Reading Room - The Flat by DVS

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

This weekend's Reading Room is The Flat by DVS, as suggested by gilda_elise. *g* If you haven't read it yet, it's here:
Online Circuit Archive
Hatstand Archive
ProsLib DVD
To Friends zine (Chained-to-the-Typewriter Press, 1993)

Doyle meets an old friend from his "art school" days, and his life is never the same again. I have to say that The Flat is a favourite re-read of mine. It's not on my "regular" re-read list, but it's one that every now and then I think oh yes! I like the story, the characterisation, the atmosphere of it - the lads are very much the lads, for me, which means that I believe what the author wants me to believe (even the odd un-Brit things, such as Doyle yanking the kettle flex out of its socket to turn off the kettle - nooo, don't do that Doyle! We don't have the kind of sockets that make that okay! Just use the switch... *g* But everything else is so good that I can even skim past that and put it down to a moment's irrationality, like when he throws books hither and yon in the eps. *g*)

I was up way too late working last night - well, 4.30am - so I'm late this morning, and I've been roped into helping with the raffle at the village show and have to leave now, so I'm just going to say...

...so, what did you think? Believable? Our lads? Can you see the start/middle/ending of the story? *g*

Comments

[jinkyo.livejournal.com]

Checking in to say I'll be back Sunday-ish to chat. Holiday weekend here and a few projects on deadline, but I really enjoyed last week's conversation so I want to do it again!

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

Cool - and thanks for letting me know! Have a great weekend. *g*

[shooting2kill.livejournal.com]

Sorry, I'm struggling to get into this story but I'll keep trying and thanks for the review.

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

Sorry to hear that - but I guess that's something to talk about when you're ready too... *g*

[ubicaritas9.livejournal.com]

So, this is the first time I've seen this story... while I've thoroughly explored AO3, I haven't made many inroads into other places where Pros fics live.
The Flat is... long... perhaps too long to read for the first time and try to come to grips with in a week (especially a week in which my boss was away and I was spending longer days at work to cover what needed to be done). Having said that, I did read it through once. And that one time through did thoroughly convince me that I wanted to read it again, to try to absorb more out of it.
I like a long read with the lads. I like the writing, I like the details of the ins and outs of their casework, I like all the time spent in Doyle's mind, as he goes on this strange ... journey ... And I do like the end. They're together, and have their partnership, friendship, and now the relationship too.
It's a holiday weekend, so I'll try and have another go with the story and look back in tomorrow.

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

Oh, you have to go and explore classic Pros - the Pros stories archived on ProsLib and the Circuit and Hatstand archives! There are some great stories on AO3, but there's thirty plus years of amazing Pros writing elsewhere! HG, O.Yardley, Felicity M. Parkinson, Sebastian, M. Fae Glasgow - just for starters!

The Flat is probably right at the edge of stories I think we can manage for Reading Room - if it had been any longer I would have suggested splitting it. I'm glad you were able to at least make a start, and do come back and let us know what you think! *g*

[mizrychik62]

I enjoyed this one; kept reading to the end, even if it's longish.
Interesting premise.
Great CI5 action. There are cases. Things happen. People interact with them. They don't brood all day locked up in places. That's wonderful.
Good Doyle. Sympathetic. Even if he's a bit too suddenly a reasonably good artist (if he wasn't, those paintings described in so much detail would be unrecognizable) for someone who says he was "a complete failure" at art school, and a bit too suddenly rather gay and willing to sleep with anything penis-carrying.
Good original characters. Even if for some reason they are all rather sadly traumatized by their own ugliness in comparison to Doyle, and expound on it at length (pathetic much?)
Good Bodie. Very blokey. Very will screw anything that isn't nailed down, in Clemens's words. Very canon. Very straight, polyamorous and funny. Very sexy in silk. "I'll buy you silk shirts, if you'll be mine, Doyle silently promised." That bit was cute.
Until, of course, he makes a conscious, rational decision to become gay. Very gay, very monogamous, and as solemn as a judge. And he pushes himself to do gay things. And that's when the story totally lost me.
Still, I had fun with it.

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

he's a bit too suddenly a reasonably good artist (if he wasn't, those paintings described in so much detail would be unrecognizable) for someone who says he was "a complete failure" at art school
Hmmn - I started from the premise that he had to be at least a reasonable artist to be accepted into art school in the first place. I think it says somewhere that he realised he wasn't anything special, and that's why he gave it up, and I've always assumed that to be pretty common. In fact I'd say that most people with degrees make fairly oblique use of them, unless they're very vocational to start with - and often even then. So Doyle coming back to it after years and still being okay was fine for me.

and a bit too suddenly rather gay and willing to sleep with anything penis-carrying
Again, I took that as part of the back-story that we haven't been specifically told. I had the impression that Doyle was building up to a sort of mid-life crisis over his feelings for Bodie, and meeting Topper again was a way that he suddenly realised he could try to deal with them.

