evaporate (![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} xcantate) wrote,@ 2005-11-13 19:33:00 |
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| Current mood: |  amused |
| Entry tags: | fst, tenipuri, tezuka/fuji |
[FST] Tenipuri: Tezuka x Fuji
you are fire, you are wind
you are a temptation to the angels
Despite Prince of Tennis boasting one of the slashiest fandoms in all of anime, despite the subtext essentially becoming maintext with the magical power of Blatantly Sexual Character Duets, I have emerged from the fandom relatively unscathed, and championing what must be one of the most rabid OTP obsessions ever to exist (one without sex, I may add - okay, fine, that's a lie, but I don't ship them because of porn?). And thus, I give you a tribute to the wonderful subtlety (take that, animators) that is Tezuka Kunimitsu, Fuji Syuusuke, and their gorgeous relationship. (FST follows manga continuity, because I refuse to accept any fraction of the anime or its spawn as canon. That includes the gay tennis music. And the umbrella scene. See, all is fair in homoerotic tennis anime and holding hands.)
This is a relationship progression FST. I actually hadn't meant for it to be like that, but I started writing and realized it actually made more sense this way, so it turned out to be more of a chronicle of their relationship than anything else. ... Well, at least it's different.
Introduction.
What is The Prince of Tennis? Do you really need to ask? Enter Echizen Ryoma, twelve-year-old tennis freak and protagonist: he joins the renowned Seishun Gakuen Tennis Club, which up until that year had not been able to surpass the prefectural level. But under the guidance of their determined captain, Tezuka Kunimitsu, Seigaku surges on to conquer the Nationals - meeting the most cracked up and lovable rival teams along the way, as well as tumbling through obstacles none of them could possibly have foreseen.
Tezuka Kunimitsu and Fuji Syuusuke.
Tezuka Kunimitsu is the serious, determined, and passionate captain of Seigaku. He's been characterized by fandom (largely) as a robot, but, you know, he has a heart. Tezuka's a human being. Tezuka is a passionate, serious, and immensely strong character, and although he doesn't outwardly show that he is capable of having emotions, there are little insights to his character to show that he does. He is very personal; he hardly ever reveals what he is thinking and doesn't talk about much of anything that doesn't concern tennis. Tezuka is very centered around action: he gets things done, at all costs, and for him the ends will always justify the means.
Fuji, on the other hand, is Seigaku's resident genius. Like his captain, he is introverted, unlike his captain, he isn't compassionate unless he really sees a reason. His genius, I think, has somewhat affected how he looks at life - because ordinary things probably bore him, he takes his joy from watching how people react. Fuji, no matter how smart he is, cannot control the actions of other people. Fuji, no matter how high is IQ may be, cannot predict how people will react to his antics or things that he does. Fuji, for that reason, is understandably intrigued by people like Echizen and Tezuka, who surpass his imagination at every turn.
Tezuka and Fuji have this scary, inexplicable connection that basically doesn't appear anywhere else in the series. Tezuka doesn't think things about Fuji, Tezuka knows. Fuji somehow knows that Tezuka and Echizen have faced off before, despite Oishi being the only one to witness it. Fuji knows that there is something wrong with Tezuka's left elbow. Fuji knows that Tezuka has named Echizen the future pillar of support for Seigaku. What Fuji miscalculates is Tezuka's passion, which is Extreme Fanfic Fodder. Now, write me fic. ;_;
There are just so many things to say about them, so many little quirks and subtle hints that make the pairing what it is. It's not a particularly obvious pairing; that is, it doesn't jump out at you and scream "Hey, look, I'm here! :D!" Tezuka and Fuji are not Golden Pair: they don't have cute intimate "partner moments." They're not Momoshiro and Ryoma, they're not Inui and Kaidou. It's a bit silly to squee over two characters standing next to each other, but that's basically what makes up this pairing. They're always next to each other; they're randomly together during tournaments; they're always explaining each other. Fuji is protective of Tezuka to a certain degree, and Tezuka, for some reason, talks to Fuji about things other than tennis.
