Yuletide 2009 Batch 1: A totally random swoop through the archive
24 recs in 21 fandoms, including the two wonderful fics I was lucky enough to receive as gifts, already gushed about here. Most of this text is taken from my bookmarks on AO3 -- go there to check out tags, both mine and that of the authors. I'll note that I've been trying to avoid reclists and just reading things as the whim takes me, but it was difficult to completely avoid looking at the comment and hit counters (and I still haven't decided if I want to quit looking at them entirely or not); in addition, I opted to not include (yet) any of the several wonderful stories I betaed, for the sake of fairness and anonymity. Also, this is truly a random selection -- there are so many more fics I really, really want to read in a huge number of fandoms (including lots of the fandoms included below), I just didn't have time to read most of them. But out of what I did manage to read (an experience that was overall highly enjoyable, even beyond what's on this list), here are some of the stories that stood out (crossovers at the end):
Anne of Green Gables - Montgomery
Full of Yearning and Need by [anon]. Walter/Una, Jem/Faith, Walter/OMC, T (Teen and Up Audiences), 795 words. A thoughtful, beautifully written ficlet about Walter and how he figures out his sexual identity during the war.
Rilla Blythe's Wedding: A Not Entirely Comprehensive Account by [anon]. Rilla/Kenneth, Walter/Una, G (General Audiences), 7315 words. Utterly gorgeous prose that somehow manages to be perfectly Montgomery, spot-on character voices, and a convincing and emotionally satisfying plot that takes the darkness inherent in the end of the series and resolves it into joy.
Betsy-Tacy - Lovelace
Carney's Snowfall by [anon]. Carney/Sam, G, 285 words. A lovely, snowy, delightfully sweet little ficlet; a wonderful and charming glimpse of Carney and Sam's relationship.
Delilah - Dresden Dolls (song)
Have The Night, The Morning Too by [anon]. Mandy/Delilah, NR (Not Rated), 4026 words, includes a brief mention of violence. One of my gift fics! This is perfect. I loved everything about it -- the complex relationship, the Minnesota setting, the characters and voices (compelling and coherent and real), the pacing, the incredibly palpable emotions, everything. I go into a little more detail here.
Never Met A More Impossible Girl by [anon]. Amanda, Delilah, T, 1063 words. Honest and brutal and smart and resigned and tired and emotional. Second person, incredibly well-written -- the rhythm of the text is gorgeous. There is so much history in this, and so much love, and so much despair. A little more detail here.
Harold and Kumar movies
Harold and Kumar and Maria and Vanessa Go to Bed. Together. by [anon]. Harold/Kumar/Vanessa/Maria, E (Explicit), 2179 words. Exactly what it says on the tin, and even more fun than it sounds. Spot-on voices, great banter, hilarious setup! Everything you'd want in a Harold & Kumar awkward-but-fun foursome, and more. Brilliant!
It's The Thought That Counts by [anon]. Harold/Kumar, E, 1899 words. So freaking cute! Fantastic voices and adorable courtship -- awkward and so very appropriate for them. Pretty darn hot, too. Just darling.
Hunger Games trilogy - Collins
Much More Important Things by [anon]. OFC, Katniss/Peeta, G, but super creepy (violence to animals), 1216 words. Brilliantly conceived and executed reality tv audience meta. Disturbingly fun and convincing and horrific, all at once.
Merlin RPF
Of Pants, Pranks and Incidental Courtships by [anon]. Bradley/Colin, T, 4817 words. Currently the story in this list with the highest hit count; I hesitated about including it because of that, but I really do love it. Fun, wacky, clever, and totally charming. Also wonderfully well-written, full of fantastic little details. A thoroughly entertaining read.
Monkey Island
The Elaine Song by [anon]. Guybrush/Elaine, G, 438 words. Pure hilarity! So crazily in character and suited to the source.
Ocean's Eleven (2001)
A Coke and a Smile by [anon]. Danny/Rusty, T, 1438 words. Adorable! Cute heist, well put together, nice little relationship details. Great fun!
