sakura_no_miko

Rating: PG-13

Pairing: Agron/Nasir

Warnings: background character death, mild gore

Other notes: adoption, kid fic

Length: 3k

Summary: The child Ilythia bore did not go over the cliff with Lucretia but was instead saved by his desperate mother. After the victory of Vesuvius is over, Agron finds the crying infant and Ilythia’s corpse. Once he has the babe in arms, he finds he cannot let go.

I find it hard to review short fics. I mean, it always depends on the content, but I do like to ramble, and if I’m writing a review that’s longer than the fic, I feel like something might be amiss. Other times there’s not quite enough to review? I might enjoy a scene, or a set-up and punchline, and then I can’t find much more to say other than “I like this.”

At the same time, there’s an art to writing short fics. I used to write a lot of short fic–quick, dashed-off little kink meme fills, stuff like that. Short and to the point. It’s a skill I’ve found myself lacking lately. My writing skills are rusty, and the ability to just write something and not over-think it or over-write it is a challenge. Instead of just writing, say, this character is trapped in a burning house and the handsome firefighter rescues him, I’m thinking to myself, wait, how long would it take for the fire crew to arrive? If I set this at night, how are my characters going to be seeing anything (especially each other)? Is my character supposed to be going to school in the morning? Where is the fire starting from? How will the structure of the house hold up when it’s burning? Should my character even be able to wake up and talk if he’s inhaling smoke? Etc etc. And by that time I’ve gotten myself into a mess and I don’t want to write anymore.

And yet–this fic manages to bring up so many interesting ideas in such a short time. It’s amazing. Poor Spartacus–confronted with a child that, if I remember canon correctly, was conceived from coercion, if not outright rape, with a woman he hated–is so pitiable. It’s only a few lines, but we get the gamut of his inability to look at the child without being reminded of his own pain, and how he desperately wants to not be biased and bitter. Just that instinctive repulsion, even when he’s knows it’s illogical.

Actually, everything in here is very poignant, and to the point. Agron is overcome with love, Spartacus with revulsion. Nasir and Naevia seem to be the main people who can look at the situation and sort of ponder things without the big emotional reactions, though Nasir has his own moment of being overwhelmed by his sudden descent into parenthood. Agron may be someone who loves children and feels no issue whatsoever about adopting one, but Nasir is the pragmatic one.

It’s just–gah, I am amazed at how much is conveyed in so few words. This is that writing style I want to capture again.

(Looking for more fic recs?)
Originally posted on tumblr on 03/11/15