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ci5hqTitle: Of Sunshine and Cemeteries
Author:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
byslantedlight/Slantedlight
Archive: The Automated Hatstand
Pairing: Bodie/Doyle
Hi there! I’munoriginal_liz - long time lurker, first time participant in the awesome Pros fandom, so…here goes ☺
My rec for today is Of Sunshine and Cemeteries bybyslantedlight, and I’m pretty sure no-one needs me to say that it’s fantastic, but I’m going to do that anyway.
I would guess there are a lot of issues in writing a Pros fic – distinctly British ‘voice’, specific era, intriguey-plots so that the lads have something to do (…besides each other…). And that’s just fic set within the normal parameters of the show. There’s an added challenge when you’re dealing with AU fic or fic that takes the boys out of the CI5 world, which is that Bodie and Doyle have to be, well…more the same than ever, since the reader is already in an unfamiliar environment. And when you add to that the fact that this new environment has to seem believable and compelling... ☺
That’s what I love inbyslantedlight’s story. When I’m reading, I really, truly believe that Doyle and Bodie went to France, and these things happened. More than that, I’m transported there with them. Magic ☺
Plot: Bodie and Doyle are taking a holiday in France – Bodie’s idea. Their physical relationship is new and tenuous, and Doyle is hoping that this relaxing week together will tip them towards clarity on that score. But almost from the first, Doyle has a sense that something isn’t quite right, and as the fic progresses, the reader (and Doyle) figures out that Bodie is hiding something…and using all his seductive wiles to keep it from Doyle (both the reader and Doyle initially approve of this course of action).
Meanwhile, the present-day narrative is interrupted by flashbacks to Bodie’s past, in particular we get to see his changing relationship with his mother.
Doyle does of course confront Bodie about his secretive behaviour, getting short shrift for his troubles, leaving him unsure of where he stands in their new relationship. It finally comes to a head in Banneville la Campagne.
What I love about this story…
1) That Bodie doesn’t talk to Doyle until he absolutely has to. There’s all this stuff going on with him, complicated emotional stuff – and he really doesn’t want to talk about it until he’s pretty much forced into it. BUT – he’s the one who asks Doyle to come, because he just needs Doyle there. Just the fact of Doyle’s physical presence grounds him. I think it's really IC and realistic but still manages to show how strong and necessary the relationship between the two of them is.
2) The flashbacks. I think they add so much depth and weight to the story. I especially liked the glimpses of Bodie’s relationship with his mother – you can see the subtle shift in their interaction, and you can clearly see how he got from point A in the flashbacks to present-day point Z.
3) The fact that this plot has the most wonderfully plausible reason for why it’s always Bodie, and never Will, or William.
4) The way that, at a certain point in the fic, there is room for a ‘Bodie looks like he’s cheating’ misunderstanding, but this does not sideline into ‘Doyle flees the scene with only half the story and Bodie has to track him down’. They – andbyslantedlight – don’t get sidetracked into something irrelevant – they brush past the extraneous misunderstanding stuff and instead they target the real heart of the problem.
5) Anyone who’s read the story will see that it’s carefully structured and beautifully written – but the way byslantedlight describes this scene at Giverny is so incredibly moving and lovely, I have to include part of it – I think it does a better job of reccing this fic than I ever could ☺
Giverny was beautiful, a riot and race of colour and smell and heat. They wandered the straight paths of the Clos Normand, a profusion of foxgloves and delphiniums, of nasturtiums, clematis and sunflowers, of iron arches entwined with climbing roses. Doyle tried to imagine having all this to yourself, to be able to sit quietly, whenever you wanted, paintbrush in hand.
…
Bodie rattled the guidebook at him. "It says here he used to 'ave someone clean those every morning," he said, nodding down to a few early water lilies floating, deeply pink, against the shadowed murk beneath, "They'd get dirty from the trains, and the gardener would go out and take the soot off every leaf before Monet got up and went out in his own boat."
Doyle eyed first the water lilies, then Bodie sceptically. "There's dedication to duty."
"True enough." Bodie held his gaze, and in the soft light of the water garden, Doyle saw bullets flying between them, blood against flesh, felt brick and concrete jar his body, and he felt Bodie at his back. And he knew. In another century, in another world, Bodie would have cleaned water lilies for him.