Good original characters. Even if for some reason they are all rather sadly traumatized by their own ugliness in comparison to Doyle, and expound on it at length (pathetic much?)
Lol - who besides Topper?!

And that's when the story totally lost me.
I know what you mean about it seeming a bit sudden/happy ending with Bodie deciding he was gay too. I think the story was so tightly Doyle's pov that we didn't see Bodie's reactions as we went along except through Doyle's rather distracted eyes, but I felt like I caught enough hints that something was up with him too that I could believe it. Doyle noted that [Bodie] was changing his women in mid-week now; the poor things never even lasted until the next weekend. The author was able to make me believe it - partly, of course, because I knew exactly where she was coming from. Of course they're both in love but don't know it! *g*

[mizrychik62]

Lane: "Oh, sometimes a man like me gets lucky." (that entire paragraph)
Terry: "Or do you think because I'm not pretty, I'm easy?" (that conversation).

Sort of off-putting to read it so often in the same story, like Doyle is some Apolloish Sex God that's slumming it for a bit of distraction, while everyone else is starry-eyed at the mere thought of being anointed with his cock. It doesn't help make the character more sympathetic, either. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ ... And... it feels a little Mary Sueish. :/

Yes, I could buy Gay/Bi Doyle here. Too long repressed, and now deciding to go for it. Gay/Bi Bodie here... sorry, can't. With a longer buildup, maybe.

As for the art, the original show brief says "[Doyle] worked in a shop and studied art in the evenings (his stories about those nude models often enliven a stake-out!) — then he realised he had no talent, except for appreciation."
Again possibly a cultural difference. Art evening classes / art school can mean many things here: art college (which doesn't require any particular "talent" to enter, being a university degree on one of several branches of art, not just painting), art school (a series of systematic workshops, with no requirements, but you probably don't last unless you're serious about it), or independent art classes with small groups led by a teacher, where you go, learn a bit of technique, and just paint. (And nude modelling in public doesn't happen, in any of them :D ) So I'm not sure what Doyle was supposed to have done exactly, in canon.
I'll still buy Doyle's previously unknown awesome talent that's gone unpracticed for years but is still naturally amazing because it's well-written and it makes sense inside the story, though. And I wish his Bodie painting hasn't sold yet by the end, so Bodie can buy it and be all sorts of chuffed about it :D

[shooting2kill.livejournal.com]

while everyone else is starry-eyed at the mere thought of being anointed with his cock.

That's brilliant! I must remember that line.

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

everyone else is starry-eyed at the mere thought of being anointed with his cock
Well it's usually Bodie we're being told that about, so I can see how you might be thrown... *vbg*

We're definitely reading the story differently! I think most people in the world would consider themselves more Topper/Lane/Terry types that Bodie or Doyle types - I know I certainly would. Doyle and Bodie are both supposed to be good looking in canon, in that neither of them has problems getting a date, and they're both clearly aging well — no hair loss, their job means they're incredibly fit and healthy, and also that they're very confident in themselves. Other people — us real people *g* — tend to be less all of those things, or at least to see ourselves as less all those things.

I didn't really see that Doyle was supposed to be any more Apollo-like than Bodie in this story, so if you're going to complain about one, you have to complain about both of them! *g* What do we make of the idea that it's Bodie who automatically attracts the most beautiful women, for instance?!

Gay/Bi Bodie here... sorry, can't. With a longer buildup, maybe.
Yeah, a hint or two more about the build-up might have helped, but at the end of the day I'm already convinced that he's gay/bi and in love with Doyle, because I slash Pros, so it worked for me because I found the rest of the story so believable. *g* Bodie being gay/bi wasn't the focus of this story.

the original show brief says "[Doyle] worked in a shop and studied art in the evenings (his stories about those nude models often enliven a stake-out!) — then he realised he had no talent, except for appreciation."
Yeah, like lots of other stories I take an exaggerated background (like Bodie the super-merc) as a slight AU twist. The original show brief definitely has to be taken with a pinch of salt though, because it also had one of the lads as blond! *g* In fact come to that, we see Doyle in ODwNT very definitely not enlivening the conversation with stories about the models when Bodie tries to get him to talk about them! The show brief is usually described as "secondary canon" compared to the actual episodes.

They're described as "a group of art students" in the story, which over here implies that they're on a course, and probably a proper university or poly/college course where you are accepted on merit (rather than just taking evening classes, although that's not impossible). So reading that twists it for me into meaning that Doyle already has some talent. The bit from the show brief doesn't really feature in the story, so it never even occured to me, and what Doyle says in ODwNT could be taken either way. But I do think Doyle went into police college rather than onto an art course, so I do read that as AU.

