The Gift of the Moggy

Bodie/Doyle Fanfiction
Title:	The Gift of the Moggy (The Professionals fanfiction)
Author(s):	The Hag
Date(s):	June, 2000
Length:	39K
Genre:	slash
Fandom:	The Professionals
External Links:	online at the Circuit Archive & Online at The Hatstand
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"The Gift of the Moggy" is a The Professionals slash Bodie/Doyle story written by The Hag.

It was originally published in the zine Discovered in a Letterbox Issue 14 in June, 2000. It was then revised and posted to The Circuit Archive on December 31, 2003. It's also in The Best of DIAL: 1997-2002.

Reactions and Reviews

Continuing with the lighter stories in Pros, I introduce you to The Hag. Her wit is unforgettable, her characterisation spot on, her style subtle. Her stories (mostly short stories) are always, always a pleasant read, creating a soft ambiance for CI5's hard men. In particular, The Hag always manages to write a believable environment and to sketch full-rounded supporting characters with only a few strokes. If you are looking for an intelligent, pleasant, humorous comfort read, this is the one. Oh, and The Hag can write the feline subject like no other ~g~

I always enjoy The Hag’s stories, she has a deft touch to her writing that makes her stories enormously enjoyable and amusing but also poignant and dramatic where they need to be. The Gift of the Moggy is no exception.

The story begins with moggy-next-door and Tiny Teddy sitting at Doyle’s doorstep begging a piece of bacon, something we’re led to believe is a common occurrence and that Moggy usually gets what she wants.

But not this time as Doyle is in a temper with both Moggy and Bodie and has just tossed Bodie out of the flat, telling him sarcastically to

"Go and have a good laugh with one of your bloody air hostesses!”

We don’t find out the reason for Doyle’s ill humour until halfway into the story and when we do it’s a very amusing tale involving Moggy and her attempted ‘training’ of Doyle to be a good mouser. You can’t really blame Bodie for laughing!

The story moves on at a brisk pace with many characters entering the scene who all have their say and there are many threads linking them all together...

[much snipped]

This is a charming story, probably predictable but beautifully written and with so much to like about it. The lads are completely in character and the OC’s well drawn and likeable and Moggy, of course, is a perfect delight with her cat’s eye view of the world and how everyone should fit into it. The last paragraph is priceless, I hope Bodie looks properly at his Easter egg before he takes a bite *g* and Ray may yet get his revenge for Bodie’s laughter at his expense:D I’m a little concerned for Moggy though, chocolate is toxic to cats after all;)

The only real drawback for me was that the story does rely perhaps too much on a set of not all that convincing coincidences - the next door neighbour just happens to be the sister of the man who steals Marge’s bracelet and everyone just happens to have a connection to Doyle. That didn’t really detract too much from the story for me though, I just sat back and enjoyed the ride I hope you did too.

Did you enjoy the story and if so what did you like most about it?

This is one of my favourite Pros stories. It's funny, it's gentle, it's the lads so in love, and it's just... a hug of a fic. *g*

Did you like seeing things from a cat’s point of view or was it a bit too over the top for you? I liked it! Which is quite unusual for me, as I'm not a huge fuss-about-animals person as a rule (I like them well enough, just don't fuss over them!), but I thought the world-as-seen-by-Moggy-next-door was very well done, and fit with our lads beautifully (most Pros-with-cats stories I've read don't - the lads wouldn't be there most of the time!)

Did the fact the story relies on so many coincidences affect your enjoyment of it? Not at all, I was too busy enjoying the gentle comedy and lads and love and all. *g* And for me that means a story's been done well, because I'm too enchanted by it to even notice things that might niggle at me otherwise. Besides, there's lots of coincidences in Pros, too... *g*

Given that it’s only Moggy who is observing Doyle and Bodie and there are several other pov’s do you consider this fic is a true third party view?

