Equivalential (![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} equivalent_t) wrote,@ 2009-06-02 00:38:00 |
|
I've been meaning to post this since earlier in the evening, but I was dead tired from the surprise planting day and just woke up now, so here goes :
Independence Sky 1 was really, really interesting.
For those of you who doesn't recognize the name immediately, this is Hakka Pink's contribution to the Colonial!Alfred Matsuri that seems to be going on in Japan. I had expected it to contain some angsty porn and not much else, considering the webcomic it sprang from, but boy was I pleasantly surprised. While I can't say how the conclusion would turn out, this is one meaty little book indeed.
Independence Sky is divided into separate parts in chronological order. It opens with a rather grand scene of what seems to be Arthur knighting/appointing the governor/mayor of Boston, Massachusetts. (Yes, I was laughing.) Here the author starts showing attention to tiny details; for the first time in JFen ever, ChibiAl was decked out in actual period clothing for noble children as he watches the pomp and ceremony with excited, adoring eyes. You know Arthur would dig out the full royal regalia for his precious Alfred at some point, the way he was determined to get Al the best of everything. Arthur teaches Alfred what it means to be a nation, and say that they're born from the dreams and thoughts of the people to watch them in the place of God, and that soon Alfred would learn to understand the thoughts of their citizens for himself.
The second part begins with Arthur shooting down the tax proposals made by...I'm pretty sure he's supposed to be someone historical, but I don't know the faces in history very well. Then he returns home, the stuff in the webcomic happens, you do get the impression that Alfred's anti-British sentiments is up at its peak. An additional scene is that Arthur is completely shocked that Al would call him 'England', as Al is 'English', too, and told him he's doing the best for them both. Al doesn't listen, holds a knife to his throat, and says there's no way Arthur could be a god. And there's a two-page cut to a fairly tasteful depiction of manifestly non-consensual sex, as far as doujinshis go, followed by another two-page cut of the Boston Tea Party and immediately following events.
About a year later, at Concord, Alfred is talking to France about their alliance when one of Alfred's troops pops in and asks him something. France notes that Al is awfully chummy with the boy and Alfred says nobody here are his subordinates, they're all his precious comrades who grew up together with him (speaking figuratively), and he's different from England. France plays the villain card and informs Al that speaking of England, that people-hating ball of eyebrows apparently has gained a trusted companion, a white American boy who just appeared a year ago, and England was so taken in with him that the two are almost never separated. Refusing to believe England can actually trust a person and, being the Mr. Predictable that he is, Alfred sneaks into the British camp, thinking of an incident in their past involving a dead maid, and witnesses a somewhat intimate private time between England and this companion person whose face he can't see. Until England draws the guy down for a kiss, in fact.
That companion is none other than 'Alfred' himself.
And here the book ends. It seems that the other Alfred is Loyalist!Alfred, considering the first themes of the book (there's a poem running through the whole thing describing the fall and rejection of a dearly beloved master, which seems to have been in English originally. I didn't have time to read the marginalia before I left for work), all 13% of him. XD I actually chalked Al as a bit OOC before I get to this part, as Al's conflict would look very different if he's actually split into the Anti-British camp and the Loyalist camp, even though there's been hints that his own personal feelings on the issue is not as clear-cut as that (is it ever?). I still do prefer the traditional characterization of Al as being woefully conflicted between his love and hate, y'know, the depiction in Hoshi's New Glory, but this is very interesting indeed. There's plenty of little touches that shows attention to detail, and while Arthur has his share of leaning toward BL tropes, it's definitely not the weepy uke model and I'm okay with it.
Will be looking forward to the next book. Hopefully it'll be as easy to find on the internet, I really don't want to use SMJ more than I need to (but maybe by that time it'll be time to go spelunking for that Al/Arthur Raising Sim game thing? And the next batch of fics?).
Independence Sky 1 was really, really interesting.
For those of you who doesn't recognize the name immediately, this is Hakka Pink's contribution to the Colonial!Alfred Matsuri that seems to be going on in Japan. I had expected it to contain some angsty porn and not much else, considering the webcomic it sprang from, but boy was I pleasantly surprised. While I can't say how the conclusion would turn out, this is one meaty little book indeed.
Independence Sky is divided into separate parts in chronological order. It opens with a rather grand scene of what seems to be Arthur knighting/appointing the governor/mayor of Boston, Massachusetts. (Yes, I was laughing.) Here the author starts showing attention to tiny details; for the first time in JFen ever, ChibiAl was decked out in actual period clothing for noble children as he watches the pomp and ceremony with excited, adoring eyes. You know Arthur would dig out the full royal regalia for his precious Alfred at some point, the way he was determined to get Al the best of everything. Arthur teaches Alfred what it means to be a nation, and say that they're born from the dreams and thoughts of the people to watch them in the place of God, and that soon Alfred would learn to understand the thoughts of their citizens for himself.
The second part begins with Arthur shooting down the tax proposals made by...I'm pretty sure he's supposed to be someone historical, but I don't know the faces in history very well. Then he returns home, the stuff in the webcomic happens, you do get the impression that Alfred's anti-British sentiments is up at its peak. An additional scene is that Arthur is completely shocked that Al would call him 'England', as Al is 'English', too, and told him he's doing the best for them both. Al doesn't listen, holds a knife to his throat, and says there's no way Arthur could be a god. And there's a two-page cut to a fairly tasteful depiction of manifestly non-consensual sex, as far as doujinshis go, followed by another two-page cut of the Boston Tea Party and immediately following events.
About a year later, at Concord, Alfred is talking to France about their alliance when one of Alfred's troops pops in and asks him something. France notes that Al is awfully chummy with the boy and Alfred says nobody here are his subordinates, they're all his precious comrades who grew up together with him (speaking figuratively), and he's different from England. France plays the villain card and informs Al that speaking of England, that people-hating ball of eyebrows apparently has gained a trusted companion, a white American boy who just appeared a year ago, and England was so taken in with him that the two are almost never separated. Refusing to believe England can actually trust a person and, being the Mr. Predictable that he is, Alfred sneaks into the British camp, thinking of an incident in their past involving a dead maid, and witnesses a somewhat intimate private time between England and this companion person whose face he can't see. Until England draws the guy down for a kiss, in fact.
That companion is none other than 'Alfred' himself.
And here the book ends. It seems that the other Alfred is Loyalist!Alfred, considering the first themes of the book (there's a poem running through the whole thing describing the fall and rejection of a dearly beloved master, which seems to have been in English originally. I didn't have time to read the marginalia before I left for work), all 13% of him. XD I actually chalked Al as a bit OOC before I get to this part, as Al's conflict would look very different if he's actually split into the Anti-British camp and the Loyalist camp, even though there's been hints that his own personal feelings on the issue is not as clear-cut as that (is it ever?). I still do prefer the traditional characterization of Al as being woefully conflicted between his love and hate, y'know, the depiction in Hoshi's New Glory, but this is very interesting indeed. There's plenty of little touches that shows attention to detail, and while Arthur has his share of leaning toward BL tropes, it's definitely not the weepy uke model and I'm okay with it.
Will be looking forward to the next book. Hopefully it'll be as easy to find on the internet, I really don't want to use SMJ more than I need to (but maybe by that time it'll be time to go spelunking for that Al/Arthur Raising Sim game thing? And the next batch of fics?).
