Discovered in a Livejournal

Okay, I have a confession - my story isn't quite finished, so this is kind of a place-holder post. It would have been finished, except that about twenty minutes ago my other laptop, the one I was writing on, completely black-screened on me, and I lost the last five minutes of writing I'd done. So I had to mess around, and thank goodness got it to start up again and rescued the rest of my story and sent it fast to myself by email, but... now it's quarter to midnight, and not only do I not have time to finish before midnight, but I have work tomorrow morning, so... Waaaah!

So I have posted all but the last few paragraphs (which are only written in my head) below, and I really recommend that you don't read them yet! I will try and finish tomorrow, and then remove this header from the post so that you can see it's done and ready to read.

And I was having a perfectly good winter solstice day until that happened!

( Fic that's not finished yet - *headdesk* )

What a fun game for today's Discovered in the Wassail Bowl! tinturtle invited us to post our coloured-in pictures here to the comm, so that's what I'm doing. I wasn't clever enough to work out digital colouring, so mine is coloured in with pencils, and a couple of other bits and bobs. Unlike Doyle, I'm not sure I should have been artistic, but it was fun - thank you! *g*

Happy solstice everyone!

I'm on the non-lads' side of the world this year, where it's summer solstice, and so I'm posting early for a change (well, the sun's going to set here soon, but it's early by my usual standards).

This was an experiment - chaospuppy4537 asked me if I knew of any Pros AU Coffee Shop fics, and I couldn’t think of/find a single one. We talked about how it could only work in a modern setting, because they didn’t have that type of coffee shop back in the lads’ time, which meant they’d definitely be modern AU lads, and of course it got me thinking I might give it a try. So I did. I had a slightly longer plot than I had writing time of course. And whether I pulled off modern-lads who are still our lads is up to you to decide… or even the whole coffee-shop trope in general! I’m not convinced, but I hope it’s close enough to be okay. And if it’s not - sorry chaospuppy4537!

Coffee in Five
by Slantedlight

Monday
A cold grey fog had settled over London in the night, shrouding the Thames and clinging to skyscrapers, so thick in the air that Doyle was sure he could taste it. It tasted of the river, and the distant sea which had crept up to her overnight, touching her with salt and mingling with her sand and ancient mud. It settled in a thousand droplets over his hair, his clothes, his face, as he walked his lonely 5.00am path to work, and he pulled his jacket closer against the chill.

When he finally reached the door, the shop was just as cold and dark, as if sulking that it had been abandoned all night, everything cast in shadows and mysterious shapes by the streetlight outside, like something from The Third Man.

( That had been on the other night )

(Solstice pic by empty_mirrors aka Josey)

I'm hoping to make a proper post later today (possibly much later today...) but to start with - Happy Winter Solstice (and of course Summer Solstice for anyone down under *g*)!

It's still dark, as I write this at 7.29am, but the sun will rise soon on the shortest day of the year, and then it's all returning light after that! *g*

For this first post at the start of the shortest day, I have found some Winter Solstice stories, for a Winter Solstice Story List!

Holly Golly by Asymphototropic (in ProsLib)
In Hot Water: an Idyll by JM (in ProsLib)
The Longest Shortest Day by Slantedlight
Ordinary Magic: A Tale of the Winter Solstice by Mizelle (in ProsLib)
Perfect Alignment by Slantedlight
Red Christmas by Cassie Ingaben

This was just a quick search, and I'm sure there must be more, so please do suggest stories, and I'll add them to the list. And otherwise - happy reading! *g*

Happy Winter Solstice! And of course summer solstice, for some people. *g*

For the third year in a row I've not managed to finish my Big Story Project, but I can at least offer a littler Pros fic for you - one with the promise of sunshine to come!

The Loaded Gun
by Slantedlight
“You know, we could have been anyone,” Doyle said, gazing around them. “Insurance salesmen, brain surgeons…”

“Deep sea divers?” Bodie was too comfortable to move, the sand just right under his towel, arms stretched up and head cradled perfectly on his hands, the Spanish sun on his face as hot as it had ever been in Africa, but he opened his eyes and squinted up. The expanse of Doyle’s naked back stretched beside him, already tinged a warm old-gold. He was still sitting up, feet planted firmly apart, arms loosely clasped around bent knees, scanning the ranks of other holiday-makers splayed on the beach around them. Not just nosiness, Bodie thought, Doyle still hadn’t relaxed into their two weeks away yet, was still a little tense at the idea of not having his shooter with him in case they might need it. A little tense at the idea of what that shooter could do.

