The Dance by Dawn Felagund  

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Fanwork Notes

Fanwork Information

Summary:

A light, sweet version of how Nerdanel and Fëanáro first realized their love for each other. 2008 MEFA nominee.

Major Characters: Fëanor, Mahtan, Nerdanel, Original Character(s)

Major Relationships:

Genre: Romance

Challenges: Gift of a Story

Rating: General

Warnings:

Chapters: 1 Word Count: 3, 041
Posted on Updated on

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The Dance

Comments on The Dance

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Not a surprise, I loved this. The characterization is top, I've come to admire your Mahtan, and Minyaní and Maikwende (is that Mai-Kwende, or Maik(a)-wende, by the way? I like to match meaning to the names. *nerd*) are delightful in their own way. Feanáro's behaviour at the ball made me laugh, it's just so fitting to see him twist customs and decrees to fit his own unconventional ways. At first I found it a little hard to buy to see him unable to dance, but when you clarified that he just didn't know the steps, that was fine after all. (I can't imagine someone like Feanor actually lacking skill and grace for dancing.) - And Nerdanel... :) I recently learned that 'my' version of her hates court ceremonies with a passion (and avoids them whenever possible), so seeing her cope so admirably in this story was a refreshing point of view. 

I must confess that I thought the last sentence somewhat cliché at first, but then upon reading it again, it made perfect sense on a deeper level, and still fits the tone and mood of the story perfectly. In fact it reminded me of a passage of T.S. Eliot's 'Burnt Norton', one of my favourite poems:

At the still point of the turning world. Neither flesh nor fleshless;
Neither from nor towards; at the still point, there the dance is,
But neither arrest nor movement. And do not call it fixity,
Where past and future are gathered.

Hi.  I always enjoy how you set your stories--the details, (his left boot unstrapped, her too-tight dress) the build-up (who IS the other girl?), the emotions of the characters.  (Nerdanel's was pretty straightforward and Feanaro's was quite easy to guess.  :-)

The beginnings of Feanaro and Nerdanel's love has always interested me. Your version is sweet and I like how it "connects" with your other stories like a piece of a large jigsaw puzzle. 

Will this be part of the AMC "prequel"? 



Thank you so much! :) Actually, this story is an AU from my Felakverse; I wanted something nice and sweet for my friend who has always been fond of Nerdanel and Feanor, so I attempted a more classic romance story about them. The events in the prequel will go a little differently although the themes--their shared fondness for travel and craft, the \"scandalous\" nature of their blossoming relationship--will all be really important, just as they are mentioned here. :) The \"real\" version though, will be much heavier on the darker undertones, as most of my work is. (I am incapable of writing more than short cheerful stories! :^P)

So even though it connects with my other work, I\'ll offer yet another version when I someday finish the prequel! I leave it to you all to imagine as Felakverse \"canon\" whichever you like best. :)

Thanks again for reading and reviewing!

I've meant to review many of your stories for ages, but this one is a favorite.  Your characterization of Nerdanel is what sticks with me whenever I encounter her in other fic, or think about her as a character - what you created in AMC and smaller fics like this is really fantastic.  I also love the sisters you came up with for her.  I want to smack them upside their heads whenever they open their mouths - but  I mean this in a good way.  Their "compliments" to Nerdanel in the first scene always make me laugh.

The dancing mnemonic is another favorite of mine - and that moment when it clicks in Feanor's mind.  His fear of rejection (?) is surprisingly sweet, and so nicely portrayed, and his confession at the end is pitch-perfect.  Just generally speaking, this story is structured perfectly to make me melt into a puddle of goo.  I always enjoy reading it.  I sometimes feel, when reading your fic about Nerdanel and Feanaro, that you've explored all the depth and subtlety that needs to be explored between them, and trying to follow it would be extraneous. 



Thank you, Myaru! This story is much sweeter and lighter than what I usually write, and I'm always surprised when people like it, honestly! :D The sisters were created for the prequel of my novel Another Man's Cage. So they'll be showing up again ... someday. They tend to united against Nerdanel, not fully understanding her.

I've done a lot with Nerdanel and Feanor, yes, but I like to think that there are other interpretations out there, written and still unwritten, that will make them come to life fresh. :) Thank you again for reading and commenting on this story; it was a nice surprise to find in my inbox this morning!