Pros Novel Read-Along - Painted Angels by Angelfish - Chapter Ten

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

Hello! *g*

Painted Angels by Angelfish.
Cover art by firlefanzine

Chapter Ten
Doyle is back in Derby, with Gabe, and as the chapter opens he's staring down his old street asking Gabe "uncertainly" which house was his. A boy on a bike shouts casual homophobia at them, and Doyle stops him sharply and tells him to watch his lip "you little shit". Gabe has already been called "the usual" racist names.

Doyle remembers his house then, but when Gabe tells him his mum still lives there, decides that he doesn't want to see her again. He's visited Gabe's mum, and his father's grave (he came across the Desiderata on someone else's grave, and decided he liked it and would have it on his wall one day), and he and Gabe have gone hiking as they did when they were much younger friends. Doyle talked endlessly about Bodie The way you talk when you're falling in love, he realised.

Doyle goes back to his B&B, and to bed - only to be woken by a knocking on the door. It's Gabe - Cowley has called his mum's house, trying to get hold of Doyle. Bodie has been involved in "an incident" and he's missing, presumed dead. Doyle doesn't believe it, says he'd know "in here", as sure as Gabe knows God. Gabe helps him hire a car and gives him money so that he can get back to London fast, and just before Doyle leaves, he kisses him "mouth, open wide in silent passion" on his lips.

So... what d'you think? *g*

Comments

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

Lol - that's the one. *g* I remember discussion about the idea of "feminising" Doyle, and how it was really "infantalising", because would we expect women to be treated the way Doyle is sometimes treated in stories (it's not quite that bad in this one, at least!)

[shooting2kill.livejournal.com]

I knew I'd come across it before! Incidentally, the word 'Infantalise' seems familiar to me and rolls off the tongue easily, but whenever I look it up I get the spelling 'infantilise/infantilize' which I don't recognise at all.

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

I suspect I just mis-spelled it late at night to be honest - and I went and checked my old dictionaries just to be sure, but they don't even include infantilise, and use -i- to join other endings. Infanta is a Spanish word for "princess", so perhaps it makes sense that it's -i- not -a-! Hey-ho!

It was a really interesting discussion of feminising vs infantilising, though - I believe it was Nell Howell/Istia who pointed it out... All these things I wish I'd bookmarked at the time (though I suppose that wouldn't matter when people just delete their ljs anyway... *sighs sadly*)

[shooting2kill.livejournal.com]

To me, infantalise looks right whereas infantilise doesn't. Maybe I'm thinking of infantacide... I was going to make a joke and say I should know the word infanta as I did my doctorate on the politics of the court of the Infanta Isabella of Spain but I didn't think anyone would believe me. So I didn't.

I don't remember the Nell Howell discussion, I wonder, do you think it might have been on Pros Lit? They had some really good discussions way back.

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

I had a quick search through my Pros-Lit files and couldn't find the discussion, though I found a few other people using the term "infantalise"... oh see, I've automatically spelled it that way again... clear my fingers also think it looks right! *g* I looked up "infanticide" in the dictionary too - and that's also spelled with an "i". (And then I forgot to come here and say all this, cos I did it yesterday, just after I read your comment... *headdesk*)

But I think that was where Nell Howell posted most, so maybe my search-fu just isn't working...

I was always sorry that I seemed to have just missed the time of long discussions on Pros-Lit... though we've had some good discussions here on lj too! Why is it that I suspect they can't say the same about Tumblr...?!

I would almost believe in your dissertation, except that I think we've talked about that sort of time in your life before... *vbg*

[shooting2kill.livejournal.com]

I looked up "infanticide" in the dictionary too - and that's also spelled with an "i". (And then I forgot to come here and say all this, cos I did it yesterday, just after I read your comment... *headdesk*)

Is it? That's a disappointment.... I'm determined to find something spelt with an 'a' somewhere

I was always sorry that I seemed to have just missed the time of long discussions on Pros-Lit... though we've had some good discussions here on lj too! Why is it that I suspect they can't say the same about Tumblr...?!I would almost believe in your dissertation, except that I think we've talked about that sort of time in your life before... *vbg*

I suspect your memory's much better than mine but I don't remember discussing my education with you at all! I do remember (I don't think even I'd forget something like that) that I've been lucky enough never to have done a dissertation!

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

Lol - that's what I was remembering.... *g*

[shooting2kill.livejournal.com]

Oh right! Well remembered. And sorry, my flipping mouse is buggering around and keeps losing bits of what I cut and paste and in my previous reply it should have included that I think Tumblr is a waste of time, even though I tried it once but didn't get very far and it's definitely useless in terms of discussion, which it's probably meant to be.

And Pros-lit..... I think I first started looking at it around 2003/4 and there were already some very good discussions there involving people who seemed to have been in fandom in one way or another for many years. I like both Pros-Lit and LJ but I'm sure if both were thriving now then discussions would get repeated.