Project Runway (US) RPF
The Secret Diary of Timothy M. Gunn by [anon]. Tim Gunn, Season Six Designers, T, 2233 words. This made me giggle madly! Tim's voice here is a perfect meld of his dry humor and the secret diary format. Hilarious!
Romeo and Juliet - Shakespeare
As Garlic Cloves and Butter by [anon]. Benvolio, Mercutio, Romeo, G, 1200 words. Charming, endearing, clever, delightful! In impressively graceful and smooth third person omniscient, much like a play. Very true to the best parts of the source text -- friendship and banter.
Royal Tenenbaums
A Cowboy, a Saloon Girl With a False Hand & a Mexican Named Ricardo Royale Walk Into A Bar by [anon]. Richie/Margot/Eli (note the adopted siblings), G (note the mention of canon events including death and drug abuse), 1580 words. Incisive and thoughtful and wonderfully like the film. Satisfying and lovely. I really, really enjoyed this.
(so far) for the people you are by [anon]. Eli, Richie, mentions of Richie/Margot (note the adopted siblings), T (note the mention of canon events including death, suicide, and drug abuse), 2231 words. An absolute pleasure to read, with voices that sound just right to me and lots of wonderful little details. Made me want to re-watch the movie because it reminded me of how much I love all the relationships in it, especially Richie and Eli's friendship.
Runaways
Not The Way It Was Supposed To End by [anon]. Chase/Gert, T (note the mentions of major character death), 1166 words. A Chase character study with a simple structural trick that works incredibly well. Heartbreaking and intuitive and true.
Secret Garden - Burnett
Wick by [anon]. Dickon, NR, 1788 words. "Dickon's first year after he comes home from the war." A gorgeous, quiet, desperately broken yet hopeful Dickon character study. Delicate and intense, atmospheric and affecting. Lovely.
Sound of Music (1965)
Older and Wiser by [anon]. Rolfe, mentions of Rolfe/Liesl, G (but note that this takes place during WWII), 1132 words. "Rolfe at war." Beautifully written and emotionally truthful, aching and difficult and incredibly moving. Painful and deep. I really love this.
Big Bang Theory/Leverage
Thursday Lunch Cafe by [anon]. Sheldon, Parker, G, 1624 words. Astonishingly perfect voices and delightful, spot-on interactions. Brilliant and hilarious and adorable!
Hard Core Logo/Leverage
Playing Favorites by [anon]. Hardison, Joe Dick, Billy Tallent, G, 1357. In which a tiny Hardison's awesome foster brother takes him to see Hard Core Logo play, and he meets Joe Dick and Billy Tallent. Yes, this is as completely adorable as that sounds. (Note: this is the first of a three part series (second part is Working for a Living; I don't think the third part is up yet), but it works just as well as a standalone.)
Working for a Living by [anon]. Eliot, Joe Dick, Billy Tallent, G (note the small amount of relatively harmless violence), 710 words. In which Eliot tries to break up a fight between Joe & Billy and gets punched in the face for his trouble. Fun little vignette. Part two of the three part series (first part is Playing Favorites; I don't think the third part is up yet), but works just as well as a standalone.
Leverage/White Collar
Yin and Yang by [anon]. Neal, Peter, Cruz, Jones, Hardison, Eliot, Parker, G, 6175 and 6159 words. I feel a little guilty pointing out the crossover here because I can see how it would be fun to discover it for yourself, but it seems like it would be pretty obvious as soon as they appeared on the same reclist, so. Yin is from the point of view of the White Collar crew and Yang from the Leverage crew, and it is an absolute delight to see each team from the other's perspective. This is a clever concept brilliantly executed, with all-around perfect voices, fantastic (and often hilarious) details, and an engaging heist. I am so in love with this pair of fics.
Transamerica/Friday Night Lights/Sons of Anarchy
Across the Great Divide by [anon]. Toby/Tim Riggins, M (Mature), 4874 words. A really wonderful read -- inspired pairing, lovely pov voice and characterization. A nifty triple-crossover that works.
