(Untitled)

[gileonnen]

Title: Here's a Health to the Company
Author: gileonnen
Play: Richard II, 1 Henry IV
Recipients: faithhopetricks and speak_me_fair
Character(s)/Pairing(s): Hal/Hotspur
Warnings: Wine, women, and hatesex song.
Rating: R for dodgy garment history, as well as Ennodius quotations and the illustration thereof.
Summary: In an abstract sense, Hal was aware that a prince ought to be present

Comments

[angevin2]

It's not late! There is no real deadline for Histories Ficathon Madness. It's like NYR that way.

Anyway, this is fabulous -- your characterizations of Hal and Hotspur are totally spot on. THERE IS NO SEX LIKE HATESEX.

[gileonnen]

CERTAINLY THERE IS NOT. And I'm glad the characterization worked--I'm always afraid of mucking up Hal.

[angevin2]

You write an excellent Hal!

[speak_me_fair]

And the first thing that is so very very scary about this is HOW WRONG THEY GET EACH OTHER. Because (as so very often) I wanted to smack Hal for being such a blind idiot and felt intensely, sickeningly sorry for him at the same time...and Hotspur broke my heart, as he always does, because he's a knight caught out of time, and that shows up beautifully here. He's completely out of his league and still not giving in, and I love him the more for it.

(Gorgeous shot of Poins, btw, added just the right touch of menace and brittleness to it)

The hatesex was a wonderful mixture of desperately horrible and JUST RIGHT, as was the exchange afterwards -

"Ill unseat you."

"So long as you're there," and oh, Hal, you haven't understood one single thing about him, have you?

*sighs happily at the fic and not too happily at Hal, and just revels in this.*

[gileonnen]

I'm SO GLAD you picked up on that. I've been trying to play around with unreliable narrators (or at least, POV characters) lately, and after your spectacular fic, I realized that Hal is an excellent subject for it. I loved trying to make it clear for the audience what was happening in Hotspur's head, and also to make it clear that Hal just plain doesn't get it--and I'm glad it sort of worked. ^__^

(Heh. I enjoyed that image.)

Glad you ... can I say enjoyed it? <3

[speak_me_fair]

Hal is a FANTASTIC unreliable narrator, isn't he? I loved that touch about how 'Ordinary people don't...' because, as so often with Hal, you want to yell 'How would you know?'

You really, really did make it clear what was going on in Hotspur's head - I was torn between wanting to rescue him and wanting to rescue everyone else FROM him! *L* (The last not quite so much because - well. It's him.)

And yes, you can definitely say enjoyed it!

[gileonnen]

XD XD Exactly. He has got such a CUNNING PLAN for his self-presentation, and he cannot see the five billion holes in it.

GOOD. Nice to see that Hal's attempt at Holmesian analysis did not ruin the audience's ability to interpret. (But it is far more likely that you would have to rescue people from him!)

[gileonnen]

*snuggles* You are fine. And I enjoyed writing for you. And I'm sorry you felt sorry for and frustrated with him ... but kind of glad that I made you flail. >_>;;

[gileonnen]

That is about the ONLY thing he gets right about other people, the way I write him--how to press their buttons like a toddler in a shiny new car.

I DID, I DID, THERE ARE MANY MANY MANLY LEGS ENCASED IN TIGHTS.

[lareinenoire]

This is hot, and brilliant, and did I mention hot?

Hal's self-deception here comes across perfectly, especially in contrast to Hotspur who, for all his flaws, at least knows his priorities. And of course Hal would think he knew everything -- he always does, even when it's patently not true.

I did love the bit with Poins as well; a lovely sketch, just enough to know where he stands. Fantastic!

[gileonnen]

Glad you thought so--I do try on occasion. (Really on occasion.)

My Hal is so transparent, poor lad. XD

[ems]

Auch, this is so hot. Hate sex is the best kind, especially when it comes to these two. Oh HAL, you just do not understand anything, do you?

[gileonnen]

Of course he doesn't. Poor darling is far too busy manipulating to 'understand.'

Glad you enjoyed it!