Lifetime Fic Bingo: 2003
Click to viewIt's 2003. Outkast is on the radio. Here in the USA, the year's top film is The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. New terms coined include: binge-watch, dad bod, eggcorn, flash mob, level up, manscaping, muffin top, SARS, Skype, and unfriend.
For 2003 I read five fics: two Professionals and three Man from U.N.C.L.E..
The first Professionals fic was The Small Rain by 0ftgx (istia), in which Cowley and some of his agents shelter in a monastery during bad weather. This story was unusual, with an interesting take on the characters. It made me sad, though, when I didn't want to be sad, so I didn't really enjoy it that much. 3,804 words. Bodie/Doyle slash.
Comments with spoilers:
[Spoiler (click to open)]This is also a Bodie/Cowley story, or almost so. The author didn't add that tag, however, so I think she might have viewed it as a spoiler. I think Cowley's deciding not to pursue a relationship with Bodie is very plausible. His reasons are not made explicit here, but personally, I don't think he would consider it honorable to have a liaison with a subordinate. The risk it would pose to CI5 would also deter him, I think. As for Bodie, the implication that he wants to be needed was intriguing. I don't think I have run into that explicitly before. I will have to think more about it.
I also read the Professionals fic A Pugnacious Angel by Gil Hale. In this story, Bodie, Doyle, and Murphy are on a case in a seaside town in late December. I liked this very much. As in Gil Hale's other fics, the bond between Bodie and Doyle comes through strongly. There are also some convincing angst, some danger, some hurt/comfort, and a little backstory for Bodie. I'll be reccing this next Christmas. 14,485 words. Gen. Particularly recommended.
I Took It For a Faery Vision by Taliesin is a Man from U.N.C.L.E. fic. It frustrated me. It's a perfectly good mixed casefic and first-time narrative, and it's quite funny in places, but I wanted more platonic cuddling. The story starts with platonic cuddling only to develop, as I said, into a first-time narrative, which I found unreasonably disappointing. In short, this fic is fine, but it fell foul of my weird liminal-relationship kink. 12,419 words. Napoleon/Illya slash.
[ETA: There is nothing wrong with sex in fic, of course, and I read a lot of it. I tend to find it hard to connect with, though, and as I alluded to above, I have a fascination with liminal relationships that exist somewhere between friendship and erotic love (though of course the boundaries of both of those are very culturally dependent).]
The Man from U.N.C.L.E. fic Small Distances by Lee_the_T is also fine. It's a straightforward slash amnesia fic, enjoyable if you enjoy the genre, which I do. 9,241 words. Napoleon/Illya slash.
I also read Half Truths, another Man from U.N.C.L.E. fic by Lee_the_T. This one is much more of a standout. It's hard to describe much of the plot without spoilers (or what I think are spoilers-I struggle a bit with the concept). I enjoyed it a lot, though, and it was my favorite for the year. 34,674 words. Napoleon/Illya slash. Particularly recommended.
Comments with spoilers:
[Spoiler (click to open)]This is a "you're not a good enough actor" fic, in which one partner is sent undercover without the other's knowledge because the other must be seen to believe their cover story and someone thinks only a genuine response will be convincing. I've read quite a few fics that use this trope, and all of them have been excellent. I don't find the trope very plausible, however. The characters involved are professionals, and in many cases there also seems more danger of the one partner blowing the other's cover by blundering around trying to understand what's going on than by subpar acting. Still, I'm happy to suspend that disbelief for a good story.
If you liked this post, please press the heart button!