( No guns through Heathrow this time... )

Skater Boys
by Slantedlight
For firlefanzine

"Just get down there, he says." Doyle was practically spitting with rage as they walked past the rows of tiered seats to a - somewhat - quieter area. "Just blend in and keep an eye out, he says." He stopped abruptly enough that Bodie almost ran into him, plonked himself down on the wooden bench, and yanked one of his trainers off. “We’ve not had an afternoon off in weeks, and…”

Bodie sat down beside him and gave him a sideways glance before reaching down to unlace his own brogues. "Cool it, Ray," he suggested, without much hope. "We'll probably never lay eyes on the man. Jax and Benny'll pull him in the staffroom and we'll go home and..."

( With our luck? )
o0o

( Trailer )

It may not surprise you to hear that for the second year in a row I have failed to finish my Story Project in time to post for my Dialj day... I kept being hopeful, but as soon as I was back to work I knew it was probably not a goer... :(

But I have, of course, cobbled together some other things to post today! The first one is something a few people will have read, but I haven't posted it online yet. You'll need to wisk yourself back in time nearly two weeks (well, plus the forty-odd years to our lads' time in CI5)...

A Little Warmth at Christmas
by Slantedlight
Two o’clock, Bodie thought as chimes rang out in the downstairs flat, and all is well. Or at least as well as it could be with not a sign of Allan and his gang, the central heating off, and more draughts in this place than he’d had girls in his bed. Or blokes, he thought, because it seemed like he was always thinking about that again these days, and the reason was lying not two foot away, fast asleep.

They’d swapped shifts barely an hour ago, Bodie’s eyes gritted with not enough sleep for the last week, and Doyle seemed to have flaked out as soon as his head hit the floor. Ray’s eyes had been black with exhaustion, that cheek standing out sharply, and Bodie’d wondered if he looked as bad himself. He was still now, anyway, and Bodie hoped he was warm enough, because he’d stripped off his jacket to sleep, and just laid it over the grey wool blankets. They should have brought the sleeping bags, but there’d been no time, not after a twelve-hour shift leaping around after Billy Smith, and no one else free to set the place up for them. Christmas was turning out to be a busy time for CI5 this year.

( He tugged his own blanket... )

o0o

( Trailer information )

I'm cheating, I'm afraid, because I've been totally distracted by the bizarre scenes in Washington tonight, from finishing the fic I was going to post. I will finish it, and post it here before I go to bed... but it's going to take me slightly longer!

In the meantime, have one last shiny bauble while you're waiting...

For milomaus, who had a plot bunny.

Christmas Feast
by Slantedlight

They came together that night because neither of them had any other place to go. It was after 11pm on Christmas eve, and even the pubs were shut, everyone getting ready for a cosy night, for Father Christmas, and stockings and trees. Still hyped up on blood and adrenaline, Doyle hadn’t said anything when Bodie turned off the car engine outside his place, and claimed that was as far as he was going because his heating was off and he’d run out of booze.

They both knew that wasn’t why.

( Doyle took the stairs )



( Trailer )

Can't remember where I got this one from - annoyingly I've not recorded provenience (bad me...), but I like the way it describes the lads as staying in touch, and how nice MS is about LC. *g*
Martin Shaw, who as Doyle in The Professionals, portrayed one of ITV's roughest toughest, and staunchest guardians of law and order, has a reunion with his old partner Lewis Collins (Bodie in the series).
The occasion was a previous of a block-busting adventure movie, Who Dares Wins, in which Lewis stars as an SAS man.
"It was good to see Lewis again," he said. "In fact, it was a bit of a reunion of The Professionals all round. Ian Sharp, the director, has worked on The Professionals, as have a number of the technicians employed on the film.
"I thought that it was a great, action-packed adventure film, and a good break for Lewis. He gives a first-class performance.
"Would I have liked to been in it? Well that's a bit of an unfair question. Frankly I don't think that I would have been as good as Lewis in that role. Its much more suited to him than to me.
"It's not the kind of role that I am particularly looking for, but on the other hand who can honestly say whether they would have taken a particular role had it been offered to them, and had the money been right. I just don't know. I only know that Lewis has done very well, and I am very glad for him."

I've been very much anticipated in this I see, but Christmas day (lads' time) is free-posting-day again this year! Do feel free to post extra Pros-y treats to Discovered in a Box of Baubles today - it would be lovely to see them! *g*



And may your days and nights be filled with Pros-y cheer, of whatever kind best takes your fancy! *g*