Yuletide 2014, Recs, Part 2
More Yuletide recs!
Good Cause, Lizzie Bennet Diaries. I'd never envisioned Lydia and Gigi as a couple, but it actually works! The best things about this story, though, are the Lydia-Lizzie relationship, and the author's vision of how Lydia has grown over the last two years.
The Real Thing, Mad Men. Everyone's voices are great here: Stan's blue humor, Roger's snark, and the creative sparks that fly once Don and Peggy get a chance to talk to each other.
Where Have All the Cowboys Gone, Middleman. In an AU where Wendy has become the Middlewoman, she and Tyler get kidnapped by nanobots! The unstoppable force of Lacey runs up against the immovable object of the retired Middleman, and they team up to save them. Tons of fun - witty writing, clever plots, just the right amount of imitation of the original characters' voices and speech patterns. And of course, some Lacey/Middleman shippy goodness.
The Guardians, Mulan. Mulan's brave and smart daughter goes in search of the lost Fa family guardian. Lovely lyrical writing - and somehow it manages to make Mushu still sound like he did in the movie, except not annoying!
Back Doors,Neverwhere. The Marquis de Carabas wheels and deals his way to saving the Floating Market. Beautiful, creative, and surreal in a way that perfectly captures the spirit of the original.
Two Monks Invent Mr. Darcy, for longwhitecoats HILARIOUS. There is an upsetting cravat situation. Also, Wishbone. Go read this now and laugh!
There were a ton of Orphan Black stories this year! Here are two of my favorites:
Just Come On Home has Helena, Cosima, and Delphine on a road trip. Mostly Helena's POV as she watches Cosima and Delphine love and support each other, with a good mixture of funny and sweet.
The Individual in All Possible Forms, Cosima POV. Why she goes along with Dyad, how she relates to Felix, and why she might not have such a blind spot where it comes to Delphine after all.
Paradox, Connie Willis's Oxford Time Travel Universe. The introduction to a festschrift for Professor Dunworthy on his retirement. Insightful little windows into academic time-travel history, and beautiful commentary on what it means to be a historian, now and always. I'd be willing to bet that the author is an academic, because the tone is perfect. (And they reference John Boswell! Author, do I know you?)
More Lovely and More Temperate, Slings and Arrows. Everything I love about Slings and Arrows - Anna's adorable practicality, Nahum's little bits of profundity, Geoffrey's connections with his actors that emerge without him realizing it, and that moment when Geoffrey starts talking about Shakespeare and it's about Shakespeare, but really about himself, too. Absolutely gorgeous!
Good Cause, Lizzie Bennet Diaries. I'd never envisioned Lydia and Gigi as a couple, but it actually works! The best things about this story, though, are the Lydia-Lizzie relationship, and the author's vision of how Lydia has grown over the last two years.
The Real Thing, Mad Men. Everyone's voices are great here: Stan's blue humor, Roger's snark, and the creative sparks that fly once Don and Peggy get a chance to talk to each other.
Where Have All the Cowboys Gone, Middleman. In an AU where Wendy has become the Middlewoman, she and Tyler get kidnapped by nanobots! The unstoppable force of Lacey runs up against the immovable object of the retired Middleman, and they team up to save them. Tons of fun - witty writing, clever plots, just the right amount of imitation of the original characters' voices and speech patterns. And of course, some Lacey/Middleman shippy goodness.
The Guardians, Mulan. Mulan's brave and smart daughter goes in search of the lost Fa family guardian. Lovely lyrical writing - and somehow it manages to make Mushu still sound like he did in the movie, except not annoying!
Back Doors,Neverwhere. The Marquis de Carabas wheels and deals his way to saving the Floating Market. Beautiful, creative, and surreal in a way that perfectly captures the spirit of the original.
Two Monks Invent Mr. Darcy, for longwhitecoats HILARIOUS. There is an upsetting cravat situation. Also, Wishbone. Go read this now and laugh!
There were a ton of Orphan Black stories this year! Here are two of my favorites:
Just Come On Home has Helena, Cosima, and Delphine on a road trip. Mostly Helena's POV as she watches Cosima and Delphine love and support each other, with a good mixture of funny and sweet.
The Individual in All Possible Forms, Cosima POV. Why she goes along with Dyad, how she relates to Felix, and why she might not have such a blind spot where it comes to Delphine after all.
Paradox, Connie Willis's Oxford Time Travel Universe. The introduction to a festschrift for Professor Dunworthy on his retirement. Insightful little windows into academic time-travel history, and beautiful commentary on what it means to be a historian, now and always. I'd be willing to bet that the author is an academic, because the tone is perfect. (And they reference John Boswell! Author, do I know you?)
More Lovely and More Temperate, Slings and Arrows. Everything I love about Slings and Arrows - Anna's adorable practicality, Nahum's little bits of profundity, Geoffrey's connections with his actors that emerge without him realizing it, and that moment when Geoffrey starts talking about Shakespeare and it's about Shakespeare, but really about himself, too. Absolutely gorgeous!