1. A Step Down From Perfect by Byoshi
Section: Super Smash Bros
Genre: Drama, Friendship, Romance, Angst
Rating: Teen for thematics, slight language.
Type: Chapterfic, 83,000 words
Status: Finished
Last Updated: October 9th, 2009
Description: Samus, a self-conscious bounty hunter with eyes for the perfect Marth (who at the moment is dating the equally perfect Zelda) is slowly brought to reality after meeting the mussy, down to Earth Captain Falcon during the Melee fighting tournament. The fighters' world is turned upside down when a rebellion against the sadistic authority figure, Master Hand, starts to take place with Mewtwo and Peach as the catalysts.
Starring Characters: Samus, Falcon, Peach, Marth, Mewtwo, Zelda, Master Hand, Fox, Falco, Link, Pichu, Crazy Hand.
(Note: I kinda went crazy with the quote gun, so I hope you don't mind.)
Review: I wanted to turn this review in two days ago, on the second anniversary of Perfect's completion, but I didn't get around to it. I'm just... amazed at this fic. Simply amazed. I've come to consider it the gospel on how I write today, fanfiction or not.
The story is hard to explain in one line. There's such a beautiful interweave between all of the main characters that it's best to let the story speak for itself. But the summary, I hope, is a good start.
Sometimes, she'd imagine she was Zelda. Or someone like her. Samus would imagine if things would be any more different if she had a powerful family name, or if she was beautiful, or if she was elegant in everything she did. If she was a princess, or if her name was something as melodic as Zelda.
And sometimes, she hated him. She hated how he acted so damn nice to her and then left it at that. It hurt to the point that it never really went away. She'd much rather have him despise her. At least that would take her out of her limbo of false hope.
I've come to love the story idea of two people doing something together somewhere and through it growing as people, most likely in love. I mean, 16 of my about 40 stories follow this exact plot line. It's sort of my shtick. It's about putting characters in the situations they need and the settings they need for something to affect them or to set the tone for the story.
It's a pretty calculative thing to do sometimes, even for oneshots. What I love that Byoshi did is that she creates the mood, the scene, from scratch every chapter. She incorporates the setting, fleshes it out, puts the characters in it, and then directs it. Good writing is also directing, in my opinion, and Byoshi is a master director. Every scene radiates with such a cohesive, orchestrated beauty. I know I've said I like intricate detail and orchestration a lot in, like, every fic, but Byoshi takes it to an all new level. You can tell that the entire story has a function and use in every part.
Link rubbed his face again, a small habit Samus was starting to notice now. "I'm just a forest boy earning a small reputation to keep his village going. That's hardly the same level as a prince, a princess and the galaxy's greatest hunter."
"But you're a hero...you saved Hyrule...Zelda told me once."
"Heroes are glorified fools."
That includes the characters. If a character gets more than a paragraph or two of screen time, the character is defined effortlessly and becomes likable. The heroic, charismatic Fox, the grouchy, competitive Falco, the quiet but supportive Link, the adorable, active Pichu, and the not-so-perfect perfect princess Zelda all engage you even though they're not the mains, and they're all useful. I personally love them all (especially Fox. :D)
Of course, The main characters are beautiful on their own right. The idea of Samus being less than confident is usually very taboo for fans of the bounty hunter, but Byoshi makes it work, quite well, still giving her an affirming amount of strength throughout her emotional weaknesses. Falcon is incredibly imperfect, as the title implies. He believes rumors, he can be rude, cocky and even screws up sometimes, not to mention he's not the handsomest in the mansion. But he's still very kind, courageous, loyal and caring, and a completely likable guy. And it's about time we had a male lead in a romance that is as imperfect as the female is often made out to be.
"... Can you predict the future, Mewtwo? With your psychic, I mean," she said. He looked up. "...What's mine like?"
He looked so much less formidable when his frown and narrowed eyes disappeared. He was bemused, but Samus swore she saw the tiniest glint of amusement in his eyes. The long purple tail flicked from left to right.
"Give me a moment," he answered. Samus did. "Let's see. You will definitely earn a strong reputation as a feared bounty huntress. You'll marry twice, have a string of affairs along the way and give birth to nine children."
