yuletide recs
these are the recs compiled from my first day of reading the yuletide 2008 archive. i have collected 41 recs in 29 fandoms. i didn't read in any particular order, so the collection of fandoms is scattered across the alphabet.
fandoms: arrested development, arthurian legend, castle in the sky, chrono trigger, die anstalt, dr horrible, dr seuss, entourage, fringe, macdonald hall, how i met your mother, into the woods, sense and sensibility, ladyhawke, life, little miss sunshine, vorkosigan, princess bride, psych, pushing daisies, scrubs, shawshank redemption, richard ii, singing in the rain, sneakers, stardust (movie), white christmas and the wire.
arrested development:
election day - this is funny an zany and completely in character. all the ad fics this year were wonderful, but this one really made me laugh.
arthurian legend:
what is and what seems to be - this uses beautiful and evocative language to add depth to the character of Guinevere.*
castle in the sky aka laputa:
wearing in the sod gown - this fic was written for me! yay! it is a wonderful look at sheeta after the events of the movie.
chrono trigger:
in the nick of time - this is a nice gen piece about lucca. i am reccing it for the wonderful description of the world at the end of time at the beginning.
die anstalt:
the institution (or: sparkles and the great escape) - this fic hurt my heart in the best way. Spoilers: sparkles' descent to assimilation is both captivating and inevitable from the first time he takes a pill. the way the author was able to convey the effects are brilliant. go read this.
dr horrible's sing-a-long blog:
act 0 (or dr horrible will see you now) - the author manages to capture billy's voice. this fic is structured into blog posts of billy made before the webisodes.
the ballad of penny peabody - i got to read a rough draft of this and even then i knew it was awesome. the author did an outstanding job of fleshing out a character that wasn't given much to do in the webisodes, for all the action rotating around her. this is now my personal canon.*
dr seuss - one fish, two fish:
i am not clark, my name is pete - i read this and was in total awe. the author was able to, in two short days (this was a pinch hit) create this marvelous story all in rhyme. awe, i tell you. it is funny and heartbreaking and creepy and all that it should be.*
entourage (tv):
man names woman, but woman names the act - this is a eric/ari/mrs.ari fic from mrs. ari's pov. and it is that pov that makes this fic work. we get to see the lines she is comfortable with, her discomfort. i also love (spoilers) that ari makes eric leave. they all are fully fleshes and this is just great.
fringe:
five times peter taked to olivia after hours (and one time he didn't) - ignore the typo in the title and read this fic. i love the relationships and the way the author has fleshed out olivia.
correspondences - this is a wonderful example of how an epistolary fic should go. you have dramatic tension and an intriguing plot, even though you only hear one side of the conversation
gordon korman - macdonald hall:
gordon korman never wrote a zombie story (and now we know why) - i love the responses of all the characters to the zombie attack, it rings very true. even if you don't know the fandom, i would recommend this for the humor and ensemble cast.
how i met your mother:
waiting - i love the relationship between barney and robin in this fic. the author gets barney to straddle the fine line between considerate and, well, barney, with a deft touch. also, (spoilers) the image of the robin sparkles christmas video made me laugh out loud for an embarrasing amount of time.
i should assume it's still unsteady - this fic is a joy to read. the twists and turns it takes make in comparable to an episode of the show.*
into the woods (musical):
stepmotherhood - i love the cinderella pov. this fic continues the tradition of the musical by getting a bit meta on fairytales. and that is a good thing. the way she describes the blurring of the line between stepmotherhood and motherhood rings very true.
jane austen - sense and sensibility:
a very short sermon - this reads like a delightful coda to the novel.
ladyhawke:
careful the tale you tell - if you like the movie you will like this fic. the author was able to capture mouse's voice completely, and there is a nice little adventure plot, as well as a well drawn oc.*
life (tv):
the rain and the sun - this little piece is truly evocative. the descriptions of the apple are beautiful. there is very little dialogue in this piece, but what there is is wonderful.*
three card monte - aka the fic where dani, ted and charlie go to vegas and it all stays gen. strong ted pov, and the situation and explantion for it are perfectly fitting with the canon. this is one of those fics that i can see myself forgetting isn't canon.