But also I don't take Doyle's paintings as super-good - just good enough that they could be offered for sale. Look at all the art on the internet these days that's offered for sale, alot of it workmanlike (which is how I imagine Doyle's paintings) rather than innovative or anything better. I took Lane's offer to try and sell some of Doyle's paintings as just like putting up a page on the interwebz — and perhaps a bit as trying to ingratiate himself with Doyle too.

And I wish his Bodie painting hasn't sold yet by the end, so Bodie can buy it and be all sorts of chuffed about it :D
Lol! I wonder if he would though - Bodie strikes me as a much more "likes his apples to look like apples" type of guy... *g* But yeah, like f_m_parkinson said, a sequel would be very nice!

[f-m-parkinson.livejournal.com]

I hadn't read this story in several decades, so it was like coming to it afresh. I ignored the occasional Americanisms and the typos as I found it very interesting, quite clever, and an absorbing read. We got a splendid slow build-up to the end of the story — the whole idea behind the flat and how it all worked, Doyle reacquainting himself with painting and with sex with men, and then finally getting what he wanted with Bodie. We had the contrast of Doyle's life and work in CI5 with his partner, his off-duty life (including dates/sex with women) and having to listen to Bodie's tales of his own sex life, and Doyle's other life in the flat. Clever contrasts.
I have to admit that when I got to the description of the bedroom in the flat (and right through the story), my one thought was how often are those sheets/towels changed and who does it? Doyle and Lane kept taking showers but nobody seemed concerned about how long the sheets had been on the bed or how clean they were, given the number of people using it and what went on there!
Yes, they were my Bodie and Doyle to an extent, so that worked for me. If I have a criticism, it's that we had this long story (sixty-one pages in my paper version) and it's only near the end that B and D's changed relationship begins and raises questions that I would have liked to have seen explored a bit more. Was this relationship going to work? going to last? Up till that moment, Bodie had dated assorted females non-stop and then suddenly he was entering a very committed relationship with Doyle. A complete about-turn. Would both of them manage to sustain that change? How were they going to cope with their changed status in terms of CI5? And poor Lane seemed to be conveniently forgotten about. I wanted to know more, not have the story conveniently wrapped-up with 'happy ever after' stamped on it. It was almost too easy. As a side note, I was intrigued as to whether Doyle would continue with his painting in the future now that he had the Bodie he wanted.

[mizrychik62]

Ditto on the sheets-towels. My overwhelming thought was ick.
Also, forgotten Lane, conveniently not phoning the police in the end.

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

conveniently not phoning the police in the end
But he did know that Doyle was in the police himself, and Doyle told him that Bodie was his partner. In my head, Doyle calls him the next day and Lane has already guessed that Bodie's "Mr Tall-dark-handsome-and-straight". He's sad of course, and Doyle feels bad, but he enlists Topper's help to find him an actual nice bloke for him to be in love with... *g*

[gilda-elise.livejournal.com]

I was under the impression that Doyle made it clear to him not to call them.

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

Yeah, that too. *g* But I can see someone ignoring that, if they thought their mate was in danger and just trying to calm the attacker. Added to all the other stuff though, I'd be more surprised if Lane had still called the police.

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

I'm usually pulled right out by Americanisms, but these ones were a bit more hidden by the rest of the writing, somehow. Good point about the clever contrasts too - and even Doyle's life before he joined the police, as reflected in the other people in the flat, and his memories of what it had been like, and his life now as well.

Lol - I never thought about the sheets! I suppose I assumed that changing the bed sheets at the end of you day was part of the whole hand-over thing for the next person. All the showers threw me though - it made the sex all seem very planned and organised, rather than passionate must-have-you-now stuff! *g*

I'd definitely be happy with a sequel too - and I'd somehow like to give Lane a happier ending than just being forgotten, as well! As you say, it would be interesting to know how they reacted to the huge change in their lives, and if there were bumps along the way. Although on the other hand it's a bit like an episode in that regard - of course there will be bumps, and anticipating them/imagining them is perhaps half the fun... *g*

[gilda-elise.livejournal.com]

Even though I’ve read this story several times over the years, I did want to read it again before commenting (it’s happened too often that a story isn’t as good as I remember.) But no fear. I loved it, small problems notwithstanding. Because, for me, they are small problems. I loved seeing things through Doyle’s eyes, yet picking up enough clues to know that something is up with Bodie, too. I loved the introduction of Lane; he’s a good character who I liked…though not enough to want him to be permanent. I just loved the story. It’s been one of my favorites. Still is. ☺️

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

Snap! I've read it often too, and I still come back to it. *g*

yet picking up enough clues to know that something is up with Bodie, too.
Yes! And the fact that DVS could write those in so subtley shows what a good writer she is.

Lol for Lane — yes, he was a sweetie and I hope he finds someone who's right for him! *g*

Great rec for the discussion — thank you! *g*

[gilda-elise.livejournal.com]

I love her writing. In Pros and UNCLE and K/S.

And you’re very welcome. ☺️ I enjoyed reading how much others enjoyed the story, especially those new to her work.