It started from her stomach, rippling up the throat and warming her heart. She laughed, hugging her knees and shaking her head. Mewtwo had kept up his straight face. But within a few seconds, a low growl reverberated in his throat and a smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.
"You're horrible," she said to him.
"You ask for a lot when you want me to read into the future; I can hardly read minds at the moment. But as far as I know, you make your own future."
Peach is also brought out of the stereotype, becoming a strong, professional woman who is still kind, cheerful and optimistic. She genuinely cares about Mewtwo, despite the fact that he is resistant to all her attempts to win him over. Mewtwo himself, while being cold and resistant, has a wry sense of humor and genuine investment in the goings on of the mansion.
And of course, there's the oh-so-not-perfect Marth. On the outside he is charming and beautiful. On the inside he's, well, the same. But Marth as a whole has flaws that Samus doesn't see, but he's still a good guy and not villainized.
Of course, the Hands, our villains of choice. Master Hand is admittedly straightforward in his sadism and distaste for his fighters. But the way he works is still quietly and suspiciously- his actions are never blatantly stated, he's the demented wizard of Melee. A truly engaging villain. Speaking of demented, Crazy hand is the right balance of crazy- still truly mentally deficient but with some form of intelligence. (he also provides a good game to figure out the schemes of Master Hand- props, Byoshi.)
What I adore about these characters and praise Byoshi for without end is how she takes these characters out of their stereotypes or their canon, but still keeping them true to character. That is called making them real, and that is simply freaking brilliant. It's how I learned.
"It adds insult to injury, doesn't it?"
Falcon was back in his car and was already reversing. Samus pushed her thoughts of Marth out of her head (very reluctantly).
"What does?"
"Mewtwo haveing a trainer. I heard he's got a bit of a background, so the Master Hand wanted some control over him. According to Link, Mewtwo has a bit of a hard time trusting people as it is; it's even worse for him to have to take orders from Peach or the Master Hand."
Samus didn't reply. She did feel a bit sorry for Mewtwo, but in all honesty, it was nothing to do with her. Smashers loved rumours and hot gossip, but Samus never really cared for them. It wasn't like they involved or affected her.
The plot itself is spectacularly executed as well. The rebellion idea has been used before, but never like this. There are rarely violent actions in the story, but the action is so real even if it's not physical. You can feel things shift and change and progress and it's thrilling without being physical. That's an amazing approach and accomplishment.
And the cliche is true. You'll laugh, you'll cry, and sometimes, you'll applaud.
The writing is simply effortless as well. It's structured well, the dialogue is smart, witty, and creates whatever emotional effect it's going for. Never does she resort to straight up manipulation but you can feel for the characters and the story. You're roped into it. I meant to browse a chapter before I went to bed a few months ago and ended up staying up till 1:30 in the morning, tears in my eyes and a smile on my face. (Moral of the story- start reading at around 4? :) )
This is simply an accomplishment of literature, fanfiction or not. And this is the best fanfic I have ever read. I've taken my influence from it, my passion, my knowledge and my love from it. It's remarkable. I really don't have much else to say.
Just... thank you, Byoshi.
She ripped up some grass and clenched a hand into a fist, sighing in exasperation. "Master Hand will worm it out of him. Game and Watch is a coward and the thought of being punished by his boss is probably more frightening than Mewtwo. Master Hand will play around with me a bit more, destroy the lives of everyone else I care about and see to it that I'm fired. I'll be leaving this Mansion and giving the Federation a disgraced name. Master Hand will target you next, I'm sure of it. He'll mess with your mind to get revenge on me-"
Falcon punched her shoulder lightly. "Hey. Don't tell me that's the reason you've been avoiding me. I'm not going anywhere. Master Hand can come at me with all the mind games he has, but I won't give up on you, Samus. Look at me."
Reluctantly, her eyes met his. In this evening light, they could almost pass as hazel.
"You're not the kind of person who gives in. Everything that could go wrong has gone wrong, and it's happened all at once, that's all. You've landed yourself in the biggest mess possible, but with some time, it'll work out."
And that's the list folks. I'll update with one final "Summary Post" another time. Thanks for reading.
