Destino
Luna Chick
(Rating – T; Pairing – Inuyasha x Kagome)
Original recommendation post at The Readers Have Chosen
This is quite possibly one of the cases of a fanfiction that could (and possibly should) exist on its own as an original story. Destino is an AU (alternate universe) fic that uses the Inuyasha characters and puts them in a small town in Spain. Like any good story, this one is based on the author’s personal experience and the language, the details, and the tone of the story all reflect that. It also amplifies the fic to so much more than just fanfiction. It’s a story that a former professor of mine would gladly teach in his classes—even though he believed the birth of fandom to be the end of literature*
The immediate criticism I can see of this story is the fact that the characters can appear to be somewhat OOC (out-of-character). It’s not horrible, but I can see it from time to time, but it’s the nature of the story that she was going for and the adaptation of IY to it. Luna Chick does do a great job of capturing some of the basic, foundry character traits though. Kagome is still hard working, dedicated, and unmoved by the societal hatred towards Inuyasha. Inuyasha (not a hanyou, but just a human in this story) is the outcast, hot tempered, without manners, and possessive. Miroku is, as usual, the flirt and Sango keeps him in rein. There is no Kohaku to make her angsty—which just leaves Sango strong and level-headed. Sota and Shippo are both slightly bratty but possessive of Kagome, and Kagome’s mother is still insanely understanding, kind, and open minded.
The twist about the characters come from how Luna Chick fits them into a culture that is so very different from Japan (both current and of antiquity). In order to do this conversion correctly, and I do believe she does, the author has to identify the important characteristics and find a way to explain away those traits in the setting of the fic or give a similar but different characteristics that fit.
For example, Inuyasha’s past has always played a major part of who he is. I don’t think anyone can argue this—especially with the repeated flashbacks to chibi!Inuyasha holding his ball forlornly as everyone else avoids him. Well obviously that specific background wouldn’t work in this setting, even if only for the fact that he isn’t a hanyou in Destino So Luna Chick dealt with this by giving an equivalent social stigma to Inuyasha. You’ll find out pretty quickly what it is, but I won’t give it away here. The basic gist is while Inuyasha’s place in society in the series created this distrusting, gruff character and the author took that characteristic and found a way to use it in her story—creating a great, modern social commentary while doing it too.
Beyond just the adaptation of characters, this fic is just amazing. The first time I read it, I wanted to throw down everything and move to Spain (regardless that my Spanish is horrible). Just like J.K. Rowling, Tolkien, or C.S. Lewis, Luna Chick is able to take you to this world, let you see inside it, and then thrust you into a specific situation that manages envelop you. It’s no longer just about the characters, you are there with Kagome, deciding on her future; with Inuyasha as he struggles with his plans to keep his hometown a float, and with every other character as they progress through the story. And she does this within 25-30 pages! To me that’s one of the greatest triumphs for any author. To completely immerse a person in a story to the point where the reader belongs there just as much as the other characters and Luna Chick accomplishes this tenfold (again, I wanted to move to Spain!).
If you are an Inuyasha fan, this is a must read, in my opinion. If you’re a fan of good fiction—check this it out too. It'll take your breath away.
*He believes that now that everyone believes they can be an author, then the field will be watered down with crap. And that people are losing their own creativity by writing fanfiction instead of exploring their own original creations.
Luna Chick
(Rating – T; Pairing – Inuyasha x Kagome)
Original recommendation post at The Readers Have Chosen
This is quite possibly one of the cases of a fanfiction that could (and possibly should) exist on its own as an original story. Destino is an AU (alternate universe) fic that uses the Inuyasha characters and puts them in a small town in Spain. Like any good story, this one is based on the author’s personal experience and the language, the details, and the tone of the story all reflect that. It also amplifies the fic to so much more than just fanfiction. It’s a story that a former professor of mine would gladly teach in his classes—even though he believed the birth of fandom to be the end of literature*
The immediate criticism I can see of this story is the fact that the characters can appear to be somewhat OOC (out-of-character). It’s not horrible, but I can see it from time to time, but it’s the nature of the story that she was going for and the adaptation of IY to it. Luna Chick does do a great job of capturing some of the basic, foundry character traits though. Kagome is still hard working, dedicated, and unmoved by the societal hatred towards Inuyasha. Inuyasha (not a hanyou, but just a human in this story) is the outcast, hot tempered, without manners, and possessive. Miroku is, as usual, the flirt and Sango keeps him in rein. There is no Kohaku to make her angsty—which just leaves Sango strong and level-headed. Sota and Shippo are both slightly bratty but possessive of Kagome, and Kagome’s mother is still insanely understanding, kind, and open minded.
The twist about the characters come from how Luna Chick fits them into a culture that is so very different from Japan (both current and of antiquity). In order to do this conversion correctly, and I do believe she does, the author has to identify the important characteristics and find a way to explain away those traits in the setting of the fic or give a similar but different characteristics that fit.
For example, Inuyasha’s past has always played a major part of who he is. I don’t think anyone can argue this—especially with the repeated flashbacks to chibi!Inuyasha holding his ball forlornly as everyone else avoids him. Well obviously that specific background wouldn’t work in this setting, even if only for the fact that he isn’t a hanyou in Destino So Luna Chick dealt with this by giving an equivalent social stigma to Inuyasha. You’ll find out pretty quickly what it is, but I won’t give it away here. The basic gist is while Inuyasha’s place in society in the series created this distrusting, gruff character and the author took that characteristic and found a way to use it in her story—creating a great, modern social commentary while doing it too.
Beyond just the adaptation of characters, this fic is just amazing. The first time I read it, I wanted to throw down everything and move to Spain (regardless that my Spanish is horrible). Just like J.K. Rowling, Tolkien, or C.S. Lewis, Luna Chick is able to take you to this world, let you see inside it, and then thrust you into a specific situation that manages envelop you. It’s no longer just about the characters, you are there with Kagome, deciding on her future; with Inuyasha as he struggles with his plans to keep his hometown a float, and with every other character as they progress through the story. And she does this within 25-30 pages! To me that’s one of the greatest triumphs for any author. To completely immerse a person in a story to the point where the reader belongs there just as much as the other characters and Luna Chick accomplishes this tenfold (again, I wanted to move to Spain!).
If you are an Inuyasha fan, this is a must read, in my opinion. If you’re a fan of good fiction—check this it out too. It'll take your breath away.
*He believes that now that everyone believes they can be an author, then the field will be watered down with crap. And that people are losing their own creativity by writing fanfiction instead of exploring their own original creations.
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