CI5 hq

oh thank you! I couldn't resist applying my almost non-existent icon-making skills.

Looks like the lads were doing with their cars what they wanted to do with each other. parking as a metaphor for sex?

From:

madmogs.livejournal.com

I'm a Bodie. Words cannot express how deep my loathing for this fic is. Oh, it's well-written enough and the boys are (vaguely) recognisable from canon, but the central premise makes me want to stab knives through my computer screen.

Thing is, it's the author using the fic to prove Bodie (and by extension all the rest of the many, many people who hate, loathe and abhor valentines day) to be utterly wrong. That really this cynical, commercially-motivated fake festival is a wonderful thing because Doyle is courting Bodie in an OTT, stereotypical way (which doesn't consider Bodie's character, likes, preference or gender in the least).

I don't like fics that push agendas like that (particularly when they're agendas I don't agree with!) and this one is nowhere near well-enough written to make up for the schmoopy message.

Feh. I'm gonna go and read some darkfic now to take the taste away.

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I didn't see the same agenda as you. If anything I thought she was OTT in Bodie's rejection of all things Valentine, even holidays in general! And Doyle's efforts didn't actually work, just left him feeling increasingly embarrassed (and rightly so).

The premise seemed to me to be to write a fic about Valentine's day that would bring the lads together, while throwing in every Valentine's day 'tradition' on the way. I didn't get a strong feeling of whether the author genuinely liked Valentine's day. It seemed more like an exercise in writing (you'll glean from this I am not struck on the characterisation, esp. of Doyle).

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Oh, interesting - I totally didn't get that agenda either... I did think Bodie's reaction was pretty out of character - and the idea of Doyle doing any of that was even more out of character, and Valentine's Day isn't called a holiday here, and... just... gargh! The whole set-up was so American I wanted to cry (Valentine's in America is kind of fun, in a pink commercial kind of way, but not at all what it's like over here...) But I didn't get the agenda... *g*

From:

jgraeme2007.livejournal.com

For the record, it's not a "holiday" over here, either. And most people view it as painfully commercialized. Or do I belong to a misanthropic community? *g*

No, this was not in character for Doyle...but really Bodie wasn't believable either. Mostly Valentine's Day fics in Pros just don't work for me because I just can't see either lad being this mushy or sentimental. It's not only not British, it's not how tough guys behave. And whatever the lads are, they are certainly tough...blokes.

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Ha - just found a copy in Nudge, Nudge, Wink Wink 4, so I shall read it curled up in bed. I've read it before, but can't remember it offhand... I've got to say, I'm not usually big on the lads declaring themselves, so I hope they don't... *g*

From:

sc-fossil.livejournal.com

I read it for mindless entertainment, so it was fine. I can't say I'd run to read it again, but it sure isn't the worst fic I've ever read. It was just a Valentine's Day story. I like getting the lads together, so I was happy. But then, even though I don't celebrate Valentine's Day now that the kidlets are grown, I don't have the dislike of it that a lot of people do. And mush works for me. Much better than one of the lads raping the other. Trust me, I'll take the hearts and flowers any day. I prefer love to hate any day. But I'm silly that way.

Thanks!

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I'm glad you enjoyed the fic as mindless entertainment, probably wise.

"I prefer love to hate any day. But I'm silly that way." aww, that's not silly.

From:

scherwood

Hiya~ dropping by! *still writing like crazy*
Just wanted to thank you for posting this for me! *hugs*

And say that I love this silly, stupid, not quite in character, text about the lads. Because when you're feeling down and read this you suddenly feel much better.. well *I* do at least. It's one of my, it can only get better, fics. And I just love the beginning when Bodie's thinking about all the bad things about V-day. *giggle*

Well, anyway... I hope some of you enjoy this little fic. And personally, I don't take it too seriously, it's a fluffy fic after all. ;P

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Hi, lovely to see you. And my pleasure!

"It's one of my, it can only get better, fics." LOL! Doyle does get pretty anxious when it's all going wrong, but what did he expect? At least Bodie was maybe cured of his aversion to Valentine's day.

So glad to hear that you're busy working away - I hope you get a good grade for it.

From:

Valentine's day, just like Halloween, isn't really important over here. Some people are 'doing' it, most not. So I didn't knew that VD is provoking such strong feelings... ;-)

Right from the first sentence I can't see Bodie in this story.
He isn't the type to be angry about 'everything' – about a flower shop, the parking, February and Valentine's Day. He wouldn't make a fuss about something like that. And we've seen in the episodes that he absolutely 'uses' the power of flowers to calm down his girlfriends.
And Doyle surveying Bodie from afar is for me very unbelievable as well! And all the pressies...
I don't think that the story is funny - but I had to laugh about one of Doyle's reflections about his last girlfriend: "...but she hung on like many women seemed to, hoping for a change." LOL! What is HE doing? Everybody would run away crying, if a woman would behave like Doyle in a fic...

That all isn't too bad... - but nothing to reread for me.

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Hee - that's almost what I was saying at exactly the same time - you just beat me to posting! I don't think either of the lads would ever act that way - I can't see Doyle mucking around with all those secret presents and moping from afar either, not in a million years!

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One minute...! :-)

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"Valentine's day, just like Halloween, isn't really important over here. Some people are 'doing' it, most not." Here too I think you only have to 'do' it if you feel like it. In the past I would totally have agreed with

madmogs, I don't care for Valentine's day at all in RL, but I like it applied to Pros *if it is done well*. In this fic, things like Bodie trying to work out which of the other agents is playing a practical joke, or which of the CI5 women it could be, were quite funny (I mean, intended to be humourous too).

But otherwise I agree with you and

byslantedlight, neither of the lads would behave the way they do here.

