Yuletide 2015 Recs (II)
The second half of the recs post!
Act of Union (1771 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: 19th Century CE RPF
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Characters: Benjamin Disraeli, William Ewart Gladstone
Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Magic
Summary: The lives lived on the surface are not always the lives that matter most. Even when your surface life involves being Prime Minister.
It's an AU where Disraeli and Gladstone are magicians. Amazing and shivery-good with the implied world-building and the added element to their relationship. I don't think you'd need to know much more canon beyond them being rival Victorian PMs. I only wish it was fanfic of a novel, so I could go and read it someday.
Nowhere Else to Be (1151 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: The Hour
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Randall Brown/Lix Storm
Characters: Randall Brown, Lix Storm
Additional Tags: Spanish Civil War, war correspondents
Summary: Madrid, August 1936. Randall and Lix meet at a bar.
Wonderfully atmospheric piece of backstory for Lix and Randall. Second-person's often an odd/difficult choice, but it feels really right for Randall here. Lovely.
Everyday Magic (2678 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Howl Series - Diana Wynne Jones
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Howl Pendragon, Sophie Hatter, Megan Parry
Additional Tags: Cymru am byth!
Summary: Ingary wasn't the only land where magic was commonplace. That was something Sophie was just beginning to learn.
Great fic with very much the right tone, as Sophie finds visiting Wales more daunting than anything in Ingary.
The Broken Hearts Case (1830 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Miss Marple - Agatha Christie
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Jane Marple, Dolly Bantry, Original Female Character(s)
Additional Tags: Misses Clause Challenge, Crime Solving
Summary: Very distressing things happen in villages sometimes and Market Holbrooke is no exception. Miss Marple is on the case.<
A gem of a Miss Marple fic in miniature.
To Lighten a Heart (2772 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: The Mummy Series, The Mummy Returns (2001)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Relationships: Evy Carnahan O'Connell/Rick O'Connell
Characters: Evy Carnahan O'Connell, Rick O'Connell, Bastet (Ancient Egyptian), Jonathan Carnahan, Alex O'Connell
Additional Tags: Alternative egyptian mythology, Angst, Miscarriage
Summary: "Would you like to know what Heaven looks like?" Evy's journey in the Egyptian underworld.
Fascinating and unusual exploration of Evy's experiences while dead during The Mummy Returns.
Words of Wisdom (2986 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: North and South - Elizabeth Gaskell | UK TV
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Margaret Hale/John Thornton
Characters: Margaret Hale, John Thornton, Maria Hale, Mrs Shaw (North and South UK), Hannah Thornton
Additional Tags: Humor, Wedding Night, Loss of Virginity, Light Angst, Victorian Attitudes
Summary: With her wedding coming up, the matrons in Margaret's life have a few words of wisdom to share about the dreaded wedding night. What could possibly go wrong?
Margaret is given varying advice about her wedding night and marital relations and is not at all sure they're helpful (although she may need some oil). This is sweet and funny, and the advice is beautifully in character for each 'matron', and Margaret herself rings true throughout.
Who Gives an F About the Oxford Comma?: Case Studies in the Ultimate Ensemble Hypothesis of Multiple Universes (1921 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Oxford Comma Example Sentences
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: JFK/Original Female Character, Joseph Stalin/Original Female Character
Characters: JFK (Oxford comma example sentences), Joseph Stalin (Oxford comma example sentences), Nelson Mandela (Oxford comma example sentences), Peter Ustinov (Oxford comma example sentences), An 800-year-old Demigod (Oxford comma example sentences), Dildo Collector (Oxford comma example sentences), Original Female Character(s)
Additional Tags: Grammar Porn
Summary: Anything that can be described will be described, and, more than that, likely exists somewhere.
That’s just how probability works.
Rather wonderfully Hitch-Hiker's-esque look at some Oxford Comma examples. Grammar matters, and especially in one or two particularly odd universes.
Li'l Gumshoe (2466 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Pushing Daisies
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Penny Cod, Lila Robinson, Emerson Cod, Olive Snook, Ned (Pushing Daisies), Charlotte "Chuck" Charles
Additional Tags: Misses Clause Challenge, Female Character of Color
Summary: Young Penny Cod was nine years, two hours, and forty-three minutes old when she found the book which changed her life. Like hundreds of other little black girls who would encounter Li’l Gumshoe, she felt as though it had been written just for her. The difference was, Penny Cod was right.
This is a lovely, satisfactory look at Penny, finally getting to find her father.
