Lookback Fic Bingo: 1980
Dec. 14th, 2025 12:17 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
tinturtleOkay. The past few days have been pretty bad mentally, and I've really been struggling to do these write-ups. Giving it another try.
It's 1980. Queen is on the radio. Here in the USA, the year's top film is The Empire Strikes Back. New terms coined include: differently abled, dis, ecotourism, electronica, high five, killing field, NIMBY, Usenet, voicemail, and yuppie.
For 1980, I read three fics: one Professionals fic, one Sherlock Holmes x Star Trek crossover, and one Man from U.N.C.L.E. x M*A*S*H crossover.
The Professionals fic was Brass in Pocket by Lainie Stone (available in Proslib). In this story, Doyle goes undercover to investigate drugs being supplied to a group of wealthy gay men. That plot was fairly straightforward; Doyle's emotional arc and the parallel plot concerning Bodie and Doyle's relationship were at least as important. I thought all three elements worked and meshed well, and I enjoyed the fic. There was also one scene I particularly admired and think I will find memorable. I was slightly confused about how the character of Charles ended up working with CI5, but that was a minor issue. 17,892 words. Bodie/Doyle slash.
The Adventure of the Missing Monolith by Eileen Roy is a Sherlock Holmes x Star Trek crossover in which Holmes investigates at the behest of Captain Kirk. I enjoyed the first part of this fic a lot. The Watsonian voice was good, there was good interplay between the characters, and the concept was interesting. The climax felt kind of hurried to me, though, so I enjoyed the latter part less. 10,292 words. Gen.
I also read A Time of Certain Solace, a Man from U.N.C.L.E. x M*A*S*H crossover also by Eileen Roy. In this fic, Illya encounters the M*A*S*H gang while on a mission to war torn Korea. The plot of this story was clever, and I thought the characterizations were good, too, though my knowledge of M*A*S*H is fairly slight and now many years old. I particularly liked the ending.
One thing that was a bit odd was a reference in Illya's thoughts to "work he'd done in World War II." David McCallum was 11 years old on VE Day, and it's usual practice in the fandom to give Illya the same birth date. When people don't do that, they almost always make Illya younger than his actor, as possibly the creators of the show intended him to be. Of course, in 1980 there may not have been such a thing as "usual practice in the fandom," but I still find the line a bit of a headscratcher. This was my favorite fic for the year anyway, though. 4,992 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)
1982
Again Blythe Spirit, or Gay Ghost by Mosby Singleton (The Professionals; 5,744 words; gen)
Solomon's Ring by Eileen Roy (Starsky & Hutch; 11,738 words; gen)
1981
Confessions of a Shutterbug by Jane (The Professionals; 32,105 words; slash)
Circle of Fire by Eileen Roy (Star Trek; 999 words; slash)
The Clone-Master by Eileen Roy (Star Wars; 833 words; gen)
Wish You Were Here by Sue Stuart (Starsky & Hutch; 7,491 words; gen)
1980
Brass in Pocket by Lainie Stone (in Proslib) (The Professionals; 17,892 words; slash)
The Adventure of the Missing Monolith by Eileen Roy (Sherlock Holmes x Star Trek; 10,292 words; gen)
*A Time of Certain Solace by Eileen Roy (The Man from U.N.C.L.E. x M*A*S*H; 4,992 words; gen)
* = Particularly recommended
[ ] = read but not counted toward the year's story total
It's 1980. Queen is on the radio. Here in the USA, the year's top film is The Empire Strikes Back. New terms coined include: differently abled, dis, ecotourism, electronica, high five, killing field, NIMBY, Usenet, voicemail, and yuppie.
For 1980, I read three fics: one Professionals fic, one Sherlock Holmes x Star Trek crossover, and one Man from U.N.C.L.E. x M*A*S*H crossover.
The Professionals fic was Brass in Pocket by Lainie Stone (available in Proslib). In this story, Doyle goes undercover to investigate drugs being supplied to a group of wealthy gay men. That plot was fairly straightforward; Doyle's emotional arc and the parallel plot concerning Bodie and Doyle's relationship were at least as important. I thought all three elements worked and meshed well, and I enjoyed the fic. There was also one scene I particularly admired and think I will find memorable. I was slightly confused about how the character of Charles ended up working with CI5, but that was a minor issue. 17,892 words. Bodie/Doyle slash.
The Adventure of the Missing Monolith by Eileen Roy is a Sherlock Holmes x Star Trek crossover in which Holmes investigates at the behest of Captain Kirk. I enjoyed the first part of this fic a lot. The Watsonian voice was good, there was good interplay between the characters, and the concept was interesting. The climax felt kind of hurried to me, though, so I enjoyed the latter part less. 10,292 words. Gen.
I also read A Time of Certain Solace, a Man from U.N.C.L.E. x M*A*S*H crossover also by Eileen Roy. In this fic, Illya encounters the M*A*S*H gang while on a mission to war torn Korea. The plot of this story was clever, and I thought the characterizations were good, too, though my knowledge of M*A*S*H is fairly slight and now many years old. I particularly liked the ending.
One thing that was a bit odd was a reference in Illya's thoughts to "work he'd done in World War II." David McCallum was 11 years old on VE Day, and it's usual practice in the fandom to give Illya the same birth date. When people don't do that, they almost always make Illya younger than his actor, as possibly the creators of the show intended him to be. Of course, in 1980 there may not have been such a thing as "usual practice in the fandom," but I still find the line a bit of a headscratcher. This was my favorite fic for the year anyway, though. 4,992 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)
1982
Again Blythe Spirit, or Gay Ghost by Mosby Singleton (The Professionals; 5,744 words; gen)
Solomon's Ring by Eileen Roy (Starsky & Hutch; 11,738 words; gen)
1981
Confessions of a Shutterbug by Jane (The Professionals; 32,105 words; slash)
Circle of Fire by Eileen Roy (Star Trek; 999 words; slash)
The Clone-Master by Eileen Roy (Star Wars; 833 words; gen)
Wish You Were Here by Sue Stuart (Starsky & Hutch; 7,491 words; gen)
1980
Brass in Pocket by Lainie Stone (in Proslib) (The Professionals; 17,892 words; slash)
The Adventure of the Missing Monolith by Eileen Roy (Sherlock Holmes x Star Trek; 10,292 words; gen)
*A Time of Certain Solace by Eileen Roy (The Man from U.N.C.L.E. x M*A*S*H; 4,992 words; gen)
* = Particularly recommended
[ ] = read but not counted toward the year's story total
