Oh gosh, what an interesting discussion. What makes the lads the lads? I guess that most of us come to fic from watching the show left right and sideways, so in fic I am seeing LC and MS as the base for the characters they brought to life, and I need to hear the same voices with the same dialects. The next bit Ms Moat has put very nicely - Bodie's loyalty and self-sufficiency, living by his own code. Doyle's integrity. Their toughness. This is perfect, as then fics that use this and spin off from it intrigue me - if Bodie's loyalty to Doyle/CI5 is questioned, then how does he react? If someone or injury makes him less than self sufficient, what happens? If someone doubts/challenges Doyle's integrity, how does he react? If their toughness is questioned/challenged/compromised, what happens then? I tend to enjoy most fics that play with things like that.