[FICATHON] The Bear and the Shooting Star

[lareinenoire]

Title: The Bear and the Shooting Star
Author: lareinenoire
Play: 2 and 3 Henry VI
Recipient: gileonnen
Characters / Pairings: Warwick, Oxford
Rating: PG
Wordcount: 2285
Summary: John de Vere learns lessons in kingmaking and treason from the best.
Notes: Title comes from the badges worn respectively by Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick (the Bear and Ragged Staff) and

Comments

[gileonnen]

Ohgoodness. It is going to be difficult to give this a proper review, because it's as though you took my prompts and you said, 'very well, yes, I see what Gil likes, and I shall write all of that.' This is an intensely visual piece, which works quite well--I love Warwick's bright velvets and the starkness of stars and snow and Margaret cradling Suffolk's head like Salome and John on his knees to beg for mercy, and OH GOD THE HERALDRY, YOU KNOW HOW I ADORE HERALDRY, YOU SPLENDID PERSON YOU. I adore the almost hypnotic fascination that Warwick holds for John, the power that he wields and that he represents; I adore the multiple deflections that John performs as he tries to understand what he is being compelled toward, reflecting his curiosity through Edward and Henry VI and Robert de Vere. More than anything else, that slow and half-conscious seeking appeals to me; I adore how John seeks not so much to prove himself as to know, because that's a much more complicated and fascinating growing-up story. It isn't that he learns to trust

[lareinenoire]

I am so, so happy you enjoyed this! When I saw the prompt, I absolutely couldn't resist it -- there's far too little fic out there about Warwick and Oxford and these other characters caught between York and Lancaster without really belonging to either. And Warwick really is fascinating; he, to me, is the true Machiavellian character in these plays, rather than Richard of Gloucester. Because there is a certain emotional component to Richard even if he is layers upon layers of performativity. Warwick doesn't even interact with the audience, really. All of his perfomativity is directed towards the other characters, and he's got maybe one or two short addresses to the audience that I can think of

[gileonnen]

Do you see me complaining? I AM NOT COMPLAINING. Fascination and mentorship and shifting alliances >>> slashiness, any day.

AWESOME fic.

[lareinenoire]

I suspected as much! I know you love relationships with dodgy power dynamics and decided that would be the better way to go than attempting to make the slash work any more than it wanted to. ;)

[likeadeuce]

You do a brilliant job of taking all the complexities of the wars and the politics, and following the thread of what was happening through the eyes of a single character. Well done!

[lareinenoire]

Thank you! I'm so glad it worked for you.

[speak_me_fair]

This is just so amazing. I adore the imagery, and the levels of what a traitor is and what losing means, and the battles of the heraldry which are betrayed by their own appearance, in the end -- and of course the glorious references to Robert.

Blissful history-based fic of the finest kind that works its way into my head-canon of the plays.

[lareinenoire]

I have to say, one of the things I love most about the Wars of the Roses is the sheer number of STRANGE THINGS that happen! Like Lord Montagu actually mistaking the Earl of Oxford's banner for Edward IV's during the battle of Barnet. It is one of the many reasons I want to shake Philippa Gregory for insisting that the only way interesting things could happen was to involve witchcraft. FAIL.

But thank you so much! I'm so happy you enjoyed the fic!

[speak_me_fair]

You already know my view of PG and That Book.

*snarls at it*

(Also, yes! I love all the damn odd things that happen during that period in history....)

[lareinenoire]

Thank you so much! I am sorry it took me so long to reply, but I really do appreciate the comments!