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crack_van2012-08-31 12:23 am
moonlightmead.livejournal.com) wrote in crack_van2012-08-31 12:23 am
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Bloody Doyle, by Anxious Alien
Fandom: THE PROFESSIONALS
Pairing: Bodie/Doyle
Author on LJ: (account no longer active)
Author Website: Pros fics available on various LJ comms: most comprehensive list at: anxiousalien on T&SR; some also on the Proslib CD.
Why this must be read: for an alternative version of what's going on in the events of In The Public Interest, in a distinctive voice.
Writing stories which suggest new ideas about what is going on behind the scenes of episodes is an art I have no grasp of, but I enjoy the results very much. This is a story which fills in gaps before and during In The Public Interest, an episode in which Bodie and Doyle are sent to an unnamed city in Britain - the location of which is a perennial discussion in fandom - to seek evidence of police misbehaviour, and then sent back again, this time as members of a gay rights group.
I've said before on the crackvan that I don't mind the occasional downbeat ending. This is not a disastrous ending, but it's certainly not instant happy ever after.
I had a lot of trouble choosing which AA story to recommend here: secrets shared under a summer evening, the fear of exposure interrupting a hitherto successful relationship, a Doyle absolutely impermeable to Bodie's interest... or this, a pressured operation with each of them preoccupied. What stands out for me in all of anxiousalien's work is the style. Some of her other stories are even more striking in this regard, but I am very fond of the style and the sentence structure with its constant small increments.
He looked small in bed, hardly there, a speed bump under the covers.
And I like this story very much for not pretending that everything - even anything - can ever be straightforward with this pair. Doyle is apparently oblivious to the tensions surrounding them and their task.
“Y'alright?” asked Doyle, a croak of sleepy voice. “Thought I heard something.” Sleepy, dark gaze probed Bodie's.
“All right. Go to sleep,” said Bodie, gruffly, pulling his sheet up and rolling away, so he couldn't see that chest.
He felt the gaze probing his back for a few breath-held moments more, then the light flicked off and Doyle lay back with a creak and a sigh.
Bodie isn't willing to acknowledge what may be causing the tension. Stealing away to have some private time in the bathroom (why am I being so coy, we're below the cut? - he is looking for some relief), he doesn't want to admit to himself who precisely is on his mind. If Doyle encroaches into his conscious thoughts, we are back to the title of the story: bloody Doyle.
In fact, far from things not being straightforward, things are murky and unstated and there is no clear moment of "everything will be wonderful now". Bodie won't admit what and who he wants, although he's sure he doesn't want other people to have it; Doyle doesn't want to know. And... well. Not every story can end in rapture.
Those familiar with the episodes will recognise many, many references in the story: Bodie's "not used to sharing" remarks, Doyle's claims of living off a rich woman; the noise of the trains outside their room; the double-take over the leaflets; pieces of the final conversation; and the body language. Those unfamiliar with the episodes: all you need to know is that Bodie does seem to take every opportunity to put his hands on Doyle, and that they travel to this city on two occasions: first to nose about, and then later undercover to set up the office.
Since the author is not on LJ, feedback on the comms is unlikely to be seen. But there is an email address, and this does still work: anxiousalien at gmail dot com (not clickable for fear of spambots, sorry.)
Bloody Doyle, by Anxious Alien
Pairing: Bodie/Doyle
Author on LJ: (account no longer active)
Author Website: Pros fics available on various LJ comms: most comprehensive list at: anxiousalien on T&SR; some also on the Proslib CD.
Why this must be read: for an alternative version of what's going on in the events of In The Public Interest, in a distinctive voice.
Writing stories which suggest new ideas about what is going on behind the scenes of episodes is an art I have no grasp of, but I enjoy the results very much. This is a story which fills in gaps before and during In The Public Interest, an episode in which Bodie and Doyle are sent to an unnamed city in Britain - the location of which is a perennial discussion in fandom - to seek evidence of police misbehaviour, and then sent back again, this time as members of a gay rights group.
I've said before on the crackvan that I don't mind the occasional downbeat ending. This is not a disastrous ending, but it's certainly not instant happy ever after.
I had a lot of trouble choosing which AA story to recommend here: secrets shared under a summer evening, the fear of exposure interrupting a hitherto successful relationship, a Doyle absolutely impermeable to Bodie's interest... or this, a pressured operation with each of them preoccupied. What stands out for me in all of anxiousalien's work is the style. Some of her other stories are even more striking in this regard, but I am very fond of the style and the sentence structure with its constant small increments.
He looked small in bed, hardly there, a speed bump under the covers.
And I like this story very much for not pretending that everything - even anything - can ever be straightforward with this pair. Doyle is apparently oblivious to the tensions surrounding them and their task.
“Y'alright?” asked Doyle, a croak of sleepy voice. “Thought I heard something.” Sleepy, dark gaze probed Bodie's.
“All right. Go to sleep,” said Bodie, gruffly, pulling his sheet up and rolling away, so he couldn't see that chest.
He felt the gaze probing his back for a few breath-held moments more, then the light flicked off and Doyle lay back with a creak and a sigh.
Bodie isn't willing to acknowledge what may be causing the tension. Stealing away to have some private time in the bathroom (why am I being so coy, we're below the cut? - he is looking for some relief), he doesn't want to admit to himself who precisely is on his mind. If Doyle encroaches into his conscious thoughts, we are back to the title of the story: bloody Doyle.
In fact, far from things not being straightforward, things are murky and unstated and there is no clear moment of "everything will be wonderful now". Bodie won't admit what and who he wants, although he's sure he doesn't want other people to have it; Doyle doesn't want to know. And... well. Not every story can end in rapture.
Those familiar with the episodes will recognise many, many references in the story: Bodie's "not used to sharing" remarks, Doyle's claims of living off a rich woman; the noise of the trains outside their room; the double-take over the leaflets; pieces of the final conversation; and the body language. Those unfamiliar with the episodes: all you need to know is that Bodie does seem to take every opportunity to put his hands on Doyle, and that they travel to this city on two occasions: first to nose about, and then later undercover to set up the office.
Since the author is not on LJ, feedback on the comms is unlikely to be seen. But there is an email address, and this does still work: anxiousalien at gmail dot com (not clickable for fear of spambots, sorry.)
Bloody Doyle, by Anxious Alien