So – what do you think? What are your feelings about the backstorybyslantedlight gives Bodie? Did you enjoy the setting – the golden sunshine and the Calvados? ☺
Author:
byslantedlight/SlantedlightArchive: The Automated Hatstand
Pairing: Bodie/Doyle
Hi there! I’m
unoriginal_liz - long time lurker, first time participant in the awesome Pros fandom, so…here goes ☺ My rec for today is Of Sunshine and Cemeteries by
byslantedlight, and I’m pretty sure no-one needs me to say that it’s fantastic, but I’m going to do that anyway.I would guess there are a lot of issues in writing a Pros fic – distinctly British ‘voice’, specific era, intriguey-plots so that the lads have something to do (…besides each other…). And that’s just fic set within the normal parameters of the show. There’s an added challenge when you’re dealing with AU fic or fic that takes the boys out of the CI5 world, which is that Bodie and Doyle have to be, well…more the same than ever, since the reader is already in an unfamiliar environment. And when you add to that the fact that this new environment has to seem believable and compelling... ☺
That’s what I love in
byslantedlight’s story. When I’m reading, I really, truly believe that Doyle and Bodie went to France, and these things happened. More than that, I’m transported there with them. Magic ☺Plot: Bodie and Doyle are taking a holiday in France – Bodie’s idea. Their physical relationship is new and tenuous, and Doyle is hoping that this relaxing week together will tip them towards clarity on that score. But almost from the first, Doyle has a sense that something isn’t quite right, and as the fic progresses, the reader (and Doyle) figures out that Bodie is hiding something…and using all his seductive wiles to keep it from Doyle (both the reader and Doyle initially approve of this course of action).
Meanwhile, the present-day narrative is interrupted by flashbacks to Bodie’s past, in particular we get to see his changing relationship with his mother.
Doyle does of course confront Bodie about his secretive behaviour, getting short shrift for his troubles, leaving him unsure of where he stands in their new relationship. It finally comes to a head in Banneville la Campagne.
What I love about this story…
1) That Bodie doesn’t talk to Doyle until he absolutely has to. There’s all this stuff going on with him, complicated emotional stuff – and he really doesn’t want to talk about it until he’s pretty much forced into it. BUT – he’s the one who asks Doyle to come, because he just needs Doyle there. Just the fact of Doyle’s physical presence grounds him. I think it's really IC and realistic but still manages to show how strong and necessary the relationship between the two of them is.
2) The flashbacks. I think they add so much depth and weight to the story. I especially liked the glimpses of Bodie’s relationship with his mother – you can see the subtle shift in their interaction, and you can clearly see how he got from point A in the flashbacks to present-day point Z.
3) The fact that this plot has the most wonderfully plausible reason for why it’s always Bodie, and never Will, or William.
4) The way that, at a certain point in the fic, there is room for a ‘Bodie looks like he’s cheating’ misunderstanding, but this does not sideline into ‘Doyle flees the scene with only half the story and Bodie has to track him down’. They – and
byslantedlight – don’t get sidetracked into something irrelevant – they brush past the extraneous misunderstanding stuff and instead they target the real heart of the problem. 5) Anyone who’s read the story will see that it’s carefully structured and beautifully written – but the way byslantedlight describes this scene at Giverny is so incredibly moving and lovely, I have to include part of it – I think it does a better job of reccing this fic than I ever could ☺
Giverny was beautiful, a riot and race of colour and smell and heat. They wandered the straight paths of the Clos Normand, a profusion of foxgloves and delphiniums, of nasturtiums, clematis and sunflowers, of iron arches entwined with climbing roses. Doyle tried to imagine having all this to yourself, to be able to sit quietly, whenever you wanted, paintbrush in hand.
…
Bodie rattled the guidebook at him. "It says here he used to 'ave someone clean those every morning," he said, nodding down to a few early water lilies floating, deeply pink, against the shadowed murk beneath, "They'd get dirty from the trains, and the gardener would go out and take the soot off every leaf before Monet got up and went out in his own boat."
Doyle eyed first the water lilies, then Bodie sceptically. "There's dedication to duty."
"True enough." Bodie held his gaze, and in the soft light of the water garden, Doyle saw bullets flying between them, blood against flesh, felt brick and concrete jar his body, and he felt Bodie at his back. And he knew. In another century, in another world, Bodie would have cleaned water lilies for him.
So – what do you think? What are your feelings about the backstory
byslantedlight gives Bodie? Did you enjoy the setting – the golden sunshine and the Calvados? ☺
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no subject
Date: 2011-08-11 11:42 am (UTC)I think this story was an excellent choice and a classic example of the kind of writing I love. The introduction pulled me straight in and I think this writer is particularly good at doing that, attracting the reader at the very beginning with a compelling scene (e.g. On This day in History) and then we’re off! On the ride of our lives.
