[identity profile] allira-dream.livejournal.com in [community profile] fictionaluntruths
Title: All That's Best of Dark and Bright
Fandom: Card Captor Sakura/Princess Tutu.
Warnings: Spoilers for Princess Tutu.
Characters/couples: Clow Reed, Drosselmeyer.
Summary: If you are to create Illusion, is there a better place than a fairytale to do so?
Rating: G.
Notes: ... that sound you hear? [livejournal.com profile] fujurpreux laughing at me for failing in the whole not-writing-this-thing promise I made.

All That's Best of Dark and Bright

There is not much difference between a writer and a magician. Both weave destiny threads, and both play with the delicate balance between fiction and reality. Both of them, also, like to play with the delicate border between wishing and impossible which was, really, one of the many reasons why Yuuko always said that she disliked both writers and magicians so much.

Still, Clow knows that if there is a place where he can find the inspiration for his Illusion card, Kinkan it is. Except for one tiny, little detail.

"Ah, Clow," Clow smiles at the voice that seems to come over his own shadow, and then to the man that appears from within the thin line of a smile. There's a faint line of disapproval within Drosselmeyer's voice, amusement within eyes long ago gone mad. "It´s been a long time!"

"Has it, really?" Clow says with a smile, still within the lines of a different dimension. "Are you well, my old friend?"

"Not bad, not bad! Not good either, but not bad!" Drosselmeyer says, laughing. Perhaps there was a difference with the man he was before and the shadow he is now, but Clow only met him after the madness had settled in, so that point is irrelevant. Now Drosselmeyer grins at him, tiptoing over a chair. "What can I do for you?"

"I wonder, do you remember that favor?" And he knows that Drosselmeyer does. Clow doesn't have to look around the in-between place to feel the magic of the pendant he helped craft, the familiarity already singing to him.

Drosselmeyer pouts a little. "What about it?"

"Nothing like that," Clow assures before Drosselmeyer decides to disappear and make it into a race of sorts. "I was just wondering, if it'd be possible for you to gift me with some words?"

"Oooh?" That, at least, does seem to interest Drosselmeyer, who lets the chair fall down and he gets close to him, beaming. "Is Clow interested in a little storytelling of his own?"

"Perhaps just a little," he admits, also amused. "But if you could just gift me with a 'Once upon a time' over here, perhaps... and a 'happily ever after'."

All the cards that he will use are ready, the alchemy and calculations done, with the Element Cards the first of the set, Cerberus and Yue already taking care of them, The Dark and The Light the last ones he should make the pact with. Now, The Illusion, and from where else to get it, but from the mind and hands of a true, gifted Writer?

Drosselmeyer laughs again, makes a flourish to make a quill dance upon his hand, and then, with another flourish, he is quick to write the words that Clow requested. Then Clow makes the card appear once more upon his sleeve, before Drosselmeyer can add distrust and anger upon his creations.

"Always so distrustful, Clow," Drosselmeyer says, and he sticks the feather in his hat again, sitting down in a chair that wasn't there five seconds ago.

"I'd rather say, cautious."

"Same difference!" Drosselmeyer chuckles, a tea set appearing on the table.

"I don't suppose you'd really like me in your history, would you?" Clow asks as he sits down upon the other side of the dimension, leaning against his crossed hands.

Drosselmeyer seems to consider this option for a moment before he frowns, face distorted into a gesture of distaste, moving the hands Yuuko granted him instead of his humanity as he answers.

"If you didn't follow that obnoxious idea of 'happy endings', then I'd be glad too!" Drosselmeyer huffs, clinking his spoon against the delicate china like a petulant kid. "But it would be no good, after all. There is already a storyteller for this story! And there can't be two! No good, no good."

Clow makes a soft humming sound as he thinks about this for a moment, following the line of one of the multiple clocks of this no-place where Drosselmeyer decided to not-exist, where the girl that smiles like Sakura is dancing, where the boy that reminds him of Yue frowns. He supposes that Drosselmeyer might be right. There can't be two writers. Not at the same time, at least, not even if they follow different lines of thoughts, but he won't say that out loud, and he hides his smile in a polite cough.

"I suppose you are correct upon that point," Clow finally agrees, not saying anything else.

After all, Clow is well aware that there are few things as terrible as being spoiled about the end of a beloved story, but he doubts that Drosselmeyer is the kind of person to know what its best for a story, rather than not.

Still. The girl still smiles like Sakura and there is light upon her step and, just like Sakura says...

“Everything will be alright, for sure.”

Drosselmeyer snorts and glares, a pout to his face, dismissing him with a wave of a fake hand.

“See? That's the reason why I don't have you over for tea. Begone, you old fool!”

“Said the pot,” but he had what he had come to search, so Clow bows. “Farewell, old friend.”

