Lookback Fic Bingo: 1983

[tinturtle]

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It's 1983. Michael Jackson is on the radio again. Here in the USA, the year's top film is Return of the Jedi. New terms coined include: 12-step, AIDS virus, beta test, breakdance, cell phone, cyberpunk, designer drug, empowered, gender nonconforming, green screen, information superhighway, liposuction, mosh, and nuclear winter.

For 1983, I read two Professionals fics. I had a couple more selected, but one of them turned out just not to be my thing, and the other persistently annoyed me until I gave up on it.

The first of the Professionals fics I did finish was Ars Gratia Artis by Oriole T. This fic is one of a type: a fairly short piece that puts the Lads in a novel situation in order to set up a sex scene. It was fine. The situation was amusing, and while the sex didn't interest me particularly, regular readers will know that that probably wasn't the fault of the writing. 5,080 words. Bodie/Doyle slash.

The second Professionals fic I finished, Tiger by the Tail by Lillian Shepherd, was more up my alley. It was a well constructed gen casefic with a lot of suspense and a vivid setting. It also had some good moments between the Lads toward the end. Their bond came through. On the downside, there were two OC children who figured prominently in the story. I didn't find them that annoying as characters, but I did get tired of their phonetically rendered dialect, which didn't play nicely with my TTS. Nevertheless, I enjoyed this fic very much. It was my favorite for the year. 21,111 words. Gen. Particularly recommended.



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)

1984
Black Sheep by HG (The Professionals; 11,397 words; slash)
Crying for the Moon by Fanny Adams (writing as Dargelos) (The Professionals x Starsky and Hutch; 8,227 words; slash)
Call It What You Like by Meg Lewtan (in Proslib) (The Professionals; 6,318 words; slash)

1983
Ars Gratia Artis by Oriole T (The Professionals; 5,080 words; slash)
*Tiger by the Tail by Lillian Shepherd (The Professionals; 21,111 words; gen)

* = Particularly recommended
[ ] = read but not counted toward the year's story total