They are also my OTP, I ship them to degrees that most people would deem "unhealthy," and this is for them. And their weird tastes in literature, but that's a different story (Dear Lord, Tezuka, police procedurals? Whyyyy?).
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01. 燕尾蝶 (Yan Wei Die; Swallowtail Butterfly)
02. eX dream
03. 蝶 (Chou; Butterfly)
04. Wind
05. 倔強 (Jue Jiang; Stubborn)
06. Superman
07. 夢の花 (Yume no Hana; Flower in Our Dreams)
08. 刺鳥 (Ci Niao; Thornbird)
09. 恆星的恆心 (Hen Xing De Hen Xin; Like a Shooting Star)
10. 瞳をとじて (Hitomi wo Tojite; I Close My Eyes)
11. Blind Summer Fish
12. 君がいた物語 (Kimi ga Ita Monogatari; The Story Where You Are)
13. 明日もし君が壊れても (Ashita Moshi Kimi ga Kowaretemo; If You Were to Break Tomorrow)
14. Night Hawk's Dream
15. Flying Without Wings
[001] Fish Leong (梁靜茹) - 燕尾蝶 (Yan Wei Die; Swallowtail Butterfly)
You are fire, you are wind, you are a weaving devil;
Through these shattered butterfly wings let's make one last dream
You are fire you are wind you are an angel's temptation
Let me ride on these butterfly wings to this one dream
(allow me to slowly shoot myself; Chinese translates horribly into English, and even more horribly when you're as bad at it as I am)
Biting, passionate, and intense - awful translation or no (stfu), you can feel it: the angst, the respect, the turbulence. It reminds me of their relationship in how soft and understated it starts out, and as you get further, as you find out more, you realize that they're much more to them that meets the eye: everything you think / everything you say / everything you want me to do / it doesn't matter, i'm content / because you are flame / you are wind / you are an angel's temptation. This song socked me in the eye the first time I heard it. (Live, in concert. A Mayday concert, actually, but that doesn't matter.)
* As a translation note, Fish Leong's official given translation for this title is "Wings of Love." And if the actual song translation is off, I'm, uh, sorry; it's by what I hear so I could've heard wrong. =.=
[002] Myuji (美勇士) - eX dream
Someday I'll burn out, even if I dedicate this life (for a perfect dream)
Drowning in my dream: even if they drown, dreams have no choice but to be dreams
You are the starlight
Burning for my life; I’ll never lose my way, and this feeling will not stop (for the eX dream)
Drowning in your dream; we’ll plunge forward together, becoming the path towards tomorrow
We are the starlight! (full lyrics)
Tennis in The Prince of Tennis is a euphemism. This song pretty much sums up their tennis for me; okay, so the lyrics are totally wrong (wishes for Nationals, perhaps?), but the beat, the rage, the laidbackness, the weird, everything. And the fake moment of calm in the middle which is totally not calm but testing the waters... take me with a grain of salt. I think I might make more sense that way.
[003] Amano Tsukiko (天野月子) - 蝶 (Chou; Butterfly)
Going underground, I continued to dig a hole
Without knowing how far it would go
My scoop, wet by the earth in one hand,
I searched for your arm.
Patching together a patchwork happiness
As I sowed the seed, I was crushed by your strength.
Burning hot, burning hot
The marks your palms left behind can't be removed.
I rip a hole through the clouds dyed red by my torn wings
Look for me, flying with ease (full lyrics)
Because angst and tennis are synonymous. Because songs that remind me of their tennis make me happy. Because they are equally passionate and equally intense and give their all when they know it's the right thing to do. Because it's bang, bang stop and go. Because Tezuka and Fuji are like this: one flowing entity of wrath, fury, and impossible beauty.
[004] Akeboshi (明星) - Wind
Don't try to live so wise.
Don't cry 'cause it's all right.
Don't dry with fakes or fears,
'Cause you will hate yourself in the end.
You say, "Dreams are dreams.
"I ain't gonna play the fool anymore."
You say, "'Cause I still got my soul."
Take your time, baby, your blood needs slowing down.