Well, it's not exclusively third party viewpoint, but unlike Moonlightmead's story from last week, we do find out more about the lads through the third party's eyes, so I think it fits into theme perfectly well. And I love what we find out too, all the things the lads wouldn't want anyone to know...that Bodie's territorial about his food, and that Doyle paints Bodie secretly when he's away... and that Bodie ...removed Rrrraaaayyy's bones too, stroking and thoroughly grooming him. *g*

Yes! Their love shines in the story without them having to use words to express it, its just there for all to see and that’s why I love this fic:D

I liked it! Which is quite unusual for me, as I'm not a huge fuss-about-animals person as a rule Moggy has a personality, which I think is why we can actually identify with her and almost forget she’s ‘just a cat’. And, she thinks of Ray as her kitten - who couldn’t like anyone who loves Ray?

Besides, there's lots of coincidences in Pros, too... *g* Very true and we ignore them;) If a story is well written and gets you involved you can forget/ignore such things as coincidence and, sometimes, inconsistencies, your enjoyment and the charm of what you’re reading carries you along in the story and makes it all believable.

And I love what we find out too, all the things the lads wouldn't want anyone to know... that Bodie's territorial about his food, and that Doyle paints Bodie secretly when he's away... and that Bodie ...removed Rrrraaaayyy's bones too, stroking and thoroughly grooming him. *g*

That’s what I like about the viewpoint too, the intimate look we get of the lads that no one else would see unless they were being voyeuristic or spying on them. Moggy is watching over her ‘kitten’ and her interest is innocent and non-judgemental but she sees it all and so do we and there is nothing prurient about it.

I enjoy The Hag's stories immensely, mostly because I love the way she writes banter between the lads. It is very reminiscent of the episodes and it makes me laugh out loud. I hadn't read this one for a while (okay, about two months) and was pleased to go back to it. For me, the best bits are the interaction between B&D, and I love Marge scaring Ray silly. I was pleased to see Housman popping up again *g*

The Hag definitely has the lads down pat, her banter is just right! I can see where you would find the switches in pov disconcerting, they did move around a lot. I don’t think it matters in the long run if the changing pov didn’t make it a true third party fic, it was just great to enjoy it:) The same with the coincidences as well and I agree, a writer is continually contriving a plot to fit in with what they want to write – sometimes even illogically! But if it works for the reader then that’s all that matters.

The Hag has such a way with words that I found this tale very endearing. She makes me believe every word. It's really delightful and I'd definitely rec it to others. I admit I'm not often able to read stories where it's told from some small cute creature's POV. I want my men in the story, and I like tough and rough and hard with a touch of tenderness in the quiet times. This story makes me smile

I don’t think I’ve read a story from The Hag that I didn’t like. She does indeed have a way with words and an ability to make you laugh and cry with the lads, you can’t ask for much more than that! Moggy’s personality makes the difference in this, I think. She is not really a ‘cute’ cat. She’s a predator and makes no apology for that. It’s her own unique view of the lads that makes it such a very, very appealing pov*g*

I so love this story FOR the Moggy´s pov!

It´s wonderfully written, I could hear any cat talk that way, funny and loving and full of mischief!

And the things she does are just so catty, and fit wonderful in the story and I don´t mind any coincidences at all!

It is a fun story and I agree, Moggy is the ultimate cat - everything she does is perfect cat behaviour and she really makes the story in a lot of ways:

I enjoy this story, which is weird, because I am not particularly a cat-lover. I'm not anti-cat, and will stroke them if they jump into my lap, but I don't understand why friends who do own them tell me hilarious tales about "that time with the mouse" or "you'll never guess where we found the other half of the slug" and think this will make me think "how cute".

I liked all sorts of things about it. I did like the cat's point of view, and her consistent interpretation of human behaviour in her own terms. Moggy's observations of the mutual, erm, grooming sessions - that line you quote is just fantastic. It's only short, but my gods, the picture's pretty detailed. The coincidences didn't bother me at all. I liked them, actually, and how carefully everything was related to everything else. I like connections. Although there are a lot to sort out. I confess, the first time I read it, I had forgotten all about the opening scene by the time we get to the explanation for it. I liked Becky and Joy very much. I love Marge - she's one female character that most Pros authors seem to have a soft spot for - and yes, I can totally see her freaking out over mice. I liked Doyle's present.