It’s drenched in atmosphere (to me, one of the most important ingredients for a good story) - so that you can almost hear the French insects (can’t remember what they’re called), taste the wine and feel the heat of the day.
When I’m reading, I really, truly believe that Doyle and Bodie went to France, and these things happened. More than that, I’m transported there with them. Magic
Yes! I think that must be one of the things which makes wonderful writing, wonderful? The ability to place the reader right there in the story with the characters, so much so that you want to be sharing their lives and you know you’ll miss them terribly when you get to the end. All my favourite writers and stories seem to have that effect on me.
And this beautiful quote (I’m not articulate enough to explain what it is I love about certain writers but your chosen quotes are really helping to concentrate my thoughts, such as they are...):
"True enough." Bodie held his gaze, and in the soft light of the water garden, Doyle saw bullets flying between them, blood against flesh, felt brick and concrete jar his body, and he felt Bodie at his back. And he knew. In another century, in another world, Bodie would have cleaned water lilies for him.
Wow! I mean.... what *do* I mean? It's just such an imaginative way to express someone else's devotion and love, but *not* slushy in any way! I love subtle writing - the implied rather than the explained - and that short quote says so much about them: their friendship, complete, total faith in each other, their love, in fact their enduring love which would have existed in any age. It’s writing which can almost move me to tears, it’s just so beautiful and I find it hard to express my reaction to it in any other way. So, so clever and beautifully put - a perfect balance of quiet emotions which can break the reader’s heart. And the way she writes ‘Bodie held his gaze’ - those four words contain more eroticism, more ‘catch in the breath’ (I’m quoting Paris7am here) reader reaction than any amount of humping, copulating etc. and that’s the kind of writing I love.
As I've said above I think your choice of quotes was an excellent one and spot-on in demonstrating what it is that makes this such a wonderful piece of writing. Thanks for that and for your review!
no subject
Date: 2011-08-11 02:01 pm (UTC)It’s drenched in atmosphere (to me, one of the most important ingredients for a good story) - so that you can almost hear the French insects (can’t remember what they’re called), taste the wine and feel the heat of the day.
That's it exactly - there's the perfect amount of detail that pulls you in to the setting - you're enjoying the sunshine and hearing the insects as much as the characters are :) It's fabulous when that happens - the alchemy of words and writers :)
I mean.... what *do* I mean? It's just such an imaginative way to express someone else's devotion and love, but *not* slushy in any way! I love subtle writing - the implied rather than the explained - and that short quote says so much about them: their friendship, complete, total faith in each other, their love, in fact their enduring love which would have existed in any age. It’s writing which can almost move me to tears, it’s just so beautiful and I find it hard to express my reaction to it in any other way. So, so clever and beautifully put - a perfect balance of quiet emotions which can break the reader’s heart. And the way she writes ‘Bodie held his gaze’ - those four words contain more eroticism, more ‘catch in the breath’ (I’m quoting Paris7am here) reader reaction than any amount of humping, copulating etc. and that’s the kind of writing I love.
I think that's such an incredibly moving scene - and yes, so much more intimate than lots of sex scenes I've read. It's just such a moment of revelation, and the characters and what they are to each other are laid bare in a glance...it's really beautiful. And I think tying the gritty reality of CI5 and the Bodie/Doyle partnership with the gardener making the waterlilies clean and perfect makes the whole thing sing. These are actions that are a whole world away from each other...and yet at the heart of it, they mean the exact same thing.
Thank you so much for your comment - I really enjoyed reading your thoughts :)
no subject
Date: 2011-08-11 02:34 pm (UTC)These are actions that are a whole world away from each other...and yet at the heart of it, they mean the exact same thing.
I love words and I love people who are able to play with words and I love the way you have with words so beware, you may well see your own words commandeered (not used for military service, but used nevertheless) and repeated elsewhere, but I always cite my source!