6 crossovers (all but one involving Leverage). 11 fics marked General Audiences, 7 Teen and Up Audiences, 1 Mature, 2 Explicit, 2 Not Rated. Lots of slash and gen and het all over the place; several fics with no clear pairing, several with one or more, one threesome (I'm sure if I had gotten around to reading Real Genius before writing this up there would be more!), and one foursome. Length ranging from 285 words to 7315. The only fandom represented more than twice is Leverage (probably because I usually only allowed myself to read one fic in a fandom at a time), and that one only in crossovers.
Enjoy! And happy new year! :)
Anne of Green Gables - Montgomery
Full of Yearning and Need by [anon]. Walter/Una, Jem/Faith, Walter/OMC, T (Teen and Up Audiences), 795 words. A thoughtful, beautifully written ficlet about Walter and how he figures out his sexual identity during the war.
Rilla Blythe's Wedding: A Not Entirely Comprehensive Account by [anon]. Rilla/Kenneth, Walter/Una, G (General Audiences), 7315 words. Utterly gorgeous prose that somehow manages to be perfectly Montgomery, spot-on character voices, and a convincing and emotionally satisfying plot that takes the darkness inherent in the end of the series and resolves it into joy.
Betsy-Tacy - Lovelace
Carney's Snowfall by [anon]. Carney/Sam, G, 285 words. A lovely, snowy, delightfully sweet little ficlet; a wonderful and charming glimpse of Carney and Sam's relationship.
Delilah - Dresden Dolls (song)
Have The Night, The Morning Too by [anon]. Mandy/Delilah, NR (Not Rated), 4026 words, includes a brief mention of violence. One of my gift fics! This is perfect. I loved everything about it -- the complex relationship, the Minnesota setting, the characters and voices (compelling and coherent and real), the pacing, the incredibly palpable emotions, everything. I go into a little more detail here.
Never Met A More Impossible Girl by [anon]. Amanda, Delilah, T, 1063 words. Honest and brutal and smart and resigned and tired and emotional. Second person, incredibly well-written -- the rhythm of the text is gorgeous. There is so much history in this, and so much love, and so much despair. A little more detail here.
Harold and Kumar movies
Harold and Kumar and Maria and Vanessa Go to Bed. Together. by [anon]. Harold/Kumar/Vanessa/Maria, E (Explicit), 2179 words. Exactly what it says on the tin, and even more fun than it sounds. Spot-on voices, great banter, hilarious setup! Everything you'd want in a Harold & Kumar awkward-but-fun foursome, and more. Brilliant!
It's The Thought That Counts by [anon]. Harold/Kumar, E, 1899 words. So freaking cute! Fantastic voices and adorable courtship -- awkward and so very appropriate for them. Pretty darn hot, too. Just darling.
Hunger Games trilogy - Collins
Much More Important Things by [anon]. OFC, Katniss/Peeta, G, but super creepy (violence to animals), 1216 words. Brilliantly conceived and executed reality tv audience meta. Disturbingly fun and convincing and horrific, all at once.
Merlin RPF
Of Pants, Pranks and Incidental Courtships by [anon]. Bradley/Colin, T, 4817 words. Currently the story in this list with the highest hit count; I hesitated about including it because of that, but I really do love it. Fun, wacky, clever, and totally charming. Also wonderfully well-written, full of fantastic little details. A thoroughly entertaining read.
Monkey Island
The Elaine Song by [anon]. Guybrush/Elaine, G, 438 words. Pure hilarity! So crazily in character and suited to the source.
Ocean's Eleven (2001)
A Coke and a Smile by [anon]. Danny/Rusty, T, 1438 words. Adorable! Cute heist, well put together, nice little relationship details. Great fun!
Project Runway (US) RPF
The Secret Diary of Timothy M. Gunn by [anon]. Tim Gunn, Season Six Designers, T, 2233 words. This made me giggle madly! Tim's voice here is a perfect meld of his dry humor and the secret diary format. Hilarious!
Romeo and Juliet - Shakespeare
As Garlic Cloves and Butter by [anon]. Benvolio, Mercutio, Romeo, G, 1200 words. Charming, endearing, clever, delightful! In impressively graceful and smooth third person omniscient, much like a play. Very true to the best parts of the source text -- friendship and banter.