The Pie Plot (1850 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Pushing Daisies
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Charlotte "Chuck" Charles/Ned
Characters: Olive Snook, Emerson Cod, Ned (Pushing Daisies), Charlotte "Chuck" Charles
Additional Tags: Ensemble Cast, Investigations, Fluff
Summary: “At my own restaurant?” Olive bit out as she crowded Ned into the booth and blocking off possible escape routes. “You can’t exclude me from investigations at my own restaurant!”
Cute, funny, and with the voices completely nailed down, this is a joy.
Winner Takes All (906 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Red Dwarf, Gishwhes - Fandom
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Arnold Rimmer, Dave Lister, Holly (Red Dwarf), Kryten (Red Dwarf)
Additional Tags: Humour, Games, GISHWHES, Yuletide Treat
Summary: Rimmer discovers his crewmates involved in a very strange game.
Fun little Madness piece that's so easy to imagine happening with the Dwarfers.
you're worth more than how this city lets you down (1033 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Ripper Street
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Characters: Fred Best, Homer Jackson
Summary: Like London, Fred Best endures.
Brilliant and original; this is an amazing look at Fred Best and London and legends and Jacks, and really goes with that almost poetic edge that Ripper Street has at times.
dare to eat a peach (1736 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Sapphire and Steel
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Sapphire/Silver/Steel (S&S), Sapphire/Steel (S&S), Sapphire/Silver (S&S), Silver/Steel (S&S)
Characters: Sapphire (S&S), Silver (S&S), Steel
Summary: Time is like a corridor, where three may walk abreast.
Sapphire and Steel fic and so gorgeous and inexplicable and weird, exactly as it should be. Wonderfully done.
Alien Estate (1110 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Sarah Jane Adventures
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Alan Jackson, Maria Jackson, Gita Chandra, Haresh Chandra
Summary: When you live opposite Sarah Jane Smith, selling your house isn't easy.
This is just as much fun as the premise would lead you to suppose. Great little filling in of a canon gap, as the Jacksons attempt to sell their house, hampered by alien invasions.
The Kraftur (3481 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Sarah Jane Adventures
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Maria Jackson, Alan Jackson, Clyde Langer, Rani Chandra, Gita Chandra, Mr Smith (Sarah Jane Adventures), K9 Mark IV, Sarah Jane Smith, Sky Smith
Summary: Maria and Alan house-sit for Sarah Jane and Sky and wonder how many days it will be before alien activity picks up. Turns out they should have been guessing in minutes. Gita lends timely assistance, though she doesn't know it.
Lovely fic that feels exactly like a missing episode, and gives all of the featured characters a chance to shine.
How Now, Brown Monkey (715 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: The Ten Stupidest Things I've Heard Since Richard III's Remains Were Identified (Blog Post), The Shadow of the Tower
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Henry VII (Shadow of the Tower)
Additional Tags: Crack
Summary: Why does Henry have a monkey from an, as yet, undiscovered continent?
Treat written for me in Madness! Not only is this cracky Shadow of the Tower fic that solves the mystery of why Henry VII has a monkey from the wrong continent, but it resurrects that best-ever fandom of Yuletides past, The Ten Stupidest Things I've Heard Since Richard III's Remains Were Identified. And don't worry, it's just reads as a great piece of historical crack fic for the uninitiated - although I totally recommend looking up the blog post!
back in your own world (860 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Stay - Shakespears Sister (Music Video)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Relationships: Girl/Man In Coma (Stay - Shakespeare's Sister), Death/Girl (Stay - Shakespeare's Sister), Girl/Man in Coma/Death (Stay - Shakespeare's Sister)
Additional Tags: envy - Freeform, Watching, Romance, disgust, Character Death, Character Study, Longing, Yuletide Treat, Yuletide Madness 2015
Summary: Death has seen them beg before.
It's the ones that don't beg who intrigue her..
Great little piece, as this (oh so glittery pop vid) Death becomes a little too obsessed with the prey that escaped her.
Thursday Next and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Fic (4809 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Thursday Next - Jasper Fforde
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Thursday Next, Miss Havisham
Additional Tags: Yuletide Treat, Alternate Universe
Summary: Takes place shortly after Lost in a Good Book. Thursday Next has her first encounter with fanfiction, and it's nothing at all like the place from One of Our Thursdays Is Missing.
Thursday gets sent in to deal with a problem in fanfic; much meta, humour, and fannish in-jokes ensue.
