Pointless

[anteros_lmc]

Title: Pointless
Author: Anteros
Characters: Bush, Kennedy, Hornblower
Rating: R
Notes: Just what this fandom needs; gratuitous Retribution angst fic. The title says it all really. This is a poor intrlude to rosiespark's The Simplest Gift and Revelation. I wrote it not long after I recc'd these wonderful fics and it's been hiding in my drafts folder ever

Comments

[venusinfurs90]

OH GOD I LOVE MY BOYS. <3 And fics like this remind me why I love them. Both Kennedy and Bush represented so well here.

[anteros_lmc]

Awwww thanks sweetie. Amazing how fic like this brings the angst junkies out of the closet ;)

Both Kennedy and Bush represented so well here.
I'm always a bit nervous writing Bush, I don't quite get him the way I get I get some of the other characters yet.

[venusinfurs90]

You know, for someone who claims not to get Bush you do a remarkably good job in all the fics I've read you write about him. =p I think he's quite a simple character really, but extraordinarily endearing in his simplicity. Duty above all else, apart from Horatio Hornblower who comes just a little bit before duty. <3333 (And this is why I love him). Have you seen the Care Bear Sailors? http://quietcontrary.livejournal.com/33974.html The description of Bush Bear makes me giggle. Especially: "He loves Horry Bear like whoa." Lol

[anteros_lmc]

Thanks sweetie! I think the thing about Bush is that I just can't see him quite as clearly as I can see Horatio and Archie. I haven't really thought about this much before but I kind of have an image in my head when I'm writing and my image of Bush is still a bit vague.

Duty above all else, apart from Horatio Hornblower who comes just a little bit before duty.
Nyawww, you are such a big softy!

Have you seen the Care Bear Sailors?
No I haven't! Priceless :D That's up there with Coltho's Bureau of Complaints.

[idler_1814]

Oh, very nice! Thank you for sharing it!

...it's been hiding in my drafts folder ever since. I suspect it should probably have stayed there...

Nah. Definitely not. This scene can't be expanded upon too often, in my view, and your take on it is lovely and nicely written. I especially liked the way you portrayed Bush--even though you expressed your trepidation in an earlier comment. I think you caught a perfect blend of his lack of eloquence and his contrasting native discernment.

Beautiful turns of phrase, too: He had seen men die in the blink of an eye and men who dragged out their passing, clawing at every last second, as heat and decay finished the job started by splinter and shot. Not a happy thought, I admit, but masterfully stated.

[anteros_lmc]

I know this has already been written a million times over but it is a fascinating scene to explore. I think it needs quite a bit of restraint, otherwise it could so easily tip over into maudlin angst.

blend of his lack of eloquence and his contrasting native discernment.
Yes, that's exactly what I was trying to get at, I'm so glad you think this works. I do find it so very hard to write Bush. If I could capture his character with even a fraction of the depth you manage I would be a very happy bunny indeed!

Thank you so much for your comments, encouraging and enlightening as always :)

[idler_1814]

It is a fascinating scene, and I'm truly grateful that no version of it was ever put on film. It needs words, I think--and, I agree--great restraint, which you admirably achieved. The touches of gallows humor were perfectly appropriate and true to life: more typical of men under duress than angst might be.

Thank you for the lovely compliment (though I came to give and not receive!), but please don't lose sight of the fact that the Bush I write probably bears little resemblance to the one that existed in CSF's imagination! I think you captured the real Bush perfectly well.

[anteros_lmc]

The touches of gallows humor were perfectly appropriate and true to life: more typical of men under duress than angst might be.
So very, very true. I have just been talking to nodbear about this very thing. She has had the privilege to see how such men really did respond under duress through Admiral Lord Exmouth's own letters. It's hard for us to imagine.

I came to give and not receive!
It's nice to share though!

I don't think we can ever really know what any author has in their imagination, we have to fill in the details, and paint the pictures ourselves. That's the magical part of reading and writing I think. In some ways I can see your Bush more clearly than CSF's. Particularly the lad at the forge door gazing out at the ships :)

[esmerelda_t]

This is full of such lovely imagery, and I want to hear no more of this 'I can't write Bush' nonsense, because clearly you can!

[anteros_lmc]

Heh, you're making up for lost time aren't you?! Glad you thought this worked.

I want to hear no more of this 'I can't write Bush' nonsense, because clearly you can!
So should I stop writing H/A and start writing H/B? Or A/B perhaps? ;P

[esmerelda_t]

Why not write B/H/A and then everyone's a winner!

[anteros_lmc]

Tsk! You and your threesomes! You are incorrigible. Tbh I'm not sure I'd know what to put where ;P

[ashley_pitt]

oh my.

"You will watch him won't you William?" did make me cry just a little.
Something about Bush's given name, I guess.

[anteros_lmc]

Oh thank you for reading and commenting! I don't write Bush often, for fear of writing him out of character, but there is something about these final scenes in Kingston that I find captivating and tragic in equal measure.