What Stories Hooked You in to the PROS Fandom?

[starlite876.livejournal.com]

This November is my first anniversary since joining the PROS fandom. I thought I would share the two stories which made me fall in love with the PROS fandom, and I'm curious to know what stories hooked others into the PROS fandom.

 

I discovered PROS via the DVDs (which I originally purchased for my dad as his 2009 Xmas gift). The temptation to open the DVDs and watch them was too great and so I did a bad thing and actually opened the boxset and started to watch the DVDs … and, you guessed it… dad did not get the DVDs for his Xmas!

Since the TV series started with Bodie and Doyle already as partners for a couple of years, I was searching on the net for 'origin' or early partnership stories. The story which hooked me to the fandom was Gil Hale's 'Where I can Cross Over'. The story is a partnership (with a touch of hurt/comfort) story where Bodie and an injured Doyle are on the run. This is a gen story, but you could read the story as pre-slash. What comes through in this story is the belief that your partner will always stand by you no matter what, and will come and save you.

The second story which hooked me was msmoat / PFL's Ringing in the Changes, which I discovered on the Circuit Archive.  Again this is a partnership story which details the lads relationship through a number of Christmases. Long and sometime angsty, I read this in one sitting one morning at home when I was suppose to be working on a project for work. I love the characterisations of both Bodie and Doyle, and the slowly developing relationship as the story progress, and this is the story which hooked me onto the slash stories (and to PFL's stories).

So do you remember which stories hooked you into the PROS fandom?  

 

Comments

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

The first Pros stories I ever read, having googled to see which other Pros eps were available on dvd (all of them, yeay! *g*) were Kitty Fisher's stories, over at her own website (http://www.devinemadness.com/kittyfisher/pros.htm). And that was how I discovered fandom and slash in general too... *g*

From there I think I found stories over at the_safehouse, and found that there were people out there not just writing stories, but interacting with each other about it, and that alot of the writing was very very good indeed. And that was me sorted for reading material for the next few years! *g*

ETA - and happy anniversary! *vbg*

[starlite876.livejournal.com]

I have to say that the PROS fans at the LJs and at the Yahoo! Groups are the loveliest and friendliest people. Questions from newbies (ie me) posted to the communities are always answered by everyone.

It took me a long time to actually looked at the resources links on both the Circuit Archive and on the Hatstand (too busy reading the stories to click on other links), and only when I clicked on these resources did I discovered the LJ communities, the Yahoo! Groups, and of course the Proslib CD.

I am looking forward to years of reading !

[lukadreaming.livejournal.com]

The first Pros story I found was Brenda Antrim's Full Circle, which is Doyle/Cade. I read it furtively in an internet cafe and felt very flushed *g*.

[starlite876.livejournal.com]

I haven't read this one yet *makes note to look it up*. I've read a couple of Bodie/Cade (but who really was Doyle) stories but not Doyle/Cade so this would be interesting.

[siskiou.livejournal.com]

Happy anniversary! :)
I've loved Pros since its original run (in German, for me), but had no idea that fanfiction existed until a few years ago.
I was reading a lot of Sentinel gen stories then, and came across Lois R. Balzer's Pros section.
After that, I searched for more, came across several mailing lists and the circuitarchive...
Not sure what I read first. It was like a dam had broken, and the urge to read was unstoppable. I hardly noticed that I was reading slash all of a sudden. It just felt right for Bodie and Doyle.
The first AU that made me understand the lure of that genre was Harlequin Airs.

[starlite876.livejournal.com]

It was like a dam had broken, and the urge to read was unstoppable. I hardly noticed that I was reading slash all of a sudden.

You described exactly how I felt with reading PROS!

I was only reading the gen stories at first (and Lois R. Balzer's Bisto Kids stories are one of my favourites which I re-read often) when I searched for more PROS stories which led me to the Circuit Archive, and from there I could not stop reading, and like you did not realise these were slash stories.

