Reading Room - The Larton Chronicles by Rhiannon

[byslantedlight]

Title: The Larton Chronicles
Author: Rhiannon
Link to story or zine/ProsLib info: Zine only, available from Gryphon Press
Pairing: B/D
Further story information found at prosficspoilers

How do I even begin to tell you how much I adore The Larton Chronicles, by Rhiannon? Reading it is rather like existing with B/D right inside the icon I've used for this post,

Comments

[byslantedlight]

I remembered you were one of the people who didn't like Larton, and I'm interested to see a few of your reasons why they're not Bodie/Doyle. I'm very curious about your reasons for saying Bodie doesn't like horses, or seem comfortable around them though - when does he avoid them, and when does he seem uncomfortable around them in Pros? I'll grant you he runs away from the bad guy on the horse in SoTM, but the guy is trying to run him down! And he's not very effectual in luring the horse to him, but again there are mitigating circumstances, and I'm not sure even a horse-lover could have done better in the same situation. Do we see him with horses in any other ep, though, to make you think he's not keen on them? I can't remember...

I can definitely make a list of ways that they are, though (*g*):
Canon - Larton
Bodie seems to thrive on a risky lifestyle - Bodie thrives on the risk of the hunt
Doyle's competence and fitness suggests he loves the risky CI5 lifestyle as well, but he says outloud he'd prefer a good book - Doyle protests that he wants a quiet life, but he goes sledding with the kids, and generally joins in other social life
Doyle started a sports club "mainly for the black kids in my area" - Doyle seems to have sympathy with deprived kids in Larton - he tries to help the Jenkins boys even though they caused him to be in an accident
Bodie puts forward a front of being a woman chaser - Bodie puts forward a front of being a woman chaser (*g*)
Doyle finds it hard to relax until he's finally worked out what's bugging him about a case - when Doyle's researching/writing, he won't rest until it's done - unless Bodie forces him to
Doyle doesn't suffer fools gladly - Doyle doesn't suffer fools gladly
Doyle seems to like animals (the rabbits in No Stone) - Doyle has pet cats
Doyle seems to have more sympathy for the working classes than the upper - Doyle has more sympathy for the working classes than the upper
We hear more about Doyle going to arthouse cinema than we do Bodie - Doyle is the one who yearns to be taken to posh show and dinner for his birthday, Bodie takes him to the local play with chips afterwards
Bodie has more of a romantic bent than Doyle does, in the poetry he quotes - Bodie is described as "romantic like his mother" and again quotes poetry - though in Irish *g*

Erm... I'd best to do some work, but I'll try and come back with more later - it is rather fun making the list, I hope others might join in!

[sc_fossil]

I think you've found little things that relate to canon lads if you squint hard enough. However, the hardness, the violence buried under the surface, the grit, the reality of life being erased instantly, none of that is there, and that's what makes Pros what it is. I suppose that's why I find the novel about the barge living (O Yardley's) isn't my cuppa either. Now that one I didn't find nearly as entertaining to read as Larton. I actually thought I'd love O Yardley's more since I prefer her writing style and have many favourite novels by her.

I'm sorry, but "the risk of the hunt" is not even close to a risky lifestyle! Even kids hunt. I suppose in a gentrified country life, hunting is risky because of falling off a horse but to me, hardly comparable to CI5 risks.

[lukadreaming]

There's no comparison at all between the CI5 world and the AU world. What I think we end up looking at are the way character traits are reflected in those widely different universes -- some of which byslantedlight quotes above.

Although I do see a darker undertone to Larton, what with Doyle having lost his son and being badly injured twice, and Bodie being near to death with the head injury.

[sc_fossil]

For me, a good AU works if the canon character is recognisable in the AU. Otherwise, it's original fic. I like things simple.

[lukadreaming]

I'd agree with that. I do think the canon characters work brilliantly in Larton, but others' mileage will vary on this *g*.

Ironically, I was less convinced by Larton as a Wayward novel with the names filed off -- the in-jokes that worked for fandom didn't work there.

