Lookback Fic Bingo: 1985
Apr. 22nd, 2025 02:21 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
tinturtleI enjoyed the first step of my Old and New Project, but I couldn't resist another year-by-year game. So here is the first post of Lookback Fic Bingo. I may end up alternating the two.
It's 1985. Katrina and the Waves are on the radio. Here in the USA, the year's top film is Back to the Future. New terms coined include: attachment parenting, AZT, beatboxing, biodiversity, intifada, IP address, latte, mixtape, n-word, and trendoid.
For 1985, I read three Professionals fics.
First was Dead Bluff by Linda S. Maclaren (Mackie) and Gina Martin. This is a gen case story in which Bodie and Doyle must track down an unknown villain with a grudge against them. I liked this fic quite a bit. It had good pacing and created suspense successfully. It also depicted a strong bond between the Lads, especially near the end, which is important in any Pros fic. Another thing it did was explain briefly some things that any Pros fan would know, such as who Bodie, Doyle, and Cowley are and what CI5 is. I assume this is because it was published in a multimedia zine (Media Rare #1). It's something I've noticed some other fics from this era do, as well, presumably with the same reason. These days the whole Internet is one big multimedia zine, but I guess the assumption is that anyone seeking out Pros fic is familiar with the show or can at least Google it. This was my favorite fic for the year. Particularly recommended. 22,900 words. Gen.
Next I read Hyperion to a Satyr by Sebastian, a slash fic that chronicles Bodie and Doyle's sexual and emotional relationship over a period of years. I liked this, too. The relationship was engaging, and I thought the Lads' characterizations were believable overall (though there was one point I was a bit unsure about). The fic also had modest levels of angst for a fic by Sebastian, which is what I was in the mood for. She can deliver industrial quantities when she chooses.
Ann Holly appears in the story, and I did have hesitations about her characterization. She's unsympathetic, and while that is standard in Pros fic, I've never been sure it is justified by canon—I found her a bit blank, but not really unlikable.
I also found the third-person omniscient point of view in this fic a little disorienting. That is probably just because third-person limited is so much more common in fanfic, however. 14,716 words. Bodie/Doyle slash.
Comments with spoilers:
I also read Dark Side of Eden by Sharon F (identified as Anonymous 1 on the Circuit Archive). This is a short fic relating some of Doyle's thoughts about his relationship with Bodie. It's okay. Like Madrigal, who is quoted on the fic's Fanlore page, I found all the ellipses a bit much. There are also some touches that feel a bit off tonally. On the other hand, there are many emotional beats that do land. 705 words. Bodie/Doyle slash.
Fics so far:
1985
*Dead Bluff by Linda S. Maclaren (Mackie) and Gina Martin (The Professionals; 22,900 words; gen)
Hyperion to a Satyr by Sebastian (The Professionals; 14,716 words; slash)
Dark Side of Eden by Sharon F (The Professionals; 705 words; slash)
* = Particularly recommended
[ ] = read but not counted toward the year's story total
It's 1985. Katrina and the Waves are on the radio. Here in the USA, the year's top film is Back to the Future. New terms coined include: attachment parenting, AZT, beatboxing, biodiversity, intifada, IP address, latte, mixtape, n-word, and trendoid.
For 1985, I read three Professionals fics.
First was Dead Bluff by Linda S. Maclaren (Mackie) and Gina Martin. This is a gen case story in which Bodie and Doyle must track down an unknown villain with a grudge against them. I liked this fic quite a bit. It had good pacing and created suspense successfully. It also depicted a strong bond between the Lads, especially near the end, which is important in any Pros fic. Another thing it did was explain briefly some things that any Pros fan would know, such as who Bodie, Doyle, and Cowley are and what CI5 is. I assume this is because it was published in a multimedia zine (Media Rare #1). It's something I've noticed some other fics from this era do, as well, presumably with the same reason. These days the whole Internet is one big multimedia zine, but I guess the assumption is that anyone seeking out Pros fic is familiar with the show or can at least Google it. This was my favorite fic for the year. Particularly recommended. 22,900 words. Gen.
Next I read Hyperion to a Satyr by Sebastian, a slash fic that chronicles Bodie and Doyle's sexual and emotional relationship over a period of years. I liked this, too. The relationship was engaging, and I thought the Lads' characterizations were believable overall (though there was one point I was a bit unsure about). The fic also had modest levels of angst for a fic by Sebastian, which is what I was in the mood for. She can deliver industrial quantities when she chooses.
Ann Holly appears in the story, and I did have hesitations about her characterization. She's unsympathetic, and while that is standard in Pros fic, I've never been sure it is justified by canon—I found her a bit blank, but not really unlikable.
I also found the third-person omniscient point of view in this fic a little disorienting. That is probably just because third-person limited is so much more common in fanfic, however. 14,716 words. Bodie/Doyle slash.
Comments with spoilers:
The part I was unsure about was Doyle falling in love with Bodie after six weeks' working partnership and one night of good sex. Seems a little precipitous, but I suppose he's also shown falling quickly for Ann in canon.
I also read Dark Side of Eden by Sharon F (identified as Anonymous 1 on the Circuit Archive). This is a short fic relating some of Doyle's thoughts about his relationship with Bodie. It's okay. Like Madrigal, who is quoted on the fic's Fanlore page, I found all the ellipses a bit much. There are also some touches that feel a bit off tonally. On the other hand, there are many emotional beats that do land. 705 words. Bodie/Doyle slash.
Fics so far:
1985
*Dead Bluff by Linda S. Maclaren (Mackie) and Gina Martin (The Professionals; 22,900 words; gen)
Hyperion to a Satyr by Sebastian (The Professionals; 14,716 words; slash)
Dark Side of Eden by Sharon F (The Professionals; 705 words; slash)
* = Particularly recommended
[ ] = read but not counted toward the year's story total