Breach your soul to reach yourself before you gloom.
Reflection of fear makes shadows of nothing, shadows of nothing. (full lyrics)
Having someone to fall back on is a nice feeling. Neither of them will admit it. They'll talk it around it, oh sure, but it's there - the support, the steadfastness. It takes shape in something unexpected (this song sounds rather weird, uh) but eventually manifests itself in something solid and there. (This FST relies heavily on you pulling emotions out of songs, sadly, and I'm horribly inept at explaining feelings.)
[005] Mayday (五月天) - 倔強 (Jue Jiang ; Stubborn)
Suppose that this world and I are different, then that makes us different
To me, holding fast means once unyielding, ever more unyielding...
I am my own god at the place where I live...
People who love me needn’t be nervous, my obstinacy is good and honest
The dirtier my hands become, the clearer I can see
You don’t mind my past mistakes because you can see my wings
And you remind me that only after being burned in the fire can a phoenix be reborn
Traveling against the wind is the best way to take flight
Countless people throwing obstacles my way can’t scare me, I only fear my own surrender (full lyrics)
Take a plunge. Interloping struggle: Tezuka and Fuji are so alike and yet so not. This song wraps up so much of their determination and what drives them and how they think; you see the little tinge of insanity that invariably will come with genius, you see the steadfastness. And they depend on each other - you don’t mind my past mistakes because you can see my wings / you remind me that only after being burned in fire can a phoenix be reborn - and it's complete.
[006] Five for Fighting - Superman
Wish that I could cry
Fall upon my knees
Find a way to lie
About a home I’ll never see
It may sound absurd...but don’t be naive
Even heroes have the right to bleed
I may be disturbed...but won’t you concede
Even heroes have the right to dream
It’s not easy to be me
Up, up and away...away from me
It’s all right...you can all sleep sound tonight
I’m not crazy...or anything... (full lyrics)
Neither are the type to reveal their emotions, perhaps not even to each other. (In the anime, Fuji shows vulnerability more than once, but the anime is crack so we're not paying attention, no sirree.) But everyone snaps; all strings gone taut will fray at the seams. I'm against weepy Fuji and weepy Tezuka, but this isn't weepy, it's wistful. They're both so strong and so solid; or, if not solid, moldable - but everyone feels. Everyone wants reprieve. And it doesn't seem like either of them allow themselves to just breathe.
[007] The Back Horn - 夢の花 (Yume no Hana ; Flower in Our Dreams)
The suffocating summer rain:
When it came to this town,
I laughed innocently, never opening an umbrella.
The downpour of reality,
in a heart soaked through,
We close our eyes, as we tremble...
Can't love ourselves, let alone others
Tears that get dirtied the more we count them
When the rain lets up, and the new day overlaps with the rising sun
I thought I could see it, in the light. (full lyrics)
And again. The dysfunction, the detachment; it breaks my heart. They are so apart from each other and from everything, and yet they are so together, and they don't seem to realize it sometimes. The Back Horn is just... the most perfect band, ever, when it comes to showing detachment and loss through music. (I'm getting to the happy part, really, I am.)
[008] F.I.R. - 刺鳥 (Ci Niao ; Thornbird)
Perhaps it will take another hundred ages
Before we can realize the beauty of true love
Like the fate of the thornbird, who with courage in the face of tragedy
Sacrifices everything for the sake of something beautiful...
I'm still waiting here, waiting for you...
The sky's so bright; this feeling so dark
With these gripping hands, I won't let go
Why aren't you coming back?
It sounds like one, but a cheesy love song it most certainly is not. In a quest to gain something more out of their relationship, I think they would invariably lose something - being them, they just might get it back, but it remains a question how much of themselves they are willing to sacrifice for each other. (As a note, this song follows a short and very irritating "legend" of a thorn bird, who pricked her breast on a thorn - but instead of wilting away in pain, she sang more beautifully than she ever did before. A song about giving and receiving and the courage and fruits of sacrifice, really.)
