[FICATHON] The Good Son, for roz_mcclure

[angevin2]

Title: The Good Son
Author: angevin2
Play: 1 and 2 Henry IV. A little of the first section technically takes place during the fifth act of Richard II.
Recipient: roz_mcclure
Character(s)/Pairing: Prince Hal, Prince John of Lancaster
Rating: Irredemably gen. Contains post-battle ickiness, emotional stuntedness, and gratuitous use of the pathetic fallacy.
Notes: I gave

Comments

[angevin2]

Your favorite bit is the same as my favorite bit!

I have to say, too, that it was fun writing a POV character who is not conflicted about what happened to Richard II -- I mean, of course, historically John is about eleven when it happened (I tried to make the narrative voice sound progressively older over the course of the fic; I don't know if it worked), so of course he's not going to have an extremely nuanced view of it, especially because of the whole hero-worship-of-his-dad thing he has going.

[angevin2]

After living with Henry so long, I just bet!

*giggles*

Yeah. Much as I loff Henry and his CONSTANT TORMENT. But I am glad that the POV development worked! I was not sure, myself, but it is hard to evaluate one's own work.

And I'm also glad the kid POV worked, because I really like writing them, for some reason.

[lareinenoire]

It's great seeing all these things from a new point of view -- John is such an underused character, and you've done wonderful things with him here. I love how he both disapproves of Hal and wants his approval at the same time, how he obviously just doesn't understand Hal's relationship with Falstaff. the_red_shoes said it well: his naivety is as annoying as it is heartbreaking.

[angevin2]

Thank you! I am glad the complexities of the relationships came through; it was hard to manage because I imagined John (especially at the age he is here) as having a very black-and-white worldview, and it's hard to convey nuance in a POV like that.

[17catherines]

This is really lovely. Feels very true.

[angevin2]

Why, thank you!

Parts of it draw on...um, personal experience, of sorts. Although I am much more of a Hal than a John.

[17catherines]

I'm probably more of a John, or at least I was as a child and teen. Very well behaved and probably a bit of a prig. And I'm still the sort of catherine who tends to do as she is told and be a good girl under most circumstances. John may go all bastardy once he becomes Bedford, but I do feel rather sorry for all the younger brothers, to an extent.

[angevin2]

Yeah, me too -- one of the parts in the play that always breaks my heart is Henry IV's "See, sons, what things you are" speech, because Thomas and Humphrey are totally having their asses handed to them, and they didn't do anything wrong! (The two actors in the 1979 BBC version have the best "Gee, sorry for being born, Dad" expressions.)

[speak_me_fair]

*laughs* Your summary said it all, really! It's really disturbing when I find myself empathising with the bit of a git that is John, and less disturbing and rather nice to be, for once, on Hal's side!

[angevin2]

Hee! It was really weird writing it, because at some point during the process, I was like "OMG, I like Prince John now!"

*facepalm*

[speak_me_fair]

It's bizarre, isn't it? Even when you write someone you dislike, you end up liking them, because you have to dig that little bit deeper...

[executrix]

Brava! And no, I'm not going to make fun of you, one of the most wonderful things about human beings is the ability to grant grace to those who don't deserve it.

WRT Philippa: I did not know that either! And there's your plot right there!

he had been to Ireland with King Richard, certainly, but there would hardly have been time for very much fighting, and anyway Harry rarely spoke about that

Well, you can imagine where I went with *that*.

[angevin2]

Why, thank you! :D

Hee, the line about going to Ireland with Richard was in no wise intended to be dirty, although it also is much sadder after you've read the_red_shoes' fic (which is not dirty but does feature Hal's great big neon green boycrush on Richard).