Patch
| Character | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Patch |
| Occupation: | pet |
| Relationships: | Laurie Odell, Ralph Lanyon (owners) |
| Fandom: | Mary Renault |
| Other: | |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
Patch is a fanonical bull terrier (white with a patch over one eye) in Mary Renault fandom, appearing in a number of fan stories written by members of the maryrenaultfics LiveJournal community. He is usually described as having been purchased by Laurie Odell, the hero of The Charioteer, from Miss Haliburton—a character in the novel who is a physiotherapist assisting Laurie to recuperate from surgery, but who also breeds dogs, specifically dachshunds and bull terriers.
In canon, Laurie had owned an Airedale, Gyp, who was given to him when he was a boy. Unbeknownst to him, the elderly dog was put down by his mother while he was in hospital. Patch therefore serves as a fanon substitute. The dog is often seen in post-war stories, shared by Laurie and his partner, Ralph Lanyon, who fanonically live together after the conclusion of the book.
Patch was invented during "Sunday Tea" chat between maryrenaultfics members, poicale, trueriver, and my_cnnr. Some stories in which he appears are f-locked. However, he is in the following publicly posted fan fiction:
- "Home"[1] by poicale (Aug 2005)
- "Good Boy"[2] by trueriver (Aug 2005) - from Patch's POV
- "Christmas Plans"[3] by fawatson (Dec 2009)
LiveJournal Account
On 30 July 2006, a LiveJournal account was started for Patch (at http://patch-odell.livejournal.com/), decorated with a small sketch of a white bull terrier pup with a dark patch over his left eye. On the profile, Patch's birthday is given as 10 January 1947
All told, seven journal entries were made. (All appear to be f-locked.)
Patch has two userpics. The first is based on a photograph of a suitably-coloured bull terrier; the second uses the sketch.
Four people have friended Patch: lorie945, my_cnnr, poicale, and trueriver.