ext_7598 ([identity profile] justacat.livejournal.com) wrote in [community profile] crack_van2005-02-11 09:24 pm

My Golden Afternoon with the Grim Reaper by PR Zed (PG)

Fandom: THE PROFESSIONALS
Pairing: Bodie/Doyle
Author's Website:  http://www.przed.com/
Author on LJ: [livejournal.com profile] przed
Why this must be read:

In Golden Afternoon, Bodie and Doyle miss what's right before their eyes - their self-protective barriers and defenses are too strong; each fails to see through the other's walls and reveals too little of himself.  The results are almost disastrous: Bodie is seriously, almost mortally, injured at a point when their relationship seems to be over and everything important between them remains unacknowledged.  But Bodie is given another chance; the question is whether he will find the courage and will to take it, whether he can see that he does indeed have something to live for. 

I love stories like this, in which the author works from the premise that Bodie and Doyle are tough, hard guys, not particularly good at intimate relationships, at expressing affection or tenderness; stories in which both are incredibly afraid of revealing vulnerability, and only near-diasaster can bring them to their senses and force them to face their fears, and each other.  As such stories go, this is a very sweet and gentle one, not particularly angsty (though with a nice bit of tension), yet wonderfully moving and heartwarming. 

The characterization is solid  - Ray's use of snarky insults almost as endearments is so typical of him ("Bodie, you half-Irish bastard ..."), and I could easily imagine canon Bodie hiding his hurt at Ray's apparent rejection of him under a veneer of cheerful joking, slamming down the walls.  The author also has a nice way of conveying and evoking emotion - in particular, Bodie's inability, despite great effort, to hide his hurt from a more perceptive listener than Ray pulls every one of my heartstrings. 

In short, it's a well written, well constructed story, with just the right amount of h/c and an eminently satisfying ending that never fails to leave me with a smile on my face.

My Golden Afternoon with the Grim Reaper

(Originally published in Motet Opus 4 in B and D, Keynote Press, 2000 )
ext_3548: (ProsWombat)

[identity profile] shayheyred.livejournal.com 2005-02-11 07:52 pm (UTC)(link)
P.R.Zed is such a wonderful writer (vidder, fan extraordinaire). I loved this story, too!

[identity profile] metabolick.livejournal.com 2005-02-14 01:03 pm (UTC)(link)
Oh yes, very satisfying ending. Thanks for this rec. I had not read it before.
ext_3548: (Prosbeast)

[identity profile] shayheyred.livejournal.com 2005-02-16 10:16 am (UTC)(link)
BTW, I volunteered to assist you at any Pros panel at Connexions you might want or need a co-mod at. I guess I should have run that by you first, huh?