Round 2 of Yuletide Recs
I come bearing 17 recs in 15 fandoms, from both the main and madness collections. I'm running out of adjectives to describe how great these stories are!
TV - House of Cards, Justified, Life, Sesame Street, True Detective, and The Wire
A Terrible and Splendid Trust (2242 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: House of Cards (US TV)
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Edward Meechum/Claire Underwood/Francis Underwood
Characters: Francis Underwood, Claire Underwood, Edward Meechum
Additional Tags: Yuletide Treat, Yuletide, Consensual Sex, Handcuffs, Breathplay, Canon Threesome, Gags, Power Dynamics, Light Bondage, Breaking the Fourth Wall, Voyeurism, Exhibitionism, Bisexual Male Character
Summary:
In Frank they trust.
Bookmarker's Notes:
All I want for Yuletide is a hot, canonical threesome, now with added power dynamics. Since, for Frank Underwood, being the leader of the Free World still isn't enough power, he's going to take control just that bit more. The narration is so perfectly in Frank's POV, the PWP turns into its own form of character development. Glorious.
Break Lines (2137 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Justified
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Boyd Crowder/Raylan Givens
Characters: Ava Crowder, Boyd Crowder, Raylan Givens
Additional Tags: Established Relationship, POV Outsider, Hurt/Comfort
Summary:
They've been like that since they were teenagers, balanced somehow even when they’re snarling like dogs on a chain. Never have known what to do without each other.
Bookmarker's Notes:
The dialogue in Justified is some of the most complex and unique on television. This author makes perfect use of it in this painful outsider view of the not-quite-relationship between Raylan and Boyd.
stumble to prevent a fall (2215 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Life (TV)
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Dani Reese/Kevin Tidwell
Characters: Dani Reese, Charlie Crews, Jane Seever, Kevin Tidwell
Additional Tags: Post-Canon, Yuletide
Summary:
The first thing Dani says after Bodner pulls the car over is, “Crews, you're an idiot. What the hell were you thinking?”
Bookmarker's Notes:
I like the way the series ended, but this is the perfect epilogue. A Reese-eye view of both Crews and Seever, the woman with the 15-year plan to be mayor.
thoughts of endless night time sky (1283 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Sesame Street (TV)
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Oscar the Grouch
Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Horror
Summary:
The sun's setting, and there's a flurry of activity as everyone rushes home. It's getting late. The light's just about gone and the last door slams shut, echoing down the empty Street. It's almost dark, but everyone is behind locked doors and shuttered windows.
Bookmarker's Notes:
Oscar as the self-appointed lookout on a Sesame Street where horrors stalk the night. *shudders*
Oscar's House (755 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Sesame Street (TV)
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Characters: Oscar the Grouch, Kermit the Frog
Additional Tags: Kidnapping, Homelessness
Summary:
The homeless are invisible on Sesame Street.
Bookmarker's Notes:
I love darkfic, but it rarely alters my perception of the source material. So take it as a testimony to the skill of the writer that I don't think I'll ever be able to watch Sesame Street again without thinking of this fic.
Character Development (2174 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: True Detective
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Rustin "Rust" Cohle/Martin "Marty" Hart
Characters: Rustin "Rust" Cohle, Martin "Marty" Hart
Additional Tags: Yuletide Treat
Summary:
In which Marty has an epiphany.
Bookmarker's Notes:
A perfectly in-character retirement fic, post-series, and my new head canon. The tone and pacing match canon to a T. Also, Marty joins a writing group for his true crime novel. What's not to love?
Code Switch (3077 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: The Wire
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Characters: Stringer Bell, Avon Barksdale, Omar Little
Additional Tags: Pre-Canon
Summary:
Stringer goes legit in the summer of ‘00. Looking back, Avon calls it a ‘vacation,’ like String was up in New York running dope in Little Baltimore or sent to Jessup on a gun charge. He doesn’t remember why - something about a deal gone bad or one too many bodies to hide in Leakin or just the game being the game.
Bookmarker's Notes:
Stringer tries to go legit, and Baltimore won't let him. Perfect character voice, absolutely flawless.
Movies - Die Hard, Enemy Mine, Guardians of the Galaxy, Mulan
You've Got the Moves, Baby (I've Got the Motion) (1288 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Die Hard (Movies)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Thomas Gabriel/Mai Linh
Additional Tags: Pre-Movie(s), First Meetings
Summary:
"Any languages in the world you don't speak?" he asks her.
