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Lifetime Fic Bingo: 1988
Today I drove between three and four hours on the highway to visit my mother. This was my first experience of highway driving beyond a couple of practice runs between consecutive exits. It went well, but I am tired out this evening. Nevertheless, I'm going to try to get this post finished so that I can move on to the next year's fics.
It's 1988. Guns N' Roses is on the radio. Here in the USA, the year's top film is Rain Man. New terms coined include: channel surfing, crop circle, emo, gangsta, Kuiper Belt, mommy track, mosh pit, platformer, queer theory, and road rage.
I read five fics from 1988: four Professionals and one Man from U.N.C.L.E..
The first Professionals fic was Night Moves by Courtney Gray, an AU in which Bodie is an expensive prostitute while Doyle is a CI5 agent. This isn't a set-up that immediately appeals to me, but "Lads as prostitutes" is a recurring theme in Pros fic, and a number of people were quoted on Fanlore speaking well of this particular story. I figured it would be a good addition to my historical survey.
The fic was okay. I found the AU premise believable enough and the story moved along smoothly, so that reading it never felt like a burden. The romance didn't seem very well motivated to me, though. In the end, I felt as if the main characters of the story had fallen in love because they were the main characters of the story more than for any other reason. Since the romance was very much the centerpiece of this fic, this was a serious flaw. 35,344 words. Bodie/Doyle slash.
The second Professionals fic I read was Rainbow Chasers by HG, a twin fic to Night Moves in which Doyle is a prostitute and Bodie is (eventually) a CI5 agent. I thought it might be interesting to compare these two fics that were released in the same year with inverse premises. I didn't end up having any bright thoughts about the two fics, though, except that neither one infantilized the Lad who was cast as the prostitute, which is something I thought might happen, especially to Doyle.
I enjoyed Rainbow Chasers more than Night Moves, though my enjoyment varied over the course of what is a very long fic. There was one part early on that I found unbearably silly. I almost quit at that point, but decided things could only improve, which they did. Soon absorbing, serious things began to happen, all well told. The plot did drag a little after the Lads got together (which is not a spoiler, surely). They spent what felt to me like too long being cozy and domestic before things picked up again. Naturally, your mileage may vary on that count.
As for the premise, I found it believable enough in this configuration, as well. Perhaps moreso, since HG provided much more background. I didn't feel that Doyle was quite the Doyle of canon. He was more irritable and didn't show as much desire to do good in the world (though I can think of some elements of his characterization that may have been a nod to that impulse). On the other hand, the alternate universe's Doyle had had a very different life, so it seemed reasonable to me that he would be slightly different. He was still recognizable.
Unfortunately, I finished this story very frustrated, because I was sure a portion had been left out when it was posted to AO3. At a certain point, characters started referring to events that had never been described or introduced.![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
f_m_parkinson checked her copy of the zine for me, though, and there was no missing text. Now I don't know what to think. Possibly some of the story was lost or incompletely removed when the circuit story was prepared for publishing as a zine? Who knows.
Despite its flaws, this is my favorite fic for 1988. 134,373 words. Bodie/Doyle slash.
I also read Patterns in Walls by Debra Hicks, a crossover between The Professionals and a short-lived TV show called Sable that ran for seven episodes in 1987 and 1988. I went so far as to watch two of those episodes to prepare for reading this fic. That was all I could stand; let's just say there was a reason this show was cancelled so quickly. In any case, those two episodes provided enough background to appreciate the fic. I enjoyed it quite a bit. The plot was not unusual or surprising, but the interactions between Bodie and the character Sable were interesting. The two had very different outlooks. 6,003 words. Gen.
The last Professionals fic for 1988 was Family Traits by Jatona Walker, a lighthearted story in which Doyle meets Bodie's family. It was insubstantial but amusing. 1,443 words. Bodie/Doyle slash.
Comments with spoilers:
Finally, I read the Man from U.N.C.L.E. fic Slippery Situation, also by Debra Hicks. I didn't like this much. It was porn with a sprinkling of plot and quite silly. 1,634 words. Illya/Napoleon slash.
Check out the Pros vid Hazy Shade of Winter by Ancasta, which uses a hit song from 1988.
Fics so far:
1986
Double Vision by Pamela Rose (The Professionals; 47,962 words; slash)
Begin Again by Lois Welling (Ann Barrister) (The Professionals; 1,318 words; gen)
*Night Before the World Ends by Lezlie Conch (Lezlie Shell) (The Professionals; 4,355 words; slash)
The Crab Apple Cove Affair by Charlie Kirby (The Man from U.N.C.L.E.; 2,301 words; gen)
*In the Belly of Leviathan by Pythia (original series Battlestar Galactica; 13,062 words; gen)
1987
The Never Too Late Affair by Debra Hicks (The Man from U.N.C.L.E.; 1,441 words; slash)
*The Traitor Within the Gates Affair by D. H. Bryn (The Man from U.N.C.L.E.; ~34,000 words; het)
Whisper of a Kill by Lois Welling (Ann Barrister) (The Professionals; 53,978 words; slash)
The Adventure of the Traitorous Lieutenant by Eileen Roy (Sherlock Holmes; 1,827 words; gen)
*Brothers in Arms by Anais (original series Battlestar Galactica; 4,099 words; gen)
1988
Night Moves by Courtney Gray (The Professionals; 35,344 words; slash)
Rainbow Chasers by HG (The Professionals; 134,373 words; slash)
Patterns in Walls by Debra Hicks (The Professionals x Sable; 6,003 words; gen)
a href="http://www.thecircuitarchive.com/tca/archive/17/familytraits.html" target="_blank">Family Traits by Jatona Walker (The Professionals; 1,443; slash)
Slippery Situation by Debra Hicks (The Man from U.N.C.L.E.; 1,634; slash)
* = Particularly recommended
It's 1988. Guns N' Roses is on the radio. Here in the USA, the year's top film is Rain Man. New terms coined include: channel surfing, crop circle, emo, gangsta, Kuiper Belt, mommy track, mosh pit, platformer, queer theory, and road rage.
