The Fighter Still Remains

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Fanfiction
Title: The Fighter Still Remains
Author(s): Dargelos
Date(s): 1981
Length:
Genre(s): slash
Fandom(s): Starsky & Hutch
Relationship(s):
External Links: The Fighter Still Remains

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The Fighter Still Remains is a Starsky/Hutch story by Dargelos.

illo by Dargelos

It is in Code 7 #1 and is online.

Author's Comments

Oh, yeah. From time to time I do reread my old stuff. In fact, I just had an orgy of S&H stories; I reread all the CODE 7s and for the first time in, oh, a couple of years, I read "The Fighter Still Remains" which was really my first serious attempt at writing. I could see very clearly all the faults that still plague me - too much dialogue and not enough narrative primarily - but on the whole, I was pleased with the effort. I managed to say what I wanted to say, which is the most important thing about writing. [1]

Reactions and Reviews

Unknown Date

Dargelos' The Fighter Still Remains is not to everyone's taste, fine as the writing is. By paragraph four you will know why, and if this isn't your thing by all means BAIL OUT. But the depriction of emotion in it is so strong and true that I'd be remiss not to recommend it. [2]

1996

The story is told in flashbacks from Starsky's point of view Starsky & Hutch were lovers, but no one in the dept knew. Hutch borrowed S's car, after spending the night, & the car blows up Starsky spends the next 2 or 3 years catching H's killers Once the killers are caught, S has nothing to live for but his memories In the end, Starsky steps in front of a bullet intended for his partner. [3]

2002

I've read some wonderful death stories--"The Fighter Still Remains", springs to mind, and while they're sad and sometimes make me cry, if well-written they make me feel and I love it when a piece of fiction can do that to me. [4]

2003

Something moved nearby...but when he turned to look, there was nothing. He sighed heavily. In the three year's since Hutch's death, Starsky had never stopped looking for him--in mirrors and dark corridors; in the shadows of his own soul. Yet the moments when he found Hutch were terrible for him. A sort-of-companion to Time It Was, but less a gentle stream of sorrow than the harsh, bitter wailing of grief's storm. What could be, what is, and what is to come, wrapped in lyric imagery and haunting dreams. This one leaves you shell-shocked. Grab a drink before you go, and keep one handy for afterward -- it's a rough ride, but one you have to take. [5]

Gah. Simon & Garfunkel and Starsky & Hutch. This made me weepy. [6]

Dargelos' "The Fighter Still Remains" on the Slash Archive does an excellent job of portraying a bitter, desolate Starsky who considered and rejected suicide, clings to his memories of Hutch, but by no means still enjoys life. He's had to deal not only with the loss of his partner, but the reactions and innuendo of his colleagues when they guess at his relationship with Hutch. It's a realistic portrayal of one of the many paths either partner might take should the other be lost. An unsettling but unforgettable story. [7]

Ooof. I read that story all the way through exactly one time. It was painfully clear, really well written...and I just couldn't read it again. Certainly can't forget it either. The funny thing is, some people would say that a story ending with the suicide of the partner left behind would be too sad or hopeless, but this story showed me something worse. If only it didn't feel so real. Not all stories make you feel good at the end, but even in the extreme of suicide I can tell myself, 'Well, they're together again, anyway.' But this is exactly why 'The Fighter' is sooo hard for me to read. With the rest of the world marching on, and amidst all the people around him, he is so alone, really just breathing in and out. [8]

References

  1. ^ from The Hatstand Express #16
  2. ^ from jat sapphire at Starsky and Hutch Fanfic Recommendations (mid-2000s?)
  3. ^ comments on Virgule-L by Stacy Doyle, quoted with permission (July 8, 1996)
  4. ^ quoted anonymously from The Pits Mailing List (December 7, 2002)
  5. ^ a 2003 comment at Crack Van
  6. ^ a 2003 comment at Crack Van
  7. ^ quoted anonymously from The Pits Mailing List (October 30, 2003)
  8. ^ quoted anonymously from The Pits Mailing List (October 30, 2003)