Matter of Circumstance

[dreiser]

Wayyyyy back in the day I started an alternate universe fanfic for Maria-sama ga Miteru suggested by Sean Gaffney based around the premise of what would happen if Yumi had been Sei's petite soeur. I liked the idea but I tend to have a short attention span (of a gnat some would say) and I never finished it.

Looking back on it, I love the premise but I dislike the execution I used. Basically using canon storylines and flipping it around so it's Sei and Yumi. Like the whole thing with Tsutako taking the picture and using a secondary storyline involving the bet for Sachiko to find a petite soeur, which involves Shimako this time. Also, as much as I do super love Sei and Yumi I love them more as friends than romantic partners. I prefer Sachiko/Yumi and Sei/Youko.

Anyway! I started rewriting and plotting out the fic again, flipping things up. I'm still using canon plot events but I'm not really focusing on retelling canon exactly how it is but with the soeurs changed around if that makes any sense. I mean, all the school festivals and the card hunt and elections will happen but I'm not going to tell the stories of how they happen in the same way as it happens on the show.

I find the new version I have in mind way more interesting because it sets up Sachiko and Yumi for romance again but they're more on equal footing since they're boutons then Roses together rather than being grande and petite soeurs so Sachiko comes from a different place with Yumi. Also, by setting up Sei/Youko it goes with a whole White Rose and Red Rose family falling in love with each other sort of joke. Plus Sei and Yumi being so close as soeurs that they like to irritate their perspective partners by being flirty with one another. Or rather that's more Sei being flirty and Yumi putting up with it because it's her onee-sama and she secretly enjoys Sachiko's jealousy.

Mostly I just love the idea of Sei and Yumi being soeurs because I think Sei would instill a lot of confidence in Yumi and Yumi would make Sei so happy in a lot of ways. As for Sachiko and Shimako as soeurs, Shimako is like mellowing to the extreme and Sachiko is so fierce about people she cares for there's no way that Shimako would feel like an outsider about her Buddhist background after Sachiko heard about it.

Comments

[ein-myria.livejournal.com]

Ooh, another altered destinies kinda story. I'm looking forward to reading it when it's done. :)

[seangaffney.livejournal.com]

Nice to hear this starting up again, even if I'm more of a Sei and Youko as best friends fan. :)

[oneplusme.livejournal.com]

That's just because you have no taste, Sean. ;)

And hooray for more potentially awesome Marimite fic. I shall be looking forward to reading it.

[tempest819.livejournal.com]

Can't wait to read this story! Good Maramite fanfic is hard to find! I'm really interested to see how the dynamics change between the characters with your rearrangement of the girls.

[dreiser.livejournal.com]

I think the biggest change would be Yumi. A lot of the anxiety that Yumi has in S1/S2 and the low self esteem wouldn't really be present with Sei as her onee-sama so it's definitely like fast forwarding her level of maturity and confidence in herself. Also, Sei loves to coddle Yumi and with Yumi as her petite soeur she doesn't have anything to stop her from doing that. lol. So it's equalling a more confident Yumi and a more emotionally open Sei, I think.

[jailbaitjello.livejournal.com]

Definitely an interesting idea. This would also mean that it's Yumi who runs into the election stuff as a second year, and I wonder how she would approach the whole Rosa Canina thing and being Rosa Gigantea in her second year. Perhaps this is where the lack of self-confidence kicks in?