[index] Choice: The Betrothal Arc

[lysapadin]

Choice: The Betrothal Arc

In which Tsuna isn't Tsuna but Tsunako, and lived with her parents in Italy for a few years before circumstances made moving to Namimori seem advisable. And changes spiral out from there. For the khrfest prompt Xanxus/Tsuna - genderswap; "don't look down on me because I'm a woman."

Note: This arc doesn't take canon developments from the manga after chapter 282 into consideration and uses the set of guardians for the Ninth from other versions of Choice; if OCs bother you, well... they're mostly peripheral to the action, I promise.

First Meetings: This is what happened the first time Xanxus and Tsunako met.

Matchmaker: In which the Ninth is almost out of options. But not quite.

Drive a Bargain: In which the Ninth finds his mislaid spine and drives a bargain with Squalo.

Betrothal by Fiat: Sit down, princess, Daddy has something to discuss with you.

First Impressions: It behooves home tutors to discuss pedagogical strategies with one another.

Dying Will: In which Tsunako experiences her own Dying Will for the first time.

But Not Both: You can have one of the other; you can't have both.

Got Your Back: Every mafia princess needs a bodyguard. Or two.

Shoot It Out: Sometimes it's satisfying to just put a hole, or ten, in something.

Reconsiderations: In which Bianchi and Reborn reconsider their lesson plans.

Thaw: In which the Ninth thaws Xanxus out.

A Year in the Life: In which Tsunako gathers up a Family of her own.

• Yamamoto
  
• Kyouko
  
• Gokudera and Bianchi
  
• Haru
  
• Dino
  
• Fuuta
  
• Hibari
  
• Tsunako

Delegation: It's important for a leader to know how to delegate.

Reunion: In which Squalo is reunited with his boss.

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

can't wait for the continuation +_+ you're a genius

[lysapadin]

*beams* Thank you! I'm in the throes of end-of-term right now, plus there's some backstory stuff I need to get ironed out, so it won't be right away--but there'll be more!

[(Anonymous)]

Just read the whole arc, couldn't stop the half way and already dying to know about what will happen next ^^ I like Tsunakos interaction with Gokudera and Yamamoto, Reborn and Bianchi plans reconsidering, Xanxus rage and understanding, everything! ^^' Thank you!!!

[lysapadin]

*beams* Thank you very much! I'm having entirely too much fun writing this arc, and should have some more fic to post fairly soon.

[love-michiyuki.livejournal.com]

Read all chapters you posted so far and must say I quite like this story :D
The pacing is a bit slow, but that can be nice for a change too, looking forward to the next chapter ♥
(if I notice it being posted D:)

[lysapadin]

Thank you very much! I'm glad to hear that you're enjoying it. I suppose the pacing is slow, but when you go and change something significant, figuring out the implications that follow from that change takes some time, heh.

If you're not sure whether you'll notice the updates, I think that openID accounts can subscribe to tags--subscribe to the "series: choice - betrothal" tag on this journal and you should be able to get email notifications whenever it goes up. Or you can add my fic journal over on LJ and get the updates that way.

Billiant!

[(Anonymous)]

Wow! This story is just brilliant! REALLY good! I can't wait till you put the next chapter up!

Re: Billiant!

[lysapadin]

*beams* Thanks! I'm working away at the next chunk, but it's turning out to be heavy on the plot and character development and is taking a not-insignificant chunk of time to get itself written. *rueful*

[(Anonymous)]

I found this series through archive of our own, and WOW. This is, hands down, the BEST genderswap version of any series I've ever read. It's so amazing! I can't wait to see the next part, whatever it is and whoever it involves. Thanks for writing this!

[lysapadin]

Thank you! I'm really enjoying writing this series, and it thrills me to no end that folks are enjoying reading it!

[gardeniia]

I've been reading your KHR fic for ages, but I have to say, this is the series that finally compelled me to crawl out of my shell and comment, because it's just that good.

By the time Byakuran and the TYL!arc came around, KHR canon frustrated me, and I turned to fanworks to get my fill of these characters. And yours is by far the best KHR fic I've ever gotten my hands on, particularly when it comes to characterization. You take this eclectic cast and somehow you draw out these secret inner depths within them without making them sound out of character.

In your KHR fics as a whole, I love how you depict what the cast's everyday lives are like in the Vongola. The politics of it all are breathtakingly intricate, and realistic as well. Perhaps my favourite is how you write Tsuna (particularly in Winner Takes All, Fledged and They Also Serve) a gentle young man who's stil tends towards non-violence, yet a bit more realistic, a bit steely-eyed - a boss who's really come into his own as the Vongola Tenth. And your Tsunako is just as badass in her own way - quiet and flustered and scared but with that uncanny ability to draw loyalty and love from whoever she meets (as you demonstrate perfectly in your Year in the Life segments)

I think what I really love about Choice: Betrothal is how you took the comedic and wacky Daily Life arc and just completely turned it on its head. One of the things that frustrated me the the most in the canon was Amano's treatment of female characters, often reducing them to cheerleaders in the sidelines or idle romantic interests. You had none of that. Haru, Kyoko, Bianchi - you made these characters more than 2D caricatures they were in the manga. You gave them quirks and personality traits that I adored - Kyoko's way of manipulating people that never feels malicious, and Haru's love of patterns.

Needless to say I'm really looking forward to reading your take on Dino and Hibari and how they're going to enter become Tsunako's Family. Choice: Betrothal has been absolutely brilliant - and to think, Xanxus and Tsunako haven't even met yet. I'm glad you're taking the time to flesh these characters out though - it makes that eventual encounter that much more exciting.

It's been a little while since your last update, and I don't want to be the reviewer who tries to guilt you into updating, so instead, I just want to thank you for your works. There's no word for how much I've enjoyed reading them.

[lysapadin]

Oh my gosh, thank you so much! *sparkles at you* The things you're pinpointing here--fleshing out the characters and their daily lives, especially Tsuna and the girls--are the things I have always taken the most pride in and wanted to be successful in doing. I'm always thrilled to hear that those things are working for the people reading my fic. Thank you so much for taking the time to say so!

It has been a shamefully long time since I updated. I do have drafts of the Fuuta and Dino chapters of AYitL, it's just... been difficult to work on them, because KHR really got disenchanting there at the end. I sort of hate myself for having dragged my feet on my KHR WIPs, but it's been difficult to be enthusiastic over them for a lot of reasons. I really need to just settle down and finish those suckers up, especially since there are folks still hanging around and waiting to see what happens next!