Yuletide Recs and Yuletide Squee!
This year's Yuletide was AMAZING for me. I never thought it could be so much fun! Thank you to everyone who helped make it that way- the betas and cheerleaders who volunteered in chat without knowing me, people who guided me along the way, and the times when all of chat rallied to answer questions, and of course everyone who worked to make the administration & technical side work!
The following are fic I have particularly enjoyed. I've mostly tried to avoid stuff that's been heavily recc'ed on the Yuletide comm, but I've included a few because I couldn't resist. Oooh, and one of these I beta'd, but I love the finished version even more than what I first read.
Be forwarned, because forewarned is forearmed (and four-armed is half an octopus- no, wait...): This post was made pre-coffee. There is a lot of incoherency, often tied to flailing, below.
The World's Fastest Snowball - Sports Night, gen (4010)
Summary: In which a network plot may or may not be afoot, interns are procuring desks for unwilling sportscasters, and inclement weather threatens the course of baseball history. So business as usual, pretty much.
A bit of wacky hijinks very much in the style of the show. I really love the dialogue in this- the author has the Dan & Casey on-air patter down perfectly!
Obscure Canadian Sports Week - Sports Night, gen (1066)
Summary: Lacrosse, orange icing, fertility rites, and opening ceremonies: the Sports Night crew celebrates in their own peculiar way.
This is more of a series of vignettes about Sports Night, showing the cast in their daily lives.
Banter and Broomsticks - Sports Night, gen (1662)
Summary:If we call it coaching, that firmly implies what he has been doing is a sport. And I think if nothing else, we can both agree it's not.
This has been recc'ed by everyone already, and will probably continue to be. I don't care. Read it if you haven't yet!
Carrying the Banner - Newsflesh, gen, (3584)
Summary: The Masons take a trip to the museum.
This is kidfic, of the amazing sort. It's a perfect look at what Shaun and George were like as 12-year-olds, showing them as being brave and curious without putting them directly in harm's way. It's George's voice done very well, and it gives a reason for them to go into blogging!
George, Shaun and Biff's Backyard Adventure - Newsflesh, gen (1944)
Summary: "She was diagnosed when we were five, so I don't really remember her without her sunglasses. And when we were nine, we got this really dumb babysitter who took George's glasses, said, "You don't need these," and threw them into the backyard, thinking we were spoiled little suburban brats too afraid of the outdoors to go out after them. So it's pretty plain that she was about as bright as a box of zombies."
- from Hail to the King, the blog of Shaun Mason, April 7, 2037
Here, have Newsflesh kidfic WITH zombies, too! Shaun is incredibly Shaun-like (I don't even know how to describe it) and their babysitter is an idiot and it really brings home how totally wacky and dangerous the world Shaun and George grew up in is.
The Heirs of English Magic - J. Strange & Mr. Norrell, gen (7844)
Summary: In the aftermath of Strange's and Norrell's departure from England, who is entitled to be a magician?
I didn't know how badly I wanted this fic until I read it. It ties up loose ends after the novel wonderfully (so, spoilers, for anyone who isn't familiar with canon) and it shows the strength and complexity of both Arabella Strange and Lady Pole. Really, though, it's a story about Lady Pole and her recovery.
Her Lovely Face Gleaming Like a White Poppy - Queen's Thief - Megan Whalen Turner, gen & het (14032)
Summary:The paths which Attolia and Eddis take are both paved with loss, but the ways they walk those paths are very different.
One of my absolute favorites from this Yuletide! It seems at first like a collection of wonderful scenes from the lives of the main characters in the books, but then it turns out to be a story of weighing responsibility against self, and childhood against adulthood, and desire against possibility.
Warning: This does spoil the books something awful. However, if it has never crossed your radar to even read the books, give this a try! The fic is that good.
Unless You Can Die When the Dream is Past - Sucker Punch/Playboy Club crossover, femmeslash
Summary:(She's been found out, exposed. The word homosexual clinging to her skin like a day's sweat. Gritty. Staining her.
The world shattering, coming back together in long, slow waves. Coming back wrong. Coming back darker.)
Wow. This should NOT have worked but oh, it does. (Can I disclaim here that I do not, in general, like crossovers at all?) It's something in between a crossover and a fusion, because of course it is layered, and sometimes we are dealing with the characters from the Playboy Club- who this is about, it stars Alice, of course- and sometimes she is surrounded by the characters from Sucker Punch. It's dark, very dark, twisting even some happy relationships, but the implications of this turn are amazing.
A Home for All Seasons - Folger's "Home for the Holidays" Commercial, het with incest (9769)
Summary: Hi, big brother. So, you're usually home by this time, but I'll assume that you're out enjoying that wild Cameroon nightlife - and by that I mean the nightly Cameroon wildlife. Get it? Because you're in Africa.