Crossposted from Dreamwidth -- Comments there:
Act of Union (1771 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: 19th Century CE RPF
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Characters: Benjamin Disraeli, William Ewart Gladstone
Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Magic
Summary: The lives lived on the surface are not always the lives that matter most. Even when your surface life involves being Prime Minister.
It's an AU where Disraeli and Gladstone are magicians. Amazing and shivery-good with the implied world-building and the added element to their relationship. I don't think you'd need to know much more canon beyond them being rival Victorian PMs. I only wish it was fanfic of a novel, so I could go and read it someday.
Nowhere Else to Be (1151 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: The Hour
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Randall Brown/Lix Storm
Characters: Randall Brown, Lix Storm
Additional Tags: Spanish Civil War, war correspondents
Summary: Madrid, August 1936. Randall and Lix meet at a bar.
Wonderfully atmospheric piece of backstory for Lix and Randall. Second-person's often an odd/difficult choice, but it feels really right for Randall here. Lovely.
Everyday Magic (2678 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Howl Series - Diana Wynne Jones
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Howl Pendragon, Sophie Hatter, Megan Parry
Additional Tags: Cymru am byth!
Summary: Ingary wasn't the only land where magic was commonplace. That was something Sophie was just beginning to learn.
Great fic with very much the right tone, as Sophie finds visiting Wales more daunting than anything in Ingary.
The Broken Hearts Case (1830 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Miss Marple - Agatha Christie
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Jane Marple, Dolly Bantry, Original Female Character(s)
Additional Tags: Misses Clause Challenge, Crime Solving
Summary: Very distressing things happen in villages sometimes and Market Holbrooke is no exception. Miss Marple is on the case.<
A gem of a Miss Marple fic in miniature.
To Lighten a Heart (2772 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: The Mummy Series, The Mummy Returns (2001)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Relationships: Evy Carnahan O'Connell/Rick O'Connell
Characters: Evy Carnahan O'Connell, Rick O'Connell, Bastet (Ancient Egyptian), Jonathan Carnahan, Alex O'Connell
Additional Tags: Alternative egyptian mythology, Angst, Miscarriage
Summary: "Would you like to know what Heaven looks like?" Evy's journey in the Egyptian underworld.
Fascinating and unusual exploration of Evy's experiences while dead during The Mummy Returns.
Words of Wisdom (2986 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: North and South - Elizabeth Gaskell | UK TV
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Margaret Hale/John Thornton
Characters: Margaret Hale, John Thornton, Maria Hale, Mrs Shaw (North and South UK), Hannah Thornton
Additional Tags: Humor, Wedding Night, Loss of Virginity, Light Angst, Victorian Attitudes
Summary: With her wedding coming up, the matrons in Margaret's life have a few words of wisdom to share about the dreaded wedding night. What could possibly go wrong?
Margaret is given varying advice about her wedding night and marital relations and is not at all sure they're helpful (although she may need some oil). This is sweet and funny, and the advice is beautifully in character for each 'matron', and Margaret herself rings true throughout.
Who Gives an F About the Oxford Comma?: Case Studies in the Ultimate Ensemble Hypothesis of Multiple Universes (1921 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Oxford Comma Example Sentences
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: JFK/Original Female Character, Joseph Stalin/Original Female Character
Characters: JFK (Oxford comma example sentences), Joseph Stalin (Oxford comma example sentences), Nelson Mandela (Oxford comma example sentences), Peter Ustinov (Oxford comma example sentences), An 800-year-old Demigod (Oxford comma example sentences), Dildo Collector (Oxford comma example sentences), Original Female Character(s)
Additional Tags: Grammar Porn
Summary: Anything that can be described will be described, and, more than that, likely exists somewhere.
That’s just how probability works.
Rather wonderfully Hitch-Hiker's-esque look at some Oxford Comma examples. Grammar matters, and especially in one or two particularly odd universes.
Li'l Gumshoe (2466 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Pushing Daisies
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Penny Cod, Lila Robinson, Emerson Cod, Olive Snook, Ned (Pushing Daisies), Charlotte "Chuck" Charles
Additional Tags: Misses Clause Challenge, Female Character of Color
Summary: Young Penny Cod was nine years, two hours, and forty-three minutes old when she found the book which changed her life. Like hundreds of other little black girls who would encounter Li’l Gumshoe, she felt as though it had been written just for her. The difference was, Penny Cod was right.
This is a lovely, satisfactory look at Penny, finally getting to find her father.