little miss sunshine:
nine steps in a circle - this is a fic about dwayne and frank both growing. they are coming to terms with the events of the movie. this fic has wonderful characterization of all the characters. i cannot praise it too highly.
lois mcmaster bujold - vorkosigan series:
the balls of bel - this fic is crack, and i mean that in the most delighted way. the pairing is bel/ivan! that alone would make it lolworthy, but the author has a firm grasp of the absurd, making it well written crack.*
alone time - aral/cordelia is the pairing of my heart, and this fic shows why. cordelia works out how to get a little alone time, without miles making (too much of) a nuisance of himself.
firelight - this is another wonderful look at aral and cordelia, spending time together.
good at it - there is far too little fic about taura. she is wonderful. every other day of the week she is my favorite character in the verse. this fic shows a bit of why that is.
proposals and propositions - i am not actually very fond of noncanonical slash in the vorkosigan universe, but i keep finding, and reading ivan/bryerly. i think it is because authors, like this one, make it hilarious.
the princess bride (movie):
a storybook story - a nice coda to the events of the movie, with a good grandpa voice.
psych:
deck the hall with glowing deer - i cannot pretend that the amount of gus centric psych fic hasn't made me over the moon gleeful. this fic is great. there is a satisfying case and too may wonderful character moments between gus and shawn. a+++
the curious case of that time with the thing - i make hearthands at the screen when i read this fic. it manages to illustrate the love between all the characters, even though this is a gus/shawn fic. the little touches are what make this fic. ♥
gusnapped! - this is over the top and ridiculous and coated in awesomesauce. shawn is the overly neurotic person who tries to file a missing persons report after a few hours. i chose to read this as an unintended sequel to the fic above.
pushing daisies:
hoping's very fears - a wonderful holiday casefic, with extra helpings of chuck/ned. delightful.
one minute, counting - this is a very, very believable emerson. (spoilers) the fact that he talks about money, rather than love at the end, even when he means love, is very true to the character. ned 'forgets' to touch him again and i actually cried. the coronor cameo is perfection. much love to this author.
the teddy bear and the itty-bitty, or, how olive's persistence finally paid off - this fic arrived titled in my inbox for a beta and i nearly died. and the rest of the fic is just as good. she writes wonderful olive.*
scrubs:
his sad, sorry story - even if the rest of this fic wasn't wonderful, i would rec it for the genius of cox's rants alone. go read this now.*
the shawshank redemption:
breathe - a short piece that manages to convey the wide landscape of mexico, and how red's transition to a free man is not yet complete; very impressive for a short fic.
shakespeare - richard ii:
regen angelorum imitari - gorgeous, gorgeous language. the author conjures up the most beautiful images in this fic. the touch of magical realism is perfect.*
singin in the rain:
sunbeams will soon shine through - this is the first of two recs for fics about the trio of kathy, don and cosmo. in this fic the three become a threesome after don and kathy's wedding.
singing with the sound off - this is the singin in the rain fic of my heart. the cosmo pov is so compelling, and the touch of heartbreak really adds to the story. but the thing that thrills me about this fic is the way the author describes music, and the creation thereof.
sneakers:
groove uncanny - i read this fic in installments over a couple days, and was on the edge of my seat. i do not know the canon, but this fic is an exercise in strong pov and adventure plotting. recommended for all.*
stardust (movie):
pretences - a short piece set onboard shakespeare's ship. the relationships between the characters were well executed, and made me sigh. delightful.
white christmas:
it's a nice day (for a white wedding) - reading this fic made me so very happy. i watch the movie every year at the holidays and this is the perfect fic for it. much love.*
the wire:
five ways omar remembers brandon - this story wasn't for me, but i felt like it could have been. the wire is all time favorite show, and this fic managed to perfectly capture the feeling of. the five sections ranged from hot to hurty in the best of ways. if you only read one fic on this list, read this one. (though only for people who know the canon. if you don't know it: why not?)