Fics so far:
1986
Double Vision by Pamela Rose (The Professionals x Who Dares Wins; 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. x M*A*S*H; 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)
Family Traits by Jatona Walker (The Professionals; 1,443 words; slash)
Slippery Situation by Debra Hicks (The Man from U.N.C.L.E.; 1,634 words; slash)
1989
In From the Cold by cybel (The Man from U.N.C.L.E.; 9,454 words; slash)
Nothing in Common by cybel (The Man from U.N.C.L.E.; 3,033 words; slash)
The Zippity Do-Dah Affair by Alys (The Man from U.N.C.L.E.; 934 words; slash)
*[From 1982: Looking Glass World by Felicity M. Parkinson (The Professionals; 22,758 words; slash)]
...And Memories Die, Part I by Ellis Ward (The Professionals; 26,340 words; slash)
*[Hell Hath No Fury by Jane Carnall and Ann Johnson (The Professionals; 2,958 words; gen)]
The Price of a Soul a Professionals fic by Jane Carnall and Ann Johnson (The Professionals; 2,194 words; slash)
[From 1986: Two Up by Jane of Australia (The Professionals; 8,013 words; slash)]
[Two Up Truly Queered by Jane Carnall (The Professionals; 2,360 words; slash)]
1990
*The Long St. Crispin's Day by C. W. Walker (The Man from U.N.C.L.E.; 19,765 words; gen)
*One Small Step by Lori Beatty (The A-Team; 5,713 words; gen)
Nor the Leopard His Spots by M. Fae Glasgow (The Professionals x EastEnders; ~15,000 words; slash)
*...And Memories Die, Part II by Ellis Ward (The Professionals; 46,161 words; slash)
*Absent Friends by Jane Carnall and Ann Johnson (The Professionals; 692 words; slash)
1991
*The Seventeen Days in October Affair by Terry L Neill and J. M. D’Agostino-Toney (The Man from U.N.C.L.E.; 14,854 words; gen)
*The Devil's Attic Affair by C. W. Walker (The Man from U.N.C.L.E.; 28,968 words; gen)
The Lion of Ngambo Affair by C. W. Walker (The Man from U.N.C.L.E.; 23,087 words; het)
Free Trader by Debra Hicks (The Professionals x Star Trek TNG; 26,454 words; slash)
Legacy of Temptation by Ellis Ward (The Professionals; 100,794 words; slash)
1992
What Price Honor? by Debra Hicks (The A-Team; 4,105 words; gen)
*The Surfin' and Spyin' Affair by Jennifer Adams Kelley (The Man from U.N.C.L.E.; 11,650 words; gen)
Bonding by Stew (The Professionals; 22,241 words; slash)
Some Say the World Will End in Fire by Jane Mailander (from Proslib) (The Professionals; 5,410 words; slash)
*Floral Arrangement by M. Fae Glasgow (The Professionals; ~13,000 words; slash)
1993
*Nothing Left to Lose by Jane (of Australia) and Madelaine Ingram (The Professionals; 33,529 words; slash)
*The Blue Figurine by Courtney Grey (The Professionals; 29,960 words; slash)
Step We Gaily by M. Fae Glasgow (The Professionals; ~13,500 words; slash)
Guardian Angels by Baravan (The Professionals; 13,408 words; slash)
The Adventure of the Strange Visitor by Quordle (Sherlock Holmes x Blake's 7; 7,903 words; slash)
1994
Bounty by Jane (of Australia) (from Proslib) (The Professionals; ~31,000 words; slash)
*Baiting the Trap by DVS (The Professionals; 2,758 words; slash)
Love is Wealth by Gloria Lancaster (The Professionals; 13,387 words; slash)
Survival by Melanie Athene (The Professionals; 10,916 words; slash)
*Brighton Memoirs by gardenerhill (Sherlock Holmes; 5,530 words; slash)
1995
Sex, Lies and UNCLE by Anne Higgins (Part I, Part II) (The Man from U.N.C.L.E.; 51,540 words; slash)
Knife-Edge by HG (The Professionals; 6,141 words; slash)
You Dancing? You Asking? by Gloria Lancaster (The Professionals; 6,323 words; slash)
*Summer's End by Alexandra (The Professionals; 71,090 words; slash)