The Pie Plot (1850 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Pushing Daisies
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Charlotte "Chuck" Charles/Ned
Characters: Olive Snook, Emerson Cod, Ned (Pushing Daisies), Charlotte "Chuck" Charles
Additional Tags: Ensemble Cast, Investigations, Fluff
Summary: “At my own restaurant?” Olive bit out as she crowded Ned into the booth and blocking off possible escape routes. “You can’t exclude me from investigations at my own restaurant!”
Cute, funny, and with the voices completely nailed down, this is a joy.
Winner Takes All (906 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Red Dwarf, Gishwhes - Fandom
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Arnold Rimmer, Dave Lister, Holly (Red Dwarf), Kryten (Red Dwarf)
Additional Tags: Humour, Games, GISHWHES, Yuletide Treat
Summary: Rimmer discovers his crewmates involved in a very strange game.
Fun little Madness piece that's so easy to imagine happening with the Dwarfers.
you're worth more than how this city lets you down (1033 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Ripper Street
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Characters: Fred Best, Homer Jackson
Summary: Like London, Fred Best endures.
Brilliant and original; this is an amazing look at Fred Best and London and legends and Jacks, and really goes with that almost poetic edge that Ripper Street has at times.
dare to eat a peach (1736 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Sapphire and Steel
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Sapphire/Silver/Steel (S&S), Sapphire/Steel (S&S), Sapphire/Silver (S&S), Silver/Steel (S&S)
Characters: Sapphire (S&S), Silver (S&S), Steel
Summary: Time is like a corridor, where three may walk abreast.
Sapphire and Steel fic and so gorgeous and inexplicable and weird, exactly as it should be. Wonderfully done.
Alien Estate (1110 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Sarah Jane Adventures
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Alan Jackson, Maria Jackson, Gita Chandra, Haresh Chandra
Summary: When you live opposite Sarah Jane Smith, selling your house isn't easy.
This is just as much fun as the premise would lead you to suppose. Great little filling in of a canon gap, as the Jacksons attempt to sell their house, hampered by alien invasions.
The Kraftur (3481 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Sarah Jane Adventures
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Maria Jackson, Alan Jackson, Clyde Langer, Rani Chandra, Gita Chandra, Mr Smith (Sarah Jane Adventures), K9 Mark IV, Sarah Jane Smith, Sky Smith
Summary: Maria and Alan house-sit for Sarah Jane and Sky and wonder how many days it will be before alien activity picks up. Turns out they should have been guessing in minutes. Gita lends timely assistance, though she doesn't know it.
Lovely fic that feels exactly like a missing episode, and gives all of the featured characters a chance to shine.
How Now, Brown Monkey (715 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: The Ten Stupidest Things I've Heard Since Richard III's Remains Were Identified (Blog Post), The Shadow of the Tower
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Henry VII (Shadow of the Tower)
Additional Tags: Crack
Summary: Why does Henry have a monkey from an, as yet, undiscovered continent?
Treat written for me in Madness! Not only is this cracky Shadow of the Tower fic that solves the mystery of why Henry VII has a monkey from the wrong continent, but it resurrects that best-ever fandom of Yuletides past, The Ten Stupidest Things I've Heard Since Richard III's Remains Were Identified. And don't worry, it's just reads as a great piece of historical crack fic for the uninitiated - although I totally recommend looking up the blog post!
back in your own world (860 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Stay - Shakespears Sister (Music Video)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Relationships: Girl/Man In Coma (Stay - Shakespeare's Sister), Death/Girl (Stay - Shakespeare's Sister), Girl/Man in Coma/Death (Stay - Shakespeare's Sister)
Additional Tags: envy - Freeform, Watching, Romance, disgust, Character Death, Character Study, Longing, Yuletide Treat, Yuletide Madness 2015
Summary: Death has seen them beg before.
It's the ones that don't beg who intrigue her..
Great little piece, as this (oh so glittery pop vid) Death becomes a little too obsessed with the prey that escaped her.
Thursday Next and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Fic (4809 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Thursday Next - Jasper Fforde
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Thursday Next, Miss Havisham
Additional Tags: Yuletide Treat, Alternate Universe
Summary: Takes place shortly after Lost in a Good Book. Thursday Next has her first encounter with fanfiction, and it's nothing at all like the place from One of Our Thursdays Is Missing.
Thursday gets sent in to deal with a problem in fanfic; much meta, humour, and fannish in-jokes ensue.
Crossposted from Dreamwidth -- Comments there: