[FIC] - 'Theatre of War' [Round Three]

[oudeteron]

Title: Theatre of War
Author: euphony_of_love
Pairing(s): Albus Dumbledore/Gellert Grindelwald
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: ~7,800
Summary: Two different encounters, two scenes mirroring each other. An account of what could have been.

Prompt: 43. AU, 1940 - the height of the Blitz. "Albus, if you will not come back to me, then at least give me one kiss. Just one

Comments

[seilf_emit]

Oh, this is so very lovely. I mean, passages like this one

It was dark, much darker than a normal room anywhere else would have been, and it smelled of dust and, oddly, of stone. There was a lone window in the farthest wall behind the bars, evocative of the ones found in the spires of medieval buildings. Whatever light fell in through it seemed to endlessly wither in this closed space; even as Albus attempted to follow its path, it only teased him and dissipated. Shadows crept along the walls like vines filled with some mortifying venom. Lying over the scene of desolation was a pure, resonating silence that suggested nobody and nothing could dwell here and still be alive after the first day and night.

are just, just... so... dfkjshdfkjbsdfjbdfbjkb *insert more keyboard-smash here*

I'm sorry, I'll comment later when my brain isn't malfunctioning quite as much.

PS: I'm honored that my link got mentioned in the same post as this story *hopes some of the wonderfulness will rub off* :D

[oudeteron]

Thank you so much! I was trying to make these descriptions heavy but not too much like purple prose. (I live in fear of purple prose! XD) So I'm really, really glad you found it keyboard-smash-worthy!

*sends much love for your brain*

PS: Hehe, it would have been so egocentric to just promote myself in that entry. Plus, the article is wonderful by itself. ; )

[seilf_emit]

I live in fear of purple prose! XD
That's why I never go anywhere without my copy of The Picture of Dorian Gray, it automatically absorbs all the purple prose from the surrounding area!

Yay for brainlove! (ok, that sounded a bit weird). I had a monstrously crappy and exhausting day yesterday so your story really cheered me up!

[oudeteron]

Hahaha, good strategy! At least you always have "something sensational to read on the train."

Hey, I'll rather have brainlove than a mindfuck. XDD Seriously, though, I'm glad this brightened up your day when you needed it. That's an awesome compliment for me. ♥

[rising_lark]

Wow, I loved this. Especially the second part, although it was almost heartbreaking to read. =..(
Usually every fic is centered solely around Albus's sufferings, but here for the first time I actually realized what it must have been for Gellert to be locked up, without any hope or consolation.
Gellert was restless: Albus remembered how he had been always in motion, always urging him along, whether it was in their research of the history of Godric’s Hollow or in the tall swaying grass in the back of Bathilda’s garden under a reddening sky. The few times Gellert had tried to teach him Legilimency had mostly resulted in failure because Albus found himself unable to latch onto any steady point in the other’s hyperactive mind, and they had both laughed at the dizzying sensation he described afterwards. To cage Gellert in stillness was like forbidding a phoenix to fly, or burn. It went against nature.
That's exactly how I see Gellert. Well, and of course your Albus was brilliant, too, and the connection between the two was almost tangible

[oudeteron]

First off, thank you very much!

You've pointed out so many of those little things I hoped would come across in the fic, so it makes me really happy that you noticed them. Personally I've always seen Gellert as one of the most tragic figures of the whole series, because even if Albus had his heart broken by him, at least he wasn't locked up with all his former possibilities out of reach forever. (Imagine how messed up Sirius was after "only" twelve years in Azkaban - so much longer than that must have been insane for Gellert even without the Dementors around.) Anyway, I'm glad the characterization worked for you as well! And just thanks again for the lovely comment. ^_^

[rising_lark]

You are welcome. I'm glad I made you somewhat happy. ^_^
Actually, a thought of Sirius also crossed my mind while reading but of course I forgot to mention it. XD It's yet another one of those bittersweet R/S-A/G parallels. ^_^

[oudeteron]

It's like R/S is the heir pairing of Grindeldore, isn't it? But I really like considering the similarities (and, equally importantly, the differences). And I sure hope that Albus used to give Remus some discreet advice. XD

[kohl_eyed]

"Call off this muggle madman of yours, Hitler."

I've always, always loved that JKR dated the defeat of Grindelwald 1945 (and have always, always wanted to read some great epic fanfic about those wartimes--young McGonagall, past generations of Blacks and Malfoys...and the new canon Grindeldore only makes it better!).

<3 the revelation about Hitler: "...by then I couldn't have called him off. Even if I wanted..." Chilling.

