cara/Dahlia and Cara/Leo. Plus Denna, Richard, Hogwarts professors, and others show up.
Summary: Part three following Unresolved Tensions and Peace Treaties Time Forgot and Advanced Charms. Because sport is a metaphor for war and love is ( Read more... )
Cast: Cara/Kahlan, but with Cara/Dahlia and Cara/Leo. Plus Denna, Richard, Hogwarts professors, and others show up.
Summary: Part three following Unresolved Tensions and Peace Treaties Time Forgot and Advanced Charms. Because sport is a metaphor for war and love is ( Read more... )
This fic (especially this installment) is doing all the sexy shoving and my inner C/K and HP fangirl persona is trying to catch its breath while I try to regain control of my faculties.
*Breathes deeply* Okay, here we go:
First, let me commend you on a very effective and masterful use of the third person limited narrative pov. Your grasp of Cara's personality traits is solid and I really felt like you consistently showcased an unprecedented understanding of the subconscious/conscious mind that drives her character. :)
Secondly, in a crossover fic set in a beloved 'verse such as HP, I reckon there is a hidden pressure to get the details right, make the characters retain their core recognizable features while at the same time allowing them to partake and embrace the AU setting in a believable and convincing manner. You have done this extremely well! On the first 2 chapters, I have to admit, I was a little puzzled at the choice of Slytherin for Kahlan (though I could picture Cara as a Hufflepuff), but as the story progressed, I understood why you sorted her into this house. All the others are spot on: Richie and Leo in Gryffindor, Dahlia in
Hufflepuff and Denna in Slytherin. In my head, I see them all walking around with their robes and wands, sitting in the common room, playing/watching Quidditch and I believe it is still the characters I love in LotS on the inside in my heart of hearts. :D
Third, the short scenes/acts in every chapter and your awesome way of writing them. OMG! I love these! All and every single one of them. It is like a privy into Cara's mind, her thoughts, her desires, her inner turmoil... everything was beautifully laid out in snippets which are so endearing and totally unabashedly 'Cara'. I liken your quips and lines to tv!Cara's multitude of facial expressions, especially her eyerolls (I may or may not be assigning a specific eyeroll to particular line/s... Do not judge me! LOL!)
Last and most importantly, the Cara/Kahlan chemistry. Jeez woman! How are you able to write in a such a way that this leaks out into the pages/screen? From a 3rd person limited pov nonetheless? Amidst all the Cara snark, the deliberate and almost cruel attempts to push Kahlan away, you allow tiny rays of pining and affection to escape on occasions and challenge the readers to read between the lines. I love that and I appreciate that active interaction you demand with
anybody who are reading this story. As for Kahlan? You tease... you are holding out on us, and I have to say, I'm really liking the way you are dangling bothus (the readers) and Cara, as to the Slytherin Head Girl's REAL intentions. Do I like that Richie is still Kahlan's boyfriend? No. Did I appreciate the way she uttered his name while being ravished by Cara-kisses? Absolutely not. But you have me wrapped around your finger darling, and I trust you to make it all
better eventually. This push-and-pull sweet torture is achingly delicious and a very compelling read. :)
Thank you for continuing to write this story beautifully and for sharing it with us and the rest of the fandom. Eagerly looking forward to the next chapters. :)
-Xam
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So, thanks, Xam, for telling my thoughts. Especially for that:
- Last and most importantly, the Cara/Kahlan chemistry. Jeez woman! -
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*nods head vigorously re: the Cara/Kahlan chemistry... :D
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But thank you all the same. :)
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Thank you for the praise, it's ridiculously flattering and frankly almost a little intimidating. I hope to continue to live up to it in the next installment.
You're right that it's a challenge to navigate between the two worlds and make them both feel right. I spend about an equal time re-reading through the books -- which is partially what inspired my sitting down to write this series in the first place -- and re-watching episodes of LotS. It's interesting that you mention Kahlan as a Slytherin in particular, because I find that in my re-watch I see more and more of those qualities in Kahlan. She has a prickly, sometimes even self-centered side that doesn't always come out, but that I find fascinating and also really endearing. Maybe because it's so seldom talked about? I love the her that she wants to hide from the public who see her only as the untouchable Mother Confessor. I hope that makes sense.
On the first 2 chapters, I have to admit, I was a little puzzled at the choice of Slytherin for Kahlan (though I could picture Cara as a Hufflepuff), but as the story progressed, I understood why you sorted her into this house.
Seriously, that is really cool to hear. And there actually is even more to Kahlan being in Slytherin that I hope to work into the fic at some point. Things that Cara doesn't know quite yet.
You know, partially I was inspired by the fact that the HP books are all told from a third person limited pov and how big an impact that has on the perception of the world. Gryffindors are the heroes, Slytherins are the bad guys, Ravenclaws are shining beacons that are almost untouchable because Harry's first big crush is one, and the Hufflepuffs are the left overs because he doesn't seem particularly drawn to any of them. But everyone is the hero of their own story. The Hufflepuffs aren't actually the leftovers at all. Still, it's a style that very much seems to suit the world of Potter, and I hope it also adds a bit of a mystery and allure to Kahlan that matches Cara's own feelings. Intrigued but frustrated. (Hopefully it's not nearly as frustrating for the readers as it is for Cara, though.)
But you have me wrapped around your finger darling, and I trust you to make it all better eventually.
Like I said, I hope to do it justice.
Thank you, thank you, thank you. You are really too kind, but it's still very much appreciated. :)
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