An Advent Calendar of Stories - 24th December 2011

[byslantedlight]

And the final story in our Advent Calendar of gorgeous Pros-y stories, is the one that I can't resist at this time of year, and that I will curl up in bed with tonight:

In the Deep Midwinter (The Larton Chronicles) by Rhiannon

Because how can you not love these lads, AU or not...

On the morning of Christmas Day Doyle looked at the bright green

Comments

[kiwisue]

Oh, all right. I think I've been converted. I do like Larton after all *g*.

One thing that's always puzzled me about this section in particular, and someone who is much more familiar with the stories than I am might know the answer - is Bodie meant to be R. Catholic in Larton, hence the use of 'Mass' for the Christmas Eve service? Doesn't seem to go with the wellies and hounds and the Irish hunters(!). Or does it just mean he's from a High Church Anglican background?

I know he's got a good chance of being from a Catholic family in the series, being "Liverpool Irish" and all, but the character background seems wrong in this one. Even in canon he doesn't have to be Catholic - his favourite club, Liverpool FC, was founded by an Orangeman, Everton was known as the Catholic one (at least thus spake Wikipedia).

On another ranttopic, what is it with all the stories giving Doyle a Catholic background? Don't people know their UK demographics and how relatively unlikely that would have been? Or that an Irish surname doesn't mean you're

[byslantedlight]

Good morning! *g*

Oddly enough, someone the other night said "Does anyone fancy going to midnight mass?" and my first question to her was "Oh, are you Catholic?", cos that's what "mass" means to me! And she said "Oh no, we've just always called it that..." - they're not High Church or anything either, just ordinary...

In Larton Bodie is a Catholic, cos he's actually half-Irish, and I assume it must be an authorial thing, that Rhiannon herself might be half-Irish and from that kind of background - or at least familiar with it - and that's why she pulled him that way... But then, to me, I can absolutely see his being RC as part of wellies and horses and hunters, though perhaps not a particularly well-known part of the culture?

In other fic I agree with you though - I do find it weird that some stories go on about their Irish background, when the only reference to anything like that is Doyle's "half-Irish son of a bitch" in Klansmen (and I'm not at all convinced he meant it literally either, he could well have meant it as an insult

[kiwisue]

I need to get a full copy - don't have the last part.

In Larton Bodie is a Catholic, cos he's actually half-Irish

Ah but I didn't assume that the one means the other. For example on the Irish side he could be from one of the old, somewhat privileged "Anglo-Irish" families, who were mostly Protestant & who may have been gentry or related to such in England as well. They didn't all pack up & leave after 1922, though - tradition of service, that sort of thing - and stables and horses and big Irish hunters *g*. But I'd have to re-read with an eye for that sort of detail. ETA: found the reference and you're right - it's in the first one, when Doyle's laid up after the hunt and...

"You're not trotting along with them, Bodie, taking your place in the family pew and all that?" asked Doyle.
"No, I went to the seven o'clock at St. Joe's over at Heathdene. Now are you ready for some breakfast?"
"One of those, are you?" said Doyle.
"Yes, I am."

So yes, that's pretty clear :)

[byslantedlight]

Very belated reply - heee that you put your finger on it totally, Bodie is Anglo-Irish of course, but he's also Catholic, and both threads run throughout the books! *g*

[moth2fic]

A nice 'ending' to a lovely season of recs! My copy of Larton is in Portugal (see, if it was online I could cart it about with me) so I can't re-read it for at least six months, but you've made me want to!

What a beautifully Pros-y Christmas we're having, with this as well as the dialj offerings!

Happy Christmas!

[byslantedlight]

I know, it'd be lovely if Larton was online, but it's one that apparently never will be, by the author's request...

And yeay, yeay for Pros-y Christmas! *g*

[golden_bastet]

Sorry, but I'm confused a bit. What's the timeframe? And is Bodie a vet?
:American, and feeling like she's missing the plot in an embarrassing way:

[byslantedlight]

Lol - there's a few hours between what's going on above, and Bodie's not a vet but he does work with horses, and the above really is only a snatch of the story (which is hundreds of pages long) that I thought were cute lads-y bits (Bodie with his eggs and Heathcliffe glower, Doyle rolling his eyes at it and worrying more about a horse than about someone who'd done something stupid... *g*)

But no, I don't think it's cos you're American that you're missing the plot, it's that I didn't actually explain or give any plot in the quotes! It's an AU story - and it's been recced and discussed before here at ci5hq, and it's very worth reading if you're into AUs. People seem to either love it or hate it though, perhaps because I think Rhiannon is very subtle in some of her nuances, and they are quite cultural (the whole Anglo-Irish thing, for instance - Bodie's Anglo-Irish, which isn't the same as being "half Irish" in the social circles he's been given...)

I love it, though, and highly recommend it! *g*

[margaret_r]

I did enjoy the Larton Chronicles but like Kiwisue have a lot of reservations about some aspects of them! It's a nice way to end the Advent Calendar though and I'd like to thank everyone for their great recs - which I am currently trying to catch up on:) I would have liked to participate more but I've been away for the last few weeks and mostly offline. Hoping things are back to normal from now on though!

Happy Christmas to everyone.

[byslantedlight]

Larton's definitely a stretch in particularly directions for our lads, but I'm happy to stretch them, and actually the more often I re-read it, the more subtle nuances and harking-back-to-the-eps I see, connecting them with canon in ways that I didn't necessarily see at all the first time I read it - or even the second or third! *g*

But yeay for being back online - and do feel free to rec Pros-y stories any time at all on this comm! *g*

[nypagan]

After reading all the recs/critiques/accolades and complaints about Larton Chronicles, I'm still on the fence. I have not read it, although it does sound like something I would probably enjoy. I doubt that I will put out the $$ to buy a copy.

As far as the religious background, we really don't know based on canon. As far as fanon goes, since we make our own interpretations, anything goes right? Especially since this story is AU.

Sounds interesting. Maybe someday I will be able to read it.

[hutchynstarsk]

I agree it would be nice to give it a try but doubt I'll spend the $$ or £s to find out. I think of Bodie as from an Irish Catholic background altough he is not religious in the show at all.

[byslantedlight]

That's a shame, though I know zines are terribly expensive - even the fairly priced ones, such as those from Gryphon Press (which Larton is). There are some fabulous stories in zines that'll never be online, by author preference...

Why do you think of Bodie as having an Irish Catholic, out of interest?

[hutchynstarsk]

I wish all stories were online but I realise that's not a fair wish. :) If you think about it since an author doesn't get paid and shares for our reading pleasure and all of that, she deserves her wishes to be respected even MORE than a regular author (and I definitely think we should respect pro author wishes). So, er, pro and Pros wishes then. Clear? :D

Bodie as Catholic, hm. Perhaps because he's Irish. Perhaps some hint in an episode which I've since forgotten? Or perhaps I just read and liked it in a story. :)