Yuletide Recs
Well, here's the first list of Yuletide Recs!
Wheels Within Wheels (2885 words) by Anonymous
Fandom: Arthurian Mythology
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warning: Author Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Characters: Elaine of Carbonek, Lynette (Arthurian), Morgan le Fay
Summary:
“Have you heard?” Linet asked. “She’s back.”
What I like: This story is all about the women--their lives, their friendships, their alliances and their plans. I found Elaine particularly touching; she's trying so hard not to want more than Lancelot is willing to give; even though she doesn't know about Lancelot and the queen, she is not particularly loved, and she's gotten used to not letting herself care. It's witty and funny, but very sad--and very well done.
***
Fortune, Fate, Freedom (2365 words) by Anonymous
Fandom: Echo Bazaar
Rating: General Audiences
Warning: Author Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Characters: Cheesemonger, Player (Echo Bazaar)
Summary:
Are we the sum of our choices, or are we our fate?
What I like: It's interactive adventure that also adds depth to an existing storyline--that of the Cheesemonger, the spymaster of Fallen London. This reads like one of Echo Bazaar's own stories. And I love how the author has managed to make the Cheesemonger and the fortuneteller, Madame Shoshona, believable from a canon perspective and yet has added so much depth to their characters.
***
or leave it (1252 words) by Anonymous
Fandom: Echo Bazaar
Rating: General Audiences
Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: The Implacable Detective, Urchins, Exiles From the Far East
Summary:
A tough shares their story
What I like: The author tells this whole story through the lives of various women: the Urchin; her mother, the professional duelist; Billy the zailor; the Gracious Widow; the ex-Urchin the Widow adopted; the Implacable Detective (Fallen London's version of Sherlock Holmes, who also seems to be the Dauntless Temperance Campaigner); and the Duchess. And most are just going about their business and leading their lives without being noticed and helping each other when they can. It's like an entirely separate city that exists side-by-side with the one that most people see. And the Urchin tells the tale in a completely matter-of-fact way that only serves to emphasize how tough you have to be to survive in this world.
***
Wicked Wiles (6929 words) by Anonymous
Fandom: Fairy Tales & Related Fandoms, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)
Rating: General Audiences
Warning: Author Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Relationships: Prince Charming/Snow White, Grumpy/Snow White
Characters: Grumpy, Snow White, Prince Charming, Happy - Character
Summary:
Grumpy visits Snow White, eight years after Snow left the forest. All may not be as it seems.
What I like: This is one of my favorite types of fairy tales--what happens after the happily ever after? This gives new insight into Snow, the Prince and the dwarves--especially the dwarves. I will bet you that you will love Grumpy by the end of this. Also, there are several allusions to other stories in this; if you like fairy tale meta, you might like that.
***
How Luther Laughed at the Devil (1013 words) by Anonymous
Fandom: Hamlet - Shakespeare, Doctor Faustus - Christopher Marlowe
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: John Faustus, Hamlet (Hamlet), Horatio (Hamlet)
Summary:
When a Wittenberg mathematics professor is possessed by a demon, there's only one man to whom Prince Hamlet can turn: the demonologist Doktor Faustus.
What I like: Hamlet just wants someone to exorcise the professor; the administration wants the problem to go away so that they don't have to deal with it; and what Faustus wants is nothing but trouble. It's positively Pratchettian.
***
The Big Gay Episode (8086 words) by Anonymous
Fandom: Horrible Histories
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warning: Author Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Characters: Rattus Rattus, Christopher Marlowe, Francis Bacon, Richard Barnfield, William Shakespeare, James I of England, Philippe d'Orleans, Chevalier de Lorraine, Elisabeth Charlotte von der Pfalz, Henry IV of England, Sir John Falstaff, Richard II of England, Eleanor Charlotte Butler, Sarah Posonby, Basil I of Byzantium, Michael III of Byzantium, Franz Schubert, Goethe, Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben, Alexander Hamilton, Oscar Wilde, The Grim Reaper (Horrible Histories), Charles II of England, Samuel Pepys, Hortense Mancini
Summary:
The cast and crew of Horrible Histories CBBC takes the piss out of Gay and Lesbian history. Sketches include: “Internatyonal Man of Myfterie”, “The Lesbians who Don’t Do Anything”, “Henry Bollingbroke Doesn’t Like Dick”, and three new Savage Songs!
