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English
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Part 1 of The Dance Sequence
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Peja's Wonderful World of Makebelieve Import
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Published:
2020-11-05
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801
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1/1
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23
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Introduction to the Dance

Summary:

This is the notes and attributions page for The Dance Sequence, a long series about what happens when Apollo gives in to his dark side, but eventually overcomes it, only to learn that happy endings aren't that easy to come by, old habits don't die easily, and good things must sometimes be fought for.

Work Text:

And now I'm glad I didn't know
The way it all would end,
The way it all would go.
Our lives are better left to chance:
I could have missed the pain
But I'd have had to miss the dance.
      — "The Dance", Tony Arata

 


Warnings, not including m/m sex which is pretty much everywhere:

Part one: attempted non-consensual sex; violence; drinking
Part three: religious bigotry, minor violence (face-slapping)
Part four: more bigotry, combat violence, drinking, and death (of original characters)


Viper specs in Part Four are from "The Battlestar Galactica Tech Manual", with thanks! Quotations from 'the Word' in Parts Four and Five are from The Book of Common Prayer, 1928 edition (somewhat adapted)
Boxey's quote in Part Five is from "Patience" by Gilbert and Sullivan
Dietra's song in Part Five, "Something That We Do", by Clint Black

Note: This started as "Bitter Dance": a one-off, somber look into Apollo's dark, controlling side. But then that needed (or so it seemed) a balance, hence part two ("Done With Dancing"). Which was it, and fine, or so I thought... until someone on the list I posted it to wrote "Is there a part 3 to this? You know, the sealing and how Adama feels about it all." And, well... that led to "Brand New Dance", which by its very nature had to be longer, since it moves away from the two of them into the realms of family and professional relationships. And, given its structure (one person POV), it wasn't suited for the whole story of the reactions, which became "Dancing Lessons From God" (marked off as different by a quote rather than lyrics for its tag), and which has multiple character points-of-view, as everyone (friends, family, coworkers, enemies) gets involved. This more elaborate piece should be separate from the actual marriage ceremony (repeatedly requested), or at least I thought it should. So, "I'll Dance At Your Wedding". And then "Let's Face the Music and Dance", which is the honeymoon (also much requested, plus, gee, well, just a heckuva lot of fun to write). And then there are all those loose ends. Not all of them will be tied up (I'd have to write their lives for sixty yahrens), but a lot will be in "Dancing in the Dark"... As it turns out, parts three and four are each much longer than the other three parts put together (and part four is longer than the others combined) (and I fully expect part seven to be long, too), but conceptually (if I can use that term for something that, like Topsy, just grew), it's still a set. Just a somewhat unbalanced one. With no guarantee that it's over, I suppose, either...

Enjoy!

rule

 

1: solo "Bitter Dance" (4,470 words)

I have gone from rags to riches in the sorrow of the night,
In the violence of a summer's dream, in the chill of a wintry light,
In the bitter dance of loneliness, fading into space...
I hear the ancient footsteps like the motion of the sea:
Sometimes I turn, there's someone there, other times it's only me

—"Every Grain of Sand", Bob Dylan

2: pas de deux "Done With Dancing" (2,447 words)

"Peace; pray you now,
No dancing more.
Sing, sweet, and make us mirth;
We have done with dancing measures: sing that song
You call the song of love at ebb."

—Mary, queen of Scots, "Chastelard, a tragedy", Algernon Charles Swinburne

3: set piece "Brand New Dance" (25,183 words - four files)

I never would, never could,
Never will ever kill what's between us
So let's try again
We'll start a brand new dance
Between old friends

—"Brand New Dance", Paul Kennerly

4: ensemble "Dancing Lessons From God" (73,917 words - ten files)

Unexpected invitations to travel are like dancing lessons from God.

—Theodore Lytton in "Journey to the Center of the Earth"

5: set piece "I'll Dance At Your Wedding" (2,713 words)

I'll dance at your wedding, I'll dance at your wedding,
I'll dance at your wedding, I'll have a wonderful time.
I'll dance at your wedding, I'll dance at your wedding,
I'll dance at your wedding—your wedding and mine.

—"I'll Dance at Your Wedding", Herb Magidson and Ben Oakland

6: pas de deux "Let's Face The Music And Dance" (7,322 words)

There may be trouble ahead,
But while there's moonlight and music
And love and romance,
Let's face the music and dance.

—"Let's Face the Music and Dance", Irving Berlin

7: ensemble "Dancing in the Dark" coming

I have you, love,
And we can face the music together
Dancing in the dark.

—"Dancing in the Dark", Howard Dietz

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