Sacred and Profane (one-shot, PG-13)

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wpgrace
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Re: Sacred and Profane (one-shot, PG-13)

Post by wpgrace »

redwinter101 wrote::happysigh: What a lovely comment, alle. I do have answers to some of those questions (swilling around in my head somewhere) but not all, as this really did just come about as a stand alone without too much thought as to how Coraline got here or where she went afterwards. I really wish I had more ideas for Coraline's backstory but they just aren't coming to me at the moment.

Someone pointed out to me after reading this months ago that Morgan had lots of photos of churches on her desk and on her computer; I'd never spotted that so it did give me a little thrill that her fascination with all things religious was so in line with canon.

:rose: :rose:

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You just channel her, Red... One of these days you'll get a new story for her... it'll come to you like this one did... cause you channel her...

And that church thing was one of the cool things about Moonlight... the priest was a vamp, Mick went to the church and made that comment about the complicated history of vamps and religion... I love how they got rid of that crucifixes kill vamp thing and the vamps can't go onto "holy" ground thing... which again just makes this story sing... cause of course she'd go to churches... they were the performance halls and art museums and social centers and power displays of Europe back in the day...and Coraline doesn't sit on the sidelines.
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Re: Sacred and Profane (one-shot, PG-13)

Post by redwinter101 »

Oh I loved that too, Grace. Eris wrote a beautiful story, Penance, about Mick going to confession - I must run and see if it's posted here - and I'm sure there are others that just wouldn't have been possible if they'd kept the whole crucifix/holy ground thing.

Not sure about the channelling (I have enough voices in my head without adding Coraline's to the mix...) but I will take the compliment, with thanks, as always :heart:

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Re: Sacred and Profane (one-shot, PG-13)

Post by librarian_7 »

Came over here due to the Coffee House recommendation...Red, I am still woefully behind on reading your wonderful fic. And I promise, slow though it may be, to catch up.

This was a richly baroque and ever so subtle piece of work, almost a prose poem in its rhythms. It stands alone, but could be a part of a much longer work.

For me, as a life-long reader of historical fiction (and hey, so much the better if there are vamps present...), one of the delights of the genre is feeling that I've learned a little of what it might have been to have lived in a different time, a different place. And this story fulfills that, with its delicately nuanced statements. You write this time period very, very well. I could easily see this passage as written by one of the better Victorian novelists (okay, with a little judicious veiling of the relationship between Alessandro and Coraline...). Perfection of vocabulary and tone.

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Re: Sacred and Profane (one-shot, PG-13)

Post by cassysj »

I'm here from the coffeehouse. I have to admit I was a little intimidated when I started reading it. I have very little musical education and only exposure to modern Catholic Masses and Funeral Rites, I was afraid I would be woefully lost. I'm happy to say I was not.

The title itself is fascinating. Does Coraline feel profane because of things she did or just because she is a vampire? But if she inspired such a great work, it's not just the music that is sacred but the inspiration.

I'm also moved by her thought of a divine being and What would be her reckoning? Considering Coraline is French I would presume that time in the world she was raised Catholic. As a Catholic 2.0 (After the Second Vatican Council) I was raised much more on forgiveness and redemption than hellfire and damnation. It is interesting to think about if you believe in a deity and have immortality (barring some accidents) how you would think about judgement day?

I'm glad I gave it a read. It is a beautifully worded piece and an interesting peek at Coraline.
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Re: Sacred and Profane (one-shot, PG-13)

Post by Fleur de Lisa »

SIgh. What a delight for the senses this piece is. I loved it when I first read it, lo those many months ago, and it still has the ability to transport me to another time. Your historical pieces are things of beauty---evocative and a treat for all the senses. This is almost a companion piece, for me at least, to your "Emancipation" fic. They both are so lush and sensual in their telling.

The sights, the sounds, the smells---they are all in abundance here and are felt as if I were standing there with Cora. (shudders slightly at that!)
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Re: Sacred and Profane (one-shot, PG-13)

Post by redwinter101 »

Lucky, wow. that really is very high praise indeed. I'm flattered and thrilled. Thank you. :rose:

Carol, thank you for persevering - and I'm sorry that the intro was intimidating - it really wasn't my intention. As for the title, the idea of sacred and profane love is a recurring theme in many Renaissance art works - the contrast between love between people and love for God - and it seemed appropriate here. Even though Coraline isn't human, she is certainly earthly but trapped somewhere between mortal and immortal. Like you, I, too am a Catholic 2.0 but Coraline would have been raised within a Church that preached fear and retribution. No matter how far behind her she has left mortal concerns, I'm sure that would jump up and bite her on the ass from time to time.

Lisa, *imagines Lisa sitting in a pew next to C* :giggle: . Maybe you and she could be best buddies?

