Million-Word Challenge: A is for The Afterlife of Doctor John H. Watson, A is for Adagio...

[tinturtle]

S is for Survived By, C is for Can't Answer That Question, Sir, F is for Foray, Z is for The Z-7 Affair, R is for The Rest of the Affair



Hello again, esteemed readers. It's hard to believe it's been nearly six weeks since my last challenge post. I was in a strange state of mind for most of April and didn't read any fanfic for nearly a month. I've been back at it over the past few days, though, which I'm glad of. As I've said before, it is a healthy activity for me.

(Some of the fics I have to write up today, I read before my recent break, and my memories of them are not as sharp as I'd like. Still, I'll do my best to report on them accurately, if perhaps briefly.)

The Afterlife of Doctor John H. Watson by flawedamythyst is a Sherlock Holmes story in which Watson dies and becomes a ghost. This fic is really excellent both in itself and in the way it interweaves with the Holmes canon. It gets a little bleak in places, but that is really its only flaw. 31,103 words. Holmes/Watson slash. Particularly recommended.

Adagio by Sebastian is a Professionals fic that I reread at the beginning of April so that I could participate in the reading room discussion at ci5hq. It is primarily a relationship fic, with some case elements. I liked it overall. I did have a little trouble following parts of it because of the rapidly shifting emotions of the characters. As I've written elsewhere, though, I think that's a Turtle thing and not the fault of the author. 25,001 words. Bodie/Doyle slash.

Survived By by Linda Cornett is a Man from U.N.C.L.E. fic. timemidae recommended it in a thread I started about MFU fics people love despite features they don't usually enjoy. (This was the counterpart to my threads on the Professionals comms about favorite gen fics. *g*)

I admired this fic's craftsmanship and found its unusual plot intriguing, but it didn't grab me as it evidently does Timemidae. 4,425 words. Het with Napoleon/Illya slash.

Can't Answer that Question, Sir is a Professionals fic by castalia. castalia is responsible for my least favorite fic in this fandom, which is why I was browsing her(?) work. It seemed fair to try out some of her other stories. I liked this one much better. 1,280 words. Gen.
Comments with spoilers:

I found the open ending a little frustrating, though. Bring on the tragedy, but I do prefer things wrapped up tidily.

foray by dangerousinlove is a short fic based on the Sharpe series of historical novels by Bernard Cornwell. I have never read any of these, but I watched a YouTube video discussing them and was made curious. The vidder praised their ability to put readers into the minds of people from the past, with their different ways of thinking. That sounded interesting and I wondered how it would play out in a slash fic (because of course I did). This is the fic I found. Perhaps predictably, though, I had difficulty connecting with it as someone not familiar with the characters. And this one didn't have any particular examination of the attitudes of people from the early 19th century. It seemed fine, but didn't end up interesting me. 1,236 words. Sharpe/Harper slash.

I returned to reading longer works with The Z-7 Affair by pfrye23, a Man from U.N.C.L.E. fic. I'm afraid I didn't like this one much. It was...weird, and the writing style didn't appeal to me. It started with Z, though! 13,643 words. Gen.

The Rest of the Affair by daylyn is a Sherlock Holmes fic set during the canon story "The Adventure of Charles Augustus Milverton". I had started a number of R fics that I turned out not to enjoy, so I decided to look to my Beloved Collection, where I found this fic. I didn't like it as well as I remember doing the first time, but it was well done overall. I have a bit of a kink for period-typical homophobia, which was an important element here.

Regular readers will not be surprised to hear that the sex scene at the end of this fic ran on a bit too much for my taste. I did admire the way it was written, however. I have no idea how an actual Victorian would write M/M sex, but the author maintained a style that felt period-accurate and avoided obvious anachronisms. 17,134 words. Holmes/Watson slash.

Letters I've Satisfied: #, A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, K, L, M, N, O, P, R, S, T, U, V, W, X, Y, Z

