Comments | joyeee: On the Sunny Banks of the Cydnus

joyeee

On the Sunny Banks of the Cydnus - Ch. 5

Jul 06, 2007 20:31

Fandom: Alexander the Great
Rating: FRT/PG/K+
Genre: Drama/Humor
Summary: Retelling of the anecdote about Alexander's trust in his doctor Philip. Diades, Critodemus, and the usual Companions also appear, but it's an Alexander-and-Hephaestion story at heart.
Chapter 5: The army waits while Alexander lingers in sickness. Some scores are due to be ( Read more... )

fic-alexander the great

Comments 8

methosdeb July 7 2007, 20:22:34 UTC

wonderful chapter ,I am glad Alexander is better but now comes the hard part ,making him rest .

joyeee July 8 2007, 21:18:39 UTC

Making Alexander rest will definitely be hard! :D But at least Hephaestion just got something of a promise out of him. (Of course whether Alexander fulfills such a promise gracefully is another matter!)

Thanks for the feedback!

parisad July 9 2007, 12:38:23 UTC

Nice story as all your stories :D
I like your use of History with irony and fun, your characters have something of "parody" but they remain historical, that's very good (for me). You alwalys write very lon updates...I have to cut the reading because reading such a long tet in english is...well, I need sometime to read it ;) So I've read only half of the story, but I will finish soon. Now, I was thinking...I think I will have to read your others chapters because I don't remember the entire story very well. ANyway, a nice nice story. Do you use Curtius as major source, don't you?

I always adore your icon ;)

joyeee July 10 2007, 16:55:44 UTC

Yes, for this story Curtius was a major source because his account of things are so extremely dramatic - for example, Alexander's flowery speeches and the sobbing, adoring soldiers seemed excellent potential for comedy! (Um, at least I saw it that way...)

You read very quickly, having to read in a second language! (And I'm sure my long posts don't make it any easier.) I know my writing doesn't conform much to traditional historical-fiction styles... -_-' so I'm very glad you like the story!

michela72 July 20 2007, 14:02:16 UTC

Your story is really very very good. I like all: the characters, the historical details, and above all the humour. I love stories with humour. Heph is almost perfect, in this fic: this could be the only 'flaw'... but I've noticed that many fanfic writers have a soft spot for him. Very very good job. Hugs and kisses. Michela.

joyeee July 21 2007, 01:21:04 UTC

The game is up; you got me! Underneath it all I'm just as mad a fan of Hephaestion as anyone else, I'm afraid! ^____^ (*anxious* I haven't made him irritatingly 'almost perfect', I hope? I did give him a few 'weaknesses'...)

Still, one reason this story came into existence is because I was making myself read some published AtG fiction with extremely UNimpressive Hephaestion's - characterized so negatively as to induce cringing and teeth-gnashing and forehead-smacking ... and despite my efforts to remain fair-minded, I got just a little bit peeved. (All in fun of course!) ^___^

Anyway, I'm very glad you like it, especially the humor! :D

michela72 July 21 2007, 21:42:53 UTC

Oh, my dear, what published ATG fiction are you referring to? I read 'The persian boy' and 'The virtues of war' by Pressfield. In the second book, Heph is a sensitive, tender man who... hates war! I didn't find it utterly believable, even if the novel seemed good to me for other reasons. Then I have Haefs' two novels about Alexander and the trilogy by Manfredi, but I haven't read them yet. I like reading historical sources AND fan fiction more than published fiction, because fan fiction authors are moved by their passion (and obsessions...) only, and not by commercial reasons. There is not censorship or the tendency to write what the general public wants. In this world of fanfiction, there is only the will to explore whatever haunts our minds, as readers or as authors. That's what I find so fascinating about it. Published fiction isn't so 'pure'... even if can be very well written, and there are some exceptions, of course. For example, it seems to me that Mary Renault was moved by her true beliefs about Alexander, and not by ( ... )

joyeee August 1 2007, 04:06:09 UTC

I agree about Hephaestion's incredible level of idealism in Virtues of War - but I like that novel too. Especially because, to me at least, so many of its A/H scenes are just beautiful beyond words! ^_____^

I haven't heard of Haef! (Yay! Fresh meat books!) Actually Manfredi's work was among the stuff I was referring to, though overall I think the novels are all right. Hephaestion's ... ok, in the first novel (for example the passage about when A and H were in exile, just the 2 of them together, was lovely) but as the trilogy progressed he became more consistently...unimpressive. Still, since you like humor, you may like Manfredi's version of how they meet. I'm not completely sure he meant it to be funny, but I found it hilarious! (I'd love to know what others think of the scene.) Also Eumenes' characterization is especially sympathetic, which is nice for a change ( ... )