What I like: This is BRILLIANT. You not only have numerous comedy routines (which are very funny) and a variety of original songs (which are also very funny), but you also have audio links so that you can hear the songs being sung. And the music and the singing are both quite good! Kudos to the author for originality and innovation.
***
Thy Rebuke Hath Broken His Heart (3011 words) by Anonymous
Fandom: Richard II - Shakespeare
Rating: Mature
Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Henry IV/Richard II, Aumerle/Richard II
Characters: John of Gaunt, Thomas Mowbray, Elizabeth of Lancaster
Summary:
Soulbonds between men and women are the most romantic form of marriage in the known world. Soulbonds between men and men make bards and poets salivate with the prospect of terrible, epic tragedy. Richard and Henry think that bards and poets are assholes.
What I like: This story subverts the soulbonding cliché by applying it to two men who utterly HATE the idea. Henry IV resents and is humiliated by his bond with Richard; Richard II specializes in being absolutely obnoxious about it, using the soulbond to torment Henry. It's a bit sad and a lot funny and just a delight to read.
***
By the World Forgot (2984 words) by Anonymous
Fandom: Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi | Spirited Away
Rating: General Audiences
Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Ogino Chihiro, Kamajii, Yubaba
Summary:
"Have you always run the boiler room, Kamaji-san?"
What I like: OH GOD THIS STORY. This is so sad and so perfect and it makes so much sense. This is my new headcanon for Kamaji.
***
In the Midst of the Marvelous (2739 words) by Anonymous
Fandom: Warhorses of Letters, Temeraire - Naomi Novik
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Copenhagen/Marengo
Characters: Copenhagen (Warhorses of Letters), Marengo (Warhorses of Letters), Thunderclap out of Stormfront by Death to the French, Temeraire, Volatilus
Summary:
It's life after wartime, as Copenhagen and Marengo exchange more love letters. Might they finally get a chance to meet?
Also, there are dragons.
What I like: If you don't know this fandom, and I don't...well, it's about gay war horses on opposite sides during the Napoleonic wars who are madly in love and who write scads of Regency-style love letters to each other.
That in itself should tell you that THIS FANDOM IS AWESOME. What a gloriously insane premise!
In this story, the wars are over and the horses, who have never met in person, desperately want to meet and don't know that they'll have a chance to do so. It's sweet and schmoopy and rather adorable.
***
Wheels Within Wheels (2885 words) by Anonymous
Fandom: Arthurian Mythology
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warning: Author Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Characters: Elaine of Carbonek, Lynette (Arthurian), Morgan le Fay
Summary:
“Have you heard?” Linet asked. “She’s back.”
What I like: This story is all about the women--their lives, their friendships, their alliances and their plans. I found Elaine particularly touching; she's trying so hard not to want more than Lancelot is willing to give; even though she doesn't know about Lancelot and the queen, she is not particularly loved, and she's gotten used to not letting herself care. It's witty and funny, but very sad--and very well done.
***
Fortune, Fate, Freedom (2365 words) by Anonymous
Fandom: Echo Bazaar
Rating: General Audiences
Warning: Author Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Characters: Cheesemonger, Player (Echo Bazaar)
Summary:
Are we the sum of our choices, or are we our fate?
What I like: It's interactive adventure that also adds depth to an existing storyline--that of the Cheesemonger, the spymaster of Fallen London. This reads like one of Echo Bazaar's own stories. And I love how the author has managed to make the Cheesemonger and the fortuneteller, Madame Shoshona, believable from a canon perspective and yet has added so much depth to their characters.
***
or leave it (1252 words) by Anonymous
Fandom: Echo Bazaar
Rating: General Audiences
Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: The Implacable Detective, Urchins, Exiles From the Far East
Summary:
A tough shares their story
What I like: The author tells this whole story through the lives of various women: the Urchin; her mother, the professional duelist; Billy the zailor; the Gracious Widow; the ex-Urchin the Widow adopted; the Implacable Detective (Fallen London's version of Sherlock Holmes, who also seems to be the Dauntless Temperance Campaigner); and the Duchess. And most are just going about their business and leading their lives without being noticed and helping each other when they can. It's like an entirely separate city that exists side-by-side with the one that most people see. And the Urchin tells the tale in a completely matter-of-fact way that only serves to emphasize how tough you have to be to survive in this world.
***
Wicked Wiles (6929 words) by Anonymous
Fandom: Fairy Tales & Related Fandoms, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)
Rating: General Audiences
Warning: Author Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Relationships: Prince Charming/Snow White, Grumpy/Snow White
Characters: Grumpy, Snow White, Prince Charming, Happy - Character
Summary:
Grumpy visits Snow White, eight years after Snow left the forest. All may not be as it seems.