[009] Mayday (五月天) - 恆星的恆心 (Hen Xing De Hen Xin ; Like a Shooting Star)
你和我 看星星 那夜空 多神秘
天很黑 風很急 你把我抱的很緊
雨 降落在大地 我安靜傾聽
卻無法領悟 你為何放棄
帶走回蕩的回憶 你像流浪的流星
用恆星的恆心 等你 等你
那一年 的花季 那一刻 的呼吸
那一生 的旅行 因為你動魄驚心
我不是 很聰明 我以為 我可以
守護你 一直到 最後一絲呼吸
老了 累了 倦了 變了
那不會是我 不會是我
This is actually a very sad, very wistful sort of breakup song, but I'm not putting it that context. I think by now this sentiment has been horribly overdone in fic, but it might as well get a song anyway: it's a tennis relationship. That is, it is very, very likely either one or the other will go into pro tennis, and the other may or may not follow. And thus, the other will wait, with the steadfastness and courage of a shooting star. But through all this: gone old / grown tired / lost spark / changed // that won't be me, that won't be me. Repeat after me: this is a love song. If someone sang this to me, I think I would burst into tears. (On that note, don't, because then I'd hate you for making me cry.)
*Note: There is no translation attempt because my English is simply not good enough to make it a translation anywhere near what the song deserves. Ashin (Mayday's songwriter and lyricist, as well as main vocalist) writes loaded lyrics. They're insane. They're philosophical. They're impossible to translate without losing a good deal of meaning.
[010] Hirai Ken (平井堅) 瞳をとじて (Hitomi wo Tojite ; I Close My Eyes)
Every morning I awake
To your skin, cast off, lying next to me
That back, I once felt warmth from, cold.
Stop with the wry smile
Open the heavy curtains
The blinding morning light...
Everytime I wish you gone
My heart and body remember you...
I wonder if one day I'll no longer feel anything for you
I think I'd rather fall asleep with the pain I have now (full lyrics)
They might be unusually gifted people, and they may share a bond that most people only dream about, but in the end, they are only people. There will be the undeniable straying of eyes, the quarrels, and the periods of awkward silence - but in the end, the only thing that either of them can do is return, because somewhere inside each of them is something that doesn't allow them to let go.
[011] Sakamoto Maaya (坂本真綾) - Blind Summer Fish
A gravity the same as the passions that were equally attracted, that moment we met one day
Is trying to lead the destination of the two of us to separate locations
Although this may have been predetermined before our births
(blind summer fish) Enough tenderness to fill both arms, carrying them you will
(blind summer fish) Pull me close in an embrace so
With just that I can go on living again today
Is there such thing as a love that continues forever (full lyrics)
The obligatory happy, because I still firmly believe that this is the only particular leg of Power Triangle that can ever manage true happiness (though I'm more than just a little biased; shh, let me dream). Think of this as the Unofficial And Necessary Tezuka and Fuji Go Fly-fishing Without Atobe song. Mmhmm. Fuji has fun with knots.
[012]See-Saw - 君がいた物語 (Kimi ga Ita Monogatari; The Story Where You Are)
Please believe that, as we are, the two of us
Can go to the other side of the frozen sky
Because, closer than anyone, anywhere in the distance,
The dream where you are is already an inerasable memory
That is the story that sorrow tells
I’m still hesitating in that which is called love
Just wanting to still gaze at the dream where you are
Among the stars growing closer in the frozen night (full lyrics)
They are in denial and I have no doubt that they always will be. They will deny, but Fuji has that hidden smile and Tezuka has that softened gaze. Both of them overcomplicate anything and everything; Fuji says things he doesn't mean and Tezuka means things he doesn't say, but beyond that adrenaline and too-fast beat, there's positivity. Really.
[013] WANDS - 明日もし君が壊れても (Ashita Moshi Kimi ga Kowaretemo; Even if You Were to Break Tomorrow)
As it is, I don’t know if it’s black or white
Is a love such as this old-fashioned?
It heals my exhausted body
Oh, your smile
When we met, we were saying, “That love will not be forgotten,” right?
The face that hid my true feelings; does it seem like there’s still help for me?