What I especially liked, looking again, was how controlled it all was, so that all the sections take you forward a little at a time, and they balance. None of them outweighs the rest. Despite the fact that in amongst light-hearted cat views on the "little fountain" and hunting, there's references to domestic violence, and the problems of being in the closet, and the trickiness of relationships, and then Just you breathing's all I need, Bodie had said once (*thud*). And it all holds together.

Third-party: I'm not sure. I suppose I tend to think of a third-party fic as almost exclusively from the point of view of that third party. So with that in mind, no. But then, sections of it certainly are. Hmm. Dunno :)

...there are so many layers to this story, it’s much more than just a light hearted look at the lads through the eyes of a moggy and the layers are quite intricate, very well handled and perfectly balanced, leading us seamlessly from one idea and character to the next. I actually found the review hard to do in a way because there was so much I could have commented on, so many nuances that could be highlighted and it was difficult to settle on a reasonable representation of the whole. I really like the way The Hag handles such issue as domestic violence and relationships in the story. They are there, they are real and they are a part of life without overly dramatizing them and she gives us the reassurance that the issues have/are going to be resolved – Maureen and Tricia throw Collum out and Cowley knows about Bodie and Doyle and its okay.

Moggy’s antics aren’t really cute as such, they’re actually quite bloody and although I love my cat I hate it if she catches anything live and kills it. Fortunately she’s very much a ‘house’ cat so I don’t have to contend with that very much! It’s the unique view of the world and the way Moggy interprets human activity and relates it to her own perceptions that make her and this story so amusing and the grooming scenes are really special:D

The point of view is a hard thing to call really. That we get such a very good look at the lads from Moggy’s point of view does kind of make it a third-party fic, especially as the cat plays such an important role in events. But in any case the fact we do see everything about the lads so clearly through her eyes probably makes us want it to be a third-party fic*g*

I love the story. I like the banter and the secure affection of it all. I like it when Marge turns up in stories - it's usually a sign of some fun and a happy ending.

I love the cat's pov not only of the lads but of their whole world. I love the way Tiny Ted is in some ways central to the tale and is considered to belong to Charlie, the cat, the kittens, and the thief! The cat's behaviour is so totally cat-like and is hilarious though of course quite serious to her. She wasn't to know chocolate is toxic and I do hope she didn't suffer. It's a measure of her 'reality' as a character that I cared!

There are coincidences throughout fiction as someone else has pointed out. I think a comedy story like this can get away with more coincidences than a sad story or a straight 'episode' plot. They are part of the humour - the author gently laughing at the way TV shows use coinicidence to make everything work properly in the course of an hour.

It counts as third party for me - someone else (or more than one someone else) looking at the lads from 'outside' and telling us about them.

It’s definitely a ‘keeper’! The banter and affection of the lads are real highpoints of the story for me, the way they really are so sure in their love for each other and so natural with it. Marge seems to have become quite a favourite with fanfic writers and it’s easy to understand why, she is a gorgeous character and you can do so much with her attraction for Ray and un-attraction for Bodie. I love the way she falls into Bodie’s arms in this one and he becomes a bit of a hero*g*

I agree about the coincidences. I noticed them but the humour and the charm of the story kind of negates them and yeah, I doubt they are any more obvious than the ones that crop up in the series all the time, it’s an interesting parallel to make with the series:D

I think all the characters became very real but especially Moggy, she reminded me of my cat – so sure of herself and utterly determined to do exactly what she wants to do!

Well, I did enjoy this story, but there were a couple of things I - well, didn't dislike, but was nonplussed about. One, Marge. I'm always nonplussed by Marge, though I realise I'm in the minority there. I do think she fitted very well in this fic, though. Two, the roses. I'll never believe that Bodie would buy Doyle flowers, or vice versa. I liked Doyle buying Bodie the new cricket gear a lot better.

I love the Hag's stories. She has the lads down perfectly and her stories are poignant and usually filled with gentle humor. I will confess that the only reason I read this story is because she wrote it. I don't care for animal POV stories.

Oh geez, was this the one where the you know who dropped the you know what into you know whoms you know what? People, don't read that one. Really. It's a killing fic. I scarcely avoided heart attack by laughter.

The cat-POV is so unique - especially all the expanations she comes up with for their behaviour. And the mousy-gift is just... I can't think of it without starting all over again. ;-)