Fic: Through the Looking Glass (Tanz der Vampire, R)

[spiegelsaal]

(Also posted at Archive Of Our Own.)

Title: Through the Looking Glass

Author: Valancy

Fandom: Tanz der Vampire

Characters: Alfred, White Vampire

Rating: R-ish (Mature)

Warnings: I don't think there should be anything terribly shocking to people who are fans of the musical, but there's slash and sex. (I believe this works as an invitation

Comments

[ladyofpride]

I figure you must somehow be at least a little psychic because I just finished my last midterm today and was kind of swimming through the collection of Tanz der Vampire stories I've saved online to get back into the fandom. And you know what? You never disappoint. I'll always love your piece on Alfred at the ball, but this fic is definitely a new favourite...

I think Cicero is the one that said, "Man is his own worst enemy", and you definitely captured that here with this piece. I actually remember how excited I was when you mentioned your plans for this fic because the idea was refreshing, and kind of scary, and altogether quite enthralling---and I'm glad to finally see it in the flesh. It really suits Alfred, who's constantly struggling with himself as he tries to work his way over all the other obstacles in his path, and it really points out the little infinity loop he's trapped himself in as he tries to escape all the big, mean, scary vampires trying to show him how fun it is to be bad. He kind of wants to be in on all the fun,

[spiegelsaal]

Thank you so much for your thoughtful feedback! I'm so happy you liked it! It's one of my own personal favourites of the fics I've written, but I don't know how many people will be interested in the concept, so I'm really glad the execution of it pleased you. It was fascinating exploring Alfred's character like this, and wondering how he and is dream/vampire self would interact

[ladyofpride]

Argh, I'm familiar with the whole "write, delete, re-write, delete again, re-write..." conundrum that plagues the mind when you're just not feeling the love. I'm glad you kept your second version though, because, hell yeah, I'd like to read it (pretty pretty pretty please, with a cherry on top...?)! It'd be like striking gold. ;)

Oh, and before I forget----much love for the present tense. I agree with you on fact that it's not an easy thing to work with (and can really kill a fic if the author doesn't quite know what they're doing) but I'm giving you straight 10s on that backflip. Perfectly executed, darling. I sincerely wept for joy.

*kiss*

[spiegelsaal]

Sure, I'll send it to you, though I'm not guaranteeing it's anything amazing. :-D Can I have your e-mail address? You can PM it if you prefer not to post it in a public comment. :-)

Aww, thank you! It was the first time I wrote a story in present tense, and because I was unused to the technique, I first tried to write it in past tense, but it just didn't ring right. Because a past tense would seem to take a stand on whether this is actually happening or just a dream/spell/something, and I very consciously didn't want to take a stand on that but let it appear whatever it does to the reader. So present tense it was. I'm glad if it worked! It's partly thanks to your stories that I dared to try it at all, because previously I hadn't come across many stories where the present tense had felt appropriate and so I was suspicious of the technique.

[windelitte]

I didn't have time to read the whole fic yet, but I really like that you used last year's prop mishap in it. That anti-vampiric book was so lol. :)

[valancystar]

*grins* I just couldn't resist! It seemed to fit there so nicely, and I love having little in-jokes in stories. :-D

[love_michiyuki]

This is the first White/Alfred (been looking for Black/Alfred in vain though *cries) story I've read and it sure made me want for more!
I love the way they are so different but still essentially the same, and how caring White is handling Alfred, always reassuring him and taking care of his needs first. This is exactly how Alfred came across in Für Sarah, willing to overcome his own fears to protect the ones he loves, being strong for them. Considering his naivety and and how easily frightened he is he actually acts quite brave going to the castle and crashing the ball to save a girl he's known for less than 24 hours.

And I really should take a look at that Gernot version!