Tomorrow, even if you should break,
I will continue to wander, won’t I?
Even if it should be that I see nothing
We will begin to walk (full lyrics)
[014] Keiko Matsui - Night Hawk's Dream
Intrumental: emotional, light, jazzy, and hauntingly beautiful. A toast to the future.
(Matsui Keiko is a jazz pianist.)
[015] Westlife - Flying Without Wings
Everybody's looking for that something
One thing that makes it all complete
You find in the strangest places
Places you never knew it could be
Some find it in the face of their children
Some find it in their lover's eyes
Who can deny the joy it brings
When you find that special thing
You're flying without wings
Some find it sharing every morning
Some in their solitary lives
You find it in the works of others
A simple line can make you laugh or cry
You find it in the deepest friendships
The kind you cherish all your life
And when you know how much
That means
You've found that special thing
You're flying without wingsSo impossible as they may seem
You've got to fight for every dream
'Cause who's to know
Which one you let go
Would have made you complete
Well for me it's waking up beside you
To watch the sun rise on your face
To know that I can say I love you
At any given time or place
It's little things that only I know
Those are the things that make you mine
And it's like flying without wings
'Cause you're my special thing
I'm flying without wings
You're the place my life begins
And you'll be where it ends
I'm flying without wings
And that's the joy you bring
I'm flying without wings
Fin.
*A note about this song: I can't find the CD at Target, so I don't have it. So I had to buy the song from iTunes, and you know how that goes. If you can't get the mp3 to play (which I'm pretty much expecting)... there's a different file next to the mass!download link that is a different version of this song (Westlife with BoA instead of just Westlife). It's the same thing, really, just with a female voice randomly interspersed between. But the iTunes-bought version is included just in case you're tech savvy. But if you have a version of the song that isn't encoded, it'd be really awesome if you could upload that for me so everyone can be happy. ;-; [gives cookies]
Download Links.
I'm too lazy to put up individual download links, so haaaa. These links will expire whenever my server decides to explode, which could be in the next few minutes, or could be in the next couple years. Who knows? :P
Full Soundtrack Download @ fst.tinytenshi.org
15 Flying Without Wings (feat. BoA) ← see note accompanying song description
Holiday Track ← look out belowwwww.
HOLIDAY SPECIAL.
I am tres bored and Fuji would do something silly like this. And Tezuka would, were he very, very drunk. (If you get to know me well enough, you find out that I'm a complete, total, utter, and unflappable Mayday whore. I love them. I love them more than fandom.) This is Fuji, singing, obviously. Unless Tezuka is very, very drunk. Which wouldn't even happen then, really. (It's very SILLY, even if you can't get that from the translation. It's just... seriously, one of the happiest Mayday songs, ever. And it's SO CUTE. And so silly. And I whore this band like nothing else, really I do. <333 [claims Ashin's hypothetical internet babies])
The mood has suddenly turned a bit cool; I'm so stupid
I talk like a snowman; I tried to be romantic, but instead turned everything cold
All my friends say I seem very sincere and innocent
Laughing foolishly until I’ve lost my senses, and I’ve said my goodbyes, then suddenly you tip-toe after me
Your kiss, my surprise, our story suddenly begins
You smile, I say how can it be, it seems there really is a Santa Claus
My days passed: bored bored bored bored bored, seven times bored
One week of seven days, always bored; love come quickly and save my soul
Thank God there's you to add life to this dull world
One look from you and it’s as though my heart is filled with a powerful army marching bravely
Your kiss, my surprise, our story suddenly begins
You smile, I say how can it be, it seems there really is a Santa Claus
Bringing the miracle of love to people brave enough to seek it
Comments would be, er, really nice, seeing that FST's eat a buttload of bandwidth. Learned from past experience... though I have more bandwidth now than I did then, and I didn't run out then, and that FST was seven tracks longer and for a much larger fandom, so I suppose they're not necessary, but they make me really, really happy. And I don't fall out of fandom when I'm happy. :DD (Well I mean, it's no big loss if I fall out of fandom, but you know, comment, please?)
