The Duel

[errantknightess]

Don't know why I haven't posted this earlier. My first fanfiction AND first slash ever, proving that Err is a dirty little hipster, because who on Earth writes slash fics for Lord of The Dance? Well, someone had to utilize the Foe Yay potential, and if two guys (one shirtless) dancing together isn't slashy enough, then I don't know what is. Besides

Comments

[dracomaleficium]

... *_______________________*

Ok, do you see the icon? Take note of the icon. I feel more or less like that right now: utterly awed. You said not to get my hopes up, but even if I had (though I've never read a fic like that, so I didn't know WHAT to expect of it) it wouldn't have mattered, because this would've exceeded them.

There's something utterly mesmerizing about dancing - something so very sensual, intimate, hot. There's a reason everyone expects dancing partners to end up together - if there's no chemistry, there's no art, and chemistry understandably alleviates boundaries. And if we add the primal, folk drums to the mix, well then, the ending product is usually impossible to describe, gripping, hypnotizing. Which is exactly what happened here, from the very first sentence. The drums beat throghout the entire piece. The tension keeps rising. The atmosphere gets hotter and hotter. It's... gaaaah. Unf. Amazing.

Your use of the present tense adds a lot to this, and the type of narration, too. It fits the in-the-moment quality of the story perfectly. Not to mention the utterly fascinating relationship you described there, manifesting itself through dance: the shifting power dynamics, the desire, the struggle, the fight, all pictured in movement - it was nearly palpable. Like Pratchett wrote, I could literally carve the atmosphere, it was so thick. And the climax was nothing short of fascinating.

I don't know what else I could write here other than more and more praise, which this piece deserves - I'm fangirling pretty hardcore right now and wishing like crazy for a performance of LotD. DO WANT. NOW.

*standing ovation*

[errantknightess]

Haha! Thank you, thank you, thank you! Now I'm bouncing here like the Lord of the Dance himself; your praise makes me a little green Irish ball of joy :D I was worried that after a year of laying around on my hard drive this text has lost its impact, but all these things you write here are exactly what I wanted it to convey - I'm so glad you feel all of this! And that you like it!
You're absolutely right about dancing: it's extremely sensual and it definitely pushes the boundaries, which is what made me notice the slash potential in this show - this context made that kind of relationship understandable, agreeable, justified. And fascinating. Not to mention the connotations of the choreography of a dance and that of a fight bring it all to a completely new level... I could go on and flood you with my nerdy talk and squealing about Irish music and dance shows, but nothing I can say can really put across their essence. You MUST see one as soon as there is a chance! And in the meantime, you should totally watch some LotD and Riverdance videos. (Gods, could it be that I *finally* get to convert someone to *my* music? :D)

[dracomaleficium]

Well, you needn't have worried, I was positively mystified.

I absolutely want to go to a performance now. I've always wanted to, actually, but never this strongly. I enjoy folk quite a lot, so I'd love more recs of this sort - I'm always ready for new music! You can feel proud now ;)

[errantknightess]

I do feel proud :D I also feel like heartlessly linking you to a bunch of my favourite tunes and vids to help the seed of folk love grow strong. May I? *puppy eyes*

[dracomaleficium]

Sure! I actually wanted to shout at you on twitter to make a list of your favourite bands and musicians as I'm on the hunt to expand my playlists, but I got cought up with speculation about the name for a "Ask Jeeko" tumblr blog XD