Because there are so many PROS stories, in the beginning I was make a deliberate choice of not reading certain stories (AUs, crossovers, etc) but recently I find myself trying some of the different genres (AUs, Regency Romances), and its fascinating to see how Bodie and Doyle are written in these stories.

[callistosh65.livejournal.com]

For me it was Rosemary's epic Catch a Fallen Star (http://www.thecircuitarchive.com/tca/archive/15/catcha.html) which convinced me to start hanging around at the Circuit Archive.

Happy Anniversary!!

[starlite876.livejournal.com]

A long and angsty story... took me a couple of times before I could finish Catch a Fallen Star. But the themes of partnership and hurt/comfort makes it worthwhile.

I love your stories as well, especially 'He was Catched' from the zine 'Never Far Apart 2'.

[callistosh65.livejournal.com]

Thank you! Long and angsty has always done it for me. After I read that I discovered Angelfish, PFL, PRZed, Ellis Ward.. and have never looked back really.

[firlefanzine.livejournal.com]

For me it was a German het story - I don't suppose you need the link? :-P

The first slash story I remember was Phoenix Rising by PR Zed. It was heartbreakingly beautiful.
Then there was no way back! Reading Pros became an obsession... A nice one! :-)

[starlite876.livejournal.com]

Do you think babelfish could translate properly the text from German into English? *g*

It does feel like an obsession sometimes, but yes, a very nice one!

I like PR Zed's work (especially her 'Comfort and Joy' series), but can't remember this one, so I shall look for it on the Circuit Archive for my next story to read.

[probodie.livejournal.com]

OH gosh, this is difficult. I'm trying to remember, to be honest, although I do think it was Joana Dey's A Struggle in Choices which I found heartmelting and just utterly divine. I'm afraid I was lost from then on in :-))

[starlite876.livejournal.com]

She does writes some really heartbreaking work.

I think I remember reading one of her story in one of the gen Yahoo! Group and then discovered a slash version on the Circuit (under a totally different title and author name)!

[probodie.livejournal.com]

Ah right. Well, I dont do gen so I wouldnt know about that, to be honest. But I do like the longer slash she does.

[sc-fossil.livejournal.com]

I don't remember the first on line story I read but the first zine I bought was Arabian Nights by Pam Rose. I read it and knew I was in luv. *bg*

[starlite876.livejournal.com]

'Arabian Nights' was one of the first AUs I read when I decided I should try some AU stories. Glad I did, it convinced me that Bodie and Doyle in AUs could work!

[merentha13.livejournal.com]

My first intro to Pro's came when I was wandering around Josh Lanyon's website and found a review of Sebastian's "Et in Italia Ego". I fell in love with both characters immediately and went looking for more. (I blame Mr. Lanyon for my current addiction! *g*) My second story was Rob's "Waiting to Fall". Being in the U.S. I wasn't able to get the DVDs (until my son recently showed me how to make my laptop play Region 2 DVDs!)so all my "knowledge" of Bodie and Doyle came from fan fiction. Now that I can watch the DVDs (I'm in the middle of season 3), a lot of what I read in the stories makes more sense. Happy Anniversary to you! (Mine comes up in January!)

[starlite876.livejournal.com]

I have to admit I have never finished Rob's 'Waiting to Fall'. I know it's a classic and a must read, but it's just so long. I will have to make an effort to finish reading since there have been several discussion on ci5hq.

I'm glad you are finally getting to watch the DVDs. Here in Australia, our free-to-air tv station has been playing the series three nights a week, and my favourite episode "Discovered in a Graveyard" will be shown later in the week, so I will be reading all the post DIAG fics this week.

[purple-pirate.livejournal.com]

I'd been a Pros fan when it first transmitted, but what turned me onto slash, and brought me back to Pros, was reading Kitty Fisher's Rainy Night in Soho. It remains one of my favourites. The cover on No Holds Barred #02 is awesome, too.

[starlite876.livejournal.com]

I haven't read this one... so I shall put it on my list to read. It's on the Circuit so at least it is easy to find!