Memoirs of a Merc by Alexandra (The Professionals; 13,457 words; slash)
1996
The Beddgelert Affair by PR Zed (The Man from U.N.C.L.E.; 9,413 words; gen)
*Brief Candle by Suzan Lovett (The Man from U.N.C.L.E.; 22,698 words; slash)
*Festival of Lights by Dorinda (The Professionals; 3,454 words; slash)
Dance While You Can by Alexandra (The Professionals; 5,091 words; slash)
*Hacking Away at the System by sockii (The A-Team; 23,986 words; gen)
1997
*To Live in Interesting Times by Taliesin (The Man from U.N.C.L.E.; 19,657 words; slash)
*My Dinner with Angelique by Linda Cornett (The Man from U.N.C.L.E.; 4,251 words; gen)
If Memory Serves by Alexandra (The Professionals; 7,101 words; slash)
Predators by Jennifer Lyon (The Professionals; 32,232 words; slash)
After the Battle by LRH Balzer (The Professionals; gen)
*-Learning the Bisto Code (10,195 words)
-Three Men and a Bodie (8,390 words)
-Scissors (21,249 words)
1998
*Firewalls by Elespeth Leigh (The Professionals; 14,518 words; slash)
*Sufficient Unto the Day by Taliesin (The Man from U.N.C.L.E.; 2,657 words; slash)
Confidences by Taliesin (The Man from U.N.C.L.E.; 4,106 words; slash)
*The Uncertainty Principle by C. W. Walker (The Man from U.N.C.L.E.; 20,145 words; slash)
*Partners by Patricia J. Foley (The Man from U.N.C.L.E.; 46,824 words; slash)
1999
That Look by Amanda Warrington (The Professionals; 36,359 words; slash)
Firestorm by Elspeth Leigh (The Professionals; 21,278 words; slash)
Rules by PFL (The Professionals; 14,444 words; slash)
Hombathlay by Jane Mailander (The Professionals x Watership Down; 8,555 words; slash)
*Roots of the Present by N. L. Hayes (The Man from U.N.C.L.E.; 6,683 words; gen)
2000
Where I Can Cross Over by Gil Hale (The Professionals; 11,628 words; gen)
*Remember Me by Gil Hale (The Professionals; 25,630 words; gen)
True Minds Trilogy by Lanning (The Sentinel; slash)
*-[From 1999: True Minds (40,670 words)]
-[From 1999: Small Company (35,833 words)]
-Many Waters (31,026 words)
Unsleeping by Martha (The Sentinel x H. P. Lovecraft (works); 99,337 words; gen)
[From 1999: The Genesis Affair by Bill Koenig (The Man from U.N.C.L.E.; 16,828 words; gen)]
The Mirage Affair by Bill Koenig (The Man from U.N.C.L.E.; 15,468 words; gen)
2001
Angel Unaware by Legion (Sherlock Holmes x Quantum Leap; 29,371 words; slash)
*The Kamikaze Affair by LeeTheT (The Man from U.N.C.L.E.; 15,227 words; gen)
*The Man from Yesterday by Darklady (The Man from U.N.C.L.E.; 86,194 words; slash)
*In Balance With This Life by mazzysue (The Professionals; 4,422 words; slash)
*Fire Held High and Away by Miriam Heddy (The Professionals; 24,196 words; slash)
2002
Remission of Sin by nickovetch (The Man from U.N.C.L.E.; gen; 13,487 words)
*Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea by Anonymous (Sherlock Holmes; slash (maybe); 2,971 words)
*Sorry, Bodie by Gil Hale (The Professionals; gen; 3,260 words)
In His Sights by Luca (The Profressionals; slash; 939 words)
*Verity by KerrAvonsen (The Sentinel x The Matrix; gen; 35,486 words)
2003
The Small Rain by 0ftgx (The Profressionals; slash; 3,804 words)
*A Pugnacious Angel by Gil Hale (The Profressionals; gen; 14,485 words)
I Took It For a Faery Vision by Taliesin (The Man from U.N.C.L.E.; slash; 12,419 words)
Small Distances by LeetheT (The Man from U.N.C.L.E.; slash; 9,241 words)
*Half Truths by LeetheT (The Man from U.N.C.L.E.; slash; 34,674 words)
* = Particularly recommended
[ ] = read but not counted toward the year's story total