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I've got to admit, this fic totally doesn't work for me - I think mostly because it's an American story with our lads shoe-horned into it. Valentine's Day isn't a "holiday" over here (which is extra annoying cos she's obviously made the effort to get other Brit-isms right!) and I just really really can't see either of the lads reacting to it the way that they do... Doyle would never use Valentine's Day as a way to show his love to Bodie, especially if he knew that Bodie hated it. But I can't see Bodie actually hating it either - he'd see it as a way to finally get some recalcitrant bird into bed at last, and he'd totally be boasting about how many flowers and cards and boxes of chocolates had been left for him... He enjoys life, so... I can see Doyle being grumpier about it, to be honest - he's got that social conscience going on, so it might have worked a bit better for me the other way around, but... Hmmn!

From:

Is Valentine's day a holiday in the US then? She probably meant it as in "high days and holidays".

I so agree with you about Bodie, I reckon he'd see Valentine's day as an opportunity, not a curse. And Doyle stalking Bodie? that was slightly weird. As was Doyle deliberately wearing different clothes to look attractive, considering part of his appeal is that he's not self-consciousness about his appearance.

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No, the thing is they mean different things to "holiday" than we do! As you say, an American holiday is as in "high days and holidays", whereas we mean holiday to be a day off work... So in the US, Christmas is "a holiday" whether you have it off work or not... and in the same way Valentine's day is a holiday... except that Bodie and Doyle aren't in America! *g*

And yes - totally agree about Doyle as well. He's got his own brand of following fashion through the eps, his look does change, but I can't see him deciding to "smarten up" for Bodie...

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When you said last night you were looking forward to curling up in bed with this, my little heart sank guessing the disappointment!

Re Doyle's look, I wondered if it was a response to how he changed over the series ('cos this is supposed to post-DiaG) - losing the curls, wearing tailored jackets - but that doesn't explain the black poloneck GR has him in (very pleasant though that image is).

In fact, when they sent their reports electronically to be printed in the computer room, I wondered just how long post-DiaG it was, but there were no other clues I could find to it being later than canon.

Edited Date: 2010-02-12 02:20 pm (UTC)

From:

moth2fic.livejournal.com

I loved it. Silly fluff that cheered me up! Especially after the recent diet of rape and dark fics that I seem to have found, which were not what I wanted for a gloomy February. No heavy agenda - just fun!

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Sorry to hear you're having a gloomy February. I do wish it would get warmer, but spring is in the air and soon it'll be time to dust off some springtime fics.
It has been a bit heavy recently, hasn't it? That sort of thing isn't to my taste either, I need people reccing it to make me read it at all.

(Thinks of recc that I have in mind for next week, not sure if you'd call it dark or not...)

From: (Anonymous)

I read it some months ago and forgot it half an hour later. It didn't annoy me, it was just indifference. I cannot imagine Bodie and Doyle in this situation, it's not their style. The real challenge would be both coming together on valentine's day, although both hate this day :). Brigitte.

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heh, some people really like a challenge! Are you volunteering to write this almost-impossible plot, hmmm?

From:

inlovewithboth.livejournal.com

I'm struggling a bit with this story, and I don't even know if I can explain why. I don't think I can see Doyle behaving like this, organising all those gifts and then being shy and sad about it. And although I'm a lover of slash, I'm not sure I can see Bodie reacting in that way either. It's sweet and well written, but it's not 'my' Bodie and Doyle, if you know what I mean?

From:

Know exactly what you mean. In some ways it's an easy read, but there are things that threw me out, like Doyle stalking Bodie, and the anachronistic intranet I mentioned above.

Thanks for dropping by anyway.

From: (Anonymous)

@ jaycat92 - sorry, no *g*. I'm fighting with language on every comment here on lj - there won't be an english story by me. I have some former fragments in german starting with Starsky & Hutch, I Spy, and it is just not good enough to post it. Bodie/Doyle is often in my head but really difficult to write. Believe me - I'm not engagingly modest, just realistic :). Brigitte.

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Nowadays I really wish I'd kept going to my German lessons!

From:

sc-fossil.livejournal.com

As an overall comment, I find it interesting that this sort of behaviour between the lads is soundly dismissed as silly, unimaginable, and trite. Yet a story with Bodie stalking Doyle, planning his death, raping him, etc. is found to be profound and indepth, an exploration of a character driven to the edge. I'll never understand it. Give me Doyle like this than Bodie as a rapist/murderer/psycho. Sorry, but we all have our tolerance levels, and I clearly have mine.

So why are people so turned off by love and so enamoured with cruelty?

I do enjoy a good discussion!

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It's not that!

"...that this sort of behaviour between the lads is soundly dismissed as silly, unimaginable, and trite."
It's (for me) only the quality of writing! - ahem... just the way I understand it as a foreign languager...
Coincidentally I've read All I Want For Christmas by Rebelcat right after Be Ma Valentine. And Bodie kisses Doyle under the mistletoe. You can call that trite too if you want. But there is a difference! There is also no death and raping around, but it has a lot in it about equal partners (I found it profound and indepth). And the rest of the story isn't funny, but written in a light tone I really like.
And just look at the story of Moth2fic right at the moment. It's also 'fluffy' - but I'm happy with it, wheras Gwyneth Rhys couldn't reach me, couldn't convince me.
The same with the fic from Callisto (Roses are Red, Doyle is Blue).

I'm definitely NOT "turned off by love and so enamoured with cruelty"!!!

It's always the writer/the writing that makes a story for me, not so much the 'plot'.

From:

moth2fic.livejournal.com

I shall take this as a 'comment' on my fic and I am glad you were happy with it. I wrote it before I'd read the Be My Valentine fic and then had a panic that it was too 'similar' (well, they're both about Valentine's Day and chocolates...) but I hope I managed to stay both fluffier and more in character.

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