Reparations (Professionals story)
| Bodie/Doyle Fanfiction | |
|---|---|
| Title: | Reparations |
| Author(s): | Susan Douglass |
| Date(s): | 1990 or before |
| Length: | 13 pages |
| Genre: | slash |
| Fandom: | The Professionals |
| External Links: | Reparations |
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Reparations is a Bodie/Doyle Professionals 13-page story by Susan Douglass.
It is a response fic to the controversial story Consequences.
It was printed in The Hatstand Express #21 and is online.
Author's Comments
[1991]: The idea of "looking glass" or "mirror" version/of our boys holds great interest. When I wrote REPARATIONS, which is my CONSEQUENCES sequel, I saw this Bodie as a "mirror" Bodie (but NOT your "looking glass" Bodie). I don't see the real Bodie as a rapist. But I've seen too many fanfic constructs of Bodie which have distorted him just about out of recognition. This fanfic "mirror" Bodie is obsessively jealous, capable of sexual assault, capable of drawing a wife or lover (of either sex) into an abusive, battering type of relationship. I don't really see this in the Bodie of the episodes, so my explanation of the "mirror" Bodie's conduct in REPARATIONS (and by inference, in CONSEQUENCES) was that he suffered from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder from events in Africa. He was a "split personality." My "mirror" Bodie was so unpleasant to write about that I have no other plans to write anything further about him. I'd MUCH rather write about a Bodie who shows compassion and tenderness. [1]
[1992]:A word on what you said about 'battered wives' syndrome'. I wrote 'REPARATIONS', which goes into this issue. I know a perfectly strong gay man who was a 'battered spouse' so to speak for 12 years, until he literally escaped the man who was continually beating him. There is a new book (I forget the name) which treats the issue of battered gay men. Perfectly 'macho' men can become victims, given certain circumstances. Now, I normally don't see Bodie and Doyle going into an abusive relationship, or either one of them tolerating it for very long. 'REPARATIONS" is a sequel to 'CONSEQUENCES'; my sequel posited that the 'CONSEQUENCES' scenario could only take place within the 'battered spouse' syndrome. I had to do something about the sickly-sweet, Doyle-forgives-his-rapist sequels where they all lived happily ever after (talk about unrealistic!). I do not accept either portrayal in 'CONSEQUENCES'
as 'canon* in any way, so the characters in 'REPARATIONS' are not 'canon' either. [2]
Fan Comments
I should think that most B/D fans have read or heard of the story CONSEOUENCES and its many sequels, most of which have Doyle forgiving and going back to the man who raped him.
REPARATIONS is the most realistic and believable sequel to CONSEOUENCES I've come across so far. It is set about a year later than the original story, and features a much undermined Doyle, lacking in confidence and self-respect. Bodie has ground the spirit out of him. Doyle is also having trouble at work, and Cowley suspends him and orders him to see Dr Ross, who realises that something drastic is wrong and half guesses what it is. Caught between his violent relationship with Bodie and Cowley's less than understanding attitude Doyle almost tells Ross everything, but doesn't only because he is called away in an emergency.
The Dr Ross in this story is portrayed with more sympathy than she usually is in fanfiction. The story as a whole is not a happy one, but the journey Doyle makes is steady. There is light and hope there for him at the end, though the same can't be said of Bodie. You’re left feeling by the last page - what is going to become of Bodie?
I recommend this story to anyone who said to themselves after reading CONSEQUENCES that Doyle wasn't that stupid, that he wouldn't go into that sort of destructive relationship. [3]
References
- ^ from Short Circuit #4 (January 1991)
- ^ from Be Gentle With Us #6 (1992)
- ^ from Be Gentle With Us #2