So, this rec clearly needs the disclaimers of "I'm a sucker for longfic" and "I've spent the last year in Supernatural fandom, incest!fic has stopped fazing me." This also needs an additional warning for angst. If you're not familiar with the canon, check out this 46 second commercial and you'll understand where we're coming from. The fic explores it remarkably well, and in more depth than I would have thought possible.
I also received four(!!!!!!) of the most wonderful fics a girl could ask for. Fandoms are Young Wizards (Tom/Carl), and Ghost Soup Infidel Blue (focusing on Moira).
Keep On Marching Forward - Young Wizards, slash (600)
Summary:the one in which they decide to get married - the second time
Cute and funny and also cute. This person took my prompt and RAN, and I could not be more grateful. It's an overdose of schmoop, in case that wasn't clear, but it's also really meaningful (to me).
Opperetic Nuisance - Young Wizards, slash & gen (1005)
Summary: “Oh, come on, Tom, how bad can it be?"
“How bad can it be? Once Peach here gets a listen to it we’ll never here the end of ‘I am the Very Model of a Modern Major General’.”
What looks like an ordinary (and hilarious) day in the life of Tom and Carl, but it turns out to be terribly important.
In Space, Nobody Can Hear You Scream at Your Parents - Ghost Soup Infidel Blue, gen & het (1016)
Summary: Moira's family may be close-minded bigots, but she's not going to let that (or a paltry thing like biology) get in the way of her life plans.
Okay, so, I don't even know how to explain how much I like this, I just like this, okay? It's just… so wonderfully over the top.
Moira's Backstory as a Fighter in RED - Ghost Soup Infidel Blue, het & gen (1215)
Summary: Everyone always requests Moira's backstory and no one ever even NOTICES that SHE WAS TOTALLY IN RED. I don't understandtd WHYYY??? Why do people hat Red so much. RED IS AWESOME. So here's what really happened, because she's only int he background for like two scenes, but you can tell there's a whole story there anyway, and I'm sick of everyone ignoring it.
Uh, so, okay, this is definitely the canon for deliberate bad!fic. And this is just such an AMAZING EXAMPLE of what deliberate bad!fic can be, I don't have- I can't- there are no words to express my tender sensitive ~feelings about this fic. Which is what I said about the last Ghost Soup fic, but do I care? No, screw that, I'm approaching Hippocleides levels of not giving a damn. Neither of these fics can be explained in a few hundred words of summary, sorry, not gonna try.
This entry was originally posted at http://false-alexis.dreamwidth.org/6584.html.
The following are fic I have particularly enjoyed. I've mostly tried to avoid stuff that's been heavily recc'ed on the Yuletide comm, but I've included a few because I couldn't resist. Oooh, and one of these I beta'd, but I love the finished version even more than what I first read.
Be forwarned, because forewarned is forearmed (and four-armed is half an octopus- no, wait...): This post was made pre-coffee. There is a lot of incoherency, often tied to flailing, below.
The World's Fastest Snowball - Sports Night, gen (4010)
Summary: In which a network plot may or may not be afoot, interns are procuring desks for unwilling sportscasters, and inclement weather threatens the course of baseball history. So business as usual, pretty much.
A bit of wacky hijinks very much in the style of the show. I really love the dialogue in this- the author has the Dan & Casey on-air patter down perfectly!
Obscure Canadian Sports Week - Sports Night, gen (1066)
Summary: Lacrosse, orange icing, fertility rites, and opening ceremonies: the Sports Night crew celebrates in their own peculiar way.
This is more of a series of vignettes about Sports Night, showing the cast in their daily lives.
Banter and Broomsticks - Sports Night, gen (1662)
Summary:If we call it coaching, that firmly implies what he has been doing is a sport. And I think if nothing else, we can both agree it's not.
This has been recc'ed by everyone already, and will probably continue to be. I don't care. Read it if you haven't yet!
Carrying the Banner - Newsflesh, gen, (3584)
Summary: The Masons take a trip to the museum.
This is kidfic, of the amazing sort. It's a perfect look at what Shaun and George were like as 12-year-olds, showing them as being brave and curious without putting them directly in harm's way. It's George's voice done very well, and it gives a reason for them to go into blogging!
George, Shaun and Biff's Backyard Adventure - Newsflesh, gen (1944)
Summary: "She was diagnosed when we were five, so I don't really remember her without her sunglasses. And when we were nine, we got this really dumb babysitter who took George's glasses, said, "You don't need these," and threw them into the backyard, thinking we were spoiled little suburban brats too afraid of the outdoors to go out after them. So it's pretty plain that she was about as bright as a box of zombies."