Royal Tenenbaums
A Cowboy, a Saloon Girl With a False Hand & a Mexican Named Ricardo Royale Walk Into A Bar by [anon]. Richie/Margot/Eli (note the adopted siblings), G (note the mention of canon events including death and drug abuse), 1580 words. Incisive and thoughtful and wonderfully like the film. Satisfying and lovely. I really, really enjoyed this.
(so far) for the people you are by [anon]. Eli, Richie, mentions of Richie/Margot (note the adopted siblings), T (note the mention of canon events including death, suicide, and drug abuse), 2231 words. An absolute pleasure to read, with voices that sound just right to me and lots of wonderful little details. Made me want to re-watch the movie because it reminded me of how much I love all the relationships in it, especially Richie and Eli's friendship.
Runaways
Not The Way It Was Supposed To End by [anon]. Chase/Gert, T (note the mentions of major character death), 1166 words. A Chase character study with a simple structural trick that works incredibly well. Heartbreaking and intuitive and true.
Secret Garden - Burnett
Wick by [anon]. Dickon, NR, 1788 words. "Dickon's first year after he comes home from the war." A gorgeous, quiet, desperately broken yet hopeful Dickon character study. Delicate and intense, atmospheric and affecting. Lovely.
Sound of Music (1965)
Older and Wiser by [anon]. Rolfe, mentions of Rolfe/Liesl, G (but note that this takes place during WWII), 1132 words. "Rolfe at war." Beautifully written and emotionally truthful, aching and difficult and incredibly moving. Painful and deep. I really love this.
Big Bang Theory/Leverage
Thursday Lunch Cafe by [anon]. Sheldon, Parker, G, 1624 words. Astonishingly perfect voices and delightful, spot-on interactions. Brilliant and hilarious and adorable!
Hard Core Logo/Leverage
Playing Favorites by [anon]. Hardison, Joe Dick, Billy Tallent, G, 1357. In which a tiny Hardison's awesome foster brother takes him to see Hard Core Logo play, and he meets Joe Dick and Billy Tallent. Yes, this is as completely adorable as that sounds. (Note: this is the first of a three part series (second part is Working for a Living; I don't think the third part is up yet), but it works just as well as a standalone.)
Working for a Living by [anon]. Eliot, Joe Dick, Billy Tallent, G (note the small amount of relatively harmless violence), 710 words. In which Eliot tries to break up a fight between Joe & Billy and gets punched in the face for his trouble. Fun little vignette. Part two of the three part series (first part is Playing Favorites; I don't think the third part is up yet), but works just as well as a standalone.
Leverage/White Collar
Yin and Yang by [anon]. Neal, Peter, Cruz, Jones, Hardison, Eliot, Parker, G, 6175 and 6159 words. I feel a little guilty pointing out the crossover here because I can see how it would be fun to discover it for yourself, but it seems like it would be pretty obvious as soon as they appeared on the same reclist, so. Yin is from the point of view of the White Collar crew and Yang from the Leverage crew, and it is an absolute delight to see each team from the other's perspective. This is a clever concept brilliantly executed, with all-around perfect voices, fantastic (and often hilarious) details, and an engaging heist. I am so in love with this pair of fics.
Transamerica/Friday Night Lights/Sons of Anarchy
Across the Great Divide by [anon]. Toby/Tim Riggins, M (Mature), 4874 words. A really wonderful read -- inspired pairing, lovely pov voice and characterization. A nifty triple-crossover that works.
6 crossovers (all but one involving Leverage). 11 fics marked General Audiences, 7 Teen and Up Audiences, 1 Mature, 2 Explicit, 2 Not Rated. Lots of slash and gen and het all over the place; several fics with no clear pairing, several with one or more, one threesome (I'm sure if I had gotten around to reading Real Genius before writing this up there would be more!), and one foursome. Length ranging from 285 words to 7315. The only fandom represented more than twice is Leverage (probably because I usually only allowed myself to read one fic in a fandom at a time), and that one only in crossovers.
Enjoy! And happy new year! :)