Yuletide recs (so far)
I flipped through Yuletide Madness, and A-L of Yuletide2010.
Because they're rare fandoms, I don't know who will might be interested, but my picks so far:
One that should interest the flist, first:
The Curse of Fatal Death (DW comic relief sketch)
Sometime, Later in the TARDIS
2201 words, Teen (esp. at end). What the Lumley Doctor and Pryce Master got up to, post sketch. It's so funny and just like the actual thing. The Daleks' idea of being good, the Doctor infuriating the Master by... being the Doctor. *snort*
“Who would have thought that just as I was returning to Earth, the Daleks would try to invade for the thirty-seventh time?” the Doctor said.
The following are pretty accessible, and great, regardless of prior knowledge:
Fairy Tales
(Northanger Abbey/Jack and the Beanstalk)
Catherine's Fairy Tales
1091 words, All ages. Mrs Tilney finds a beanstalk in her garden. This is definitely one of my favourites so far.
The Six Swans
600 words,all ages. Terse, gorgeous retelling set in China.
Specific books/series etc:
The Three Musketeers
Surgeons Are A Long Time Coming
764 words, All ages. Athos, Porthos, Aramis. No slash here - just a missing scene from shortly before d'Artagnan barges in - just like in the book (which I've just now been rereading).
Spooks
little darling it's been a long cold lonely winter
482 words, PG. Ros Myers, Andrew Lawrence (Ros/baby!Home Secretary). AU for S9 (Or, well, you never know - this is Ros, after all...) in which Ros and the Home Secretary escape to Cyprus. Love it.
Downton Abbey
I am a little disappointed, as most of what's been written/requested is WWI fic (but the show is going to do that next year, so why?), slash or Thomas-centric (or, understandably, both). So, surprisingly, out of those I read, the one I loved the most was about Edith, but it really had the tone of the show nailed down, with great characterisations in just a few words:
What Didn't Happen to Edith
1640 words. PG. Edith Crawley (although almost all the main 'upstairs' characters make an appearance.) How things might have gone for Edith had Mary not said what she did.
Despite my reluctance to read WW1 fic that will soon be contradicted, I did find this Sybil/Branson one rather lovely:
Utopia
2180 words. PG. Sybil Crawley, Tom Branson.
Dungeons & Dragons
Shadows of the Past
27,156 words. All ages. Post-canon (from the end of the unmade episode "Requiem"), this reads like a missing episode, only with more shippiness and ends being tied up (maybe too neatly, but it's too good for quibbling). Eric is the POV character throughout, and his usual put-downs puncturing whatever else may happen is great. Somehow I doubt most of you will be interested in this, but if you did watch D&D and want a slice of your childhood back, this will do the trick.
Choices
709 words. All ages. Another Eric POV for the ending (presumably from the same prompt), but a ficlet this time - also a very nice piece of work.
And (even less likely to interest anyone, except the one person on my flist that I see has already read it):
Chalet School
The Start of a Beautiful Friendship
1419 words. All ages. Hilda Annersley, Nell Wilson. One of the frustrations of the Chalet School series, is that there is either a random year or more gap between books 2 and 3, or literally missing books, and so two of the main characters, who get to become joint heads and lifelong friends are never properly introduced. This fic makes good that omission, as Miss Annersley arrives, to be met by Miss Wilson. It's simply that, so probably not for those who don't know the series.
Also, my gifts:
Firstly, my Yuletide writer wrote me two lovely Chrestomanci fics centring on Janet and what she will do now she's been trapped in Chrestomanci's world as Cat's sort-of sister. (You need to read Charmed Life to understand, a book I recommend to anyone.) The first is probably reasonably accessible to newbies, but not the second. However, I am very pleased - they're both so well-done and there's sharp characterisation of Cat (despite his not appearing in it) in the second, and the first, aside from everything else, features a splendid new dressing gown for Chrestomanci, which is obviously the most important thing. (It's all in the books, okay?) Both are short, gen, and safe for all ages:
their fine incisions
best, Janet
And, also, lucky thing that I am, had two Yuletide Madness treats, too:
Changing Directions
Hee - someone saw my prompt and love of crossovers, obviously, and wrote me a great, unexpected AU cross for my Janet Chant request.
and, I also got a Blake's 7 (yay!) double-drabble, in which a Federation guard is unfortunate enough to encounter our heroes. (I love all those random guards with backstories, who usually end up dead in two minutes, even so...)