[constant-muse.livejournal.com]

Thanks for sharing your anniversary! It's interesting to look back and think about life before and after falling for Pros, and I enjoy hearing about how others got into it.

I knew Pros from when it was first on TV, but had never heard of fanfic, slash or fandom until 2008. The first Pros fics I came across were in online zines by Oblique Publications (http://www.oblique-publications.net/oblique.html). Most of those quite heavy going (M. Fae Glasgow), so the fic that really hooked me was "Dance While You Can" by Alexandra, because that was how I wanted Bodie/Doyle to be.

[starlite876.livejournal.com]

Alexandra has written some lovely PROS stories. She is one of my favourite PROS authors.

[krisserci5.livejournal.com]

I was a xover with The Sentinel. I asked who those other dudes were and some kind soul sent me "When the Heat Cools Off" so I joined Pro-Lit in 2002 and the the Circuit archive. The first story that came across was Mating Season by Anne Higgins. And someone recced Echo by Ellis Ward.

I have been here since and still find the lads exciting.

[starlite876.livejournal.com]

Have you read Gil Hale's "In a Land of Shadow"? It's a Sentinel/Professionals crossover.

I recently read Echo by Ellis Ward. I did not think I would like it because it was an AU and Sci-fi story, but the story was written really well, and I can understand why it was highly recommended in LJs and Yahoo! Groups.

[msmoat.livejournal.com]

Oh, hey, you've made my day (on a day I needed it *g*)--thank you! I'm so pleased that Ringing in the Changes worked that well for you. I love origin stories, too--how this whole relationship that fascinates me started.

Which stories hooked me? I...don't know. It was the fiction that hooked me, as I had stories before I had (4th generation) video tapes--by about a month or so. (I did see two episodes first, at a con, so really I saw them first, but I had stories to read at home, and no tapes). The first story I ever read was Rosemary's "His Reply", and then I had a couple of stories in multimedia zines that I can't remember, but...I kept returning to them. And then I got a few episodes on tape, and then joined the (then) email library and started getting five stories a day in my email. At work. Not a productive time for me. *g* And I fell in to obsession.

[starlite876.livejournal.com]

But it such a *good* obsession... *vbg*

Isn't it interesting that some of us PROS fans fell into to the fandom without seeing the tv series first. The stories must have been really well written to hook us into the fandom.

[metabolick.livejournal.com]

About 6 years ago I was in another fandom and an acquaintance pointed me to "one of the most amazing things" she'd ever read. It happened to be book 1 of "The Hunting" by Jane. I read it and was intrigued enough to google and found the (old) Circuit Archive. I looked up other fics by that author and read "Rainy Days" (which still holds a special place in my heart). At that point I didn't even realize that it was based on a tv show (uneducated Yank that I am). I googled more and found Proslit. I also came across Dave Matthews' website where I saw still photos of the lads and couldn't see what all the fuss was about. So I posted a query on Proslit and 3 different generous fans sent me tapes of eps. That's when I finally did see what all the fuss was about! You really have to see the lads in motion and hear them speak to appreciate their appeal.

[starlite876.livejournal.com]

Another fan who fell into the fandom without seeing the tv series first!

Jane has written so many different types of stories. I'm so envious of the fans who were around when the Nut Hatch was still publishing and able to purchase many of Jane's stories.

[intradependency.livejournal.com]

Helen Raven's Cook and the Warehouseman, June 8 2010. I even immortalised the even with a blogpost. *g* At that stage I had no idea the story was fanfiction, then I realised Helen had other stories with these Bodie and Doyle characters. I googled Bodie/Doyle, found this picture (http://www.stickymanpress.mediawood.net/DB_8x10_smack.jpg) (Jun 10, 2010), following which I found out the lads were real (so to speak), and marathon-viewed the whole series within a fortnight.

Then it was Asymphototropic's Contrary Virtue and her backlog of tales that inspired me to sneak out of lurking status and get a little more involved in the fandom.