"I'll let you know if it's ever a problem," she says.
Bookmarker's Notes:
I had to look these two characters up to figure out who they were. Spoiler alert - they're the bad guys from one of the Die Hard movies. But reading this, I didn't care. Got a competence kink? Then these two will get your engine running!
Over the Rising Sun (2109 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Enemy Mine (1985)
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Willis Davidge/Jeriba Shigan
Characters: Willis Davidge, Jeriba Shigan, Zammis
Additional Tags: Fix-It, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Families of Choice, gender neutral character
Summary:
Davidge and Shigan are marooned together, and from that they become a family. This is a fix-it for the movie, where nobody dies and they live happily ever after.
Bookmarker's Notes:
I wanted to see Davidge and Jeriba raise Zammis together, didn't you? This fic is full of gorgeous little inter-cultural details, and the ending makes my heart soar.
I am Groot (Groot's Story) (78 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Guardians of the Galaxy (Movies)
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Groot (Marvel)
Additional Tags: I Am Groot, Yuletide Treat
Summary:
Groot's perspective on Guardians of the Galaxy.
Bookmarker's Notes:
Cleverly written and joyous. Be sure to read the hover-text!
the nomad wind, night in, night out (711 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Mulan (1998)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Characters: Original Female Character(s), Shan Yu
Additional Tags: Backstory
Summary:
His grandmother is the one to show him how to use a knife.
Bookmarker's Notes:
The villain's backstory is both compelling and convincing. Shan Yu's grandmother is a BAMF, and every person is the hero of their own story.
Books - Black Beauty, Vorkosigan Saga
The Kindness of Men (2921 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Black Beauty - Anna Sewell
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Ginger (Black Beauty)
Additional Tags: Stealth Crossover, Yuletide Treat, Yuletide 2014
Summary:
The last time Ginger saw Black Beauty, she'd said, "I wish the end was come, I wish I was dead. I have seen dead horses, and I am sure they do not suffer pain."
Bookmarker's Notes:
If you cried when you read Black Beauty, come read this to mend that bit of broken heart.
The Pivot (1678 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Vorkosigan Saga - Lois McMaster Bujold
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Gregor Vorbarra, Aral Vorkosigan
Additional Tags: Komarr, Book: The Vor Game, Suicidal Thoughts, Suicide Attempt, no-one actually dies
Summary:
Gregor Vorbarra is 26 when he decides that jumping off a balcony is how he will best serve Barrayar.
Bookmarker's Notes:
Bleak, plausible, and heart-breaking, as the author explores what prompted Gregor to step off that balcony.
Lady Vorkosigan's Manor (888 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Vorkosigan Saga - Lois McMaster Bujold
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Ekaterin Vorsoisson Vorkosigan/Miles Vorkosigan, Aral Vorkosigan/Cordelia Naismith Vorkosigan
Characters: Ekaterin Vorsoisson Vorkosigan, Aral Vorkosigan
Additional Tags: Interior Decorating, In-Laws, POV Female Character, Politics
Summary:
After the new Lady Vorkosigan's redecorations, Vorkosigan House has a green silk room.
Bookmarker's Notes:
The green silk room is a powerful metaphor in the Vorkosigan canon. Here Ekaterin, and the author, make subtle use of it.
Other - British Actor RPF (I, Claudius), Chess (Board Game), Physics (Anthropomorphic)
Extract from the Memoirs of a Credit Snake (693 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: I Claudius, British Actor RPF
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Snake in the Opening Credits
Additional Tags: Yuletide, Snakes, Humor
Summary:
The stories some serpents could tell had they but world enough and time (and the ability to write)…
Bookmarker's Notes:
The snake who slithers around the opening credits of I, Claudius didn't get into the business for money and fame, but it would be nice if he got at least a little recognition. Hilariously funny.
Bring Out the Lady (441 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Chess (Board Game)
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Queen (Chess), King (Chess)
Additional Tags: Misses Clause Challenge
Summary:
The queen moves fast. The king can't keep up with her. There's a reason for that.
Bookmarker's Notes:
This is the type of ficlet I hope for every year when the Madness collection opens. A King, a Queen, and the princess who looks to them both. Remember, chess is a game of sacrifice.
The Natural Attraction of Opposites (492 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Physics (Anthropomorfic)
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: electron/positron
Characters: Electron, positron
Additional Tags: SCIENCE!
Summary:
It's lonely for an electron, here in the vacuum of space.