the fics with a star next to them means i was a beta for them.
eta: links fixed
fandoms: arrested development, arthurian legend, castle in the sky, chrono trigger, die anstalt, dr horrible, dr seuss, entourage, fringe, macdonald hall, how i met your mother, into the woods, sense and sensibility, ladyhawke, life, little miss sunshine, vorkosigan, princess bride, psych, pushing daisies, scrubs, shawshank redemption, richard ii, singing in the rain, sneakers, stardust (movie), white christmas and the wire.
arrested development:
election day - this is funny an zany and completely in character. all the ad fics this year were wonderful, but this one really made me laugh.
arthurian legend:
what is and what seems to be - this uses beautiful and evocative language to add depth to the character of Guinevere.*
castle in the sky aka laputa:
wearing in the sod gown - this fic was written for me! yay! it is a wonderful look at sheeta after the events of the movie.
chrono trigger:
in the nick of time - this is a nice gen piece about lucca. i am reccing it for the wonderful description of the world at the end of time at the beginning.
die anstalt:
the institution (or: sparkles and the great escape) - this fic hurt my heart in the best way. Spoilers: sparkles' descent to assimilation is both captivating and inevitable from the first time he takes a pill. the way the author was able to convey the effects are brilliant. go read this.
dr horrible's sing-a-long blog:
act 0 (or dr horrible will see you now) - the author manages to capture billy's voice. this fic is structured into blog posts of billy made before the webisodes.
the ballad of penny peabody - i got to read a rough draft of this and even then i knew it was awesome. the author did an outstanding job of fleshing out a character that wasn't given much to do in the webisodes, for all the action rotating around her. this is now my personal canon.*
dr seuss - one fish, two fish:
i am not clark, my name is pete - i read this and was in total awe. the author was able to, in two short days (this was a pinch hit) create this marvelous story all in rhyme. awe, i tell you. it is funny and heartbreaking and creepy and all that it should be.*
entourage (tv):
man names woman, but woman names the act - this is a eric/ari/mrs.ari fic from mrs. ari's pov. and it is that pov that makes this fic work. we get to see the lines she is comfortable with, her discomfort. i also love (spoilers) that ari makes eric leave. they all are fully fleshes and this is just great.
fringe:
five times peter taked to olivia after hours (and one time he didn't) - ignore the typo in the title and read this fic. i love the relationships and the way the author has fleshed out olivia.
correspondences - this is a wonderful example of how an epistolary fic should go. you have dramatic tension and an intriguing plot, even though you only hear one side of the conversation
gordon korman - macdonald hall:
gordon korman never wrote a zombie story (and now we know why) - i love the responses of all the characters to the zombie attack, it rings very true. even if you don't know the fandom, i would recommend this for the humor and ensemble cast.
how i met your mother:
waiting - i love the relationship between barney and robin in this fic. the author gets barney to straddle the fine line between considerate and, well, barney, with a deft touch. also, (spoilers) the image of the robin sparkles christmas video made me laugh out loud for an embarrasing amount of time.
i should assume it's still unsteady - this fic is a joy to read. the twists and turns it takes make in comparable to an episode of the show.*
into the woods (musical):
stepmotherhood - i love the cinderella pov. this fic continues the tradition of the musical by getting a bit meta on fairytales. and that is a good thing. the way she describes the blurring of the line between stepmotherhood and motherhood rings very true.
jane austen - sense and sensibility:
a very short sermon - this reads like a delightful coda to the novel.
ladyhawke:
careful the tale you tell - if you like the movie you will like this fic. the author was able to capture mouse's voice completely, and there is a nice little adventure plot, as well as a well drawn oc.*
life (tv):
the rain and the sun - this little piece is truly evocative. the descriptions of the apple are beautiful. there is very little dialogue in this piece, but what there is is wonderful.*
three card monte - aka the fic where dani, ted and charlie go to vegas and it all stays gen. strong ted pov, and the situation and explantion for it are perfectly fitting with the canon. this is one of those fics that i can see myself forgetting isn't canon.