[starlite876.livejournal.com]

Asymphototropic's Contrary Virtue is fantastic. She is one of my favourite writers that I return to time and time again.

57 episodes watched within a fortnight ... I'm impressed!

[miwahni.livejournal.com]

It wasn't fanfic per se that pimped me into this fandom, rather it was the book Enterprising Women which discussed Pros, and kindled my interest; in September 2006 to be exact. I'd seen a few eps way back when the show first aired in the 70s and was mildly interested, but reading that book made me want to see what all the fuss was about. I can't remember which fic was my first, though I know I devoured everything by Sebastian in my early days.

[starlite876.livejournal.com]

The book looks really interesting (I had a quick browse on Amazon). I hadn't realise there were actually published books on fandom and fan fictions!

[miwahni.livejournal.com]

It's totally worth the read, as is Henry Jenkins' Textual Poachers.

[cloudless-9193.livejournal.com]

The first stories I read were Callisto's which I think is one of the best ways to start. I just happened to discover her and Izzie's website http://www.callizz.org

[starlite876.livejournal.com]

Callisto's and Izzie's website is one that I often visited as well. They both write fantastic PROS stories.

[gideonbd77.livejournal.com]

It's been years since my first Professionals fanfiction, but if I remember correctly, it was Blood Still Cries by Debra Hicks, a major Bodie hurt/comfort story (and yeah, well-written hurt/comfort is one of my favourite genres). From there, I scoured the internet for more Bodie/Doyle stories and found the Circuit Archive and pretty much went nuts. *grin*

[starlite876.livejournal.com]

It's so rare to find well written Bodie hurt/comfort stories. This is one that I re-read often.

[m31andy.livejournal.com]

For me it was Saints and Miracles (http://www.thecircuitarchive.com/tca/archive/4/saintsand.html) by Jack Reuben Darcy. Then I read The Tangled Web (http://www.thecircuitarchive.com/tca/archive/4/thetangled.html) and I was utterly in love!!!

Happy Anniversary!

[starlite876.livejournal.com]

I absolutely adore The Tangle Web. I don't remember if The Chief was ever shown here in Australia, so I don't actually know much about the show, but I have always found it interesting reading the Bodie/Cade stories.

[snailbones.livejournal.com]

Hey! Happy anniversary - and of course, many many happy returns!

I can't remember which fic started me off, but I do know it Was All Mab's Fault. It often is though *g* ::waves at mab_browne:: I think it was something by Angelfish though, so probably All These Years. Hmmm, now there's something I haven't read in ages... *g*

[starlite876.livejournal.com]

Thanks *g*

Angelfish's Painted Angels written for The Professionals "CI5 Box of Tricks" Big Bang Challenge is what I am currently reading at the moment.

[snailbones.livejournal.com]

I haven't even got that far with my BB reading yet - you're way in front of me!

[the-other-sandy.livejournal.com]

For me, it was reading All These Years by Angelfish, the Cards on the Table series by Georgina Kirrin, and Heat by Lainie Stone all in the space of about a week. I might have been able to pull back after reading just one of them, but the onslaught was just too much to resist. ;-)

[starlite876.livejournal.com]

Another Angelfish fan! I've read some of Georgina Kirrin's stories but not Lainie Stone. I think her stories are on the CD, so I'll put Heat on my reading list.

[saintvic.livejournal.com]

It is weird but thinking back I really can't remember a specific story or two, TBH I remember reading everything I could get my hands on in as short a space of time as possible...............and then rereading them all over again *g*.

[starlite876.livejournal.com]

That's how I was in the first couple of months... just read anything and everything that the Circuit Archive random generator was showing me. I had no idea who the authors were then, and basically if I liked a story from an author, I would then read everything that the author had written and available on the Circuit.

[(Anonymous)]

I'm an S&H fanfic reader and found my first Pros fic through an S&H crossover. 'Odds Against', by Tasha, on an S&H site. From there, I started searching out Pros fanfic. I've been hooked ever since.