Lifetime Fic Bingo: 2004
Click to viewIt's 2004, and I am graduating from high school. Usher is on the radio. Here in the USA, the year's top film is Shrek 2. New terms coined include: aromantic, chonky, Dreamer, FOMO, life hack, paywall, podcast, sharing economy, social media, and waterboarding.
For 2004, I read five fics, each from a different fandom. I read: one Professionals fic, one A-Team fic, one Man from U.N.C.L.E. fic, one Sentinel fic, and one Harry Potter fic.
The Professionals fic was Double Indemnity by alicambs, in which Bodie and Doyle are transported to a parallel universe were they encounter alternate versions of themselves. This fic started out okay, but I didn't end up liking it very much. There was a bit of intriguing world building, but the parallel Bodie and Doyle were underdeveloped. I didn't get much sense of how their personalities were like or unlike our Lads' or how they fit into the world they were part of. The relationship between Doyle and his double, which was important to the story, felt under-motivated, too. Overall, the fic was fine in concept, but needed more attention to its main characters (and perhaps a bit less mustache twirling from its villain). 23,092 words. Bodie/Doyle slash.
First Time by laceymcbain is a short A-Team fic relating an encounter between Face and Murdock while on leave in Saigon during their time in the army. It's a well written story with good characterizations. I don't especially ship Face and Murdock, but I found this story plausible. 3,498 words. Face/Murdock slash.
I also read the Man from U.N.C.L.E. fic Sleeping Together by YumYumPM. This is an episodic story centering on various times that Napoleon and Illya sleep together, literally or figuratively. I have mixed feelings about it. The early parts are good reading, but the later parts contain an element I personally dislike strongly. Your mileage may vary. 4,563 words. Napoleon/Illya slash.
Comments with spoilers:
[Spoiler (click to open)]Specifically, near the end of the fic, Napoleon is detrained, i.e. has all his memories of UNCLE erased. That element of canon has always totally squicked me, and I'm glad most fic authors ignore it, despite its narrative possibilities.
The Sentinel fic was Future Conditional by elaine. This was interesting. It is an AU set in a near future in which, for unexplained reasons, intersex people have become much more common. Some are born to non-intersex parents, but unions between two intersex people produce intersex children, also. As a result, intersex people have become something between a subculture and an ethnic group. They live in their own enclaves and face discrimination from the non-intersex majority. Overall, I thought all this was well done. We got hints of conflicts and social structure within the intersex community and the discrimination was realistic and not cartoonish.
In this universe, Blair is intersex and is brought in to advise the Cascade PD when a series of intersex people are murdered. He is teamed with Jim and...they fight crime. This being a shippy story, they also fall in love. That aspect didn't work as well for me. It seemed rather sudden, without enough interaction between them shown beforehand. An instant attraction I can easily believe in, but they became deeply emotionally involved very quickly as well. That's not unusual in fanfic, of course, but it's always an irritation for me.
I would certainly defer to an intersex person's opinion on this, but I think the sex scenes in this fic were well done. It seems to me that there is a narrow strait to navigate in a case like this. You don't want to fetishize. On the other hand, if you would normally write explicit sex in your fic, it seems nearly as offensive to avoid that simply because one of your leads is intersex. This fic seemed to me to strike a reasonable balance when describing Blair's body in the sex scenes, neither shying away nor dwelling too much.
So, this was a good fic, overall. 26,150 words. Jim/Blair ship.
Finally, I read Scenes from Another Life by Atalan, a Harry Potter fic. I have conflicted feelings about writing up Harry Potter fics. Harry Potter has been an important part of my life. I was the same age as the characters when the first book was released in the United States and a little older than them when the last book came out. We grew up together and they were my friends. My Harry Potter audiobooks were my best tool for managing anxiety and loneliness for years of my life. I'd like to think that Harry Potter now belongs to fans like me as much as to J. K. Rowling and has an existence independent of her. In line with that perspective, I want to support Harry Potter fan authors and promote fics I enjoy. On the other hand, expressing an affinity for Harry Potter has become a way of signalling support for Rowling and her anti-transgender views. I don't want to do that. I've seen how unwelcome it can make some trans people feel. So I'm torn. Today I'm coming down on the side of writing up Harry Potter fic, though.
Scenes from Another Life is a nicely done canon-divergent AU in which Sirius Black did not go after Peter Petrigrew in the wake of the Potters' murder. It's a portrait of how Harry's early life might have been different, cozy but with an appropriate amount of darkness. I think it was my favorite fic for the year. 10,262 words. Sirius Black/Remus Lupin slash. Particularly recommended.
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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)
2004
Double Indemnity by alicambs (The Professionals; slash; 23,092 words)
First Time by laceymcbain (The A-Team; slash; 3,498 words)
Sleeping Together by YumYumPM (The Man from U.N.C.L.E.; slash; 4,563 words)
Future Conditional by elaine (The Sentinel; ship; 26,150 words)
*Scenes from Another Life by Atalan (Harry Potter; slash; 10,262 words)
* = Particularly recommended
[ ] = read but not counted toward the year's story total