little miss sunshine:
nine steps in a circle - this is a fic about dwayne and frank both growing. they are coming to terms with the events of the movie. this fic has wonderful characterization of all the characters. i cannot praise it too highly.
lois mcmaster bujold - vorkosigan series:
the balls of bel - this fic is crack, and i mean that in the most delighted way. the pairing is bel/ivan! that alone would make it lolworthy, but the author has a firm grasp of the absurd, making it well written crack.*
alone time - aral/cordelia is the pairing of my heart, and this fic shows why. cordelia works out how to get a little alone time, without miles making (too much of) a nuisance of himself.
firelight - this is another wonderful look at aral and cordelia, spending time together.
good at it - there is far too little fic about taura. she is wonderful. every other day of the week she is my favorite character in the verse. this fic shows a bit of why that is.
proposals and propositions - i am not actually very fond of noncanonical slash in the vorkosigan universe, but i keep finding, and reading ivan/bryerly. i think it is because authors, like this one, make it hilarious.
the princess bride (movie):
a storybook story - a nice coda to the events of the movie, with a good grandpa voice.
psych:
deck the hall with glowing deer - i cannot pretend that the amount of gus centric psych fic hasn't made me over the moon gleeful. this fic is great. there is a satisfying case and too may wonderful character moments between gus and shawn. a+++
the curious case of that time with the thing - i make hearthands at the screen when i read this fic. it manages to illustrate the love between all the characters, even though this is a gus/shawn fic. the little touches are what make this fic. ♥
gusnapped! - this is over the top and ridiculous and coated in awesomesauce. shawn is the overly neurotic person who tries to file a missing persons report after a few hours. i chose to read this as an unintended sequel to the fic above.
pushing daisies:
hoping's very fears - a wonderful holiday casefic, with extra helpings of chuck/ned. delightful.
one minute, counting - this is a very, very believable emerson. (spoilers) the fact that he talks about money, rather than love at the end, even when he means love, is very true to the character. ned 'forgets' to touch him again and i actually cried. the coronor cameo is perfection. much love to this author.
the teddy bear and the itty-bitty, or, how olive's persistence finally paid off - this fic arrived titled in my inbox for a beta and i nearly died. and the rest of the fic is just as good. she writes wonderful olive.*
scrubs:
his sad, sorry story - even if the rest of this fic wasn't wonderful, i would rec it for the genius of cox's rants alone. go read this now.*
the shawshank redemption:
breathe - a short piece that manages to convey the wide landscape of mexico, and how red's transition to a free man is not yet complete; very impressive for a short fic.
shakespeare - richard ii:
regen angelorum imitari - gorgeous, gorgeous language. the author conjures up the most beautiful images in this fic. the touch of magical realism is perfect.*
singin in the rain:
sunbeams will soon shine through - this is the first of two recs for fics about the trio of kathy, don and cosmo. in this fic the three become a threesome after don and kathy's wedding.
singing with the sound off - this is the singin in the rain fic of my heart. the cosmo pov is so compelling, and the touch of heartbreak really adds to the story. but the thing that thrills me about this fic is the way the author describes music, and the creation thereof.
sneakers:
groove uncanny - i read this fic in installments over a couple days, and was on the edge of my seat. i do not know the canon, but this fic is an exercise in strong pov and adventure plotting. recommended for all.*
stardust (movie):
pretences - a short piece set onboard shakespeare's ship. the relationships between the characters were well executed, and made me sigh. delightful.
white christmas:
it's a nice day (for a white wedding) - reading this fic made me so very happy. i watch the movie every year at the holidays and this is the perfect fic for it. much love.*
the wire:
five ways omar remembers brandon - this story wasn't for me, but i felt like it could have been. the wire is all time favorite show, and this fic managed to perfectly capture the feeling of. the five sections ranged from hot to hurty in the best of ways. if you only read one fic on this list, read this one. (though only for people who know the canon. if you don't know it: why not?)
the fics with a star next to them means i was a beta for them.
eta: links fixed