I love these details--the things Albus remembers of Grindelwald before his imprisonment, how he was always in motion. And the kiss! The kiss! The description of the skin of Grindelwald's wrist! <3 That hurt, it did. Poor dear boys. :(

[oudeteron]

Seriously, I was itching to write some WWII story (or finish one, to be more precise) so I totally jumped at this prompt. This wasn't all that epic, I'm afraid, but I did what I could with our favorite boys. I'm still so curious about Gellert's wartime activities, it's not funny. XD

Glad you liked that revelation! I wasn't sure where to place it in the story, at first I thought it would work while Gellert was still persuading Albus to free him. But I'm more satisfied with this final version.

Wow, so it does pay off I'm such a detail nut! XD It was just impossible to leave Albus's memories alone, the poor dear. But I'm especially happy that the kiss scene worked for you - I was worried it would come off as too random, but at the same time I knew it just had to be there. ...Gah, I'm rambling.

Thanks so much! ♥

[mustntgetmy]

Oh my - where to begin?

Every scene in this was infused with such tactile details that I would be able to recognize these places should I come across them in real life. And referencing how Gellert would send his energy out into a space and change it really gave these places the feel of magical places

[oudeteron]

Where to begin, yeah! Such an awesome comment.

I'm so glad you liked the descriptions of the places. There may be a lot of detail, but in the beginning I had just a foggy idea as to where everything should be or how the stuff should actually look. But Gellert's magic was something I'd been counting on all the time - it just struck me as particularly like him not to bother controlling it much back when he was so powerful.

Ooh, that's great you liked my version of Albus. He's such a fun character if one gets under his skin. Maybe because thanks to JKR it's so easy to see him as an admirable person with issues.
That parallel with his appearance in SS must have been about half-conscious. Somehow I imagine that the perfect entrance for Albus-on-a-mission would be looking at him from a distance.

That prison scene damn near finished me as well, to be honest. So glad that you enjoyed it! ^_^

Also, I really enjoyed how you were able to summarize their relationship. I felt such pangs for them.That was my biggest hope for this fic -

[mustntgetmy]

It's funny that you should mention foggy because my impression of the places was that they were in an overcast setting. I really liked that. And Gellert's not a character I've particularly investigated, but now that trait is going to stick with me.

Ahh, Albus is one of her more perfect characters. Right up there with Snape for complexity.

You're so in tune with JKR you don't even know it :P

The summarizing was one of the bigger things I noticed.

Aww, well, it was a real pleasure reading the story. Thank you for it.

[oudeteron]

Really? I had an overcast sky in mind for the first scene, actually. And I'm glad I got you more interested in a character. ; )

So true. Albus is one of the characters with whom you don't feel like you know them inside out right from the start.

You're so in tune with JKR you don't even know it :P
That's why I need you to tell me. ^_^

We're just bouncing thanks off each other, aren't we? xD

[remeciel]

Wonderful. I really enjoyed reading through the different sequences and throughout Albus's feelings. His point of view brings a new light to the whole fic, and I love the way you lighten some parts, made references to JKR's novels (the 'please' from Gellert reminds me so much of Albus talking to Snape before he dies). the foreshadowing of his fate is wonderfully describes - and above all, the fact that he's seeking for absolution made him as a very tragic hero, indeed.
Great work, darling. Amazing fic.

[oudeteron]

Thank you! ^_^

I'm really glad all this came across to you, these are the important things. Albus is awesome to write! He was just some sort of saint figure for so long that it's just incredibly cool that now we know about all the sad parts of his life and how he was influenced by them. Impossible to resist playing with. XD And I'm really happy you liked the foreshadowing!
The "please" from Gellert wasn't a fully conscious parallel, but it can obviously work that way. Oh, geez, you got me thinking about this and it almost makes me want to write a sequel or something.

Anyway, I'm glad you enjoyed the story! ♥

[remeciel]

I wouldn't have thought that Albus could be described this way - the fact that JKR enhanced one of his most important features after the publishing is for me quite a pity, but you made me wonder it was then for the authors/writers to develop some more around his character.
A sequel will be quite welcomed! *hinthint*

I don't know about the unconscious side of the author writing, but I absolutely love the feeling as an artist that this is a fascinating way to draw. I could draw the most marvellous of a composition, something would always escape from me without me realizing it.
That's why... when I thought you wrote the 'please' on purpose and said me it wasn't, I was smiling like an idiot. Isn't it creating wonderfully surprising? :D :D

*hugs*

[oudeteron]

Well, she only made it obvious after publishing...I'm sure that everyone who has eyes to see noticed him and Gellert right in DH. (Though it would have been great if she had spelled it out in the book. One added scene could have done the trick!)
Keep an eye on my journal... *mysterious wink*

Isn't it creating wonderfully surprising? :D :D
It seems like it! And that's really interesting a similar process works for both writing and drawing. It's much more fun that way, isn't it? ^_^

*hugs back*