- from Hail to the King, the blog of Shaun Mason, April 7, 2037
Here, have Newsflesh kidfic WITH zombies, too! Shaun is incredibly Shaun-like (I don't even know how to describe it) and their babysitter is an idiot and it really brings home how totally wacky and dangerous the world Shaun and George grew up in is.
The Heirs of English Magic - J. Strange & Mr. Norrell, gen (7844)
Summary: In the aftermath of Strange's and Norrell's departure from England, who is entitled to be a magician?
I didn't know how badly I wanted this fic until I read it. It ties up loose ends after the novel wonderfully (so, spoilers, for anyone who isn't familiar with canon) and it shows the strength and complexity of both Arabella Strange and Lady Pole. Really, though, it's a story about Lady Pole and her recovery.
Her Lovely Face Gleaming Like a White Poppy - Queen's Thief - Megan Whalen Turner, gen & het (14032)
Summary:The paths which Attolia and Eddis take are both paved with loss, but the ways they walk those paths are very different.
One of my absolute favorites from this Yuletide! It seems at first like a collection of wonderful scenes from the lives of the main characters in the books, but then it turns out to be a story of weighing responsibility against self, and childhood against adulthood, and desire against possibility.
Warning: This does spoil the books something awful. However, if it has never crossed your radar to even read the books, give this a try! The fic is that good.
Unless You Can Die When the Dream is Past - Sucker Punch/Playboy Club crossover, femmeslash
Summary:(She's been found out, exposed. The word homosexual clinging to her skin like a day's sweat. Gritty. Staining her.
The world shattering, coming back together in long, slow waves. Coming back wrong. Coming back darker.)
Wow. This should NOT have worked but oh, it does. (Can I disclaim here that I do not, in general, like crossovers at all?) It's something in between a crossover and a fusion, because of course it is layered, and sometimes we are dealing with the characters from the Playboy Club- who this is about, it stars Alice, of course- and sometimes she is surrounded by the characters from Sucker Punch. It's dark, very dark, twisting even some happy relationships, but the implications of this turn are amazing.
A Home for All Seasons - Folger's "Home for the Holidays" Commercial, het with incest (9769)
Summary: Hi, big brother. So, you're usually home by this time, but I'll assume that you're out enjoying that wild Cameroon nightlife - and by that I mean the nightly Cameroon wildlife. Get it? Because you're in Africa.
So, this rec clearly needs the disclaimers of "I'm a sucker for longfic" and "I've spent the last year in Supernatural fandom, incest!fic has stopped fazing me." This also needs an additional warning for angst. If you're not familiar with the canon, check out this 46 second commercial and you'll understand where we're coming from. The fic explores it remarkably well, and in more depth than I would have thought possible.
I also received four(!!!!!!) of the most wonderful fics a girl could ask for. Fandoms are Young Wizards (Tom/Carl), and Ghost Soup Infidel Blue (focusing on Moira).
Keep On Marching Forward - Young Wizards, slash (600)
Summary:the one in which they decide to get married - the second time
Cute and funny and also cute. This person took my prompt and RAN, and I could not be more grateful. It's an overdose of schmoop, in case that wasn't clear, but it's also really meaningful (to me).
Opperetic Nuisance - Young Wizards, slash & gen (1005)
Summary: “Oh, come on, Tom, how bad can it be?"
“How bad can it be? Once Peach here gets a listen to it we’ll never here the end of ‘I am the Very Model of a Modern Major General’.”
What looks like an ordinary (and hilarious) day in the life of Tom and Carl, but it turns out to be terribly important.
In Space, Nobody Can Hear You Scream at Your Parents - Ghost Soup Infidel Blue, gen & het (1016)
Summary: Moira's family may be close-minded bigots, but she's not going to let that (or a paltry thing like biology) get in the way of her life plans.
Okay, so, I don't even know how to explain how much I like this, I just like this, okay? It's just… so wonderfully over the top.
Moira's Backstory as a Fighter in RED - Ghost Soup Infidel Blue, het & gen (1215)
Summary: Everyone always requests Moira's backstory and no one ever even NOTICES that SHE WAS TOTALLY IN RED. I don't understandtd WHYYY??? Why do people hat Red so much. RED IS AWESOME. So here's what really happened, because she's only int he background for like two scenes, but you can tell there's a whole story there anyway, and I'm sick of everyone ignoring it.
Uh, so, okay, this is definitely the canon for deliberate bad!fic. And this is just such an AMAZING EXAMPLE of what deliberate bad!fic can be, I don't have- I can't- there are no words to express my tender sensitive ~feelings about this fic. Which is what I said about the last Ghost Soup fic, but do I care? No, screw that, I'm approaching Hippocleides levels of not giving a damn. Neither of these fics can be explained in a few hundred words of summary, sorry, not gonna try.
This entry was originally posted at http://false-alexis.dreamwidth.org/6584.html.