Love Lies Bleeding
| Bodie/Doyle Fanfiction | |
|---|---|
| Title: | Love Lies Bleeding |
| Author(s): | Shoshanna |
| Date(s): | 1997 |
| Length: | |
| Genre: | slash |
| Fandom: | The Professionals |
| External Links: | online as a pdf here / AO3 |
Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
Love Lies Bleeding is a Bodie/Doyle story by Shoshanna.
It was published in Pæan to Priapus #6 and is online.
The author describes it as her "...my own slashy interests (as someone who started out in B7 with B/A, and whose own meditation on trust and safety in a slash relationship can be seen in my fairly nasty story..." [1]}}
Summary
Bodie and Doyle are in the hospital being visited by Cowley after a botched assignment.
Reactions and Reviews
I'm of two minds with this story. Though there's no denying it's amazingly hot, I get the feeling my take on it may not be what the writer intended. Because what Bodie does, well, I can't fault him for it. Given the circumstances, I can't say I wouldn't do the same. And given that, I'm inclined to think, while Doyle may not like it, it wouldn't change what he felt for his partner. It's a dark interlude, one the reader can take as they will.[2]
Great rec and I'd agree with you. A realistic approach given the world they inhabit.[3]
One of my favorite stories in the fandom, and I also agree with your take on it :) Thanks for remindingme of it :) [4]
Well, it looks like my take may not be in the minority after all. :-) Perhaps a lot of Bodie and Doyle's charm is the fact that they don't fit the common idea of how people should act.[5]
As you might gather from the title, this is not a bright and cheery story. But it's not what I thought it was going to be. There's death in the story--perhaps of more than one variety--but not in the way I expected. Of the three truly dark and creepy Pros stories in the zine, this is probably the least creepy, but it's also the most believable. Bodie and Doyle are in the hospital being visited by Cowley after a botched assignment. And that's all I'm saying...[6]
[Michelle] said: "Love Lies Bleeding" by Shoshanna (Pros)--As you might gather from the title, this is not a bright and cheery story. But it's not what I > thought it was going to be. There's death in the story--perhaps of more than one variety--but not in the way I expected. Of the three truly dark and creepy Pros stories in the zine, this is probably the least creepy, but it's also the most believeable. Bodie and Doyle are in the hospital > being visited by Cowley after a botched assignment. And that's all I'm saying... [7]
A very hard-edged, gritty story which involves Bodie, Doyle and a third agent. Originally I was going to say that one of the main reasons why the story appeals to me is because I loved the author's portrayal of Bodie: morally ambiguous and in the context of good vs. bad or black cowboy hat vs. white cowboy hat, he'd definitely be wearing grey or stripey; but thinking again I realise that view is rubbish and in this story at least there's very little room for ambiguity in Bodie's actions i.e. he'd willingly ignore any moral or legal code in order to protect his partner. An interesting question for me here is, if the situation they find themselves in was reversed, how would Doyle react? Which of his ideals would triumph? [8]
Ah, I like this one. Dark and disquieting, but so bloody well written. It has the plot and pace of an episode and a structure that flashes back and forth a bit, which just increases the reader's curiosity. And Bodie. That's it, isn't it? Anything to protect his partner.[9]
Oh, I remember this story too well! When I first read it, I was so sucked into it, I couldn't stop reading.It's really good written, and yes, I love when characters are a little off in morals. What I mean is: moral is just a set of rules, but rules could, and often are, insufficient. You need to take your own decisions and accept whatever consequence come up. Bodie, here, is ready to do whatever it takes to protect his partner. Whatever. Because, in his book, this is higher than any other thing: duty or work, or laws. And I love him for this. And I want to believe Doyle would do the same think if the situation was reversed. Actually, I'm sure he would do the same.
I completely trust my boys to do the really right thing.[11]
Not quite the way I envision the lads, but yeah--gotta love a Bodie who will jump to the dark side for his partner.[12]
I think it was a very interesting, but totally unbelievable and OOC, view of Bodie. Which makes it an interesting read, but not something that I see as a real B/D story.[13]
I think it *is* in Bodie's character - and that's not a criticism but is one of the things I love about him: the potential for ruthlessness and violence, the icy exterior which conceals so many possibilities for all kinds of extremes, and yet, yet, he is capable of loving Doyle above all else. And if the situation was reversed? I don't know about Doyle. I think he'd be really conflicted between the two 'right' things in his life: doing the right thing according to the everyday legalistic and philosophical norms of society i.e. not shooting someone in cold blood (especially a colleague) and doing the right thing according to the emotional norms of most people, but particularly Doyle, that you do your utmost to protect the interests of the one you love.[14]
Let me slip in here by saying I just read that story and I absolutely, totally loved it. Shoshanna, I thank you. I lvoe your writing, love your style.
It's a little hard to say anything intelligently objective about a story I liked so much. But I can think of a few things that particularly contributed to my enjoyment:
(1) The suspense. It was so clear from the beginning that whatever had happened had had a profound effect on Bodie and Doyle, that Cowley must never know, that the event was something they both found to terrible to contemplate, but that they had to deal with it. That was scary to anticipate.
(2) The ending was worthy of the suspense. In most stories like this, the event, when revealed, doesn't live up to its billing or the situation. Usually in such stories I get to the end and think, "But that wasn't so bad."
This was 'that bad' and I thought instead: "So that was the problem. Oh. My. God."
(3) In most stories with that sort of shock in them, there's something contrived about the set-up. Everything here made perfect sense: that they'd be in that situation, that Bodie would have to think fast, that there would be only one thing he could do. Not even a choice between the one person or the other: just one thing he could do, and that thing being absolutely unthinkable.
(4) One problem I sometimes have with 'nasty' stories is that they seem out of character. Bodie the psychotic, Doyle the sweet curly-haired thing with fangs and claws. That sort of thing.
Not here. Bodie, Doyle and Cowley were all perfectly as I picture them. Even the details of dialogue. Perfect.
(5) And the love relationship rang true in a totally unsentimental yet totally emotionally-involving way. [15]
References
- ^ comments at Virgule-L, quoted with permission (Apr 18, 1997)
- ^ from a 2005 comment at Crack Van
- ^ from a 2005 comment at Crack Van
- ^ from a 2005 comment at Crack Van
- ^ from a 2005 comment at Crack Van
- ^ In 1997 Michelle Christian posted the this review to the Virgule-L mailing list. It is reposted here with permission.
- ^ In 1997, Sandy Herrold had a different take on the zine. She posted this following review to the Virgule-L mailing list. It is reposted here with permission.
- ^ 2008 comments at CI5hq
- ^ 2008 comments at CI5hq
- ^ 2008 comments at CI5hq
- ^ 2008 comments at CI5hq
- ^ 2008 comments at CI5hq
- ^ 2008 comments at CI5hq
- ^ 2008 comments at CI5hq
- ^ comments at Virgule-L, quoted anonymously ( Apr 18, 1997)