What I like: This is one of my favorite types of fairy tales--what happens after the happily ever after? This gives new insight into Snow, the Prince and the dwarves--especially the dwarves. I will bet you that you will love Grumpy by the end of this. Also, there are several allusions to other stories in this; if you like fairy tale meta, you might like that.
***
How Luther Laughed at the Devil (1013 words) by Anonymous
Fandom: Hamlet - Shakespeare, Doctor Faustus - Christopher Marlowe
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: John Faustus, Hamlet (Hamlet), Horatio (Hamlet)
Summary:
When a Wittenberg mathematics professor is possessed by a demon, there's only one man to whom Prince Hamlet can turn: the demonologist Doktor Faustus.
What I like: Hamlet just wants someone to exorcise the professor; the administration wants the problem to go away so that they don't have to deal with it; and what Faustus wants is nothing but trouble. It's positively Pratchettian.
***
The Big Gay Episode (8086 words) by Anonymous
Fandom: Horrible Histories
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warning: Author Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Characters: Rattus Rattus, Christopher Marlowe, Francis Bacon, Richard Barnfield, William Shakespeare, James I of England, Philippe d'Orleans, Chevalier de Lorraine, Elisabeth Charlotte von der Pfalz, Henry IV of England, Sir John Falstaff, Richard II of England, Eleanor Charlotte Butler, Sarah Posonby, Basil I of Byzantium, Michael III of Byzantium, Franz Schubert, Goethe, Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben, Alexander Hamilton, Oscar Wilde, The Grim Reaper (Horrible Histories), Charles II of England, Samuel Pepys, Hortense Mancini
Summary:
The cast and crew of Horrible Histories CBBC takes the piss out of Gay and Lesbian history. Sketches include: “Internatyonal Man of Myfterie”, “The Lesbians who Don’t Do Anything”, “Henry Bollingbroke Doesn’t Like Dick”, and three new Savage Songs!
What I like: This is BRILLIANT. You not only have numerous comedy routines (which are very funny) and a variety of original songs (which are also very funny), but you also have audio links so that you can hear the songs being sung. And the music and the singing are both quite good! Kudos to the author for originality and innovation.
***
Thy Rebuke Hath Broken His Heart (3011 words) by Anonymous
Fandom: Richard II - Shakespeare
Rating: Mature
Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Henry IV/Richard II, Aumerle/Richard II
Characters: John of Gaunt, Thomas Mowbray, Elizabeth of Lancaster
Summary:
Soulbonds between men and women are the most romantic form of marriage in the known world. Soulbonds between men and men make bards and poets salivate with the prospect of terrible, epic tragedy. Richard and Henry think that bards and poets are assholes.
What I like: This story subverts the soulbonding cliché by applying it to two men who utterly HATE the idea. Henry IV resents and is humiliated by his bond with Richard; Richard II specializes in being absolutely obnoxious about it, using the soulbond to torment Henry. It's a bit sad and a lot funny and just a delight to read.
***
By the World Forgot (2984 words) by Anonymous
Fandom: Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi | Spirited Away
Rating: General Audiences
Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Ogino Chihiro, Kamajii, Yubaba
Summary:
"Have you always run the boiler room, Kamaji-san?"
What I like: OH GOD THIS STORY. This is so sad and so perfect and it makes so much sense. This is my new headcanon for Kamaji.
***
In the Midst of the Marvelous (2739 words) by Anonymous
Fandom: Warhorses of Letters, Temeraire - Naomi Novik
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Copenhagen/Marengo
Characters: Copenhagen (Warhorses of Letters), Marengo (Warhorses of Letters), Thunderclap out of Stormfront by Death to the French, Temeraire, Volatilus
Summary:
It's life after wartime, as Copenhagen and Marengo exchange more love letters. Might they finally get a chance to meet?
Also, there are dragons.
What I like: If you don't know this fandom, and I don't...well, it's about gay war horses on opposite sides during the Napoleonic wars who are madly in love and who write scads of Regency-style love letters to each other.
That in itself should tell you that THIS FANDOM IS AWESOME. What a gloriously insane premise!
In this story, the wars are over and the horses, who have never met in person, desperately want to meet and don't know that they'll have a chance to do so. It's sweet and schmoopy and rather adorable.
***