Rumours
Because they're rare fandoms, I don't know who will might be interested, but my picks so far:
One that should interest the flist, first:
The Curse of Fatal Death (DW comic relief sketch)
Sometime, Later in the TARDIS
2201 words, Teen (esp. at end). What the Lumley Doctor and Pryce Master got up to, post sketch. It's so funny and just like the actual thing. The Daleks' idea of being good, the Doctor infuriating the Master by... being the Doctor. *snort*
“Who would have thought that just as I was returning to Earth, the Daleks would try to invade for the thirty-seventh time?” the Doctor said.
The following are pretty accessible, and great, regardless of prior knowledge:
Fairy Tales
(Northanger Abbey/Jack and the Beanstalk)
Catherine's Fairy Tales
1091 words, All ages. Mrs Tilney finds a beanstalk in her garden. This is definitely one of my favourites so far.
The Six Swans
600 words,all ages. Terse, gorgeous retelling set in China.
Specific books/series etc:
The Three Musketeers
Surgeons Are A Long Time Coming
764 words, All ages. Athos, Porthos, Aramis. No slash here - just a missing scene from shortly before d'Artagnan barges in - just like in the book (which I've just now been rereading).
Spooks
little darling it's been a long cold lonely winter
482 words, PG. Ros Myers, Andrew Lawrence (Ros/baby!Home Secretary). AU for S9 (Or, well, you never know - this is Ros, after all...) in which Ros and the Home Secretary escape to Cyprus. Love it.
Downton Abbey
I am a little disappointed, as most of what's been written/requested is WWI fic (but the show is going to do that next year, so why?), slash or Thomas-centric (or, understandably, both). So, surprisingly, out of those I read, the one I loved the most was about Edith, but it really had the tone of the show nailed down, with great characterisations in just a few words:
What Didn't Happen to Edith
1640 words. PG. Edith Crawley (although almost all the main 'upstairs' characters make an appearance.) How things might have gone for Edith had Mary not said what she did.
Despite my reluctance to read WW1 fic that will soon be contradicted, I did find this Sybil/Branson one rather lovely:
Utopia
2180 words. PG. Sybil Crawley, Tom Branson.
Dungeons & Dragons
Shadows of the Past
27,156 words. All ages. Post-canon (from the end of the unmade episode "Requiem"), this reads like a missing episode, only with more shippiness and ends being tied up (maybe too neatly, but it's too good for quibbling). Eric is the POV character throughout, and his usual put-downs puncturing whatever else may happen is great. Somehow I doubt most of you will be interested in this, but if you did watch D&D and want a slice of your childhood back, this will do the trick.
Choices
709 words. All ages. Another Eric POV for the ending (presumably from the same prompt), but a ficlet this time - also a very nice piece of work.
And (even less likely to interest anyone, except the one person on my flist that I see has already read it):
Chalet School
The Start of a Beautiful Friendship
1419 words. All ages. Hilda Annersley, Nell Wilson. One of the frustrations of the Chalet School series, is that there is either a random year or more gap between books 2 and 3, or literally missing books, and so two of the main characters, who get to become joint heads and lifelong friends are never properly introduced. This fic makes good that omission, as Miss Annersley arrives, to be met by Miss Wilson. It's simply that, so probably not for those who don't know the series.
Also, my gifts:
Firstly, my Yuletide writer wrote me two lovely Chrestomanci fics centring on Janet and what she will do now she's been trapped in Chrestomanci's world as Cat's sort-of sister. (You need to read Charmed Life to understand, a book I recommend to anyone.) The first is probably reasonably accessible to newbies, but not the second. However, I am very pleased - they're both so well-done and there's sharp characterisation of Cat (despite his not appearing in it) in the second, and the first, aside from everything else, features a splendid new dressing gown for Chrestomanci, which is obviously the most important thing. (It's all in the books, okay?) Both are short, gen, and safe for all ages:
their fine incisions
best, Janet
And, also, lucky thing that I am, had two Yuletide Madness treats, too:
Changing Directions
Hee - someone saw my prompt and love of crossovers, obviously, and wrote me a great, unexpected AU cross for my Janet Chant request.
and, I also got a Blake's 7 (yay!) double-drabble, in which a Federation guard is unfortunate enough to encounter our heroes. (I love all those random guards with backstories, who usually end up dead in two minutes, even so...)
Rumours