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Re: Sacred and Profane (one-shot, PG-13)

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redwinter101 wrote:Lucky, wow. that really is very high praise indeed. I'm flattered and thrilled. Thank you. :rose:

Carol, thank you for persevering - and I'm sorry that the intro was intimidating - it really wasn't my intention. As for the title, the idea of sacred and profane love is a recurring theme in many Renaissance art works - the contrast between love between people and love for God - and it seemed appropriate here. Even though Coraline isn't human, she is certainly earthly but trapped somewhere between mortal and immortal. Like you, I, too am a Catholic 2.0 but Coraline would have been raised within a Church that preached fear and retribution. No matter how far behind her she has left mortal concerns, I'm sure that would jump up and bite her on the ass from time to time.

Lisa, *imagines Lisa sitting in a pew next to C* :giggle: . Maybe you and she could be best buddies?

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I would pay to see that by the way... I would pay a high price... :evillaugh:
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Re: Sacred and Profane (one-shot, PG-13)

Post by redwinter101 »

:giggle:

Me too, Grace. But I reckon Lisa could take her.
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Re: Sacred and Profane (one-shot, PG-13)

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redwinter101 wrote::giggle:

Me too, Grace. But I reckon Lisa could take her.

Oh yeah... but what a smackdown it would be... :slappy:

And Mick would likely side with Cora, but Alex would be alllllll on Lisa's side... :biggrin:
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Re: Sacred and Profane (one-shot, PG-13)

Post by Fleur de Lisa »

Is it just so pathetic that seeing this phrase:
but Alex would be alllllll on Lisa's side
made me hot and bothered?????

Whew. And I would hang with Cora--if for no other reason than to get close to Mick. And she probably wore fabulous clothes back in the day!
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Re: Sacred and Profane (one-shot, PG-13)

Post by Fleur de Lisa »

....just realized that the church would probably be hit by lightening if Cora and I were in it together....
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Re: Sacred and Profane (one-shot, PG-13)

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Fleur de Lisa wrote:....just realized that the church would probably be hit by lightening if Cora and I were in it together....

So ok... Cora would have to deal with another fire... she's up to the challenge... and we'd rescue you... and Alex... he'd help... tho I know what'd come after that... you'd be all pretending to need mouth to mouth resuscitation... that man would be alllll unsuspecting.... :giggle:

And apologies to Red... for hijacking her thread... AGAIN.
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Re: Sacred and Profane (one-shot, PG-13)

Post by Lilly »

Red, why is is that I always find myself struggling for words after I've read one of your stories? This piece is so rich, both in setting and mood, that the history comes alive.

I am fascinated by Coraline, by the events that forged her spirit and nuanced her character. You've given us a look here at a moment in time -- a moment of reflection, really -- that illustrates so much about who she was. She must have had a great deal of self-control to have been Alessandro's lover for so long without revealing herself. The fact that she gave the idea of sharing her true nature so much consideration, and ultimately decided against it, only goes to illustrate how very special Mick must have been in her long life for her to have made the decisions she did with him.
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Re: Sacred and Profane (one-shot, PG-13)

Post by redwinter101 »

Grace, lisa, :giggle: Just. :giggle:

Lilly, well we've already established that you are a woman of few words :snicker: , but seriously, thanks for the read and the lovely feedback. I certainly think that Coraline fell for Mick and fell hard - I can't see her as having had a relationship that emotionally intense before. And I think the depth of that emotion contributed to her insanity as she realised she was losing him. I think in her earlier life, she would have been emotionally more open - practical and resourceful definitely, but perhaps more open to love and friendship. It is such fun to speculate...

:rose: :rose:

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Re: Sacred and Profane (one-shot, PG-13)

Post by darkstarrising »

Red,

Like Coco and Alle, the Coffee House has sent me here for a re-read, just not on this board.

This story is sensual. As Coraline enters the church, her senses provide her an understanding of her journey to this place. First, smell, then sight:
As she stepped into the church, Coraline breathed deeply; the smell of God and money. She paused, savouring, eyes closed, head tilted back ever so slightly, looking to the casual onlooker like any other worshipper come to cleanse her soul or perhaps to admire the finery on display both on the walls and in the pews.
As the requiem mass is performed, the music touches her soul and moves her to tears, causing her to assess her own life and her ponder her own final accounting. For her, the church building is nothing to be feared or avoided, rather, it is a housing to works of art that bring her pleasure. A place of peace. Her assessment of the Milanese church provides a view of how she sees herself.
As she moved to take her seat, she paused to admire the frescoed ceiling; in so many respects the Milanese were the poor relations compared to their Neapolitan and Venetian brethren, but this church, dedicated in the gift of the citizens of Venice, merged the best qualities of both cities: rugged, individual, whimsical and grandiose. It felt like home.
As she leaves, she spies the Angel of the Resurrection, and sees herself as having been an angel for Alessandro. A friend and lover to a man sorely in need. This is a view of Coraline that shows a woman who could love, and cherish those she did.
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