I read five fics from 1988: four Professionals and one Man from U.N.C.L.E..
The first Professionals fic was Night Moves by Courtney Gray, an AU in which Bodie is an expensive prostitute while Doyle is a CI5 agent. This isn't a set-up that immediately appeals to me, but "Lads as prostitutes" is a recurring theme in Pros fic, and a number of people were quoted on Fanlore speaking well of this particular story. I figured it would be a good addition to my historical survey.
The fic was okay. I found the AU premise believable enough and the story moved along smoothly, so that reading it never felt like a burden. The romance didn't seem very well motivated to me, though. In the end, I felt as if the main characters of the story had fallen in love because they were the main characters of the story more than for any other reason. Since the romance was very much the centerpiece of this fic, this was a serious flaw. 35,344 words. Bodie/Doyle slash.
The second Professionals fic I read was Rainbow Chasers by HG, a twin fic to Night Moves in which Doyle is a prostitute and Bodie is (eventually) a CI5 agent. I thought it might be interesting to compare these two fics that were released in the same year with inverse premises. I didn't end up having any bright thoughts about the two fics, though, except that neither one infantilized the Lad who was cast as the prostitute, which is something I thought might happen, especially to Doyle.
I enjoyed Rainbow Chasers more than Night Moves, though my enjoyment varied over the course of what is a very long fic. There was one part early on that I found unbearably silly. I almost quit at that point, but decided things could only improve, which they did. Soon absorbing, serious things began to happen, all well told. The plot did drag a little after the Lads got together (which is not a spoiler, surely). They spent what felt to me like too long being cozy and domestic before things picked up again. Naturally, your mileage may vary on that count.
As for the premise, I found it believable enough in this configuration, as well. Perhaps moreso, since HG provided much more background. I didn't feel that Doyle was quite the Doyle of canon. He was more irritable and didn't show as much desire to do good in the world (though I can think of some elements of his characterization that may have been a nod to that impulse). On the other hand, the alternate universe's Doyle had had a very different life, so it seemed reasonable to me that he would be slightly different. He was still recognizable.
Unfortunately, I finished this story very frustrated, because I was sure a portion had been left out when it was posted to AO3. At a certain point, characters started referring to events that had never been described or introduced.
f_m_parkinson checked her copy of the zine for me, though, and there was no missing text. Now I don't know what to think. Possibly some of the story was lost or incompletely removed when the circuit story was prepared for publishing as a zine? Who knows.Despite its flaws, this is my favorite fic for 1988. 134,373 words. Bodie/Doyle slash.
I also read Patterns in Walls by Debra Hicks, a crossover between The Professionals and a short-lived TV show called Sable that ran for seven episodes in 1987 and 1988. I went so far as to watch two of those episodes to prepare for reading this fic. That was all I could stand; let's just say there was a reason this show was cancelled so quickly. In any case, those two episodes provided enough background to appreciate the fic. I enjoyed it quite a bit. The plot was not unusual or surprising, but the interactions between Bodie and the character Sable were interesting. The two had very different outlooks. 6,003 words. Gen.
The last Professionals fic for 1988 was Family Traits by Jatona Walker, a lighthearted story in which Doyle meets Bodie's family. It was insubstantial but amusing. 1,443 words. Bodie/Doyle slash.
Comments with spoilers:
This fic is a stealth Star Trek crossover.
Finally, I read the Man from U.N.C.L.E. fic Slippery Situation, also by Debra Hicks. I didn't like this much. It was porn with a sprinkling of plot and quite silly. 1,634 words. Illya/Napoleon slash.
Check out the Pros vid Hazy Shade of Winter by Ancasta, which uses a hit song from 1988.
Fics so far:
1986
Double Vision by Pamela Rose (The Professionals; 47,962 words; slash)
Begin Again by Lois Welling (Ann Barrister) (The Professionals; 1,318 words; gen)
*Night Before the World Ends by Lezlie Conch (Lezlie Shell) (The Professionals; 4,355 words; slash)
The Crab Apple Cove Affair by Charlie Kirby (The Man from U.N.C.L.E.; 2,301 words; gen)
*In the Belly of Leviathan by Pythia (original series Battlestar Galactica; 13,062 words; gen)
1987
The Never Too Late Affair by Debra Hicks (The Man from U.N.C.L.E.; 1,441 words; slash)
*The Traitor Within the Gates Affair by D. H. Bryn (The Man from U.N.C.L.E.; ~34,000 words; het)
Whisper of a Kill by Lois Welling (Ann Barrister) (The Professionals; 53,978 words; slash)
The Adventure of the Traitorous Lieutenant by Eileen Roy (Sherlock Holmes; 1,827 words; gen)
*Brothers in Arms by Anais (original series Battlestar Galactica; 4,099 words; gen)
1988
Night Moves by Courtney Gray (The Professionals; 35,344 words; slash)
Rainbow Chasers by HG (The Professionals; 134,373 words; slash)
Patterns in Walls by Debra Hicks (The Professionals x Sable; 6,003 words; gen)
a href="http://www.thecircuitarchive.com/tca/archive/17/familytraits.html" target="_blank">Family Traits by Jatona Walker (The Professionals; 1,443; slash)
Slippery Situation by Debra Hicks (The Man from U.N.C.L.E.; 1,634; slash)
* = Particularly recommended