Total Points: 844
#: 5 points
1991 by SkyborneVeggies (1 point; The Man from U.N.C.L.E.)
4 Vignettes With No Kissing & 1 Ex-Yacht by captain_starcat (2 points; The Man from U.N.C.L.E.)
1918 by rabidsamfan (1 point; Sherlock Holmes x Lord Peter Wimsey)
4 People Who Saw and 1 Who Observed by nottoolateforthegame (1 point; Sherlock Holmes)
A: 85 points
*All the Kasha They Could Eat by Jest (7 points; The Man from U.N.C.L.E.)
*After the World Went Awry by teaspoonnebula (22 points; Sherlock Holmes)
*The Afterlife of Doctor John H. Watson by flawedamythyst (31 points; Sherlock Holmes)
Adagio by Sebastian (25 points; The Professionals)
B: 19 points
*The Bronze Metal Lover by stew (15 points; The Professionals x The Silver Metal Lover)
Brave Little Rabbit by jj_minerva (2 points; Raffles)
Blind Man's Bluff ? by fiorenza_a (2 points; The Man from U.N.C.L.E.)
C: 24 points
*Cold War, part of the Dirty Computer series by jat_sapphire (1 point; The Professionals)
A Christian Perspective on Slash Fiction by Marnie (2 points; meta)
The Cost of the Erection: Slash and Gayness by Executrix (2 points; meta)
The Curly-Toed Boots of Justice by McSwain! (1 point; meta)
Coming Home by shadowycat (17 points; Sherlock Holmes)
Can't Answer that Question, Sir by castalia (1 point; The Professionals)
D: 15 points
*Dreamed That Man Was I by Taliesin (14 points; The Man from U.N.C.L.E.)
Dream a Highway by marginalia (1 point; Pancho and Lefty)
E: 23 points
*The End Where We Begin by Ingu (21 points; The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (movie))
Every Time You Bleed by SummerKnight717 (2 points; Marvel)
F: 33 points
*The 'Fine and Private Place' Affair by Taliesin (32 points; The Man from U.N.C.L.E.)
foray by dangerousinlove (1 point; Sharpe series)
G: 45 points
The Gyptian Caravan Affair by Taylor Dancinghands (20 points; The Man from U.N.C.L.E. x His Dark Materials)
*The Gemini Factor by Russ (25 points; The Professionals x Who Dares Wins)
H: 94 points
*The House of Silk by Anthony Horowitz (94 points; Sherlock Holmes)
I: 60 points
Island Innocents by Glen Fiddich (54 points; The Professionals)
*If I Should Die Before I Wake... a short A-Team fic by Tessa54 (1 point; The A-Team)
*Into the Light of a Dark Black Night by lomelinde (5 points; The Professionals)
J: 7 Points
Jungle Book by Sebastian (2 points; The Professionals x Tarzan)
Just a Kiss by Sebastian (5 points; The Professionals)
K: 22 points
The King Must Die by murphybabe (22 points; The Professionals)
L: 30 points
*Lefty Sings the Blues by MirrorMasque (3 points; Pancho and Lefty)
An unnamed fic starting with L (27 points)
M: 26 points
*More Deaths Than One by Taliesin (24 points; The Man from U.N.C.L.E.)
Monkey Suits With Satin and Lace by Joana Dey (2 points; The Professionals)
N: 19 points
The Not Exactly Affair by dancingpony (2 points; The Man from U.N.C.L.E.)
No wonder, no wonder by regshoe (1 point; Willy o Winsbury)
*No Lothario by Francesca (5 points; The Sentinel)
Never Say No Strings by Barbara Thomas (9 points; The Professionals)
New Age Woo by Mab_Browne (2 points; The Sentinel)
O: 18 points
Once and Future by oliviacirce (2 points; Winter Solstice, Camelot Station)
On Track by ML Mead (3 points; The Professionals)
*Ours But to Do by Bardicvoice (7 points; The Professionals)
The Other Tenant by tweedisgood (6 points; Sherlock Holmes)
P: 58 points
*Portman Square by afterism (5 points; Raffles)
Purgatory by PR Zed (1 point; The Professionals)
*Professional Dreamer by Pamela Rose (52 points; The Professionals, inspired by American Dreamer)
Q: 2 points
Quaint by kathkin (2 points; Doctor Who)
R: 19 points
Rift by MonkeyBard (1 point; The A-Team)
*Run, Rabbit, Run by PR Zed (1 point; The Professionals x Blade Runner)
The Rest of the Affair by Daylyn (17 points; Sherlock Holmes)
S: 47 points
*Spiderweb by Cord Smithee (12 points; The Man from U.N.C.L.E.)
*The Singing of Many Wires by teaspoonnebula (18 points; Sherlock Holmes)
The Steppes of Central Asia Affair by Taylor Dancinghands (13 points; The Man from U.N.C.L.E. x His Dark Materials)
Survived By by Linda Cornett (4 points; The Man from U.N.C.L.E.)
T: 18 points
*Time-Crossed Lovers by Jane Carnall and Ann Johnson (2 points; The Professionals)
*These Layers of Charnel Air by Slantedlight (16 points; The Professionasl)
U: 17 points
*Unit I, Series LYA: Press to Activate by Orockthro (3 points; The Man from U.N.C.L.E.)
Untitled by Russ (2 points; meta)
Under the Jewelled Sky by regshoe (12 points; Raffles)
V: 32 points
Voyages of the CI5 by hutchynstarsk (32 points; The Professionals)
W: 87 points
*Wicked by Cord Smithee (4 points; The Man from U.N.C.L.E.)
Walking Wounded by Linda S. Maclaren (2 points; The Professionals)
Winter Solstice, Camelot Station by John M. Ford (1 point; Arthurian legend)
*Written in the Blood by methylviolet10b (2 points; Sherlock Holmes)
*Written in the Mind by methylviolet10b (17 points; Sherlock Holmes)
Written in the Bone by methylviolet10b (16 points; Sherlock Holmes)
*The Waters and the Wild by Slantedlight (44 points; The Professionals)
What Happened to the Thunder and Lightning Brigade by Slantedlight (1 point; The Professionals x Back to the Future)
X: 6 points
Xander Harris, Greek God by Vacillating (1 point; Buffy the Vampire Slayer)
An unnamed fic starting with X (1 point)
An unnamed fic starting with X (1 point)
An unnamed fic starting with X (3 points)
Y: 21 points
An unnamed fic starting with Y (21 points)
Z: 13 points
The Z-7 Affair by pfrye2 (13 points; The Man from U.N.C.L.E.)

* = Particularly recommended.