Bookmarker's Notes:
Drama, character development, angst and an ecstatic climax, all featuring one poor little electron in space.
TV - House of Cards, Justified, Life, Sesame Street, True Detective, and The Wire
A Terrible and Splendid Trust (2242 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: House of Cards (US TV)
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Edward Meechum/Claire Underwood/Francis Underwood
Characters: Francis Underwood, Claire Underwood, Edward Meechum
Additional Tags: Yuletide Treat, Yuletide, Consensual Sex, Handcuffs, Breathplay, Canon Threesome, Gags, Power Dynamics, Light Bondage, Breaking the Fourth Wall, Voyeurism, Exhibitionism, Bisexual Male Character
Summary:
In Frank they trust.
Bookmarker's Notes:
All I want for Yuletide is a hot, canonical threesome, now with added power dynamics. Since, for Frank Underwood, being the leader of the Free World still isn't enough power, he's going to take control just that bit more. The narration is so perfectly in Frank's POV, the PWP turns into its own form of character development. Glorious.
Break Lines (2137 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Justified
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Boyd Crowder/Raylan Givens
Characters: Ava Crowder, Boyd Crowder, Raylan Givens
Additional Tags: Established Relationship, POV Outsider, Hurt/Comfort
Summary:
They've been like that since they were teenagers, balanced somehow even when they’re snarling like dogs on a chain. Never have known what to do without each other.
Bookmarker's Notes:
The dialogue in Justified is some of the most complex and unique on television. This author makes perfect use of it in this painful outsider view of the not-quite-relationship between Raylan and Boyd.
stumble to prevent a fall (2215 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Life (TV)
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Dani Reese/Kevin Tidwell
Characters: Dani Reese, Charlie Crews, Jane Seever, Kevin Tidwell
Additional Tags: Post-Canon, Yuletide
Summary:
The first thing Dani says after Bodner pulls the car over is, “Crews, you're an idiot. What the hell were you thinking?”
Bookmarker's Notes:
I like the way the series ended, but this is the perfect epilogue. A Reese-eye view of both Crews and Seever, the woman with the 15-year plan to be mayor.
thoughts of endless night time sky (1283 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Sesame Street (TV)
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Oscar the Grouch
Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Horror
Summary:
The sun's setting, and there's a flurry of activity as everyone rushes home. It's getting late. The light's just about gone and the last door slams shut, echoing down the empty Street. It's almost dark, but everyone is behind locked doors and shuttered windows.
Bookmarker's Notes:
Oscar as the self-appointed lookout on a Sesame Street where horrors stalk the night. *shudders*
Oscar's House (755 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Sesame Street (TV)
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Characters: Oscar the Grouch, Kermit the Frog
Additional Tags: Kidnapping, Homelessness
Summary:
The homeless are invisible on Sesame Street.
Bookmarker's Notes:
I love darkfic, but it rarely alters my perception of the source material. So take it as a testimony to the skill of the writer that I don't think I'll ever be able to watch Sesame Street again without thinking of this fic.
Character Development (2174 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: True Detective
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Rustin "Rust" Cohle/Martin "Marty" Hart
Characters: Rustin "Rust" Cohle, Martin "Marty" Hart
Additional Tags: Yuletide Treat
Summary:
In which Marty has an epiphany.
Bookmarker's Notes:
A perfectly in-character retirement fic, post-series, and my new head canon. The tone and pacing match canon to a T. Also, Marty joins a writing group for his true crime novel. What's not to love?
Code Switch (3077 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: The Wire
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Characters: Stringer Bell, Avon Barksdale, Omar Little
Additional Tags: Pre-Canon
Summary:
Stringer goes legit in the summer of ‘00. Looking back, Avon calls it a ‘vacation,’ like String was up in New York running dope in Little Baltimore or sent to Jessup on a gun charge. He doesn’t remember why - something about a deal gone bad or one too many bodies to hide in Leakin or just the game being the game.
Bookmarker's Notes:
Stringer tries to go legit, and Baltimore won't let him. Perfect character voice, absolutely flawless.
Movies - Die Hard, Enemy Mine, Guardians of the Galaxy, Mulan
You've Got the Moves, Baby (I've Got the Motion) (1288 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Die Hard (Movies)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Thomas Gabriel/Mai Linh
Additional Tags: Pre-Movie(s), First Meetings
Summary:
"Any languages in the world you don't speak?" he asks her.
"I'll let you know if it's ever a problem," she says.
