Gintama fic: Resuscitation 3/3

[xparrot]

Here, have some angst! (I'd say that now I have to write something cheerful - but really, do I need to, when we've got the new season - one ep in and Gintama' is already going strong with the epic crack of cracktastic epicosity!! \o/)

Gintama: Resuscitation, 3/3 {6,660 words}
R; Gintoki/Katsura, Joui war-era

"Some things are more important than cold principles."

Read it on AO3

Comments

[novelvision.livejournal.com]

[RP journal here.]

I've been stalking your fics ever since Pandemonium and you're easily one of the best writers of the fandom. From the all-inclusiveness and straight-out-of-canon of Pandemonium, the bittersweet possibilities of Everyone's Got to Write Their Own Happy Ending and the wackiness that's No Time Like The Present, you've really captured the many facets of Gintama well.

But this? This one here? I know you say that it's odd to actually write angst about a series such as Gintama, but this whole piece is a wonderful demonstration of what makes Gintama more than just the goddamned funniest anime to ever exist. There's so much that's left unsaid about the Joui wars that I think makes any hardcore Gintama fan wanting for more (At least, I can say that my friends and I would love it! :'D) and that more is exactly what is shown here and it's a wonderful show, filled with nuances, things left unsaid and a feeling that can never be expressed honestly.

I also wanted to say that while I love the way everyone's portrayed here, it's Katsura's portrayal that I admire the most. It's so easy to think of him as a silly man, but this story really captures what it means to be him far and beyond his silly rants, ineffective disguises and absurd ideas.

Lest I continue to ramble, I had my misgivings about reading a mature fic, but I'm glad that I decided to kick reason to the curb. Thank you. ♥

[xparrot.livejournal.com]

Wow, thank you so much - I'm so glad you've enjoyed all the stories, and especially this one. Because yeah, it's not exactly in the standard Gintama spirit...but on the other hand, the Joui war is just too fascinating to leave be (hee, yes, don't we all want more? add me to that list of the hardcore fans!) And there's something about the characters, that for all their ridiculousness you can on occasion glimpse their more serious sides...can't help but want to scratch their silly surfaces and see what's underneath.

...Especially with Zura, because he is *so* silly in canon, but he's also one of Gintoki's oldest friend, and maybe as strong a swordsman (...and I also attribute most of his present insanity to prolonged Elizabeth-exposure; he was a lot less, erm, wacky in the very beginning... ^^;) and, yeah, I'm very fond of him, in spite of himself. So I'm very glad my portrayal of him here worked for you!

[novelvision.livejournal.com]

You're welcome! I've been tracking all of the Joui stories intensely because they present a deeper aspect of Gintama that I may be playing out so it's fun to see how other fanfic writers have written out their own versions of what happened. I would especially like to know about Katsura's and Takasugi's idea of what happened because we get some pretty clear pictures of what Gintoki and Sakamoto saw and felt.

Of course, I'm biased towards Zura because he's such a complex character he looks almost contradictory when one compares his actions in crack and in serious arcs (Maybe Elizabeth was his cue to act silly; can't have him being too serious, right?). I've always thought of him as such a heart-breaking character despite him being so funny so thank you again for this excellent perspective!

[xparrot.livejournal.com]

My personal crack!theory is that Elizabeth, as an unholy abomination, is sapping Katsura's sanity points, day by day...(it's either that or Katsura's slipping because of the mental stress of giving up fighting the Amanto every way possible and trying for non-violent methods. Either way, Zura's definitely getting crazier, the more the series goes along. I think Gintoki knows it, too - I sometimes get the feeling that one of the reasons Gintoki avoids Katsura is that he knows sooner or later he's going to have to get Zura committed for his own good, and he really doesn't want to do it...)

[novelvision.livejournal.com]

That sanity point thing reminds me of a game called Shadow Hearts; if he's all out of points it may spell the end of our beloved silly terrorist as he goes berserk! D:

My personal opinion is that Zura is getting more and more cracked from the sheer amount of thinking and contemplation he does along with the conflicts he faces, whether imagined or serious. (...you and I think alike on that matter. He's still pretty competent judging by chapter 329 but he may finally shatter like so much glass falling on the highway and getting run over by the truck. That will make me cry.)