Drosselmeyer doesn't say a thing, just lets music cue him out, always so dramatic. Still, it makes Clow hum as he dispels his presence from the not-existance, feeling the starts of many stories that Illusion will be able to create.

on 2008-04-22 08:54 pm (UTC)
Posted by [identity profile] tomoyoichijouji.livejournal.com
Okay, I TOTALLY did a double take on that fic announcement. "Oh, look, a oneshot fanfic, with Clow and Drosselmeyer." *clicks to another page* ...Wait, WHAT?! *hurriedly clicks back* XD Of course, for that reason alone I had to check it out. XP

I like your fic concept, and their characterization is okay. Although, the fic got a little confusing when you got to the part where Drosselmeyer creates part of it and Clow makes it into a card (is that what happened?). Also, the fact that Clow was involved in the pendant means that he basically handled a shard of Mytho's heart, which seems kind of odd to not be of notice to him (seems a tad too sinister for Clow to at least not acknowledge that? he'd probably figured it out when he was working with it). One more thing -- Illusion is nice, but I kept thinking, "This would be a perfect story on the inspiration for The Create." XD While Illusion is insubstantial, The Create uses writing to make actual physical objects and creatures. Just a thought. :)

Of course, I still really like your idea of the meeting of these two very akin yet different characters and the fandoms. XD

on 2008-04-23 06:11 pm (UTC)
Posted by [identity profile] tomoyoichijouji.livejournal.com
It might be good if you conveyed what you just told me at least indirectly in the fic. It's cool to know that now but I'm presuming you're not attaching extra comments to wherever else you post the fic. :P

Well, like I said, Create actually is substantial and can be seen by anyone who looks at it, while Illusion is only what one person sees. Or if you're going to make this manga-based as the reason it's Illusion, then you may want to say Clow (from the manga) or something.

on 2008-04-24 02:21 am (UTC)
Posted by [identity profile] tomoyoichijouji.livejournal.com
The confusion I'm talking about here doesn't come off as something put in purposefully to show the ambiguity between them, but something a little more about sentence structure. Here, let me explain:

"Drosselmeyer laughs again, makes a flourish to make a quill dance upon his hand, and then, with another flourish, he is quick to write the words that Clow requested. Then Clow makes the card appear once more upon his sleeve, before Drosselmeyer can add distrust and anger upon his creations."

This is the narrator talking, and it seems obvious that the narrator is assuming that we know what he/she is talking about, especially since it's "the card" (not just "a card") and "before Drosselmeyer can add distrust and anger upon his creations" indicates the narrator knows exactly what's going on. If you wanted this kind of narrator, then the narrator might have better said something like, "As soon as the words were written, Clow immediately whisked the card that appeared from the pages into his sleeve, before Drosselmeyer could add any unwanted anger or distrust into it." It doesn't explain any more than you wanted it to, but it's much more visual and a bit smoother to read. Do you see what I mean?

on 2008-04-22 09:26 pm (UTC)
Posted by [identity profile] aishuu.livejournal.com
How utterly, utterly wonderful. The idea of these two men - both powerful but with essentially different lifeviews - meeting is a great concept. Love the whole concept.

on 2008-04-23 02:56 am (UTC)
Posted by [identity profile] moezychan.livejournal.com
Truly wondering, since I'm a diehard CCS fan~ Was this story based off of the manga, or the anime? Cause that in reality is two different worlds XD My basis for this is, the card that would be perfectly chosen would be The Create~ but that's an anime only card, so I thought it would possibly be manga only then. Just my speculations~

As for the story, it is good, but it would be better if elaborated~ I did experience a bit of confusion with this, such as how Clow and Drosselmyer met up, though not entirely important, and what exactly was Clow's role in the story, and I mean Drosselmyer's story. Still, overall entertaining~ and better than most crossovers I've read~ Overall rating 4/5~ It was good ^_^

on 2008-04-23 01:38 pm (UTC)
Posted by [identity profile] peacewish.livejournal.com
Yeah, those two speak a different language than the rest of us. So I wouldn't expect to understand them. Next you should have Syaoran and Fakir cross paths, because that would be the awesome. I don't know whether they'd try to kill each other in a swordfight or become good friends, but it'd be fun to watch.

on 2008-04-24 01:19 am (UTC)
Posted by [identity profile] laurus-nobilis.livejournal.com
Oh, this is wonderful. ♥ I love the dynamics between them - they have certain things in common, but their views are very different, and you can really notice that here.

on 2008-04-24 01:41 am (UTC)
Posted by [identity profile] blacksheep91.livejournal.com
Hmm, 'bout time someone did a CLAMP/Tutu crossover. I was getting impatient. ^-^

♥

on 2008-05-12 04:56 pm (UTC)
Posted by [identity profile] jj-chan.livejournal.com
*de-lurks*

Holy, I think I might love you.

Clow and Drosselmeyer, cardmaking, Yuuko, Sakura's invincible phrase, wonderful writing... so much awesomeness!

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