Comments | idler_1814: All Standing

idler_1814

All Standing

Apr 13, 2010 08:04

TITLE: All Standing
AUTHOR: Idler
CHARACTERS: Hornblower, Bush
RATING: G, gen
DISCLAIMER: Not mine, not for profit
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Book canon, set between chapters 16 and 17 of Lord Hornblower, as Hornblower returns to England.

With many thanks to Quarterdeck, the finest beta reader anywhere.

( All Standing )

Comments 39

generals_best April 18 2010, 08:45:30 UTC

I was so happy when I saw there was - finally! - a new Lt. Bush story. And this one is just wow! I second all of the above said. It is beautifully put together, portraying two men who could not be any more different yet fitted together perfectly. It is deeply moving yet so very calming. Thank you!

I think what katriona_s wrote sums up what made Lt. Bush: Confidence of a man who knows both of his capacity and limit. and this gave him the ability to face life (and death) "all standing".

idler_1814 April 19 2010, 12:16:17 UTC

Thank you! I'm very delighted to hear that you enjoyed it.

"...what made Lt. Bush: Confidence of a man who knows both of his capacity and limit." and this gave him the ability to face life (and death) "all standing".

Bush, as CSF wrote him, always seemed to me to be at peace with himself and who he was. A different man might have been envious or resentful of Hornblower's superior capacities, where Bush was concerned more with how his own gifts might be used to complement his captain's. It's one of the most appealing things about Bush, as far as I'm concerned.

katriona_s April 19 2010, 14:40:15 UTC

Bush always seemed to me to be at peace with himself and who he was.

It's just what I've always felt about Bush! Calm, or some quietness... even in the midst of battle, even when he's drunk or worn-out. Totally unlike Hornblower.
Bush's such "peace" attracts me very much...

idler_1814 April 19 2010, 14:50:54 UTC

Bush's such "peace" attracts me very much...

It's an enviable quality, that's certain!

hms_wellington July 18 2010, 18:47:14 UTC

Oh I love this. It is so beautiful. I couldn't think of a more fitting epitaph for Bush...oh I am all sad now :( Great, great writing. Like Hornblower it is charged with emotion but kept tight as a capstan, only gradually unravelling so the imact of the loss at the end really seeps inot your bones.

idler_1814 July 19 2010, 12:55:31 UTC

Thank you so much! CSF never really gave Bush an epitaph--heck, we don't even know if there was ever a service held for him--so I guess it's up to us to do what we can. I'm glad you liked this one!

cyntosis June 1 2012, 22:52:53 UTC

Oh yes. Tears. I'd really like to leave some deep coherent comment but. Well, I will say that I really like Horatio's insight into his relationship with his best friend and right hand, which in a way goes very deep and yet not deep at all. It's like Bush is so open (well, his face is, as Hornblower often notes) that Hornblower never thought to delve deeper.

Also, brass-lunged bellow is a very nice and very fitting turn of phrase.

idler_1814 June 2 2012, 14:56:44 UTC

I'm glad this piece seemed to ring true for you! I typically find Hornblower difficult to write: I'm not nearly so brilliant and inventive a thinker, so....that's nearly impossible to fake. His relentless self-examination and self-flagellation is a little more reachable, and I really thought that's where he'd ultimately end up if he ever ventured to think about Bush. He always seemed to take everything that Bush willingly gave him, and took Bush very much for granted, as well. Rarely, however, did he give anything--even as small a thing as personal interest--back. I would interpret it exactly as you say...Hornblower never thought to delve deeper.

Also, brass-lunged bellow is a very nice and very fitting turn of phrase.

Thank you! Though I suspect it's not original to me: I can't think of a specific source, but I probably read it somewhere along the line!

sanguinity July 18 2018, 18:28:44 UTC

Oh, that was marvelous. (I hope you don't mind me stopping by, so long after you posted this?) I've been dreading getting there in the books (I've just started Commodore), but maybe having this will make it a little easier when I do.

Maybe.

idler_1814 July 19 2018, 13:23:56 UTC

Mind?? Absolutely not! In fact, you made my day. It's a real pleasure to find out that someone occasionally stumbles across my little corner of the Hornblower fandom, and finds something that appeals.

I first read the Hornblower series with no knowledge of the storyline and was completely shocked by the events of Commodore. I raced through the rest of the series, waiting for Bush to turn up, still living. I was, of course, bitterly disappointed--and somewhat dismayed by how little attention was paid to his passing.

This was written in response to that, I suppose. I'm glad you found it satisfying, and took the time to let me know. Thank you!

sanguinity July 19 2018, 18:34:30 UTC

A friend who's fallen deeply into this Hornblower hole with me blanket-recommended all your fic for after I finish the novels. Which I haven't yet, but I was idly clicking links at ltbush, and here we are.

:: ...and was completely shocked by the events of Commodore. ::

Commodore? I understood this story to be based on Lord -- should I be wary of Commodore, too? I accidentally spoiled myself for Lord by searching for mentions of Bush's sisters -- I have an all-in-one pdf -- and thus stumbling across the news of his death. I then turned the internet inside-out attempting to determine if that was confirmed-dead or believed-dead. :-( I'm already dreading getting there in my reading.

But back to your story: I just last night got to the part of Commodore where Hornblower for the first time hears Bush's wooden leg above him on the quarterdeck, and I had a powerful wash of emotion about it, because you had used that detail so beautifully here. This story really is masterfully done, and a beautiful tribute to Bush, too -- you used such a light ( ... )

idler_1814 July 19 2018, 22:07:26 UTC

Obviously it has been far too long since I've talked Hornblower with anyone--and goodness, how I have missed it! I did mean Lord, of course. You have no cause whatever to be wary of Commodore: you should enjoy it thoroughly. I did, and even used it as a springboard for a fic or two, which you may discover.

CSF's work is a true goldmine. He left so much unsaid, and thus leaves even the most canon-compliant fanfic writer with plenty of unexplored gaps to fill.

You can't imagine how touched I am that you've found this work satisfying and reached out to share your thoughts. All Standing is one of my personal favorites--it came together almost all by itself, it seemed--so it delights me that you have enjoyed it as well and appreciated my little references to canon.

Oh, to be reading the Hornblower series for the first time! I'm envious.

Thread 5