Comments | femgenficathon: Her Brother's Sister (Helene Kuragin, PG)

alley_skywalker in femgenficathon

Her Brother's Sister (Helene Kuragin, PG)

Oct 08, 2011 12:59

Title: Her Brother’s Sister
Author: Alley_Skywalker
Fandom: War and Peace
Rating: PG
Warnings: Character death
Prompt: 124) I caress the withered flower/Fondle the fragrant petals/Trying to bring back the lost time. -- Li Qingzhao (formerly called Li Ching Chao)
Summary: Since she was a child, Helene knew one thing very clearly: she was Anatole’s older ( Read more... )

titles a-l, character: helene kuragin, femgen 2011, author: alley_skywalker, fandom: war and peace

Comments 4

catsintheattic October 9 2011, 11:49:29 UTC

I haven't read War and Peace, but I still enjoyed those glimpses at Helene's relationship with her brother a lot.

The bond they shared was always there: her protectiveness for Anatole shone through all of her actions and decisions, and it made her resourceful even when she couldn't fight for him in the open.

The true tragedy was that every other relationship faded into the background in comparison and that Helene was only happy again when united with her brother in death. So very sad.

alley_skywalker October 10 2011, 01:01:57 UTC

Yea, this wasn't quite the story I intended from the beginning and it came out just a BIT too intense but, honestly, in canon it seems like Helene is only close with her little brother (and her father maybe). Thank you so much for the review! W&P is one of those microscopic fandoms that no ones seems to write/read for :)

"She wanted to strangle him. That was a terribly unlady-like thought, but..." brightknightie October 9 2011, 20:48:51 UTC

I'm embarrassed to admit that I've never read the source material! Even so, I found this fanfiction accessible. Thank you for sharing it.

Regarding your musing, on posting or not, in your author's note... I think that sibling relationships are very suitable gen subject matter. In this case, there is a tragedy in its intensity, and that tragedy closely resembles a trope often overused in romantic love stories, but that resemblance doesn't inherently negate its use in gen -- especially when grappling with canon.

Re: "She wanted to strangle him. That was a terribly unlady-like thought, but..." alley_skywalker October 10 2011, 01:07:11 UTC

Thank you for the review, I'm glad you enjoyed it even without being familiar with the canon!

Both character deaths are canon (even though the cause of Helene's is uncertain in canon and it's probably not childbirth but that's not that relevant.) I think gen can have tragic themes, the just theme of character death is tragic in itself. Honestly, Helene comes off as someone not unhappy in canon but without many (or any) real friends. I always kind of felt that she was closest to her father and little brother. Anatole's death comes at a hard time in her life and I think that, although it wouldn't make her suicidal or anything, she would have a reduced desire to fight for herself if put in a threatening situation.