darththalia (darththalia) wrote in tpm_flashback, @ 2004-06-27 00:09:00 |
|
|||
Original poster: gloriana
Title: Buying Trouble
Author: Layna Andersen
Rating: NC17
Pairing: Q/O
Warnings:
Layna warns: "In the epilogue, taking place more than twenty years after the end of this story, a character has died of old age, peacefully in his sleep, being held by someone he loves. May we all be so lucky. I personally consider that a happy ending, but your mileage may vary."
In addition, I will also warn for underage content, because one of the protagonists is probably below 18. Since this is an ancient Roman AU, he is within the acceptable age band for sexual relations within that culture; but I know cultural relativism on this particular issue is not something every reader brings to a story. Play is also made of the size differences between the two characters. Previous rape, physical and sexual abuse are referred to.
Not everyone will need warning for this, either, but Layna sticks an extra i in the Latin name Quaius.
Author's LJ id, e-mail, and/or website: lj id: darthhellokitty
email: darthhellokitty@livejournal.com
website: http://www.squidge.org/~foxsden/layna/la
Link to story: on M-A: http://www.masterapprentice.org/archive/b/b
Buying Trouble was also published as a zine, in which it was accompanied by 11 further stories by other MA authors, writing new bits of background to the original AU. Layna's site includes these other stories, plus a link if you want to buy the zine, which is still available.
Reasons for recommending: Layna began this ancient Roman AU with the description: "Quiaius, a widower living alone with his cats and books, goes shopping for a housekeeper, and instead buys a starved, filthy and badly abused wild Celt who would otherwise have been sent to the Coliseum." Little did we in our innocence then, beginning the first chapter so many years ago, realise the extremes of tears, joy and sexual suspense Layna would drive us to. And least you young ones (she says bitterly) don't have to wait for the next episode to land in your mailboxes.
The characterisation is consistent and concise: this is Qui as the gentle, somewhat bewildered scholar; Obi-Wan as the courageous, if battered young pagan priest; and a delightful array of familiar faces sprinkled in the appropriate places. But Layna uses all the rest of the 200k to wrack our emotions. Reading Buying Trouble is to be wound around the writer's little finger, and played with like a yoyo; but the experience is irresistible.
Quote from story: "A Celt, you say? I've never seen one..."
"Be my guest, have a look, over there in the last cell. Be warned, it's not a pretty sight."
Quiaius walked to the end of the corridor and looked through the small barred window in the heavy wooden door. In the far corner of the cell huddled the dirtiest youth he'd ever seen, wearing a few rags, with heavy chains on his slender wrists and ankles. His face was partly hidden by a tangled mass of light brown hair with hints of red. He was gaunt, bruised and battered, but there was a look of defiance in his startling blue eyes. He pulled at the chains that held him, and again screamed his outrage.
"What on earth... He looks as if he's been beaten!"
"Oh, he has, believe me. And starved too, not that it's made him any tamer. Attacks anyone who goes near him, shouts all day in that crazy barbarian tongue... Sebulius really pulled a fast one on me, had him drugged when he gave him to me so I wouldn't know what he was like. I'll never unload the little beast."
"What will you do with him?"
"Maybe the Coliseum'll want him, a little sword fodder for the games. He fights like a tiger, doesn't care what happens to him, all teeth and nails. Can't sell him to the brothel; he bites!"
Quiaius took another look into the cell. The barbarian slave stared back, then hissed at him like a mad cat, showing white teeth.
"I'll take him."
Extra comments:
I wanted so much to quote from later in the text, but that would include too many spoilers. There's gentle humour, there's wonderful imagery and a real attempt to get into the voice and the mindset of Eab, the wild Celt, which takes Layna into prose that is virtually poetry at times. Just one more quote to give a little of this flavour:
My mother threw men out of the house all the time. The best ones, she threw out several times. Handfast marriages are meant to last a year and a day, but sometimes they were lucky to last just the day. She was beautiful and terrifying, red hair flying around her head like flames, and they loved her. They all loved her.
If I'd known it hurt this much, this throwing men out of houses, I'd never have laughed all those times. How would I have known? She always laughed right along with me, while they pounded on the door and howled.