Bookmarker's Notes:
I had to look these two characters up to figure out who they were. Spoiler alert - they're the bad guys from one of the Die Hard movies. But reading this, I didn't care. Got a competence kink? Then these two will get your engine running!
Over the Rising Sun (2109 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Enemy Mine (1985)
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Willis Davidge/Jeriba Shigan
Characters: Willis Davidge, Jeriba Shigan, Zammis
Additional Tags: Fix-It, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Families of Choice, gender neutral character
Summary:
Davidge and Shigan are marooned together, and from that they become a family. This is a fix-it for the movie, where nobody dies and they live happily ever after.
Bookmarker's Notes:
I wanted to see Davidge and Jeriba raise Zammis together, didn't you? This fic is full of gorgeous little inter-cultural details, and the ending makes my heart soar.
I am Groot (Groot's Story) (78 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Guardians of the Galaxy (Movies)
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Groot (Marvel)
Additional Tags: I Am Groot, Yuletide Treat
Summary:
Groot's perspective on Guardians of the Galaxy.
Bookmarker's Notes:
Cleverly written and joyous. Be sure to read the hover-text!
the nomad wind, night in, night out (711 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Mulan (1998)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Characters: Original Female Character(s), Shan Yu
Additional Tags: Backstory
Summary:
His grandmother is the one to show him how to use a knife.
Bookmarker's Notes:
The villain's backstory is both compelling and convincing. Shan Yu's grandmother is a BAMF, and every person is the hero of their own story.
Books - Black Beauty, Vorkosigan Saga
The Kindness of Men (2921 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Black Beauty - Anna Sewell
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Ginger (Black Beauty)
Additional Tags: Stealth Crossover, Yuletide Treat, Yuletide 2014
Summary:
The last time Ginger saw Black Beauty, she'd said, "I wish the end was come, I wish I was dead. I have seen dead horses, and I am sure they do not suffer pain."
Bookmarker's Notes:
If you cried when you read Black Beauty, come read this to mend that bit of broken heart.
The Pivot (1678 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Vorkosigan Saga - Lois McMaster Bujold
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Gregor Vorbarra, Aral Vorkosigan
Additional Tags: Komarr, Book: The Vor Game, Suicidal Thoughts, Suicide Attempt, no-one actually dies
Summary:
Gregor Vorbarra is 26 when he decides that jumping off a balcony is how he will best serve Barrayar.
Bookmarker's Notes:
Bleak, plausible, and heart-breaking, as the author explores what prompted Gregor to step off that balcony.
Lady Vorkosigan's Manor (888 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Vorkosigan Saga - Lois McMaster Bujold
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Ekaterin Vorsoisson Vorkosigan/Miles Vorkosigan, Aral Vorkosigan/Cordelia Naismith Vorkosigan
Characters: Ekaterin Vorsoisson Vorkosigan, Aral Vorkosigan
Additional Tags: Interior Decorating, In-Laws, POV Female Character, Politics
Summary:
After the new Lady Vorkosigan's redecorations, Vorkosigan House has a green silk room.
Bookmarker's Notes:
The green silk room is a powerful metaphor in the Vorkosigan canon. Here Ekaterin, and the author, make subtle use of it.
Other - British Actor RPF (I, Claudius), Chess (Board Game), Physics (Anthropomorphic)
Extract from the Memoirs of a Credit Snake (693 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: I Claudius, British Actor RPF
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Snake in the Opening Credits
Additional Tags: Yuletide, Snakes, Humor
Summary:
The stories some serpents could tell had they but world enough and time (and the ability to write)…
Bookmarker's Notes:
The snake who slithers around the opening credits of I, Claudius didn't get into the business for money and fame, but it would be nice if he got at least a little recognition. Hilariously funny.
Bring Out the Lady (441 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Chess (Board Game)
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Queen (Chess), King (Chess)
Additional Tags: Misses Clause Challenge
Summary:
The queen moves fast. The king can't keep up with her. There's a reason for that.
Bookmarker's Notes:
This is the type of ficlet I hope for every year when the Madness collection opens. A King, a Queen, and the princess who looks to them both. Remember, chess is a game of sacrifice.
The Natural Attraction of Opposites (492 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Physics (Anthropomorfic)
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: electron/positron
Characters: Electron, positron
Additional Tags: SCIENCE!
Summary:
It's lonely for an electron, here in the vacuum of space.
Bookmarker's Notes:
Drama, character development, angst and an ecstatic climax, all featuring one poor little electron in space.