Thank you for enjoying my thoughts!
no subject
Date: 2011-08-16 10:28 am (UTC)And "Bodie would have cleaned water lilies for him." is the sweetest thing ever in Pros fic!
no subject
Date: 2011-08-16 11:03 am (UTC)And now and then I do a refresher course
That really made me laugh...
no subject
Date: 2011-08-16 11:26 am (UTC)So it's always something special. ;-)
no subject
Date: 2011-08-16 11:03 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-08-16 11:21 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-08-16 11:54 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-08-11 06:15 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-08-11 08:13 pm (UTC)And ITA that it's the kind of fic that leaves a lingering imprint - there are scenes in it that I know will be sticking with me for a long time :)
no subject
Date: 2011-08-11 08:56 pm (UTC)I think that's such a good point. In hindsight, many Pros stories kind of merge together and while I can remember which stories I like or dislike I might not remember much else about them, but there are always a few which stand out in my memory and this is one of them.
no subject
Date: 2011-08-11 06:51 pm (UTC)It´s utterly wonderful and so easy to read, it´s like walking with them, watching and observing.
Wonderful reccing, you really do the story proud!
And the water lilies part is just wonderful, absolutely gorgeous!
no subject
Date: 2011-08-11 08:15 pm (UTC)Oh, completely! It's so much fun - and a real mark of how good the writing is :)
And the water lilies part is just wonderful, absolutely gorgeous!
It's just meltingly good, isn't it?
no subject
Date: 2011-08-11 11:27 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-08-12 11:15 am (UTC)the settings that put the reader into the story, the way the lads feel about each other without being overly emotional and gushy (americanism, I know! *g*), the avoidance of "cliches" (for lack of a better word - you pointed one out this does not sideline into ‘Doyle flees the scene with only half the story) and the wonderful way she 'paints' rather than writes the story with her words.
That's such a good way of describing it - it really is like she's painting the story :) And yes, I was so thrilled when the Doyle-jumps-to-the-wrong-conclusion-and-leaves possibility was sidestepped. I think it's definitely possible to write cliches well, but sometimes the way those scenes play out is so...generic, you know? Like put any other two characters into that A sees B in a suspicious situation with C scene, and almost every time the result is - character A flees, with only half the story, and B has to track them down and explain. It felt much more specific and true to both characters that Bodie and Doyle didn't act like that, I thought :)
Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts - I really love getting everyone else's take on a story :)
no subject
Date: 2011-08-16 10:20 am (UTC)Mmmmmmmmhhh....
I love the atmosphere and the location, and the sun and the colours, and the smell... and also the taste of the Calvados. When I first read the story in 2008, I bought a bottle for an even 'deeper involvement into the story'. And now and then I do a refresher course. Oh, holy memories... :-)
Somehow I don't know why Bodie makes such a secret about his family affairs – but well, it's Bodie...
A feel good story and a fantastic rec from a 'long time lurker'! :-)
Thank you!
no subject
Date: 2011-08-17 04:50 pm (UTC)Somehow I don't know why Bodie makes such a secret about his family affairs – but well, it's Bodie...
You know, I never really thought of that! And you're right - there's no 'real' reason for the secrecy...but it just feels very true to character for Bodie, to try and keep all his complicated feelings under lockdown :)
Mmmmmmmmhhh....
I love the atmosphere and the location, and the sun and the colours, and the smell... and also the taste of the Calvados. When I first read the story in 2008, I bought a bottle for an even 'deeper involvement into the story'. And now and then I do a refresher course. Oh, holy memories... :-)
It is a really absorbing story, isn't it? Buying the Calvados to go with the story - that's a good idea! Very 'method' of you! :)
no subject
Date: 2011-08-18 01:16 pm (UTC)It was a while ago now (!) but I do remember thinking of Wild Justice as I was writing, and the way that Bodie involved Doyle in what he was doing (by getting him to ride in the race, and sort of making sure that he was around) but didn't actually tell him anything - so I suppose I had him act the same way on this occasion... I do think it's interesting that Doyle seems to do the exact opposite - he and Bodie both expect that Bodie will be involved in his old business (WtHCO, and FF) but he also seems to feel in WJ that Bodie's being quite normal in not telling him anything... I can see where that sort of fanon comes from! *g*
And I love the idea that you bought calvados to drink for the story - what brilliance! *g*
no subject
Date: 2011-08-18 02:58 pm (UTC)Yeah, well that's me. Always prepared to suffer for the fine arts! ;-)
Good point with WJ!
Anyway, although it was a bit stupid to make such a secret of it, I am quite happy that the family affair was something 'quite normal' and no huge and complicated drama! I think that would have disturbed the pace and the feeling of the story.
Thanks for writing! :-)
no subject
Date: 2011-08-18 01:11 pm (UTC)Also, I love your reviewing style in general - I hope you'll fancy doing lots more for us all, so thank you for that too! *g*
no subject
Date: 2011-08-18 10:09 pm (UTC)