Oh hey, also I read some fic
Poked through the Yuletide 2012 archives and explored the small percentage of fandoms I'm familiar with and interested in reading fic for. My favorite by far is Springtime Will Kill You, a brilliant noir retelling of Orpheus' journey to find Persephone in the underworld. Riffs on Greek and Roman mythology, and on Hades/Persephone in particular, are always a treat when Yuletide comes around, and toft_froggy pointed out in her own rec that "noir is the perfect genre for the incestuous, alcohol-riddled, tragic, horrible plots of Greek myth to unspool." It's so clever and well written. I'd say more, but it would spoil the delight of the story unfolding.
Second favorite would be a series of diary entries in which Tim Gunn critiques various locales and personages he encounters during a day in New York City.
Also enjoyed the meta found poem constructed from AO3 Yuletide tags. The popular The Bar at the End of Fandom is witty and creative, but, I dunno, I guess its heart is not my heart. Same deal for me as some of astolat and ces's meta-fannish and meta-vidding vids. We celebrate ourselves, we laugh at the in-jokes we understand, and that's awesome and deserved, but separate from the ability to appreciate those fanworks on a cultural/artistic/intellectual level, not every LJ/DW/AO3/etc. fan has or loves the same experiences.
There was also a quiet future fic for Cairo Time, and a couple of stories involving the Gashlycrumb Tinies (a clever but long drabble set depicting a less than flattering backstory for each child and one where Wednesday Addams uses the form to write her family history). And another modern version of Persephone/Hades & Orpheus/Eurydice, raw, unsentimental, feminist. But the noir version was the one that held me rapt all the way through.
I might've enjoyed the Borgias in the Hunger Games historical fusion if I knew more about the Borgias. I liked the concept of Indiana Jones and Alan Grant Walk into a Bar but confess I skimmed.
Keeping an eye on other people's rec lists for more.
Second favorite would be a series of diary entries in which Tim Gunn critiques various locales and personages he encounters during a day in New York City.
Also enjoyed the meta found poem constructed from AO3 Yuletide tags. The popular The Bar at the End of Fandom is witty and creative, but, I dunno, I guess its heart is not my heart. Same deal for me as some of astolat and ces's meta-fannish and meta-vidding vids. We celebrate ourselves, we laugh at the in-jokes we understand, and that's awesome and deserved, but separate from the ability to appreciate those fanworks on a cultural/artistic/intellectual level, not every LJ/DW/AO3/etc. fan has or loves the same experiences.
There was also a quiet future fic for Cairo Time, and a couple of stories involving the Gashlycrumb Tinies (a clever but long drabble set depicting a less than flattering backstory for each child and one where Wednesday Addams uses the form to write her family history). And another modern version of Persephone/Hades & Orpheus/Eurydice, raw, unsentimental, feminist. But the noir version was the one that held me rapt all the way through.
I might've enjoyed the Borgias in the Hunger Games historical fusion if I knew more about the Borgias. I liked the concept of Indiana Jones and Alan Grant Walk into a Bar but confess I skimmed.
Keeping an eye on other people's rec lists for more.