[byslantedlight]

Ironically, I was less convinced by Larton as a Wayward novel with the names filed off -- the in-jokes that worked for fandom didn't work there.
Yes! I absolutely agree with this - I wasn't at all attracted to the characters when they were made "original", but in Larton half the fun of it is in seeing how they relate to our Bodie/Doyle, and matching up all those little in-jokes that come from the characterisation rather than the place-setting...

I've thought of another example too - when they're at Jack and Ag's for Christmas, entertaining the paying guests, and Doyle doesn't want to come down for dinner - Bodie tells him threateningly that he will, and so Doyle does - and Bodie sees him descending the stairs looking "magnificent, green eyes flashing" etc etc (I'm off home now, then I'll have my zine!) Would CI5 Doyle carry a fluffy Persian cat downstairs? No - but I can absolutely picture Larton-Doyle as our CI5-Doyle despite this, those CI5 times when he's in a flinty-rage about something, and is covering it up by being extra quietly angry - definitely "magnificent", and definitely "green eyes flashing"! *g* It's little things like that, that all add together to make the canon-characters present in Larton - those little subconscious connections, rather than the external setting.

[lukadreaming]

That's one of my favourite Doyle moments -- particularly with Bodie thinking to himself that he's going to be hell to live with *g*.

[byslantedlight]

Ah - and see, I'd call it the other way around, that if you only look on the surface of the story, all you'll see is that the setting is different. All those things that you mention - the hardness, the violence buried under the surface, the grit, the reality of life being erased instantly - no, they're not there in Larton, because Larton isn't set in a place like that. We're looking for something else that's Bodie and Doyle, what I was calling their "essence", what makes them the people they are rather than just means they do what they do. To me, all the things I mentioned above are a part of them, they don't just "relate to them", they're part of the deeper character of those two people. I love AUs, so I can have the lads in any setting - outer space (Suitable Gravity), the Far East (Arabian Nights), Edwardian Cornwall (Birdwatcher's Guide) etc etc - to me their "essence" is more to do with their deeper beliefs and philosophies and ways of interacting with the world. It's AU in that case, definitely, but that's a part of it that interests me. Certainly if you're just wanting CI5 Bodie and Doyle, then you'll not find it in Larton!

Hunting is risky because falling off a horse at full tilt across a field in a pack of other horses who could stomp you to death, or falling off a horse at a bank over which dozens of other horses are just abotu to jump, or falling off a horse at high speed etc etc could kill you. No, it doesn't compare to being shot at by villains, but again I'm taking the essence of the lads and transferring it to another setting, I'm not trying to swap like-for-like - that's not possible (or desirable, for me) when comparing Larton and canon, and it's kind of the point, I'd say, of writing an AU.

I can't remember - do you like AUs in general?

[sc_fossil]

I love the three AUs you mentioned here. They all have the spark of passion, of love, even violence between the lads that isn't present in Larton.

General comment tacked on here regarding that stiff upper lip sort of person that seems to be admired: I admit, I'm always surprised that the lack of passion in this story is attributed to "being British" and is admired. I can't imagine a large portion of any group of people who eschew passion, but then what do I know since it's not my country. Lack of passion isn't an attribute to me, but a lack of something in one's soul. Passion does not equal dumb or ignorant or unwelcome or horrible to me. It equals a love of life, of another person, of a dog if you like, but everybody should be passionate about something in life or there is definitely a huge hole in that life for me. So saying that passion is something that's not encouraged is so very sad to me.

[byslantedlight]

Nonononononono! It's not the eschewing of passion that I'm/we're talking about - not at all! It's not a case of being passionless at all - quite the opposite! It's more about not wearing your heart on your sleeve - not being all overt and soppy and making a big deal and fuss about it. It's passion that's more intense for being a private affair - it's all those gorgeous knowing but private looks between Bodie and Doyle in the eps rather than seeing them slobbering all over each other! Subtlety - not lack of passion! Passion is absolutely encouraged! (And it's there in Larton too, very much so - I'm really sorry that you don't see it!)