The Turtle Jourtle

U is for Upon a Ring, W is for We Also Serve

Ziggy's Dilemma by Marmoset is a crossover between The Sentinel and Quantum Leap. It is an enjoyable fic, although I thought the dilemma of the title was a little underdeveloped. 8,827 words. Jim/Blair slash (but blink and you'll miss it).

The Rational Mind by copperbadge is a Sherlock Holmes fic in which Watson is troubled by nightmares of his wartime experiences. It is excellent. It has a perfect balance of emotions, and it engages seriously with both its historical setting and its characters. Its representation of Holmes is especially impressive. This fic also has a beautifully executed podfic by Thimblerig. 1,518 words. Holmes/Watson slash. Particularly recommended.

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O is for On the Cold Hill Side, Q is for Quack, J is for Just Another Step Forward

Mudlarks by tigrrmilk is another Mathey and Lynes story, which I actually read before my last multifandom post but forgot to include. It's a charming short fic in which Julian's work takes him and Ned poking around the shore of the River Thames. It was written as a Yuletide gift for byslantedlight, who is also a poker around in outwardly unpromising places. 1,437 words. Canonical Ned Mathey/Julian Lynes.

After so enjoying Eruv by imperfectcircle (see my last multifandom post), I decided to check out what else that author had written. One thing I found was It Was That Sort of Day, a fic based on Douglas Adams's Dirk Gently series. In this fic, the murders of three fish suppliers and a series of other unusual occurrences lead Dirk to a discovery. I didn't enjoy this story as much as Eruv. The imitation of Adams's style was skillful and there were some good jokes, but I could not make head or tail of the plot. The overriding reaction I was left with was "huh?". 1,861 words. Gen.

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Well, I've been sneaking Prosfic again. This time it was Poetry to Protect Us by The Hag (hagsrus), which byslantedlight contributed to the new Pros Fic Index entry on poetry. My favorite thing about this fic was the backstory it built for Ray's hair. The rest was enjoyable, too, though. There are good scenes covering a range of different moods, and the nonlinear structure of the story juxtaposes them pleasingly. The dialog between the Lads skillfully done, also. 10,106 words. B/D slash.

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A is for Arcadia, B is for Bare Ruined Choirs

I'd meant to finish filling my MFU fic bingo card before starting a new round of Prosfic bingo. I confess, though, that I have been sneaking some Professionals fics over the past couple of weeks. And if I'm doing that, I may as well post about them before I forget the details.

The first Pros fic I read after finishing my last bingo round was The Fool's Journey by MJ, which is a crossover between Pros and the comic series Hellblazer. I actually went and read an anthology of Hellblazer comics before reading this fic, partly for background and partly based on MJ's enthusiastic recommendation in the fic's introductory notes. I'd never read any comics before, so that was an interesting experience. I liked some of them, and may continue with the series at some point. I have a friend who also recommends them highly. The fic itself didn't make a very deep impression on me. It was okay, but I don't think it quite pulled off the task of meshing fictional universes that is so essential for a successful crossover. 11,200 words. B/D slash.

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Today I finished The Chicago Affair by Nataliya, which lee_the_t brought up in my my recommendation thread for long MFU fics.

In The Chicago Affair, Illya and Napoleon are sent to obtain the cooperation of a scientist who has been sharing his research with Thursh.

I have mixed feelings about this story. I started reading it weeks ago and quit in annoyance over what I felt was a contrived and implausible plot development. Since the recommendation came from an author whose work I enjoy, however, I decided to give the fic another chance. It did improve and included some interesting conflicts later on. The plot development that annoyed me still feels silly, though. 20,132 words. NS/IK slash.

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Today on LJ, grey853 posted the exciting news that The Professionals can now be streamed on a free service called Tubi. I went over to check it out and found the following description of the show:

"Welcome to Criminal Intelligence 5, a British anti-crime unit where two agents accept assignments to stop a series of vicious deviants."

Deviants! Eek! That word made me laugh, since that's what the Lads are in any slash story, by the lights of the time in which the series is set. They are virtuous deviants, though. Usually. Sort of.

So watch Pros with your slash goggles on to see two passably virtuous deviants stop a series of vicious deviants.

And now, my final entry for this round of Prosfic bingo...

The Uses of Adversity by izzie7 addresses some of Cowley's feelings and their consequences. It was an unusual and interesting fic. I think, though, that it would have been stronger without its last couple of scenes, which didn't feel as if they really related to the story's main theme. 6,090 words. B/D slash.

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I have three short fics to add to my card today.

Yesterday was Easter, so I read an Easter fic: Fox's Wedding by The Hag (hagsrus). This is a contemplative piece that follows Cowley's thoughts as he takes time to attend church on Easter Sunday. I like a good Cowley fic, and this one interprets his character well. There is one aspect that I wasn't quite convinced by, but I still enjoyed the story. 1,126 words. B/D slash.

Today I read Gargoyles by Brenda, from the archives of the Prosfanfic group. In this fic, Doyle has his own thoughts in a church when his memory is stirred by the architecture. I'm not sure what I think of this one. It's well written and the characterizations are good, but I found it unsatisfying. Perhaps I wish it had explored its theme a little more. On the other hand, the fact that it didn't may have been part of the point. 1,971 words. Gen.

Quinquireme of Nineveh by fiorenza_a is a slightly-older Lads fic. I've read it before, but it definitely merits rereading. The writing is beautiful, and it packs a powerful emotional punch. (To the kidney, I'd say. *g*) 1,533 words. Gen.

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Wolf in the Fold by bardicvoice tells two connected stories, one about an op during which Bodie encounters an old acquaintance and a second about their past interactions. It's an enjoyable fic. The scenes during the op are suspenseful, and those from Bodie's past are believable and affecting. There are a couple of points where the fic feels a shade didactic, but only a couple. 11,847 words. Gen.

Based on the summary, one of the inspirations of this fic seems to have been the question, "How can high school dropout Bodie quote Keats, when we never see him with a book?" I've never found that much of a puzzle; "La Belle Dame sans Merci" was in my anthology of poetry for children. I like the bit of backstory this fic comes up with to account for it, though, and find it more plausible than many other fics' explanations. [Not that I don't enjoy fics where Bodie is an active reader of poetry. Numberless Dreams by Corvidology comes to mind. (I recommend that story, but be aware that series it is part of was never finished.)]

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The Long Trick by fiorenza_a has been on my list of fics to read for a long time, and I have finally gotten to it. This fic tells two parallel stories: one about Doyle, who has disappeared without explanation, and one about Bodie, who has been left behind. It is a very good fic, with many satisfying character insights, an interesting plot, and nice writing. I found some of it hard going emotionally, and I wish there had been a little more detail toward the end, but I enjoyed it a lot overall. 39,610 words. Gen.

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